The Road to Nowhere: A post-apocalyptic novel Read online

  There were movie props and posters everywhere. Futuristic looking guns, which I really wished were functional. Mannequins were dressed as characters from films I couldn’t remember.

  While walking, I was drawn to a display case that hung parallel to the floor.

  Inside the case was a long sword with a white handle in the shape of a dragon, a katana I think it’s called. Next to the case was a large movie poster for something called Highlander. Maybe I had been a fan of the movie, as I couldn’t draw myself away from the blade that gleamed against the flashlight.

  I looked around, self-conscious of what I had been thinking more than anything. If no one was around, what difference would it make if I were to take it? It’s not stealing if there is no owner for something. Besides, I would feel better with a weapon after what had happened last night.

  I used a heavy metal barstool, and with one good swing, shattered the case. Glass flew in a wide arc, loudly clattering on a table and floor. The impact jarred my arm enough to make me drop the stool.

  The noise echoed across the room, but rather than fade away, it grew. It wasn’t an echo, it was something else. The sound had begun with a growl, but was now clearly baying and screaming. I picked my flashlight back up, and pointed it towards where the sound seemed to be coming from.

  There was nothing I could see at first, and then something burst from the back kitchen doors. I recoiled in surprise, almost losing my footing. The first thing I noticed was that he didn’t look entirely human.

  His lips had been cut off, leaving bare teeth in an angry grimace. Small pieces of metal had been driven into his skin in a haphazardly fashion. Fresh and old scars crisscrossed his face. I wondered if they were all self-inflicted. His clothes seemed to be roughly cut out of some kind of wet leather. Oh God, was that human skin?

  Was he even human at all? He looked ailed by some sort of disease. Blotches of what looked like black mold had grown across his face. It wasn’t normal. He wasn’t normal.

  I shined the flashlight up to his dark brooding eyes, which were completely black. He threw his hands over his face, and shrieked in agony. Not seeing through covered eyes, he ran into a table at the far end of the restaurant, knocking it and himself down to the ground.

  Once he hit the floor, I broke out of my reverie. I jumped up on a table to grab the sword, and turned to run. I stopped to look back, just in time to see the doors burst open once more. This time instead of a single figure, there was three.

  3 RESTLESS

  I saw in the dim light that they hadn’t all been mutilated in the same manner, but they were covered in the same kind of filth. Dirt, crusted blood, and offal. They also had brittle, unkempt hair in a similar state.

  One had fresh scars and open cuts slashed randomly across his face, while another was missing his entire nose. Where his nose should have been were two gaping holes, surrounded by ragged chunks of loose flesh.

  The third was large and muscular, towering above the others. His hair had been burned off in several places, which matched the burn marks across the rest of his body. He was bare from the waist up, with long cuts running up and down his skin.

  The largest one saw me, turned his face skyward and roared what sounded like a challenge. At his yell, the other three scrambled towards me, faster than I expected.

  I leapt off the table, and ran for the street as fast as I could. I might be able to lose them on the street. Spurned on my flight, they screamed even louder and ran faster. I could hear their steps getting closer, until I knew one was right behind me as I hit the door.

  A hand grabbed at my leather jacket, and found purchase. I strained against the insistent tugging, and turned enough to swing the sword against the face of my would be ensnarer.

  My blade raked across his neck, and blood streamed out in quick spurts before I was able to pull free. Time seemed to momentarily freeze. Black eyes bored into mine, and I smelled his hot fetid breath in my face. It stank of rot and carrion.

  The impact of the sword jarred his hand enough for me to pull free. I could only imagine the horror that he had planned if he caught me. There was no humanity left in those eyes. All I could see was a vicious animal that should be put down.

  A malevolent look of hate filled his face. It didn’t look like the injury had caused him any pain, just anger. With the amount of blood running down his neck, I wondered if he had much time left.

  He held on hand over his neck to staunch the flow of blood, while the other tried to claw at me again. His fingers were a few scant inches away. I was just out of his reach, thank God.

  I kept moving out towards the door, opening the distance between us. He seemed less sure of himself as he took a step forward. Before he could take a second step, one of the others reached us. I expected that one would dash past him, and grab me.

  Instead I gaped in shock as he ripped my would-be attacker’s hand from the wound on his neck. One spurt of blood flew into the air, before teeth tore the long slash into a red gaping hole. He took the wounded one to the floor, gnawing and biting at him. A feral scream pierced the air. My stomach rolled with the scene before me. He was being eaten alive.

  The second one fell on the bloody mess, apparently wanting his share. Lost in their savage struggle over a meal, they no longer paid me any attention.

  I used their distraction to open the door. Before I could push it far enough to slip through, another one had come from the side and hit me through the door. I hit the sidewalk hard, but rolled to absorb some of the impact. Where did he come from? Why hadn’t I seen him before? Had he slipped around me in the dark restaurant?

  I turned back to the open door. I was finally out but I wasn’t sure if it was over. He dashed forward faster than I had expected, until the sunlight fully shone on him.

  He threw his arms across his face, stumbling onto the ground and bellowing in agony. He thrashed backwards on his back like a crab, hitting the doorframe, then kicking his way back into the dark interior of the building.

  From inside I saw more vague shapes in the dark, glaring at me. Their bodies pressed against the tinted windows and some crowded the doorway. In frustration, several pounded on the glass. Were they all just sleeping and I woke them up?

  Heavy chuffs and shrilled screams at being denied their prey poured out of the small door, echoing down the silent street.

  I could vaguely make out the dead body of their own that was dragged back into the crowd. I wondered if this is what became of everyone. Had all of humanity become something preternatural? They were more animal than man.

  There were wet tearing sounds that I couldn’t avoid hearing. I tried not to imagine what was going on. I stood there in place, I wasn’t going to stay long but I needed to confirm something.

  I aimed my light back at the entrance, and they screamed in agony. Those in the front pushed and pulled trying to get back. The back wasn’t having it. They pushed right back, keeping those in front as living shields to the light.

  I backed away from just beyond the doorway and heard more shrieks and yells echo down the street. I first thought that there were more coming up behind me, and then I realized that the sounds were from the surrounding buildings.

  The raucous noise poured out of the surrounding casinos. I stared about in shock and amazement. What had happened to all of these people? This had to be the madness I read in the soggy newspaper’s headline, but why?

  The terrible din of their screaming pointed directly at me, and I didn’t feel safe. The sun was overhead, and was probably the reason why they hadn’t just flooded the street to get me. How much longer would it be out?

  I took off at a loping run, hoping to get far enough from the roused buildings to outrun their cries. I tried to hold the sword away from me, so that if I did fall it wouldn’t be on the blade.

  After half a block the loud noise came from behind me, and grew more distant. I slowed my pace considerably, and panted for breath. I looked over my shoulder, but couldn’t make out anything
coming from the dark buildings. The buildings on my sides looked just as deserted as when I first walked in.

  How many of them were there? From the sound of it, there had to have been several hundred at least. I imagined them crowding the darkened spaces, either sleeping or laying in wait. I would never be able to take an empty building for granted now.

  Maybe fate led me to see what they were without stumbling blindly into the wrong casino where there were more. Maybe, but I doubted it. I don’t believe in predestined fates. I think we make our luck with our own decisions and follow the roads we choose.

  I walked on, lost in thought. The slow miles back gave me time to think. Once I’d passed the majority of cars abandoned in the traffic jam, I made my decision. I had to get out of the city. If I hadn’t seen another soul the entire time I had been wandering around, chances were that they weren’t here.

  The real question is where people might be. I unfolded the map I had been carrying, and perused the route. Las Vegas is in the middle of nowhere and past the city all I could see was hills and desert. The main highway ran east to west.

  I decided to go west. There would be more big cities, and chances of finding someone else would go up. There would be more open desert if I headed east, which wouldn’t be easy to traverse. I just hoped I could avoid running into more of those animals.

  I needed to pack up some food and water for the trip. I could break into a convenience store, or another house, but there could be some of those things inside.

  If the house that I had gone into had been host to a group of them, I probably would be dead right now. I was lucky once, and doubted that I would be again.

  I knew what I had to do. I could break into a random place, and risk running into more of those things, or I could go back to the first house. That is if finding my way back was even possible.

  I eventually backtracked to where I’d left the VW Beetle parked, and was relieved to find it still there. Leaving it unlocked, and the keys in the ignition wasn’t the best idea, but I hadn’t really thought about having to come back to it.

  I looked up at the sky. The sun had already passed over its highest point and was burning into my neck. I wish I knew when it would begin to set. I knew I had to get off the street well before then.

  I opened the car door and was surprised by the amount of heat pouring out. The leather seat burned where I touched it. Once again the ignition started right away.

  I turned on the air conditioning. I needed it. Cold air blew out of the vents. The cool feeling spread across my skin, soothing the heat that had seeped into it. I finally stopped sweating, and the comfortable temperature brought a semblance of relaxation.

  After a few minutes I put the car in reverse, and backed my way down the sidewalk. It was much slower and more difficult than driving forward.

  After a few blocks my neck began to hurt from looking over my shoulder, but I finally had enough room to turn around, out of reverse, and drive on the street.

  I don’t know how many wrong turns I made, trying to find my way back. Then I did the obvious thing, and pulled out the registration. I had seen the address when I first looked at it, but forgotten about it.

  Looking at my map, I saw that I had driven farther than I had meant to, and had to double back. This took some time. I felt on edge but I wasn’t too far. I’d make it back before sunset.

  While driving I saw a newspaper dispenser that I hadn’t seen on the way to the strip. I pulled up to the curb, got out, and had a look at it.

  The headline read: “Presidential address on National Emergency, with detailed instructions”

  The smaller text was unreadable through the dirty glass. I didn’t have change so I went back to the car. It took a few minutes of searching, but I eventually found a few handfuls of coins left in the center console.

  I inserted the change, but the door refused to open. I shook it a few times, but had the same result.

  I went back to the car, pulled out the sword and used the handle to smash the glass. I had to be careful not to cut myself, and pulled an issue out toward the bottom. The glass on top didn’t move. The issue slid out easily.

  The date on the paper didn’t help, as I had no idea what day, month or year it was. The instructions didn’t give many specific details. They said to stay indoors, especially after dark. People should avoid roads and driving, even to get to loved ones.

  An enforced curfew would take effect at sunset, and all those on the street would be subject to being fired upon without warning. All looters and rioters would receive the same treatment. Anyone with symptoms of infection would be released to military custody for isolation, and treatment.

  Symptoms of infection included: Headache, fever, insomnia, dizziness, vomiting, irritability, irrational anger, dilated pupils, coma, paranoia, and mental instability.

  All prices for goods were now frozen, to avoid people taking advantage of the emergency. Regular and Cellular telephones should only be used for emergencies, to ensure that circuits would not be overwhelmed. Due to this emergency all payments due, including mortgages, would be suspended until this situation had ended.

  Below this address was an editorial response to the statement. The editor claimed that there had been no success at treating or curing the infection. It was only passible by direct contact of bodily fluids.

  Those infected were reported to extremes of self-mutilation, murder, rape, and cannibalism. The pupils of the infected became completely dilated which caused avoidance to bright lights, especially sunlight.

  Now what I’d seen made more sense. The article went on to say that no cause of the infection had been found, and it had become a worldwide epidemic.

  Guessing by the state of things I had seen, things must have gotten worse. Much worse.

  The silence during the drive back gave me a further oppressed feeling. When I finally drove the car back to where I had first found it, the sun wasn’t more than a few hours until dusk.

  I could have quickly grabbed what I could, and tried to drive out of the city. Of course, I’d hate to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. The roads might not even be passable.

  As much as I would have liked to be gone, staying one night in the house might be the best way to stay safe. I felt the weight of the past few hours on my shoulders.

  I had to force myself to climb out of the comfortable car seats, and go into the house.

  I held my sword in one hand and my flashlight in the other as I entered the door. The interior looked that same as when I left. While there was still a small amount of natural light coming through the windows, I searched the house. If I didn’t have the flashlight, I wouldn’t have been able to see much, but it made a big difference.

  The first thing I did was check all the rooms and closets. The downstairs was simple enough, but stairs creaked as I went up to the second floor. There was less light upstairs, it seemed like night had already fallen there.

  My eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, bringing the area into focus. The hallway at the top of the stairs had three doors, and the two closest were left open. I worked my way through each one.

  The first must have been a sewing or craft room. Bolts of fabric and a large sewing machine took up the majority of the space. There was nothing of use in the room, so I went on to the next.

  The second open door led to a bedroom. I went inside, and saw that there was pink and purple everywhere. It must have been a girl’s room. Something was large and aberrant under the covers of the bed and facing away from me, motionless.

  Was it one of them? God I hoped not. I lightly patted the flat of my blade against the shape. It didn’t move. Was it one of those monsters, only asleep?

  “Hey.” I said softly, through gritted teeth.

  There was no answer. I built up the nerve to draw the covers off of it. I slid the tip of the sword under the blanket, and flipped it off. I took a half swing at the shape, expecting it to leap at me. Within the light I saw what it was, and I took
a long exhalation out. I was relieved. It was nothing but a large stuffed bear.

  I shook my head and left the small room. The hall was dark and unwelcoming, in light of how close I came to skewering a stuffed bear.

  The last door was closed. I had to tuck the flashlight under one arm to turn the doorknob. It loudly clicked as it opened. I gave it a good push and returned the flashlight to my hand.

  The room was the largest yet. An enormous bed was the first thing I saw. Dark blankets and pillows were stacked neatly on top of it. Dark curtains obscured the one window, which was above a large wooden dresser.

  One side of the room had a second door, the other a walk in closet. The closet was open, and my light showed that it was mostly empty. There were some hangers on the ground, and a small pile of woman’s clothes.