“And run into one of those shark men you mentioned? No thanks. Besides, where are we going to find the lumber to build a boat?”
Henry shrugged. “I don’t know. The tree, or maybe that shed out yonder.”
“The trees, the shed, and everything else outside is covered with the white fuzz now, Henry. It’s even growing on the tower. If we go out any farther than the top of the stairs, we risk becoming infected. We’re better off staying put.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“What prompted this?”
“I’m just bored, I guess. Just trying to make conversation. You don’t say much these days.”
Sulking, he turned back to the observation window. Sarah was about to apologize to him when Henry suddenly gasped.
“Oh, shit…”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Earl and them others are gone!”
Sarah jumped to her feet. “That means they’re going to try for another assault. Come on.”
CHAPTER 68
Henry put his ear to the door and listened.
“Anything?” Sarah asked.
The boy shook his head.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Get back.”
Henry removed the barricade and Sarah rushed out into the rain. She clutched a hefty axe that she’d retrieved from the utility shed before Kevin’s death. Henry hurried out behind her, carrying a large pickaxe. They hovered on the top landing, peering down into the gloom below, where seven shadowy figures were laboriously making their way up the wet and slippery metal stairs. Five of the figures were roughly-human shaped, each possessing two arms, two legs and a head. Another of the creatures had once been either a dog or a coyote—or possibly a wolf, though Sarah wasn’t sure if West Virginia had wolves or not. The seventh’s original form was unrecognizable. Whatever it had once been, it was now nothing more than a shambling mound of pallid fungus. As they watched from above, the thing burst apart on the second landing, turning to liquid and spilling back down the stairs. Its companions, including the thing that had once been Earl Harper, ignored its demise.
“There’s a gasoline can in the far corner, over next to the radio,” Sarah said. “Grab it, and that box of wooden matches. I’ve got an idea.”
Henry frowned. “You’re not thinking of going down there, are you?”
Far below, the creatures moaned and gurgled, attracted by their voices.
“Just do it, Henry. Please? And hurry.”
Nodding, he ducked back inside.
“Soft…” Earl cried, his voice phlegmatic and inhuman.
“Yeah,” Sarah called, “we’ve been through that already, Earl. You sound like a broken record!”
“Soft… SOFT!”
Beginning at the fourth landing, Sarah and Henry had erected a series of crude but so-far effective barricades and booby-traps, using materials they’d recovered from the utility shed and the ranger station. When the monsters reached that level, they were confronted with a maze of lumber, fencing rolls, and other debris. Sarah and Henry had been mindful to avoid using anything that Kevin might have touched while inside the shed, but that didn’t seem to matter now. Most of the blockade had white fuzz growing on it. Much of the fungus had appeared in only the last few days. Already, Sarah noticed, several lengths of two-by-four were missing. She assumed that they’d already liquefied. How long before the same thing happened to the rest of the barricade? How long before it happened to the ranger station, as well?
Henry returned with the gasoline can. Sarah took it from him and unscrewed the cap. The liquid sloshed inside and the pungent fumes made her wince. She walked to the railing and lifted the can over the side.
“Hey, Earl!”
Below, six mold-covered faces peered up at her, toothless mouths agape.
“Heads up.” Sarah laughed as she poured the gasoline. The liquid seemed to fall faster than the rain, splashing on the creatures. Immediately, they recoiled, shrieking in either pain or fright. Sarah couldn’t be sure of which, nor did she care. “Quick, Henry. Give me the matches.”
He handed them over and Sarah fumbled one from the box and tried to light it. When she had no luck, she ducked into the open doorway and tried with a second one. A third and fourth also refused to light.
“Shit! Shit, shit, shit…”
“It don’t matter none,” Henry called, looking over the rail. “They’re running away. And parts of them are coming off. Look!”
Sarah moved to the railing and watched the attackers retreat. Sure enough, their hides had turned black where the gasoline had splashed on them. A few were now missing appendages, and the stumps were black, as well.
“Maybe gasoline kills it?” she mused.
“At the very least, they don’t like it,” Henry agreed.
Sarah grinned. “Henry, I’ve got an idea…”
CHAPTER 69
“What’s your idea?” Henry asked.
Ignoring him, Sarah pushed past the teen and ran back into the ranger station. Her wet shoes squeaked on the floor. She clutched the empty gas can with one hand. Henry trailed after her, frowning in confusion. Water dripped from them both, pooling at their feet. A blast of thunder rumbled overhead.
“It will work,” Sarah yelled, her tone excited and frantic. “I know it will! This is our way out, Henry. We don’t have to die.”
“What is? I don’t understand.”
Again, she acted as if she hadn’t heard him. Henry’s frown deepened. He stood watching as Sarah rushed from corner to corner, obviously looking for something.
“It’s here somewhere, damn it. Did you grab it all?”
“Did I use all of what? The gasoline? I did just like you said, Sarah. I got that can in the corner next to the radio. Is it empty?”
She turned to look at him and rolled her eyes. Then she held up the can and jiggled it.
“Does it sound full to you?”
Henry lowered his head. “Well, I reckon that’s because you just dumped it all on Earl and his friends.”
“Right. So we’ve got to get more. That’s all. We just get a bunch more gasoline and fight our way out of here. You saw what it does to them!”
“But, Sarah…” Henry paused. “There is no more gasoline. That’s all there is. I mean, maybe there’s some on the storage shed down below, but that thing is covered in white fuzz. It’s already starting to melt. We can’t get in there.”
“You’re lying.”
Sarah moaned—a mournful, terrible sound that scared Henry worse than their attackers had. Her wet eyes seemed black, and her lips turned pale as she grimaced.
“Sarah,” Henry said softly. “Are you okay? What’s wrong with—”
“You’re lying, Henry! You’re wrong. You have to be. There’s more gas here. We just have to look. That’s all. We just need to find some more gasoline. Then we can go home. Don’t you want to go home? D-don’t y-you… you… want… don’t you w-w-wan…”
She backed into the wall and slid slowly to the floor. Her speech dissolved into sobs. Henry wondered if she’d suffered some sort of stroke. Or maybe she’d just snapped? He prayed not, even though none of his other prayers had recently been answered.
“It’s okay, Sarah. I ain’t sure what’s happened to you, but it will be all right.”
When Henry approached her, Sarah began to scream. Her cries were so loud that he almost didn’t notice the second round of thunder until the tower began to tremble.
That’s not thunder, he thought. That’s us! The damn building is shaking…
CHAPTER 70