Damn it. What else can go wrong tonight? I’ve been travelling for hours, just trying to get home to Dee.
He made his way to Flatcap’s car. “You guys all right?”
The young boy in the back replied, delight evident in his voice, “We went crash!”
Flatcap hauled himself out of the car. “Yes son, we went crash.”
He looked back at Jack. “We’re all right. What happened there?”
“Going too fast, simple as that. So do you think we can get these out?”
“Nah, I don’t think so. We’re in too deep.”
“Bugger it!” Jack spat. “I’ll go see if I can find a tractor or something. Plenty of farms around here.”
Flatcap moved the peak of his hat up and down his brow. “Yeah, all right. Probably best I stay here with my family.”
Jack nodded.
Returning to his car, he grabbed his pack out of the back seat, took out his headlamp, and checked to see if it was still working. Satisfied, he looked around. Spotting a driveway farther up the road, he headed off.
Turning into the driveway, a crunch under his foot revealed gravel. Fear of being detected, by either humans or monsters, made him tread carefully and silently. His gaze darted up toward the house and back to the vehicles. Plucking up his courage, he entered the property. As he crossed the cattle grate, one of his feet slipped and he went down, the resulting clang sounding like a gunshot in the silence of the night. Jack winced, at the noise and the pain, and rubbed his foot. He prayed there were no monsters around to hear that racket. But surely they wouldn’t be so far from civilisation? He crawled off the cattle grate and got back onto his feet, testing out his foot. It would be fine. Smoothing out his pants, he carried on up the driveway. He paused every few meters to strain his hearing for any sounds.
Jack could see the house and vehicle sheds in the darkness, their silhouettes emerging from the gloom. Moving toward the shed, Jack thought he heard a popping sound. What was that? He froze. Heart hammering, he peered into the darkness. He wished he could turn on his light, but was fearful of attracting the creatures, or an angry farmer with a shotgun.
Maybe I should just knock on the door?
There were no lights on in the house, and no further sounds reached him. Jack wondered where everyone was. Had they made a run for it? Why would they? They already lived in the country; nothing out here except cows, cows, and more cows. He shook these doubts from his mind as he approached the shed.
The shed was enclosed on the sides and the back, leaving the front open to the elements; typical for farms.
He could see an old-looking tractor. Moving to the back of the vehicle, he saw that a wooden pallet forming a small platform was attached to the trailer. Piled on it was a rusty chain, and attached to both ends were large metal hooks. In the cab, the key stuck out of the ignition.
Yes! Finally! thought Jack. Some good luck.
Jumping into the seat, he checked to see if the tractor was in neutral. Then, with his fingers crossed, he turned the ignition.
The tractor coughed once, then turned over. Too loud! Too late. Engaging the gear, Jack eased his way back down the driveway. He looked back at the house every now and then, half expecting someone to come running out, or one of those hideous creatures to come tearing over. He shivered. But it all stayed quiet.
Arriving back at the cars, he found Flatcap and his family sitting on the hood of their car, their feet resting against the small clay bank. The children were eating, nestled into their parents’ sides. Pulling up alongside the cars, Jack called over, “I’ll reverse up and get yours first.”
“All right, cool.”
“You chain it up around the axle.”
“Yup, sure thing.”
He reached down and put the tractor in forward. Looking back up, he saw movement over Flatcap’s shoulder.
Several figures were moving through the school yard toward them. Their limbs seemed strange, elongated, and they moved with jerky, inhuman movements. One of the creatures let out a bloodcurdling scream. They all dropped to all fours and, with an incredible burst of speed, flew across the intervening ground toward the group.
Jack gave an inarticulate shout, but there was nothing he could do for Flatcap and his family. Within seconds, the monsters were on them. Two of the creatures slammed into Flatcap and his wife, tearing and snarling. The stench of blood permeated the air, and Jack could taste iron.
Time shifted into slow motion as he reacted. He leaned over and grabbed the chain off the platform. Unfurling it, he swung it at the nearest creature, which had grabbed one of the boys. Slamming the hook into its head, he was shocked when bits of skull and black gooey sludge fountained out. The creature slumped against the car, dead. Pulling the boy into the cab and onto his lap, Jack floored the accelerator. The tractor lurched forward down the road. With one hand on the wheel, he swung the chain at two more of the creatures. Jack couldn't believe how fast they were, easily dodging his wild swings.
The boy on his lap screamed in agony as one of the creatures tore open his leg. Jack managed to boot it in the face, smashing its sucker. It fell off, then crunched under the back wheels. Jack grinned, satisfied.
Three more of the creatures were now coming at them, flanking them in a classic pincer movement. He lost the grin.
Ugly, but not bloody stupid.
Jack was still managing to keep one creature at bay with swings of his chain. He knew he couldn’t outrun them on this old workhorse. He’d just have to outmaneuver them. The tractor might not have speed, but it did have torque.
Jack swung the wheel hard right, down a steep embankment.
Bounding over the rutted ground, the creatures drew closer.
So damn fast.
They slammed into the side of the tractor with abandon, causing it to tilt over like a listing ship. Cradling the boy, and trying to tuck himself into a ball, he leapt off the vehicle. Thumping into the ground, the boy jolted free of Jack. Immediately, one the creatures caught up to him and, with a sickening sound, tore a hunk of his muscle from his torso. The boy screamed in terror and agony, his eyes finding Jack’s. Pleading for the monster to stop.
Jack rolled to a stop at the bottom of a ravine, next to a small bridge crossing over a river. Two blurs of black came flying toward him. To his surprise, he found he was still holding the chain. Channeling his inner Viking berserker, Jack swung the chain with all his leftover strength. It connected with the closest creature, smashing into its horror hole. It ripped away the monster’s lower jaw and continued up through its eye socket, taking out black muck and brains, and killed it instantly.
Before he could turn fully, the other creature careened into him, smashing him against the bridge railing. Pain streaked up his spine and his breath fled from his lungs. The creature’s sucker mouth snapped at him, its claws trying to grasp him. Jack swung his arms, fists clenched as he thumped a few blows against the beast. Kicking out, he fought for his life.
I will not die this day.
Jack managed to get the chain up under the monster’s chin to hold off its snapping jaws. The terrible stench of rotten fruit emanating from its mouth making him gag.
One of its claws gouged deep into his thigh muscle, causing him to scream in fury. Delving down deep inside himself, and finding an inner strength he never knew he had, Jack wrapped the chain around the creature's neck. Reaching behind him, he coiled it around the railing, then secured the hook over it. The creature dug its claws deeper into his thigh, its sucker mouth smacking at him as it strained to get at his face. With a last grunt of frustration, he tumbled over the railing, clasping the snapping creature in his arms. The chain went taut and, with his added weight, the creature’s head ripped off, covering him in black gunk. He plunged down to the river, letting the creature’s body go on the way down.