The Dead Scout's Handbook of Afterlife Survival

Chapter Seven: Company

The sun was far from the horizon, yet well past noon when Cayden awoke to the uncertainty that someone called to him in a dream.

Then he heard it. Far away, a shrill cry fluttered in the wind. Cayden jumped to his feet, and bore his head down. Sprinting towards the screaming, the black and red velvet blades streaked by his ankles as he sped faster and faster. One hundred yards, two hundred, five hundred, and despite a distance and speed he never knew possible, fatigue never burdened him. A scrawny guy with severe gym aversion shouldn't be able to sprint this fast, or this far, yet he did. Another shriek pierced the air as he skirted the corner and slid at the front of the collapsed building.

A rotund, dark-skinned man and a thin, blonde woman gawked at a silver-scaled, reptilian monstrosity. Twisted jaws gnashed and it lashed about with sharp daggers on each of its stubby limbs.

Cayden bounced on his toes, then yelled at the monster, unsure why he bothered to use words at all. "Hey, you there!"

The creature circled and hissed, a cobalt tongue slipping from between its jaws. Whipping its tail back and forth, it crouched on its haunches and lunged. Cayden, heart pounding and regret looming, turned to escape. While his stamina and speed outmatched his old self, it mattered little to the thing chasing him. Red plants tore into the air and the creature's hooked teeth shimmered in the light. It leaped higher and farther than conceivable with its stubby limbs, hanging in the air, seemingly frozen there for a moment as Cayden's hammering heart kept pace of the miliseconds. In one breathless blow, it plowed into Cayden, dirt billowing from underneath them. Among the dust and panic, two withered, thin-toed feet pinned Cayden's forearms to the ground, needles shooting up Cayden's shoulders as claws pierced into Cayden's wrists. The tongue slid from its mouth, lazily slapping Cayden's cheek as he struggled to free his arms. A clawed, withered hand rose above Cayden's forehead.

Another growl came from above both Cayden and the creature, as the clawed digits dragged Cayden backward along the dirt, releasing him to flail at the empty air. The large stranger hoisted the reptile by the thick tail, dangling it as if made of paper-mache. He rotated his arm and sent the animal soaring. It landed with a muffled bang about a quarter mile away. The man, initially wide eyed with mouth agape, then brushed his hands off with a nod to congratulate himself.

The big fellow met Cayden's stare. His figure bulged at odd angles under his shirt in a fashion Cayden found reminiscent of pudding. His near pitch-black face was marred by a scar running from right eye to jawline and topped by a buzz-cut. On his chin, he bore an immaculately trimmed goatee, albeit tiny on his round face.

The woman, sitting through the commotion, turned dull, blue eyes to the man as well. Blonde hair hung over her gaunt cheekbones, and somehow, her thready musculature held up her feather-light torso.

The man cocked his head to the side, his jowls lagging behind his other facial features. "Cayden?"

The woman gasped. "Oh my god, it is him!"

Cayden's heart jumped when he recognized them, but before he could speak, the big fellow bellowed.

"Whoa! I can't believe it! Needed a second there, buddy. Brain's a little foggy here."

Cayden released a sigh he barely cut off before it turned into a sob. "Charlie and Rebecca! I..." Cayden tried to conjure a thought into words, something to match the things he knew he should say. But the question he wanted to ask overpowered all of that. "Is anyone else here?"

"Haven't seen or heard anyone else yet. Except that radio message. Did you get that?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, some of the message... escaped me."