The sun was setting and Ashley was still gathering more wood as I watched her back while keeping an eye on Thomas who was writing my name on the dirt. She walked back to me and handed me a few more logs as I tied them together to make it easier to carry back inside.
The wind rustled through the leaves as I kept an eye on the small tree that Ashley was chomping down with an ax. We saw the tree fall to the side as she tried trimming it down to smaller pieces, but it was starting to get darker.
"I could have done this alone," Ashley said, sighing.
"But you've been feeling unwell lately," I said. "I can't let you go out by yourself, especially when it's this late."
"Who are you, my dad?" She said sarcastically. "I know I can take care of myself."
Her complexion was pale and her lips appeared chapped. She looked completely worn out and feverish. But she didn't want to admit that out loud. Dean and Noah looked concerned about her well-being and we weren't sure if there was a stomach bug going around or if it was the common cold.
"Ashley—" I said. "It's literally less than fifty degrees and you're sweating," I pointed out.
"I don't need you to tell me something that's so obvious. I won't go back inside not until we have plenty of wood to last us for a while. Everyone is freezing inside their own homes. This is the least I can do, even if I'm sick."
Ashley wobbled in her feet as she held onto the tree next to her. She looked like she was about to throw up. I instantly dropped the logs from my hands and ran towards her. Thomas noticed and got up as he followed me, but froze when he heard a crunch—no, it was a screech.
I also froze and twisted my body slightly to stare towards the far right. The Screaker let out a piercing cry as the noise traveled through the whole forest. I felt my stomach drop when Ashley fell to her side but tried to stay still when she heard it as well.
I wanted to think I was mistaken as I turned all the way to see its bright, blue glowing eyes and the veins on the side of the neck.
I took a step towards Thomas when the leaves underneath my shoes crunched suddenly by my step. The Screaker contorted its body until it started to slowly crawl its way closer.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
"Scarlet—it's that thing again—" Thomas stopped himself.
"Try not to attract much attention to yourself," I said. "It can see us, but it starts to move faster if it senses panic I believe."
That's what I had thought at least. It seems to like to taunt its prey before trying to attack, just like the first time it got inside Terrenceville. It seemed to move more when the people were backing away and panicking. Luckily at that time, Dean had the courage to shoot it twice and kill it without hesitation... but there was also a cost.
Their kind are much smarter and the instant you kill one, more of them are going to try to find it because it went missing. I remembered what Lia had said long ago. I didn't want to believe it but considering the Screaker specifically found its way here couldn't be a coincidence. This was like its final warning. They can probably sense themselves and it must have followed the smell of the other Screaker from before. They were like a pack of wolves and... we killed one of their own.
The Screaker let out another cry, this time a louder one that stung my ears by how strong it sounded. I looked over at Ashley as she took out a gun from her pocket and loaded it slowly. The thing looked at her and started crawling towards her.
She extended her arm and aimed at it. But the thing was much quicker than her.
It takes two shots to kill those things.
YOU ARE READING
The Ruins Of Tomorrow
Horror[Book One] [Currently going through major editing and rewriting] "Are we all swept by fear and regret?" *** Civilization has collapsed. Stuck in a dangerous outbreak between the living and an infection eating out humanity, turning them into vicious...