Alew || A Short Story Anthology

Lurkers {Round Four}

    The day the Lurkers came, everything changed.

    Before, everything was as good as it could be. I had just bought my groceries from the market. The sweet aromas of sweet berries, fresh bread and rich, musky pine filled my lungs with such contentment. Everything was good. I didn't even mind the clouds that had taken over the usually blue skies, or the animalistic growls and snarls that could be heard a distance away. It was probably a bear, or even a wolf. Nothing that the few remaining dryads couldn't handle.

    Then, the first screams erupted from the crowd. 

    My head instinctively snapped in the direction of the screams. Before I had time to comprehend, a whole stampede of people rushed my way. Through the sounds of the distressed crowd, I could make out only one word.

    Lurker.

    My body then sprang into a mad sprint, finally realizing the danger the it was in.

    Screams could be heard from every corner of the city. Before my very eyes, it transformed into a grotesque, morbid opera.

    Someone tightly gripped my forearm. Before a scream even had time to escape my lips, I was harshly yanked into an house.

    "Where did you think you were going?"

    A wave of relief spread over me. "Thank that gods it's only you, Nikan."

    "Who else would it be?" 

     The quick click of the lock filled my mind with a newfound ease. Only then did I dare ask the questions that were on my mind.

    "How did the Lurkers get here?"

    He grabbed a piece of plywood that laid against the door. "No clue. Can you come and hold this?"

    I quickly set my bags on the floor and rested my body weight on the board. "I thought Lurkers where only the source of fairy tales."

    Nikan chuckled under his breath. "I wouldn't exactly call cannibalistic monsters fairy tale creatures, Zillah."

    "You know what I mean!" In between breaks of the bang bang bang from the hammer, I continued. "Like, they're supposed to be make believe. Something fake. Not something, well, real."

    "A lot of stuff that has happened recently shouldn't be real, but here we are."

    Nikan gestured for me to step back, then took time to admire his handiwork. "Hopefully works as good as it looks."

    The nearby crash of shattering glass alerted Nikan and I.

   "Board the windows," I questioned.

    Nikan shook his head. "They're good enough. Lurker's can't climb, I hope."

    A chill ran up my spine. The hunger induced groans and growls had started to slowly make their way closer and closer to us. Sooner than later, our make shift barrier would be put to the test. We'd either be safe or join the undead army.

    "Maybe it's a virus," Nikan muttered under his voice.

    "Hm?

    "Like what we read in novels, Zillah. Maybe it's a virus that's affecting them. Maybe these zombies are actually the after effects of some vaccine gone wrong?"

    "Don't talk such nosense," I barked. "It couldn't affect the people in this short of time!"

    The growls had be happening days prior. Turns out, it wasn't just wild animals after all. It was a pack of savage, humanoid beasts in search of their next meal.