UnEarthed

Chapter 6

Kenzy loads up her used, yet new to her small, white SUV and before leaving, she bids farewell to her family. Hailey and Brett tightly hug Kenzy while sobbing. She leaves Hailey with an old stuffed bear she found in one of the boxes in the attic and gives Brett her father's compass. "You both take care of these for me while I'm gone, okay? They are very important to me." 

Brett and Hailey, both with swollen wet eyes, nod in agreement. 

 Turning to Tom and Angie, she hugs them both. "Thanks for everything. I love you guys." 

Angie squeezes her arms around Kenzy. "You better come back. You promised." 

"I won't break it." Kenzy smiles. After one last group hug, Kenzy climbs into her car and drives away. Tom stands in the yard with his family watching her slip out of sight and as they all cry, he holds them. "She's coming back... I promise." 

With a new direction, a bleak future and solid determination, Kenzy flies down the highway. The windows are rolled down and the stereo is blaring a mellow, happy beat. Something about driving a newer car fills Kenzy with a sense of security that she did not have before. The red-eyed men have been following her old car. With it now sitting in a junkyard, it may take the men a while to track her down again. That gives her time to dig into her father's secrets. Hours pass when the numbers on the radio read 11:44p.m and the gas needle flirts with E. Kenzy pulls into a small gas station off the highway. 

One streetlight flickers and reveals how uncomfortably dead the night is. An old grey car is parked in front of the station. Kenzy emerges from her car and quickly walks inside. The store is empty, not even an employee behind the counter."Hello?" Kenzy calls out. "I need to pay for some gas." 

When no one appears, she walks to the cooler and grabs a soda. She twists the lid and takes a drink. "I'm not paying for this then." She says to herself. The creepy feeling that eyes are watching her send chills down her spine. As she heads for the exit, a rumbling noise escapes from a door behind the employee counter. 

Running to her car, she pulls a gun from her bag and heads back inside. Moving slowly towards the door, her heart beats so hard, it may burst from her chest. Carefully pushing the door open, her eyes widen in shock as she watches a hairless, grey-skinned figure hovering over a body on the floor. The body is obviously the gas station attendant from his bluecollared shirt and khaki pants. His stomach is ripped open with organs pouring out and the figure is gnawing on his heart. Kenzy lets out a gasp and the cannibal turns to look at her. His eyes are a deep yellow and his dark grey skin is rotting off. A chunk of the employee's heart dangles from the creatures broken teeth. Suddenly it drops the half-eaten heart and growls at Kenzy before heading for her. 

Without hesitation, she shoots the creature in the chest but it does not fall. After firing several more unsuccessful rounds, she turns and runs out the gas station only to see more creatures hovering around her car. "What the hell is going on?" She whispers. Her scent distracts their attention from her car. Kenzy runs around the back of the store. She can hear the disgusting people following her. They are growling and moaning and for the first time, Kenzy wishes she was being chased by the red-eyes. At least shooting the red-eyed men gives her time to get away. Kenzy finds a lead pipe on the ground and picks it up. When one of the beings gets too close, Kenzy slugs it, putting all of her body weight into the swing. That also only slows it down. She again runs, trying her hardest to remain calm.Kenzy finds a door at the back of the store and tries opening it but it is locked. Frantically pulling at it gets her nowhere and she begins hyperventilating. Air fills her lungs and cannot escape fast enough. Everything around her grows blurry as her eyes fail to focus on anything. The bodies look like shadows as they move closer. She crouches down and begins screaming as she realizes she is about to die. The amulet Theresa gave her is completely useless. Kenzy grips it tightly and closes her eyes as death moves slowly moves in.