My Friend the Worm

Chapter 11 Revelations

Brandon's and Trinity's cries sent a current of adrenaline through my body, as if someone had shocked me with a defibrillator, and my heart felt as if it would leap out of my chest. I finally found the wits to snatch the pipe wrench lying on the cushion next to me and I jumped to my feet.

My eyes adjusting to the lantern light, I could see three enormous rikes stumbling down the stairs, sticky black blood oozing and bubbling out of their mouths like tar. Their faces were barely discernable beneath the masks of black slime, but they appeared to be male by their sheer size.

For a moment, they paused at the foot of the stairs. They looked from me and then to Brandon, who was brandishing his hammer. He was shielding Trinity, who was cowering behind him, shrieking, the chef knife shaking in her hand.

I spun around, scanning the room, searching for Lola. I found her blocking the basement door that led directly to the outside.

She locked eyes with me. "Let them do it, Ash. Come with us. Please trust me. You have to trust me."

I glanced back at the rikes. They started staggering toward Brandon and Trinity. Despite their menacing, mammoth bodies, they could barely walk; they trembled and twitched and had little motor function left.

I sprang into action, whirled around, and dashed at Lola, screaming "Get out of the way!" I raised the bulky wrench as if I was going to strike her in the head and she cried out, cowering into the corner of the room while she covered her face with her arms. I didn't have it in me to bash Lola's skull in, but my bluff had worked like a charm.

I unlocked the door and swung it open, sunlight flooding in.

"Run! Get outta here!" I yelled at Brandon and Trinity. Needing no more encouragement, they ran toward the open door, barely escaping the lurching, roaring, snarling rikes. But the duo halted a few yards from the threshold.

"What are you doing!" I cried out. When I turned my head, I saw a tall bald man and a heavy-set gray-haired woman fill the doorway, both dressed in typical suburban khakis and t-shirts. No leather to be seen. They were human! They must've heard the ruckus and had come to help us, I thought triumphantly. Then I felt it, those telepathic signals emanating from the humans, tickling my brain like phantom centipedes crawling inside my head.

"Help us!" cried Brandon, and he and Trinity rushed at the infected humans, as if they were springing into the arms of salvation.

"No! They're infected. Wait," I shouted.

Before I could cock the wrench back to swing it at the human intruders, small hands clasped my arm, tugging me backwards. It was Lola.

"Stop it Ash! Let it happen. Stopping fighting it. Damn you!" she screamed, holding onto my arm with every bit of strength she had, her nails digging into my skin.

The bald man lowered his shoulder and rammed into Brandon, who hadn't been bracing for impact, so he staggered back in surprise, dropping the hammer. Two of the burly rikes clobbered Brandon from behind and the older man rushed at Brandon again, sandwiching him. Brandon roared, standing his ground, like a running back that can't be tackled, but it was three against one, and they overpowered him, wrestling him to the floor. What little courage he had left vanished and he started shrieking like a child. Like a dog being mauled by wolves.

With my free hand, I stiff-armed Lola in the chest. She went tumbling backwards and released my arm that still held the wrench.

The older woman was chuckling at Trinity who found herself trapped in the corner. The third rike was coming at her too, blocking her escape. I came up behind the alien, raising the wrench, when something leapt onto my back like a monkey, scratching at my eyes. Lola was screaming in my ear, her legs wrapped tightly around my waist. In my panic, I dropped the wrench and staggered sideways with Lola dangling on my back. One of her hands clutched at my throat now while the other one blinded me.