Hive Island - The Awakening | Open Novella Contest 2020

Chapter 6 - The House

The Jeep stalled before it moved away from the curb. For a moment, it seemed as if time slowed. The black shadows around them froze in place and just stared at them.

"Claire, Claire," Oliver hissed and shook her shoulder. "We need to get out of here."

She took a deep breath and threw him a quick glance. Her face was white, her eyes wide. "Ok, ok, ok." Her fingers reached for the keys and cranked the engine while Cooper rolled down the window and aimed the shotgun at the closest shadow.

As soon as the engine roared to life, the shadows went from standstill to running, as if someone had flipped a switch.

"Go, go, go," Copper yelled as he fired at the nearest figure, now only yards away.

The tires squealed as the Jeep jumped from the curb and rushed forward, its engine roaring like an angry beast, hitting several of the approaching neighbors. One rolled up across the hood and caved in Cooper's side of the windshield. Cooper sent the struggling limbs flying off to the side with a well-placed kick.

Several of the shadows fell in front of the Jeep as the vehicle hit them and rolled over them. Cooper fired his shotgun once more at an approaching figure, sending blood splattering across the remnants of the windshield. Oliver bent over and retched on the floor behind Claire's seat.

As they reached empty pavement, they picked up speed and left the house behind. Oliver held on as Claire jerked the wheel left and right to get around the remaining threats. When they passed the last one, he exhaled and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"What was that?" Cooper shouted over the roar of the engine as they left the neighborhood behind. Oliver looked back out the rear window of the Jeep. Everyone had turned and were now running after the speeding Jeep.

"Zombies. I have no doubt about it," Oliver shouted back.

After another mile, Claire pulled over on the side of the road. She ran her fingers through her hair while her eyes kept going to the rear-view mirror. Her hands were shaking as she reached for her shotgun and double-checked that it was loaded.

"Oliver, what is happening?" she said and caught his eyes in the rearview mirror as she squeezed the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

"You mean, besides the obvious? I don't know. Something's different—"

"Different how?"

"Years ago, at the height of the outbreak, there was a frenzy, an unpredictability to their movements. These, I don't know, they moved deliberate. I've never seen a zombie stop like they did when the engine died."

"They were getting close, man," Cooper said as he reloaded his shotgun. "Too close."

"When we arrived, we saw no-one, right? Why not?" Oliver said and looked over his shoulder again. The street behind them remained clear.

"Who cares? What difference does that make?" Claire said, irritation growing in her voice. "Is this a new outbreak or not, or it is something else?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes, it's likely. That's why it's important to keep going to Armstrong's apartment. He's involved in this somehow. The sooner we can figure it out, the sooner we know how to handle this situation."

"You talk like they're still people," Cooper said with a frown.

"They may still be."

Claire put the Jeep in gear, and they continued towards Armstrong's house. Consulting the driver's license they recovered from the body, they found the address on one of the beach front boulevards, tucked away behind a high fence and a locked gate. Claire parked in front of the gate and killed the engine.