One's Instincts
By: W. Lynn
Chapter 1: Yet another close call
I leaned against my awesome tricked up SUV and slowly brought my right knee up so my foot could lie against the tire. I sighed looking around at the lonely nothingness of this place. I look to my left … desert. I look to my right … more freaking desert. Man, I wouldn't be surprised if a cowboy came out of nowhere, tipped his hat to me, winked at me and then rode away into the sunset. I sighed again, at least the last place we were at had a town, dangerous or not.
I slowly brought my hand up and started to dig through my pockets. Eventually I find what I'm looking for. I brought the crunch bar up to my face and licked my lips. I quickly peel off the rapper … the chocolate was a little melted in some places but hey, in a world like this you can't expect everything to be picture perfect. I flick the rapper sending it slowly to the ground … what? It isn't like there are cops hiding around with little binoculars making sure that everyone's still following the laws. Really, no one gives a fuck about littering. I could have a bazooka and implode a person in front of the whole damn world but no one would even flinch never the least arrest me. They would probably mutter something like 'idiot' or 'nice boobs' and be on their way.
Really out here it's every man or woman for themselves. If you show mercy towards someone usually you'd either end up with a knife in your back or end up 'at their mercy', and believe me when I say the outcome was never pretty.
Me and my sister take, we don't really give … at least not very that often.
Also yes, if you must know I have shot a man before just because he looked at me wrong. I have a short temper, I'm more of the person that would act first and pray that I did the right thing later. On the other hand my sister is more of the brains of the group. She thinks things through so there won't be a screw up later. Yet of course, she might be smart but she isn't really the type that can … well defend herself. First of all she can't aim worth crap and second, she has as much grace and stamina as a fat guy doing pushups. Basically what I'm trying to say is she fails miserably when it comes to killing and physical stuff. So to sum everything up I'm the force and muscle of our little duo and she is what I like to call my little super computer. What's funny is that she is my little sister, she is fifteen and I'm nineteen. So yeah, laugh it up, but just remember who has the gun.
Nowadays seeing an actual human being that is alive is a miracle, but seeing those black alien things people now refer to as Xeno's or what me and my sis call spiders is an everyday occasion. Today we have yet to encounter any … which is rare, very rare.
I quickly finish off the candy bar and lean the back of my head against the car window.
"Hey Liz is the tank almost full I'm ready to get the hell out of this desert," I said, quickly wiping the sweet off my brow.
I heard her fumble around with something then it abruptly stopped.
"Well you better suck it up and get comfy because it's only a quarter full."
"What!" I yelled.
I pushed myself off the car and started to make my way around. Once fully around the SUV I meet the gaze of my sister. She was sitting on the ground with her hands in her lap. She lifted a brow and looked back at the gas tank and so did I.
"You got to be fucking with me," I said under my breath.
She wasn't' lying, it was indeed only one fourths the ways full. We weren't sure how long it would take to get out of this god forsaken desert but I'm sure only a quarter of gas won't do, and going back to the abandon town was out of the question seeing as not only was it a good 127 miles back but also the town was infested with spiders.
I growled getting frustrated.
"Come on you slow prehistoric piece of shit," I yelled kicking it with enough force to bring a full grown man down on his knees and beg for mercy.
My sister groaned and leaned her head against the car.
"You know Ray kicking it and threatening it is not going to make it magically go faster," she said.
"I beg to differ," I said giving the contraption one last taste of my wrath.
At that moment the thing beeped and sputtered and smoke started to come out of it. Then with one last sound which oddly sounded like a fart it died.
We both had are mouths wide open in shock.
"Goddamnit! Raven you broke it!" I heard my sister yell.
"N-no I didn't!" I yelled back. I approached the rusty contraption. "It's just acting a little retarded," I said. I hit the machine and slapped it around a few times then I just finally gave up all together.
I look up to see my sister now standing up. She quickly made her way over to me. Now she was only a few inches away from my face. She sniffed a couple times and cocked her head to the side.
"Whoa!" I said taking a taking a big step back.
"Lizzie haven't I talked to you about this before." I began. "You see this," I said making an imaginary wall around me. "This is my box, also a little thing I like to call personal space."
She seemed to ignore me and instead squinted her eyes.
"Is that chocolate I smell on your breath?" She said.
I cock my head to the side and give her my best confused look.
"What are you talking about, this heat must be getting to your head or something," I said, waving a hand around casually.
She shrugged her shoulders excepting my answer and walked back to the car.
I smirked; another thing I'm surprisingly a pro at is lying. Either that or Liz is just completely gullible. Either way lying is yet another thing you had to be good at in this new cruel world.
She took the pump out of the gas tank and threw it to the ground.
"You know we're going to have to get food sooner or later," she said without looking up at me.
At the same time we both groaned loudly and looked up at the little gas station across the street.
The poor thing looked liked it been through hell and back. It seemed liked if you even breathe on it it would collapse. The windows looked like they were boarded up once upon a time. Now some boards were either missing or had a huge chuck taken out of it.
I grimaced for a few seconds then I finally made up my mind. I turned my head to look back at Liz. She was still looking at the building. She squinted her eyes desperately trying to get a better view inside.
I walked pass her and came to the back of the SUV. I then pressed a small hidden button and backed up letting the back door open. I smirked at my badass weapon collection. Consisting of … well basically stuff a regular 19 year old shouldn't have in her possession. Just then Lizzie appeared at my side and reached for a gun. I smacked her hand away.
"Hey, what's your problem," she snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why won't you let me have a gun?"
"Because, you're not ready yet," I simply said.
I reach out and grab a simple pistol and for a couple seconds I admire the intricate patterns chiseled on it. I open it up with ease, there was about one round left in this one. I flex my wrist making it quickly close with a click.
With my other hand I grab a holster and secure it to my waist and with that I put the pistol in its proper place.
"Anyways," I said turning to my sister who was staring at me with a blank expression. "I need someone in the car to drive just in case we need to make a hasty retreat."
She thought about this for a couple seconds then finally she nodded her head.
"I understand," she said.
She walked around me and jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the door as hard as she could. I smiled, she doesn't care who or what you are but more than anything she hates to be told what to do.
She turned around in the driver's seat and looked at me. She lifted her hands and made a 'shooing gesture'. I rolled my eyes and pressed the button making the back door close with a whooshing sound.
I then turned towards the gas station and confidently strutted my way across the street. When I was in front of the building I felt all my confidence fizzle away. I inhale a shaky breath and exhale distorted air.
Honk! Honk!
I turned my head.
"Come on we don't have all fucking day! Stop being so damn dramatic and just go in already!" She yelled.
"Shut up!" I lamely yell back.
I turn my attention back towards the door. I close the distance between me and the building and I kick the door in … or what was left of the door and walk in. The inside of the gas station surprisingly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Though everything seemed to be glazed over in a layer of dust everything looked in order.
I cautiously walk in and approach the counter. There was a bell sitting there, I slowly bring my hand up to the top of the bell.
Bing … Bing
"Hello," I said aloud.
For a minute I waited patiently for a response. I look to my left then my right and I shrug my shoulders. I slowly started to walk around the counter.
Guess no one's home, I thought.
Finally around the counter I stopped dead in my track. Now a normal person probably would have screamed at the sight before me but to be honest I've seen this too many times to even be fazed. Lying on the floor was a human skeleton with cobwebs covering its body. Its ribs were pointed upward showing the tell tale results of yet another painful death. The skeleton's bony face is what made me look away. Its mouth was wide open into what seemed like a silent scream. At that moment I felt goose bumps crawl up my arm and I Immediately pulled out my pistol and held it securely in my hand making my fingers turn white.
This place looked abandon and by the looks of my little friend over here it looks like no one has been here for months.
I lean against the counter and saw a box of gumdrops. I stuff a handful in my pocket and rip the rapper off one and quickly pop it in my mouth.
"Mmmm," I look down at the skeleton which I now realize was probably clerk for this piece of dump, "put it on my tab," I said with a grin.
I was about to turn around and walk away when I all of a sudden felt a cold breath of air hit my neck which made my hair stand on end. I froze where I stood and trembled slightly. It's … so close. Damn, How could I let my guard down like that, I thought. I dared not turn in fear of what I already knew was there.
I slowly brought my gun up and pointed it over my shoulder. I closed my eyes tightly when I heard a faint hiss.
In the course of three short seconds everything happened in the blink of an eye.
I pulled the trigger two times flooding the quiet calm building with loud gun shots quickly followed by a loud angry pain filled screech. I didn't look back to see if I hit my mark, Instead I jumped and basically belly flopped on the floor. I grunted and covered my head when I saw a stack of DVD's tumble over me. I dug myself out from under the DVD's and jump to my feet minus the fact that I stumbled a few times and I made a mad dash to the front door. Finally the hot heat waves hit my face making me close my eyes in pain, I blindly sprint across the road and looked back to now see a couple spiders crawl out of the windows and another slowly brought its head out the door I just came through and it hissed reveling its deadly inner jaws.
I turned my head back around and ran faster.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I chanted.
Finally I reached the car and slammed my fist on the window. Liz jumped and looked at me like I was some filthy hobo.
"Open the damn door!" I yelled looking back at the creatures slowly closing the distance between us.
She pushed a button which made the passenger window go down. "Back already," she calmly said.
"We're leaving," I said. I quickly reached in the car and un-locked it and opened the door.
"Why," she said, craning her neck to look be hide me.
Her eyes shot open and her mouth fell down in shock.
"OH SHIT!" she said. She put the keys in the ignition making the car come to life.
I quickly jumped in and slammed my door shut. I rolled down my window the rest of the way.
"Drive!" I yelled.
She hit the gas sending us propelling forward and sending my head crashing into the car seat. I instantly regained my composure and poked half my body out the window.
Sure enough they we're now giving chase.
I brought my gun up and with precision and luck [Mostly luck] I pulled the trigger hitting one dead in the arm. That wouldn't kill it but it definitely did its purpose. It caused the spider to stumble and roll thus making another spider that wasn't paying attention to run into him making him also fall.
Just one more left, I thought.
I brought my gun up hoping to hit this one square in the head and end it quickly, but once I pull the trigger I heard a very unpleasant sound no one wants to here when they are in a life or death situation.
Click ... Click
"Damn, it's out of ammo!" I yelled
I pulled myself back in the car.
"What do you mean it's out of ammo!" I heard Liz yell.
I ignored her question and just threw the gun to an unknown place and preceded in crawling to the back of the car to get another gun when all of a sudden the car violently shook making Liz jerk the wheel.
"What the hell was that?" Liz said leaning forward trying to get a peek over the front window.
"Take a wild guess," I said back getting a little agitated.
"Hey you asshole, don't you dare mess up my paint job!" I yelled while banging on the roof of the car.
"R-raven," I heard my sister mutter.
"WHAT!"I yelled.
I look back up to the front to see the Spiders long oblong head appear in the view of the front window.
It looked at Liz and hissed.
"Hit the brakes!" I yelled
"Are you on crack or something!" My sister yelled back, desperately trying to push herself back in her seat.
"Maybe, now just do-"
Before I had a chance to finish she slammed the brakes making me fly forward and hit my head on the back of her seat.
The spider flew off the car and hit the ground hard. It then continued to roll down the street finally stopping a good 16 feet away.
The spider's leg twitched and it slowly started to lift its head.
"Run it over," I hissed.
Liz hit the gas and I got the satisfying sound of hearing bones crush swiftly followed be a loud screech. I laugh triumphantly and crawled back up to the passenger seat. I once again poke myself out the window and smirked at what I saw. The two spiders that got left be hide were growling and angrily swiping at each other. The one that got tripped was perhaps pissed off at the one that caused his embarrassing fall. While the one we just ran over was lying motionlessly in the road covered with its own acidic blood making the road around the body burn away.
"Yeah take that you ugly motherfuckers," I yelled sticking up my middle fingers.
I pulled myself back in the car and plopped down on my seat. I looked at my sister who was keeping her eyes glued to the road. I leaned over and held up my hand.
"High five," I said with a wide grin plastered on my face.
She finally took her eyes off the road and looked at my face, then my hand, then back to my face. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the road.
I frowned. I held my hand higher, as you can tell I am a very persistent person.
"High. Five," I repeated through clenched teeth.
Instead she ignored me and my corny attempt to high five and said -
"You know, its funny how you let me drive in dangerous high speed chases but you won't let me use a gun," she emotionlessly said without looking at me.
I put my hand down finally giving up my fruitless attempt to high five. I sink into my seat and chuckle at what she said.
"Maybe someday kiddo," I said reaching over and gently patting her on the shoulder.
The reason why I don't want her to have guns is first of all like I said before her aim sucks ass. She's like a drunk guy trying to play pin the tail on the donkey. Basically What I'm trying to say is that every time she is way off from her true target.
To be honest though, the true reason why I don't want her to have fire arms or in general any weapons is because at the age she is now she isn't suppose to.
Before all of this we were happy … we had a normal life with friends and family that cared and loved us to no extent. When this whole alien invasion thing happened all we've ever known and loved was taken from us. Are childhood was ripped from our grasp and we were forced to grow up and change into what we are today. We were forced to adapt quickly to the new change and that's how we've have gotten this far in life.
I look at my sister once more with a sad smile and look out the window.
For the rest of the drive we rode into the sunset in silence.