Chapter 26. A new life.
"Only by losing everything to the end do we gain freedom" - Chuck Palahniuk "Fight Club"
A few months ago
New Stanton Service - Hunker - Pennsylvania
The lights of the night highway brightly illuminated the pieces of dark asphalt with white dividing strips. The road sign indicated that if you drive straight, you'll be in Pittsburgh in a couple of hours.
Not far from the road sign there was a parking lot with a roadside cafe and a couple of cars with random drivers who stopped here.
After leaving the cafe, he put on his jacket, inhaling the night air with the aroma of freshness, gasoline and fried meat that was cooked in this cafe. As he approached his pickup truck, he noticed a girl who stopped by the car looking for something in her backpack. She looked to be about 30 years old. Short hair combed behind her ears, a denim jacket that clearly didn't fit her.
She was standing by the car, assessing the car. A freaking ten bucks was invested to cover the hood with a black and cherry skull print and put chrome wheels and a grille in front. At the top of the cabin there was a rack with several additional lights.
- "Do you like the car, ma'am?"
The girl seemed to shrug shyly - "It's really impressive. Is it probably expensive?" The man smiled as he took the keys out of his pocket - "All together I'm ready to give you for $ 40,000 right now."
The girl laughed, showing her perfect white teeth – "Oh, thanks for the offer. But it seems my pockets are empty."
Going around the car, he opened the door - "You are far away from the city, ma'am. Do you need a ride?"
The girl looked towards the big city, then turned back to the man. He noticed the blue sparkle in her eyes but didn't pay much attention to it - "No... I think I want to be away from this place. I want to go where there are few people. It's better that they don't exist at all."
He looked into her eyes and saw a heavy sadness in them. It was as if she was running from someone, or from herself, which is more likely. He had never seen so much intelligence in the eyes of a girl her age. - "Did something happen to you?". The girl seemed to break out of her thoughts and smiled warmly - "Everything is fine. Thank you. I was just thinking."
He reciprocated her feelings and took out a can of Coke from the glove compartment - "Take it. It will cheer you up. And don't think too much, it hurts the soul. You're young, live your life to the fullest and don't think about what's going to happen next. Give it to an old man like me."
She laughed as she carefully took the metal jar from his hands - "Don't look into my eyes like that, they don't matter."
Turning the ignition key, he started the engine and the pickup truck lit up with bright headlights - "I would take you to the city, but you need to go the other way. If you are looking for a place where there are no people, then you can go to Gerrisberg. There are no people at all within a 20-mile radius. I think you can find solitude there if you're so eager for it." The girl seemed to be thinking again, looking at the road - "Which way should I go?"
Leaning out of the car, he handed her a map of the state highways - "I hope you know how to use it. But be careful not to run into the patrol, otherwise they will have a lot of questions for you. Good luck to you. I hope we'll meet again."
She shrugs, her smile a little sad. - "I don't know. Maybe it will, and maybe it won't. The future is always a mystery. But I wish you good luck. God bless you."
When he got on the road, he turned around to make sure that the girl was no longer in the parking lot.
A few years ago
Maguire Gardens - Los Angeles
A small cozy park in the center of a giant metropolis surrounded by tall skyscrapers of international corporations, banks and business centers gave a piece of peace in the middle of a madhouse. Planted with cypresses, ferns and palm trees, this small corner of paradise really allowed you to relax from the morning heat. Shaking off his gray jacket, the man took some water from the fountain in his palm. Bringing his palms to his face, he washed away the dirt of the previous night.
- "It's a shitty night, isn't it?"
Press raised his head when he saw one of the commanders of the cleanup group next to him. Nodding, he took a crumpled pack of raw cigarettes from his hip pocket. Exhaling bitter smoke, he found the strength to ask only one question: "Did you find anything?"
The agent shook his head and also took a drag on a cigarette from the pack that was handed to him. As if to show that they are in the same business and are now bound by the same dirt.
Laura and Dan were waiting for him at the big truck in the parking lot of the Biltmore Hotel, where it all started. More precisely, not so... this was the place where it all ended. Her remains, if there are any, are now deep in caves under the city and the cleanup teams have already made sure that nothing alive leaves there. All the passages to these caves had to be blocked or barricaded. They should no longer exist for outsiders to enter.
- "Is everyone ready?" - Laura came closer, resting her head on his shoulder. Dan turned away and walked a little further behind the car. Give them a minute to be alone. – "Press…It's over..." - She said it so hesitantly, as if she didn't believe what had happened a few hours ago. Stephen's body was already in the morgue, they will decide whether to bury it or burn it in order to avoid data leakage. It was possible that there could be traces of her DNA in the bodies left by the monster.
Press exhaled, raising his eyes to the sky where the buildings could be seen going up and stroked Zhenya's back, hugging her tightly - "You need to rest. I'll be there in a couple of days. I want to make sure that we really didn't miss anything."
1st Street Viaduct - Los Angeles
A small flock of rats left one of the sewers that led like a maze into a giant man-made riverbed. There was almost no water here now. The cool night sky was illuminated only by the stars and the few lanterns in the area.
Climbing up the concrete wall and over the fence, the rat, which was noticeably large, made its way under one of the parked trucks as if avoiding the light. Her body was too small for the power that was inside her. It is too insignificant compared to the power that was before.
She had almost succeeded in carrying out the plan. She managed to create a new one. Life. But these people ruined everything. Now you will need to start all over again. We need another body. Stronger and more stable.
The lights of the small Chinese restaurant were like a beacon in the middle of the darkness and emptiness of the area. There were tents with homeless people under the bridge, supports and walls covering the passage to the railway were painted with graffiti and various drawings. At the entrance to the cafe, a couple of workers were unloading a van with groceries and their voices with a strong Asian accent were clearly audible.
Around the corner of a concrete wall and a row of sharp steel rods, twisted like stakes towards the street and wrapped with barbed wire from above, as if there was a military base behind this fence, and not just the building of a small service and distribution company, two men and a woman stood trembling, leaning against the fence.
- "Where the fuck is my money slut?!" – pinching the girl's throat, the man pressed her against the wall. The second one came closer and took out a folding knife, leaning it against his swollen stomach.
The girl's voice whispered pleadingly: "Please... I will return everything. Give me a couple of days." The man forcefully took the girl and dragged her into a darker corner, pressing her against a fence made of thin metal mesh and pressed on her throat squeezing air: "I've been hearing this for several days in a row. Do you think that getting knocked up will stop me?"
The girl's eyes filled with tears and her lips curled as she covered her stomach with her hand and the blade left a small scar on the back of her palm: "Please..."
Not one of them saw how a huge rat climbed the fence deftly jumping on the bars and appeared right above the people and prepared to jump. Her eyes were aimed first at the woman as someone who would definitely not resist. It remains only to wait for these two males to do their job. But something has changed. Smell. She was preparing to bring a new life. Just like this creature…
In his mind, it was as if someone else had got behind the wheel and two green and round beady eyes were fixed on the open neck of a man who was preparing to deal with his victim in cold blood. This male's body was clearly completely healthy and had no genetic flaws. It is ideal for rebuilding.
The man screamed and the knife fell out of his hands when a huge rat fell on his neck and bit through the cartilage. Her paws dug into her throat, and her teeth continued to tear at the muscles and vessels in her neck trying to get to the bone marrow.
The second man started running towards the highway. The woman fell to the floor in horror, covering her stomach and head with her hands. When the rat's sharp claws tore his vocal cords, the man stopped screaming and silently convulsed while the beast gnawed its way inside his brain.
The girl stood up, looking at what was happening. This behavior was unusual for a rat. But this rat didn't look like a simple rodent either. It was only now that she saw a row of thin bone spikes that were making their way out through a layer of dark gray fur. Swallowing, she rushed to run over the bridge and further to the remote parking lot where her shelter was located in one of the old abandoned cars. After slamming the door and wrapping herself in a mountain of old jackets and blankets that local homeless people brought her, she closed her eyes: "This is just a bad dream. Just a dream... everything will be fine. Don't worry little one…Everything will be fine."
The man's body was a good specimen. There were problems with a strong male. He resisted, but it wasn't for long. Fortunately, his scream did not attract too much attention. Like a puppet, he rose from a pool of his own blood, and his head tilted down so that the high collar of his jacket covered his mutilated neck and throat. Broken steps directed him back towards the collector. Crossing the road in the distance, the negotiations of the workers of the Chinese restaurant and the noise of trucks that were driving over the bridge crossing the concrete canal were heard.
Once inside the huge pipe that passed under the city, it got rid of excess clothes and many thin tentacles burst out of the torn skin, lifting it to the top. The whole body was rapidly inflating and rebuilding from the inside, many tentacles intertwined together to form a cocoon. ... all that remained was to wait. It will be ready soon. She will start all over again. She cannot be burned or shot. She is half a woman, half a creature from another world. The ultimate predator. A new link in the food chain. She is the one who rises from the ashes like a phoenix.
The midday sun burned her skin. Hiding her face in the collar of her jacket and pulling a knitted black hat over her eyes, she looked from the bridge at the skyscrapers in the distance. They're still out there somewhere. Those who came after her and dealt with her like an animal. But she's still too weak right now. She needs time. She was stupid last time. Too stupid and presumptuous. She should be smarter.
S Utah St - Los Angeles
The old gray pickup truck that had turned into her shelter stood at the very beginning at the intersection with first Street. Covered with a blue awning at the back, surrounded by a mountain of garbage, old bags, empty eggplants from under the water, chairs and various junk, it looked like a piece of another world in the midst of splendor and prosperity. The local police have not touched her yet. They knew what had happened to her and allowed her to stay here for the time being. One of the wealthy women living in one of the houses opposite even offered her help with housing and brought several blankets and pillows. She also said that she would ask her husband to give her insurance so that they could take her to the clinic for a consultation.
After what happened this morning, she didn't want to come out of hiding all day. Those bastards. She asked them for some money for food and medicines. She really wanted to pay them back a little later. When you live on the street and you are in a difficult situation, you are ready to make a deal with the devil himself, just to get better.
That rat and what happened couldn't get out of her head. Maybe she should talk to someone about it. And maybe... maybe it will only make it worse. What if they think she killed him?
Looking through the windshield, she saw something that made her shudder again. A figure in the same black jacket as that bastard was standing in front of the wall opposite, looking at a huge graffiti in the form of hieroglyphs and caricatures of a gangster painted on the wall in blue and yellow colors.
She burrowed into the mountain of her belongings, pushing with her feet and crawling back to the back of the truck where she had a mattress. The figure turned to face her as if sensing her fear. She saw a young and beautiful face instead of the ugly face she had already imagined.
But where did she get this guy's clothes from? Who is she? Maybe she's just as homeless. Maybe she was kicked out of a brothel or out of the house without leaving anything, not even clothes. And this girl took the jacket from the corpse. Going out now was a strange decision, but she had to warn her. When the cops find the body, this girl can quickly end up in jail when she is seen like this. Taking one of her jackets that the locals gave her, she opened the door of the pickup truck and holding her stomach went out carefully, approaching the stranger.
- "Hello… How long have you been here? I mean on the street."
The girl did not answer her, looking at her carefully. She seemed to be studying, her eyes wandering over her face and body. Without waiting for an answer, she just handed the jacket to the girl: "Take it and you'd better change your clothes. This bastard wasn't alone and he probably has a lot of friends who won't like the fact that you're wearing his clothes right now."
The girl looked uncertainly at the outstretched hand and took the jacket.
- "I'm sorry, I can't offer you more. As you can see, I'm going to have a lot of trouble soon" - lowering her hands, she showed the girl her stomach. The girl's eyes seemed to lengthen and it seemed to her for a second that she saw a small green glow in them, like small LEDs.
The girl's hand reached out and rested on her stomach, making her gasp. "Life" - the stranger's voice was muffled, but a faint smile played on her lips. In the next second, she seemed to come to her senses and took her hand away. Tears rolled down her eyes and turning away, she walked past her to the next alley. After taking a couple of steps, she felt something in her pockets, turned around and approached and pulled out several bundles of green bills. Without asking permission, she stuffed the rolls of money into the pockets of the jacket she was given and threw it back to the owner.
Recovering from what had happened and seeing such a large amount of cash in her hands, she shouted to the stranger - "Hey! Can you keep something for yourself?!...Who are you?!...Do you have a name?!" The girl did not answer her and moved at a brisk pace, disappearing around a bend.
Cesar E Chavez Ave - Los Angeles
A small red van with Mexican food parked in front of an auto parts store was already finishing its work. After closing the grill and putting the leftovers in the refrigerator, Frederick took off the seals and untied his apron. Now we can go home.
A knock on the closed van made him tense up. Opening the back door, he went out when he saw the officer standing and continued to knock on the shuttered window to issue orders.
- "Good afternoon Officer. I'm already leaving here."
The officer, who looked like a large pedestal with the name "Mary" on her badge, adjusted the falling belt with equipment and came closer to the seller - "Good morning. I need your registration and permission to trade on the street."
He reached inside and took out the documents from the purse, handing them to the officer. - "Please, ma'am." After thinking for a second, he added - "I haven't seen you here before. Usually your colleagues know me. They often buy tacos and burritos from me."
The woman irritably snatched the papers out of his hands and began checking them. She pointed her finger at a place in the document - "Where is the seal?"
There was no stamp on the extension of the validity period on the permit sheet. He went to the Department of Taxes and there they signed the papers for him, but apparently the clerk forgot to click his blue seal. "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. I promise I'll fix it tomorrow. It's just that the employee apparently forgot to put it on in a hurry."
The officer began to blush, losing her temper - "Your documents do not meet the established standards. I will have to issue you a fine. If you don't have a seal tomorrow, you will be arrested."
He lowered his hands, rolled his eyes and swore to himself - "Officer, I beg you not to fine. I promise you this is just a misunderstanding. If you want, I'll make an amazing burrito with potatoes for you."
The woman raised her small evil eyes at him and her face, swollen with fat, seemed to swell with irritation - "If you think you can buy me for a burrito, then I will regard this as giving a bribe."
She didn't seem to understand humor at all. He folded his arms across his chest and stood in front of the officer with his face down. Nodding his head, he said - "I had no such thoughts."
- "Learn to talk to your elders. I'm not your girlfriend, I'm a police officer. The fact that my colleagues are incompetent and ready to sell themselves for tacos is a sign that all sorts of idiots are being recruited into the department." - she was already literally screaming, going berserk. Her face was flushed and sweating with anger.
Taking out the form of the fine from the tablet, she quickly began to fill it out. - "You have 15 days to pay this fine, you can challenge it in court, which I highly recommend you not to do. You know yourself that you are to blame for your own forgetfulness. If you don't pay the fine and if tomorrow I don't see a seal on the extension of the deadline" - her thick finger pointed like a sausage at the guy's face - "It's better for you not to know, I'll arrange it for you"
None of them saw a girl in a black jacket and a hat that covered her hair come up from the other side of the street. She stood by the trailer studying the pictures from the menu with different dishes. Closer to the edge was the logo of their restaurant with three green parrots dressed as a baseball team and the inscription "Tacos cemitas poblanas".
The girl's gaze focused on the picture of a large juicy burger with bacon and double cheese in the center of the logo.
The sales guy looked back at her and quickly said - "Sorry, we're already closed. I'll be here tomorrow at 5 a.m..." The officer rudely interrupted him by shouting in his face, "You're talking to me now, young man. Don't get distracted. We haven't finished yet." - she saw the girl and narrowed her eyes to take a couple of steps in her direction - "Hey you! Get out of here! No homeless people in my neighborhood."
The girl did not pay attention to them, continuing to look at the bright pictures. The officer turned purple when she saw that she was not being obeyed. Taking a handkerchief, she quickly wiped the large sweat from her tomato-red face and, placing her palm on the handle of the baton, slowly approached the homeless woman.
- "I think I told you to get out of here!" - not seeing the reaction, she pulled out the baton and angrily hit the metal body - "Turn to me! Now! I've completely lost my fear!"
The girl slowly turned her face to look at the officer from under the hat that almost covered her eyes. Inhaling the heavily heated air, she turned around and prepared to leave as if she didn't want to deal with trouble.
The officer, seeing this behavior, swung a baton and was preparing to hit the stranger, showing him that her orders must be carried out immediately. Frederick's face fell when the officer's hand snapped and dropping the baton, she let out a long moan. The arm twisted unnaturally, and the woman fell heavily to her knees, desperately inhaling air and unable to scream from shock.
The girl turned and jumped on the officer and tore off the radio, squeezing it in her fist until it crunched. The plastic was crumpled like paper. Taking the woman by the collar of her navy blue uniform shirt, she brought her face up to hers, inhaling the smell of her fear and insecurity from meeting something she couldn't explain. This woman met for the first time someone who was not afraid of her, someone who could make himself tremble with horror, someone who is not a frightened victim. She met the alpha predator.
- "Ah... ah... what…Who are you…Such a" - Her voice went from menacing and furious to a quiet, frightened whisper and her face became a pale chalk.
The girl's face became rigid and the skeletal structures showed through the skin. Her pupils became vertical as her inner eyelids blinked like an alligator's. With a muffled growl, she sucked in air again and sprayed her face with the stench from her mouth filled with two rows of pointed fangs. Smelling the disgusting smell of horror when her prey literally shit her pants. She picked up the officer and threw the body towards the sidewalk, the pillar humming from the impact staggered when the carcass sank to the ground with a sucking sound.
Frederick had already locked himself in his van, picked up a bat and stood still listening to the sounds outside. He prayed with his eyes closed and begged God to let him get through the day. A soft knock brought him out of his trance, and he opened his mouth muttering: "I won't tell anyone..."
The answer came after a couple of seconds. The voice was stern, but not aggressive: "I want a burger." He lowered the bat and opened the door a crack. It was quiet from behind where the voice came from. Leaning out a little, he turned his head to see that the same girl who brutally dealt with the cop was just standing at the same logo on his car counter and her fingernail was tapping on the picture with the desired dish.
Santa Monica State Beach - Los Angeles
This man was young. Kind. He gave her a lot of food in gratitude. Although she didn't want to save him. It just happened. That woman wanted to take over her. To show his strength, to prove his power over her. I think he called her a cop and an officer. What does it mean? However. It doesn't matter.
She didn't have a name. This man questioned her a lot. And she didn't know what to say. She couldn't say too much. Although he saw everything anyway. Maybe she was stupid and she should have just taken him out so that he wouldn't report her to the people who were hunting her. But she decided to believe him. He wasn't lying to her. He won't tell anyone about her. She wanted to believe it.
Picking up the next bundle, she picked up a corn tortilla with stuffing. They called it the word "Taco." Humans are strange creatures. They're like a swarm of swarming bees. They come up with a lot of strange things. They like to make their lives easier. They are afraid of difficulties and avoid what scares them. They are often self-contained and do not look around.
She's different. She knew she was different from them. She is taller than all of them. She's an Alpha. But they don't know about it. They don't feel her the way she feels them. But the other side of her understood people. She was still human, but only partially.
The disk of the sun passed the zenith and was preparing to go west. It's going to be evening soon. She had satisfied her hunger. But her instincts told her that she would need to find prey, she was a hunter. She must hunt down the victim, her claws must slice through flesh, and her teeth must dig into arteries.
The light dazzled the eyes, illuminating the Ferris wheel of the amusement park on the pier, which went out to sea. A few vacationers wandered along the beach, and the whole environment was so quiet and serene. She caught rare glances at herself. Taking off her hat, she let her white hair fall over her neck and shoulders.
The sun burned her skin as she got rid of the jacket, remaining in jeans and a man's gray T-shirt. When she got up, she took the leftovers and went to the pier along the sea line. The waves rolled in and the warm water seeped through the shoes. She liked the feeling. Water. Big water where you can easily hide from the world and get lost forever.
Passing by a couple of elderly people who came to this beach with carts full of their clothes and supplies, she silently put a bag of food in one of them and continued on her way while the woman shouted something after her.
N Mt Holyoke Ave - Los Angeles
All day she just wandered aimlessly along the beach and only in the late afternoon she climbed up the hill to a quiet small street. Rows of houses, parked cars, and the absence of people pleased her. Here you can try to find shelter for the night. The sun was already preparing to cover the horizon and changed its color from bright white to orange like a large orange.
A parked gray car with the driver's door open drew the creature's gaze to itself. A girl in a light dress and a blue sweater was carrying whole bunches of heavy paper bags to the open trunk. Her heel gave way treacherously and the bags fell out of her hands, scattering all the contents. "Oh fuck!" she cursed loudly and tried to get to her feet. Limping, she reached out and picked up one of the bags, indignantly seeing that the bottom was broken.
She began to collect groceries, trying to cope with the torn bags, not noticing that two bright green eyes were watching her from behind the nearest garbage dump. One of the cans rolled down a path of concrete slabs and clanged loudly against the steel of one of the dumpsters.
The girl ran up and picked up the jar and looked behind the container from where she was sure there was a rustle-"Who's here?". Her quiet voice was drowned out in the silence, which was broken only by the chirping of crickets and the sound of music from the next house. She turned around and looked at the lighted area in front of her house and the parked car.
Something rustled past her. Turning around, she didn't notice anything - "Damn, I probably need to go to a therapist again"
Returning to the car, she threw the canned food into the trunk and her gaze again slid over the pile of garbage. Now she could have sworn she saw it. Two eyes. Green and glowing like a cat's. But it wasn't a cat. Something much bigger. She had heard that sometimes wild animals enter the city, and in that case she had better get in the car faster.
Slamming the trunk, she got behind the wheel and buckled her seat belt, closed her eyes and took a deep breath - "It just seemed ... everything is fine" Opening her eyes, she looked carefully at the dumpsters. As she expected, there was nothing. It's just that her imagination played a cruel trick on her. It happens, you just need to drink less with your friends on weekends.
She decided to drive slowly along the sidewalk to make sure that there was nothing behind the pile of garbage bags that filled the containers with a slide and were scattered around them.
The car was moving quietly, passing by the dump, she turned away from it with a satisfied smile. It's all clear. My peripheral vision noticed something in the rearview mirror. When she hit the brake, she almost bruised her forehead.
- "What the fuck?" - behind her, near the sidewalk, a figure in an old one was squatting, his head was covered with a hood. Homeless people rarely enter these areas. The figure was examining something. Exactly. Slapping herself in the face, she realized that she had forgotten to pick up some more canned food that had spilled out of the bag.
Now these cans were in the hands of this man. However, she is not sorry. I wonder where he came from? She hadn't seen him here before. Carefully getting out of the car, she took a couple of steps when the figure looked at her sharply.
"Damn it" - she realized now whose eyes had scared her. It's probably that poor homeless woman sleeping in a pile of garbage when she disturbed her-"God, how uncomfortable."
Gathering her courage, she waved at the figure, "Hey, I must have disturbed you there. Sorry. Listen, I have more canned food and other food. Will you?"
The figure turned its head as if listening to the girl's words and, rising, began to approach closer. When she was in a couple of meters, it was noticeable that it was a girl. Dressed in an old hooded jacket and holding a tin can in her hands, she waited until the girl opened the trunk.
Taking out several more cans, a bag of bread and a pack of bacon, she handed them to the girl. - "Take it!"
Without reacting to the offered products, she carefully looked at the girls and then looked at the car. Her voice was quiet and as if she was embarrassed to say - "Can you take me?"
Of course she can just put it away and pick up the car. It would be easier. In her previous life, she had to drive this metal thing on wheels more than once. She knew how to drive, but she had to be careful. This girl is not a threat, let her take her where she needs to go and she can go. If she resists, she will have to act more aggressively. The car took a sharp turn down the street from where it had a view of the blue-blue ocean, snow-white beaches and skyscrapers in the distance.
- "I moved here a couple of years ago after I divorced my husband. We used to live in Orlando." - Nodding, she looked out the window and silently pulled the hood tighter so that her face was less visible.
After leaving the central avenue, the car picked up speed. She didn't know exactly where she was going. Just get away from here. Looking into the distance, she noticed something she knew all too well. A large white clock tower. The first thing she saw from the train window when she got to this big city.
- "What is it" - she asked herself more, but the girl quickly gave her the answer - "Union Station. Do you want to go far away? Then you should come here."
Nodding, she asked her to stop the car. There was a little free space by the sidewalk, while the entire parking lot in front of the station building was packed with taxi drivers and other cars. She can get as far away from here as possible. After opening the door, she was preparing to silently leave this girl, smiling goodbye - "Thank you."
"There are a lot of cops here. Are you sure you'll pass without any problems?" - This scream caused the instincts to tense up and the muscles abruptly jerked the body back into the car, slamming the door. His eyes were already burning brightly with flashes of green.
The girl pointed through the windshield at the sidewalk where a couple of men in blue uniforms with guns were walking between a crowd of people.
"If you want, I can drop you off a little further. One of the branches of the railway goes to the north. There's nothing separating her from the street," - the girl looked at her homeless companion. It was only now that she saw how they were literally boring through her with their eyes, as if they were studying her intently. Embarrassed, she turned away. The stranger thought about it and again looked out into the street through the windows of the car. There were indeed a lot of police at the entrance to the station building, in the parking lot and the surrounding streets.
- "Who are you?" -Having asked this question, she grabbed the girl by the shoulder and abruptly turned to her, noisily inhaling the smell of her perfume. The girl almost screamed when the unusually stiff fingers clutched at her, but tried to keep her sanity.
- "Hey, I just want to help. You asked me for a ride. If you don't want to, you can leave. I promise I won't stop you." - the girl swallowed without taking her eyes off the one who was preparing to defend himself and his secrets to the end.
After a few seconds of reflection, she released this girl and sat down on the chair as if nothing had happened. -"Take me to this place. But please don't do anything stupid anymore... Please."
The girl obediently showed her hands as a sign that she was not going to do anything and put them on the steering wheel, gave gas and the car drove further onto the road.
Half an hour later, they turned onto a small lapel off N Main St. and we stopped in the parking lot. It was quiet here. The perfect place to hide. The main road crossed the railway crossing ahead and, according to the girl, trains passed here quite often. Hearing the growing familiar hum, she went out once again, sorry for the one who turned out to be her unexpected ally. Many questions were bothering her now, but the main one was only one
- "Who are you? This time she asked more gently, getting out of the car and bending down in front of the side window. This was no longer a threat, but just a curious question that I wanted to get an answer to.
The girl smiled and watched as the red lights of the crossing and the closing barriers on both sides blinked - "Just someone who will stretch out his hand, and not give a kick in the ass."
We managed to get tickets only for this evening. There were a couple of hours left before her flight and she asked the driver not to go so fast. Laura was ready to admit that Los Angeles was beautiful in the rays of the sunset. It was almost dark and the advertising signs on the buildings were lit up with sparkling lights.
The car turned onto the main street and the tower of the central station appeared from behind the houses. From here they began their investigation. A detached carriage with the body of the unfortunate conductor's girl and the remains of a cocoon.
Driving past one of the many parked cars, she noticed how a girl was sitting in one of the cars, her face was hidden by a hood and only curls of white hair peeked out. For a couple of moments, the stranger turned to face her and Laura's heart stopped, and this couple of moments seemed like an eternity to her. The driver accelerated and the car was left behind. Recovering from the shock and feeling her hair move on her head, she covered her eyes with her hand, shuddering from the memories that came flooding back.
"She's dead... she's dead."
The night of the attack
West Virginia
The press pointed the Spas-12 assault shotgun at the half-breed, who was rising from the floor regenerating. Part of the head and the eye were missing. Blood gushed out like a fountain and after taking a couple of steps back, the red angry gleam in the remaining pupil becomes dimmer and dimmer.
Taking aim, the Press fired several incendiary shots almost at point-blank range. The half-breed's head flew off, and his neck and shoulders began to burn. Soon, the whole body turned into a torch.
Press heard screams from behind and turned to see Carroll tearing the mouth of another half-breed with her claws, resting her foot on his chest. The jaw stretched, then began to tear and pulled at the neck dividing it in half. Tearing her neck to her chest, Carroll stuck her hand inside and began to pull out the insides like wires pulling them out.
There was a crack overhead, and a wooden flaming beam collapsed on the Press, burying it under the fiery debris. Grabbing the burnt wood with his palms, he tried to lift the load off himself, but the beam wouldn't budge.
The skin began to become covered with bloody blisters from the burns. It was hard to breathe and the fire was already getting closer, pinching him in a tight ring in the room. "It seems that this is the end of it."
There was a scream and someone's chitinous clawed fingers grabbed a burning wooden block, knocking splinters out of it and threw it away. Carroll stood over him in all her alien splendor. The emerald light bursting out from under the leathery hard eyelids seemed to look directly into the soul.
Grabbing him, she shouldered his body and ran straight through the burning house, breaking through the wall with her exoskeleton. There was an explosion from behind when another rocket tore down the ceiling and most of the second floor collapsed, burying the remains of half-breeds and the bodies of criminals and soldiers under the rubble.
Breaking out, they stumbled upon the chaos going on in the destroyed city: the military, the police, the half-breeds are all fighting with each other. It's a real fucking hell.
It took Carroll a little time to get her bearings, and she chose the only right path. Run through the forest. Of course, you could try to grab a car, but now it's too risky to drive around the city. Opponents are everywhere. We need to leave. Her heart ached. Paul was out there somewhere. Her boy. She sent him with that guy so they could escape. Her sister was out there now, trying to save her daughter too. She didn't want it to end like this. This shouldn't have happened. How the military found out about them. Everything she's been building for the last few years…Everything was wiped out. Burned, shot and destroyed. The second time. It's like she's reliving it. But now there was a difference. She saved the life of her offspring. That's the main thing.
Casting a fleeting glance at the body of the Press, who had already lost consciousness, she grabbed him tighter behind his back and, gaining maximum speed, rushed forward.
It was quite foggy in the forest. The cold made him come to his senses. Leaning back against the trunk of a large fir tree, he checked his wounds. Nothing critical, but the burns will be inconvenient for a long time.
Tearing the bottom of his T-shirt, he wrapped his palms in patches of white cloth like a boxer before a fight. This will help ease the pain, but medications still won't hurt.
Only now did he pay attention to his savior. Carroll's clothes were almost burned and she smelled like burnt cloth. She was sitting with her legs tucked under a nearby tree and turned away, looking somewhere into the distance.
- "Thank you... For life."
Turning her head slightly, she nodded briefly.
"Are we far from the city?" - Looking around, he realized that there were no sounds except the wind and the rustling of branches. So they were already far beyond the quarantine. They were lucky they didn't run into a patrol or a minefield.
"Did you meet anyone along the way?" The press listened to the night silence of the forest. Carroll's voice was low, "A few soldiers... They thought I was one of the half-breeds and they could stop me."
Press smiled at her sarcasm and nodded his head in agreement. Now she was sitting sideways to him, but he saw the corners of her lips rise - "We need to get further away from here. Are there any options?"
- "There is a branch line of the railway not so far away. Freight trains often travel there. We can use them." – Carroll looked terribly tired, sitting relaxed under a tree. How long did she carry it on her? A mile…Two…Or maybe even more?
The press noticed several large bushes of wild berries nearby. Judging by the color, it is a lingonberry. Having stripped the bushes, he went up to Carroll and poured out a pile of berries in front of her. - "Lingonberries. Of course it's not meat, but it's quite tasty and nutritious. She will help you regain your strength."
Silently picking berries in her palm, she poured them into her mouth and continued to eat until she had eaten every last one. By this time, the Press had managed to get even more cranberries, and he also gave them to Carroll. She needed strength now. He had to admit that she had saved him and she was his only chance of survival.
Thurmond Station - West Virginia
The night lights of the railway station were like the lights of a lighthouse in this sleeping city. A cold wind blew against his skin, and even an old jacket he found in a nearby trash can didn't help. There were still a couple of hours left before dawn. Wrapping himself in it with a hood, he pressed closer to the stack of planks, as if trying to hide from the wind.
The smells of cigarettes, dry evening air, expensive and cheap perfumes and food mixed together to form the unique aroma of this station.
A horn sounded in the distance. The train, slowing down, turned a bend, and its spotlight illuminated the station building and a couple of figures of guards pacing back and forth.
- "Why the hell are you chasing these guards?"
A sharp whistling sound, like a blade cutting the ear. The train screeched to a stop
- "I don't want us to get burned when we jump into the car," – coming closer to the edge, he carefully watched the figures that walked along the wagons of the freight train.
"I would just put them away and be done with it." The Press sighed, considering various options: "You can, but... They're just guards. Two elderly men who have found unprofitable jobs and earn their living."
Carroll's eyes rolled back as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her shoulder against a stack of firewood: "Oh, oh, oh, just look at him. He's so pathetic."
Press gritted his teeth in annoyance, realizing what she meant: "It was an order... I didn't know what I was dealing with then.
- "It was a criminal order. You were shown a picture of a child. You could tell them to go to hell and get out of there. Why?" . She moved closer, her eyes never leaving his face. The man took another look at the guards, who were walking away from the vans, talking enthusiastically about something. Turning to her, he closed his eyes: "Do you want to get paid right now? Let's! ... But first, answer yourself the question: when you killed people, were you also at the peak of wisdom and mercy?"
Carroll lowered her eyes, realizing that as much as she wanted to, she had to admit that this damn mercenary was right... he was right. Seeing her faded gaze and the way she lowered her face, breathing heavily in the cold night air, he held out his hand to her: "We've all done a lot of shit. Let's not increase it." There was no security anywhere, the way to the train was clear: "Look, it seems they went to drink coffee. Run to the carriage, I'll cover you."
Quickly running up to the car, he sat down next to the rear axle and, after making sure that the path was clear, grabbed the steering wheel and pressed it several times, turning counterclockwise. With a crack and a creak, the metal gave way. The hatch lock opened. Deftly grabbing the lever handle, he pulled it down. The gates opened, opening access inside an almost empty freight car for transporting food and various goods across a vast territory of the states.
Jumping inside, she disappeared from sight. A sharp jolt with a rumble and a clang made it clear that the train was moving further along the route. – "Damn it" - running after him, he felt how fast the train was picking up speed, leaving him behind. A girl's face peeked out of the doorway, she was looking at a man who was trying to catch up with her as fast as he could and was holding out his hand: "Carroll... I won't make it..." After thinking for a second, she stretched out her hand, and a dark tourniquet slipped out of her wrist and wrapped like a snake around her arm, and Press began to pull in like a living winch.
Some time ago
West Virginia
After all this time, life brought her to this God-forsaken place. It wasn't the limit of her dreams, but it was quiet enough here to lay low, but they didn't look like some kind of weirdos. They managed to blend in with the locals and pass for those who just moved here for work for a while. No close contacts, no serious business. Informal, simple jobs, cheap housing, fake documents, low-key clothes, and avoiding trouble by all means. Everything you need to go unnoticed. Plus, the old trick of changing your image and recoloring your hair into a brunette helped in this case.
When she arrived at work at the cafe, she nodded to her boss and took the usual route to the locker room. The waiter's uniform was not her favorite outfit, an uncomfortable apron with a pen and notepad. But those were the rules. She and Paul wanted to stay in this place for a few months and move on.
Her partner had already changed her clothes and was preparing to go out into the hall. They met Lisa literally the first day Carroll found a job. She didn't like to make casual acquaintances, but she had to keep a balance and act at ease. However, this girl did not arouse any suspicions in her
- "Hello, Carroll." - The girl smiled warmly and turned to her, revealing a large bruise on her face under her eye. She carefully covered the same bruises on her wrists with her palm.
The blue stripes on her neck did not escape Carroll's gaze, as if she was being strangled –"What's wrong with your face?"
Lisa grinned, straightening her hair in front of the mirror –"Aha, is that? Do not pay attention. I just fell out of bed at night and walked away with my face and bedside table."
- "It sounds damn unlikely." - shaking her head, the brunette moved to the exit, bypassing her colleague. It was none of her business, especially the main rule of "No need to get into trouble" - "Okay, whatever you want. I'm going to take orders."
The time before lunch flew by unnoticed. As she collected the dirty dishes, she looked into the faces of the visitors with a smile, wondering if any of them guessed that they were being served by a creature created to bring death and destruction. At the very last table, she noticed a guy in a green shirt matching his eyes and with ashen hair, who was sitting alone–"What do you need, handsome?"
Paul smiled back, raising his glass of soda - "I came to visit you."
- "How was the interview?" - She stood up, leaning on the table, swaying her hips. Paul – "Everything is fine. They took me to the mine without even asking for my documents."
The glass door of the cafeteria cracked, threatening to burst, when a man burst in, quickly approaching the counter where Lisa was standing. Grabbing her by the hair, he slammed her face against the countertop and dragged her outside with him – "Stupid slut..." . Lisa – "Calm down, please. Leave me alone... There are people here... Help me." She screamed desperately as a slap like a whip struck her face, leaving a red mark.
Carroll stared at the scene in confusion. The guy continued to drag her colleague. Paul gets up from his seat to stop it– "Beat the shit out of this asshole."
- "Sit down, I'll figure it out myself" - She went up to the guy and punched his nose with her fist - "I give you some advice... Immediately let her go if you want to stay safe."
The guy released the waitress and, having been hit in the gut, fell to his knees holding drops of blood from his nose in his hands – "Fuck you slut!"
Carroll dragged this asshole outside by leading him behind the cafe building and pinning him against the wall. A couple of punches were enough to make this guy lie on the ground motionless. Lisa ran around the corner and saw this scene - "Carroll, please, it's okay... He was just very nervous."
The woman kicked the guy on the ground once more, making him moan in dull pain – "He's hitting you. Are you protecting him?"
Lisa – "Please... I understand everything...Let him go." She reluctantly walked away, looking at her colleague. "Foster, get your stuff out of the house and don't be there tonight."
They worked the entire shift without any other troubles, and in the evening Carroll again approached Lisa, who was finishing cleaning. Their director was a rather quiet middle-aged man who did not get involved in conflicts. He was grateful to her that she had saved the establishment a lot of trouble because of the rowdy guests. Lisa was finishing with the plates, putting them back in their places.
- "Why? Why do you feel sorry for him?"
Lisa - "Me... I don't know. It's just that he has a bad past. A difficult childhood and all that. He lacked love and warmth. I thought I could fix it. Thank you... You're strong. You remind me of my aunt. She looked like you. When she died...After that, no one defended me... Thanks again..."
Carroll is very embarrassed by her words, turning away, she quickly took off her work clothes and put on a simple shirt – "You're welcome... Is this jerk going to leave you for sure?"
- "I think so..."
Carroll ponders the next sentence, but decides anyway – "I'll take you home..."
It was cold in the carriage. The press rubbed his fingers and breathed on them all the time, trying to warm up. The story told by Carroll so suddenly made his blood boil more strongly in his veins and soon he forgot about the cold – "What happened next?"
The woman leaned against the steel wall with her hand under her head – "Are you so interested in finding out?" A malicious grin appeared on her lips.
The press moved a little closer, crossing his legs in the lotus position - "Why did you decide to help her? You should have been careful and disguised. This girl was of no interest to you."
Carroll snorts with displeasure – "Yes, I should have... I've known Lisa for less than a week. But... I felt that she was not a threat. A kind of dandelion. Harmless and cute. Who is unable to defend himself."
Press rubbed his chin - "I think I'm starting to understand what you're getting at..."
Carroll nods, "That's right. Marla. When I met Lisa, I saw her. They are the same. I killed only one of them like an animal... And for some reason it seemed to me that Lisa could be the key to my redemption."
Press lowered his face, thinking about something of his own and throwing off the obsession looked at Carroll impatiently - "So what happened next?"
The next day, Lisa did not come to work. Carroll barely waited until the end of her shift to approach Richard, the owner of this cafe - "Did Lisa call you?"
The man was counting the day's earnings, quickly writing down the amounts in his notebook. "No, I can't reach her either. Do you want to visit her?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly at the adult waitress in front of him.
Her house was on the other side of town. The pole of all small towns is that you can easily walk around them all. The door was locked and there was no light in the windows. Listening, she heard a faint sound from the living room. One of the windows was ajar. Looking inside, she saw drops of blood on the floor and a little further on the couch, the girl was lying with her knees tucked up and sobbing silently covering her bruised face.
Carroll leans over to her and examines her bruised and bruised face-"Where is he?". The girl's voice was barely audible- "He's not here... I came... And he attacked me... He's very drunk". She helped her up and out of the house-"I'll take you to the doctor."
After making sure that she would be all right and had no serious wounds, she returned to the house and decided to wait a little. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. This scumbag soon returned probably to continue his execution.
He was very drunk and his legs almost couldn't hold him. Leaning against the door frame, he threw an empty beer bottle on the floor and moved forward into the living room.
-"Baby... I'm back. I hope you won't be so cocky.… His drunken mumbling was interrupted when he entered the room and saw that a girl with shoulder-length black hair and a plaid green shirt was sitting on the couch.
- "Hello, Foster… You seem to remember me?" - Slowly getting up from her seat, she walked up to him and he saw how the iris of her eyes slowly began to sparkle with emerald lights.
A hammer-heavy blow to his stomach bent his body in half - "Oh... what are you... What are you doing here? "
Grabbing him by the collar, she dragged him into the kitchen and turned on the stove at maximum power.
"You know, Foster, even a bastard like you can understand. You were beaten, bullied, called names and you thought, "When is this shit going to end?" And now you've grown up. But instead of living your life, you're poisoning it for others, Foster."
"What the hell are you talking about?" - Grabbing him by the hair, she pressed him face to the hot surface and clamped his mouth until the smell of burnt skin went through the kitchen. Ripping off his face, leaving chunks of fried flesh and skin on the stove, she threw him to the floor.
"They call me a murderer. They think that I am the most vile and cruel creature of all living on earth. But this is not the case." - She was walking around actively waving her arms in time with her words. The guy was moaning lying on the floor, putting the edge of his jacket to his burned face-"I don't like killing. Do you understand? I don't like hurting people. I don't enjoy it. But... but I'm forced to do it every time."
She squatted down in front of him, looking at his face. Scared, he covered his head with trembling hands - "Don't... please... I understand everything..."
Standing up, the woman began to roll up the sleeves of her shirt. Her eyes lit up more than before, and her voice became more growling - "You don't understand anything yet"
She really didn't like doing it. She used to kill and maim people. But it was more her instincts than her desire. The cracking of bones, the splattering of blood, the way this guy was choking when she hit him in the stomach, beating off his insides. All this was even disgusting to her to some extent... But it was necessary. It was the only way to show such scum that they couldn't do whatever they wanted and go unpunished.
Press listened to her story to the end and by this time the first rays of dawn penetrated through the cracks of the carriage - "Oh shit. That bastard really deserved what you did to him. He pushed the lock away, glancing at the scenery outside -"I didn't know I was going to tell you this. You're noble... You do good without demanding anything in return..."
Carroll lowered her gaze, "There is no nobility. It's just that the beast was trying to make amends for his past mistakes..."
The sun was shining in his eyes as he slid the hatch shut and sank to the floor - "Thank you... again.. And I'm sorry."
- "I've killed innocent women and men. You weren't a saint either. Now it's just the two of us and we need to learn how to solve problems somehow." - She shrugged her shoulders as if she didn 't attach too much importance to everything that was happening.
I think I was detained. I was thinking of releasing this chapter on November 5th, but my work is taking up too much of my energy. But now you know how Sil managed to survive and become the person she appeared to you in this story. I hope you are doing well! I would be interested to hear your opinion about this chapter in the comments.
Thanks to all of you guys. Your feedback makes me move on and work on this article. I would also like to thank my author friend WeAreHarbinger.
This amazing man creates truly great stories based on the films "Species".
Species: The Survivor ( s/14290252/1/Species-The-Survivor)
Species: Angel of Vermin ( s/14316543/1/Species-Angel-of-Vermin)