Transformation Read online

  “OK. Ready?” Cooper tightened his grip on Trevor. “Stay on your feet and walk.”

  Cooper aimed Trevor towards the store but not straight at the entrance. The brick façade of the grocery was sparse, but in the way of minimal decoration there was a metal grid bolted to the wall. It looked like a giant metal trellis. It led up about twenty-five feet but ended short of the roof by a good eight feet.

  They moved as a group and the zombies parted for them. Cooper made the girls go first then followed them up, climbing hand over hand with ease. They were temporarily safe. Trevor was still standing at the bottom.

  “Come on Trevor, climb.” Cooper yelled.

  Trevor started walking away and towards the store. He stepped into the blackness and was gone.

  “Trevor no!” Ellen yelled, but he was already gone.

  Cooper clung to the metal trellis, safe for the present moment. He looked up at his next challenge. The metal lattice was easy to climb. It was like a big ladder, but it ended shy of the roof by at least eight feet.

  At the top he could see that he might die trying to get off the lattice and on to the roof. They wouldn’t last too much longer clinging to the wall so he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to take the risk and just not think about the possible consequences. Cooper looked back down. Karen and Ellen were holding on not far below him. The dead were still coming in from the surrounding areas. Even if they made it to the roof, they were going to be stuck on it for a long time unless something changed. Looking back up, Cooper thought he could reach the edge of the roof if he could stand on the very top of the lattice. But getting into a standing position on the very top of the trellis which was just inches from the wall, was the tricky part.

  With barely a foot clearance between the lattice and the wall, Cooper needed to climb up past the top rung without using his hands. He started by placing his hands and cheek flat against the cement wall. He couldn’t bend forward or he would push himself off. He took one step and rose a foot or so. He was now leaning against the wall. Another step and he was standing higher and also with nothing to grab hold of. He took a third step, leaning forward but without exerting any force forward to do so. He had to go straight up or fall. He slid his hands and cheek slowly upwards. It was nerve racking, but he had to get them on the roof.

  Finally he had one more step to the very top rung. Taking that last step up without bending his knee too much, laying his leg sideways to do so, leaning gingerly against the wall, and then having to exert enough force to lift his body upwards was awkward physically and excruciating mentally. He had to focus, give it his all and follow through, otherwise he would fall. An unsure, half-assed effort would get him killed. Then all he had to do would be to stay balanced on the top rung, reach for the edge of the roof and pull himself up.

  “What are you doing up there, dummy?” It was his sister of course.

  Finally he did it. He lunged upward, placed his foot on the top rung alongside the other and was standing at the top. He gave himself a moment to breath before doing anything else. He looked up slowly and extended his arm to the roof. His hand was at least a foot from the edge. Cooper didn’t waste time looking back down or lowering his arm. His only option now was to jump for the edge and hope he made it. If not he was sure he would slip off the metal bar when he landed on it. He needed to jump less than a foot to grab the edge of the roof.

  He bent his legs, spreading them apart so his knees wouldn’t drive straight into the wall and push him off. He leapt upwards.

  His fingers caught the edge but immediately slipped off. His heart jumped into his throat as he fell back to the thin metal bar. He was going to do whatever he could to prevent himself from falling into the grasping hands and clacking teeth of the dead. Fortunately, he managed to land on his feet.

  With a pop and a twang the top few bolts holding the frame to the wall broke free. Ellen and Karen both screamed. Ellen’s feet slipped from the rungs but she held on. The vertical rungs of the lattice began to bend, the top of the trellis slowly moved away from the wall.

  “Cooper!” Ellen yelled again and again in her panic.

  The next row of bolts began to squeak under the strain. He couldn’t risk another jump. Now he couldn’t reach the edge and the lattice wasn’t ridged. If he jumped it would simply spring backwards or pop off the wall all together. He considered jumping off and letting himself get taken by the zombies so his sister would have a chance to survive. He was looking down, contemplating his options when a hand grabbed his wrist and lifted him in one smooth motion onto the roof.

  Trevor dropped Cooper on his ass and tipped back the jug of energy drink he’d picked up while in the store below. He chugged it down, seemingly unable to stop himself.

  “Holy shit!” Cooper was amazed, but hadn’t forgotten Ellen and Karen. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the edge of the roof. He reached down and was too far to grab Ellen’s outstretched arm. He felt a hand on his ankle and with that he slid forward and grabbed her hand.

  “OK!” He yelled over his shoulder. Trevor pulled them both up.

  Karen was next and being taller was able to get herself up more easily.

  Trevor had sport drink all down the front of his body. He pulled the jug away momentarily.

  “Sorry I was dying of thirst.” There were already two empty jugs on the roof by his feet.

  “So you didn’t go in to save us?” It was Karen.

  “At first no. I didn’t even think about the zombies. I was so thirsty I just had to get something.”

  “Well, at least he’s here.” Ellen looked a bit pissed at Karen. “Where’s Tom?”

  Karen attempted a feeble reply. “Maybe he saw all the zombies . . . “

  “Then why did he push me out of the car? No, he took off.” Trevor said between gulps.

  “Where’s Hector?” Cooper asked.

  Trevor just pointed over to where he had been relieving himself. “I saw him get taken down. Look I need to go back down and find food. I’ll bring stuff back up for all of us.” He stepped into a broken skylight and dropped into the darkness.

  Everyone jumped at that but Cooper hadn’t forgotten about the feat of strength Trevor had just exhibited.

  Cooper walked over to the skylight and looked down into the darkness. He heard moaning and rustling but nothing else. He knelt and squinted. He could see nothing. Having just been in the store, even with the skylight, it was too dark to see much of anything. Can he see in the dark too? He wondered. Long minutes passed while Trevor was in the store. Cooper and Ellen caught up while Karen looked out over the dead and the city beyond. They were still close to the bay and could see it and smell the sea air.

  Karen looked sad. Ellen caught herself watching the older woman, wondering if she should go over and talk to her, ask her if she was OK. Suddenly Karen fell forward. It wasn’t an accident. She closed her eyes and spread her arms out.

  Cooper and Ellen both jumped in reaction, but it was too late to do a thing. They ran to the edge of the roof. It seemed Karen was already dead. Her corpse was crowd surfing as it was being torn to pieces. Her body jerked spasmodically as parts were torn off and chewed away. Within a few yards her body sunk below the surface and was gone.

  “She didn’t scream.” Ellen said in disbelief.

  Cooper was disturbed by Karen’s actions, worried about how Ellen may feel, but he was mostly concerned with his own lack of feeling towards her apparent suicide. Something about it made him a little peeved at the woman. He put his hand on his sister’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry.” That was all he could think to say.

  Suddenly Trevor was behind them. He was holding several full bags under one arm.

  “Where’s Karen?” He dropped the bags on top of an AC unit. The roof was a very rough layer of tar and rocks so there was no sitting on it.

  “She jumped. Off the roof.” Ellen said, feeling sad. She liked Karen and the last few weeks had brought them closer together, but she wasn
’t very upset. Maybe the new reality of the world had toughened her up that much. Maybe it would hurt more later when it sank in.

  As Cooper and Ellen caught up, focused on each other or the still scenic city and bay, Trevor was eating a large piece of putrid meat that was probably once a prime rib. It was completely covered with writhing maggots that dropped off as he tore chunks of the meat away, many clung to his beard and squirmed in confusion as they looked for the food they’d just been ingesting. The rotten meat stank but the odor was masked by the hundreds of rotten corpses below. He chewed thoughtfully, not thinking his choice of meal was odd. He took another big bite and swallowed it whole this time. He realized chewing did nothing for him. He didn’t enjoy the food any more or less. He was simply getting stuff into his body that he somehow knew it needed. He took a few more large bites and finished the meat.

  He felt every inch of his body buzzing with energy, almost vibrating as it changed gradually and on a minute scale. It wasn’t perceptible by casual observation but he could feel it. He tried to tell himself it was just the result of being severely dehydrated and starved then suddenly filling his body with so much food. But he knew it was more than that, much more, and he was frightened.

  5.

  “It’s simple,” Ben said calmly. “You two must fight to the death or I kill all three of you.”

  Orange light danced along the blade of a large knife as it reflected flames from the roaring fire. Flesh puckered like fresh dough as the razor-sharp edge pressed against the nude girl’s throat. She sobbed uncontrollably and winced as Ben pulled on her long blond hair he had twisted in his grip. He had her long blond hair twisted in his grip and rested his chin on her shoulder.

  The girl was a bit heavy, which was why Ben selected her to be the sacrifice. He liked them skinny. She wept, her hands cupped over her vagina, her eyes filled with tears that rolled down her cheeks. Her breath was a rasping staccato as it escaped between chattering teeth. Her body trembled violently from fear and the cold.

  Two young men, boys really, were standing naked in the glade in front of a huge fire. One was taller and more muscular. The other was skinny and small and shook like a leaf as he wept, blowing large snot bubbles.

  “It’s OK Brett.” His voice cracked. “We both know what has to happen. Just make it quick.”

  “I’m not killing you for that sick fuck.” Brett jabbed his finger at Ben, but refused to look at him. He grit his teeth and balled his fists as he looked at the other boy. Brett was this kid’s nemesis until very recently and bullied him relentlessly, but he wasn’t evil. Now they were bonded together as brothers as god awful circumstances tend to do.

  Ben pressed the blade of his knife against the girl’s throat and she yelped as blood slowly trickled down her neck.

  “C’mon on, you know how this is going to go.” Ben sneered.

  “You hurt her and I will kill you. You think a knife scares me?”

  A loud boom made everyone jump. Brett hit the ground, his head half gone. The oozing blood looked black and shiny in the firelight. Several girls screamed. Willow, barely able to stand, was leaning against the van in the deep shadows of night. She let the gun drop to her side.

  Ben was livid. “What the fuck? You stupid bitch!”

  Willow shambled slowly forward from the shadows. As she spoke her voice was weak and strained. She sounded congested.

  “Shut up Ben.” She paused for several moments and just stood in the shadows. No one moved or said a thing. The fire crackled, some of the kids sobbed lightly. Ben waited for her to speak. She shuffled forward a few more steps until she was visible in the firelight. Ben almost laughed she was so hideous.

  Willow’s eyes were swollen almost to the point of being shut. They were dark blue and black and oozed fluids from the corners. She held her head stiffly and at a slight angle and her nose was flattened sideways against her face. With each step she took she fought pain. She stopped again.

  “I want all you assholes to shut the fuck up. I’m trying to sleep.” She waved the gun weakly and then aimed it at Ben’s head with a steady hand.

  “Don’t make me come out here again or I’ll blow your fucking head off.”

  Holding the gun steady for any length of time was too much for her. She dropped it to her side.

  “Shut up. No more noise.”

  She let the gun drop to the ground and staggered back to the van, melting back into the shadows. Ben watched her go. This was the first time he’d seen her stand since the attack. He’d been waiting for her to die or overdose on all the pills and booze she’d been downing.

  All eyes looked longingly into the darkness where the gun had fallen. Ben saw it too. He pushed the girl down and walked over to retrieve it. When he did, three of the kids took off into the woods as fast their feet could carry them. Naked and barefooted they ran headlong into a black void filled with sharp rocks and large twisting tree roots. But that didn’t slow them down one bit. Ben fired at the escapees but none dropped. He fired until the firing pin was clicking loudly on empty chambers.

  The sound of an empty gun firing filled the others with the energy and the hope they needed to make a break for it. They all dashed into the woods at the speed of desperation and survival. But Ben wasn’t going to let them all get away if he could help it. He dropped the gun and ran after the closest person. It was the snot bubbling skinny kid. He grabbed him by the hair and jerked him backwards and off his feet. The kid fought ineffectively as Ben pulled his head back and slit his throat.

  The boy’s high-pitched scream was cut off by a horrible flapping sound. Air from the kids’ lungs, meant to power a desperate scream, was forced through the gash in his throat and it caused the flesh to slap back and forth. The severed jugular vein pumped in a few large spurts. It was over in seconds and Ben was already on the move. He chased down a girl that had tripped and was just a little behind all the others. He jumped on her and wrestled her down.

  The girl fought hard, kicking up dirt and leaves in her frenzy and screaming. Her loud shrieks were cut off as Ben kneeled on her back. He pulled her head back and stabbed her in the neck several times.

  Ben sat back on his knees, straddling the girl’s corpse. He was catching his breath, feeling his heart beating a mile a minute. He wasn’t winded or frightened. He was excited by the battle with the naked girl. He loved to hear them scream but when they died, when the screaming stopped, he really got worked up. He tried to savor the moment, felt the cool night air on his face. Smelled the coppery blood and what he called a death shit. He insisted the death shit had a different smell. He didn’t like it any better, it was just a different sort of shit smell. His happy time was interrupted by shuffling leaves in the background.

  He rose to his feet and spun quickly, moment ruined, and saw Willow coming at him slow and steady.

  “Ben you fucked everything up—again.” She hissed.

  “Fuck you.” He was pissed. He could hear several of the kids still thrashing through the woods in the distance. He searched and thought he saw a ghostly form or two fading away into the darkness.

  “Stop all this shit. I need you.”

  He looked her over. She wasn’t desirable anymore at all. Her eyes were still darkly bruised and swollen, and one seemed to be looking in a different direction. Her nose was bent sideways and lay flat against her face. It made the upper lip on one side of her face lift in a slight sneer. She’d tried to straighten her nose by herself, but even under the deadening effect of several drugs she could tell something was seriously wrong. She couldn’t stand the grinding in her head when she tried to move her nose back in place.

  Ben smirked. She wasn’t in any shape for fucking. He briefly thought he’d just save them both the trouble and slit her throat too. Willow knew Ben all too well and saw the look in his eyes. She lashed out with both hands and tore at his face with sharp nails. She gouged him hard, tearing open freshly scabbed wounds. She turned to run but the world swam and she fell forward. Ben was on
her back as she hit the ground.

  “Bitch!” He grabbed a handful of dreads. He yanked back hard, attempting to get to her throat. But in the darkness he was faced with a tangled mess, an ocean of seething dreadlocks, as Willow fought to free herself. He couldn’t figure out where anything was so he began to stab wildly where he thought her head might be.

  “Whore! Cunt!”

  Ben held the knife in both hands and lifted and dropped his arms repeatedly but Willow just bucked harder and wilder. She started to scream. Willow was fighting so hard she threw up a cloud of debris. The ground beneath her was getting swept bare. She fought hard, driven by fear and adrenalin, but the grinding in her injured neck made her nauseated and caused her to stop. She felt the twinge and tingle of nerves up and down her body. It was a terribly wrong sensation to feel emanating from one’s neck. She had to stop for a moment and lay face down and be quiet for just a few seconds.

  Ben suddenly froze and started screaming. His knife made a light thunk as it hit the dirt. He was holding his hands up in a position of surrender, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Willow had her right hand behind her back and held both his balls in a grip powered by fear, desperation, and hate. She smiled when she felt Ben pissing himself.

  “You motherfucker.” She rasped. She started to feel weak from the fight, felt like passing out but wouldn’t allow herself to. She dry heaved, would have vomited had she anything in her stomach. She started to roll over.

  “You asshole.” She said, her voice catching with emotion. She was sure that she had done some serious damage to herself and was scared.

  Willow slowly rolled, not letting go of her death grip on Ben’s balls, twisting them in the process. She managed a smile when she saw his face. He was frozen in pain and indecision trying to catch his breath. She felt numbness dancing up and down her spine and through her legs to her feet. Once on her back she introduced her other hand into the mix.