The Rule of Three

— 14 —

The liquidambar was one of the first deciduous trees to begin changing colour in autumn, and one of Jack’s favourite trees. Its leaves would first turn a deep purple before turning red and falling to the ground. Jack jogged ahead through the leaf litter that covered the grass, releasing a peaty scent into the air. He held the gun in front of him, ready. He remembered reading about where to keep your finger so as not to accidentally fire the gun; on the trigger guard, not the trigger itself. He was tempted to flick the safety on, but with Duke and his goons in the vicinity and the fact that mid-afternoon was fast approaching, he was on edge.

“Where are we going, Jack?” Emma gasped beside him.

“We need a vehicle. Best place is a dealership,” Jack said. He glanced behind to check on Sarah. She was lagging behind, carrying George. Emma followed his gaze and dropped back.

“Here, let me take him for a bit,” Emma said, handing Sarah the bachi hoe and lifting the red-haired boy into her arms. She spent a few seconds adjusting his weight.

“Thanks,” Sarah panted.

It was a long run back into the centre of Cambridge. Jack was aiming for a Toyota dealership he knew of next to a strip mall of fast food outlets. As they ran, Jack caught his reflection in the shop windows, hardly recognising himself, he was so dishevelled. He must’ve smelt just as bad. It was days since he’d showered, and the swims in the river wouldn’t have helped matters. Jack blinked as he caught a movement in the glass. It flicked through his vision so fast he wasn’t sure what he had seen.

Only instinct saved him. He was close enough to Emma and Sarah to pull them down behind a vehicle just as the creature bounded out of the house. It howled and pivoted, searching for the prey it had seen. Jack caressed the rifle and crawled in front of the two women and George. He could just see the top of its deformed head. The flesh on the skull had blackened and there was no hair at all. It leapt onto a brick fence and sniffed at the air. Its yellow eyes swivelled around and locked onto Jack. For a moment Jack thought the beast was going to bound off. Moving slowly, he brought the rifle up and squinted through the scope.

There was a blur of motion and the creature was sailing through the air. Jack sucked in a breath and pulled on the trigger. The rifle bucked into his shoulder as three shots ripped out, going wide. Jack pulled the trigger again as the creature landed on the concrete and swiped a claw at him, knocking the rifle from his grasp.

George cried out and Emma, gripping the bachi hoe in both hands, stepped in front of Sarah and George. The creature bowled into Jack, its mouth curled back to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. Jack fell back with a thump and grabbed the creature’s arms, desperate to keep it from tearing into his flesh. He kicked out at the beast but his efforts had no effect. He spotted the rifle only a couple of metres away.

“Emma! The gun.”

The beast gnashed it sucker mouth together and globs of drool dripped onto Jack’s face. He glanced at Sarah and George hiding under the car. He glanced at the trees lining the streets. Streets that would normally be filled with life, with people going about their daily lives. They all lay empty now. Anyone left alive was either hiding or had been evacuated. He grunted, trying to push the monster off him, and stared into its soulless eyes. The creature thrashed about with new fervour, dragging its clawed hands down Jack’s arms. Jack was watching its mouth when it suddenly went rigid and blackish blood began to drip from its mouth.

Jack frowned, puzzled. He hadn’t heard any gunshots or sensed any movement. Emma kicked the creature off him and held out a hand. He clasped it and she pulled him to his feet. He glanced down at the beast and saw the bachi hoe embedded in its back.

“Thanks.” Jack scooped up the fallen rifle. This time he placed the strap over his shoulder.

Howls echoed around the houses.

“We need to move,” he said. “To the river, and a boat.”

“What about a car?” Emma said.

“Too late. We’ll be safer out on the water.”

He and Emma helped Sarah and George out from underneath the car. Sarah brushed dirt out of George’s hair.

“There’s a jet boat company down by the highway bridge.”

Jack nodded and pivoted, trying to orientate himself.

They headed in the general direction of the river, jogging from car to car and ducking into gardens when they could. Anything to keep out of sight. The creatures’ howls and shrieks filled the town like a hundred wolves had suddenly invaded and were hunting for food. Sarah led them on a zig-zag route through the town centre, ducking down alleys and behind buildings. Finally Jack glimpsed the river and spotted the bright red building Sarah had mentioned. Painted on the roof were the words “Cambridge Jet Adventures”. Perfect if you were an adrenaline junkie and didn’t mind nature whizzing by.

Jack gripped his rifle tighter and waited until the others had moved past him. The shrieks of the beasts were getting ever closer. During the course of their flight, Jack could have sworn he kept seeing them, but whenever he searched for them, they were absent. He had put it down to being exhausted and paranoid.

“Jack?” Emma broke into his thoughts.

“Sorry. Coming.” He caught up to her.

“Daydreamer, huh?”

“Yeah. I just had this weird feeling that we are being herded.”

“Herded?”

“I could see the creatures. They’ve been following us the whole time.”

Emma paused and glanced around. “We’d better hurry then.”

Jack peered through the scope on his rifle and scanned the yard of the boating company. Next to the shed were three large speed boats and a tractor. All painted bright red like the shed. Apart from the birds and the insects, nothing moved. He strained his ears, trying to judge where the howls were coming from, but the noise echoed around and bounced off the river, making it nearly impossible to discern a direction.

“What do you guys think?” Jack whispered. “We’re going to make a bit of noise, so we need to do this fast.”

“What’s the plan?” Sarah said.

“I’ll drive the tractor and back it up to the trailer. Get George inside. You and Emma hook it on and I’ll drive it into the river. I’m not going to bother backing it. Just straight in. As soon as we are in, start the boat and unhook it from the trailer. If all goes well, we’ll be motoring downriver to Hamilton in a few minutes.”

“Keys?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “They’re not going to be just hanging in the ignition.”

Jack grinned. “The tractor ones are there. As for the boat, there should be a switch and an ignition button.”

“Shouldn’t we check before charging in?” Sarah asked.

A high-pitched shriek rang out over the yard. Jack shuddered. He swung his carbine up and searched for its source. Perched on the roof of the engineering business next door were five creatures.

“Go! Now!”

Jack slung the rifle over his shoulder and sprinted for the tractor. He was halfway there when movement blurred in his peripheral vision. Creatures were pouring out from behind every building, howling and spitting, jumping up and down at the sight of their prey.

“Run for the river!” Jack screamed. He swung around and squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked to life. Jack wedged it into his shoulder and sprayed bullets at the oncoming mass of creatures. He couldn’t even begin to count them. There had to be one hundred or more. Emma ran to join him, swinging the bachi hoe. She was overrun in seconds, her screams piercing through his brain.

Jack risked a look over his shoulder. Sarah and George were still metres from the river with the beasts closing in fast. Jack spread his feet and held his finger down on the trigger, desperate to save them.

His weapon clicked empty as the first creature reached him. Jack swung the rifle at it like a baseball player and grinned as the stock smashed into his head. He dropped to one knee and swung again before the rifle was ripped out of his grasp.

Several beasts pinned him down but did not attack. Jack frowned. What were they doing?

He turned his head and bit his lip, watching as Sarah and George were similarly caught and held.

Then, through the forest of clawed limbs that had him pinned, Jack saw it. A creature like the others, but taller and broader. It had strange, bark-like skin, and bones protruded from its shoulders. It turned, as if sensing Jack’s attention, and grinned.

The beast above Jack squirted a hot, stinging liquid into his face. Jack gasped and fought the waves of nausea that followed. It felt like an invisible hand was reaching inside his skull and squeezing his brain. Jack’s last thought as he drifted into unconsciousness was:

Run, Dee! Run!