The Rule of Three: An Extinction Cycle Novella

CHAPTER ONE

Jack gazed up at the stars, captivated by the serenity and majesty of the little pinpricks of light. As many times as he looked at the Milky Way, he never grew bored of it. He inhaled deeply, the fresh forest scents lacing the chill air. He loved it up here in the mountains, away from the rat race. As much as he loved technology, the wild was where he felt at peace, at home. A conflict, as usual. The silence was enchanting, just the echoes of the stars.

For three days he had enjoyed the wilderness, off the grid. Reaching the hut earlier in the evening, Jack had enjoyed a couple of hours restful silence. Taking one last look at the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon, he dug into his pack and reluctantly pulled out his phone.

Immediately after booting up the phone, it alerted him to a message. Looking at the screen, Jack saw that there were several messages from Dee, the first sent three days ago, each one seeming to be getting more and more panicked. Jack frowned. He opened the last one.

He gasped. ELE! Extinction level event! Holy crap! Really? Is this a joke?

Pushing the phone icon, he held his breath as the phone rang. It sounded distant and tinny. After what seemed like hours, Dee answered.

“Jack? Thank God!” Without letting him answer, Dee continued, “Listen, it’s all over the news. They’ve closed all the airports, all the ports, everything is closing or closed down. You need to get home now, please, Jack. It’s horrible, it’s crazy, it’s…”

“Dee, slow down. What are you talking about?”

“It’s some virus thingy in the States. It started in Chicago. It’s already been reported in London, Paris, Sydney… everywhere!”

“Virus? Like an outbreak?”

“It’s worse Jack. It turns people into monsters! They are calling it the Hemorrhage Virus!” Dee was now shouting.

From the panic in Dee’s voice, Jack knew this was for real, no joke. They had finally done it.

They had killed the world.

Whoever “they” were.

Was it true? Had the end of the world come? A virus outbreak? Monsters?

So many thoughts swam through his head. He loved movies, comics and sci fi. Jack had daydreamed about this sort of thing happening plenty of times. He had even convinced Dee to get an isolated cabin in the woods for this kind of eventuality. But that was just a fantasy, right? This sort of thing doesn't really happen, does it?

“Jack? Are you there? JACK?… JACK!” Dee’s screams cut through his thoughts. “You have to come home. I need you!”

He looked at his phone. Then put the phone back to his ear.

“No. The city won’t be safe. You have to come to me. If the virus reaches New Zealand, it’ll turn bad real quick, desperate people and all that.”

“I think it’s already here. Th… there’s been conflicting reports. Jack, I’ve never been to where you are, and regardless, walking along the Kaimai Ridgeway to our cabin would take too long. I think you should come home.”

Jack thought quickly. “Yes, you’re right, sorry darling. Okay… ummm, fill up as much water as possible into any available container, get your bug-out bag, and fill up your car with as much food as you can. I think our cabin is isolated enough until this blows over. And, darling?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Love you too baby, thank you. Hurry!”

Jack’s phone garbled. “And lock up!”

But, looking at the screen, he could see no bars. Damn it!

Emptying out his pack, he found his headlamp. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel the tension building, like in a horror movie. He hurried over to fill his water bladder up at the basin, catching his reflection in the mirror as he did. He ran a hand through his dark hair and couldn’t help but notice the worried look in his blue eyes.

Pack light, for we travel far and swift.

Glancing over his trail map one last time, he decided to take the shorter, but steeper, track down to the carpark. This is going to be a hell ride, thought Jack as he slammed the hut door behind him.

Jogging down the trail, he thought back to the day he and Dee had met.

It was the height of summer. A hazy glare bounced off the trees in the valley, and Jack could see and smell the pollen coming off the poplar trees. Taking in a breath, Jack heard two excited voices coming up the trail, the roar of the waterfall and the gurgling of the stream no match for the high-pitched excitement. Looking, he saw her for the first time. Petite, pixie-cut brunette hair, bright blue eyes behind glasses, gorgeous smile. And when she turned toward him, he could see a tattoo of flowers creeping up her arm.

Jack turned away shyly, but still managed to smile at her.

Enjoying his lunch, he listened as the two girls took in the view, snapped photos, and chatted. He was quite pleased when they sat close by to eat their lunch.

He was readying himself to leave when he felt the air change. “Do you know how far that trail goes?”

The voice was almost sing-song, its sweet tones music to his ears.

Jack looked in the direction Pixie-hair was pointing. “As far north as north goes.”

Pixie-hair laughed. “Isn’t it ‘as far south as south goes’?”

Jack smiled. “Yeah, but I know nothing.”

Pixie-hair stuck out her hand. “I’m Diana, but my friends call me Dee.”

Jack grinned, his cheeks hurting. “James, but everyone calls me Jack.”

It was hard going. Down, down, down. He hated down. His knee joints were grinding now. Fighting through the pain, he could feel the lactic acid building with every step. The trail finally flattened out as he came up to the swing bridge. Without even glancing at the view, Jack jogged on. Only one more hour. Those countless times he’d hiked this trail were really helping him now.

Arriving at the carpark, Jack fumbled for his car keys as he ran up to his car. Finally getting them in hand, he unlocked the door and jumped in. Jamming the key into the ignition, he started the car, engaged the gear, and sped off, tires spinning in the loose gravel.

I’m coming darling. I’m nearly there.

With one hand on the wheel, he turned on his phone. Tapping the phone icon, he put the phone on speaker. Nothing but garbled sound emitted from it. Looking at the bars, Jack swore in frustration. “CRAP! SHITTY SHIT SHIT!” He leant over and turned the volume up on the car stereo. A strange monotone beep emitted out. Frowning, he scanned through all the FM stations. Nothing. His pulse quickening, Jack switched to AM, and heard an emergency broadcast. He listened to it a few times, but got no actual details of the virus. It was just the announcer advising people to stay indoors. Jack ran his sweaty hands through his hair. Letting out a breath, he turned the radio off in frustration.

Jack sped on through the night, the road twisting and turning as it followed the undulating countryside.

He could see the orange glow of a fire not far in the distance. Slowing down, he wound down the window. Acrid smoke wafted in, causing him to cough. Deciding caution was best, he slowed down to 50 kilometers per hour. As he rounded a bend, he suddenly had to slam on the brakes. Cars lined the road on both sides, their occupants milling around. He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. If he’d been going any faster… Opening his eyes again, he took a better look. About 100 metres away, he could see a jackknifed milk tanker strewn across the road, its ends tangled in farmers’ fences on both sides. It was engulfed in flames, thick black smoke pouring out over the land.

Alongside his car, a family sat waiting in their car on the shoulder of the road.

Winding his window right down, he made eye contact with the driver. “Hey, how long have you been waiting?”

“About an hour,” replied the man.

Jack could see him quite well in the light from the blaze. He looked about 40-ish and had on one of those flat caps the English wear — or the hipsters. The woman sitting alongside looked frazzled. Hearing the bickering of kids emanating from the back seat, he could understand why. Both parents looked terrified, too.

Jack turned his attention back to Flatcap. “Any sign of the emergency services?”

“Nope, not yet. It’s pretty crazy out there. The roads are jammed up.”

“Hmmm. Is it this virus thingy?”

“Yeah. They announced it on the news, told everyone to stay home from work, only essential travel. That was yesterday. We decided to go and stay with family, get out of Auckland. I guess everyone else had the same idea.”

Jack nodded his head, contemplating the new information. Looking out at the tanker, the fire raging out of control, and all the cars jammed up, he knew that if he wanted to get home to Dee, he’d have to go the long way around. Making his decision, he turned back to Flatcap.

“Thanks mate. I’m going to try a different way. I really need to get home to my wife.” He cranked the car up and shifted it into gear.

“Hey!” called out Flatcap.

“Yeah?”

“Can we follow you? We don’t know this area, and with phone reception out we can’t look up Google Maps.”

“Sure, where are you headed?”

“Cambridge.”

“Cambridge? Hell, you’re way out! I’m going to Hamilton, so I can point you in the right direction.”

The lady, who had not uttered a sound until now, turned and looked at Jack. “Thank you. It’s madness out there. People are acting all crazy, driving like maniacs. We just want to get to my Mum’s and keep our babies safe.”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the night. Jack and Flatcap exchanged a look.

Squinting into the glare from the fire, Jack could just make out the source of screaming. A couple were running down the road toward where he was stopped, terror sharpening their features. The woman let out another primal scream as a black blur slammed into her. The couple went down in a tangled mess of arms and legs, just a few car lengths away.

He stared at the creature, terror freezing him. It looked like a monster straight out of his worst nightmares. His heart hammered in his chest, sending adrenaline pumping through his body. Jack struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. The creature crouched over the woman. Jack watched, dazed, as it plunged its head down and tore out the woman's throat. He gasped. Spurts of arterial blood coated the creature’s face. It turned its head toward him, as though it could see him watching it, and licked its strange, sucker-like lips. Letting out a horrible screech, it returned to its meal. Jack’s hands started to shake as he continued to stare at this abomination, unable to look away despite the horror.

The creature was reptilian-looking, with blackish translucent skin. Where the mouth should have been was instead a weird sucker-like appendage filled with sharp teeth. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image. It proved to be difficult.

A cacophony of sounds echoed through his head. Shouts and screams. Engines starting. The swoosh of blood pumped through his ears. Frantic cries of terrified children. Children!

Snapping out of it, he looked back toward Flatcap’s car. Flatcap’s children were screaming.

Throwing his car into reverse, Jack screamed, “C’mon!” and floored the accelerator.

The crashing sound of glass breaking made Jack stop. Terrified screams pierced the night.

To his horror, three more of the creatures had appeared out of the smoke and chaos, and were swarming all over Flatcap’s car. One of them reached in through the shattered windshield — that must have been the breaking glass he’d heard — and dragged the woman out by her hair. Before he could consider the consequences, he put his car into drive and barreled toward the creature.

Jack sideswiped it, flinging it backward several meters. It smashed into another vehicle. The creature shook its head groggily, glared at him, and let out a horrific shriek.

“Get in!” Jack yelled at the woman, all the time keeping his eyes on the monster.

She whimpered, but hauled herself up with steely determination and jumped into Jack’s car.

“Go! Go!” Jack shouted out the window at Flatcap. Two of the creatures were still on top of his car.

Flatcap managed to get his car moving, and expertly spun the wheels in the loose gravel on the shoulder of the road. Wrenching the car side to side, he came out of the melee, throwing the two monsters off and into the ditch in the process.

Flooring the accelerator again, Jack squealed back down the road.

I’ll find you, Dee. Just stay put. I’m coming, promise.

“Holy shit, what the hell was THAT?” Jack said, more to himself than to his passenger. A cold sweat enveloped him. Images of what he’d just witnessed flashed through his mind. Jack tried to calm himself.

Deep breaths, in, out, in, out, in out. Deep breaths…

Though Jack could see Flatcap’s car up ahead, he was struggling to keep up with Flatcap’s panicked driving. Both cars tore through the night. He focused on the red tail lights, following his driving lines.

“What the hell was that?”

He barely heard the quiet response. “Dante’s bloody inferno.”

Jack nodded his head in agreement. “Bloody nightmare on legs. Did you see its mouth?”

“Hideous!”

He looked over at his passenger. She had her hands in her lap, clenched tightly. He could see by the way she leant away from him, curled against the back of her seat, that she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. Staring out the windscreen, Jack had time to think.

He just couldn’t make sense of it. What the hell were those things he’d just seen? Were they what people became if they caught this virus? That just didn’t make any kind of sense. Outside of science fiction, that is. Surely no man had managed to create a virus that turned people into monsters? Surely? Jack shook his head. He had so many questions, and no answers. He banged the steering wheel in anger.

Sheesh! I’ve got to get home to Dee, and Mum! My family…

Jack looked down at his shaky, sweaty hands. He wiped them on his pants in turn, trying to get the sweat off. He clenched them into fists to try and stop the shaking, gripping and regripping the steering wheel as he did so. His mind just kept replaying the horrifying creature tearing out the poor woman's throat and lapping up her blood.

The car shuddered and swerved as it went over onto the gravel shoulder, threatening to skid out. Jack cringed, cursing at himself as he watched a road sign go under the front of the car. He took his foot off the accelerator, then pulled the steering wheel hard down to the right. To his relief, he regained control of the car. The car bumped slightly as he returned to the tarmac. He shivered as a cold frisson enveloped him. “Bloody hell! Sorry.”

Flatcap’s wife stared ahead into the darkness, oblivious. Jack looked back up the road toward the disappearing tail lights. Get it together, boy! He forced himself to take some deep, calming breaths. You have to get home first, then survive with Dee.

He had to survive. Jack had spent so many years alone, wishing for someone to share his life with. He didn't want to lose it now. Thinking of surviving reminded him of the stories his Nana had told him about living through World War Two. About how everyone had carried on as normal. How they looked after each other, helped one another when needed. How they’d sung songs down in the bomb shelters, frightened, scared, listening as the Luftwaffe rained down terror and misery. She would be telling Jack to “Keep calm and carry on.”

Thinking about how his grandparents had survived the Blitz helped Jack to calm down. He reached out and turned on his stereo. Humming along to John Williams, he drove on.

After thirty minutes, they had travelled about 20 km. The two cars came up to an intersection. Flatcap pulled over, allowing Jack to pull alongside. Jack’s passenger jumped out before the car had stopped, and ran over to her car. Jack wound the window down in time to hear her cry, “Babies! Are you okay?” The kids clambered out of the car to hug her.

Jack waved to Flatcap. “You all right?”

“Yeah, I think so. Hell, that was crazy! What the hell are those things?”

“I don’t know, man. I really don’t know.” Jack shook his head. So many thoughts were buzzing around in his head, he was having trouble concentrating. He just wanted to get home to Dee. A few hours ago he had been happily enjoying the solitude of the wilderness, back before he read Dee’s message. He’d believed her, but seeing the creatures first hand had frightened the hell out of him.

He looked back at Flatcap and his family. “We better keep moving.”

Flatcap nodded in agreement. “Definitely. Which way from here?”

“Right for a few kilometers, then left for a bit. Just follow me. Lots of turns.”

“Sure. Let’s go. I really don’t want to see any more of those things.”

“Shit yeah.”

They travelled onward through the night. Jack plotted the course in his head, thankful that his adventurous spirit had pushed him to explore all these back roads. The fact that he hated being stuck in traffic had added fuel to his passion for exploration. Everywhere he looked, the glow of fires in the direction of built up areas lit up the night. Knowing what caused them made him hurry.

Coming over the brow of a hill, Jack saw the school where he had to turn left. Realising he was going too fast, he pushed down on his brakes. Flatcap’s car nudged into the back of his, causing him to spin slightly, like in a police PIT maneuver. He wrenched the steering wheel hard left, trying to correct it, but Flatcap’s car slammed into him again, causing both cars to slide out, tyres screeching. Both of them ended up in the ditch on the side of the road.

Shaken, but unhurt, he clambered out of his car. His back wheels were stuck fast, deep down in the culvert. A short distance away, the other car’s front end was also in the culvert.

Damn it. What else can go wrong tonight? I’ve been travelling for hours, just trying to get home to Dee.

He made his way to Flatcap’s car. “You guys all right?”

The young boy in the back replied, delight evident in his voice, “We went crash!”

Flatcap hauled himself out of the car. “Yes son, we went crash.”

He looked back at Jack. “We’re all right. What happened there?”

“Going too fast, simple as that. So do you think we can get these out?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. We’re in too deep.”

“Bugger it!” Jack spat. “I’ll go see if I can find a tractor or something. Plenty of farms around here.”

Flatcap moved the peak of his hat up and down his brow. “Yeah, all right. Probably best I stay here with my family.”

Jack nodded.

Returning to his car, he grabbed his pack out of the back seat, took out his headlamp, and checked to see if it was still working. Satisfied, he looked around. Spotting a driveway farther up the road, he headed off.

Turning into the driveway, a crunch under his foot revealed gravel. Fear of being detected, by either humans or monsters, made him tread carefully and silently. His gaze darted up toward the house and back to the vehicles. Plucking up his courage, he entered the property. As he crossed the cattle grate, one of his feet slipped and he went down, the resulting clang sounding like a gunshot in the silence of the night. Jack winced, at the noise and the pain, and rubbed his foot. He prayed there were no monsters around to hear that racket. But surely they wouldn’t be so far from civilisation? He crawled off the cattle grate and got back onto his feet, testing out his foot. It would be fine. Smoothing out his pants, he carried on up the driveway. He paused every few meters to strain his hearing for any sounds.

Jack could see the house and vehicle sheds in the darkness, their silhouettes emerging from the gloom. Moving toward the shed, Jack thought he heard a popping sound. What was that? He froze. Heart hammering, he peered into the darkness. He wished he could turn on his light, but was fearful of attracting the creatures, or an angry farmer with a shotgun.

Maybe I should just knock on the door?

There were no lights on in the house, and no further sounds reached him. Jack wondered where everyone was. Had they made a run for it? Why would they? They already lived in the country; nothing out here except cows, cows, and more cows. He shook these doubts from his mind as he approached the shed.

The shed was enclosed on the sides and the back, leaving the front open to the elements; typical for farms.

He could see an old-looking tractor. Moving to the back of the vehicle, he saw that a wooden pallet forming a small platform was attached to the trailer. Piled on it was a rusty chain, and attached to both ends were large metal hooks. In the cab, the key stuck out of the ignition.

Yes! Finally! thought Jack. Some good luck.

Jumping into the seat, he checked to see if the tractor was in neutral. Then, with his fingers crossed, he turned the ignition.

The tractor coughed once, then turned over. Too loud! Too late. Engaging the gear, Jack eased his way back down the driveway. He looked back at the house every now and then, half expecting someone to come running out, or one of those hideous creatures to come tearing over. He shivered. But it all stayed quiet.

Arriving back at the cars, he found Flatcap and his family sitting on the hood of their car, their feet resting against the small clay bank. The children were eating, nestled into their parents’ sides. Pulling up alongside the cars, Jack called over, “I’ll reverse up and get yours first.”

“All right, cool.”

“You chain it up around the axle.”

“Yup, sure thing.”

He reached down and put the tractor in forward. Looking back up, he saw movement over Flatcap’s shoulder.

Several figures were moving through the school yard toward them. Their limbs seemed strange, elongated, and they moved with jerky, inhuman movements. One of the creatures let out a bloodcurdling scream. They all dropped to all fours and, with an incredible burst of speed, flew across the intervening ground toward the group.

Jack gave an inarticulate shout, but there was nothing he could do for Flatcap and his family. Within seconds, the monsters were on them. Two of the creatures slammed into Flatcap and his wife, tearing and snarling. The stench of blood permeated the air, and Jack could taste iron.

Time shifted into slow motion as he reacted. He leaned over and grabbed the chain off the platform. Unfurling it, he swung it at the nearest creature, which had grabbed one of the boys. Slamming the hook into its head, he was shocked when bits of skull and black gooey sludge fountained out. The creature slumped against the car, dead. Pulling the boy into the cab and onto his lap, Jack floored the accelerator. The tractor lurched forward down the road. With one hand on the wheel, he swung the chain at two more of the creatures. Jack couldn't believe how fast they were, easily dodging his wild swings.

The boy on his lap screamed in agony as one of the creatures tore open his leg. Jack managed to boot it in the face, smashing its sucker. It fell off, then crunched under the back wheels. Jack grinned, satisfied.

Three more of the creatures were now coming at them, flanking them in a classic pincer movement. He lost the grin.

Ugly, but not bloody stupid.

Jack was still managing to keep one creature at bay with swings of his chain. He knew he couldn’t outrun them on this old workhorse. He’d just have to outmaneuver them. The tractor might not have speed, but it did have torque.

Jack swung the wheel hard right, down a steep embankment.

Bounding over the rutted ground, the creatures drew closer.

So damn fast.

They slammed into the side of the tractor with abandon, causing it to tilt over like a listing ship. Cradling the boy, and trying to tuck himself into a ball, he leapt off the vehicle. Thumping into the ground, the boy jolted free of Jack. Immediately, one the creatures caught up to him and, with a sickening sound, tore a hunk of his muscle from his torso. The boy screamed in terror and agony, his eyes finding Jack’s. Pleading for the monster to stop.

Jack rolled to a stop at the bottom of a ravine, next to a small bridge crossing over a river. Two blurs of black came flying toward him. To his surprise, he found he was still holding the chain. Channeling his inner Viking berserker, Jack swung the chain with all his leftover strength. It connected with the closest creature, smashing into its horror hole. It ripped away the monster’s lower jaw and continued up through its eye socket, taking out black muck and brains, and killed it instantly.

Before he could turn fully, the other creature careened into him, smashing him against the bridge railing. Pain streaked up his spine and his breath fled from his lungs. The creature’s sucker mouth snapped at him, its claws trying to grasp him. Jack swung his arms, fists clenched as he thumped a few blows against the beast. Kicking out, he fought for his life.

I will not die this day.

Jack managed to get the chain up under the monster’s chin to hold off its snapping jaws. The terrible stench of rotten fruit emanating from its mouth making him gag.

One of its claws gouged deep into his thigh muscle, causing him to scream in fury. Delving down deep inside himself, and finding an inner strength he never knew he had, Jack wrapped the chain around the creature's neck. Reaching behind him, he coiled it around the railing, then secured the hook over it. The creature dug its claws deeper into his thigh, its sucker mouth smacking at him as it strained to get at his face. With a last grunt of frustration, he tumbled over the railing, clasping the snapping creature in his arms. The chain went taut and, with his added weight, the creature’s head ripped off, covering him in black gunk. He plunged down to the river, letting the creature’s body go on the way down.

The cold water prickled his skin as he splashed into the river, its frigid embrace a welcome respite. He kicked back to the surface from the blackened depths. Gasping, Jack prepared himself to be torn apart by approaching reptilian nightmares.

To his surprise, the remaining creatures stayed on the riverbank, apparently reluctant to enter the water. They snarled and hissed at him, their joints popping as they paced up and down. He welcomed the reprieve. Struggling to keep afloat, he removed his hiking pack and cradled it in his arms. Turning over, he let the current drag him away.

He stared up at the stars. His stars, the pinpricks of light.

Years of wondering what hellish creatures dwelled out in the infinite reaches of space, and Jack had never imagined he would find them on Earth.

I never knew their names…

I didn’t save the boy…

I’m sorry Dee… sorry… I tried… I’ll try… I’ll try…