Emperor of a Dead World (18 page)

“Look out,” Lisa screamed.

Brad pulled away then turned and rammed his shield into its face. He then swung his sword and hit it in the ear almost cutting its head in half. As it fell to the ground, four more came toward him, one from the right and three from the left.

“Get in the car now,” she shrieked.

He decided she was right and strutted back to the car making sure he did not appear afraid. As he put his things away five more came around the corner. He got in and started the car but it sputtered and stalled.

“What the hell,” he exclaimed.

The things were coming quickly so he turned the key and pushed the pedal to the floor. The car jerked along and barely moved.

“Come on, move it will you,” she bellowed.

“I am trying.”

“Why did you have to play around like that?”

“I wanted to prove I could protect you.”

“All you proved is that you are an idiot and now we are going to die.”

He kept pumping the gas but the car just jerked along.

“Shit, I must have put in diesel.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I screwed up.”

She almost laughed then she started to cry.

“If I can get away from these things we will hide until I can drain the tank and put in good gas.”

She did not respond.

He took a right and pushed the pedal to the floor. The car jerked along at about twenty miles an hour. Fortunately, this was fast enough. He headed around the block to get out of sight then parked and killed the ignition.

“Now what are you doing now?” she demanded.

“Waiting,” he replied.

“For what,” she flared, “those things to come back?”

“No, I am waiting for them to forget about us. In about an hour I will head back to the gas station and change the gas.”

“Why don’t you just get another car? This one has a hole in it anyway.”

He looked at her with annoyance then got out and inspected the cars on the street. After checking about eight cars, he found an old Chevy Nova with the keys still in the ignition. The car started after a couple of tries and he backed up next to the Eldorado.

“Grab some stuff and put it in this car.”

As they loaded the Nova with their supplies, several creatures showed up.

“Get in the car,” he whispered.

She got in and locked the door then Brad hopped in and took off. When he turned back onto the main road, about fifty creatures were lurking around the gas station.

“Good thing you didn’t try to change the gas in the other car,” she remarked.

He glanced at the gas gage. The car had almost a quarter of a tank. He took off up the highway without responding.

Chapter 16

An hour later, they had not gotten far but Brad was hungry and the car needed gas. “I am going to pull over here,” he said.

“Why?” Lisa shot out.

“Food and gas,” he replied as he headed over.

She sat wide-eyed looking for danger behind every rock.

“I guess my plan to calm you down backfired,” he chuckled.

“I don’t know how you can laugh. The world has gone crazy.”

“It’s a mad house, a mad house,” he laughed heartily.

She looked at him as if
he
had come from a mad house.

When he pulled up to the tanks, he looked around before he got out of the car. Lisa’s fear was making him nervous but he could not let her see his anxiety. He needed to remain calm to put her at ease.

“Coast is clear,” he chuckled as he got out of the car. He walked around and examined the underground tank in relation to the pumps. After a moment, he realized the covers were color-coded. “So that’s how the gas guys do it,” he grinned. “I don’t know why I didn’t notice that before but I won’t make that mistake again.”

After he had both the hoses in place, Lisa plugged in the pump then reluctantly got out of the car. “I have to pee,” she whined. “Will you stand in front of the door?”

“Wait until the tank is full.”

“I have to go now.”

“Then go around to the other side of the car. No one will watch.”

“I’m not doing it out here.”

“Afraid something will bite you in the ass.”

“Just hurry up.”

The little hose took over ten minutes to fill the tank. When Brad saw gas leaking out, he pulled the plug and put everything in the trunk. “I need a plastic bag so gas won’t get all over everything,” he said as he looked around.

“Can I pee now?” she demanded. She had been hopping around for the past ten minutes.

“Sure, come on. I also have to go.”

“I’m first. You made me wait and I am going to pee my pants.” When they got to the restroom, she peeked in then said, “Stand right there.”

“What are you going to do while I am in there?”

She thought for a moment. “I will stand in front of the open door.”

“Fine, but you better not peek,” he laughed. “Go ahead in.”

She went in and closed the door. A few minutes later, she walked out. “Your turn,” she said as she stood in the open doorway.

“Never mind,” he smiled, “I don’t have to go anymore.”

She looked over and saw a yellow stream running down the parking lot. “That’s gross. What if I had come out while you were doing that?”

“I was pretty confident I would finish first.”

She made a face but he simply laughed in return and led the way to the car. Not wanting to press the issue she asked, “How much longer before we get to Sacramento?”

“A day or two,” he replied. “It all depends on how clear the freeway is when we get close to the city.”

“Do we really have to keep going?”

“I need to try to find my parents. I hope you understand.”

“I understand. Look,” she cried, “someone is coming.”

Brad looked and sure enough, someone way down the street was running straight towards them.

“He must be normal,” she said with excitement, “they don’t run.”

Brad took her by the arm. “Come on,” he said. “Hurry up.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Get in the car.”

“Why?”

The runner was quickly approaching. “Get in the car,” he repeated.

“But…”

“Just get in the car! Get in the damn car.”

The runner was almost upon them. Brad pushed her in and shut the door then ran around to the other side, got in and slammed his door shut. He turned the key but nothing happened. He turned it again, nothing. Suddenly there was a loud thump on the door. The stranger had arrived. Brad turned the key and the car tried to start but failed. He tried the key again, nothing. He looked to his left and saw a more hideous and grotesque face than any he had ever seen. In desperation, he pulled the key out of the ignition and tried to reinsert it but instead dropped it on the floor. As he bent down and frantically searched for the key, he heard a sound something like rolling thunder but it was actually a clashing, banging and pounding noise. Apparently, the thing was trying to tear the car apart. The second he found the key he sat up and heard a loud crash as pieces of glass flew into his face. He quickly inserted the key into the ignition and turned it once again. At last, the car roared to life just as a gruesome hand reached in and grabbed at him. He pushed the pedal to the floor and away they went - along with the thing that was holding onto the door. In the heat of despair, he steered toward a parked car and sideswiped it. He must have been going at least sixty when he hit and he could not believe he did not crash. When he looked back, the thing was rolling around in the street. He laughed with relief and joy because his stunt had worked but when he turned around, he gasped in fright. He was heading straight for another parked car. He cut the wheel sharply to the left but he sideswiped this car as well and now headed for another one. He turned even more sharply to the right and started to fishtail. Fighting to maintain control of the car all he could hear was the screeching of tires as the car lifted onto its two left wheels and began to roll over. In horror, he turned into the direction of the skid and the car plopped back onto all four tires. As soon as it landed, he hit the brakes and held the wheel tightly. His heart was banging like a drum at a heavy metal concert and his ears were ringing like a fire alarm. When he looked over, he realized the ringing was not in his ears. It was coming from Lisa in the passenger seat. She was screaming like a banshee. He forced a smile and told her everything was going to be okay just as he felt a jolt. The thing was back and climbing up the trunk of the car. When it broke the rear window, he floored the gas and the car lunged forward causing the monster to roll off the back. He watched for a second as it got up and began to pursue them again. Not wanting to crash, he faced forward, glued his eyes to the road and sped away to safety. It was not until he was five miles up the road before he dared to look over at Lisa. She had calmed down from her hysterics but she was still whimpering.

She felt his gaze and asked, “What was that thing?”

“I don’t know but it was much more aggressive than the others.”

“I don’t want to stop ever again.”

“Unfortunately, we will have to stop sometime.”

“Can we please just go back home.”

“I’m afraid there is no more back home.”

“Is there nowhere that is safe?”

“I believe it is safe in the capital.”

“What if it is not safe there either?”

“I have a place that is safe.”

“Please take me there now.”

“We do not have far to go and I intend on seeing this through.”

“Then put me in the trunk.”

“I have been in a trunk and trust me, you would not like it.”

She sighed and her stomach growled but she insisted she did not want to stop. She looked in the back seat then grabbed a soda and some crackers. “I don’t think your steaks are good anymore,” she said as she poked around. “I don’t like the looks of the hot dogs either.”

“I forgot about those things. You should probably throw everything out the window.”

“That is littering.”

He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Fine,” she said. She threw the spoiled things out and ate her snack.

“What about me?” he asked.

She reached in the back, grabbed another pack of crackers along with a soda and handed it to him.

They drove on without speaking until Brad pulled off the highway.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I don’t know what is up ahead and the freeway could get congested in the city. We have already had a rough day and I want to find a place before dark.”

“Where are we,” she asked.

“We are almost to Silicon Valley.”

He headed to a neighborhood a little way from the freeway and soon found a suitable place. After pulling into the driveway, he told her to sit tight. Of course, she would not let him out of her sight. As he headed for the house, she was close behind. By now, he had his routine down. He broke in and made sure the place was safe then took a shower. While he cleaned up, she looked through the kitchen and found two frozen chicken breasts and a box of Rice-a-Roni. She put the breasts in the microwave to defrost and headed for the shower.

When he came down, he saw the Rice-a-Roni and laughed. How appropriate for someone that lived in the San Francisco area. He heard the microwave beep and found the chicken. By the time she joined him, dinner was ready. After they ate, Brad looked through the DVDs and decided on Ben-Hur. They sat on the couch to watch the movie and Lisa was asleep and leaning on his shoulder in half an hour. When the movie was over, he carried her to bed then went to his own room.

In the morning, they had toaster waffles and pop-tarts for breakfast. When they finished, Brad checked the garage and found a Range Rover with three quarters of a tank of gas.
This is perfect
, he thought. He loaded it up with food from the house and supplies from the banged-up Nova then they headed out.

After driving a few miles up the freeway, they saw a blinking billboard
. If you want to live,
it blinked,
Follow the 101
.

“That is interesting,” Brad remarked.

“What do you think it means?”

He shrugged.

“Where do you think it wants us to go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe your parents came this way.”

He shrugged again.

Every few miles they saw another blinking sign. The signs however, did not direct them toward Sacramento. They instead lead them toward Palo Alto. When he got to the freeway interchange where he had to make a choice, Sacramento or Palo Alto, the sign was more demanding.
Do not go to the capital
, it flashed.
It is not safe. You will only find death
.