|
The End:Story Two
In the Heartland Part 4 - The Conclusion
By: David K. Montoya
I traveled through the farm as quickly as I could. It was still dark out by the time I had reached the house and made it back inside. Everything was as I had left it. Vince remained passed out, with his shotgun and wine jug, downstairs. On the second story I heard random giggles and moans. It appeared to have come from Renee’s Room, but I truly did not want to know if my assumptions were right or not, so I just moved past the room and tried to mind my own business.
By the time I had reached my room I could barely stand. It was my body’s way of letting me know that I was in my forties and not my twenties. I checked on my son before I called it a night. He seemed to be all right, fast asleep, something that I should have been doing.
Finally, I lowered myself down on top of my makeshift bed of a sleeping bag and a few blankets on top of that for a little padding. As I stretched out, my bones popped and ached; again, letting me know that I had been awake for well over twenty hours and it was time for me to sleep.
I lie there for a short time as I tried to sleep, but what I had seen at the barn was too fresh in my mind and had to be replayed before I could drift off to sleep.
#
I suddenly awoke to a blood curdling scream! When I sat up I saw Michael leaning against the door as he tried to prevent someone from coming in. At first I thought it was Peter Junior, that he must have learned about the Unlucky down at the pond. I got to my feet and ran to the door to help my son.
I asked him if he knew what was happening or who was on the other side of the door. Mike told me that a pack of Unluckys had come from nowhere and raided the farm. When he heard the first scream, the demons were already at the doorway. If it weren’t for whoever was screaming, he and I would have been breakfast for those beasts!
I ran back over to where I had been sleeping and fetched up the fire axe I had found back at the bus. While I quickly slipped on my boots I told Michael that when I gave him the signal he was to open the door. I would run out swinging and he should follow close behind. We swung open the door to find an Unlucky. Before it could react, I buried the blade of the axe into the monster’s forehead. I ripped it away from the creature’s skull and pressed forward. We had only moved a handful of steps before another Unlucky charged toward us. However, before it was able to reach us, the beast's skull erupted into an explosion of bone, blood and brain matter.
As its lifeless body fell to the ground, I saw Rose holding a pistol behind it. I asked her where she got it. With a mischievous smirk, my sister explained that she had lifted it off of Daniel while they were crammed in the back of the horse-driven buggy. Rose’s face became serious as she told me that she was wrong about staying at the farm and was sorry about what was said to me yesterday.
I told her that all was forgiven and we would have plenty of time once we all got out of there. The three of us traveled up the hallway with caution. We were halfway up the hall when we came upon Alvin’s dead body. It appeared that he had been eaten alive, mainly his hefty midsection. That entire area had been cleaned down to the bone.
Michael noticed that Alvin still had a gun in his hand. He reached over and pulled it from the dead man’s fingers. My son glanced at the firearm and then began to shake his head. Mike held up the handgun and pointed to it as he explained that the safety was still on. I told him to check the corpse for any clips, which he found in the pants pocket.
We were almost to the stairwell when we heard screams come from a nearby room. I knew who was in there and, for a brief moment, I thought about leaving them to fend for themselves. But my conscience got the better part of me. I walked over to the door; I told them to get away from the door and then I kicked it open.
1 2 3 4 5
|