“Yeah. I never had much family, even before this started. Jimmy was the closest thing I had to a brother— until Leviathan killed him. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can still see his fucking head floating on the water.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t kill him. But you’re right. They did feel like a family of sorts. Dysfunctional, maybe, but still a family.”
“Well, now
Kevin grinned. “Does that mean you won’t flash me your tits anymore?”
“Asshole,” Sarah laughed. “Keep it up and I’ll—”
Her teeth clamped down on her tongue as the truck suddenly lurched forward. Sarah’s hand flew out and grabbed the dashboard. Her forehead smacked into the passenger-side window. She tasted blood in her mouth, and her ears rang. Beside her, Kevin screamed.
Sarah opened her eyes and glanced around in panic. The world seemed askew—crooked. Then she realized that they were both tilted forward. The front of the truck was pointing downward and the rear was in the air. The engine wasn’t running, and the wipers no longer swept back and forth. Whatever it was that had happened, it had been severe enough to knock out the power. She wondered if maybe the battery had been knocked loose?
Kevin groaned, and Sarah turned to him in concern. He was conscious, but there was a small cut on his forehead, and his chest heaved as he gasped for breath.
“You okay?”
He nodded. “Fucking… steering wheel… caught me right… in the chest. No air bags.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. It’s like the… road just fell out… from under us.”
Sarah tried to peek out the windshield, but it was fogged over again. Instead, she opened her door—
—and gasped.
The road had collapsed in front of them, and the truck had tumbled into a sinkhole. The trench was about five feet deep. Cold rain and wind lashed at her as she appraised their situation. Water churned at the bottom of the hole. Mud rolled off the sides and splashed into the water. She stared closer at the soil, and noticed veins of white mold spreading throughout it. Her breath caught in her throat.
She’d seen that white fuzz before. But now, there was a new aspect to it.
“What the hell?”
The dirt around the fungus seemed to be liquefying.
“What’s wrong,” Kevin asked. “Worms?”
“No. It’s… I don’t know what. It’s that weird mold, but it’s doing something different. It’s turning the dirt into water or something.”
“Is that why we crashed?”
She swung the door shut. “I don’t know. Maybe. But we’re in a sinkhole. The road washed out. Can you move?”
“Yeah. Just knocked the wind out of me. I’ll be okay.”
“Let’s get out of here before the truck sinks down further.”
His eyes widened. “How deep is the hole?”
“I don’t know. There’s water at the bottom. It doesn’t feel unstable. The truck’s not rocking. But still, we should go.”
They rooted through the truck, checking under the seats and in the glove box for anything useful. Sarah found three emergency flares and a hunting knife with a nine-inch blade. The knife was in a leather sheath that said ‘
“Oh my God.” She held it up so Kevin could see.
“Shit,” he laughed. “That poor guy. He was jonesing for nicotine so bad, and all this time he had a can in the glove box.”
She stuffed the can in her pocket.
Kevin frowned. “You dip tobacco?”
“No. I’m saving it for when we see him again.”
“He’ll be pissed as shit when he finds out he had one all the time—after everything he went through to get some.”
Kevin rooted around under the seat some more and found a baseball bat, an old blanket, and a fluorescent orange wool hunting cap. He tugged the hat over his head.
“How do I look?”
“Ridiculous,” Sarah said. “But I guess it’ll keep the rain off.”
“Nothing will keep that rain off. I haven’t felt dry in months.”
Sarah put her hand on the door. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it.”
They climbed out of the truck, clambered up over the tilted bed, and crawled out onto the wet ground. They were both careful not to come into contact with the weird mold. The edges of the sinkhole collapsed beneath them, and both had to scramble to keep from tumbling back down. They stood up and rested for a moment, catching their breath.
Sarah checked her clothes, looking for signs of the strange white fungus. Then she inspected Kevin, as well.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Just making sure we’re okay. How’s your head and chest?”
“Hurts like a bitch, but I’ll be okay. How about you? You cracked your head pretty hard.”
“I’m fine.”
They set off on foot, giving the widening sinkhole a wide berth. Their boots sank into the muddy ground, and each step they took made a loud sucking noise. The downpour was almost blinding. The wind blew the rain directly into their faces.
Neither Kevin nor Sarah saw the cluster of worms until they were almost right on top of them.
The creatures lunged before they could scream.
CHAPTER 3
There were four worms writhing together in the mud. Their entwined bodies glistened with slime, and their musky, chlorine-like reek filled the air. The smallest of the creatures was about six feet long. The largest was nearly fifteen feet long and thick as a barrel. There was a bulge in its center—a recently devoured meal. The worm’s pale flesh quivered as its dinner squirmed inside of its belly.
The monsters raised their eyeless heads, sensing Kevin and Sarah’s presence. Then they collapsed back into the mud and surged forward. They attacked in silence. Sarah darted backward and pulled the hunting knife from her pocket. She fumbled with it, trying to open the blade, but her wet fingers slipped on the metal.
“I got this one,” Kevin said.
Holding his ground, Kevin lashed out with the baseball bat, striking the closest worm in the head. Enraged, the creature opened its mouth and made an explosive farting sound.
Sarah grimaced. The first time they’d heard the worms make that noise, it had been almost comical, but there was nothing funny about it now.
The worm struck at Kevin’s leg, but he danced out of the way. Two more of the creatures slithered forward, trying to flank their prey. Kevin struck the closest worm again, grunting with the effort. The blow split the monster’s flesh, and brown, watery blood gushed from the wound. The worm thrashed, hissing in agony.
The large worm heaved itself forward. Mud squelched beneath its tremendous bulk. Sarah continued fumbling with the wet knife while Kevin retreated to her side. Another of the smaller worms wriggled after him. Kevin swung the bat, but the beast dodged the blow and seized the weapon in its mouth, wrenching the bat from Kevin’s
