Henry glanced to the left and saw shadowy figures lurching through the mist.
“I reckon they’re trying to flank us,” he said.
Sarah screamed. Henry turned to the right and saw that the creatures were closer on that side, almost within arms reach. Their bodies and faces were completely covered with the fungus. Even their mouths and noses were obscured. Their eyes were sunken pinpricks of dull grey. Many of them had root-like appendages sprouting from their arms and feet.
“Stand and fight,” Novak ordered. “Backs together. Form a circle!”
They did as he commanded. Henry and Sarah dropped the supplies they held in their arms. The items splashed on the wet ground, sinking into the mud. Henry shrugged his shoulders, readjusting his backpack’s weight. Then the creatures were upon them. Gail and Sarah squeezed off shot after shot, and Novak swept the flamethrower in a wide arc, spraying burst after burst. Henry gripped his hatchet, feeling worthless.
One of the things made it through the gauntlet and reached for his head. Moaning, Henry swung at it with his hatchet. The blade bit through the monster’s wrist like soft butter. The appendage burst, and Henry was reminded of the water balloon battles he’d had with friends when he was younger. The creature reached for him again. The fungus on its face split open, revealing a toothless maw. Henry buried the hatchet in its mouth. The creature exploded. The stench was nauseating—musky and damp. Henry closed his eyes and turned away. He felt something splatter against him, but he didn’t know if it was the creature or merely the ever-present rain.
The battle continued. Henry acted as a spotter, calling the other’s attention to the creatures as they attacked. More and more of the things emerged from the mist—both humans and animals. All of them were covered with the same disgusting mold.
“We’ve got an opening,” Novak screamed. “Let’s go. Gail, you take point.”
Sarah bent over, reaching for the supplies they’d dropped, but Gail rebuked her.
“Leave them.”
“But we need them,” Sarah said.
“We do,” Gail agreed, “but they’re infected now. Leave them.”
Gail charged forward with Henry and Sarah hot on her heels. Novak brought up the rear, blasting the hordes with sheets of flame. They reached the rowboat and piled inside. Behind them, the darkness returned as the flames flickered and died. Novak dropped the flamethrower on the ground and climbed into the boat.
“What are you doing?” Gail frowned, her expression perplexed.
“I got mold on the barrel. No sense bringing it back to the ship.” He turned to Sarah. “Can I borrow your handgun, please?”
Nodding, Sarah handed the weapon to him. Novak waited until they had rowed away from the steadily shrinking shore. Then he fired three shots. The third bullet hit the flamethrower, and it exploded, creating a fleeting false dawn. The monsters screamed and moaned as the flames engulfed them.
“Very pretty,” Gail said, “but it still seems like a waste to me.”
“It ain’t like we’ll need it again,” Novak said. “Where we’re going, it’s all ocean now. These things won’t be there.”
“Where are we going?” Henry asked.
“Pennsylvania,” Gail said as they rowed into the fog. “We’re going to drop anchor above a place called LeHorn’s Hollow.”
Henry shook his head. “Where? I don’t understand.”
Gail sighed. “The end of the world, kid. We’re going to the end of the world…”
Behind them, there was a loud, echoing splash as the tower finally collapsed.
CHAPTER 76
“Can’t believe we went through all of that just to come away empty-handed,” Novak said as they rowed toward the ship. “Such a waste.”
Henry wanted to take issue with the comment, and point out that they had managed to save him and Sarah, not to mention the backpack of meager supplies he had strapped over his shoulders, but he was too terrified to speak. The water was silent, save for the raindrops pelting its surface and the small waves lapping at the sides of the boat. The black depths below were thick with an almost palpable menace. He sat still, muscles tensed, jaw clenched, remembering his escape from the grain silo to land and waiting for one of the shark men to attack.
Instead, he just got wet. Henry shivered as the rain managed to creep beneath his makeshift armor. When he glanced around the boat, he saw that the others were equally miserable.
“How you holding up?” he asked Sarah.
She shrugged. “We’re still alive. I didn’t think we would be. I guess that counts for something.”
“I reckon so, given what we were thinking about doing.”
“What was that?” Gail asked, slipping an oar through the water.
Henry blushed. “We… we were thinking about… killing ourselves. Maybe it sounds stupid, but we really thought…”
“Don’t sweat it, Kid,” Novak said. “We’d been discussing the same thing not too long ago.”
“Really? What made you change your minds?”
Novak turned away. “A mutiny.”
The ship loomed out of the mist and they pulled alongside. Henry noticed four other shadowy figures looming around the rail, but the fog concealed their features. Once he and Sarah were safely aboard, the rest of the crew stepped forward, and Novak made introductions.
“Henry and Sarah, meet Simon, Caterina, Mylon and Tatiana.”
“Howdy.” Henry stuck out his hand, but the others recoiled.
“No offense, Mr. Garrett,” Simon said, smiling, “but you’ll need to be detoxified before we shake. We can’t risk the chance of infection. I’m sure you both understand.”
“How do you know my last name?” Henry asked.
“Simon does parlor tricks,” Novak said. “You think that’s something, ask him to light your cigarette.”
Mylon cleared his throat. “Speaking of which, where’s the flamethrower?”
“We had to leave it behind,” Novak said. “It was contaminated.”
“Was that the explosion we heard?”
“You guys didn’t see the flash?” Gail asked.
“Nope,” Mylon said. “Too foggy.”
“We had to leave the supplies, too,” Novak said. “Except for the few things Henry has in his pack.”
Mylon shook his head. “Well, this whole thing has been one big cluster-fuck.”
“That’s no way to talk to our guests,” Simon scolded. “I suggest we get out of the rain, raise anchor, get underway, and allow Mylon and Caterina to continue their shift at watch. I’m sure our new arrivals would like some dry clothes and something to eat.”
Nodding, Henry said, “That would be great. Me and Sarah—”
A loud splash echoed off the portside. Whatever had caused the disturbance, it was enough to increase the size of the waves. The ship rocked beneath their feet.
Simon tensed. “How soon can we be underway, Mr. Novak?”
“Ten minutes.”
“Make it five. It’s no longer safe to stay here.”
“Not for nothing, Simon, but the same could be said of the rest of the world.”
“That’s what I meant, Mr. Novak,” Simon replied. “That’s exactly what I meant…”
CHAPTER 77
Sarah and Henry both slept for most of a day, and when they awoke, both were momentarily confused as to
