He crested the long hill and saw the lights below reflecting off the trees, lighting his way home. He pushed the ATV harder, knowing time was of the essence. He could see movement for sure now as the ATV’s light scanned the tree line, slicing its way down the hill toward the station. There were definitely a lot of somethings moving in those trees, but he couldn’t be sure if they were friendly or not.
Hatcher didn’t release his grip on the accelerator until he was nearly to the ranger station, then he locked up the brakes and slid across the parking area, spraying pea gravel across the other ATV he’d left parked there earlier in the night. For a fleeting moment, he feared he would have to pry his cold, deadened hands from the handlebars, but they released on their own after a second try.
He staggered to the door of the Visitor’s Center and pushed it open, then pushed past the displays, heading straight for the makeshift office. He pulled his keys by habit, but the door was unlocked. He entered the office and flipped on the lights, checking quickly that it was empty. For a fleeting moment, he half-expected to see Shelly sitting behind the desk, a smart remark ready to shoot from her lips. When that thought crossed his mind, that familiar pain twisted in his midsection.
Hatcher only allowed himself a moment of guilt before shutting the door and slipping in behind the desk. Lifting the old style rotary phone from the cradle, he listened for a dial tone and began dialing.
Mitch slowly pulled up the ATV and allowed the figure to come into view. Candy stayed behind him and to his side, so as not to allow him to get into her line of fire. As he got closer, the figure staggered farther into the middle of the road, then turned and faced the two oncoming ATVs.
Mitch stopped and stood on the pegs, trying to see better, shifting his pistol to his shooting hand. “Hello,” he called out.
The figure cocked its head to the side and Mitch shook his own head. He’d seen that happen too many times before to not know what happens next. He lifted his pistol to the ready position when the figure waved an arm above its head. “Hey! Over here!”
Mitch immediately lowered his weapon and squinted into the light. “Are you injured?”
“Yeah,” the figure called. “I think my arm is broken.”
Candy pulled up alongside Mitch. “Let’s go give him a hand.”
Mitch held his hand out to stop her. Turning back to the figure that he couldn’t see, he called again, “Have you been bitten?”
The figure stopped staggering toward them and paused, again with the head cocked to the side. “Maybe by some bugs. Why?”
Mitch leaned close to Candy. “Don’t trust him ’til we verify. They can turn quick.” He holstered his pistol and pulled the ATV closer. As the light fell on the figure in the road, he didn’t expect to see what he saw.
Fisher stood cradling his arm, his upper torso covered in blood. “Where’d that blood come from?” Mitch asked, keeping the ATV back about fifteen feet from him.
“This crazy naked woman with the biggest…,” he paused when he saw Candy next to him, her brows raised high. “um, biggest, uh, well…,” he stammered.
“No need, man.” Mitch smiled at him. “We met.”
Dwayne shot him an embarrassed grin and nodded. “Yeah, well. She and I tussled and this bitch tackled me like I was a little kid, right?”
“I know the feeling,” Mitch grumbled.
“So, anyway, we rolled a bit, and she rolls me right into this huge puddle of blood,” he said with a sour expression on his face. “Except it had like, chunks in it. Like innards and stuff, ya know?”
“No, but go on,” Mitch said, rolling his hand for Fisher to hurry up.
“Okay, so I pull my gun to shoot her crazy ass, and she just snaps my arm before I can even squeeze the trigger and flings me into the woods,” he said, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Mitch stared at him stoically. “I ain’t buying it, man. Why didn’t she munch your ass like she did everybody else she ran up on?”
“I have no idea. All I know is that I wake up in the woods, I have no idea where I am, and I wander around until I found the road. Then you two show up.”
“And you haven’t seen anybody else since you came to?” Candy asked.
“Oh, I’ve seen some people.” Fisher nodded at the woods. “If you want to call them people. They’re running around in the woods like a bunch of rabid dogs, screaming and howling and fucking attacking people and…” he stared Mitch in the eyes, “it ain’t pretty, man.”
Mitch motioned for him to come closer. “Let me see your eyes.”
Dwayne stepped up and Candy handed him her torch. Mitch flicked it on, and although Fisher flinched slightly at the bright LED light, Mitch satisfied himself there was no blood pooling in the whites and that the irises were clear. “Okay, I don’t think you got the crazy.”
“So, what the fuck is going on?” Fisher visibly relaxed when Mitch lowered the light.
“I don’t know,” Mitch sighed. “But we’re working our way back to the station now. Anybody we find that ain’t sick, we’re going to try to help.”
A scream in the distance had all three of them snapping their heads in the general direction. “I think we better scram,” Candy said. “Hop on. You can ride with me.”
“Thanks.” Fisher hurried over and slid in behind her. He grabbed the rack with his good hand and the three took off along the road and away
