Estaban walked up the road following a few stolen hours of "private time" with Tempy. She certainly lived up to her tempestous nature, he thought with a certain private smile.
He breathed deeply the fresh air, and noted that since humanity had stopped the full scale pollution of the planet, the air seemed to be full of wonderous surprises...
A whiff of car exhaust? assualted his nose as he kept breathing deeply. Overhead, a storm seemed ready to break at any minute, and ozone mixed with the scent of burning hydrocarbons.
A few paces further on, and there, lying on the tarmac, was the broken body of Dr. Parnell. Estaban ran over to the supine figure, and rolled him over as the first fat raindrops pelted down from the dark clouds.
Dr. Parnell's eyes were open and staring sightlessly up at the heavens. Estaban dropped the dead man back to the road and checked his clothing for blood stains.
With a heavy sigh, he turned and began to trudge back to the rest of the group to inform them of the death of the Professor.
Despite his walking funny from the number of sore muscles, he still made pretty good time. Of course, he didn't beat the rain.
Day Three Serial Kill - Road Hazards
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
WB Yeats, The Second Coming
The sky had threatened rain all day, and the air was sticky and humid as they crawled along the road with their windows rolled down. Already the modern world was beginning to deteriorate before their eyes – in addition to the occasional pileup of stranded cars, there were natural hazards that the government usually had taken care of before anyone really noticed - felled trees, rockslides, floods. It was as though the earth were taking back its own, wiping the memory of human civilization out of existence.
Of course, Dr. Parnell reflected as he walked along, in spite of the apparently rapid changes in the country side, the true transformations would go at their usual geological slowness. The professor had decided to continue on foot a ways when the group had to stop and clear away another wreck; he had always preferred walking to driving and thought some time to himself might clear his head. The others would manage well enough without him, he hoped.
The sound of a car approaching told him he was right – it would seem they had managed to clear the barrier fairly quickly. Turning around, Anthony made to wave at the driver and perhaps hitch a ride now that they were moving along again, but he frowned when he didn’t recognize the vehicle. Perhaps, he deduced, someone had found a car on the other side of the wreck and was coming to get him, to pick him up and bring him back to help.
How right he was – and how wrong. The car swerved suddenly, barreling straight for him and slamming with a sickening crunch into his legs. He groaned, falling face forward on top of the hood, which he felt slide from underneath him as the car reversed. He heard rather than saw the vehicle back up a good distance before ramming into his crumpled form again. A wet choking sound escaped from battered lungs before Dr. Parnell breathed his last.
And then the storm broke, and the torrential rains came down upon them all.
~*~*~
It was as though some force of nature was keeping them from progressing, Vera reflected, looking up at the angry sky. Progress had been slow all day, with uncomfortable weather and terrible road conditions, and things went from bad to worse when the rain started. And now Matthew, damn him, was waving a map in her face and explaining that they could start heading east at an exit just a few miles up the road. Annoyed, she threw up her hands and stormed off – let him lead the way for a bit. Walking around to the back of the caravan, she started at the sight of a crow, sitting in the bed of the truck. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight and she suddenly felt cold all over, cold and –watched- with burning malice.
Somehow she knew that whatever was watching her was very angry, and she shivered again under that terrible gaze.
Matthew, meanwhile, was at the head of the party now, singing a merry tune as he led the way East once more. In spite of the terrible morning they’d had, finding that poor man’s corpse with the severed head, things were looking up now, and they were finally moving in the right direction.
Oh it won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
your tears won't fall forever.
His voice trailed off, though when he saw the wreck off to one side of the road. The cars could get by without too much trouble, but that wasn't his concern...this wreck looked less like flu aftermath and more like foul play.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath. Debating for a moment, he sighed and hit the gas, pressing on and hoping for the best.
Slipnish
19 years ago
Jetamio
19 years ago
Jet brought up the rear of their strange procession, riding easily upon Charley, enjoying the respite from sitting in stuffy cars. She hadn't ridden much since she was a kid, and riding Western was new to her, but she adjusted. In fact, she began to prefer it, the huge saddle more like an armchair compared to the saddles she was used to.
Then the cars stopped, waved down by Estaban. She urged the horse on to hear what he was saying, and sighed when she heard. Another death, Parnell this time. Why survive the flu, only to be killed off one by one. She shook her head in despair and walked on.
Then the cars stopped, waved down by Estaban. She urged the horse on to hear what he was saying, and sighed when she heard. Another death, Parnell this time. Why survive the flu, only to be killed off one by one. She shook her head in despair and walked on.
Den
19 years ago
So, Esteban and Tempy had a thing going, did they? Why that concerned Carly was something she was trying to figure out, especially since she thought the Mexican man was entirely too self absorbed to even consider as a romantic liaison. Not that he had even remotely insinuated anything of the kind. Shoot, the man hadn't even looked at Carly twice. With the dwindling numbers in their group, it had become very easy to keep tabs on people most of the time. It was too coincidental that the two in question were absent at the same time, for the same amount of time.
She reasoned her interest in the Mexican was mainly because she was feeling lonely, and since her husband had now been gone a respectable amount of time, it seemed natural that she would begin looking again. And at the rate the people around her were dropping, her chances were too.
Driving her little minivan, and aware there were others on foot, or bikes, she had offered to transport anyone who wanted to join her. That way, not only was she giving away a more comfortable ride, but also in the process she was giving herself company.
"Damnit!"
Slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting the car ahead, Carly tried to see around, to discover the reason for stopping. Unable to make out anything, she put the van into park, and got out, walking around the blockage. She pushed past Esteban, without really even seeing him, needing to see for herself who the latest victim was, and hoping it wouldn't be one of the younger men.
"Damnit..."
Her second outburst was much more subdued than the first, and her eyes filled quickly when they landed on the most recent victim.
There before her lay the professor...semi-attractive, but slightly too old, Doctor Parnell...what a shame. Feeling guilty at her relief that the dead wasn't one of the few younger men, Carly skittered back to her van, shaking her head.
“If any of us makes it out of here, we will be more than lucky. I’d say we were chosen.”
She spoke aloud, but not really to anyone other than herself.
She reasoned her interest in the Mexican was mainly because she was feeling lonely, and since her husband had now been gone a respectable amount of time, it seemed natural that she would begin looking again. And at the rate the people around her were dropping, her chances were too.
Driving her little minivan, and aware there were others on foot, or bikes, she had offered to transport anyone who wanted to join her. That way, not only was she giving away a more comfortable ride, but also in the process she was giving herself company.
"Damnit!"
Slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting the car ahead, Carly tried to see around, to discover the reason for stopping. Unable to make out anything, she put the van into park, and got out, walking around the blockage. She pushed past Esteban, without really even seeing him, needing to see for herself who the latest victim was, and hoping it wouldn't be one of the younger men.
"Damnit..."
Her second outburst was much more subdued than the first, and her eyes filled quickly when they landed on the most recent victim.
There before her lay the professor...semi-attractive, but slightly too old, Doctor Parnell...what a shame. Feeling guilty at her relief that the dead wasn't one of the few younger men, Carly skittered back to her van, shaking her head.
“If any of us makes it out of here, we will be more than lucky. I’d say we were chosen.”
She spoke aloud, but not really to anyone other than herself.
Temprah
19 years ago
Temp had let the hummer crawl along near the rear, preferring to creep at an idle as the group wove its way through a snarl to save a little gas from the guzzler. She slowed to a stop and watched the woman in some soccer mom rig ahead of her go storming off to check out the delay. Her stomach clenched and she tried not to second guess what the reason could be. A loudly screeched curse carried on the breeze to her and the redhead sighed, putting the SUV into park and killing the engine.
Tossing off her overshirt, she got out and stretched. Better to take the chance to do so while they could, she reasoned. It didn't matter that she was stalling to keep from seeing what her gut told her had to have happened. Curiosity finally won out and she worked her way close enough to see there was, indeed, yet another dead "survivor". A wave of weariness went through her and she sighed. Apparently the wonderful numbness of the past few days was fading because she found herself sad, angry and quite frightened all of the sudden. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered, her crystal eyes scanning the ragged band of travelers and wondering just who was responsible for this. And, if she was next.
Her hand shook faintly as she pulled out one of her strong cigarettes and lit it, taking a deep drag. Temperance wrapped her arms around herself and chewed on her lip, suspiscions running through her head until she couldn't take it and hurried back to the Hummer and locked herself inside.
Tossing off her overshirt, she got out and stretched. Better to take the chance to do so while they could, she reasoned. It didn't matter that she was stalling to keep from seeing what her gut told her had to have happened. Curiosity finally won out and she worked her way close enough to see there was, indeed, yet another dead "survivor". A wave of weariness went through her and she sighed. Apparently the wonderful numbness of the past few days was fading because she found herself sad, angry and quite frightened all of the sudden. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered, her crystal eyes scanning the ragged band of travelers and wondering just who was responsible for this. And, if she was next.
Her hand shook faintly as she pulled out one of her strong cigarettes and lit it, taking a deep drag. Temperance wrapped her arms around herself and chewed on her lip, suspiscions running through her head until she couldn't take it and hurried back to the Hummer and locked herself inside.
vwinsect
19 years ago
Lanna got out of the vehicle she had been invited to ride along in, and hesitated. She wa so very tired of all of this death. She was glad they were finally heading a different direction as she had been hoping that the gloom and doom was a sign that perhaps they had been going the wrong way. But this put nix to that idea. Not that she was superstitious, it was just grasping at straws in a bad situation.
"He was a nice man. I'll find a sheet that I packed up from those cabins to wrap him in, if someone will dig a grave." She hoped this reminder of proper respect might jar the murderer into better behavior. Doubtful, but she was grasping at straws again.
"He was a nice man. I'll find a sheet that I packed up from those cabins to wrap him in, if someone will dig a grave." She hoped this reminder of proper respect might jar the murderer into better behavior. Doubtful, but she was grasping at straws again.