Chapter 49- Oliver Triste

"Shhhhh!" I waved my arms frantically to get him to quiet down. I could see the fear in his eyes building through thick tears that refused to run down his cheeks. He was thin but healthy looking, and his clothes belonged solidly in the middle class. I glanced forward out the window to see if his scream attracted any unwanted attention and saw a few dark silhouettes moving in our direction. They had the familiar saunter that filled my beating heart with dread, and I turned back to my terrified passenger. "You've got to be quiet, they're coming!" I whispered as loudly as I dared. His scream stopped short and a look of terror replaced the stranger danger on his face. At first I assumed that my command had worked but soon realized this new information must have been even more terrifying. His face wound up in a traumatic scowl and he began to wail louder than before. I looked back to see the lurching shapes stepping into the light that poured from the fluorescent bulbs suspended overhead. I could just make out the yellow tinge that covered their eyes. Instinctively I turned the ignition and the car purred to life. I tore out of the parking stall as one of them stepped in my path. The front bumper tore the leg off the closest one, sending it flying like a bowling pin into the crowd behind it.

I swerved deftly between parked cars and discarded shopping carts, winding my way toward the exit. In my rear view mirror I could make out a number of figures wandering in my direction, some running, others merely shambling along. Scanning for an easy way to the main road I saw an opening in the concrete barriers that surrounded the parking lot. I cornered sharply and made my way through, each turn tossing my wailing passenger across the back seat like a bag full of cabbages. His screams were repeatedly interrupted as the air was knocked from his lungs with each turn and he grabbed the back of the passenger seat to steady himself. "Where are you taking me?" He cried out between his tantrums. I could hear the confusion and fear in his voice and wondered why he hadn't asked for his parents. Surely a kid this old would think to... no, not think but demand to see his parents by now. "What's your name?" I asked over the tumult of his shrieking cries. The question seemed to change the subject in his mind, because he sniffled and looked up at my eyes in the rear view mirror. He opened his mouth as if to reply but I could tell his kid training kicked in and he tightened up his lips, refusing to speak. At least he wasn't screaming anymore. "Where are we going?" He asked again, looking out the window.

The evening was unusually dark without the normal lights in the windows of each building. Empty cars were scattered across the road, some with doors hanging open, others with large dents or missing doors, as though they had been pushed out of the way by larger vehicles. I moved the sedan slowly through them, while still maintaining enough speed to prevent anyone or anything from grabbing onto us. The on-ramp to the freeway was ahead, the entrance sign illuminated by a single solar powered bulb. As we climbed onto the elevated road we could see the damage more clearly. Smoke billowed from several buildings, and a fire raged uncontrollably on the south side of the city. Despite the dread in my heart I found it eerily beautiful, and my gaze stayed fixed on the pink and purple clouds following the setting sun.

As the last light of the day disappeared past the horizon, the streetlights began to pop on. The city's power grid still seemed to be functioning, but who knows how long that would last. The freeway wasn't crowded, but the few cars there were prevented us from driving in a single lane, and I pulled to the outside shoulder instead. "Where is everyone?" My sniffling passenger asked as we whirred past hundreds of stopped cars. Doors were left open, some with engines still running, but not a single person stood nearby. "So you never told me your name." I said to him to break the eerie silence of the abandoned highway. His face was pushed against the window glass, his nose pushed upward and his breath creating a pattern of fog on the dirty window. "It's Oliver." He said without turning to me. I guess it was easier to reveal without looking at me. "I'm not going to hurt you." I reassured him. "I'd like to help you find your family." I searched the rear view mirror for any sign of recognition or pain. "Oliver, do you know where your parents are?" He didn't move, didn't react, just stared out the window blankly.

Our attention diverted upward as a helicopter roared over our heads. It had the familiar markings of the local news chopper, but the back door was slid open and I saw what looked like someone leaning out with what could have been a high powered rifle. A bright searchlight mounted to its nose passed easily over us, but they ignored our presence as they advanced toward the rooftops, meticulously searching each one before moving to the next.

The abandoned cars began to get thicker, and I slowed down to prevent us from hitting them. We were practically idling as we maneuvered between them with inches to spare, and I began to worry that we wouldn't find a way through. Ahead I could see the dark shape of a semi truck, overturned by the look of it. As we got closer I could tell it was used for hauling livestock. Suddenly the gleaming flesh of a large pig ran past my headlights and I slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting it. It squealed and ran off into the night. The pathway ahead was blocked, and I slowed to a stop as my headlamps laid to rest on several large swine feeding on something in the road. I assumed it was another pig until I saw a leg wearing a bright red high heel shoe. I honked and flashed my brights at the group and they scattered, abandoning their meal. Worried about the effect this would have on my young passenger I glanced in the rear view mirror. "You okay?" I asked but before I could get a response saw a dark shape pass behind the car. "Look out!" I called as something large slammed against the glass on the rear window.

Time seemed to slow down. I could see Oliver's face contort with surprise as he turned toward the sound. The thundering sound of fists on our trunk seemed to play in slow motion and I could see the pale skin and dead eyes of the monstrosity pounding at the window. Large cracks began to form, spiderwebbing outward from the points of impact, but the glass did not shatter. For a moment my reactions seemed slow and I felt almost paralyzed, unable to act. A piercing shriek woke me from my momentary coma and instinctively I plucked the quivering child from the back seat and pulled him to the front. A second attacker joined the first and together their collective strength pushed the entire cracking window through the frame and into the back seat. Clambering for us they clawed their way toward the front seat, awkwardly attempting to cross the glass they had pushed into the back seat. I punched on the gas pedal hard and saw the smaller one lose its grip, slipping out onto the street as the sudden velocity pulled him from the vehicle. I immediately slammed on the brakes and rapidly reversed until I heard the crunch of its bones under my tires.

The first one was now reaching for the passenger seat, his large hands cut and torn, the grey skin on his knuckles oozing a dark thick paste that had the acidic smell of rot and mildew. Gaining a grip on the seat it pulled itself closer. Oliver didn't make a sound, but stayed frozen, his back pressed against the dashboard and his eyes locked on the beast. I spun around, punching the top of the monsters head as hard as I could, and instantly I knew I had made a mistake. I felt at least one of the bones in my hand break against the hard surface, and he didn't even seem to acknowledge my presence, he was determined to grab my frozen passenger. I searched helplessly for something I could use, but saw nothing but old gum wrappers and a few coins.
Out of options, I reached for the handle of the door and pulled it open. Oliver's eyes flashed to me, terror and confusion in his face. "Don't leave me!" He said, his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes. The monster now had one arm between the seats, frantically searching for something to grasp. His bloody fingertips were inches from the boy's face and he had to lean away to keep it from grabbing him. I my eyes on Oliver and gave him a nod as if to say "be brave" and closed the door behind me.