Evan parked the Jeep in the elementary school parking lot at the corner of Silas Street and Alston Circle, then got out. He walked to the trunk and opened it. A backpack was waiting for him there, one he had put in the trunk a year earlier after he and Caleb spent far too much time talking about how to survive a zombie apocalypse. He slung it over his shoulders. He hastily crossed the street and rounded the corner, creeping in the shadows under a few trees. The sky was starry and clear. He looked over at the gas station.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” he murmured to himself.
The gas station was about two hundred feet away. He could only see the back of it. It was surrounded by at least five groups, each with four to six members. Most of them were armed. They were crouching behind their cars. He raised an eyebrow. They formed a circle around the gas station so nobody could get out without them noticing. He assumed there was a sixth group directly across from the building, out of sight. But he noted another interesting thing: They weren’t storming the place. Something was keeping them at a respectable distance. Or someone.
He wanted to see the front entrance, so he turned back, circled around the buildings, hopped over a short fence and ran behind the row of houses. He sprinted across the road to the Sweetwater Medical Center and, using his momentum, vaulted over the wooden privacy fence before crossing the property. He found a spot where the planks were spaced far enough apart for him to see through.
First, he confirmed his suspicion about the sixth group. He counted exactly twenty-five people. At least nineteen were armed. Men and women. Then he looked at the gas station itself and his eyebrows shot up.
Somebody had pushed every available shelf in front of the windows and stacked everything onto them. Evan could see nothing through the windows. As he tried to find a better angle, another pickup truck arrived. Two men jumped out from the cab, two others from the truck bed, along with a woman.
“News sure spreads fast…” Evan muttered under his breath.
Then the front door of the gas station opened and a tall, lanky man stepped out. He was balding and had a thick beard. He was wearing sneakers, jeans and a disgusting-looking orange button-down shirt with yellow palm trees all over it. He was holding a double-barreled shotgun. Evan recognized him immediately. Trevor Matthews.
The old drunkard held the door open with one foot, then spat beside it. He raised the shotgun in both hands.
“Trevor! We have no quarrel with you!” one of the armed men yelled while cowering behind a car. “Just hand over the monster and the demon whore!”
Trevor let out a long, hearty laugh that sounded almost like a neighing horse in pain.
“You’re fucking hilarious, Jeff! Let me make this clear for the uninitiated, since I see more of you assholes have crawled over here!” he snarled. “I will personally shoot anybody who dares to come closer! And believe me, this little fucktoy can rip a hole in you big enough for a blind, inbred raccoon to throw a tennis ball through it! So think real fucking carefully, you ignorant fucks, and ask yourselves if it’s worth standing before your beloved God when you’re so eager to go around killing in his name!”
As if punctuating his words, he spat on the ground once more, then backed into the gas station.
Evan took a deep breath. Even though Marnie was still inside, she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t taken. And he knew that Trevor, crude, sexist, and generally the biggest asshole Evan had ever met, was an ex-soldier too and ran the local scrapyard. He wasn’t stupid. He had simply decided to become the number-one antagonist of every human being on the planet. And he, for some goddamn reason, respected Evan.
He pulled out his phone and tried to call Marnie, but he didn’t get through. He checked his internet connection but that was down too. He started to get nervous, then he suddenly had an idea. He pulled out a monocular and looked at the gas station. After searching for a bit, he found a phone number on one of the signs in front of the building. He quickly typed it into his phone.
Then he turned around and started jogging toward the front door of the medical center. As soon as he entered, he turned pale. Inside, several wounded people sat waiting for treatment. Medical staff were treating a goblin-like figure with a gunshot wound. The doctors were working desperately to keep up. Others were already sitting in the waiting room with their wounds bandaged. A halfling with bandages around his shoulder. An orc with a dressing around his chest. A dwarf whose arm had been put in a cast. And many more. The smell of blood hit his nose, and the moans of pain crowded into his mind, drowning out every other thought. For a moment, his legs trembled. The sight of the room began to blur. A nurse stepped up to him.
“Did you bring somebody?”
“What?” he asked, struggling to focus.
“I asked if you brought somebody.”
“No, I… What’s happening?”
“The whole town went crazy. When these poor bastards woke up in these new bodies, some religious lunatics started to go around and tell everybody that these people are marked by God as sinners and monsters. Hysteria and stupidity spread like wildfire. They’re bringing in more and more people.”
The door opened behind Evan and a man hurried in, holding a female demonspawn in his arms. She had skin as black as obsidian, with white horns curving back from her temples. She was bleeding badly.
“My wife! She has been shot!” the man screamed.
The nurse rushed over immediately, examined the wound, and then pulled a stretcher over.
“Put her down!” she instructed the husband, then hurried over to the counter and said something to the receptionist.
Meanwhile, Evan stepped up beside the worried man.
“Everyone’s gone crazy… The police won’t even answer the phone. No one’s helping… Please help her!” the husband shouted toward the counter.
The words hit Evan like a splash of cold water. He looked around and rushed to the counter.
“I need to use your phone,” he said.
The receptionist must have seen something in his face that convinced her not to ask questions. She grabbed the desk phone, pulled it closer, and set it on top of the counter where Evan could reach it. He picked up the handset and dialed the gas station. The call went through, and after just two rings, someone picked up.
“Hello?” It was Marnie’s voice.
“Sweetie, don’t pick it up!” Trevor rasped from behind her.
“But what if it’s Evan?”
“It is,” Evan said finally.
“Evan!” Marnie’s voice filled with joy.
“Campbell?” the old man asked.
“Look, Marnie, can you put me on speakerphone?”
“On it… I…” Her voice cracked. “I don’t know how…”
“What does Sarge want?” Trevor asked as he moved closer to the phone.
“To put him on speaker, but I don’t know how to do it on this old piece of crap!”
“Oh come on…” A few seconds of silence followed, then a crackling sound. “You kids and your stupid fucking smartphones.”
Then the line quality suddenly changed.
“Sergeant Campbell?” Trevor asked.
“Trevor… I’ve never been happier to hear your nasty-ass voice!” Evan answered.
“Listen, we’re in a kind-of-sort-of predicament here.”
“I know. I’m calling from the medical center.”
“How many shit-eaters are outside?”
“About thirty right now. But more are gathering.”
“Like flies on a pile of shit.” Trevor sighed.
“Yeah…” Evan tried to think of something that could help.
“Well, none of them want to die, but if they get more reinforcements, they’ll storm the gates.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Evan looked at the ceiling and chewed his lower lip. “Trevor, is the shotgun all you have?”
“Nah, I have a revolver and a semi-automatic handgun too.”
“I haven’t seen your pickup at the pumps. Where did you park?”
“On the northern side of the station,” Trevor said as he walked around.
“Listen, they said something about a monster. Like… They said something along the lines of ‘hand over the monster and the demon’. Do you have somebody else with you?”
“My son, Jack.”
“Hello!” The voice caught Evan completely off guard.
It was the deepest voice he had ever heard, and it sounded almost cheerful.
“So, Jack, I know that when they said demon whore, they meant Marnie.”
“Thanks for bringing that up,” Marnie muttered.
“Don’t worry, darling, you can step on his feet later. He is taking inventory right now.” Trevor said in a surprisingly calm voice.
“Okay, so… Jack… What are you right now?”
“Oh, I know, I know!” Trevor sounded almost happy, like he was on some kind of game show. “That big cow man that protects the labyrinth!”
“A minotaur, Dad!” said Jack.
“I see…” Evan scratched his chin as he tried to piece together a plan.
“So, an idea?” Trevor’s voice sounded a bit impatient.
“Define… big.”
I have to duck through the doors so my horns don’t catch on the frame.
“So, about… eight feet? Eight and a half with horns. Okay… Give me a minute.”
The receptionist, who was listening to Evan’s half of the conversation, glanced at him warily.
“Sorry, ma’am…” Evan started. “My friends are stuck in a gas station. The armed lunatics surrounded it. Is it okay if I stay on this line for a bit longer?”
The woman’s face went completely pale, and she slowly nodded.
“We have two more phones, and we hardly get any calls on them. Most people give up after realizing the mobile networks are down. Can you… Help them?”
“That’s what we are trying to figure out.”
“The whole world went crazy,” the receptionist grumbled. “I almost expect the Kool-Aid Man to burst through the wall.”
Evan stared at her with wide eyes, then turned around. His gaze darted around as he tried to convince himself that the sudden idea wasn’t completely insane. Then he raised the phone back to his ear.
“Jack?”
“Yes?”
“What do you think? Could you run through a wall?”
“You mean a door?”
“No, man, a wall. Like…” Evan chuckled. “Oh yeeeeah!”
There were a few seconds of awkward silence on the other end of the line, then Trevor started to laugh like a maniacal hyena. Evan started to feel embarrassed when the old man finally spoke.
“Sergeant, this was fucking awesome! If we survive this, I need to hear that impression again!”
“Jack!” Evan said sternly.
“I never tried,” Jack said nervously.
“Then we fucking beta-test it. Look at the wall that leads to the staff room. Get a running start and crash through it.”
“Like… punch through it?”
“No, man. Full body. Slam into it!” Evan said, then felt like he needed to encourage the boy a little. “You are a beast now. Feel the beast. Be the beast!”
Silence. Then the sound of stomping footsteps. Something crashed loudly, followed by a racket that sounded like a construction site. Coughing could be heard and Marnie spoke.
“He broke through!” Marnie exclaimed, then added nervously, “But why?”
“Let me explain the idea.”
Three minutes later, Evan ended the call and looked at the receptionist.
“Tell me, are there any paramedics here?”
“Most of them are outside searching for the wounded, but take a look at the ambulance bay,” the woman replied. “Why?”
“I’m going to need a little help.”
The woman pointed toward the back door, and Evan took off running. Luckily, he found four paramedics with two ambulances. One of the ambulances must have just returned, since two of the crew members’ uniforms were covered in blood. He quickly explained the situation to them.
“I will do it,” said one of the paramedics.
“Are you sure? This could be dangerous.”
“You said there are three people in the gas station.”
“Yes.”
“Two of them transformed.”
“Also yes.”
“That’s three people. I’m one. Even if I get hurt, it’s still worth the risk. But based on what we’ve seen so far, as soon as they see that I haven’t been altered by this… thing, they will lower their guns.”
Evan nodded, then left through the back door and hurried to his Jeep. He started the engine, drove around the houses, stopped beside the medical center fence, and waited. He felt like his whole nervous system was screaming.
Two minutes later, an ambulance siren began to wail from the medical center. A second later, all hell broke loose.
As the commotion began, Evan floored the gas pedal. He raced toward the gas station parallel to the ambulance, approaching from the opposite side. The ambulance pulled up across the front of the gas station, while Evan’s Jeep cut between the two groups forming that section of the blockade as their members turned around in confusion.
He slammed on the brakes and yanked the parking brake. The Jeep came to a stop, blocking off the northwestern side of the gas station. The ambulance did the same on the east end of the wall. Evan could see the paramedic watching the wall and waiting. Between them, Trevor’s pickup sat idle between them. Then right behind it, the wall suddenly exploded.
The black-furred anthropomorphic bull slammed through it and stopped, holding his arms in front of his face. The sight was impressive and ridiculous at the same time, the hulking creature with muscles of steel standing on the debris with a ridiculously large tablecloth around his waist since no clothes would fit him. The light-frame wall gave up easily. The water pipes running through the wall offered the greatest resistance, but even they gave way under Jack’s strength.
Evan reached over and opened the passenger-side door, then turned and raised his gun before the siege group could get a grasp on what was happening. He pulled the trigger. The gun in his hand barked nine times in a row. The attackers hid behind their vehicles, thinking they were the targets. Evan shot out four tires on two cars. It was the safest option he could think of.
Behind him, the pickup’s engine coughed to life and he heard his passenger door slam shut. He pushed the gas pedal again, released the parking brake and looked over. He gasped involuntarily.
Marnie’s skin was a deep wine-red, her eyes shone like gold coins under morning light and she had two cute goat horns growing from her forehead. She moved around in the seat uncomfortably, trying to find a position where her tail wasn’t in the way.
But what made Evan’s breath catch wasn’t Marnie’s beauty. It was full of joy at seeing him again, confidence, and absolute faith in him. This sight made his stomach flip.
The pickup pulled away first, and the Jeep followed close behind. Behind them, shots were fired and Evan heard bullets strike the Jeep behind him, some ricocheting off the metal. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw the siege group surround the paramedic, then leave him alone and run for their vehicles.
They made two turns. Then he felt Marnie’s hand on his shoulder.
“Everything is okay!” he said.
“I know, Evan…” Marnie whispered.
“You are with me and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promised, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” She wiped a single tear from her cheek. “And I always trusted you.”
The words made Evan feel strange. He felt a lump in his throat.
Two minutes later, he saw Jack waving at them from the truck bed, and then Trevor pulled over. Evan followed him. He stopped next to Trevor’s old clunker while Marnie rolled down the window. Not far ahead, they could still see the last houses of Sweetwater.
“What is it, old man?” Evan asked with a genuine smile on his face.
“Nothing much, I just wanted to thank you!” chuckled the drunkard.
“Don’t mention it! I’m the one who should be thanking you for keeping Marnie safe!”
“Just don’t forget to send us invites for the wedding!” Trevor’s smile was so bright, it could have lit up a concert hall.
“Stupid old fuck,” grumbled Evan, then he looked at the young woman sitting next to him, whose skin slowly darkened even further as she suddenly found the dashboard fascinating.
“Where are you headed, Sergeant?”
“To the north. I have two very good friends in New York.”
Trevor whistled.
“That’s three days! Are you sure about that? We have a janky farm in the middle of nowhere. We are headed that way. If you want, you can crash at our place.”
“No, I think New York’s my best bet,” he said, then stopped and looked at Marnie. “Well… I’m headed that way. Marnie, where do you want to go?”
“Can… I go with you? I don’t have any family around and I don’t wanna stay around Sweetwater,” she answered shyly while her face turned even darker. “So… if I could come with you, I’d really like that.”
“Then it’s settled!” Trevor yelled as he slammed his hand on the side of the pickup. “Take care of yourselves!”
“You too!” Evan answered.
They watched the truck pull away as Jack waved from the bed. Evan sighed, stepped on the gas pedal, and the Jeep stalled.
“Come on…” Evan mumbled.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
He tried to start the engine but it wouldn’t come to life. After the fourth attempt, he got out and walked around the vehicle. The Jeep had taken several hits, and fluid was leaking from underneath it.
“That won’t start,” he said to Marnie, who had gotten out a few seconds earlier.
“Then what do we do?”
“I guess we’ll walk until we find a car we can take,” he answered as he pulled out his backpack from the back seat.
“You mean… We steal a car?” Marnie sounded deeply offended.
“No, Marnie. I have enough cash to buy a beater. Or rent something better.”
They started walking side by side. The night air was cold. He could feel the heat emanating from Marnie from two feet away. He raised his hand and gently touched Marnie’s cheek.
“Jesus Christ, you feel like you have a fever,” he said.
“I feel completely fine, I swear!” she said as she turned toward Evan.
She must have caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye because she spun around and almost fell over. She grabbed Evan’s shoulder and squeezed it hard.
“Evan…” she whispered, panic filling her voice.
When he looked back, he saw four pairs of headlights. They were getting closer and closer in an orderly line. Evan grabbed Marnie’s hand and started to run toward the closest house.