Coders by Thomas K Carpenter

Author:Thomas K Carpenter [Carpenter, Thomas K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dystopia, science fiction
Publisher: Black Moon Books
Published: 2012-04-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

The air choked them with dust and sand. The view had become obfuscated beyond a few meters. Mouse was screaming in the back. A hand that could have been Avony's grabbed her shoulder.

Boulders flew out of the dust and she jerked the wheel around them as Milton kept screaming "Left! Left!" but the terrain conspired to keep her headed in a slightly rightward and down direction.

Between the screaming and the chaos of the mad dash through the boulder field, the image of the top being ripped off their vehicle kept replaying in her mind.

Except it wasn't "ripped" off. The roof of their vehicle, including the turret, just disappeared behind a fleshy pink blob that fell behind them. Even through the steering wheel, Gabby could feel the heavy thud of a gargantuan creature following them.

Milton was kneeling on the seat, firing his rifle. Every time he reloaded his weapon he kept shaking his head in disappointment. Mouse had stopped screaming and with the others, joined the fire fight.

Gabby wanted so badly to glance behind her and see what was following them, but the bouldery path kept her focused on driving.

"Nothing's getting through," Avony shouted desperately.

Their vehicle hit the valley floor and the boulder field faded away behind them. Gabby turned to the left and away from the creature following them.

"They're gaining on us!" yelled Milton, grabbing Gabby by the shoulder.

"Raiders!" shouted Avony.

"Raiders? What are they doing here?" said Gabby, desperately wanting to look, but knowing that in the dust the terrain could change at any time.

"It's drawing them in," said Milton.

"Drawing?"

At first, Gabby thought she'd misheard them over the gunfire and engine noise. Chancing a moment of inattention, Gabby stood up with her hands still on the steering wheel and looked behind her.

A gargantuan multi-legged creature thundered after them like an unavoidable doom. Born out of a box of art supplies, each leg alternated in a pencil tip or eraser. The body was a blob of paint colors, shimmering in the desert sun, drips flying off as it pounded across the hardpan, leaving a rainbow trail behind it.

Milton raised his rifle and fired. The spider-creature quickly drew a shield with a pencil leg, blocking his assault. Gabby had to swerve as a raider sped closer. As Gabby took one more long look, she watched in horror as it created another vehicle out of thin air with a pencil tip.

"It'll overrun us with its drawings."

Avony fired from the side port and the front tire on the nearest raider blew apart in rubber and dust, causing the vehicle to spin out. Gabby was certain the raider leaning out of the window had a massive paint brush in his hand.

"We need to out pace it. Every time it draws a new raider, it slows down," yelled Michael and then he broke into a fit of coughing brought on by the dust and excitement.

"Keep that thing busy drawing," Gabby told them.

The valley floor was rapidly coming to an end. Gabby would have to speed up the other side and she hoped there was a way through.

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