Specious by Berkstresser Robin

Author:Berkstresser, Robin [Berkstresser, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-02-01T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

A drop of sweat rolls slowly down my back. I set the ax down to wipe some away from my eyes and take a long swig of water. The sun has heated it up and I wish the water were colder.

To my right, Andrew and Chris saw at a tree to break it down. Behind me, Jess sharpens one of the sticks. We’ve been working from dawn to dusk for the last five days on a goal to get enough supplies ready to build our makeshift fence. By the time the sun goes down, we’re so exhausted we go straight to sleep.

Grief has become our relentless, insatiable demon. There’s no defeating it completely, but we can distract ourselves. The strong labor has been therapeutic for all of us. At times, we all forget the death and find ourselves making small jokes. It’s a nice return to normalcy, but it never lasts. One of us always remembers and the demon reappears.

I instinctively reach for my back pocket to get strength from the picture of my mother. My hand comes up empty as I remember I left it inside to keep it safe from the physical labor of the day. I swing my ax back down at the tree in frustration. My arms ache with overuse. I ignore the discomfort and strike again.

Chris breaks our mindless physical labor. “What’s that smell?”

“It’s awful,” Andrew exclaims.

The smell reminds me of the time when a possum died in my grandfather’s boathouse and it took us a while to find it. Recognition for what this means to us now immediately follows. Jess stands up quickly when it reaches her.

“Where is it?” Jess’s tone is demanding.

Chris and Andrew’s expressions switch from mild amusement to one full of terror when they understand. I share in part of their fear. My only interactions with the creatures have been when they killed those I care about. At least this time we’re prepared and together.

“Come to me. Get away from the trees,” Jess says.

I don’t want to expose myself to the horrors within the forest so I back up toward Jess. My foot aches slightly at the movement, but it’s manageable. Andrew and Chris are less calm and run the twenty yards to Jess. The four of us anxiously await its appearance.

“What if there’s more than one?” Chris looks around frantically.

“Then we’ll kill more than one,” Jess says. Her teeth clench with anticipation.

Andrew shares his brother’s panic. “Should we run to the house?”

“No, we’ll take care of them now,” I say. I hope I sound bolder than I feel.

No one says anything. The four of us await our fate. The smell gets more nauseating with every passing moment. Finally, two break through the tree line.

“Should we shoot ’em?” Andrew asks. He pulls out his father’s old gun and aims.

“Don’t shoot,” Jess states. “We don’t want to waste any bullets. There’s no need to be afraid. Watch how slowly they move.” As she says this, one stumbles over one of the branches.

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