You and Me against the World: The Creepers Saga Book 1 by Raymond Esposito

Author:Raymond Esposito
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2015-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

Act III

Fugue

In psychology: a pathological state of altered consciousness in which individuals may act and wander around as though conscious, but their behavior is not directed by their complete normal personality and is not remembered after the fugue ends.

In musical composition: a polyphonic composition based on one, two, or more themes, which are enunciated by several voices or parts.

Chapter 12

Night of the Cats

Simon says … run!

They made Northern Florida on their first long and surreal night’s drive.

The caravan moved in tight formation through the dark summer’s night. The secondary roads allowed them to avoid the pileups on Interstate 75. In truth, the encounter with dead William’s group had served as a stark reminder that the infected were not the new world’s only danger. They felt safer passing through the small abandoned towns than risking the exposure of a major interstate. The children suffered the ride as all children did, with the occasional complaint of boredom and several requests for restroom stops. The younger teens, Vanessa and Brittney, seemed the most affected. The loss of the triplets, John, Josh, and Joseph left them quiet and disconnected. Thorn worried about them, but there was little that he could do. He was no psychologist but knew that despondent teens were often prone to reckless or suicidal behaviors. They already had enough of that without the two girls adding to it.

Each town seemed more desolate than the last. The infected’s nighttime hibernation saved them from all but a few encounters with the Creepers. Occasionally, one of the infected would appear on the side of the road and charge the vehicles. At first, they rolled down a window and killed the galloping insanity, but after a while, they just ignored them.

In several towns, they saw indications of other survivors. No actual people, but signs like the soft glow of firelight behind a boarded window or a few vehicles drawn together in a protective circle outside a building. Once, Thorn thought he saw flashlights inside a small grocery store. The Reflections Lake memory was still fresh, and they dared not investigate. The guilt of that silent agreement, that decision to abandon their role as rescuers, weighed on their faces whenever they passed a possible survivor’s house.

In time, they simply stopped looking; but still, as they passed such places, the conversation would stall and the vehicles would fill with the same eerie silence as the surrounding town. When dawn approached, Thorn was grateful they had reached the Ocala National Forest outside of Lake City. They drove deep into the woods, circled their own vehicles, and took turns standing guard while the others slept. The air was hot and humid, and sleep was difficult. Sheer exhaustion only granted them a couple of fitful hours of sleep.

On their second night, they faced a larger problem: fuel.

Over half the county’s gas stations were categorized as “unbranded” retailers. These service stations and convenience stores bought no particular major brand and relied on independent contractors to deliver their supply three to four times a week.

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