Hybrid Chapter 1

Hybrid Chapter 1

Crouched low to the ground, I look nervously through the bushes, hoping that we are the only ones looking at the grazing deer. We’ve been following the deer for a while now and we’re finally close enough to make a move. Both of us are naturally good at being quiet on our feet, but the wild animals are smarter than ever. It’s been difficult to get anywhere near it.

Since the deer is in the middle of the street about twenty feet away and I’m not holding any ranged weaponry, I’m not in a position to attack. I nod to Shane and he gives me a tense nod back. Slowly and silently he pulls a small knife out of his belt and raises his arm back, keeping his eyes completely focused on his target. With a deep breath he lets the blade fly. The deer realizes what’s happening just a second too late. It scrambles away but the knife thrusts into its back left leg and it falls into a patch of grass.
We’re immediately running out of the bushes to the deer just in case the knife didn’t sink in deep enough. But the deer isn’t making any noises. It just lies there without any retaliation. I quickly put the poor animal out of its pain.

“Look at that,” I say. “Our first kill.”

Shane looks much less stressed. “Ha! A kill on our first time out. My dad said he didn’t get a kill till his third time.”

Even though it’s an animal, I still hate the idea of killing it. The thought of taking something’s life away just isn’t right.

“You carry the deer,” says Shane with a grin. “Since I made the kill.”

“Technically I think I killed it. But I’ll carry it. Which way is back? I don’t really know this area.”

Shane glances around. “Are we in Bonita? Or did we get to Chula Vista?”

“You were supposed to keep track of where we are!” I say.

“We were moving kind of fast, okay!?”

I look around at our surroundings. We’re in what used to be a nice neighborhood. Expensive cars. Tall, fancy houses. But everything’s so overgrown that it’s hard to tell how they really looked. I can’t blame Shane too much for us being lost. The plants have grown all around so much that everywhere here looks like everywhere else.

The sun is about three-quarters across the sky. We need to find our way back home before it sets. I pick up the deer and sling it over my shoulder. “Okay, we’ve only got a couple of hours until sunset. Let’s backtrack as much as we can and if we find some familiar ground soon then we’ll take the back-roads… We’ll save the highway as a last resort.”

Shane lets out a grunt and a slight chuckle, as if what I said was a joke.

“I’m serious,” I say. “We went over this a hundred times in training, remember?”

“No, what I remember is what they said would happen if we ever got caught on the highway!”

“Look, I’m not saying we should jump on the road right now. Just if we’re running out of time.”

“I think I’d rather risk traveling back in the dark than take the highway!” Shane says sharply.

“Well I want to be able to see what’s killing me if I’m going to die out here!” I snap back.

Electricity no longer runs to streetlights so the darkness of the night leaves visibility next to nothing.

We head back the way we came from. But it’s hard to remember exactly which way that was. Soon enough we are in completely unknown territory.

The closer the sun gets to the horizon the more anxious we become. “Let’s just forget trying to find the way we came,” I say. “Let’s find a highway.”

“I’m not getting near a highway!”

“Oh, shut up! You know we’ll have a better chance at getting back home on a highway than in the dark!”

Shane looks back at me, fear filling his eyes, reality setting in.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I say. “We’re fine, okay?”

“What are we gonna do?” His eyes are set on me, expecting an answer. But what am I supposed to do? I don’t know where we are!

I glance around again even though I know I’m not going to recognize anything. Then I look back up to the sky hoping that the sun hasn’t moved any more. “Look, all I know is that we need to find a highway,” I say. “We don’t have to go on it. If we find one we’ll at least know where we are and which way to go.”

“Well which way is the highway!? How are we supposed to find one!? I’ve never been here before!” Shane is starting to lose his cool. Am I too?

I look around again, searching for something… Any kind of help. Something to guide us. But there’s nothing. I don’t have any idea what to do.

“I should’ve studied the maps more!” Shane says to himself. “I wasn’t ready! I knew I wasn’t!”

“Shane! Just shut up! Those maps are useless anyway! They don’t look anything like what’s out here!”

“We weren’t ready for this… Why did they send us out when we weren’t ready!?”

“Stop freaking out!” I shout. “We just got to keep moving until we find somewhere we know. When we were following the deer we went south…ish, right?”

“… I think so.”

“Okay, so if we go straight north then we’ll hit Highway 54, and if we’re far enough East then we’ll reach the 125 or the 94. Either way we’ll find something.”

We move our pace up to a jog. Not yet sprinting, but getting close.
Neither of us has really been in a situation like this. Sure, the danger has always been around us, but we were with other people who could protect us. We’re alone this time. And if we’re unlucky enough to come across a group of Shells then we’re done for. But there haven’t been sightings for weeks. It isn’t very likely that we’ll encounter any.

There is maybe an hour of light left when we finally find Highway 125. Finally we know where we are but we know it’s going to take longer than an hour to get back home unless we take the dangerous road. Even so, it takes forever to convince Shane to get on the highway with me. I make sure that absolutely nothing is on the road before we jump the ledge and go out into the open.  

A highway is never ever a good place to be. It’s easy to be spotted from far away, and there are next to no obstacles to hide around making it perfect if you want to be killed. But they’re also the fastest way to get around. It’s risky to travel across a highway with a group of people, but it’s pretty much suicide to go on one alone.

Shane constantly darts his eyes in all directions. Sweat drenches his clothes and drains from his face, dripping off his black hair. I can’t say I’m much better off. The shadows from the sun are getting longer. It’s so quiet. I feel like there are eyes all around us, watching our every step. But there can’t be anything near us. Shells don’t wait. It’s not calming though. We both know that if a pack of Shells spots us we won’t have a chance. We’re sticking right on the edge of the road and going as a fast as we can without making too much noise. I know we aren’t going to make it all the way back home before sunset, but we’ll probably reach the outer fence in time at the rate we’re going. Suddenly, from the silent depths of San Diego, a blaring noise erupts like a hundred trumpets howling into the air. We shudder then jump off the road and get behind the cover of a dense cluster of bushes.

“No! No!” Shane whispers in terror. “Shells! Right!? Have you ever heard a Shell that sounded like that!? No! I knew we shouldn’t have taken the highway!”

“Quiet! We don’t even know how far away it is,” I say. “I didn’t see anything.”

“I don’t wanna die!”

“Just keep quiet! It might pass by us.”

“You heard it! It already saw us!”

“It would already be on us. Just shut up!”

We wait, but don’t hear anything more. Together we move our shaking eyes out to the road. It’s still empty. Except for the bloody deer!

“The deer!” Shane shouts. “You dropped the deer!”

I hadn’t even put a thought to the deer. Its blood is spilled all over the asphalt. Moving it now would do nothing. And its blood is on my shoulder too! “They’ll smell this for miles…”

Shane looks at me in horror. “Take off your jacket! Take it off! We’ll leave them both behind! Let’s just run!”

“It’s on my hands too…” I look at Shane. “But there’s no blood on you!”

“No freakin way! I’m not leaving you!” He shoots back.

“I’ll distract them and give you a head start!” Why am I saying this!? I think to myself.

“They’ll be distracted enough by the deer!” says Shane. “If we run the whole way we can make it back.”

No… We won’t…

Before I can argue further with him my ears perk up as I hear footsteps. And then the ground starts rumbling. I turn and see a pack of wolf Shells rounding the corner. Twenty, maybe thirty are coming full speed straight at us.

We freeze in fear in our hiding spot. Shane fumbles a knife into his palm and pulls it up with two shaking hands. I unsheathe the blade off my back, but I’m not ready to fight. My breathing stops but my heart is beating uncontrollably.
Pull it together! You’re stronger than they are. You’re holding the weapon. You’re faster. You’re smarter. I’m telling this to myself but I’m not exactly sure if that is what I am so scared about. With every vicious paw that scrapes closer I can see more clearly the features that make me want to scream. Torn shirts, ears that still retain their round shape, and eyes that once held so many emotions, passions, dreams…

I can feel Shane shuddering. It makes me realize how badly I’m shaking as well. I nearly let my blade slip from my hands, but my sweaty palms somehow keep a grip on the handle. Come on. They’re not people. They’re Shells. Shells that don’t feel, don’t think, just kill. There is nothing human about them. Nothing!
As I try convincing myself to fight back, the wolf Shells reach us. A mixture of fear, terror, and moral confusion make me drop down and lay flat on the ground right next to Shane. I hold my blade firmly in my hands, but I can’t go out to fight. I just lie with my eyes focused straight ahead, waiting for the Shells to smell the blood, devour the deer, and then come for me. I’m frozen stiff.

Between the two of us, I was always the braver one. As a kid, I had often thought up heroic scenarios where I would defend my friends from groups of evil people. I would single-handedly fight them off and then everyone would look at me with such awe. But now that I’m in an actual situation where I could be saving my friend, I cower down next to him and submit myself to death. I’ve never seen a wild Shell up so close. It’s so much different than what I’d imagined.

No matter how much I want to I just can’t move. I hear the wolf Shells right behind us. Shane does his best to stay as quiet as he can, but he’s panicking, just like me.

I listen for the growling and ripping as they reach the deer, but that never comes. The Shells run at full speed and don’t stop at all next to us. A few moments later the rush passes. The sound of their steps grows faint.

My hands won’t stop trembling. Breathing comes back abruptly and I choke when I gasp the air. I am alive. But why? The Shells didn’t even stop at the deer. I can’t think of a reason why a Shell would pass up an opportunity like this. But I don’t care! I don’t need a reason!

As Shane begins to regain himself I finally pull up the courage to look onto the highway. It’s the same as we’d left it. The only difference is the dusty footprints the Shells left behind.

What happened? Did they even notice us? And what is that sound? I’ve never heard any Shell make that noise. It was definitely not a wolf Shell. “Shane, get up. They’re gone.”

Shane doesn’t say anything, but he isn’t freaking out anymore. He just sits with his chin on his knees, staring blankly at the ground.

I feel like doing the same, but I know we need to keep moving. “Come on. It’s over. Let’s go home.” I end up having to go and pull him to his feet. He seems to come back to himself after he stands up.

The sun has almost set now but we still have a long walk to go. I go to pick up the deer but just as I reach it that ear piercing noise fills the sky again. It sounds almost sad. My heart skips and I jolt as I turn around to find where it’s coming from. But there’s nothing; just Shane holding his ears and clenching his teeth. It looks like he’s screaming and crying, but I can’t hear anything except the noise. Whatever’s making it has to be close, but where is it?

First I only hear the ringing in my ears. Then terror fills my heart. Before I can see it I hear its scraping claws hitting concrete. Heavy, lurching breaths with every bound it takes. The faint growl of anticipation in its throat.

I brace my body and turn towards a Shell, but it isn’t coming for me. Without thinking, I shove Shane out of the way and take the full speed of the charging Shell. I fly back and a sharp pain shoots into the back of my head as though a needle had been stabbed into it. Everything darkens as my vision is filled with sparks. But I don’t lose consciousness. Slowly my sight clears up. Shane is hovering over me. His mouth is moving but I don’t hear anything. I try to lift my head up but the sparks immediately hit me again and this time everything fades to black…

I feel nothing. This moment only lasts a split second in my mind. For the time, I feel nothing. But there is an uncomfortable anxiousness that lingers. Yes. I do feel something. But why is it surfacing now?

“-ke up! Wake up! Hey! Come on, wake up!” Shane shouts.

Sound hits. My eyes open and shoot in and out of focus. I’m moving. Pain courses through my body. My legs are dragging over roots and jagged rocks. My left arm slides lifelessly along, and my right arm’s being tugged. “Shane…?”

“Finally!” Shane stops, drops my arm and brings his sweaty face right in front of mine. “Come on, get up!” he says between heavy breaths. “We’re not that far from the Stretch!”

I grumble as I try to pull myself up, but the floor spins and I topple over.

“Forget it! Just stay with me! You need to stay awake!” Shane says.

But that’s not possible. “I… can’t…”

“No! Hey! Stay with…”

Darkness. When I open my eyes again I know I’m in a different area. We’re under trees.

“Shane…” I mutter.

“Don’t try to get up this time!” he says quickly.

We abruptly stop again. Shane tears a piece of his shirt off. I see that it’s already been torn before. He yanks a shred of bloody fabric off my head that I didn’t even notice, and starts tying the new one on. “You’re bleeding a lot!” he says. “I need you to put your hand on the back of your head and put some pressure on it. You’ve gotta stay awake!”

I pull a shaking hand to my head and nearly pass out again when I touch the gash.

“No! Start talking to me!” Shane says desperately. “Stay awake! Tell me what you’re favorite food is! Come on! Start talking!”

“I… don’t…” I blink and wake up in a new place. The sun has just set, leaving a faint glow to light the way. “Shane… Stop…” I feel like I’m going to throw up. But he doesn’t stop.

“I can’t have you passing out again! I don’t know how much more blood you can lose! Start talking to me!”

“Okay…” I try to put my hand back to my head.

“Stop!” Shane shouts. “Start talking and wake up more. Then get some pressure on your head. Do you remember when we were younger, when we used to hike up to that barren hill with the giant bush?”

“I… remember… the bush…” I say.

“What did we bring up there?”

I feel an aching in my arm as he yanks me forwards. I look up and see him nervously looking around, stumbling as he drags me. In his other hand is a knife.

“What did we bring?” he says again.

“Racquets,” I reply.

“What else?”

“Rocks.”

“Right. And what did we do with them?”

“We…” My brain hurts. I feel like I can’t process anything. “We hit the rocks at the cars down below…”

“Yeah. And whose idea was that?”

“Mine… until mom found out. Then it was yours.”

“I’m glad no one believed you,” he says with a terribly forced chuckle.

“Shane… My head hurts.”

“That’s good!” He stops again and glances around. He looks like he’s going to throw up. “Try to sit up. Go slow.”

My head is throbbing, but I manage to sit up.  Everything is spinning.

“Great, great!” he says quickly, still nervously looking around.

I reach for my head and feel all the blood. It’s still drizzling out. I take a breath and push on the bandage. The pain is searing, but I don’t pass out.

“Keep holding your head,” Shane says. “We’re almost home. Tell me about Chloe.”

“Chloe’s… my sister.”

“I know. Tell me about her. What does she like to do? What are her hobbies?”
My whole body is hurting now. I want to scream.

“Hey! Come on! Keep talking to me!” he says.

“I…  I don’t know…” I keep my hand pressed to my head. There’s no way I can think right now, I can hardly bear the pain.

“What is your name?” Shane asks.

“What?”

“What is your name!?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Answer the little questions! Just keep talking.”

I can’t keep my hand here. It’s burning. I’m going to pass out.

“Talk!” Shane shouts.

“My name is Joshua Mercer.” I can hardly hear him now. The pain’s starting to fade again. I can feel myself drifting off.

“How old are you?” he asks.

“Josh…” I stutter.

“No, how old are you?” he asks again.

“Eighteen.”

“Right, and where do you live?” His voice is so distant.

“The Stretch…” I can barely hear mine.

He stops for a moment as he opens a chain-link fence. “What are those things that attacked us?” he says as we start moving again.

“Shells…” I answer, but I can’t hear my voice.

“Yes, and what are we?”

“Human…”

“What are we now?”

“Shane… I can’t…” I can barely form words.

“Josh, what are you now!?”

“I’m… a Hybrid.”