Creep World: The End (Part One)

[MalReynolds]

Yeah, that's supposed to read "it".

It's going to take them a few sections to get to Arizona, but when they get back it will be much faster. I have a few planned 'events' that'll happen on the way to Arizona. This should round the 50,000 word mark before they get there, though, making up to the Gate the standard 175 page length of a novel.

W00t.

Mal

[Tps222]

Well, if you plan on making this some sort of series, I hope you don't end it with the gate being destroyed. This, to me, makes the other books sound a bit repetitive. I'm sure you have some unique plan to figure this all out. Also, I hope you continue to write this to the end, as I would love to see how you decided to finally end it, pending our discussions.

[MalReynolds]

Oh, I do have an ending. And now it's one long story instead of three seperate ones. It would be tedious to have three books all about the same thing, so I decided to make it one quasi-long book where their goal is these things.

I've also plotted new characters, some funny lines and scenarios... But all of those take place in Europe. Not to give too much away.

Mal

[Varia]

If only you were like this with all of your stories.

[MalReynolds]

Then I'd have a few more books under my belt. Or at least longer stories...

Looking back, works that I haven't finished:

"Striker Inc"
"The Window"
"The Mystical Adventures of Michael Gettings"
"Domes"
"Sunday Drive"
And finally
"The Official Guide to Girls"

I didn't realize I had started/stopped so much :-/

Oh well. Maybe when I finish this I'll get started on those again.

Mal

[natetheffrer]

Please finish the official guide to girls.

pretty please

ps: italic

[MalReynolds]

窶廣lright,窶� Fichter said, the cars headlights cutting across the darkness of the night, 窶廩as anyone ever been to Arizona before?窶�

No one said a word.

窶彜o窶ｦ No one knows how to get there?窶�

窶弩ell, you窶决e the driver, Fichter. Shouldn窶冲 you know how to get west? I mean窶ｦ It窶冱 around two thousand miles to the west. Just jump on an interstate or something.窶� Eric said.

窶廸ot quite so simple. Has to be the right route, otherwise our trip will take a lot longer.窶�

窶廬窶况e said it before, Fichter窶ｦ It窶冱 not like we have a real shortage of time right now. This entire trip is after the fact. They already came, they already saw, they already screwed shit up窶ｦ窶�

Steven nodded in agreement. 窶廱ust take one of the odd numbered interstates west and if we overshoot it, no harm, no foul. Simple as that.窶�

Angela leaned up, whispering something into Eric窶冱 ear.

窶廡ichter, take the next exit you see for I-55 West. That should take us right to Arizona, dear.窶�

窶廛id you just call me 窶賄ear窶�?窶�

窶廸o窶ｦ You窶决e just going crazy.窶�

Fichter grunted, turned up the music, and reluctantly pulled onto I-55 West.

There were various things wrong with the trip up to this point; no one in the car had ever had firearms training for anything heavier than a shotgun. Gopher had already hurt himself firing the rifle at the base; Steven didn窶冲 even know how to fire his gun. Everything Eric learned about heavy machine guns he learned from video games or the movies. He knew that it was a bad idea to walk into the lair of a bad guy without first checking to see if the safety was on, he knew the magazine slid in a certain way, but guns like this he had no training for. Not even maintenance.

Fichter was an avid player of computer games, specifically the 窶徨eal computer simulation games窶� that had been coming out over the past few years. The slogan on the games had been along the lines of 窶弩e窶决e into realism; clean your gun or it窶冤l blow up窶�. Games like 窶彜WAT Force 7窶� where the AI in the game as so expertly programmed that they would listen for your footfalls and shoot you through a door. Being that he had become very good at this game over a year, he was the most qualified to handle a bigger gun in the car窶ｦ Which isn窶冲 saying much.

Their second mistake was not using the computer in Danny窶冱 research room to print out more specific directions. This mistake wasn窶冲 as terrible as the other, considering the Arch was visible from some distance away, and placing it in the middle of a national park only narrowed the search to a place somewhat more specific than it had been. Danny had been banking on someone going with them having been to the park before, which is why he didn窶冲 offer greater assistance in finding the park窶ｦ It was a nice, unforgettable place.

Danny was simply sitting back in his bunker, having heard the argument between Steven, Eric and Angela, waiting for her to come back. He had struck up a conversation with the caged Creep, in the meantime, while the Creep sat slumped over in the corner of his cage, dying quite literally of boredom.

The radio station in New York had since been burned to the ground, and the Jersey station was being razed as they drove west, trying to make good time, but having to go quite slowly due to the ample amounts of cars covering the highway. If it hadn窶冲 been to Canada, people had been fleeing to the west, trying to hide in a location that the Creeps had already scoured窶ｦ The exodus窶� mistake had simply been using a major highway, running into the creature窶冱 head on.

It was rather slow going, all things considered. Eric was in the back seat, quite happy that Angela was relaxing in the back of the car. He felt privileged to know something that the rest of the group had no idea about. It was quite the honor窶ｦ Although he had been sure that if Gopher had been in his seat, she would have poked him with the gun and gotten thrown out of the car.

Steven, in the front seat, was trying to come up with a half decent way to say that the music that was currently playing was pissing him the hell off. He had never been a huge fan of music from the eighties, much less pop hits and Top-40窶冱 froufrou. Blondie, Roxette, Genesis窶ｦ He hated all of it equally, and yet here it was, pouring out of the speakers and giving him a splitting headache. He much preferred Queen to this, and was even willing to risk the third, unmarked CD over what was currently playing.

As always, Gopher was trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. There wasn窶冲 much plaguing his mind; he was happy to be going with them, happier to have a weapon and happiest to see that girl gone. Whenever she was around, it seemed to throw Eric off something fierce; a huge distraction, making him unable to focus for extended periods of time窶ｦ And that was what they needed now. Focus. He smiled and curled his down, falling into a light sleep.

All the while, Fichter was trying to find a way to tell the group that if the standstill cars increased in any way on the way to Arizona, that they would have to go a different way. His station wagon wasn窶冲 meant for the kind of maneuvering he was currently putting it through, and in the event that the clusters of cars did get heavier and longer, it would be almost impossible to avoid a collision.

Fichter also knew that Angela was in the back. The sound of her gun dropping had cued him in, although Eric had tried earnestly to cover the sound with a cough. No one else seemed to notice that cough sounded completely different than a gun dropping to a metal ground. Fichter didn窶冲 mind; the more, the merrier. He was just worried how Steven or Gopher would react once they found out. He planned on getting everyone past the point of no return before having to spring her existence on them.

Several hours passed with the cars growing slightly more clustered and harder to avoid. Up ahead, there was an exit for restaurants, gas stations and a hotel.

窶廨uys, we窶决e going to be pulling into this rest area. I窶冦 not doing so hot in all this traffic, and I think the exit might just be a way around all of those stalled out cars. I also should put some more gas in the car窶ｦ Feel free to wander inside, pick up some food. Just be careful, alright?窶�

The car banked down the exit and into the rest area, flush with light from the sun rising behind them. The gas pumps stood like giants in the dim illumination, the conglomerated restaurant building looking like a desolate rectangle. The car pulled up to the giants and Fichter exited, gun slung over his shoulder. He grabbed the gas hose by the rubber and quickly cut a slit in the tubing with his pocketknife.

Eric had stepped out of the car, his gun in hand, stretching his legs. They had been on the road for an incredible amount of time. He was honestly surprised that they hadn窶冲 had to stop earlier for gas; at the rate they had been driver, Fichter窶冱 car must have been running off of fumes.

窶廡ichter, why didn窶冲 we stop earlier? How can your car go so long without needing to fuel it?窶�

Fichter turned. 窶廣fter the invasion, I pretty much took this car apart. Only reason it still runs is because I put it back together窶ｦ I figured I窶囘 be driving people around, so when I was reassembling it, I added a secondary tank. Holds almost the same amount as the first tank窶ｦ Although, it really helps on the long drives like this.窶�

窶廾h. That窶冱窶ｦ I didn窶冲 know you could do something like that.窶�

窶弩ell, when there窶冱 no more overdue charges at the library, you can learn quite a few things in your spare time.窶�

Gopher stepped out of the car, shoving Steven against the window in an attempt to wake him. It worked.

窶廛ammit, Gopher窶ｦ Just leave me alone.窶�

Gopher took his light from the floor of the car and began to work to the Burger King-Pizza Hut-KFC building.

窶廝uddy system, Gopher. I窶冦 coming in with you,窶� Eric called from behind him, racing to catch up. The sun was higher in the sky now, sending it窶冱 precious rays into the building through the doors and windows. When the front opened, Eric stepped inside surprised at how well the place was lit considering the light was natural.

There was no blood on the tiled floor, no blood on the counter, no food in the fridges and no bodies to be counted. They made their way around, collecting whatever they could find that they thought would be useful, ranging from sugar packets, napkins, plastic forks and other things that wouldn窶冲 spoil. They stuffed them into a 窶弋o-Go窶� bag they had gotten from behind the KFC counter.

The convenience store section caught their eye, filled with canned food and other assorted goodies that had a shelf life of infinity. Gopher grabbed another bag and lined the bottom with Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes before reaching around and grabbing canned food.

Eric once again made a mental note for Gopher; never make him bag boy for anything.

Gopher quickly realized his mistake and overturned the bag, spilling the sticky mess of yellow sponge cake and white cream to the ground, covering the cans of peas and green beans. He sighed, walked back to the counter, grabbed another bag and began again, placing the cans in the bottom before moving to the items that would be destroyed by weight.

Eric, at this point, had lost interest in judging Gopher and was making his way back into the cooking area of each of the restaurants respectively. He grabbed the paddle from the pizza oven and playfully swung it around in the half darkness, pretending he was fighting of an array of Creeps to keep Angela safe. He chuckled to himself before putting the paddle back in the oven, hitting a solid object.

Eric called Gopher over, his light still attached to the shotgun, which sat in the car with the woman he was quickly falling in love with.

窶廨opher, could you do me a solid and shine your light into this oven?窶�

Gopher didn窶冲 nod, didn窶冲 say anything, but answered with his actions. He swung the light up into the oven, revealing the object that Eric had hit with the paddle to be a hand.

窶廾h, damn, Eric窶ｦ Why are you trying to cook something like that,窶� Gopher shoved Eric in a manner meant to be playful but ended up knocking him over. He slid across the floor slowly, his head hitting against the freezer sending an echo through the deserted building.

They didn窶冲 expect to hear a sound back coming from inside the locked doors, but there was a distinctive knocking sound coming from within. Eric quickly rose to his feet, trying to open the freezer door but having no luck. The door was large, thick, made entirely of a shiny metal. Aluminum, it looked like, but no one in the room was qualified to make that call.

Gopher walked over, pressing one hand down on the freezer door handle, the other on the wall, and began to pull. Eric brought the gun up to his shoulder, aiming just to the left of Gopher窶冱 head.

窶廨opher, when that door gets open, you窶决e going to need to shine your light in there and get out of my way. I have no idea how accurate this gun is, and the-窶�

The door swung open, surprising Gopher who fell backwards against the counter. He gasped, a sharp pain shooting through his lower back. He arched his back in pain, drawing in sharp breaths with his eyes closed.

窶廨opher, Gopher, Gopher, I could use some light give me some light, Gopher for the love of-窶�

The man fell against Eric, who in the confusion dropped his gun. The man looked up at Eric, very much alive but bleeding from the shoulder.

窶廛idn窶冲 think I窶囘 see anyone else alive again,窶� the man said.

Eric didn窶冲 know what to say.

窶廩ow did you survive in there?窶�

The man smiled. 窶弋asty Kakes, irradiated fruit窶ｦ Made do with what I had in the store over there. Glad I could see some other people one last time.

窶廾ne last time?窶�

The man nodded, pointing to his shoulder. A distinctive bite mark glowed in the light, Eric immediately recognizing it as a human bite. He thought back to the car, back to the syringes he had packed in with the explosives. He regretted not bringing any now.

窶廬t窶冱 alright, just come with us. We can help you, sir,窶� Eric said, trying to lead the man the few feet it would take out the door and to the cure which was sitting so inconveniently a first down away.

窶廸o窶ｦ I know what窶冱 going to happen. I窶况e seen it happen before. I just wanted to see some people.窶�

窶彜ir, please come with us. I know I can help.窶�

窶廸o,窶� the man said, pushing Eric back. 窶弋here窶冱 nothing you can do for me anymore窶ｦ窶� For a wounded man, he was nimble, down on the floor scrambling after Eric窶冱 gun. He pulled the barrel under his chin, using his thumb to pull the trigger. Blood and gray matter flew back into the freezer, the door beginning to swing closed again, moving the body with it.

Along with the shot sounded a single word from Eric. He had screamed 窶廸O!窶� exactly as the man had pulled the trigger, sending him into oblivion. The man窶冱 shoulders stood in between the door and the doorframe, the freezer now propped open with a sick doorstop. Eric slid down to the ground next to Gopher, who was still fervently trying to recover from damaging his back.

窶廬t窶冱 alright, Eric窶ｦ If he hadn窶冲 done it, you would have just done it later,窶� he managed to say, trying to comfort Eric. The words were no blanket, as Eric knew the truth about the infection.

窶廨opher, lets just get out of here窶ｦ Grab your food. I want to leave.窶�

Gopher turned around, resetting his center of gravity, grabbing onto the counter and helping himself to his feet. The bag of food sat on the ground, the pool of blood slowly reaching out to touch the brown paper. Gopher quickly grabbed it up, before extending a hand. Eric did not take it, but stood up by himself. Not an act of coldness, he had not seen the hand extended窶ｦ His full attention on the corpse that was half in, half out of the freezer.

The sun was completely up as they walked back to the car, Fichter leaning against the back blocking the view into the parcel area, concealing the existence of the attractive female that was stowing away. Gopher tossed Fichter the bag of food. He walked to the back gate of the car, swinging it open and sliding the bag of food along the flooring. Angela grabbed it, bringing the bag closer to her. She quietly began to rifle through its contents.

Fichter opened the driver side door, one foot in the car when he was violently pulled from it. A pair of pale white hands latched onto his shoulders as he cried out. Eric turned, Gopher turned and they watched as the zombie-man sunk his teeth into Fichter窶冱 neck. Blood ran down into his green shirt as he elbowed the zombie in the sternum, sending it backwards. Gopher and Fichter fired at the same time, on this occasion, Gopher having properly shouldered his gun. Fichter let loose a spray and fell to the ground, using the heated barrel of his gun to help cauterize the wound.

The zombie fell to the ground, now missing a good part of its shoulder, hand and skull.

Gopher helped Fichter to his feet as Eric stood, watching the encounter, weapon dangling by his side. Fichter pulled his gun up to his chin, smiling.

窶彜orry, Eric.窶�

His finger was on the trigger. Eric snapped out of it.

窶弩AIT!窶�

窶弩hat?窶�

窶廛on窶冲窶ｦ Do that just yet窶ｦ We still need a driver窶ｦ And we don窶冲 know how long it窶冱 going to take you to turn in either way窶ｦ 窶牢ides, I don窶冲 want to lose a friend like that.窶�

Fichter smiled again, and nodded, opening the car door. He sat down again, turning the key in the ignition and wincing as he slid his seat belt on as it brushed over the burned and bitten flesh.

Gopher took his seat behind Fichter, Steven still asleep. Eric stood outside the car, thinking to himself about the consequences of telling them that it was a curable disease窶ｦ They would think less of him for killing those zombies. He would think less of himself allowing them to think less of him.

The best course of action came to mind as he opened the car door and sat down. No one would have to know if he was very careful the next night. He smiled to himself as the car pulled out of the rest area, back onto the highway.

Fichter had been right. The rest area had taken them around most of the traffic, but dead cars still spotted the road like a higher being had a broken pen, letting the ink drip onto the path. Fichter expertly dodged the cars, which began to dissipate a mile up the road.

In the back of the car, Angela silently ate a Twinkie, the first food she had had in over a day. Steven snorted, waking up to the pleasant sound of no music in the car. It was deathly silent as Fichter drove, Gopher sat, gun trained on him in case he turned, and Eric regretfully thinking about what he would have to do the next night.

窶弩hat窶ｦ Did I miss something?窶� Steven asked, yawning.

-

Mal

[Tps222]

Nice, only problem I saw was this

A distinctive bite mark glowed in the light, Eric immediately recognizing it as a human bite.

I assume that is supposed to read Creep?

[MalReynolds]

Nope. Human zombie bit him.

But good eye.

Mal

[Tps222]

So, in the bunker, the only one to hear about the vaccination was Eric? You would think more people would be around him.

[MalReynolds]

He was getting the explosives from Danny, Angela was in the process of running away with Eric's gun, Fichter was the only one present in the bunker, AND he was two rooms away.

No one else knows

Mal

[Tps222]

I don't see this crazy backround that Steven had beforehand. Do you plan on writing one of those backstory things on him?

[MalReynolds]

Permitting. His will be shared with Angela's, though.

I'm leaning more towards malicious than crazy now. I also introduced them a lot earlier than I thought I would, so I think malicious would fit better.

Mal

[Tps222]

How did Angela know how to get to Arizona? Will that be explained in the backstory? Also, why the whole "Take as much time as we need" attitude. It doesn't seem realistic at all. I mean, in that situation, the quicker these things stop coming in, the better. Danny even said that they are transporting something big, I'm sure that would cause haste. Can a car really work on 2 gas containers? I think if so, all cars would have that implemented.

[MalReynolds]

My friend rigged his station wagon with 2 fuel containters because he was getting shit mileage and didn't want to stop for gas every other day, so yes.

The "take as much time as we need" attitude isn't exactly that; One or two days isn't going to set them back too much at all.

And yes, Angela knowing will be explained in her backstory. Or after she's outed to the group.

Mal