“See anything?” Ian asked.
I scanned the place. There seemed to be no movement anywhere. Nothing moved at the shooting range nor could I see anything through the windows. “No movement in the building.” I looked toward the parking lot. “Nothing is moving, but there are two vans and six cars in that parking lot.” I jumped out of the back of the truck and stared at the building. My hands were shaking. Something felt off. Something felt wrong.
“Okay, let’s go,” Ian said.
Jamie read the expression on my face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Something.”
Ian started pulling guns out of the back of his truck. “It’s clear. Let’s move.”
“Naa, no, Ian, not like that,” Jamie said, taking one look at me and then back at the building. Jamie turned and gave Will a knowing look.
Will nodded and took off in a sprint across the grassy field, keeping as low as possible in the tall weeds.
I lifted the binoculars and watched him go.
“Do you always have to be right, man?” I heard Ian grumble at Jamie.
“Just being cautious,” Jamie answered.
Will moved quickly and soon he was at the building. “He’s clear so far,” I said. I watched as Will looked into the windows of the club. He flashed me an “okay” sign and then dodged around the back of the building and out of sight. I held my breath. We waited.
Moments later, Will came running from behind the building. He was dashing quickly through the grass. “They’re coming,” he yelled. “They’re coming,” he screamed again as he ran toward us.
Seconds later, cresting over the shooting range hill, two dozen little bodies appeared. I lifted the binoculars. “Oh my god,” I whispered. “Oh god,” I said, pressing the binoculars toward Jamie.
Without even waiting to know what was coming, Summer yelped and jumped back into my SUV.
Jamie lifted the binoculars and took a quick look. “Is that the Cub Scouts?” he asked in amazement.
I jumped into the driver’s seat of Ian’s truck. “We need to get Will,” I called to the guys. They hopped into the back, and I hit the gas.
I sped across the bumpy field to intercept Will. When he was close, Ian and Dusty leaned down and pulled Will into the back of the truck.
“Layla, turn the truck around so we can get a line of fire on them,” Jamie called.
I turned the truck, and getting it on higher ground, pulled to a stop. At once they started to fire.
“Fuck, there is like two dozen of them,” Will called. “They are in the god damned weeds. I can’t see a thing.”
“Layla, we need your automatic,” Ian yelled to me.
I shimmied through the window of the pick-up cab and stood in the back. I unholstered the gun and took aim. The first child appeared in the grass. He was still in his Cub Scout uniform. Half of his face was a bloody pulp. He looked like a broken cherub. He came crashing toward us at an alarming rate.
“Layla, shoot,” Ian yelled at me.
A moment later six more children emerged from the weeds. The guys shot at them but they were quick, moving swiftly toward the truck.
“Layla, shoot that fucking gun,” Ian yelled at me.
I stood frozen.
“Shoot that fucking gun!” Ian screamed again.
A split-second later Jamie took the automatic from my hands. “It’s alright,” he whispered. Turning then, he launched a barrage of bullets toward the oncoming children. They fell quickly. I backed up toward the cab. A moment later, however, I heard the horn on my SUV honking.
I looked back. At least four women were clawing at the side of my SUV. I realized then that Summer had locked herself in without the keys.
A boy grabbed at Will’s leg, nearly pulling him to the ground. Dusty shot the child’s brain through his ear.
I looked back at Summer. “Dammit,” I swore. I pulled the Glock from the holster, climbed over the roof and down onto the hood of the truck, and set off in a sprint toward Summer.
“Layla!” Jamie called, but the children kept coming at them.
I dashed through the field back toward Summer. When I got close, I whistled to draw the undead Cub Scout moms’ attention. Afraid I would hit Summer, I didn’t want to shoot toward the SUV.
The women turned and lunged toward me. I was quick. I shot the first two with no problem. The second two were fast and I missed. As the third one came close, I finally got a shot off. The fourth, however, seemed to purposefully avoid being shot. She dodged. I pulled my sword and let her get in close. I swung, decapitating her. Her head fell to the ground. The body wandered across the grass a few more steps then toppled over.
I stood over the head. It was still biting and snapping at me. I stabbed it between the eyes; the pale moons lost their sheen.
I ran toward Summer but heard rustling in the brush behind me. I turned to find a plump little red haired boy bearing down on me. In that moment, I knew I had to get past it. Child or not, he would kill me and eat me alive. Or worse yet, turn me into one of them.