1. Time to go. Hopefully you'll make it back to the car before this thing recovers.
You turn on your heel and run. Jesse runs beside you. Off to your right, about fifty yards away, another one of these things is rising from the corpse. It lets off another roar as it stands.
You take a quick peak over your shoulder to see the original creature beginning to move after you. It's still on fire. The heavy thud of hoof beats begins to follow you as you near the gate.
Jesse, slightly ahead, slides like a baseball player neatly under the lowest bar. You pause to duck under it, the thuds of the thing closing behind you getting louder in your ears.
As soon as you turn to run toward the car, the creature rams the gate, crashing into it with a loud scream of both worm and torn metal. The gate, obviously heavily reinforced, splits open as the creature passes through it. But in doing so, the thing loses its footing and slams into the ground.
You sprint ten feet behind Jesse to the car. Her legs flash back and forth in front of you, her arms pumping, her ponytail streaming behind her.
Jesse reaches the car and jumps into the driver's side. You shortly thereafter halfway sit, halfway dive into the passenger seat. You turn to look out the windshield to see the creature about twenty feet away, another one just coming through the shattered gate.
The car is already running. Jesse throws it into reverse and slams the pedal down. Tires squealing, you back out onto the highway, Jesse spinning the wheel to turn the vehicle. The buffalo rounds the corner onto the main highway.
Jesse lets off the gas, brakes, and shifts into drive. Once again slamming the gas down, she accelerates past the creature as the worms extend to tear metal away from the side of your car. The noise of it is like a thousand nails on a chalkboard.
The two creatures fall behind as you reach 80, 90 mph. The adrenaline begins to fade away from your system as you realize you are breathing heavily. Beside you, Jesse is in much the same state.
"Nice driving," you say, finally. "And, thanks for saving my life."
Jesse looks over at you. "Hey, I got one," she says.
"What?" you reply, confused.
"Bovines," she says.
Despite everything, you can't help but laugh.
***************************************
Fifteen minutes later and still no signs of anything other than pristine hillsides. You haven't talked much, just basking in the silence of being alive. Jesse for her part has given you a few long, concerned looks, but so far hasn't said anything.
Suddenly, she pulls off the side of the road. You look at her, questioning.
"Sorry," she says. "I think all the excitement overstimulated my bladder, or something," she says, stepping out of the car.
"I won't be a minute," she says over her shoulder as she begins to walk down a slope into some trees.
You get out of your seat and lean against the side of the car, letting the sun beat down on you. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out.
When you open your eyes Benny is standing in front of you, leaning against a telephone pole not far away, smiling with bloodless lips.
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1. Throttle him.
2. Ignore him. Get back in the car.
3. Talk to him. Ask him what happened back there with the paralyze thing.
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Poll
4 (66.7%)
Author
Topic: The Ends (Read 59219 times)