Part 6

11/22/24

        After an hour Travis woke up, moaning and whimpering. He held his arm close to his chest and got up. He walked over to the sink to grab some water. Ben stirred from where he was sitting, having dozed off.

       “Vince.” called out Ben half-heartedly. “He's awake.” 

        “About damn time.” Vince mumbled as he slowly got out of April's bed, scratching his rough beard. “How's he looks?”

        Ben got up and helped Travis pull a glass down from the cupboard. Ben got a better look at the state Travis was in. He was still pale but admittedly looked better. There were blood stains on the end of the towel but not enough for it to be a concern for heavy bleeding. Travis was weak but steady on his feet. 

       “He’s okay, just needs to rest to get his energy back.” Ben walked back to the couch with Travis and helped him sit down.

       “Well unfortunately, we don't got time for that. She's already farther from me than she should be. We need to get going and catch her.” Vince walked over and leaned against the metal door. “Travis will have to either stay here or come with me, his choice, But I'm going to get my Doll back.”

       “How are we going to find her? It's already been over an hour; she could be anywhere.” Travis sounded weak but you could hear the determination in his voice. He would never leave his big brother's side, not unless he was dead.

       “Oh don't you worry about that, I'd know my sweet doll's scent anywhere. And with my new senses, I think I could track her from miles away.” Vince lifted his head and sniffed the air. He sighed and closed his eyes as memories of April washed over him. She was like an addiction he could not get enough of. He loved her with all his heart, and he will do anything to get her back, no matter the cost.

       Ben stared at Vince; his features seemed to change before his eyes. He was at least a foot taller than he was when this all started and his muscles bulged, straining the flannel. He looks worse than before. Is he gonna turn completely into an animal?

       “I'm coming with you. “Travis got up, swayed on his feet but determined to follow along with his brother. 

       You sure there, Lil’ bro?” Vince beamed, proud at Travis' desire to do anything for him. He raised him right.

       “Yes, you need me, I can help fight.” Travis stood just a little taller. 

       “Damn right you can. Guess that just leaves you, Ben, except you have no fucking choice.”  Vince hated Ben, he wished he never roped him into the kidnapping 20 yrs ago, but back then he needed him. He was the only one with a van.

      “What are you gonna do when you find her?” 

      “She's gonna regret ever leaving me.” Vince grabbed his knife off the couch and went to the sink, rinsing the blood away. He wiped it off on his jeans and put it back in its sheath. 

       “I'm coming. I want to make sure she is safe.” Ben was willing to risk his life to make sure she was okay.  

       “Fine, let's go, I'm not saving your ass against anyone though. So, you better not be fucking lying about having powers.” Vince left the vault and led them up the ladder after that. Looking around at the dark forest, past the farmland, he knew his precious doll went that way. He could sense it, his new powers giving him better clarity over the night, he knew exactly which way she went. “This way! Get moving, I want her back in my arms before the morning.”

         As they walked into the dark woods, Vince paused occasionally to smell and adjust the direction they were going. He could smell her, but it was difficult for him to pinpoint exactly where. Their walk consisted of a lot of backtracking and circling around, trying to find the trail again. They heard the trees rustling, creatures jumping from branch to branch, scurrying into the night. Vince loved looking up at the moon, it was a full one tonight. How fitting, he thought and smirked. 

         The three made slow progress, making sure Travis could keep up. It was hours before he spoke up, bringing the walk to a halt.

         “Guys, I need to sit and rest, and I need water.” Travis nearly collapsed on a nearby stump.  He looked better but was very weak, Vince knew that he couldn't keep going.

        “Alright let's stop. I can build a quick fire, with the help of you Travis,” he winked at him. “The river is right there, and we used to drink from that as kids, Ben, help Travis there so he can have some water. I'm gonna gather some wood.”

            Ben helped Travis back to his feet, taking care not to touch his right arm. Vince had been correct when saying the river was nearby, not more than twenty to  twenty five feet away.  They kneeled on the rocky rivers edge as Ben helped to scoop water to Travis mouth.

            Vince wandered around the area, looking for thin branches on the forest floor. He managed to collect a good armful when he heard the crunching of leaf litter coming from behind him, slowly getting closer.

            “You shoulda stayed with Travis, Ben. You never do what your fucking told.’ Vince cursed at Ben without turning around. He decided to head back to camp to start building the fire. He only walked a few feet before catching a glimpse of Ben and Travis still sitting on the river's edge.  He could still hear something slowly creeping closer. He sniffed the air and noticed there is now a distinct mangy, dirty smell.

            He slowly turned to see an elk slowly inching its way closer to him, staring straight at Vince. Saliva dripped from its mouth; it stopped moving when they locked eyes. He could see pure evil in them. The creatures' antlers were massive as they were getting near shedding season, but they seemed twice as big as they should be. He could tell this animal had been affected by The Change.  

            “Shit;” he froze. He had shot an elk before but never had he been face to face before. He dropped the sticks and the elk lunged toward him.

            In an instant, Vinces’s hand shot out and hit the elk on the snout. He side-stepped as the elk rushed past him, narrowly missing the antlers.

           Woah, how did I do that? He knew he was more athletic than the average man but that had happened in a split second. His reflexes were evolving. I'm becoming a fighting machine, he smirked. The elk had turned around and was preparing for a second charge.

          Vince picked up a soft ball sized rock and threw it straight at the elk’s head. The crack was deafening, and it just shook its head, seemingly unbothered. Ben and Travis jumped up and started heading towards the elk. 

         The elk, further enraged, he lowered his head and charged towards Vince. Unable to dodge in time, he managed to grab on the antlers, heels digging in dirt, he was pushed back a few feet but managed to stop it. 

         “Vince! Hold him still!” Travis had his remaining hand out, palm facing the elk. A soft light started in the middle of his palm and grew until it was a small ball of fire. He focused his energy out of his hand and the fireball shot out, creating a long stream covering the elk. The sound that came out of it was unlike anything they have ever heard, a deep, guttural scream of pain. The elk tried to back up, but Vince still had a hold of his antlers. Vince used all his strength and slammed it against a tree, focusing the impact to its neck. With a sick crack, the elk went still. 

        Ben stared, dumbfounded, at the carnage in front of him. There was no way he could compete with them. One day they will find out he is powerless. And they will kill him.  

        “Did you just hide behind a tree during that? Fucking useless” Vince glared at Ben, wiping his dirt-stained hands on his even dirtier jeans. He walked back to the pile of sticks he dropped and gathered them back up. “Let’s go Travis, help me light this fire, then I’ll cut up some of that elk so we can eat.”