Chomper Universe Series (Book 1): Chompers Read online

  CHOMPERS

  by

  J. Okuly

  Dedicated to Mark … The guy with all the good ideas

  “Since looting is now legal, I'm taking this chandelier for my living room.”

  “Looting is not legal,” said Mark. “It's expedient.”

  “I'm joking,” I said. “Don't you think it's acceptable to joke about looting during the Apocalypse?”

  He nodded. “If not now, then when?

  “Look out!” Kitty pointed over my shoulder. I jumped away from the spot where I had been stuffing knives into my backpack. A huge Chomper dude stood there and before I knew what was happening, two more creatures joined him. Their pale skin sported a greenish tinge. I wondered if they were starting to decompose or mutating into something new. These Chompers had a sharp look about them instead of their usual vacant expressions. Their pupils appeared jaundiced under Home Depot's unflattering lights. The combination of green skin and yellow eyes gave them the appearance of a human/lizard hybrid.

  “What the ...” I said.

  Mark aimed his pistol and hit the largest Chomper in the head. The creature crashed at my feet and the other two advanced towards us. Then they started to chase us. This was new. They no longer moved in slow motion because now they could run.

  “This isn't good!” I took off faster than green grass through a goose.

  “Excellent observation, Sherlock.” Kitty ran behind a shelf and took aim. Her bullet hit the second Chomper in the head and it fell to the floor. As we raced toward the exit, I thought of how we had transformed ourselves from Texas college students into Chomper assassins. We had no choice because in this new world survival measured itself in hours rather than days.

  “Nice to know a bullet to the head still stops them,” she said.

  I nodded. “And thank the Lord you're a good shot.”

  We didn't wait to see if the third Chomper still followed us. We ran faster than a hot knife through butter. We flew past the abandoned cash registers and out the front entrance of the cavernous building. We jumped into the van and roared off through the parking lot.

  “What was that?” I said. “They're changing again!”

  “Mutating,” said Mark. “They lulled us by how sluggish they were in the beginning. Now it's a whole new ballgame.”

  “They are definitely much faster and more aggressive,” said Kitty.

  “But still not decomposing,” I said. “I didn't smell anything nasty, and by now they should be stinking like something the dog kept under the porch.”

  A wave of heat scorched my brain and I gripped my head between my hands.

  “Owww!” Kitty screamed and our voices joined in a chorus of pain.

  A group of Chompers blocked the parking lot exit with their bodies. They held hands with each other. I had never seen them do this, and they stared at us with eyes which were more reptilian than human. There was no longer a cloudy membrane covering their pupils. The whites of their eyes were a light shade of green. The Chomper Death Ray lanced through my skull with such intensity I feared my brain would explode like a chick expelled from a cracked egg. It had never hurt this much before, so what in the world was going on?

  Blood dripped onto my jeans and I wiped my bleeding nose with the back of my hand. I glanced at Mark. He seemed unaware of his own gushing nose as he slammed the van into the group of creatures blocking our escape.

  12, 13, 14, 15... My brain started to work again and I remembered to count. But it seemed an eternity before the flaming holocaust in my head settled into a slow-moving swarm of stinging insects.

  Chapter 1

  I drove with care, not wanting to run over someone on the clogged, congested streets. It was as if pedestrians ruled the night and the few cars motoring along had to be wary of hitting them. I drove in circles around our neighborhood. I checked the coffee shop, the pizza parlor, the ice cream shop next to the pizza parlor, and the movie theater. All our usual hangouts. Nova sat beside me and whimpered. Tonight she was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

  I couldn't leave town without trying to find my friends. I tried 911 again, no dice. I called my mother and then all my friends' cell phones and got the same message. All circuits are busy, please try again later. Then a terrifying thought hit me. If this occurrence was not limited to the university or my town, what about the state? What if it was nationwide? Worldwide?

  I thumbed to the internet icon on my phone. The screen read: You are not connected to an internet provider. I switched to wi-fi. Nothing. What was going on? I threw my phone on the floor. Then I thought better of it and picked it up.

  A girl slammed into the side of the SUV and banged on the door with her fists. “Gigi!” screamed Bonnie. “Y'all open the stupid door or I'm gonna' cream your corn!”

  I unlocked the door and Bonnie threw her body into the car. Nova jumped into the back seat to avoid imminent squishing.

  “What's going on?” She struggled to speak as she took deep breaths. “What in the name of Scarlett O'Hara is going on out there?”

  “I don't know.” My hands shook as I pulled away from the curb and continued toward the university. “The world's gone crazy.”

  “I was at the ice cream parlor. I went to that Italian cooking class at the pizza place and then I went next door to have some ice cream.”

  I noticed she had chocolate on her face. I reached over to wipe it off with my finger. She jumped at my touch.

  “Stop it!” She batted my hand away. “Don't y'all make sudden moves like that. You know how scared I am of snakes? This makes the snake fear seem like less than zero. And you know I don't like anyone to touch me.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I actually forgot. I'm lucky I can remember my own name.”

  “What are we going to do?” Her voice was a pitiful whine and Nova whined in sympathy.

  Panic bubbled under the surface of my skin and I held my emotions in check with an act of will. If I gave into panic, I would plow this big vehicle into a telephone pole faster than a possum attacks a sweet potato. I took several deep breaths. I had to hold on to my sanity for the sake of my friend and my dog.

  “We'll figure it out,” I said with a determined tone of voice. “First, we'll find the other girls and then we'll get out of town.”

  “And go where?” Bonnie screamed at me as she pushed her blond hair out of her eyes. She managed to spread chocolate ice cream from her face to her hair. Her normal tone of voice was always down-home country shrill, but now it seemed to have tripled in volume.

  I tried to soothe her. “Shhh calm down, get a grip.”

  Nova whined again which scratched my last nerve. “Both of you calm down. We'll head to Austin when we find the others.”

  “Austin.” She nodded. “Yes, good idea.”

  Bonnie's major was Special-Ed. Sometimes she reminded me of the small children she hoped to teach one day. Everything she touched was a disorganized mess. She had her own room in our house because no one wanted to share space with her and live with all that clutter. Yet, she could cook like a dream. In the kitchen she was happier than a hound dog snoozing in the sun. This was God's gift to her.

  The four of us had grown up together in Austin, Texas and all our families knew each other. We were the Four Amigas and had been friends since elementary school.

  My thoughts turned back to the crisis and I struggled to remain positive. This would all be over by morning. The internet and the phone would flip back on. People would stop howling at the moon. We would be laughing about this over breakfast tomorrow.

  “Rebecca had a date tonight,” said Bonnie. She went out with that dude.”

&nb
sp; “What dude?”

  She shrugged. “ I can't keep them straight. That dude from the band.”

  I thought out loud. “Badger or Ranger, something like that. Where were they going?”

  “The Union.”

  The Union was a student hangout on campus which served fabulous onion rings and pizza. It also hosted live music most nights.

  “Was his band performing?”

  Bonnie shook her head. “No, they went to dance and hang out.”

  “What about Kitty?”

  “Library. Researching stuff.”

  “Okay so both of them should be on campus.” I stepped on the gas pedal as I navigated around the chomping, howling people who spilled into the street.

  “What if Kitty and Rebecca are like them?” She pointed to the window.

  “We need to hope for the best. Pray like you've never prayed before.”

  The campus was not as crowded as it had been when I left it, but everything seemed more chaotic. It disturbed me to see a security golf cart laying on its side in the parking lot. Could it be the same cart which had given me a lift to my car? Where was that security guard now?

  I stopped the SUV in front of the library.

  Bonnie looked around. “Now what?”

  I didn't want to get out of the car. The thought of being among those people … I didn't want to do it.

  “I'll go.” She reached for the door.

  “No!” I pulled her hand back. “You stay here and protect Nova. I'll lock you in.”

  Before I could change my mind, I jumped out of the car. The thought of losing Bonnie after I found her terrified me. I needed to keep my loved ones safe. I needed to protect them.

  I saw myself as the mother hen of our group. That's why I was studying to be a nurse so I could help people and be the care-giver. Art was my hobby which was the reason I was taking an art class one night a week. Painting pictures helped me relax. After the intense concentration required for my chosen major, I needed a break.

  I hurried up the steps of the library dodging crazies as I ran. A large girl barreled towards me and I swerved to avoid her bulk. Finally I was inside the building. The library was not as quiet as it usually was. There was chomping, there was howling, there were people slamming into shelves and knocking them over without rhyme or reason. The library resembled a daycare more than a college facility.

  “Kitty,” I yelled. “Are you here?”

  A female Chomper who stood nearby put her hands over her ears as if my voice was fingernails on a chalkboard. She gave me a look of such hatred and hostility that I decided not to yell again. The Chompers howled like banshees, but if an uninfected person yelled, it seemed to agitate them.

  “Kitty,” I said but realized she would never hear me above all the racket.

  I ran past a computer and then stopped. I attempted to bring up the internet. Nothing.

  Then I saw her. She stood on one of the tall ladders scattered throughout the library. These were available for students to reach books which were high up on the shelves. Kitty clung to the ladder as if it was the last remaining lifeboat on the Titanic. As she hung on for dear life, her thick auburn mane fell across her face. Her tight t-shirt and jeans molded themselves to her hourglass figure. She held her full lower lip between her teeth and she was chewing on it for all she was worth.

  I waved my hands over my head until I got her attention. With all the crazies around, I didn't want to risk yelling and setting them off somehow.

  “Gigi!” Her voice was an octave higher than usual but she didn't scream. She looked over her shoulder as if she sensed that yelling was not a good idea. Kitty was street smart. It amazed me that she seemed to have a sixth sense with regard to emotions, moods and attitudes. She could sense when a guy had ulterior motives and only wanted her body, but was not interested in her mind. And what a mind it was. She was a pre-law major and sometimes I felt like a total dummy next to her.

  “Can you come down?” I said. “I've got Bonnie and Nova in the car. We're heading to Austin as soon as we find Rebecca.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She scooted down as if the ladder was her lifeline and she was reluctant to let it go.

  When she finally made it to the floor, she hugged me and said, “Where's Rebecca?”

  “She went dancing at the Union.”

  “With that guy from the band? Prancer or whatever his name is?”

  “Yes. We need to find her.”

  “Okay. Let's drive over there and get as close to the front door as possible.”

  I nodded. “I'll drive up on the patio and run over chairs and umbrellas if I need to.”

  That's exactly what I did.

  When we got there, I reached for the door handle and looked at Kitty. “Stay here.”

  She drilled me with a look. “Not on your life.”

  I sighed. When Kitty made up her mind, there was no changing it.

  Bonnie's voice was tentative. “You could stay with me.”

  Kitty slammed the door in her face and we ran into the Union.

  There was no music playing. Tables lay overturned. A disco ball rotated on the ceiling as it threw off prisms of color around the dance floor.

  “Rebecca,” I said. “Are you in here?”

  We searched the building but we couldn't find her. We ran back to the car and there was Rebecca banging on the passenger door. The skinny guy with her was also banging on the window. His eyes were huge and frightened above his sallow cheeks.

  “Bonnie luv, open the door this instant,” Rebecca said in her clipped British accent. In my mind, Rebecca and Kitty vied for most beautiful girl I had ever seen. On a good day Rebecca won....on a different day Kitty took the title. But tonight Rebecca appeared as disheveled as I had ever seen her look. Her long brown hair matted around her head. Her wrinkled and grass-stained blouse was no longer crisp and white. She wore knee high, black leather boots scuffed and no longer polished to perfection. Rebecca was meticulous about her clothes and her many, many pairs of shoes. She was majoring in fashion design, and she struggled to improve the way the rest of us dressed. Since we attended school full time and survived on a limited budget, improving our looks was an exercise in futility.

  I clicked the door lock and we all piled in.

  “Why didn't you let us in?” Rebecca huffed at Bonnie. “You saw me out there banging on the window.”

  “I panicked!” said Bonnie. “I couldn't remember how to open the door.”

  I looked at her. “Are you kidding me?”

  I had my finger on the lock button when the back door flew open. The security guard who had given me a lift to my car threw himself into the backseat. Nova yipped and jumped into the rear of the SUV to avoid imminent squishing again.

  “What the...” I said as I locked the door. “What are you doing here?”

  He was out of breath and it took him a minute to speak. “I crashed my golf cart and I don't want to be out there on foot.”

  “I'll drive you to your car,” I said throwing the SUV into reverse. I backed up dragging an umbrella behind me. The canvas cover ripped away from the bumper. Then I turned the vehicle to the left and the rest of the umbrella fell off.

  The security guard said, “Here's the deal. I rode the bus this morning because my car is in the shop. I had classes all day and then I worked my shift. I was going to walk home tonight, but now …”

  “You're a student?” I gave him a skeptical look. He was older than us by at least five years.

  “Pre-med,” he said. “My name is Mark.”

  I introduced myself.

  “I started as a poly-sci major,” he continued. “But I changed my mind. I've also been pre-law at one time.”

  “Lord help us,” said Kitty. “Another lawyer.”

  “You want us to drop you somewhere?” I said. “We're heading out of town.”

  He was silent for a beat. “Can I come with you? I want to get out of here too, but I don't have my car. I can help with gas mone
y.”

  I considered this. Two men along for the ride might be safer than four single females. I was a feminist but I knew that some people on this earth had not caught up to my enlightened way of thinking. I made an executive decision.

  “All right. Bring money and as much food as you can carry.”

  Kitty frowned. “Can we vote on this?”

  I looked at her in the mirror. “Safety in numbers?”

  As usual, she was on the same wavelength as me. She nodded agreement.

  Mark gave me directions to his apartment, and we headed to a neighborhood near the U. When we stopped in front of his building, I said, “Hurry up, okay? Get in and get out. We need to hit the road.”

  He got out of the car and took off running.

  Then Rebecca's companion spoke. “I need to use the loo.”

  He was another British ex-pat but he didn't have Rebecca's Royal Family accent.

  “Forgive me, I didn't introduce you,” she said. “Everyone, this is Swagger. He's from my home land.”

  Swagger twirled the ring in his nose and ran his hand through his blue hair. Rebecca could sure pick them I thought. For such a beautiful, refined girl, she had the absolute worst taste in men. Swagger continued the long trend.

  “Does anyone else need to go before we get on the road?” I asked.

  No one said a word.

  “Hurry up then,” I said. “Run and catch up with him, Swagger.”

  Swagger left the SUV and ambled up the sidewalk. I yelled out the window, “Hurry up; you're walking slower than cream rising from buttermilk.”

  Kitty sighed. “Are you ever going to grow some sophistication?”

  Bonnie leaned forward. “As Dolly Parton says, 'Them's fightin' words.'”

  “I meant we're not living in the pre-war South. And by pre-war, I mean pre-Civil War. You have the colorful Texas Southernisms down to a science, but you need to stop. That goes for you too Bonnie!”

  “Hey, I can't change my Southern-fried ways,” I said. “They're what make me ME.”

  “I like the way she talks,” said Bonnie. “Reminds me of the kin folk.”