Backpack

“I think they saw us!” Faith whispers shakily to Ryan who has an axe gripped tightly in his hand, his breathing labored from running.

The two crouch down tensely behind a pile of hay inside the wooden barn, littered with half eaten animal carcasses. Faith snaps angrily “We should never have volunteered for this!”

“Shut up!” Ryan whispers harshly at Faith as the sound of footfalls break the silence and next came the all too familiar rasping noises that makes Faith cower in fear.

“Oh no! “Faith groans as Ryan readjusts his backpack and steals a cautious peek from behind the hay stack.

Through the shattered wooden door, five flesh feeders amble slowly inside bringing with them the stench of rotten meat that almost makes Faith gag.

Their skin is pale and shrunken, their eyes seem infected by cataracts, and their ragged clothes stained with fresh blood.

They all drag their feet as they wander inside the dark barn sniffing the air for their next kill.

Ryan swings his face away from view and turns to Faith and places a warning finger to his lips as she nods tearfully wielding a shovel in her sweaty hands.

The flesh feeders fall to the ground and start to feed on the carcasses with gusto, the sound of ripping flesh and rasping sounds are all Ryan can hear as he looks around for a way out.

Faith points to a compromised part of the wooden wall and motions breaking it open but Ryan shakes his head and motions that the area may be difficult to break.

Ryan points to the window to their left side and motions lifting her up and Faith nods in agreement and starts to rise but Ryan yanks her down in alarm.

“Not yet”! Ryan mouths wordlessly in annoyance.

One flesh feeder rises gingerly from its half- eaten meal and sniffs the air suddenly like a lion that has caught a scent of its prey.

Faith’s arm has a fresh cut and wraps it around her bandana but accidentally drops her shovel on the floor with a clunk.

The lone flesh feeder gives a raspy cry to its companions who rise up from their feeding frenzy while Ryan yanks Faith up with him and yells “RUN!”  

The flesh feeder’s movements are slow yet steadfast as they are drawn by the sound of the two teenagers trapped with no means of escape.

The two make a mad dash towards the window and Ryan quickly gives Faith a boost but when she tries to open the window it doesn’t budge.

“What’s taking you so long they’re heading this way!” Ryan call out frantically as he watches the flesh feeders moving slowly in their direction.

“It’s jammed”! Faith cries out as the flesh feeders make a beeline toward them.

“Break it open with your shovel! “ Ryan shouts back.

Faith begins to smash the window with the shovel and it shatters after a few hits.

“Here, take the backpack” Faith grabs the bag of supplies and tosses it out the window but as she climbs  halfway through she spots two flesh feeder down below and screams in terror. ”They’re down there too!”

Ryan snatches his axe from the ground as a flesh feeder reaches a bloody hand toward him and hits it hard over the head and it falls to the ground.

Ryan asks as Faith comes tumbling down behind him, her arms wounded from the glass and picks up her shovel to smash the head of an approaching flesh feeder on Ryan’s left.”

More flesh feeder’s troop into the barn and Ryan calls to Faith in anguish “Quick, head for that wall, it’s our only shot!”

Faith starts beating the moldy wall with the shovel and it starts to give way while Ryan takes out another flesh feeder. “Hurry their too many!”

The wall gives out and Faith squeezes through with Ryan close behind just before a wrinkled hand can grab him.

The field on this side is clear and the only light beams from the half -moon overhead.

Ryan grabs Faith by the arm as she flees “Wait, we need to get the backpack”.

Faith flings her arm away from him and cries out in anger “I don’t care Ryan! We almost died back there and for what? A couple of canned sardines and pickles? No, I’m heading back to camp right now!”

“Did you forget there’s no food at camp?” Ryan narrows his eyes at her as she glances towards the woods down below wielding her shovel.

Faith fires back “Did you forget the camp rule? If anyone isn’t back within a week they move on and we’ve been gone for six days! “Ryan seems uncertain as he says” We still have one day”.

“Then we can circle back to the town again, I’m sure there’s a house we missed!” Faith looks up desperately at Ryan who seems torn.

Ryan shakes his head. “That’s too risky! Please we don’t have much time! “Faith bites her bottom lip and sighs heavily. “Alright then, so what’s the plan?”

Ryan peers around the corner and spots three flesh feeders next to the backpack.

“We create a diversion, do you have that cigarette lighter? Ryan asks Faith as she digs into her jeans pocket. “Here, but we don’t have anything to light?”

Ryan searches around and spots a barrel a few feet away. Ryan turns to Faith and says.” I’ll set that barrel on fire, as soon as they move away, grab the backpack and come back here, got it”. Faith nods and waits patiently as Ryan moves as quietly as possible to the barrel.

Ryan picks up some fallen twigs and places them inside the barrel and lights it up.

The flesh feeders don’t budge.

Faith waves him over and the two watch hopelessly as three more flesh feeders join the others.

“Why aren’t they moving? “Faith asks quietly as Ryan sighs heavily. “I don’t think they can see”. Faith whispers back “But Jackson said they could, are there different types of flesh feeders? Do they mutate or something?” Ryan shrugs. “Who really knows anything about those things? Listen we need to attract them with noise”.  

Faith seems frightened now as Ryan looks at her thoughtfully. “I’ll draw them away as you grab the backpack and run, tell my sister I love her and…and I tried”. Faith looks alarmed “That’s suicide! You’re an idiot if you go through with-

But Ryan sprints into the clearing and starts shouting. “HEY! OVER HERE! FAITH GO NOW!”

The flesh feeders rasp excitedly as they follow the sound from Ryan who takes off in the opposite direction. Some of the flesh feeders run after him which keeps Faith rooted to the spot in fright.

Faith looks angrily at the backpack and then back at Ryan being chased by rabid flesh feeders and runs towards the forest leaving the backpack behind.

Faith stops to catch her breath by the stream and starts to wash her wounded arms and sighs sadly. “I’m sorry Ryan, I’m not as selfless as you”.

The splashing noises is the only sound in the still darkness.

Faith rises to her feet and turns around but covers her mouth in silent horror. A few feet away is a lone flesh feeder that seems eerily human.

Faith glances at the shovel at her feet and slowly bends down to grab it.

The flesh feeder bares its teeth as it edges closer to Faith who hoist the shovel up high and gives a battle cry as she aims for its head.

The flesh feeder leaps into the air and falls to the ground right behind her and sinks its yellow teeth into her neck and she cries out in agony as she falls helplessly to the ground.

The sun begins to rise as the flesh feeders surrounding a tree frantically hiss and rush to hide from the sun’s rays.

Ryan is perched high among the branches and watches with relief at the retreating flesh feeders and starts to make his way down.

Ryan walks towards the barn bruised but otherwise unharmed and picks up the abandoned backpack with a look of disappointment and makes his way towards the clearing.

Ryan finally reaches the camp but finds the camp fire put out and the place abandoned. ”I’m too late they must have left a few hours ago”.

Ryan searches around the area and comes across a hand written note stuck to a tree that reads “Sorry we had to go. Flesh feeders. Meet us in Jones town, love Suzy”

Ryan smiles warmly as he pockets his sister’s note and beams, while he takes out a map and walks down the road.