Exit 39

He runs down the deserted highway with his tiny sister in his arms, his legs feeling like they are on fire. The hunters are not far behind, making his desperation grow even larger. It was not the smartest idea to steal from their camp, but they had no choice. Kate was starving, and the nights are only getting colder. They were desperate.

Sixteen-year-old Lonnie quickly glances over his shoulder as he runs, the sun sinking lower and lower behind the hills. They have to find shelter, and fast. He knows better by now to avoid being out in the open after dark, especially during the end of the world.

Just over a year ago, the Seekers first arrived and began their annihilation of humanity. No one was prepared for their arrival in the slightest. Billions of people disappeared within the first twenty-four hours, then hundreds of millions more in the following months. The Seekers only appear at night which makes traveling during the day much easier. The trademark of a Seeker is a distinct whirring sound, almost like a metallic purr. The true form of a Seeker is unknown, but a person would already be dead if they got that close. The last thing they would ever see is a blinding light, then all that is left behind is a pile of dusty clothes.

However, Seekers are the least of their problems right now.

Lonnie heads toward a highway exit and just in front of some nearby brush, he notices the road sign reading Exit 39 - Millbrae Meadows. Coming to a main road, Lonnie glances to the left and spots a lonely building near a gas station at the edge of the woods. It is not ideal, but they have no choice. The building is painted with drab shades of green and gray, colors which are similar to Lonnie’s childhood home. A bright red sign atop the front doors reads Millbrae Meadows Welcome Center and Museum.

He ducks inside and slams the double doors shut, but realizes it will not do much good since they are mostly glass. Lonnie hides behind a wall near the doors, sneaking an occasional glance outside. With the night already beginning to fall over the land, he can hardly see anything.

With the sun going down and the hunters still on their trail, there is not much time left before the real enemies arrive.

“You okay?” Lonnie cradles his sister’s head as she squeezes her arms around his neck for dear life. He can feel his chest vibrate when Kate starts to sob.

Lonnie looks around the main room, littered with trash and knocked-over displays. In the corner of the room, the cash register and postcard wheel are completely untouched aside from some dust. Then to his left is a wooden staircase leading up to the second floor. With no time to waste, Lonnie runs over with Kate still in his arms and treads up the stairs. He needs to find somewhere for her to hide if things get ugly.

Upstairs, they head left into a room containing glass cases of artifacts and old mining tools taking up roughly half of the space. A large, opened wardrobe rests in the corner, the size unaccommodating to Lonnie but will make a good hiding place for Kate. He has to pry a nervous Kate’s hands from his neck then sets her down inside.

“Kate, listen to me.” Lonnie kneels down to console his sister. “Stay here, and do not come out until I come get you. Okay?”

Kate pleads to her brother with innocence and fear in her sunken eyes. “L-Lonnie, why are those bad people chasing us? Are we gonna die? Please don’t leave.”

She begins to sob, plucking at her tattered dress out of habit. The heart-shaped locket around her neck, a gift from their mother, glistens from the minimal sunlight coming right through the window. Even with all of the running around they have done, she keeps exquisite track of the locket.

“Everything’s gonna be okay.” Lonnie lies, cradling Kate’s hand. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Lonnie kisses her forehead and gently shuts the wardrobe. Right as he does so, the sound of breaking glass is heard from downstairs.

They found us, Lonnie thinks to himself.

Lonnie spots and grabs an old-looking shovel on the floor to use as a weapon. Leaving his backpack behind, he takes a flashlight to navigate through the darkness. At the top of the stairs, he cannot see even two feet in front of him. He switches on the torch, lighting a clear path to the first floor. A loud CREAK echoes with each step. Downstairs, Lonnie slowly approaches the front door, now opened with one of the glass panes shattered.

He curses under his breath and glances through the window into the dark landscape. Thanks to the flashlight, he catches the reflection of a man directly behind him.

Lonnie turns just as the outsider grabs Lonnie by the neck, then swings him to the floor like a rag doll. Lonnie crashes with a loud THUD, the flashlight falling out of his reach, but he maintains a death grip on the shovel. The hooded attacker grabs him by the shoulders and screams into his face. “Where’s our shit?!”

Lonnie tries to swing the shovel at the guy’s face, but he sees this coming and slams Lonnie’s arm back down, knocking the weapon out of his hand.

“Where is it?! We know you took it!”

Up close with the hunter, Lonnie gets a good look into his eyes. There is nothing there, as if their primal instincts have completely taken over. This frightens Lonnie, but he cannot stay down. He must win this fight, for his sake and Kate’s.

Lonnie launches his head off the floor and headbutts the assailant in the bridge of their nose. The man cries out and clutches his face, giving Lonnie the chance to rise to his feet and tackle his opponent to the ground. Now is a perfect time as any for Lonnie to put his high school football training to good use. The two crash into an empty bookshelf, knocking it over and landing on top of it. With Lonnie now having the high ground, he hurls his fist at the man’s already bleeding face. Lonnie hits him again, then grabs him by the collar of his hoodie and roars. “Just leave us alone!”

Lonnie awaits a response, but the attacker has trouble breathing with a stocky-built teen kneeling on his stomach. With a burst of energy, the man reaches a hand up and socks the right side of Lonnie’s face. Lonnie was paying too much attention to the stranger’s face to even see it coming. He tastes blood in his mouth, but swallows the pain.

Lonnie is then shoved away by the man but manages to catch his balance before completely falling over. The crazed attacker stumbles to his feet, then reaches behind his back and brings out a switchblade. He lets out a ferocious battle cry and charges toward Lonnie. He swings the sharp blade right at Lonnie’s chest but barely misses. Forced against a nearby wall, Lonnie runs out of space to dodge the attacks.

The man raises the blade over his head and swiftly brings it down. Lonnie catches the man’s wrist, the knife hovering just inches from his eye. A struggle ensues, their staggering breaths colliding with each other. Lonnie uses all the strength he has to push the knife away from him, but he slowly feels himself losing. Taking a huge risk, Lonnie forces the knife to the side and rams his knee into the man’s stomach. He succeeds at knocking the switchblade from his grasp, but not before the knife cuts right through his jacket and pierces his shoulder. Lonnie ignores the pain of the cut and punches the man in the jaw.

Adrenaline and rage running through his veins, Lonnie jumps over the man’s fallen body and snatches the shovel from the floor. He turns around as he hears the man stand up, then swings the weapon at his head. A loud CLANG is heard and the opponent crumbles once more. In the process, the blade of the ancient shovel completely falls off. The weapon now useless, Lonnie lets the staff fall from his hands.

He silently stands over the fallen man for several moments, contemplating whether to just grab Kate and leave or finish him off. If he does let him go, there is bound to be another fight.

They will never let Lonnie and Kate go free.

With no other choice, Lonnie picks up the fallen switchblade, standing over his overpowered enemy. He grips the knife so tightly that his knuckles turn white. He raises the weapon and...

BANG.

Lonnie’s insides begin to feel like they are burning. He collapses, falling onto his back and clutching his stomach. He tries to scream, but he can barely usher a whimper. Emerging from the shadows near the staircase is a scrawny woman with a disheveled appearance. She smiles creepily as she pulls back the bolt of a hunting rifle and discards the shell. The woman walks closer and helps her comrade off the floor, staring at Lonnie as she does so.

Shock waves of agony roll through Lonnie’s body with each movement. He cannot build the strength to fight any longer. He has failed.

The woman licks her teeth, then aims right at Lonnie’s head for another shot.

Just as he accepts his fate, Lonnie’s ears pick up a metallic whirring sound coming ever closer to the building. Simultaneously, an extremely bright light from outside drifts right toward them.

Bingo, Lonnie thinks.

The Seekers have arrived.

He tries to sink back further into the floor as just about every window of the building shatters, quickly followed by the agonizing screams of his assailants. He does not look, not even a peek as the deafening purr blares into his ears. Lonnie lies on the hard floor for what seems like ages until the sound and light slowly dissipate.

He finally opens his eyes, the flashlight on the floor beside him rocking side to side. Lonnie struggles to sit up and sees that his attackers are long gone. It takes everything in him not to vomit at the sight of dusty clothes on the floor. He decides he will come back for the rifle after he returns to Kate.

Lonnie pulls himself off the floor with the help of a nearby counter. He keeps one hand pressed against his abdomen to stop the bleeding, his other hand gripping the flashlight.

“Kate?!” he calls out to his sister. “Are you okay? I’m coming up.”

Each step up to the second floor is unbearable, forcing Lonnie to periodically catch his breath, but his determination to tend to his sister is stronger than the pain. When he finally makes it to the room where he left Kate, calling out, “Kate? I’m he-”

He takes one look at the open, empty wardrobe and his heart shatters.

All that is left on the wooden floor is her tattered dress and coat, glazed with a fresh layer of dust. Kate’s heart-shaped locket is not too far from the wardrobe, its wearer nowhere to be seen.

Lonnie limps over and collapses to his knees, tears flooding his eyes. He picks up the necklace with a bloodied hand and holds it close to his chest. He no longer acknowledges the pain of his gunshot wound, it is insignificant to the anguish he feels now. A scream slowly builds in his throat, and with a deep inhale, he lets it out into the night. Lonnie looks over to the nearby broken window, a chilling night breeze washing over his face.

He screams once more, embracing the returning metallic purr, and he waits.

END