Chapter 12

Taylor was driving ahead with her sister asleep along with two in the back seat while the other two vehicles flowed behind them.

" I don't see how you three can sleep on this bumpy road" Taylor said glancing over at her sister then in the rearview mirror seeing May holding her daughter tightly against her when she saw something running beside them in her peripheral vision.

" Lia wake up...I seen something" Taylor said waking up Lia and May who gently shook her daughter Lydia awake while all three grab their guns while looking out the windows.

" Guys keep your eyes open, something was running on our left " Lia said as Taylor nodded her head keeping her eyes on the road while Lydia climbed over her mother to get a better look in the trees, May handed her a flashlight.

When she shone the light through the dark forest her eyes widen at seeing what use to be humans running on all fours with their skin that was torn off or hanging by threads.

" it's like that guy that was infected at the cabin.... they're are at least a dozen of them " Lydia said as Monroe and the others shine their spotlight over at them, they seen one that was completely void of any skin showing the muscles and veins. Even their limbs have grown longer and shifted to what an animals limbs would be, another one had its head turned completely upside down with what seems to be extra muscles connecting the head to the body.

Some of their jaws flesh was ripped allowing them to open their mouths wider with jagged pointed teeth, Alex started loading all of the shotguns to have them ready to fire while Kyle was in the back hatch using some of the tools along with pipes and ammo to make pipe bombs along with Malotovs.

" Desperate measures " Kyle said to the woman and kids who was carefully watching him while he explained everything he did just in case they'll have to make them in the future.

" ok let's stay at this speed so we don't run off the road " Barnes said as his wife was loading guns and extra clips in case a fight will break out.

" Hey we have pipe bombs and Malotovs for us all " Alex said over the radio while he turns to the channel where he can contact Tai.

Tai heard her radio squak to life while Ali shifted from her lap to the passenger seat, Tai hit the button three times to let Alex know she's listening so he explains what he is seeing to them.

" just keep heading my way, I'll meet you at the halfway point " Tai said and crawls to the back seat where she opened a hatch, lifting up a .50 caliber heavy machine gun attaching it to a dock that was already there.

" Ali these are the controls " Tai said closing the hatch back as Ali moved the gun from left to right then front to back.

" push this and it will fire " Tai said pointing to a trigger on the controls while she hands a tablet along with some of headpiece that will cover her eyes.

" this will help you better than looking at the tablet, it has a built in ear piece where you'll hear me or the radio...get use to it while we make out way to them and figure out if it's better with the vr or the tablet " Tai said turning the jeep on then driving down the road while watching the sides, front and back for anything out of the ordinary.

" if I was them I'd set up several traps in this bend, probably where if we miss one the other will get us " Tai said watching the road carefully, Ali seen Logs where a bush beside one moved and the VR put two squares on something behind each log marking them.

" they're behind each log " Ali said ready to fire if Tai gives her the go ahead, Tai pulled out her handgun which is a .40 Cal desert eagle that was chrome and pearl.

" put off one round on the ground in front of each log " Tai said as Ali did and both men flung themselves back away from the logs falling on their backs.

Tai put the car in park while Ali pointed the machine gun back and forth at each man who had their hands raised, she looked over seeing a gas can close to the road on each side with some brush covering them up.

" listen, she will open fire putting a .50 caliber slug in you both, You get over here and move those tanks and anything that will puncture out tires " Tai said walking closer with her gun trained on the man who wasn't the boys father while Ali had her gun trained on the boys father.

" look I have Jr he wants you to live " Tai said as the older mans mouth drops open while clenching his fist and walks over pulling up three boards that had nails in them and throws them into the woods.

" is the boy still alive " He asked while moving the tank into the tree line.

" yes he is and will remain so as long as I can keep them safe, he asked me to spare your life if I can and that your a good man " Tai said as the other man scoffed at them.

" how do we know you have him and if he's still alive " Phil said slowly stepping toward the tank and Harold shook his head no to his friend while Tai noticed.

" take another step and I'll blow your leg off " Tai said looking around the area for any infected that probably heard the gunshot.

" look he asked us to spare you and for you he really didn't say, my people reported that your infected son had some kind of parasites exit his body so we have Jr in isolation right now along with my man who was in the cabin when those things burted out of the boy." Tai said making Harold's eyes go wide with worry, Phil's face contorted with anger.

" what did you do with my other son who was tied up" Phil said clenching his fist, Harold watched his friend closely then made up his mind.

" look the only reason I stayed with this man and done what he said was to keep the boys safe, Jr isn't like his brother or father and I'll take good care of him...look he has a few more planks of wood on this road several feet from this spot...may I " Harold said as he jogged up the road pulling the wood from some dirt and shrubs throwing them over the bank, Phil went to attack Harold as Tai hit him in the head with the butt of her gun making the man fall to his knees groaning while holding his head.

" you fool...you don't know if Jr is still alive or if they'll kill you or not " Phil said while groaning in pain, Tai shook her head at the man then picked up her radio.

" Hino get Jr to the radio and let him talk to " Tai said then waited for the man's name while raising her eyebrows at him.

" Harold...my name's Harold " Harold said walking closer to Tai with his hands held high, a couple minutes later they heard Jr's voice come over the radio saying Tais name as Hino instructed him.

" Jr...are you ok...they didn't hurt you or anything did they" Harold said while a tear ran down his cheek, he heard the boy giggle and he smiled since it's been a while for the boy to do that.

" no they saved me or I'd been infected inside that cabin if it wasn't for Six and the others...Harold we don't need to follow my father anymore and I'm sure that they will let us join the group especially with your hunting skills...Just give up and come back with Tai, let my father go his own way or let them kill him since he'll never stop being cruel " Jr said as Phil started laughing histerically while standing on his two feet.

" he's right about that and I'll be sure to find you both to kill you all " Phil said when something tackled him making him roll over the the bank down the hill, Tai pulled Harold toward the truck as she watched a creature that had a elongated head with a tail that was whipping in the air as it was biting Phil and taking it's claws down his face and chest.

" what the hell " Harold said as Tai pushed him to the jeep to get inside while she did the same driving off, Ali used the cameras in slow motion to look that creature over and then played it on the tablet.

" it's body alone is about three foot but with that tail it's almost seven foot, I've never seen anything like this " Ali said pausing the video on the creature that had three long claw like fingers and she seen the long canines in its mouth.

" it has to be something with this virus...just like the parasites that the boy had come out, Hino said that Six watches them burst out of the boys body then crawl towards him." Tai said then parked the jeep taking the tablet out sending the video to Hino along with the text.

(" seal all the windows with that foam including any cracks that can have those worms crawl in, only drink the bottled water and stop using the showers for right now. Those large jugs outside can be brought in to use to fill the baths for now, the higher up the mountain we go the colder it will get so any host like parasite won't do well in the cold or under extreme heat so boiling water to a certain degree might work since fire killed them inside the shed...Ill be back by tonight or in the morning, move Six and Jr inside their own room together just in case they're more of these things around ") Tai sent the message along with then started driving again the jeep had several spots lights that lit up the area around and out from the jeep, she parked at the halfway mark and turned the jeep around so they could all drive off toward the cabin.

" from what Alex said over the radio it seems some infected are mutating, we need to get info from Jake as soon as possible and let him know about theses new things if he doesn't already know." Tai said after Hino replied that they'll get to work right away, Tai seen movement when she seen something that made her breath hitch.

A few dozen feet in the rear view mirror she seen something that had four legs and Two arms so she slowly turned around putting her finger over her lips to the other two to be quiet.

When she looked through the back window it was like two bodies had fused together, it was walking like a spider would using each individual limb to each take a step while the one head that was turned upside down with bulky neck muscles sniffing the ground.

The skin was ripped up the sides of it's face as it's jaw opened up large enough to hold a foot ball inside it's jaws, She looked at the fear in what was left of Phil's face as his body started shaking.

" let's go " Ali said watching the attack as Tai pulls off and picks up the radio for Alex to tell him what she seen and one of the things that she was looking at now that was standing over a dead deer carcus. At first they thought it was eating the deer but when they watched it pull the body up under it using the four arms, the deer was being consumed through it's under body leaving the head and legs was now the only thing that was hanging out.

" what the fuck " Ali gasped out when the head of the deer started moving and the legs was now being used with the four arms also the four legs making the creature move in a unnatural way.

" let's get out of here" Tai said slowly moving down the road while taking a glance at the way the creature moves in a unnatural way from the mirror.

" this is hell " Tai whispered under her breath while Ali kayed her hand on her thigh gently squeezing it, Tai smiles warmly at Ali then drives to meet Alex and them over an hour away.