The road was beaten and being taken back by nature. There weren’t too many left to ride along, only the larger ones. Back roads were pretty much completely overgrown and mostly unseen any more. Taking it off road was the only way to move these days. In the cities even there, nature was starting to take everything over. UTV was one of the better ways to travel as it was capable of maneuvering across the uncertain terrain. Now that they were out of the city, the off road was the only way they were going to be traveling. Ivan new the territory pretty well and knew what was in store for them. Though once they had gotten out of the range he had already scouted then he would have to be a little more cautious as it was going to be going into the unknown.
Vee sat quietly as they were riding wanting to say something, but after what Ivan had stated just before they left, she was afraid to. “Sorry to have scared you earlier”, said Ivan knowing that he got to her. “Its fine”, said Vee. “I have our first place to arrive just before sun down. The area that we are arriving isn’t going to be pretty. Just know that going in. We will have to get set up quickly”, he said. “Why”, she asked? “Let’s just say that we will have some company if we don’t get out of the darkness”, he said. “What do you mean”, asked Vee? “Guessing your company never ventured out to many times did you? Makes since, but you definitely got lucky that’s for sure”, he said. Vee was starting to get frustrated with his bouncing around. Ivan smiled, “Sorry, not use to having passengers and having to explain everything to someone, but there are monsters there that not even a Vamgon would want to mess with. We will not have ot worry about zombies or other creatures there. These creatures are by far the worst in this world”, he said. “You going to tell me about them or not”, said Vee. “Don’t know much, but I’ve tried to watch them. Hard to get close enough to learn anything though. I do know that the darkness is what they live in. During the day they are fine and will not bother you”, he said. “Okay, are you going to at least give them a name”, she asked? “No, as you will have to see them for yourself”, said Ivan, “Trust me when I say, or not say much more about them”, said Ivan. “Why are we traveling this way then”, she asked? “I have my reason. Something is in there that I need, and it’s only available at night”, said Ivan. “What”, Vee was angry, “We need to get to my home and this is what we are doing first, risking our lives, for an errand.” “I’m risking my life, not yours. Remember that, I look to keep myself alive”, said Ivan. “And what I’m just a tool to you”, asked Vee? “No”, said Ivan. “Then I’m nothing, am I”, she asked? “You’re someone, that’s for sure, and I’ll keep you alive, but you’re on my schedule, my terms. You are just riding along as I get you back to your home”, he said.
Again Vee was upset, that was twice that Ivan had basically attacked her with words, and there was nothing to provoke it. “What’s going on with you, I have done nothing to you. I needed help and you came out. I didn’t know how else to call you out. I didn’t even know where you lived in the city, but you came and apparently saved me without me knowing I needed to be saved. I’ve been wondering the wild and avoiding all the monsters that are out here and everything to find this, a person who helps, but then attacks me. I might as well just jump out of here and find my own way back”, said Vee. “Good”, said Ivan. Tears were in her eyes as she was about to explode with anger. “I wanted to see if there was still fight in you. You have been nothing but downing since I found you. If we are to take on your home and the maniac that runs it, I need you to have spirit and be ready to fight. So far I haven’t seen that from you”, said Ivan. Vee sat there quiet then asked a question, “So?” “So, look I’m not a monster myself. I do care for what happens to you, but I still don’t know you or if I can truly trust you, but I’m not that gone from the world where you don’t give everybody the benefit of the doubt. If that were the case then the world is truly gone for certain”, said Ivan. Vee smiled slightly then sat still looking forward.
The trees and tall grass went by blurred in Vee’s eyes. The sun was starting to get to the point that light started to change to more orange and the dusk was starting to wake. Every once in a while they had to stop and cut old fence lines out of their way. They saw old houses and barns falling down. It was peaceful, for a moment and it was fun to be taking a drive and not seeing anything that was a monster. Moments in the world were something Ivan looked for and one of the deep reasons he worked hard on clearing out the city as much as possible. He wanted the moment to be able to just move about outside without watching your step. He looked over at Vee and saw her enjoying the ride not the actions that they were having to take.
“It’s not far now”, he said, “When we stop we are going to have to move fast, we won’t have much time to set up and be prepared.” “Again we are really going to be going to this horrible death place apparently”, said Vee. “I have never lied to you. I do need something there, something that is only available at night, or just as night falls”, said Ivan. “What exactly is there Ivan”, asked Vee? “Something that will help in any venture that is to come to us. I would say it is magical in nature”, said Ivan. “Magic”, Vee said stunned? “Yeah, we live in a time vampires and werewolves run all over the place, and the mention of magic is alarming”, said Ivan. Vee didn’t say anything but avoided eye contact. “And you wonder why I didn’t want to tell you back there”, said Ivan. “I guess…”, Vee was saying till Ivan interrupted, “You guess what?” “I guess, it isn’t completely outrageous. Look at what has happened the last few days. Something seems to be controlling monsters”, said Vee. “You believe that is what is happening”, asked Ivan? “Don’t know, but from what research I have been doing, it could explain what is happening. My findings hit a large brick wall, and I could never explain what was happening. At first I thought it was just the creatures evolving, or something, but zombies can’t evolve. Their dead reanimated corpses. Something is bringing them to life, but what”, said Vee. “Good question on that. All those movies always shoe them being infected and such, but what happens when there is no meat or anything. What is controlling them then? I haven’t seen them that decayed before so can’t say that they still are moving. Which come to think of it, I have never seen a bone zombie only, guess they do just rot away”, said Ivan. “Actually, I have seen one”, said Vee. “What do you mean”, asked Ivan? “I actually worked on one before. I told you that there were different creatures showing up outside the doors of the fort. Some with glowing eyes and such. One night we caught one. It was just at the start of seeing them pop up. We caught it and we examined it”, said Vee. “And what did you find”, asked Ivan? “Not much, but yeah, I was extremely surprised to see basically a skeleton walking about. It was clean of ligaments and everything. For the life of me I could not see what was making it walk around. Those eyes were glowing and I could find what was causing them to glow either”, said Vee. “Did it talk, did it say anything”, said Ivan. “No, that’s one reason that I was so shocked to hear that Vamgon talk like it did. The eyes were something that shook me as well. They were the same, the exact same”, said Vee looking at Ivan, as he looked at her.
Ivan looked forward and saw a smoke stack through the trees and in the distance. “We’ll get back to this, but for now we are here. We need to get this done. Are you ready”, asked Ivan? “For exactly what, I wouldn’t have a clue, but sure I’m ready”, said Vee. “Good”, said Ivan as they came to a clearing and there before them was an old factory of some sort. Ivan pulled over and stayed next to the tree line and circled a bit around the factory. The fence was mostly down all around it. Something Vee started to see were bodies of zombies and mutilated corpses of creatures and animals of the like. Her face went to scared quickly and Ivan saw it.
“Yeah I told you these things are bad. So when we stop do exactly what I say and we need to get our camp set”, said Ivan. “I don’t understand how getting our camp set should be helping us here. These things seem to be able to tear everything apart”, said Vee. “Yeah, but remember what I said, these things don’t like the light and only come out then”, said Ivan. “Alright, but what does that mean for us”, asked Vee? “Have some things in here that will help us survive the night just fine, but it takes time to get it ready”, said Ivan, “Before you keep on asking me questions, let me say, yes I had to be here at this time, and no, we could not get here earlier and set up.” Vee looked at him waiting, “Okay, ask”, said Ivan. “What does it matter that we are here at this time”, asked Vee? “Full moon tonight, and we will have an advantage. Any other night and we would be at a great disadvantage”, said Ivan. “What do you mean advantage”, asked Vee?
Ivan pointed to the parking area around the factory and there walking, rather lurking about the grounds were ghouls. Floating green carcasses moving about aimlessly and mindlessly. Vee’s interest peaked as she leaned forward looking at them. She had never seen something like them before and wondered what was going on. Ivan kept on driving and finally he had reached a place that was what Vee figured on the opposite of factory.
Ivan pulled over and then stopped turning off the UTV. They were just right outside the fence line. Getting out, he started to spout out orders to Vee to get things out of the back of the UTV and as she did he started to dig four holes in a ten by ten around them with one more hole in the center. One of the things that Vee took out were four poles that were wrapped in a tarp. Ivan helped and they unwrapped them. Ivan took them and put one together showing Vee how to do it as well. Ivan took the one put together and placed it in a hole he had dug. Vee had another one built and Ivan took that one placing it as well. After all four were built and placed, there was one more that needed to be made. It was just about a foot taller of the rest, with four arms that were flexible and about a foot long sticking out in four directions and then stuck in the center hole. Taking the tarp and then throwing it over the poles and aligning the corners to the poles they then tied them down tight to keep it taught.
Ivan then took out another bag and in it were a lot of trinkets and silver type items. “What is all that”, asked Vee? “Well this is going to keep us safe for the night out here”, said Ivan as he pointed everywhere but towards the factory. “What about over there”, asked Vee? “Well this fence line is the stopping point of them”, said Ivan, “They can’t set foot over here at all. So we are in good shape.” “So, why are we here and camped right here”, said Vee point down at the ground heavily. “So yeah, time to tell you what is about to happen. So the ghouls you see right now, you wouldn’t be able to see them any other day. The moon is showing them off, and right now they are harmless, just floating aimlessly about”, said Ivan. “What are they”, asked Vee? “I don’t quite know. We have watched this place a lot before”, said Ivan. “We”, questioned Vee? “When I use to run with a few others. We collected things, here and there, trying to figure out the best ways to combat the monsters that now live among us”, said Ivan walking over to the UTV to get something. Pulling out his swords and then a large spot light. He plugged it into the UTV and then brought it over to Vee. “Anyways we watched this lace for a while. We even explored it. We noticed certain things that were a miss. Things moved suddenly without anyone there”, said Ivan kneeling before the fence. He started to cut through it to open it up. “Ghost, or well ghouls”, said Vee. “Yes, well one day when we were exploring finding out these ghost were everywhere. We didn’t take any notice that the night was upon us. We were in the factory on the lower levels, and that is when we found it”, said Ivan. Vee kneeled next to him listening. “Well, that’s when it started to happen. We found ourselves starting to get attacked. We rushed everywhere, and at first it wasn’t that bad. Pushing and slapping and such, is the best I could describe it since we couldn’t see them. We got pushed out so to speak, but just before we left we saw something that made us want to come back. A green light started to glow out right. It sent sparks flying and electrical arks through the air, and that is when we saw them. The arks were striking the ghouls, and we saw them, but they changed right before us. We didn’t know what they looked like before but after getting struck by that ark, they were creatures of darkness and evil. We started to run to get away, as the ghouls started to run after us. They kicked up dust and knocked over things sending them through the air. They became violent and destructive. Chaos ensued and we were scattered. I found myself running towards the light that started to glow. There is what I found that has brought me back here. A meteor is laying in the belly of that factory. It’s something that we were not able to get”, said Ivan finishing cutting and ready to go. “You want a part of that meteor”, asked Vee, “Are you crazy?” “Meteor no, and yes. I don’t need the rock that is apparently powering and glowing, but there is a shell that is around the meteor that is there. The arks are transforming the very air creating this metal that is there. Some of it falls to the ground, and I grabbed some. It had power and it allowed me to see the ghouls. I was able to fight them off and get out of the factory. Not all of us made it. Other were torn apart. They swarmed me as I was leaving. I was wounded a few times. Their claws raging with dark energy that put pain in even the slightest scratch. My arm was badly hurt and I dropped the metal. It’s still in there”, said Ivan. “We are going after a piece of metal, you are nuts”, said Vee standing and walking away. “The metal is special that’s for sure, but the property of the metal is really what I’m after. I struck that metal one time on cold hard steel and there was literally not a signal mark on it. It actually bent the steel and cracked it. It was six feet long and five inches thick, yet weighted next to nothing. It had power in it and I could see the creatures when I held it. Power of this thing is the last of the elements I need for something I have been building for quite some time”, said Ivan. “You’re still crazy. Exactly how do you know that the moon exposes them”, asked Vee? “We were out here again, and again. One of us in our group was suddenly obsessed with the meteor. I was there for the metal, but it was later found out that somehow he touched the meteor and well it apparently change him we found out. It was at night that we found out that it had him. Changed him and corrupted him, twisting him to madness then changing him to one of those”, said Ivan pointing to the factory as the moon started to raise and reveal monsters of the night. “Arks started to shoot out and crack about the area, striking the ghouls and transforming them from what looked like ghost people to ghoul beast. My friend suddenly started to change and walk into the area that was starting to get struck. He was then struck and there before the both of us transformed into one of them”, said Ivan, “What we know is that the meteor is a creator of these things. It landed here at the beginning as did a lot of other crazy things did is what we think. This meteor is a creature itself. When it landed it must have captured and turned all these people into the ghouls that are now here. Anything that touches it, is transformed”, said Ivan. “Why do you think it is alive”, asked Vee coming back to Ivan? “These things protect it. The metal that I dropped was right there”, said Ivan as he pointed right across not twenty feet away from where they were. Vee looked and saw that it was gone. “Is this that important? I mean how are you going to fight these things? You said the metal could hurt them, but you don’t have any”, said Vee. “That’s where this can come in handy”, said Ivan tapping on the spot light. “I’ve been here many times and one time the moon was bright and there they were. I could see them running around, and I watched as they wouldn’t leave the factory, or cross this area. The meteor must have some sort of reach and is limited to here. I came back quickly to get the metal and saw that it was gone. I knew the ghouls must have taken it back to the meteor or something of the sort. I still haven’t figured out the reasoning or what this thing wants, feeds on, lives for. It’s here and this metal is here as well”, said Ivan. “I think I might know”, said Vee. Ivan lifted an eye towards here. “From what you told me it seems the metal is created by the meteor and it is creating a shelter of protection. These creatures are an extension of itself. They protect it collect for it, and more. The sun must hold it back like a vampire or werewolf. It must be, nocturnal like a bat, but in the day it is dormant, asleep, and these ghouls are well asleep as well”, said Vee. “Then that makes good sense. Anyway, this spot light works just like a sun spot so to speak, ultraviolent. This is where I need partner. I didn’t have any to come back with me to try again, and since you came. I had a chance, couldn’t let the opportunity slip by”, said Ivan. “So, I’m your back up and path clearer. I use the spot light to shoot them and knock them out I guess”, said Vee. “Indeed, but from trying and gauging what happens, they are not destroyed. It takes a bit and they reconstitute somewhere in the area. So, that means careful how many you whack, or I might be running through to many of them at once. They will know where ever I am on the premises. This entire area is synced to them”, said Ivan. “Well this ought to be fun”, said Vee. “Get ready, it’s about to begin”, said Ivan. The moon was high and the night everywhere. The ghouls glowed green and were all about still sluggish, but then a light started to glow from within the factory and then arks shot out. The ghouls were struck and then they started to transform. “It’s now or never, wish me luck”, said Ivan as he started to get up and move through the fence. Vee grabbed him and said, “Be careful.” Ivan was curious at the comment. Vee said, “Kind of need you to get back and in all live right now.” Ivan smiled and started to move on. “But I do care”, Vee yelled out. He looked back and smiled then turned heading towards the factory.