Soon they were moving through a heavily wooded area, but their lights illuminated more than just trees. Plants that stood over ten feet with flowers a few feet across sat beside the trunks.

  “Some of these plants don’t look native to this area,” said Raj.

  “I don’t think their native to any area,” said Fiona.

  As they continued driving, shadowy forms skittered away on both sides of the road they were on.

  Soon they were driving through what was left of a neighborhood. Mounds of rubble mingled with remains of older style wooden homes.

  “These people didn’t stand a chance,” said Fiona slowing the Humvee to drive around the wreck of an armored personnel carrier.

  “How’s it looking?” said Zach to those straining to keep them hidden from the creatures.

  Miles swallowed before answering. “They’re everywhere.”

  Raj noticed his discomfort and passed a small water bottle to him, which he gladly took some sips from.

  They drove out onto a wider road.

  “This is the bridge road. We’re coming in from the east, hopefully that means it will be easier to cross.”

  Fiona increased her speed. The Humvee bumped and jumped around as it rode over vines and storks of unknown flora that was wrapped like a web about the pylons and pillars of the bridge.

  “Damn,” said Diaz as they were half way across.

  “What?” shouted Zach back to her.

  “Nothing, keep driving.” She looked back down from the large mass that was sitting at the top of the bridges supports, that they were driving under.

  “What is that?” said Raj looking across to the vine covered skyscrapers that inhabited the downtown area. A point of light sat above one of them.

  “Looks like our friends are back,” said Fiona. She glanced at Zach. “How close we going to get?”

  “Closer than this.”

  They moved off the bridge and took a left towards the west. Instantly in the dark she swerved past mounds of sandbags and tanks with their turrets bent. She also had to slow to a crawl because of the plant-life that was almost over the roof of the Humvee in height, and was now all around them.

  “I can’t see shit in front of us,” said Fiona. The headlight beams just illuminating a wall of green and yellow storks and leaves.

  Zach looked up at the dark forms that stood out against the night sky at the side of the road. “That building there, try and get as close to it as you can. It’s time we went on foot.”

  “Maybe we should stay inside the vehicle?” said Raj.

  “We need to get to the top of one of the high buildings, best way for you to see what’s going on.”

  Raj stretched his head upwards to try and see the light above one of the nearby multistory buildings. He then reached into his bag and pulled out his own mobile phone, and started recording.

  They came to what used to be a junction. Leaf and branch covered structures sat at each corner. They turned to the left and pushed through the thick plants until they bumped up a curb, and into an area which the new nature had not totally claimed. An eight-story building loomed above the former parking lot they were in.

  Fiona turned the engine off, and the sound of creatures all around them took its place. Shrieks, screams, roars and sounds that could not be quantified, played out in the absolute dark around them.

  “Everyone stick close. We try to find a way to the top of this building, then we record what we can for as long as we can, then we get the hell out of here. Everyone agreed?” Said Zach.

  Everyone did and one by one they got out, each having to push back the sharp foot-wide leaves and vines.

  Something slithered a few yards from them, which Zach ignored, instead switching his flashlight on and moving forward. They came across what was left of a metal fence and stepped over it, pushing back the branches and eventually found a wall with an open door.

  “Everyone inside, quickly!” Zach half shouted.

  The corridor wasn’t much better than outside, with the same mixture of reeds and rope like roots. There was also a pungent odor which smelt like a mixture of sulfur and tar.

  They all stood in the narrow space, the only light being from Zach and Fiona’s flashlights.

  “None of them know we’re here, right?” said Zach to the Cascaders.

  Diaz looked tired. “No, but I don’t think we can keep this up for that much longer.”

  Zach nodded. “Lets get this done.”

  They all fought their way forward trying to feel for a smooth surface of a wall where they could. Raj waved his phone around, recording as he walked.

  Zach came up against another door and waved his light upwards. A sign indicated it was a stairwell.

  They all filed inside.

  What looked like a single vine four foot thick ascended up the stairs, with numerous branches spinning off from it. They followed it up. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the top landing area. On the wall a stained sign rested, indicating the next door led to the roof.

  “We all don’t need to be up there. Diaz, Miles, Wyatt, stay here. You’ll be safer in this spot and you can still sense what’s around us. Fiona, me and Raj will go up on the roof and see what we can see.”

  They all nodded. He then clicked on his radio and went to speak but the small LCD screen blinked on and off. “Some kind of interference.” He looked at Diaz. Keep trying to reach Bower, tell him our status. She nodded. He noticed sweat running down her face. “We won’t be long.” She gave a tired smile in return.

  With some effort he pushed open the remaining door. The small set of stairs were surprisingly clear of any plant-life. The three of them then walked up.

  The sounds of the life around them could be heard even with the door ahead closed. Raj pulled out his audio gun from his pack.

  Zach pushed on the door to the roof, but it wouldn’t budge. Fiona walked forward and they both pushed. After a few seconds it gave way and slid backwards. A rush of warm air hit them both.

  He slowly lifted his flashlight towards the doorway. What was once the floor of the roof was now a mass of green and brown, with trees that wound their way into the sky.

  Zach went to walk forward when a brilliant light illuminated the fledgling forest in front of him, and then blinked off.

  Each of them knew they were now close to whatever was on the video from the night before.

  Zach tentatively walked forward out onto the roof, being aware of the crunching that his boots were making on the organic material beneath them, and looked skywards. The others followed, then all stood and watched.

  Above the roof of a skyscraper a mile off sat a dark shape just visible against the night sky.

  “It’s huge!” said Fiona. “Must be at least the size of a passenger plane.”

  Raj stood holding his phone towards the shape. “I don’t think I’m picking—”

  Suddenly the roof of the skyscraper they were looking at lit up. A creature with multiple octopus type limbs, but with a lizard like head, swiped and snapped at the light that it was now bathed in. And then was gone. The hovering shape then plunged back into darkness.

  “They’re taking E.L.F’s!” said Raj.

  “Okay, we have seen enough, lets—”

  Downstairs Diaz kept trying to get her radio to work, but the screen kept blinking on and off.

  “How long they going to be? I can’t keep this up for much longer, and we still need to get out of this place,” said Wyatt covered in sweat. Miles was leaning against the wall.

  “Wait here,” said Diaz as she ran through the doorway and up the stairs to the roof.

  “Zach! Fiona!…” she shouted. She then noticed a pool of light laying buried under some leaves. Walking to it, she bent down and picked it up. It was Zach’s flashlight.

  “Zach! Raj!”

  No response came, just the incessant sounds of the creatures. She took one last look around the roof and left.

  The End.

  Thank you for taking the time to read Outpost! As a new author, it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave me a review on Amazon. Sign up to my mailing list at www.digiterium.com/newsletter to find out the latest on my writing!

  Thank you again. Phil.

  About the Author

  Phil Maxey is an author who resides in the UK. Formally a game developer he now spends his time putting his love of sci-fi and the paranormal into words.

  Acknowledgements

  Book cover design by www.starbookcovers.com.

 

 

  Phil Maxey, Outpost (Cascade Book 6)

 

 

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