The dark zone, p.1
The Dark Zone, page 1
The Dark Zone
By
Greg Sheehan
This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Names and persons in this eBook are completely fictional. They bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved Greg Sheehan 2019
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter 1
It was in the later hours of the afternoon when a tractor that had seen better days rolled along a well traveled dirt road. Its wheels traced a familiar trek and grinded deeper into the ground in a monotonous way. The dusty path seemed to be in the middle of nowhere even if that wasn’t exactly correct.
The path meandered through a slice of farmland that was now fallow and had been that way for a very long time. It was overgrown with weeds and didn’t look useful or inviting. It seemed to be abandoned or even forgotten, but mostly, it looked dead, as if nothing good was going to happen any time soon or ever. That was more than true.
Inside the cab of the tractor, two men who could have been mistaken for farmers, sat side by side. One was old and a bit tired, the other young and full of himself. They weren’t farmers, not even close. They wore dirty grey overalls that belonged in a motor repair garage or maybe with a second rate delivery service.
The older of the two, had three fingers on the oversized steering wheel. He casually guided the tractor as if he had done it a thousand times and didn’t have a care in the world. The younger man propped his feet on a beat up dashboard. His head leaned back against the seat rest, nearly touching the rear window. Every so often he picked his nose and flung the mess toward the floor board. The driver didn’t like what he saw, “Stop that; you’re gross.”
The tractor hit a rut and the young man’s feet slid off the dashboard smacking an assortment of levers on the floorboard. He cried out, “Damn, can’t you drive straight? That hurt like hell. Get a grip!” He continued to swear under his breath. “You old fart.”
The driver’s name was Freddie, and he was pushing fifty years old. He grunted and laughed, “That’s what you get for sleeping on the job, you lousy s.o.b. You’ve always been useless. You hear me, useless I say.” Now he was swearing under his breath. “I don’t know why they put me with you. Sleeping, always sleeping.”
“Sleeping?” He laughed, “Don’t talk like that old man, or I won’t haul your ass out here when it’s your time. And that time is closer than you think. How do you like that? Are you scarred?”
Freddie motioned to the rear of the tractor, “Leroy is it still back there?” There was something attached to the back of the tractor.
Leroy rubbed his leg but didn’t bother to turn around. He was more than a little annoyed, “Yeah, it’s there, no thanks to you. Every day we get half way out of town and you ask the same thing. Why? I mean come on, where do you think it is?”
Freddie peered in the direction of the sky. “You’re right. Force of habit, I guess. It’s getting late. I don’t like being out here this late. It makes me nervous, and it should make you, too. Don’t just sit there all warm and comfy. Did you hear what I said?”
Leroy now felt he had the advantage, but the truth was he liked the old man, but that didn’t put an end to the bickering. He looked at his watch. He shook it and looked at it again. “What’s your problem; it won’t be dark for three more hours? Three hours… long hours. We could walk back to town if we had to in three hours. Haven’t you heard? Walking is good for your health. But I’m not carrying you, if you can't’ make it. So bring plenty of water and don’t look back; there might be something catching up to you.”
Freddie lowered his voice, “There’s nothing out here; that’s good for your health. Nothing.”
Leroy tried to calm his partner down. The last thing he needed was the old man having a coronary while way out here. “Ease up. Like I said, what’s your problem? Are you worried about something?”
Freddie shifted gears on the tractor. The tractor belched a bit of smoke and picked up speed. “What’s my problem? You’re my problem. You showed up twenty minutes late and that’s not right or safe. Next time it happens, you’re done. Get an alarm clock or better yet, a wife to run things for you.”
Instead of getting mad, Leroy laughed. “Are you kidding; it’s slim picking in Glen Falls. Where am I going to find a wife in Glen Falls?” Leroy muttered something else and leaned his head back. “A wife, what a crock. The girls around here are big on personality and short on looks. You know big bones and homey figures. It’s awful. They couldn’t even get me excited after a six pack.”
Freddie smirked, “There are lots of girls around here; just open your eyes and adjust your standards. They say good looks attract good looks.”
Leroy asked, “So what are you saying?”
Freddie saw the veins bulge in Leroy’s neck. He didn’t want to push it. He didn’t want his partner freaking out so far away from the safety of Glen Falls. No, that wouldn’t be good. “Forget it. Let’s unhitch this thing.”
Leroy finally looked back at what was behind the tractor, “Freddie, is that anyway to talk about Mrs. Rita Collier, God rest her soul? Another good citizen of Glen Falls who went down the tubes… only to end up above ground.”
Freddie became skeptical, “God rest her soul; that’s a joke. God has nothing to do with it. He’s nowhere to be found around here, and don’t forget it. God left town a long time ago. Glen Falls is cursed, just like the entire world.”
Leroy nodded, “No kidding.” Leroy turned serious, “Freddie you ever think about getting out of Glen Falls? I mean for good you know, in one piece and never come back. I’m serious… just blow this whole joint for greener pastures. It might be possible.”
Freddie sighed and stopped the tractor in the middle of a clearing. On the other side of the clearing, was a thick grove of trees and a rolling set of hills that grew ever higher. “And just how do you plan on doing that? It’s not easy or safe. You know that.” Freddie hesitated and then said with a bit of hope, “How though? How would you do it?”
Leroy admitted, “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Freddie laughed, “Oh you haven’t. Let’s see, do you have a car?”
“You know I don’t. Almost no one has a damn car that actually works.”
Freddie added, “And even if you did, do you have any biofuel to make it go?”
Leroy became somewhat testy. “No.”
“That’s right. Biofuel is too important to waste on crazy ideas or young fools who will just get themselves killed.”
Leroy stretched out and flung open the side door of the tractor. “Fine, then I’ll take a bike and ride like hell, due west. Right to Pittsburgh. Don’t know what’s out there past Pittsburgh, but there’s something, right? That can’t be the end of the world, can it?”
Freddie got out of the tractor but left it running. Leroy did as well and followed Freddie over to the middle of clearing which was full of broken hunks of wood. The pieces were jagged and they filled a large area of the clearing.
Freddie picked up a large splinter of wood and pointed it at the young man. “And Leroy what are you going to do when the sun goes down? Bones are just as thin as wood. They get ripped apart by what’s out here, when the sun goes down.”
Leroy ignored the comment and went to the back of the tractor. “I’m not afraid of the dark. No sir.” The trees beyond the clearing seemed to rustle. Leroy whispered to himself. “I’m not afraid, really I’m not.” The trees stopped shaking and Leroy let out a huge sigh.
Freddie joined Leroy at the back of the trailer. “What did you say?”
Leroy answered, “I didn’t say anything.” Attached to a tractor was a simple metal flatbed trailer. On top of the trailer was a nondescript wooden coffin. It wasn’t strapped to the trailer, since the flatbed trailer had six inch high metal sidewalls.
However, this allowed the wooden coffin to move around during its final journey. The coffin was cattywampus and the edge of it, was slightly cracked from banging into the sidewalls of the trailer.
Leroy quickly lowered the tailgate to the trailer and yanked on the coffin. He pulled it cleanly out and it hit the ground with a thud. Part of the front of the coffin came loose, revealing a slim pair of old feet. Leroy turned up his nose at the sight. Freddie said matter of factly, “Mrs. Collier was light. Maybe we should say some words. Leroy, do the honors.”
Freddie took off his weathered baseball cap and held it across his chest. Leroy folded his arms and stood erect, “Here lies Mrs. Collier, a woman of simple means, just like everyone else in Glen Falls, that cursed town in the middle of nowhere, that’s surrounded by a dark evil. A dark evil that haunts all of us, espec
Freddie hesitated and Leroy cleared his throat. He looked toward the grove of trees. “Do continue, and quickly, she won’t know any better, and try not to depress me. Like I said, it won’t make any difference to her.”
Leroy said, “Have you no respect for the dead?”
“Save your fancy words for the ugly broads at the bar.”
“Geez, what’s up your ass? Here lies Mrs. Collier, a nobody who will soon be forgotten. Amen.”
A louder rustle emanated from deep in the trees. Leroy gave Freddie a nervous look. “Like you said earlier, it’ll be dark soon. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Freddie and Leroy jumped into the tractor and Freddie turned it around. “So long Mrs. Collier,” commented Freddie. “The good book says dust to dust. Around here it’s more like dust to dinner.”
Leroy leaned over and looked at the gas gauge, Hey do you have enough biofuel?”
Freddie nodded as the tractor picked up speed. “Not to worry.”
Leroy tapped the gauge with his finger. “You only have a quarter tank. What in the hell are we doing out here, with only a quarter tank! Are you crazy?”
Freddie smiled until he looked at the gauge, “What the —! Someone siphoned most of our fuel last night. Damn it, you can’t trust anyone these days.” Freddie sighed and slowly accelerated, “Easy does it. We can make it.”
“Light on the gas!”
In the distance, a string of lights turned on all at once. They were noticeable, even though dusk was still two and half hours away. Freddie smiled, “I always feel better when the lights come on in Glen Falls.”
Leroy put his feet back up on the dashboard, “Step on it. I mean keep it steady and don’t run into a ditch.”
Freddie’s eyes grew wide and he pretended to turn the steering wheel hard to one side. Leroy’s feet dropped from the dashboard, but he soon realized that Freddie was playing with him. “That wasn’t funny.”
“Either is what’s going to happen to Mrs. Collier, when the sun goes down.”
* * *
The Glen Falls City Council had been in regular session since noon. It was pushing four o’clock when Mayor Turner began to tap his fingers on his desk, which was on a podium above what he called the peanut gallery. The peanut gallery of course, was where the good citizens of Glen Falls presided, when they decided to attend the meetings.
Two other council members sat on both sides of the mayor. The audience sat in stoned silence. That was usually the case, as the meetings typically didn’t draw much interest. Everyone had enough of their own problems. There was much to attend to before the sun went down.
On this day, the audience was packed to the gills, and there were a few people standing in the back of the small auditorium. The last item on the agenda was full of controversy and speculation.
Mayor Turner who was attired in a stiff white shirt which had two mechanical pencils nestled in its front pocket, brought down the gavel, “Please quiet down. The last order of business is the proposed development for twenty-four homes to be built in what is known as the old Mercato Farm.”
A groan went up in the audience… which couldn’t help but to be recognized for displeasure. Mayor Turner motioned to the Glen Falls police chief who was perched just below the podium.
Police Chief Ed Barnes moved to the front of the audience area and put his hands on his hips. It didn’t look that threatening, since the chief had a mini-pot belly hanging over his dark black belt. The belt was out of further expansion holes which meant he either had to carve out another with his pocket knife or cut back on his trips to the all night diner on main street. “You heard the mayor. Now settle down, so we can get out of here at a decent hour. It’ll be dark soon and we all have somewhere to be.”
A man in the front row dutifully raised his hand. “Chief.”
The police chief nodded, “Yes?”
The man saw that as his opening, “Chief, you know those homes built on the edge of town are a bad idea – a real bad idea.”
“That’s not for me or you to decide.”
The man seemed confused, but that was more for show than lack of mental acuity, and in any case, he was attempting to play to the crowd. “But you’re in charge of keeping this town safe. That’s your job! How can more homes on the edge of town make us any safer?”
The police chief put out his hands and turned his palms toward the man. He raised his voice, “Just sit down and let the process play out. Now sit down. Sit.”
“That’s easy for you say; you don’t live on the edge of town. It’s not easy getting a good night sleep with the Dark Zone in the back of your mind. You ever have a nightmare about the Dark Zone? I tell you… I have and it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s horrific with blood and screaming everywhere. Then there’s the gnashing of teeth. That’s right; I said horrific. It’ll scare you off the toilet, no matter what you’re doing.”
The police chief remained calm even though his patience was waning. “Well, we all do what we can. That’s enough.”
The mayor rapped his gavel once again on his desk. “Mr. Owens, the developer of the proposed project, will now come forward and present a last minute recap of his vision for what his company intends to do. Then, one of our staff members will make a recommendation to this council.”
Mr. Owens stepped up to the audience podium. He was dressed rather casually, with khaki pants and a polo shirt. However, if you looked closely the clothes appeared to be dated and well worn. “Thank you mayor and fellow council members.”
The lights dimmed in the chambers. A groan went up and Mayor Turner quickly reassured the audience, “Now don’t worry, you’re quite safe. I know that the dark causes some of you, or maybe all of us a bit of unease. Everything is fine. Mr. Owens please do continue.”
“Thank you mayor. As all of you know, my family has been tied to this community, for over five generations. In that time, this community has changed in many ways. The last fifty years has been hard on all of us. The new realities of our world have been accepted, and I can proudly say, this city has somehow survived. We all should be proud of that. Truth is I’m a farmer, a farmer who grows tomatoes. But it seems that Glen Falls is bursting at the seams, and we need new housing. If my figures are correct, our population has increased by over three hundred people, in the last twenty years. That’s quite a number. ”
The man in the front row raised his voice, “Where are we going to get the power for the additional lights you’ll need for your damn houses? And what about the safety of the homeowners who will have to live on the edge of the Dark Zone?”
Mr. Owens let the man finish and calmly went on, “Of course, we have given all of that serious consideration. The entire development will be outfitted with the newest lighted technology. Not only will it be energy efficient, but each overhead street light and projection lights which will line the Dark Zone will produce over twelve hundred illuminates. That I dare say, is more than enough to keep the residents safe from the hideous creatures that inhabit the Dark Zone. In fact, I guarantee the twelve hundred illuminates will stop them in their tracks and turn them around. It will be as if they aren’t even there.”
The man in the front row smirked, “Yeah, right.”
* * *
The howls from the forest, on the far side of the open clearing where Mrs. Collier’s coffin sat quietly, turned into a rumble after the sun went down. Glen Falls which was in the distance still had a bit of light left, but the open field was in a deep shadow, as the sun dropped over the hills. It was dark and getting darker.
The night belonged to whatever lived in the shadows during the daytime. The noise reached a crescendo and the ground shook as there was a mad rush for Mrs. Collier’s coffin. Whatever reached the coffin first shattered the wood top with a massive blow. The coffin overturned and Mrs. Collier’s body rolled onto the ground. Before it came to a rest, it was torn limb from limb. Moments later, it was over, and just like the others before her, there wasn’t anything left but wood splinters and pools of blood on the dusty ground.
