The Lost Gods by Horace Brickley Read Free Book Online

there’d still be another hundred million left.”
    “It matters to me. I’m not taking the easy way out. I’m in this shit for the long haul and you’re with me on this too. I can’t imagine doing this shit alone .”
    Adam did not reply.
    “We’ve got to see where they went,” said Jesse.
    Adam turned his head toward Jesse. His expression was one of pure incredulity.
    “What?”
    “There’s no way we can just sit here and wait,” said Jesse. He stood and continued, “We’ve got to do some recon and figure out what’s going on.”
    “Some recon? We’re not soldiers. I haven’t the faintest idea how to do some recon. I’m staying right here.”
    “Listen, if you heard wrong and it was a person screaming, then that means that there are still survivors out in the woods or something. If you did hear some kind of supernatural scream, or whatever, then that means that something bigger is going on: something that we need to know about.”
    “What do you mean? It’s zombies. We are being attacked by zombies. I know it’s weird, but that’s what’s going on. That’s all that’s going on.”
    “I know that, but it isn’t like the movies. We don’t know everything. We don’t even know where they came from. I’ve been scratched and bitten and so have you. It doesn’t spread, so it’s not a disease, virus, or whatever like every other zombie story. So if isn't a virus, where did all these things come from?”
    “They came from the Middle East. That’s what that news broadcast said.”
    “Yeah, but how did they get there? There wasn’t a zombie farm in the Middle East or a lost tribe of ninety-billion zombies.”
    “What difference does it make?” asked Adam.
    “It didn’t make a difference before, but after you mentioned the scream I got to thinking. Some of these things look like they died within the past fifty years or so, but some of them look old — ancient even.”
    “What are you getting at?” asked Adam.
    “What if there are forces, you know, working to…”
    “Working to what?”
    “I don’t know. Get rid of all the people.”
    “Yeah, those forces are called zombies and they eat people.”
    “No, damn it, I mean there has to be an origin to this. It’s not like six months ago it rained and then suddenly there were zombies. Something must have happened.”
    “OK, like what?”
    “Well, fuck, I don’t know,” said Jesse.
    “Listen,” he continued, “I’ve been having these dreams. I had one where I was on a beach and there was this woman in the water.”
    “I don’t need to hear this,” said Adam. “You can keep those sorts of dreams to yourself.”
    “No, it wasn’t like that. I mean, it felt like that at first, but then it was so real. I could feel the sand on my feet and the ocean air. I felt this one old woman’s hand on my throat. It felt like it was real.”
    “Did you find some mushrooms on one of our runs and keep them for yourself?” asked Adam.
    “Come on man,” said Jesse. “I don’t want to believe in any of this shit, but it’s happening and we’ve just got to go with it.”
    “OK, so you have a dream about a beach with two women, and it totally wasn't a sex dream. Go on.”
    “Anyways, the dream felt real, and this second wo man, or creature or whatever, she seems like she has it out for me. The first woman, I was drawn to her. I can’t get her out of my mind, but the other one was evil. Just being near her stopped my heart, and not in a love kind of way.”
    “So, what? I mean, what do you want me to get out of this?”
    “That something is at work. When you told me about the scream, and I had some time to think about it, I really think we need to check it out. Plus, I had a vision just now. I was alone in a field and it was a big clearing in the middle of a forest. I heard drums and marching. This woman spoke to me. She told me to go there. I don’t know if it’s a trap, if she’s trying to help me, or if I’m going crazy. I