Moonflower: Chapter Two

The Ring

08/10/24

7:21 AM

   The Ring. A cordoned-off area, grown over four years to encompass nearly the entire bombed-out dead city. It was a mixture of flattened buildings, smaller crumbling offices, and towering damaged skyscrapers… creating the perfect trap for passersby in search of a scrap of loot. The world outside the encircling walls was overgrown and empty, but in here? It was the temptation of food that staged the hunting ground for one of the millions of otherworldly creatures haunting this world—always starving, always searching for its next meal.

   The doors leading from the protection of the prison opened up into the daylight, and Jacob squinted in its shine, distracted by the spotty beams of light piercing the dark sky. It was ironic—without the threat of man-eating monsters, Dawson could almost be considered scenic, the resilient plant life slowly creeping up to reclaim the harsh man-made stone that created their fallen civilization. Occasional streams of pale yellow sun reflected off of green leaves and made them glow… He felt a moment of peace warm his cracked soul before the heavy clouds took the sun captive again and dropped him back into the gray and lifeless world that remained. Jacob sighed and straightened his slumped posture, steeling himself in the face of the unknown. Finding beauty in destruction was not his goal today.

   In and out, Jacob. Then you can go back inside.

   He hesitated a moment longer. His fist twisted around the strap of his bag as he stalled, his mind set on the sector map tucked away safely in the pouch hanging at his side. It wasn't the potential rain that he was afraid of. Inside the Ring, the creature roamed free, its heightened senses and impossibly convincing ability to camouflage keeping their eyes locked upwards. It wouldn't matter if they had a gun out there—they were in its territory now.

   Everything felt threatening as Jacob took a deep and shaking breath, following Andre down the ramp of rubble they had created and into the streets he had only ever observed from ten stories up. The heavy gate that protected the improvised entrance to the safe haven of their prison slammed behind them with a CLANG, and Jacob focused his frightened mind. They were on their own.

   The two men hugged the cracked walls, moving in stages of hurry to stillness, every spot they stopped at for cover a watching point for the ever-present danger surrounding them. It was only a street away where they found him.

   The corpse of the man he had tagged not twenty-four hours ago lay motionless on the rocks, the neon green paint mingled with blood and water, guts and bone torn from his broken body as rats tugged at the raw flesh. The sight of the man's stomach cavity gnawed open would be enough to make the hardest inmate gag. It was very different from the tiny image Jacob was used to. You could almost feel the man's pain at the sight of him, his pale face patterned with purple veins that were contorted in torment even after death, eyelids hanging open, chin covered in blood. Jacob didn't know much about these beasts but he knew they only ever ate the stomachs… whether the victim was still alive or not.

   Jacob recoiled and wrinkled his nose at the damp stench of the human carcass. Fuck, it was hard to even look at it. He tightened his fists at his side and steadily reminded himself what they were doing in Dawson City. It was survival of the fittest out here. This? This man hadn't made the cut—but they had.

   “Seems a waste to leave s'much fresh meat.” His companion laughed at his own crude joke, poking at the mutilated body with the butt of his rifle. “Still hungry there, Porter?”

   Jacob ignored it. He didn't want to loiter any longer. “Let's get this over with.”

   His sightline to the safety of the tall gray prison slowly disappeared as they wandered further in search of Sector One. Four years ago, to seal off the area, the men had stuffed debris from buildings into the cracks—even constructing towering concrete walls up to three stories high—to keep all potential exits to the city cordoned off. With manufactured ways to climb in from the outside but none to climb back, they very effectively caged their prey in the ruins of this once-bustling metropolis, making absolutely certain that none who stumbled inside their makeshift maze would ever find their way back out. All must be fed to the beast… But Mother Nature was not putting off her work either; various small plants grew up from between the cracks in the walls, and time ate away at every clever effort they designed to keep their ruse going. Even the occasional tree sprouted at the sides of the Ring. Inspection was important—something the unlucky few did every month—and was the only time the prison lost any of its ex-cons to anything besides starvation and sickness. The behavioral pattern of the creature was something they could only guess at, but what they had managed to gather was that it seemed to cruelly enjoy stalking its prey when hunting—something the nervous men were well aware of as they continued to sneak through the lifeless city.

   Morning mist still hovered between the streets. It distorted every faded bus stop and street sign into the lumbering shape of the monster they were so desperate to avoid, putting them even more on edge than when they’d set out. Bones and bits of discarded skeletons dotted every street corner, a sight so common they did not even stop to look. The clang of metal pinwheeling off of metal echoed through the buildings and Jacob nearly leapt out of his boots at the disturbance.

   “It's just debris,” the other man belittled him under his breath with a smug smirk. “This place is fallin’ apart.”

   Walls One and Two were intact. Jacob marked them off and scanned the next block for the third.

   Sector Three was between the crosswalk of the streets Fourth and Crawford, three city blocks from the jail. It was particularly grassy in that area, and even had a standing puddle of water thanks to the indented pavement and shade provided by the two skyscrapers on either side. Insects of all colors caught the short-lived burst of light as he examined the barrier. The high wall was mostly made up of fragments of collapsed buildings, leaving a mossy mess of rock, rebar, and steel beams inside to keep any of their sacrifices from crawling back out. Jacob swatted at the green dragonflies darting around his tense shoulders and squinted. Yes, even through the rubble he could spot a way out. The crevice had grown large enough that a potential target as slim as Jacob might be able to squeeze through. It would need to be replaced, filled up to prevent any escapees. He shuffled through the notebook and circled the spot on his map before checking his watch. Nearly midday. They should hurry back.

   The touch of Andre’s hand on his arm almost gave him a heart attack. The man skeptically pointed with his chin towards one of the openings to the underground tunnels. That specific one led to the subway, one they had collapsed and closed up long ago. It was so far from the jail that Jacob had quite forgotten about its existence. Something inside caught the muted light, peeking out from under the heavy debris of the concrete wall they had laid across to close off the stairs leading down to the cave-in. Jacob swallowed, his grip tightening on the strap of the bag. This couldn't have anything to do with the silhouette he had spotted the day before, could it?

   Andre did not seem to notice his nervousness. “Looks like there's a way in there. We should check it out.”

   Jacob had a naturally worried expression, yes, but furrowing his brow like this was no doubt making him appear far too suspicious. He consciously forced the muscles in his face to relax as convincingly as he could and nodded, cautiously following Andre inside the hiding place as he repeated assurances in his mind to soothe himself. There was nothing to worry about, there had been no one behind those cars the day before—it was a trick of the light played by the storm, and even if it wasn't, whoever it was would be long gone through the new breach by now. They had to be.

   Just as their construction had left it, the tunnel was indeed completely blocked off inside, the concrete above them providing a low ceiling and not even six feet of floor space to the heavy rubble filling the former subway tunnel. Yett only took Jacob one glance past that moment of relief to find the evidence of the one thing he feared most staring back at him.

   There was trash everywhere. Wrappers, cans, and discarded food packaging was strewn all over the floor and rats scurried around them with half-eaten scraps. Someone had been staying here, and it had been recent—far too recent.

   The blood ran cold in his veins.

   “Porter, what is this?”

   Jacob's mind raced for any convincing solution as the sweat wet his palms, paralyzing him in the face of his undeniable guilt.

   “I-it must be—”

   “What is this?!”

   He scrambled to think of a fast lie but he couldn't. Fuck, he had to say something! If Andre knew how he had spared the hidden figure from becoming another sacrifice, he would tell Goliath, and he knew what Goliath would do to him for his betrayal. “I-it must've been the-the guy, he was—”

   “We saw him come in!” Andre's face was crimson as his voice rose to a roar. He was fuming. “I knew you were lyin’, you little shit!”

   In a fit of fury he shoved his foot through the pile of garbage, sending cans clattering obnoxiously across the stone. Jacob nearly leapt out of his skin, and the rats panicked and squeaked as they darted out onto the street from their hiding place.

   “Shh!”

   “I fuckin’ knew you saw somethin’!” Andre ignored Jacob's panicked begging, forgetting the danger overwhelmed by his rage. He was seeing red. “How long has this been happenin’? How many have you let slip through?!”

   “Only this time,” Jacob insisted in the rush of panic, “I swear t’you—”

   “Goliath will kill you for this, you realize that?! He'll kill you!”

   The raving man's hand was on his gun. Jacob's wide eyes darted from the loaded weapon to the slot of light from the street. He had nowhere to run.

   “Andre, please…” His voice was low and quaking as he backed into the corner. “Just give me another chance, I swear… I'll do anythin’, I… I…”

   A sudden heavy thump stopped them both. Jacob stumbled back, his shoulders flat to the wall in the deathly silence. He could barely hear the subtle drip drip drip of the water trickling in from the street through the pounding pulse in his ears. They had trapped themselves by coming in here, and they both knew what was waiting outside.

   Another sickening thud. The creature was here, and it was searching.

   Andre jerked his rifle from his shoulder, peeking under the crumbling slab of concrete that was their only protection in this hole of a hiding spot. The buildings opposite them were as still as the grave. All sound had stopped—only the suppressed breathing of the two men and the trickling water from the street remained.

   Gesturing with his head to the entrance, Andre mouthed the command to go and emphasized the words with a squeeze of his gun. Jacob stayed frozen in his tracks. This was capital punishment.

   His feet scraped against the back wall as he scrambled to think of any way out of this.

   Andre's gaze pierced right through him in the shadows of their fragile safety. “Go.”

   The moment of silence was strangling his burning lungs. What could he do? Fighting to suppress the quaking that was overwhelming his body, Jacob inched forward, the dangerous muzzle following him across the floor. Andre moved with him closely, spurring him on as Jacob threaded through the scattered trash to the low entrance opening with meticulous caution. He glanced behind him at the gunman, his pleading eyes meaning nothing to the callous man behind the barrel. The dry swallow nearly choked him as he looked out into the still street. It was like time had stopped moving.

   Fuck, no no no…

   Andre prodded the firearm into his back painfully. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him to turn back and tumble to safety, but with the deadly muzzle pressed to his spine, the shaken young man was left with no choice but to step out into the open air.

   The street was silent. Not a bird, not a breeze, only the occasional trickle of residue from rainfall echoed in the emptiness of Dawson City. Jacob stood alone amidst the destroyed gray world around him. His heart was still beating and his hands were still shaking. Nothing happened for a moment—then the impact struck him like a truck.

   He was flat on his back, a crushing weight smothering him from the torso down. A cry of agony ripped from his throat as the creature stamped on the concrete wall it had yanked from the entrance and pinned him underneath, that green eye of myth now the last thing he would ever see. The compressing weight of it leaning closer squeezed his legs unbearably and Jacob could do nothing but scream from the anguish.

   He was helpless against the sharp, stabbing pain of his body collapsing around him, shouting hopelessly for Andre, but the creature had already torn the man to pieces only a few yards away. Its colorless, horrifically man-like face glared down at him from over the top of the slab, the gnarled side of its head crooked as saliva and fresh blood mingled and dripped together through yellow teeth.

   His eyes squeezed shut and the urge to breathe ached in his lungs as he lay helpless and holding his breath, the desperate pounding of his heart pumping frantically through every vein, fighting against all odds to keep him alive.

   The damp breath of the creature brushed the hair across his face. And then, in a second, it stopped.

   Jacob thought he might be dead. He kept his eyes tightly shut for what felt like hours, too terrified to move or even to breathe. When he finally pried them open… there was nothing. He was alone, trapped in the street with no one but the silent bones of a city drenched in decay surrounding his imprisoned body.

??/??/??

Nightfall

   It had been days. The sun baked his skin red at noon and the cold air pierced to the bone at night. Jacob was too afraid to call out, petrified stiff by the knowledge that somewhere in this disorienting darkness the creature was roaming around him freely. It could be anywhere in the city at any point, but that wasn't even the worst of it. In fact, that might have even been the best.

   The worst was his leg. The first day alone, he had been consumed in overwhelming pain as his left calf continued to be crushed from the massive wall compressing him, but now he couldn’t feel it at all. Its dull ache had faded to numbness and Jacob wondered endlessly what he would find under the rubble if he ever made it out of there alive… a hope that was fading with every hour lost.

   He swallowed a hoarse inhale and gazed up into the indigo blue night sky. Thin clouds covered the dotted atmosphere, a handful of stars and the full silver moon peeking through the gray wisps. He realized he hadn't seen the stars in years, protected by the thick prison walls and never venturing outside the safety of their borders for a peek. Now Jacob was biting his dry tongue and silently pleading to the serenity of the sky for rain. He'd only had a small drink of water days before, and now the inside of his throat felt as if it might crack with every shallow breath.

   Was the drizzle yesterday, or the day before? 

   An hour, a day, a week… all concept of time had bled together into a cyclical hell of pain and terror. Without his movement to power its battery, the old watch on his wrist had run out of charge, the date and time frozen in place just as he was. Did he even exist anymore? It was hard to think like this… he was so weak…

   Jacob unclenched his teeth and felt a wave of soreness flow through his jaw from the days of continuous tension. His joints pleaded with him to move, but he simply could not. Despite wiggling and shoving and flailing, he failed at every attempt to free himself from the impossible restriction. His mind was leaving him, delirium and exhaustion mixing with terror to render him trembling and confused. No one had come for him, and deep down, he dreaded the terrible answer that had been echoing in his head with an unceasing voice this entire time: no one would. It was as good as gospel now. He had made one mistake, but that was one too many. Jacob had been left to die.

   The chill had settled in and it was time again to beg in desperation to every benevolent force he could think of that the creature wouldn't tire of waiting for its bait to attract a larger prey. The sudden soft wet clicking of its damaged throat sent an icy chill down his sore spine. The sound of its steps were impossibly light for its mass, everything about the monster flying in the face of every law of nature Jacob could think of.

   It was near again. Tears stung in his eyes and he cursed the loss of liquid.

   No, please no…

   The beast stank of death, wretched decay and the reminder of all he had done to keep it fed. Now he lay there, waiting to die in the same way he had condemned a hundred others to perish: alone.

   Its low growl stopped and he heard it turn away. The monster was waiting—if impatiently—for the luck of another meal. A piercing green eye caught the moonlight, glowing as it scanned its baited trap from the darkness, the sound of its ragged swallow communicating its building restlessness. It was starving.

   Fuck. No no no no no…

   His knuckles went white as his feet scraped in the rut of rubble he had already dug into a thousand times before.

   I'm gonna die, I can't die, I don't wanna die!

   The creature looked away again and he gasped a breath of relief, the brutal death put off one more night—if he could even make it another night. The sense of foreboding surrounding his fate was almost worse than the pain.

   Jacob sniffed back a tear in the unbearable pause. Wait, what was that? Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he had caught a shadow of movement in the rubble. He squinted intently. Was it… his eyes lit up in a flash at the distinctive silhouette. It was a figure, a person, a human! He almost shouted out of pure instinct but forced himself silent as the stranger watched his trapped form from the darkness.

   Endless seconds ticked into minutes. They were being very careful of the creature, wisely watching it move from the blackness, waiting for it to turn just an inch more. At last the ugly beast shifted its bony back to the prisoner and the stranger had the opportunity to make their move.

   Stepping into the blue moonlight, he judged the figure as a woman, armed only with a knife and some kind of large backpack heavy on her shoulder. As she approached him, the frightening question of her intention hit him like a brick. Shit, why would anyone try to save his life in this situation? The risk was too high for simple charity, even if it did somehow still exist in this broken world. There were no women at the jail, so this was not a rescue. The idea of being shanked in the street like this for pocket change tightened his jaw as she reached for him where he was pinned on the ground.

   A gentle hand found his shoulder and squeezed it ever so slightly. The relief of the kind gesture washed over him like a cool and soothing wave, melting the tension from his sore muscles as she lifted her hand off of him and glanced towards the weight keeping him imprisoned.

   The shadow of the creature slowly slunk up on the ridge of the lonely road, its head sweeping from one side to the other. It was listening very closely now.

   She pressed a finger to her lips and Jacob held his breath.

   After a moment of studying she moved noiselessly, any sound smartly muffled by the cloth-wrapped padding around her shoes. A worried stance flinched through the outline of the stranger's posture as she analyzed the slab of broken concrete that was trapping him. Quickly checking behind her to be sure the monster was still on its perch, she planted her hands under the fallen wall and began to flex.

   It didn't budge.

   She tucked her long hair behind her ears and pulled again, this time managing to shift the rubble around them by her efforts. Small stones tinked down the incline as the two watched together in abject horror, utterly helpless to stop it.

   In a split second, the woman dropped the load back on him and ducked behind the safety of its barrier. Jacob bit off a gasp from the crushing pain and watched with terrified welling tears as the monster's head snapped around at the tiny sound in an almost 180-degree turn. Both Jacob and the hidden stranger didn't dare breathe as it stared at him. Mercifully, the monstrous creature did not choose to move from its perch to investigate, only continuing to suspiciously scan the crumbling city above before slowly returning its frightening gaze to the other street. Jacob felt like throwing up from this unprecedented luck. The damage to the monster's head must have been more extensive than he had first imagined.

   His would-be rescuer breathed out in relief and dug into her pack, pulling out a tether and cautiously fixing it to a nearby broken down SUV for counterweight. Every second felt stretched into an eternity as she cleverly engineered some kind of a pulley system with the limited tools at her disposal.

   With eyes glued to the danger in the dark, Jacob kept watch for her as the mystery figure fixed his rescue. After an agonizing minute of silence he glanced over to the girl still at work beside him.

   His voice was barely above the breath of the soft breeze. “H-hurry.”

   She didn't answer.

   The weight of the concrete was too much. There was no way she would be able to lift it, even with the makeshift anchor.

   “Hey,” he whispered fearfully, trying to catch her attention. “Hey.”

   She flexed the rope wordlessly and tightened the knot with her teeth. His gaze darted between the monster and his unknown savior.

   “It's goin’ to see you—”

   “Would you shut up?” She snapped at him without stopping her work. He drew his lips into a nervous tight line, wisely obeying and only watching her in the unbearably long silence.

   Finally leaning back on her hip, she gave it one last once-over before nodding to the now quiet trapped prisoner. He clenched his teeth and prepared for the worst.

   The next moment was both a horrific pain and a blessed release. She leveraged the weight with the car as she drew it up and off of his body, and immediately Jacob began clawing behind him, pulling desperately but unable to get his crushed torso out from under the block. He was caught on something, but couldn't see a damn thing in this pitch blackness. She slowly released the weight to hang with the anchor and darted silently to his side.

   Slashing the caught strap of the bag that was holding him down, she shoved her arms under his, finally free to drag him away from where he had been trapped for the last many nights. It was dark as hell but he could still make out the pool of dried blood where his leg had been crushed, atrophied beneath the wreckage.

   His leg.

   He didn't have time to look at it.

   Quickly he flopped over, lifting himself to his knees with his arms. White hot pain shot up from his right shin and he would have fallen forward if the girl hadn't grabbed ahold of him.

   Without a word, she unceremoniously heaved him to his feet, hurriedly but precisely propping up his right side with her body. He couldn't make out her face any better up close, but he could see the quick motion of her nod to the building in front of them. A pair of large double doors waited above, the way through framed like a door to the heavens in the blue moonlight. Their escape.

   Before they could take another step in the wreckage, the tether behind them snapped from the pressure and the SUV’s car alarm shattered the tension like a thunder crack, the ear-piercing warning blaring out through the husk of the silent city.

   “Run!”

   Jacob tumbled forward to his knees as she let go of him, sprinting for the opening.

   “D-don't leave me!”

   The creature was nearly on top of them as she frantically grabbed for his arms. It leapt, its piercing howl drawing tears. His rescuer yanked him away at the last possible second as the enormous monster slammed its crooked face into the pavement, the weight of it finally snapping the unseen steel beams below the street. It roared and the two screamed as the rubble collapsed around them both and plunged everything into darkness.