Killer Koala Bears From Another Dimension Part 12

Suddenly, the hail of spears and rocks stopped.

The bears shouted with excitement all in one accord.

When Grimes looked over at Taiter, what he saw was something he never expected. Taiter was a big strong man. Never afraid of anything. The time they had all been out hunting and he had nearly severed one of his fingers. Not a single tear. The only time Grimes had ever seen the large man even crack, just a little, was the day Taiter's baby girl had been born. But even then, his expression was cold stoned, unless you knew Taiter and knew what you were looking for. When Grimes stared up at him now, fear clung to the old police officer's gut like wet noodles to a wall. Taiter's face was gripped with terror as he looked out at what was happening with those animals in the street. Whatever it was, those creatures were getting excited.

"I don't want to look, do I?" Grimes cringed.

Taiter didn't even reply, his gazed locked on whatever was going on out beyond the parking lot.

The chills that ran up Grimes' spine forced him to look. It was then that he realized the entire firing line had stopped shooting. Everyone was transfixed by the unrealism and horror.

"Oh... G.o.d..." Grimes gasped, using his thumb to rub an imaginary crucifix across his forehead, down his chest, and along his shoulders.

The crazy bears chanted with arms raised in the air. And by all means they had d.a.m.n good reason to be excited. Initially, some of the portals behind the mob of attackers had been blocked from Grimes' and the other's view. With the bears' numbers growing, what was going on behind them had been hard to see, but now that was another thing entirely. Somehow or another, those things had managed to make one of the blue pulsing portals of light grow and it was growing even now. Before, the portals had only been just big enough for the humanoid bears to climb in and out. Now the one right behind the mob of excited creatures was nearly six times the size and getting larger. The pulsing blue hues of white and baby blue stretched out across the orange sky.

Then... then it happened.

Something unimaginable started climbing through. From the looks of it, it was having a bit of trouble; the portal too small.

"What... the h.e.l.l is... that?" Taiter breathed.

"I don't think I want to know," Captain Grimes said, checking the clip in his 9mm.

The ma.s.sive creature was nearly half way through the beam of light, its long snout and big ears just breaking through into their world.

"Is that a f.u.c.kin' elephant?" Someone shouted several cars down the left side of the barricade.

That is exactly what it was. It was an elephant. Only it wasn't just any normal elephant. The animal looked three times the size of any that Grimes' had seen on television or at the zoo. Maybe it was the fact that it was walking on its back two legs like a human. Just like the upright bears, the elephant was wearing primitive clothing. One thing that Grimes noticed was the thick rope tied around its ankles, arms and neck. As the creature stepped through the portal, he could see that the rope was still attached to something on the other side. Like a mammoth beast, it had monstrously large tusks. The ma.s.sive creature fully penetrated the portal, stepping into the street. Its long gray leathery trunk reared back, its mouth open. A large guttural roar bellowed out across the parking lot like a triumphant trumpet. This excited the humanoid bears even more. They shouted with excitement and raised their weapons. Then Grimes realized why the rope was there. This elephant was a captive beast. The bears were controlling it. Three more humanoid bears riding on the backs of large red kangaroos penetrated the portal, stepping into the street behind the elephant. Each bear riding a kangaroo held the back end of the rope, keeping the elephant confined to his restraints.

"This is not happening," Taiter gasped, locking eyes with Grimes.

"I've been saying that since I got out of bed," Grimes said, slamming the clip back into place. The satisfying click a.s.sured it drove home. "Unleash h.e.l.l on these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Fire at will!"

Captain Grimes was the first to fire off a shot. That was all it took. The entire barrier of cars unloaded all at once with a hail of torrential fire power. Grimes' ears rang, but he ignored it just like he ignored the arthritis.

One of the bears riding the kangaroo took a shot in the face. Grimes knowing it hadn't been him that made the shot, watched the creature fall off his mount, blood exploding from his nose. As much as that was exciting to see, the elephant flailed. Only having two bears holding him back rather than three, the large mammoth beast tore free from its restraints and charged. Its loud guttural roar resonated like a brutal war siren. The first few charging steps it took had been on just its back legs. Once it was off the street and in the parking lot headed for the barrier of cars it dropped to all fours picking up speed.

The elephant collided with the patrol car Grimes had been huddled behind. Having seen it coming, Grimes jumped from his perch in Taiter's direction. Had the explosive collision not been so loud, as the elephant's tusks tore into the cruiser sending it back several feet, Grimes might have heard his bones protest against the fall as he fell in Taiter's lap.

Screams echoed out, followed by the sound of smashing steel. When Grimes looked up, the elephant was stomping the cars down the line. It charged forward with its sharp tusks impaling the officer that Grimes had given the gun to only moments before. He took the hit dead center of the chest. The mammoth creature reared back, the young officer still stuck to the creature's left tusk, the ma.s.sive bone protruding out the officer's backside.

The torrent of arrows started to fall again, this time much closer than they had been before. The bears were advancing. Spears started colliding with the cars and getting closer.

"What do we do?" Taiter asked, trying frantically to reload his long-rifle.

When Grimes looked up to lock eyes with his friend and fellow hunting mate, he was startled by a loud thud just above his head.

A ma.s.sive red kangaroo pounced on the hood of Taiter's truck, hissing at Grimes. The bear riding its back growled something almost human. Grimes didn't even see the spear leave the creature's hand. One thing was certain. He sure as h.e.l.l felt it. The sharp stabbing pain surged through his chest and back as he fell to the cement. He reached up feeling the wooden handle protruding from his chest. That was when he heard the screams and torment all around him. It was coming from both sides of the firing line. The blood ran warm and free. He coughed crimson, looking up at his attacker. The last thing the Captain saw before he died was two koala bears attacking Taiter. One yanked at the long graying beard, stabbing the large man repeatedly in the abdomen. The other sliced his throat, and from what Grimes could tell, the bear was smiling when it happened.

15.

"Talk about B-freakin' movie!"

"What?" Frank whispered, peering around the building's edge at the madness happening in the Recreation Center parking lot.

"Yeah, attack of the Outback. You never saw that one?" Tim said, leaning over Frank's shoulder to get a better look.

"No..."

Having neared the Recreation Center by only a block and a half, Joana urged Frank to stop the car in the middle of the street while they were still out of view of the parking lot. She even made him turn the Jimmy's engine off; swearing up and down that she could hear something. Reluctant, Frank was ready to get there, greet Kathie with open arms and go, but he did as she asked and found himself thankful that he had complied. They all were. The noise was faint, but there nonetheless.

Screams.

Guns firing occasionally.

The noise seemed to ricochet off the buildings around them as they sat in the middle of the street a little over one block over.

They didn't sit there long. When Frank started the Jimmy again and put it into drive, Joana reached up, grabbing his shoulder. He flinched, the joint still sore from his spear wound.

"Ouch! Be careful. I've got an injury"

"Sorry. I didn't know. We shouldn't just head into the middle of something. What if there are a lot of those things?" Joana said.

"Good idea," Tim agreed.

Frank shrugged.

The three left the Jimmy and slowly jogged to the cover of some trees on the side of the street. Frank had the shotgun. In truth, he had no idea how many bullets were left in it-if any. Tim and Joana still sported the bloodied machetes on their hips. Tim's showed a hint of white paint peeking out from under the sheath. They walked the entire block in silence. Had there been any shadows to stay under to conceal them as they hugged the buildings they would have used them. There were no shadows anywhere. The strange orange hue of light that sealed the city in an impenetrable dome of energy pushed the darkness back. All of it. Before the Recreation Center reached their view, many other unspeakable things did. Mangled bodies and unrecognizable body parts lined the streets. There were a pile of at least three blood soaked bodies smeared across the sidewalk. Frank led them across the street to avoid getting close to the stench that permeated the air. Flies already had taken claim to the meaty loose morsels left behind by the killer bears. Crossing the street to avoid it hadn't helped and they in fact walked right up on a severed head. It was upright on the sidewalk, eyes openly staring directly at them. Frank nearly stepped on it before jumping back just before his foot came in contact. The strange thing was that although the skull was crushed, pink meat and pus seeping from the opening, the man's gla.s.ses were still on his face, only the left lens cracked slightly. But that wasn't even the most eerie thing they saw. They pa.s.sed a pulsing blue portal. It was shaped like an eyeball, yet vertical. What was scary about it were the markings on the street. There were blood and dirt streaks like what you would see if you dragged a body through a pile of mud covered razorblades. The streaks were going to the portal of light and ended right under it. Whatever, or whoever, had been dragged right there was pulled to the other side. Dead or alive, none of them wanted to think about it. They all looked in silence and just kept on walking, not once making eye contact during the whole thing.

Joana protested the entire idea, just wanting to go back to the truck. Frank urged them on, insisting that Kathie needed him. That was when they reached the edge of the building they were at now, peering out from its corner at the Recreation Center parking lot.

It was a blood bath from the pits of h.e.l.l and back-times three.

"Well, you're seein' it now, dude!" Tim insisted, replying to Frank's having not seen the movie.

"How the h.e.l.l are we going to get in there?"

"Easy. We ain't. And that's that." Tim nodded. "And if you got a problem with it, then feel free to step up and stroll on over there by yourself. Cause I sure as s.h.i.t ain't headin' out there. What do you take me for? A moron?"

"Look. You started this. You're stepping out there and helping me go find her."

"Bulls.h.i.t. You want to go out there and commit suicide, be my guest. But I ain't going. No way... no how."

Frank fell silent while they all looked on.

There had to be more than a dozen different cars lined up in a row in the parking lot. The entire place was a mess. There were bodies everywhere scattered across the parking lot and flung all over the tops of the line of cars. There were even guns scattered about. Everything was red. It covered the place like a thick blanket your grandmother might have sewn for you when her hands weren't quite so cramped. More than fifty upright-walking killer koala bears were either standing together in the parking lot or just looking around. Others scavenged the area, picking at the loose bones and bodies scattered everywhere. Then Joana gasped, pointing. She didn't even have to say it, because they had all seen it at the same time. There were three other creatures walking around among them as tall as a two story house. Mammoth elephants. That's what they had to be. Their ears were spread wide, the long tusks and narrow trunks unmistakable. Just like the Arktos creatures, the elephants wore clothing and walked upright. One of the large leathery beasts even had what looked like a body still hanging from one of its tusks. The police uniform was a dead giveaway as the body lay limp still attached the large protruding bone. As the mammoth beast walked about scavenging the area of mangled remains, the dangling uniformed corpse pivoted and swayed with the elephant's steps.

Gun shots rang out far off in the distance to the right of the Recreation Center parking lot. Frank and his two Gothic friends followed the sudden cacophony of firepower. They were surprised to see a band of survivors rounding the side of the building toward the back. Several Arktos' gave chase following with spears and glowing rocks in hand.

"Oh no..." Joana gasped.

"Nothing we can do about it," Tim said, looking away.

"As long as they keep going, they have a chance," Frank said, looking on. "From what I could see there were at least four of them. And only three of those bears were after them. Since they were well armed, they got a fighting chance."

"Yeah, as long as none of the other ones decides to catch them off guard around the other side of the building," Tim laughed.

"But..." Joana shoved him, disgusted.

"What?" He shrugged, still smiling.

"Nothing..." she grimaced. "Can we just get going now? I don't like this. Being out here like this. This far away from the car. What if we get spotted or something? We need to turn back. There's just way too many over there to handle." She looked up, pointing toward the parking lot ma.s.sacre. "And those elephant things... I don't even want to think what would happen if one of those things-"

"Shh..." Frank cut her off, kneeling lower against the wall.

"What is it?" Joana gasped.

"Be quiet," Frank urged, lifting his hand. He lowered his voice, his eyes wide. "A few of those things in the parking lot are looking in this direction."

"s.h.i.t..." Joana heaved. "Please... can we go back to the car? I would feel a lot better if we-"

"What part of shut the f.u.c.k up don't you get?" Tim said, leaning over Frank to see what was happening in the Recreation Center parking lot.

As if getting slapped across the face, Joana reared back, stunned. Tim had never talked to her like that. Just when she was about to bark back at him, Frank spoke up.

"s.h.i.t... We've been spotted!"

"Move!" Tim shouted, turning to run back toward the Jimmy.

Joana screamed, catching a quick glimpse of more than ten bear-men charging in their direction. That wasn't what made her scream. The elephants were charging along right behind them. The ground shook with a furious trembling as the stampede surged forward. She felt her shirt yank hard, nearly choking her. When she looked up, her legs kicking into gear on their own, Tim had her by the shirt running at full sprint back the way they had come. She felt the rolls in her thick midsection bouncing up and down as she ran. Not even six feet from the side of the building they had been huddled behind, her left side started to burn, the muscles not used to the work. Out of breath already as she heaved with every step to keep up, she watched Frank and Tim ahead of her. Their rampant pace was one of fright. And when she saw the expression plastered across Frank's face that single second that he decided to look back, Joana knew. She swallowed hard forcing herself not to look back. She felt the animals giving chase. And the feeling was more than enough sensation. She didn't need to see it, too.

With each foot plunging forward, one before the other, over and over again, the pain in Joana's side surged unbearably. When her vision began to blur, the lines fading together into one large abstraction of color, she wasn't sure if it was the pain in her side or the grip of fear causing it. Her chest felt hot, her throat dry and restrictive.

They were almost there.

The Jimmy was in sight.

She was so gripped with panic she didn't even realize that she had already run the block and a half that they had walked. She had run right past the severed head of the man still wearing the gla.s.ses. Past the portal of horror, the stains of anguish sliding right up to the eerie light leading to another world. Right past the scattered body parts and blood that stained the streets.

"Get in!" Someone shouted.

Joana wasn't sure if it was Tim or Frank. She was too busy losing her nerve to pay attention.

The back pa.s.senger side door swung open and she lunged forward, jumping in. She instantly felt relief set it. As if the vehicle was a security blanket that protected her from monsters, she took a deep breath of release. For the briefest of moments she was back home, age 7, tucked under her covers and totally okay with the fact that the closet door was wide open.

She was saved.

"Oh s.h.i.t!" Frank screamed, the Jimmy roaring to life as he jammed the shifter into gear.

Joana looked up.

The horde of creatures fell on them from the street. Just about every last one of the beasts that had been rummaging through the parking lot of mangled bodies must have left their hunt for new, fresh meat. The road was a cl.u.s.ter-f.u.c.k of upright walking animal attackers. Shoulder to shoulder they charged forward, not even fifty feet from the white Jimmy. A hail of arrows left the mob ascending into the air above them. Somehow it reminded Joana of those times when she and Tim would nestle up together real tight on the couch watching scary movies and making out. Of all the movies to come to mind right then, the movie 300 flooded to the surface of her scattering thoughts. Something about the arrows blotting out the sun. Only there was no sun. Only orange.

The Jimmy kicked into gear, peeling out in reverse. The tires squealed as they caught traction. The sudden jarring motion sent Joana plummeting from the back seat. Her head hit the seat in front of her as she collided with the center console between the two front seats. The truck spun, someone shouting 's.h.i.t, s.h.i.t, s.h.i.t, s.h.i.t, s.h.i.t...' She tried to sit up but the rapid motion of the vehicle made it hard to gain control, her eyes only finding the back of Tim's head and the ceiling.

After a few moments, the car seemed to settle, still surging forward. Joana pulled herself up and turned herself around sitting in her seat. Frank was at the wheel, his knuckles pasty white as he gripped the steering wheel intent on keeping the truck from crashing. Tim looked back at her, but not at her. He was looking through her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. She followed his gaze and looked over her shoulder. The mob had fallen behind by a quarter mile, the vehicle too fast for the creatures on foot.

She sighed, her heart pounding in her throat.

"All right..." Frank exhaled, Joana watching the tension lift from his shoulders just a little. "This aunt of yours... what gives?"

"What do you mean?" Tim asked.

"I mean, what gives? What the h.e.l.l is she going to do to fix this c.r.a.p?"

"I don't kno-"

"She can fix it, I just know it," Joana cried, cutting Tim short.

"I never said that."

"Whatever!" Frank hissed. "If she can help us, that's all that matters!"

"Yeah..." Joana sighed, feeling the tears build. "How do we get to her house, Tim?"

Before Tim could open his mouth, Frank said, "I got it. I know how to get there." His voice was hard, his grip still tight on the wheel. His eyes never left the road. "Just know that if we get there and she can't help, you two are f.u.c.ked!"

The air in the Jimmy turned silent for a few minutes as the truck rolled down the street at a rapid pace.

"What the h.e.l.l is that supposed to mean?" Joana stared at him in the rearview mirror.

Frank locked eyes with hers for a second. What she saw in him was almost demonic. His eyes were so wide that the whites showed unnatural amounts and his unyielding scowl never wavered. Rather than reply, he reached past his coveralls, pulled out his pack of cigarettes, and lit one up.

The mood the rest of the ride to Miss Yortsdayle's house was grim.

Engrossed with fear, the silence ate into Joana like termites in old wood.

16.