FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Barbra ran down the dirt path with her lungs burning for air.

"HELP!" she bellowed, but was answered back by the sighing wind in the trees lining the road. "SOMEONE HELP!"

It was the last day of summer and the crisp autumn air was just beginning to kiss her face as she ran. Her blonde hair cascading into the wind as the young cat ran for her life as a shambling shape pursued her. She dared a glance back to see the white wolf jogging after her with it's misshapen gait and bloodied maw. She pushed herself harder desperate to escape the almost supernatural figure behind which hadn't stopped for a breather since it attacked. She couldn't get past the milky blue eye which had placed its frightening visage in her face moments before, only that it was now glazed over and glittering with violence as the lone good eye was.

A pain in her side was forcing her to slow down allowing the wolf to gain on her as she prepared to fight it off. The attack came suddenly just as it had before, knocking the frail looking cat to the ground with tremendous force. She screamed but mostly in anger and frustration as she fought the snapping teeth away, the wolf grasping and pulling at her like it had before. She landed a punch on it's maw, knocking the creature back enough for her to crawl out from under it as it dove forward again. She kicked forward feeling the teeth graze the edge of her stockinged foot as he landed upon her stomach and went forward for her neck. She fought hard to keep him off, even kneeing him in the groin repeatedly to little effect. She kept the snapping face at bay as long as she could, the wolf squeezing violently upon her breasts for purchase as it leaned forward.

She gathered herself enough to shove the man off her, throwing him into the dirt road where he prepared to pounce again. She was dimly aware of the sound of a roaring engine until the truck blurred into view, slamming into the wolf with breakneck speed. The wolf yelped in surprise and went up onto the hood, slamming bodily onto the metal frame before tumbling away broken as it stopped.

"Son of a-" a man's voice said stumbling dazed from the truck.

He was disheveled and looking dizzy as if he had been in a bar fight with a lawnmower, blood was coursing down one side of his head had matted into his fur. The grey wolf looked at the woman on the side of the road, then at the broken heap on the roadway which had begun to move despite the severity of the injury. The white wolf had nearly been cut in two by the impact was pulling itself along the ground, dragging it's own intestines behind it like a hellish bridal train. The teeth kept snapping as the grey wolf jumped forward and drove the steel crowbar into it's skull, stopping it in it's tracks.

"GODDAMN YOU!" he roared, "GODDAMN ALL OF YOU!"

The grey wolf turned suddenly and Barbra felt a bolt of fear go through her as he ripped the crowbar from the things head, lifting it as though he were going to hit her as well.

"You better say something," he warned approaching, "anything, gotdamnit!"

She fumbled for words as he approached slowly, sizing her up as if she were going to do him harm.

"P-please." she said, forcing out the words as she shrunk back in fear.

"Jesus," he said falling to his knees beside her, then forcibly embracing her. "Jesus, thank you."

He began to shudder uncontrollably, holding the frightened cat in his arms as if he hadn't seen her in years. He quickly composed himself and glanced around almost alert as if danger were afoot at every corner. He smelled musty and earthy, probably from the damp mud still ground into his clothes. Barbra looked at him in fright almost plotting to get the crowbar from him and use it to defend herself if necessary.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said almost haunted, " but we need to get out of here. Are you hurt? Did he bite you?"

Barbra simply shook her head, though he couldn't account for the blood on her blouse.

"C'mon, we need to get in the truck," he said softly, "we need to find help."

"Ok," she said calmly, though wearily taking his hand as he ushered her into the truck.

Barbra sat up against the door as they raced away from the scene behind them, still uncertain of what the hell she just saw as they rode in silence.

"Talk to me girl," he said as he gazed straight ahead, shifting the stick to get them up the hill. "is that your blood?"

Barbra stared straight ahead as images of what happened flashed through her mind. Snapping teeth and the strange milky eye, the strong chemical stench laden on it's breathe and the grasping hands still moving across her body. Her back her from where she had fallen upon the tombstone behind her, probably left a deep bruising if she could only see it. She remembered the flowers, their sweet scent as they rode up to the cemetery to visit their parents. Somewhere on her tongue was the tang of the sour candy they argued over at the gas station and the smell of the fresh cut grass as she went down. She grimaced at the thought of seeing it all over again in her mind, but it came flooding back. Johnny's hands clasped around the man's shoulders and pulled him back, the two of them tumbling away in a ball. She tried to get up and help, but she was badly winded from the impact on the stone to catch her breathe as they got to their feet. She remembers them silhouetted against the sun as the wolf dove and clamped on his throat. Johnny let out a gurgling scream of horror as the wolf pulled back tearing his throat out of his still screaming body. An arterial jet hit her across the face and blouse, Barbra watching in horror as Johnny fell back silently clutching at his torn throat as geyser of blood erupted from his mouth.

"JOHNNY!" she bellowed, calling the wolf's attention back to her as she got to her feet.

Barbra fidgeted in the seat and finally spoke up looking down at her lap.

"It's my brothers." she said softly, "That man back there, he killed him."

The grey wolf rolled his lips as though he had something stuck in his teeth, sure enough a Sesame seed came loose and he made short work of it.

"That wasn't a man," he said firmly.

"What?" she said looking at him suspiciously.

"That wasn't a man back there," he said looking a haunted again, "I don't think any of them are anymore."

Barbra opened her mouth, but didn't pursue it and looked back out on the open road. It had been an hour since the attack and she was just now noticing there wasn't any traffic. Dozens of empty fields greeted her blue eyes, making the scene even more surreal as they past a truck parked on the side of the road with it's doors hanging open.

"Name's Ben," he said shifting in his seat.

"I thought it was Joe," she said softly, "that's what it says on the truck. Joe's Aluminum Welding Service. You don't look like a welder, "Ben", you look like a banker."

For the first time he cracked a smile and began to chuckle, his face lighting up as he grinned.

"All my students say that. Most of them have professors that dress like they're hippies."

"Well Ben, I'd taken you for a banker," she said wanly smiling. "What's your field?" "English, I love the written word. Poetry, horror, history, it's all got to come from somewhere."

"You any good?"

"The best Pitt has to offer," he said suddenly looking withdrawn, "the best there was."

Barbra could see he was hiding something, even his three piece suit was telling her a story she couldn't quite put together.

"I'm Barbra," she said finally, "what's your story Ben?"

Ben sat there quietly a moment as if to reflect on his own experiences from earlier that day. He winced as he adjusted himself in the seat and began to recount his tale without looking at her.

"It started out as beautiful day didn't it. I can't hardly believe how perfect it was, so beautiful. I decided to step out for lunch since I had time before my next class, I was down at Beekman's, Beekman's Diner. All the Professor's rave about them having the best damn burgers in the state. 'They practically moo on the grill,' they'd tell me. So I decided to give it a go.

"Did they?" she said, feeling her own stomach rumble, "Have the best burgers?"

He smiled again as he spoke, "Best there is! They practically still had the udders."

Barbra tried to subdue a laugh which came as a snort.

"I was there in the middle of my lunch when my phone went off, it was an alert from the weather service. Bad weather coming in, possible tornado. I had a window seat and it was blue skies outside so I paid it no mind. I had to hurry, I had a bit of drive back to school to prepare for my next lecture, when I got another text. Tornado Warning, it said but again I didn't pay it no mind until I heard the thunder. Next thing I know, it's black as hell outside and it's pouring hail the size of my fist. I barely had time to hitch up my pants when the diner went flying, people screaming and kids crying as the diner flipped over.

"When I came to, I was under a wall and the tornado was disappearing over the hill. Rain was pouring down. I was probably there ten minutes when I heard the screaming, my head was buzzing pretty bad and I was pinned a bit by my booth. I managed to wiggle out from under the debris, and looked around to see where it was coming from. There was debris everywhere, some of the steel siding was literally wrapped around the trees and they were pieces of a house and a car where I was. I climbed over and followed the screaming, thinking someone needed help. Couldn't have been further from the truth.

He paused as if he were remembering something, absently biting his nail as he did.

"What did you see?" she pressed him without realizing she was hanging on his every word.

A strange faraway look overcame him, making him look younger and more innocent than he was.

"I don't know what I was seeing. At first I saw the man, I thought he was helping her because she was pinned under the grill. But when he turned..."

He paused a moment and covered his mouth, though the sour taste of vomit still lingered in his breathe despite how many breathe mints he ate.

"What?"

"He was eating her arm." he said, "Like I said I only saw him at first, but when he turned he had pieces of her in his mouth. What was worse, there was a two by four sticking out of his chest straight through his heart. Yet he stood up like nothing was wrong with him. I think he was in shock, but I thought for sure he'd be dead. That's when I noticed them.

"Them?" "The people of the restaurant." he said beginning to shake, "They were eating each other."

Barbra's face took on a look of familiar horror, remembering the man from earlier.

"I turned to if see anyone could help me, but I was alone. I couldn't move, I couldn't run."

He suddenly turned to her with a shattered look of despair on his face.

"I hadn't seen anything like this," he said turning back to the empty road.

"What did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could do: run." he said looking a bit more disgusted. "I went back down the damage path the tornado had taken. I saw them wherever I went, they had the two year old behind me in pieces on the ground. The kid didn't have a chance.

Barbra was dimly aware of her hand on his shoulder, he glanced at it and patted it. She was surprised he even gripped it.

"I got back to the diner parking lot, my car was totaled. Another car was parked on top of it with the flashers still going and that's when I heard the sirens coming. A fire engine was coming up the road with the lights going and sirens full blast. I stood in the road and began screaming and waving for them to help. Now I didn't see them at first, only that the fire engine was moving in a funny way. I thought they were skidding because the rain was stilling coming down and it was somewhat dark.

"It got closer and I could see the driver was fighting off his own men, they were all over him. The closer the truck got the more I could see some of things hanging on. By this time I had to jump out of the way because they got the driver and the truck veered toward me and into the parking lot. One of those things got under the tire and smashed him before the truck took out what was left of my car. It turned over and the gas tank opened up, must've been a down line somewhere because it caught the gas on fire. I can still hear the guy screaming.

He shook it off and gently pushed away her hand, Barbra withdrawing to her side of the truck.

"I found this abandoned about a mile up the road." he continued, "I turned back toward Evans City, and walked into a war zone."

Barbra looked affright, realizing that they had been driving away from town rather than too it.

"I won't go back that way." Ben said softly, "I don't think there is anyone left alive back there."

Barbra realized the situation could suddenly escalate and she knew that she needed help immediately.

"What about McKeesport?" she said, "Maybe there is a sheriff or police station we can go to."

"It's a bit crazy," he said looking a bit relieved, "but I'll roll with it."

"We'll need some things first, right?" she said looking around the truck and out the back window.

In the bed was a pair of red and green tank similar to the helium tanks from her birthday parties Johnny used to suck on to make it sound like his stones hadn't dropped yet. They were half hidden under an old carpet next to box of tools that clattered audibly on the bumps and little else.

"Shit." he grumbled.

"What?"

"I'm on the redline, we'll need gas if we're going to McKeesport." he rumbled looking at the ancient dials.

The truck itself must have been at least fifty years old or older since most of the gauges were huge and were mostly analog dials with needles rather than digital. The needle hovered near the "E", indicating that they were almost out of juice in their journey.

"Pull in there," Barbra said nodding to a turn off ahead.

Just beyond the stand of trees was a barn and flat expanse to the house half hidden amongst a series of trees, just to the right of the barn was a faint glitter of metal in the dying afternoon light. He squinted and felt a glimmer of hope rush through him when he saw a gas pump next to the barn, aiming the truck down the drive as they pulled up. The headlamps splashed over the steely box revealing a large padlock that dashed their hopes of making it to McKeesport before dark.

"It's too quiet." Ben said looking at the porch when no one came out to see what had showed up.

"Maybe no one's home." Barbra said looking uneasy as she dug into glove compartment.

It dropped down heavily revealing a stainless steel Colt Python .357 magnum complete with wood grip inside. Ben gingerly held it up, feeling its weight as he carefully tested the gun to find out if it's loaded. The cylinder popped open and the brass ends glittered faintly in the final hazy glow of the setting sun.

" Anymore bullets?" he said looking back at her as she dropped a set of speed loaders into his paw.

"I'll take this," she said grabbing the crowbar, "seems more friendly."

Ben nodded as they exited the truck and went to the front door, but failed to get anyone to answer. Carefully stepping up onto the back porch they paused a moment noting blood on the door jamb.

"Ben," Barbra said quietly pointing into the field where a lone shambling figure was creeping closer from the tree line at the edge of the property.

He silently urged on, wary of the blood smear on the frame and the pool by the door. The inside was dark and quiet, the air lingering with the aroma of burnt meat and blood. A pan sat on the stove with a dark shriveled hunk which probably had been a steak long since cold as if someone had the sense to turn it off. A small trail of blood lead into the connecting hallway moving toward the front of the house, moving up the steps into the dim landing of the second floor. There was a door to the left with whatever light coming in through window to their right, making the hallway foreboding and unwelcoming. Light was coming from the other end, possibly from a front facing window or room at the other end.

Ben gently eased open the door to a dark room as Barbra crept up the staircase, ready to lunge at any opponent. The light filtered in from the window at the other end of the hallway, illuminating as strange mess in front of her as Barbra cupped her muzzle to keep from screaming. Glistening sickly before her was a nude skull with most of if not all the flesh torn from it except for a pair of eyes that seemed glazed over in their dying moment. The lower jaw was completely gone, leaving a half chewed tongue exposed above the ragged stump of the neck. The silken nighty was doused in blood and one breast remained while the other had disappeared leaving exposed ribs in it's place. All she could tell was that she might have been a fox, though the graying pelt made it impossible to tell for sure as she stepped back. It was in that moment, she saw the eyes suddenly shift in their torn sockets, craning around toward her as she stepped back further and nearly tumbled off the stairs. She let out a frightened squeal of surprise when she brushed against something behind her.

"Don't look at it." Ben said soothingly as he pinned her arms down to keep from getting brained by the crowbar. "C'mon."

Barbra fought back tears as they backed down the steps, while the eyes following them as far as they could. He guided her downstairs and she pulled away from him, though he grabbed her shoulders as if to keep her straight.

"I've seen enough of them in Evans City, don't be fooled. It's not alive." he said softly.

"But-" she started and Ben shook his head

"They only look it. There's no way she could be alive, not after that." he said nearly in a whisper.

He stopped a moment, his ears craning about wildly as if he had gotten wind of something. She could hear it took, almost like soft footsteps nearby as they drew their weapons for protection.

"I think one's inside," Barbra whispered.

"Dammit if I don't think you're right." he whispered looking unsettled.

Ben motioned toward the door, both of them preparing to go through with their weapons hot and ready for action. Ben was the first through the door when the attack came and he disappeared into the darkness. Barbra was through when something cracked loudly across the door behind her as it shut, almost like a baseball bat had thumped the frame. Ben rumbled to her left when she was tackled from the right and tried to fight away whatever was holding onto her. She saw stars when she head-butted the thing and it let out a cry of pain, letting her go as she dove for the crowbar in the corner. Ben scuffled with the thing which had him by the throat, throwing himself back to free himself as the thing tumbled with him. There was a loud crescendo of musical notes behind him and he was free, cocking the hammer of the Colt when the lights came on.

"DON'T SHOOT! IT'S US!" a woman screamed.

"Who the fuck is us?!" Ben roared as the scene came into view.

Barbra stood poised to brain a rat man in dirty tux armed with a baseball bat, while on the floor a tiger with black hair was getting up off the floor. Standing in the doorway was cheetah girl and elegantly dressed mouse woman with dark hair and faded blue eyes at the business end of the gun. The tiger quickly stepped in front of the gun as if to shield them.

"My name is Tomas Cortez, I own this house. Who are you?" he said firmly.

"Ben."

"Barbra."

"Look here Ben, I want you stop pointing that thing at my girl." he said solemnly.

The cheetah girl came to the tiger's side quickly as the rat man slithered back to the door.

"Please mister," she pleaded her green eyes wide with fright.

Ben eased off, but left the hammer cocked as he dropped it to his side only dimly aware of the shotgun by the tiger's side. The tiger looked a bit uneasy as the girl clinging to him, but he seemed a bit more even headed than the man behind him.

"You can call me Tommy," he said softly but never easing up off the gun.

"Is it them?" the cheetah girl said looking anxious, "The ones who killed Ms. Ellis?"

"No. It was two men," the rat spat vehemently. "Especially the one that bit my daughter."

"Is that the lady upstairs?" Barbra said absently.

The cheetah girl nodded burying her face into the tiger's chest as he put an arm around her. She looked much younger than she did, even with a bright blue streak through her black hair which was pulled back into a ponytail. Even from Barbra's vantage point she wasn't dressed like a local, more likely she was ready for a rock concert. She wore top cropped so high that she stretched right her breasts would pop into view, not that she seemed to know what a bra was for. Her jean shorts were short enough that Barbra wondered if they were even legal to wear which accented what her brother often referred to as fuck-me-hips. She was thick where he liked it and probably spent time down on all fours, where as Barbra was a bit narrower in the hip and often jokingly referred to a Johnny's twin in school. She didn't know if to feel disgust or sorry for the girl.

"Do you know her?" Ben said.

"Yeah," Tommy said, "she lived here since her husband passed away. My grandpa bought the farm afterward to keep the bank away. We let her stay and I come out to help her, fixing things and tending the animals."

"What happened here?" Barbra said easing up, "We saw the blood."

The cheetah girl spoke up.

"We were on our way to the lake at the other end of the property when the TV said there was some kind of trouble. Ms. Ellis called us and said there was some people on the property spooking the cows. We decided to come and check on her and we found the Copeland's knocking on the door.

Ben turned to the rat by the door.

"What my car is on the interstate, broke down P-O-S." he muttered, "I figured we'd call a truck. We found the place and were beating on the door for an hour before they showed up."

"None of you have a cellphone?" Barbra asked realizing hers had disappeared sometime ago.

Tommy and his girl shook their heads, Mr. Copeland threw his on the ground.

"Dead as door nail." he spat, "What about you Mr. Ben?"

"Lost it in a tornado." he said firmly.

"That's what that smell is." the girl said looking a bit sick.

"She rode out a tornado in a bathtub when she was younger." Tommy said holding her close. "Mr. Copeland already tried, the landlines are down."

"Oh my God, the little girl." the cheetah girl said looking younger by the minute as the worry over took her.

Tommy picked up, "We got in and let Mr. Copeland use the phone, I found Ms. Ellis upstairs dead. I turned to tell everyone to not come up and call the police when I heard their little girl scream. I turned and saw a man biting her arm, so I pushed him away and turned to see the other coming down the steps after us. We went down to the basement to get the shotgun and shut the door as they were trying to get in. It's a strong door, we tornado proofed it in case she ever needed it. We just came up to see if they were in here and that's when you showed up.

Ben looked a bit anxious now.

"Where are they at now?" he said scanning their faces but seeing no answers.

"That's what we'd like to know," Mr. Copeland said.

"You didn't see them?" Tommy said looking confused.

Ben was about to answer when the sound of heavy footsteps on the front porch drew their attention. There was scuffling and groaning at the front door, followed by the sound of the door knob jiggling. There were several heavy thuds as the door knob turned and the door cracked open, in came a bloodied paw.....

To be continued....