Alicia flipped out the GPS. "Follow me," she said. She stomped into the cover of the trees, shoving huge leaves aside as she went.
Chapter Thirty Six
The truck was sitting where we'd left it, covered by the camouflage tarp. It took us a few moments to spot where it was hiding, shrouded in the shadows. Coal pulled the tarp off and we all jumped in. Kaloo still hadn't made an appearance but Coal reassured me that she would turn up.
Alicia threw the truck into reverse and we started the bumpy journey back towards the road. She cranked up the heating and I wrung my hair and clothes out as best I could, trying to force some feeling back into my numb limbs. I threw my coat down into the footwell with everyone else's; it was too wet for it to have any prospect of keeping me warm anymore.
Coal scooted across the middle seat to sit next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. I sighed, relaxed back into the chair and rested my head on his chest, shamelessly taking advantage of his body heat. After a while I was able to stop shivering and I let my eyes fall closed.
The bumping and jostling of the truck was strangely reassuring and I felt myself begin to drift off, listening to the steady thud of Coal's heartbeat. We were safe at last.
My thoughts drifted and I was running through the forest, my feet gliding rather than touching the ground and my hair blew around me softly. I was chasing something and as I turned a corner, I saw that it was a huge cat with golden fur and a long mane.
"It's a lion," a deep voice informed me as I reached a hand out towards the beautiful monster.
The cat opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.
My eyes snapped open and I saw a huge, yellow vehicle careering towards us between the trees to the left of the truck. It had a big scoop on the front of it, lined with ridges like teeth. I caught a glimpse of wild eyes behind the steering wheel.
Coal's arms were wrapped around me and I cowered into his embrace as the scoop closed the gap and smashed straight into the side of us. It flipped us over as easily as the wind blows a leaf.
The truck tumbled over and over and I slammed heavily into the roof and back into the seats. Coal was wrenched away from me and flung over to the other side of the cab. Laurie was screaming and it was all I could do to try and cover my head. The windows smashed, littering us with glass which scratched my face and arms where the skin was exposed.
I was thrown like a rag doll back and forth. Finally, the rolling ended and Coal was launched back towards me. The truck skidded to a halt on its roof as it hit a gnarled tree trunk. We were propelled around as the truck rotated. I tried to grab hold of anything to stop myself from sliding amongst the pile of broken glass.
Coal was on top of me and he hissed in pain as he rolled aside and pulled a long slither of metal from his thigh.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
"I think so," I said, doing a mental check and not feeling anything too serious. I tried to catch my breath and ignore the thin trails of blood running down my arms.
"Then move." He shoved me towards the shattered window and I pulled myself out on my stomach, wincing as more pieces of glass found purchase in my skin.
I rolled aside and Coal followed.
"Over here," Laurie beckoned from behind a tree a little further into the surrounding woodland.
We scrambled over to her and caught our breath.
"Alicia?" Coal asked but Laurie shook her head.
"She was thrown through the windscreen, I think I saw her get up though."
There was a thick thorn bush next to us and Coal shoved his way inside, holding the foliage back to let us in too. We sat still, holding our breath as the first Creeper came into sight.
Laurie had blood running down her face from a wound somewhere hidden in her hair. She wiped it away from her eye and pulled a pistol into her lap.
"Tick, tick, tick, boom," a scraggy looking female muttered as she circled past our hiding place.
We could see several more of them inspecting the truck which was lying on its roof in a small clearing.
Coal was glaring about, searching for a sign of Alicia amongst the greenery surrounding us.
"What do we do?" I breathed but he hushed me with a signal from his hand.
"My feet will find you little sneakers!" another Creeper called out from the top, or rather the bottom, of the truck where he had clambered up to get a better view.
Very little they said actually made any real sense, they used grunts and screeching as often as words.