Great Vine

By Dylan Parker

Part One: Surviving

Chapter One - The First Arrives

In the city of Great Vine the police department received a call from New York. Rene Johnson was on the night shift. Only three others were on duty and everyone wanted to go home. Rene was about to leave as her shift was over when a call came in on the radio.

"What’s that?" asked Leah Smith, a girl who had joined the force not a week ago and had not yet had to deal with criminals.

"That's the CB radio. We haven't had to broadcast on the in a while." said Bill McKeon, a paranoid officer. Rene walked over to the radio and listened.

"This is the New York Static Department. We need Static they came out of nowhere Static Only Three Static us are still alive. Thomas Killiam, Static and Robert Johnson Static " The last name bothered Rene because she new her brother was a cop but had never met him.

"You know, your brother was a police officer in Great Vine. One of the best, he moved into New York last year." Her mother had said. Her mother never talked about him except for that. She never knew her brothers name but she was ready to believe his name was Robert.

"They were everywhere. Malformed creatures Static killed people and Static them." Rene shot a look at Bill who had always believed in ghosts and aliens and nonsense like that. He looked back with an expression that could be purely read as him saying, "I told you so," And laughing his big head off about it.

Tim piped up after a few seconds, "Why is the NYPD calling down to Great Vine?" Everyone thought about that for a few seconds and no one seemed to be able to think of an answer. The New York Police Department had no reason to call down to Great vine, none at all.

"What do we do?" asked Leah. Suddenly the Radio started emitting words again.

"We Static locked ourselves in the Library. Static has Brick walls and not Static windows. We won't Static able to hold them off Static longer. Please respond."

Rene picked up the receiver and Shouted into it, "How did this happen, what is going on?" The NYPD never responded.

"How are we going to get there? The airport is closed." Asked Leah. Rene walked over to her locker and got out her stuff: Her badge, her Beretta 9mm, and her keys.

"We're driving. We don't have another choice." Rene started to leave with a single-minded determination none of the others could understand, she wanted to finally meet her brother. I'll find you, Robert. I promise, she thought. Rene walked to her car, it wasn't anything fancy but it worked. She used the keyless entry and got inside. In a few minutes everyone was out and getting in the car. Rene put the keys in and turned on the head lights. In the middle of the beams was a man. He looked right into Rene's eyes and started running at the car. As he got closer Rene could tell that he was covered in blood.

"Stop!" Rene yelled to the man when he ran into the car. The man walked around to Rene's window. He looked at everyone in the car when his eyes found Rene's.

"The First Horseman is here. He has brought Conquest. His army moves towards us every day. Save yourselves." The man tore off his shirt. He dropped onto the ground on his chest and Rene saw his back was torn up, apparently by a whip. Rene looked down and saw he had holes in his wrists and ankles.

"Oh my god." Rene said as the man coughed up blood and said, "Please heavenly father, forgive me." Blood poured out of his mouth and the life left his eyes. Rene opened up her door and checked the body. No sounds came from the car while she flipped him over and looked at his face more closely. She recognized him as the pastor at the local church. She had only gone a few times so she didn't know why he seeked her out to kill himself. Rene looked back and saw her friends' faces. Leah's head was lying on the window, tears streaming down, Tim trying to soothe her. Bill sat in the front seat staring seeming just as confused as Rene was.

"It's Pastor Steve." Rene whispered almost to herself. For a man of god to crucify himself but then come back to tell her to save herself from whatever this was made her voice squeak and her eyes water.

"What is happening to this town…?" She whispered again to herself. Rene stood up and looked around; no one was near so she pulled out her Cell phone and dialed 911.

"Nine-one-one emergency, what is your emergency?" said the dispatcher, Jimmy.

"Jimmy, I need an ambulance down on 5th and Elm." Rene said frankly.

"Rene is that you?" Jimmy asked curiously.

"Yes, it me. Get over here and I'll explain."

Jimmy didn't respond for a moment but then said, "Okay, I'll be over in a sec." Rene hung up her phone and looked to her friends. Bill had got out and was inspecting the body; Leah had stopped sobbing and was now looking out her window away from the corpse. Tim had also got out of the car and was walking around collecting his thoughts.

"Umm… Bill…w-what's that?" Leah asked, pointing out her window. Bill walked to the other side of the car when Tim and Rene started talking.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Tim asked looking down the body of Pastor Steve.

"Never, I really wish I hadn't." Rene responded, shivering, from fear and the cold.

"I wish I knew what he meant. I read the book of revelations in high school but I didn't

get it back then. If I remember right, the first horse is conquest; I think the second is disease. I can't remember the rest."

"Well, I just don't know. I'm sure Bill will believe him. He believes everything." It looked as if Tim was about to laugh when they heard gunshots coming from where Bill was. Rene drew her Beretta and ran behind the car. Rene was able to see the shape of a man but couldn't make out his details. She aimed her Beretta.

"Bill?" She asked the man. When he didn't respond she took a few steps forward and called his name again. No response. ‘Please don't be Bill’ she thought as she fired a warning shot into his leg. The creature roared and charged at Rene. When it ran past a light poll she realized it indeed was Bill but he had some kind of octopus on his back. Bill ran around to her back and howled. He didn't give Rene time to react when four tentacles from the octopus creature wrapped around her. She had not realized it before but the tentacles had long razor-sharp spikes that imbedded themselves into her. Rene knew she was passing out she heard someone say to her,

"I told you to save yourself! Not Bill." Rene fell unconscious and saw herself in a pure white room with Pastor Steve standing in front of her.

"Look what you have done." He said.

"You're dead, stop talking to me." Rene tried to walk away but there was no door.

"Now everyone gets to die because of you, I told you to save yourself." She looked at Steve for a moment trying to decipher what he meant when she suddenly woke up.

"Well, Rene." Bill said, looking at her with an expression of pure happiness, "It was nice knowing you. My army will take your brother, no matter what." He pressed in his tentacles and finished off Rene. Bill held her until she was gone.

"First blood." He whispered as he dropped her lifeless body on the street of Great Vine. Ambulance sirens could be heard to pick up not one but two bodies