Sunday, February 23, 2014

Movie and Event Review - Haunted House on Sorority Row


            Most of us will never get the chance to attend a full-blown Hollywood movie premier.  The best chance we have is winning a contest of some type and even then you can guarantee that the majority of us would feel as out of place as a Justin Bieber fan at a Megadeth concert.  That doesn’t mean that you can’t have the chance to experience a kick ass movie premier.  In Edgewood, Ohio, one of these events took place on Saturday, February 22, and both the event and the movie itself were amazing in a way that only Henrique Couto can deliver.

            One thing you can be sure of is that even if you do have the chance to attend the premier of a major studio movie, you will not likely be invited to dinner with the director and cast prior to the show.  Henrique Couto invited all of his fans to join him at Marion’s Pizza prior to the movie and showed his guests a great time.  There was no separation of stars and fans as we all sat down to enjoy some excellent Dayton area pizza and talk with each other about our general love of horror movies and independent horror especially.  Henrique even managed to get in a bite to eat between making sure that he worked his way around the entire restaurant so that he would have a chance to thank everyone for coming and talk to people.  Afterwards, we all headed over to the theatre.



            Expectations were high as about 150 fans awaited the start of the movie.  One fan summed up the feelings well.  Duane West shared with me that after seeing previews and reading up on the general information that was available for the movie, he was extremely excited.  “I could not wait to see it because there is just so much thrill, suspense, paranormal horror, and slasher all rolled in to one.  I personally have never seen a film set up that way.  To me, it’s a new film all of its own to have a blended mix of all this together.”  Fans were not the only ones eager to see the final result of such a talented group of independent film professionals.




            Many of the cast and crew were eagerly awaiting seeing the movie in its final, polished form.  Each had their own reasons and specific areas which they were eager to see.  Marylee Osborne, actress and line producer on the film was most eager to see all the effects come together.  “I’m really excited to see the makeup and the special effects in the movie because they are absolutely brilliant and I think that’s what’s going to make the movie.” 
Some of the cast were just anxious in general.  “I am excited,” lead actress, Joni Duran, shared with me prior to the movie.  “I don’t want to say nervous, I am just super excited.  Bouncing off the walls.  Hyper.”

            Once we got into the theatre, Henrique Couto introduced the film and then the much anticipated moment came.  I think it is safe to say that the fans were not disappointed!  At this point, I will not be giving my usual break down and rating of the movie.  Having only seen the film once, I will just give my overall impressions and the things that struck me the most.  I promise a more thorough review once the DVD has been released.


            In my opinion, this movie currently stands as Couto’s masterpiece.  The atmosphere of the film was phenomenal.  Couto creates a very creepy and suspenseful setting revealing just enough at the right times to keep us on the edge of our seat.  Marylee was right when she praised the makeup and special effects, because neither seemed to be something out of a typical independent film.  Both were very impressive and professional done.  The story flowed well and once it grabbed you, it never let go.

It is possible that part of the success of the story was Couto’s decision to collaborate with another writer for the first time in his film making career.  He could not have found a better choice than the writer of Haunted House on Sorority Row, John Oak Dalton.  Dalton shared some insight into why this movie came across as such as great story with such a unique feel.  My touchpoints are kind of 70’s horror movies and Henrique’s are kind of 80’s horror movies, and I think that when you put our sensibilities together, it’s kind of different.”  This movie shows that different does not equal bad.  When asked about the experience of working with a director who is used to writing his own material, Dalton recounted a very positive experience.  “I think I realize that Henrique has a unique vision and you are delivering someone else’s baby.  It’s not your baby.  So you have to tune in to the things, his sensibilities.  Plus, I saw Babysitter Massacre.  I had known him as a high school kid, but seeing him as an adult, I mean he was really talented and that made me want to work with him a little bit more.  And knowing the people that he had around him that it was going to be an interesting experience.  I think just kind of getting to know him and know his sensibilities and being able to deliver something that he would want.  Although, I think it has my voice, but it has his production sensibilities.“  Not only was Dalton right about Couto’s production sensibilities, he was right about the people around the director as well.

Simply put, the acting in this film was amazing.  What is possibly the most impressive about the cast is how some of the actors really showed their talent and range by playing characters that were very unlike previous roles.  if you look at Babysitter Massacre, Erin Ryan plays a lead who is very confident and sure of herself while Joni Duran played a co-lead that was very meek and mild.   In Haunted House on Sorority Row it almost seemed like the two switched roles and both did an amazing job at the part, demonstrating what great range they have as actresses.  Ryan’s character is nervous and lacks self-confidence.  You don’t doubt for a moment that this character is not handling well what is being thrown at her.  Joni Duran, on the other hand, plays a no-nonsense, take charge lead.  Joni herself said that she immediately recognized and embraced the differences in the roles.  “This character is completely opposite who I was in Babysitter Massacre,” Duran told me before the show.  “I’m really kind of excited to see that side of me and it was fun to project that side of me.  She is very assertive, so it’s a completely different kind of animal.”  Duran, Rayn, and the rest of the cast do not disappoint for a moment in the performances.

 
            After the show was over, the crowd stuck around and spoke with cast and crew.  All of those involved, were very friendly and approachable and seemed happy to sign autographs and talk with their fans.  Their reactions from the crowd following the movie were generally positive.  One fan stated, “It had everything you could ever want.  It had chicks, horror flicks, and some creepy unique suspense parts!”    Another fan shared that this was his first time seeing a Henrique Couto movie, but that he would definitely be back for the next one.  Couto seemed very pleased with the showing and the end product itself.  After the theatre lobby had cleared, he took a moment to share with me how he was feeling after such a successful evening.






            I’m feeling really good, but I feel like I finally earned the right to be tired.  Now I can say, I want to sleep.  And I will and I will have very little guilt.  But of course I say that knowing that we roll cameras next week on the first few scenes of Awkward Thanksgiving.  In fact, a week from today, we are filming some scenes.  So I am going to rest until the great, late hours of 11:00 AM tomorrow and then I will be back at it.  I couldn’t be happier.  I’m happiest about the people who work with me.  I’ve had this experience over and over of being able to show movies and watching the crowd react, but to have Eric Widing be my editor, and he worked so hard as well, and then get to see the fruits of his labor on the screen.  To have John Oak Dalton here who wrote the screenplay with me and have him be able to see it on the big screen, those things were actually almost as good as the audience for me because I like working with talented people and I like encouraging them.  I feel like I’m getting older when I say that because, although John’s not a pup, but I’m proud of that.  I guess it’s like I had more of a sense of pride in my project this time around if that makes any sense.”

                I think the fans will agree that Henrique’s sense of pride is in his project is well deserved and that the pride he has in his work shines through across the big screen.
 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Book Review – The Devil’s Woods by Brian Moreland

After reading The Devil’s Woods the first thing that came to my mind was “why aren’t more horror stories written set In this area?”  Brian Moreland transports us to the Canadian wilderness where the environment can be as much of a threat as the things living there.  The official blurb for the book is as follows:

Fear wears many skins.

Deep within the Canadian wilderness, people have been disappearing for over a century. There is a place the locals call “the Devil’s Woods”, but to speak of it will only bring the devil to your door. It is a place so evil that even animals avoid it.

When their father’s expedition team goes missing, Kyle Elkheart and his brother and sister return to the abandoned Cree Indian reservation where they were born. Kyle can see ghosts that haunt the woods surrounding the village—and they seem to be trying to warn him. The search for their father will lead Kyle and his siblings to the dark heart of the legendary forest, where their mission will quickly become a fight for survival.

Moreland paints an incredibly vivid picture of this part of the world.  He shows us both a breathtaking landscape that anyone should desire to see in their lifetime.  Simultaneously, he shows us a place where true horror can hide without fear of discovery and where mysteries can hide with few questions asked.  Moreland creates clear pictures in our mind and is extremely effective in utilizing the setting of his story to intensify the mood of the novel.  Moreland also taps into another too seldom used wealth of story in modern horror, Native American mythology and legend.

Once before, in his novel Dead of Winter, Moreland tapped into Native American mythology to present a seldom wrote about terror.  He does the same in this latest novel.  Moreland has obviously done extensive research before writing his book as he provides all the pieces of both the mythology and the traditions that appear in the novel.  Without giving anything away, his creatures will leave you checking the dark for things that might be lurking and praying that it really is just mythology and not based on fact.

Another area in which Moreland does an astonishing job is in creating realistic, believable characters that we care about shortly after meeting them.  There are no stereotypes or cookie cutter characters in Moreland’s novel.  Each major character is presented as a living, breathing person with thoughts, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses.  Even when characters make choices that make you want to yell at them for not making what seems like the best decisions, there actions are clearly based on their character.  Even the worst of the characters’ action are fitting with their personality, morals, and beliefs (or lack thereof).

Overall, Moreland does a fantastic job of drawing you right in and keeping you engaged as the action plays out.  There are a few minor points in the story where things seem to drag a little bit, but everything is vital to the story as a whole.  In the end, the payoff is well worth the patience during these minor slow parts, which are few and far between.  If you are going to read one new horror novel this year, you owe it to yourself to make it Brian Moreland’s The Devil’s Woods.

So, let’s take a look at the Rage Circus breakdown:

Story Concept - 5/5
Story Execution - 5/5
Story Flow - 4/5
Character Development (give-a-damn factor) - 5/5
Gripping visuals/details - 5/5
Entertainment Value/Story Engagement - 5/5
Editing (including grammar and spelling) - 5/5

Overall – 4.85/5 – READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!!

The Devil’s Woods by Brian Moreland is available through many retailers including direct from the publisher, Samhain Publishing at:



It is also available on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Woods-Brian-Moreland-ebook/dp/B00DUB258Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392846796&sr=8-1&keywords=devil%27s+woods

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Dustin Mills Fans Rejoice!

Recently, Dustin Wade Mills fans have received some great news!  The indie horror film maker responsible for Puppet Monster Massacre, Bath Salt Zombies, Easter Casket, Zombie A-Hole, and many others will have some unique screening opportunities coming up for his fans.



The first screening takes place this Friday, February 21, in your own home!  That's right, IndieHorror.Tv will be screening Mills' brand new horror masterpiece, Kill That Bitch, for free!  The show starts at 10:00 PM.  Details can be found at the Facebook event page here: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/1420714058168145/?notif_t=plan_user_invited



The second, equally exciting screening will be taking place at the Cleveland Cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio.  The theatre will be doing a limited run of what may just be Mills' greatest work of horror genius, The Ballad of Skinless Pete.  The film has now been retitled Skinless, but it is still the horror work of art that it was under its original title.  The film will play at the Cleveland Cinemas on Saturday, March 8, and Saturday, March 15.  You don't want to miss it!  If you are not familiar with Skinless, check out my review here:

http://ragecircus.blogspot.com/2014/01/movie-review-ballad-of-skinless-pete.htm

You can get more details about the screenings at the theatre's website:

http://www.clevelandcinemas.com/moviedetails.asp?id=5026

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Your patience please!

If you have been following this blog and are frustrated at the lack of updates, please be patient with me!  I fully intend to devote more regular time to the blog in the coming weeks and months as some regular obligations I have had are finally ending.  I've got movie, game, and book reviews in the works; will be reporting on the premier of Henrique Couto's premier of Haunted House on Sorority Row next Friday; some new interviews; and even a new piece of original fiction all coming your way!  So keep raging because The Rage Circus lives on to fight the Soulless Void!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Crawlies - Part 4 (Conclusion)

Well, I'm a day late posting the conclusion to "Crawlies," but it's only because I've been busying crushing every spider I see.  I also seem to have this irritated, red puncture mark on my chest.  Wonder what that could be from?  Oh well, it's not like I got bit by anything, right?

So, for those who have been waiting, here is the conclusion to "Crawlies!"  If you missed any of the previous parts, here are the links:


Part 3 - http://ragecircus.blogspot.com/2014/01/original-fiction-crawlies-part-3.html

Crawlies
Part 3 - The Conclusion
 
Bob firmly believed that anyone who said that crawlies were just stupid creatures no more intelligent than the average insect or arachnid was asking for trouble by underestimating the enemy.  Ben believed a lot of things about the crawlies that stemmed from research he had been a part of prior to the worst of the outbreak.  He had yet to share this information, or his background, with the rest of the group.  Given where they were and what they were facing, he thought it might be best to come clean.  He was getting ready to stop the group and confess when Natasha spoke up.
“Do you think those things could have been controlling Ben’s mind?” She asked, vocalizing their biggest fear.  Ben had played off of all of their weaknesses to get them into this situation.  There was a lot of doubt as to whether they would get out of it alive.  It did not make sense that he would have seen anything to gain by doing it of his own free will.
Bob saw his opening and spoke up.  “It was theorized that the growing crawlies could gain control of a host mind once they reached a certain point in their development.”  He knew there was no turning back now so he went on.  “That’s why so few people who had been infected committed suicide or otherwise tried to remove the creatures from themselves.”
Callie stared at Bob.  “How would you know that?”  She asked, almost demanding in her tone.  “There was never anything like that in the news.”
“I know,” Bob said with a sigh, “because I was a big proponent on my research team for the theory even though I lacked the clout to have it formally investigated.”
“Your research team?”  Natasha asked as if she could not believe the words that Bob had just spoken.
“Yes, my research team.”  Bob stopped and helped prop Will against a wall.  All three of them were staring at him now.  “I worked for the CDC at the beginning of the outbreak.  I had been a researcher there for about four years right out of college.  Low level stuff for the most part.  When the outbreak started to get serious, however, the higher ups were willing to listen to anyone in the agency.  I had the right contacts within the CDC and was placed on one of the research teams as an assistant.  The team I was on was close and my opinion was considered even though I had the least seniority and status of anyone on the team.”
“You worked for the government?”  Callie was stunned by what she was hearing.  “You had inside knowledge about these things and you are just telling us this now?”
“I had a lot of theories and suspicions.”  Bob said in defense of his decision to keep the information quiet.  “No one really knew anything solid about these things.”
“You bastard!”  Natasha screamed suddenly.  She rushed towards Bob and started slapping him repeatedly.  Each slap was accented by a loud thwack and Bob’s face was instantly red.  He didn’t try to stop her.  After a minute when Natasha showed no sign of slowing, Callie pulled her back.  Natasha broke down into tears.  “Why didn’t you tell us?”  She asked through her sobs.  “You might have known something that could have helped us!”
“I told you anything that could have been of help.  What difference does it make if I didn’t tell you why I knew?”  Bob was hiding something, Callie could tell.
“That’s up to us to decide if it was helpful!”  Natasha continued yelling at him.  “We put our lives in each other’s hands repeatedly.  We have a right to know about each other!”
“Right, what right?”  Bob was screaming back now.  “What makes you think you have any right to know anything?  I helped when I was needed.  I provided information when it was needed.  If I had told you what my background was, you would have been looking to me for every single decision.  We have survived just fine without ‘expert’ opinions.”
“Tell that to Elizabeth,” Natasha shot back, the venom dripping from her voice.  Her words were meant to cut, but they sliced deeper then perhaps even she had intended.
Bob got close enough to kiss Natasha, pushing Callie out of the way in the process, but a kiss was definitely not what he had in mind.  “You know what?  Fuck you!  I have done everything I can to contribute to this group.  Just because you work for some government agency everyone thinks you have all the answers.  Then, when you give them those answers, they blame you when your information is incomplete or outdated.  Even if they don’t speak up and blame you, they are constantly thinking it.  Your attempts to help just end up getting people hurt or killed and then you are the one left holding the bag.  Well, fuck that!  I won’t be put in that position again!” 
Natasha tried to back away, but quickly found herself against a wall.  All she heard was the fury in Bob’s voice and all she saw was the impending violence in his eyes.  Callie, however, saw and heard something else.  She saw the look in his eyes was equal mixture of anger and pain.  She heard the fury in his voice, but could not miss the sound of regret.  She saw the same thing when she looked in the mirror and heard the same thing each time she spoke.
“Who did you lose, Bob?”  Callie asked softly.  She cautiously put a hand on his arm and guided him back from Natasha.
“Who says I lost anyone?”  Bob asked, but his voice was now like a child’s, full of denial and shame at having been caught. 
“Who did you try to save?”  Callie’s voice held the inflection of sympathy and acceptance.  Bob hesitated for a moment.  Callie saw a single tear leak out of the corner of his eye and drip down his face.  Finally, he spoke up.  The anger in his voice was completely gone and was now replaced by defeat and sorrow.
“It was shortly after the outbreak began.  My family had gathered for a cookout to celebrate my niece graduating from high school.  My parents, my brother, his wife and three children, and my two younger sisters were all there.”  He paused for a minute and gathered himself to go on.  “I couldn’t be there because we were really starting to get a lot of sightings and were being stretched thin at the Columbus CDC.  I was on the phone with Julie, my niece, congratulating her and promising to visit as soon as I could.  That’s when I heard my mother scream in the background.  I asked Julie what was going on and she said she didn’t know but would check.  She put the phone down and went outside.  I heard more screams in the background.  After what seemed like an eternity, she came back on and told me that they were being attacked by giant spiders like the ones that had been in the news lately.  She asked me what to do.”  Bob hung his head, unable to go on.
“It’s okay,” Natasha said, surprising them all with her compassion.  “You told them what you thought was best at the time and it didn’t work.  Is that it?”
Bob nodded slowly.  He let out a long sigh and went on.  “I told them to go inside and get towards the center of the house.  We didn’t realize at the time just how smart the crawlies were.  They did as they were told, but when the crawlies found their way in, the entire family was slaughtered.”  He looked up and the tears were streaming now.  “They all died because they trusted my ‘expert’ knowledge.  They wouldn’t have even been there if I hadn’t told them the area was safe.”
“You couldn’t have known.”  Will spoke up for the first time since they had stopped.  “We were all working with bad information, civilian and government alike.  Hell, we still don’t know exactly what these things are and we probably never will with most of the major governments having fallen.”
“Maybe not,” Bob said.  “But they might have been more on the lookout if they hadn’t just blindly trusted what I had said.  I thought just because no nests had been detected in the area that they would be okay.  We still didn’t know that they could breed by infecting a host.  That’s how it spread so quickly.  While we were focused on finding and eliminating the nests, they were spreading through infection.  For all we know, they adapted to our attack on the nests.”
“Look man, I hate to break up this stroll down memory road,” Will said, straining to get up from where he had been slouched against the wall.  “But the fact is that no one knew shit and you need to let it go.  Right now, we need to get moving or we’re all going to be dead.  Those things could be anywhere.”
As if the mere mention of the crawlies had summoned them, a grate suddenly flew from the top of the wall.  A crawlie that looked like it must have had to crush itself into the ventilation system to be able to fit came springing out of the hole.  It was heading straight for Natasha, who had her back to it.  Without thinking, Will pushed himself off the wall and shoved her out of the way, putting himself right in its path.
The crawlie latched onto his back and quickly scurried around to his chest.  Will was face to face with the thing.  Before anyone could react, the crawlie leaned its head back slightly and then lunged forward.  Its mandibles tore into Will’s face and the scream that emitted from his throat was unlike anything they had heard before.    Will had fallen onto his back and was trying to pull the creature off with both hands.  Bob ran forward and grabbed the crawlie’s back.  He yanked as hard as he could and managed to pull it off.  The crawlie scurried away, but not without its prize.  It had torn off Will’s face.
Bob looked up in horror at the bloody pulp that had been hiding beneath Will’s skin.  Bob was trying to figure out what to do when a claw burst through the back of Wills throat and Bob was sprayed with the arterial blood.  As he watched the crawlies start to swarm out of the vent, he felt a distant tugging at his arm.  The tugging became more insistent and Bob looked at Callie in confusion.
“Let’s go, Bob,” She screamed.  “We have to go now.  He’s gone!”  Bob continued to stare at her.  Without warning, she slapped him hard across the face.  That snapped him out of it and he grabbed her arm and ran.
Natasha was already ahead of them.  She had run the moment she saw the first crawlie come out of the vent.  Bob and Callie caught up with her and they ran deeper into the building, away from the swarm coming their way. 
“In here,” Natasha shouted, running through a dark, open doorway.  Bob hesitated for a second, but when he looked behind and saw the creatures converging on him, covering every inch of floor, wall, and ceiling, he ran through the door and slammed it behind him.
The room was black and musky.  The air was hot and full of moisture.  Bob, Callie, and Natasha all began to sweat within moments of entering.  The torch had gone out in the rushing wind of the door being slammed shut.  They couldn’t see anything around them, but they could sense that the area was large and cavernous.  The sound of skittering claws were all around them and Bob instantly knew that they had made a mistake.  At the same time, there was no going back. 
A light suddenly pierced the darkness and Bob saw that Natasha had relit the torch.  It appeared as if they had entered a warehouse that was attached to the building.  Bob had not been paying much attention to where they had been going while running from the swarm.  As he looked around, he had a sinking suspicion that they would not be making it out of here alive.  What he saw chilled him to the core.
They had found the nest.  The largest crawlie that Bob had ever seen was laying in the center of the room.  It was easily the size of a whale and looked about as mobile on land.  Behind it was a huge web covered with egg sacs.  Bob guessed that each sac must have contained over a hundred eggs.  There must have been over a hundred sacs on the web.  To its left was another web, this one was covered with cocooned people and animals.  Bob guessed that these were intended as meals for when the eggs hatched.  The giant creature seemed to have its meals delivered to it directly.
Bodies were scattered all around the floor.  Age, gender, and race knew no distinction among the litter of corpses.  Bob took one look at the creature, its victims, and its oncoming offspring and knew that the world stood no chance against these things.  He doubted that this could be the only one of these massive breeders.  The chance that they would stumble on to the sole creature of its type was beyond unlikely.  Humanity was over.  At the moment, that did not matter to Bob.
The importance of all of human existence paled at the moment in comparison to the survival of Bob and his friends.  Theirs was a microcosm that was the focus of all of his attention.  He knew that there was little hope for any living thing on a planet infested with these creatures and he could not grasp the possibility of survival on a global scale.  What he did know was that he was not about to let any more people die around him.  That was when his eyes wandered onto Jacob and Elizabeth.
Their corpses were fresher than the others surrounding the large creature.  They were torn apart and, judging from the puddles around them, bled dry.  The bodies were desiccated and barely recognizable except by shreds of clothes that they had been wearing.  Bob felt the blood drain from his own face.  He looked at the huge creature and the smaller crawlies scampering all around it.  He looked around the room with little hope.  As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, he spotted a door to the rear of the room, past the crawlies and their queen.  He knew then that he had only one choice.
Bob knew that they could not all make it out alive.  If he had to die, he would die trying to atone for the lives that had been lost to his misinformation.  He knew that he had not only the blood of his own family on his soul, but countless others as well that had followed false advice put out by him and others like him who had been trying to justify their self-importance.  He scanned the room for anything of use and the moment his eyes found it, he had a plan.
“When I say,” he spoke to the two women out of the corner of his mouth, not taking his eyes off of the crawlies.  “Run for that door at the corner of the room.  I’ll get their attention.” 
“What are you going to do?”  Callie asked with fear in her voice.  She had also taken in the grave nature of their situation, but was unwilling to concede that they would have to willingly lose anyone else.
“Just trust me and run, NOW!” Bob screamed the last word and ran right at the crawlies.  The creatures did not know what to make of this show of bravado at first, but quickly got over their confusion and came towards him.  At the last possible moment, Bob veered off and turned towards the shelf of gas cans he had spotted off to the side.  He prayed that they were not empty.  Callie and Natasha did not think about what they were doing, but simply followed their instructions and ran.  A couple of crawlies spotted them and gave chase, but they managed to get to the door.
Callie tugged at the door with no success.  She grunted and pulled with everything she had, but the door would not budge.  A crawlie got close enough to prepare to spring and Natasha punted it right under its mouth.  The creature was knocked off balance long enough for Natasha to grab and pull the sliding lock that had been preventing Callie from opening the door.  The two women grabbed the door and it flew open.  The rushed outside and slammed the door behind them hearing the thud of the crawlie hitting the door right as it shut.  They both fell to the ground and tried to regain their breath.  They had both accepted the fact without having to say it that if there were more of the creatures out here, they were done.  They had nothing left in them.  They looked around and drew a deep breath at the sight that greeted them.
Inside, Bob had managed to grab the two gas cans and had run around the queen dousing it with gasoline.  He barely managed to escape the crawlies as he ran in serpentine.  Their size worked against them as they had to maneuver the bodies and various obstacles spread around the room.  Bob finished the can and used the second one to douse the floors and the web to the best of his ability.  As he was focused on the web, a crawlie jumped onto his back and knocked him to the floor. 
He could feel its claws dig into his back.  He thought that it must weigh at least fifty pounds and he could feel every single ounce.  He frantically tried to push himself up enough to reach his inside coat pocket.  He managed to push himself up slightly and then crashed back down at the weight of the crawlie.  He quickly shifted his weight and used all of his remaining strength to roll to his right and flung the crawlie off of his back.  It tore at through his clothing and straight into his flesh, leaving track marks like no lover ever had.
Bob screamed as he landed right on the wounds the crawlie had just created.  He saw it coming right back at him, his efforts having only bought him temporary reprieve.  He managed to grab the lighter out of his pocket and set the gasoline line ablaze right as three crawlies all came from different directions and began to tear his body apart.  As his life ended, he watched the flames spread and he thought he could hear the queen scream in defeat.  Had he not been in such agony, he might have been able to appreciate that sound more before he died. 
Outside, Callie and Natasha looked around and saw that they had come out behind the business complex near the river.  The surrounding land was blissfully clear of any crawlies.  After gathering their strength for a moment, they began to walk away.  Their attention was suddenly drawn back to the building when they heard an ear-splitting shriek pierce the air.  The building suddenly exploded outward and the air pressure from the blast knocked them off of their feet.  As they came back to their senses, they saw the fire start to catch and spread.
“What the hell just happened?”  Natasha wondered aloud as she rubbed at her head.
“Complex that size must have had a large generator.”  Callie mused.  “I guess it was still pretty full.”  The women looked at each other briefly and then set off without another word.  They knew that Bob had bought them a temporary stay of execution at best.  The world was still crawling with whatever had come to infest it those few, yet long years ago.  There was no promise and little hope of long-term survival, but they would take what they could get and try to not look back.
The End
 
If you enjoyed Crawlies, tune in next month for my next work of original fiction!