Into the Fire

by Mark Tufo

  Another ship flew off to their right.

  “Troops?”

  “No, they are already on the ground. These ships are specially equipped to look for beings on the ground.”

  “I’m taking it these trees won’t deter them?”

  “Nor the night, as they have a form of your infrared. Much more advanced, but it has limitations.”

  “Is it something we can exploit with what we have available or are we just biding our time?”

  “We are always biding our time, sire of Michael.” Dee was looking up past the canopy of trees for signs that any of the quiet ships were approaching. “We will need to borrow some things from a home nearby. I do not like venturing back into populated areas, but it is the only way.”

  “I think Travis could use some heat as well. His cheeks are looking a little rosy.” Tony had pulled off his gloves to feel the boy’s face. He was fast asleep and seemed relatively comfortable sitting in the pouch of the caboose specifically designed for Dee’s immense size. “Who am I kidding, I could use the heat. Come on, I know the guy that lives just over that hill.”

  A half hour later, they were at the darkened back door of Eli Woodlands.

  “Let me get Travis and you to step back. You’re bound to get us shot.”

  Drababan had no sooner stepped into the shadows than the light came on. “Who’s out there?” a gruff voice asked. “Don’t make me say it twice, I have a twelve gauge shotgun, and times being what they are, I’m justified to use it.”

  “Eli, it’s me, Tony Talbot and my grandson, Travis.”

  “Talbot? Tony, what the hell are you doing here?” The back door opened up. Eli put the gun up, looked both ways and ushered Tony and Travis in.

  “There’s one more of us.”

  “It’s not Mike, is it? Those goddamned ugly alien things are looking for him.”

  “It’s not Mike. Drababan.”

  Dee came out from the darkened backyard.

  “Sweet Mary and Joseph.” Eli nearly dropped his gun.

  “I can assure you that I am not ugly, I am quite handsome in fact.” Dee ducked down to get inside.

  “Eli, who is there?” Lilly, his wife, asked. She had stepped into the kitchen.

  “It’s me, Tony Talbot. It’s good to see you again, Lilly.”

  “I wish I could say the same,” she smiled.

  Dee quickly realized this was a practiced custom between the two as Tony went across the small room and gave her a hug and peck on the cheek. Lilly could not see him because she was blind. An opaque coating covered her eyes.

  “I smell Travis!” She deftly tickled him.

  He began to giggle and pull on her nose.

  “He’s freezing! Tony, what are you two doing out in this weather?” She snatched the boy up into her embrace. “Come on, little one, I will get your box of blocks and a warm cup of cocoa.”

  “Tell Drababan he is welcome as well, just don’t break any of my furniture.”

  “How could you possibly know?” Tony asked incredulously.

  “As many times as your son has come to visit, you do not honestly believe he hasn’t told me all about his big green friend? It is a pleasure to meet you.” She reached her free hand out.

  “The honor is mine.” Dee gently took her hand and shook it twice. Eli looked like he had just witnessed the crucifixion happening in his living room. “I fear we cannot stay long, as our presence may put you in danger.”

  “Nonsense, if you two grown-ups want to run around in this storm, then I cannot stop you, however, you will not take this child with you.” She retreated to the playroom to get Travis her “visiting kids” box of kid blocks, the much larger cousin of Legos.

  “Eli, I’m sorry to impose like this.”

  “If Lilly is alright with it, then lord knows I am as well. Come on, sit, you look exhausted. I uh…I’m sorry about that ugly comment.”

  “Do not feel bad. I do not find your particular species all that appealing to the senses either. To be fair, I am considered quite handsome among my own kind.”

  Tony snorted.

  “Um, okay,” Eli answered, not sure how to respond.

  “I wish I knew if you were kidding or not,” Tony said as he went into the living room. Travis was already happily knocking the blocks around.

  “Eli, could you please get Travis some cocoa, my rheumatism is acting up something fierce.”

  “Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated, but we cannot stay. I would like some supplies and then we must be on our way.” Before Lilly could protest, and she would, Dee continued. “I fear that the Progerians have come to this specific place to recapture Michael and, in failing to do that, they will take into custody anyone who is related to him or perhaps helped him. We are all in more danger by staying here.”

  “Tony? I know we stand no chance of beating them, but if you want to stay and fight, I will stand with you,” Eli said.

  “I appreciate that, Eli, I do. We’ve been neighbors and friends for years, and I love you both as if you were family. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to either of you two because of us.”

  “Nonsense, Tony, we feel the same way about your family. How do you think we would feel if we didn’t help in your greatest time of need? That wouldn’t be very Christian of us,” Lilly said.

  “I do not think that to be a uniquely Christian gesture,” Dee said. “I do not mean to disrespect your beliefs. It is my belief that what you are doing transcends even religion. It is more basic and more profound. It is the wish and desire of one intelligent, caring being to be kind to another intelligent, caring being. It is unfortunately not as common as one would hope.”

  “Lilly, we just came to get some things and get back out there. Like Eli said, we will not have much of a chance against them, our best strategy is to keep moving. We would like for you to come with us.”

  “I do not think so, Tony Talbot. I have been in this house for thirty-seven years. I have loved and laughed in here. I will not abandon it now,” Lilly said, her chin held high.

  “What is it about humans and their unnatural bond to an inanimate structure? I can well assure you that your home will not care if you leave.”

  “That may be true, Drababan, but I will, and that is all that truly matters.”

  “We’re staying, Tony,” Eli said. “I didn’t hear your car…do you need ours?”

  “As much as I’d like to, we can’t. It seems they are shooting everything that moves.”

  Lilly snorted. “You wanted me to walk out in this storm in the cold? I would much rather die in the warmth and comfort of my present surroundings, thank you very much.”

  “No one said anything about dying, Lilly.” Eli said the words more as a way for him to keep calm. Lilly had already mentally prepared herself for that particular outcome.

  “Would you mind if I look in your garage for what we need?”

  “Of course, you’ll have a better chance in the barn, though. Come on, I’ll show you the way,” Eli said to Drababan.

  “Is he as big as he sounds?” Lilly asked Tony when she heard the back door shut.

  “Bigger. He’s an amazing being—tender and spiritual when he needs to be, and a death-dealing, fearless warrior when the situation dictates. Mike knows how to pick them.”

  “I hear the pain in your voice, Tony. How is your son, and why is he not here?”

  “I don’t know where he is. He begged Drababan to watch the baby so that he could go help Tracy.”

  “Is she in danger?”

  “She was. Honestly, Lilly, I don’t know more than that. Mike went to Los Angeles, and I haven’t heard from either of them since then. That’s been a little over a month.”

  “I don’t think you should worry too much,” she said as her arm came out to comfort him.

  “Not worry?”

  “It seems the aliens wouldn’t bother trying to capture him if he were already dead.”

  “I…I guess I never
thought of it that way.”

  “Silver lining on every cloud.”

  “This is a hell of a big cloud, Lilly.”

  “No swearing in front of the child.”

  Travis was oblivious as he played.

  Tony sat with Lilly. They mostly small talked and watched Travis play, both knowing in their hearts of hearts that this was the last time they would do so. Drababan and Eli came in a few hours later, talking loudly and animatedly as if they were lifelong friends catching up after a particularly long absence.

  “If I didn’t know better, Eli Woodlands, I would think you were drinking,” Lilly said.

  “How does she do that?” Eli asked Drababan, the slightest slur to the end of his question.

  “I believe that the females of your species may contain trace amounts of magic,” Drababan told him dryly.

  “That’s what I figured it to be!”

  “You should dress Travis back up. We should be moving once again.”

  Tony picked up on the alarm in Dee’s voice even if the Genogerian had done his best to conceal it.

  “Right.”

  “You should at least stay the night. That bottle isn’t going to finish itself,” Eli said.

  “I knew it, I could smell the moonshine from here.”

  “Aw, Lilly, it was just a little, and when am I ever again going to be able to tell my friends I drank with an alien? Well, to be honest, he didn’t drink, but I still technically drank with him. Isn’t that right?”

  “It is indeed.” Dee looked over to Tony.

  “I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying.”

  Within a few minutes, Tony had Travis bundled back up. They said their heartfelt goodbyes and headed outside.

  “What is that?” Tony asked as he looked at the contraption Dee and Eli had made.

  “I call it the turtle,” Eli said as he stepped on to the back porch. “Sorry, I know we said goodbye, but I’m just proud of that thing we made. Your big green friend says it will disperse your heat, making it difficult for them bad aliens to find you guys. The top and sides are sheet metal and the front and back are some old windows I had. It’s all held together with some two-by-two framing so we could keep the weight down. Even so, thing probably weighs about fifty pounds, most of that is the window framing, mind you. Not much we could do about that. Glad I’m not traipsing through the woods with that thing, although Mean Green over here says it will not be much of a burden.”

  “Eli, get in the house, you know you talk too much when you start to drink. They have to leave.”

  Lilly may have said the words, but that didn’t stop her from coming to the door and again wishing them good luck as she handed them bags with food in them. She gave everyone another round of kisses including Drababan, who seemed very uncomfortable with the display of affection.

  “Aw, I think he’s blushing, Lilly!” She good-naturedly smacked her husband for the remark.

  “We really must be going,” Dee said as he stood back up.

  Lilly had a few tears coming down her cheek as she placed her fingers to her mouth and took in a deep breath. Dee lifted the turtle so that Tony and Travis could get underneath. Tony placed the child in the pack.

  “Well, this is fun. I get to stare at your backside for the rest of the night.”

  “You are more than welcome to walk alongside it. I heard that dying by Progerian blaster is fairly painless once the nerve receptors in your brain are cooked.”

  “This’ll be fine. You going to be alright holding this thing?”

  “I will tire eventually from holding my arms out on these handholds, but that is not now, and we have many miles to travel before we are done.”

  “Did you mean to do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Reference a poem about death?”

  “No one is dying tonight,” Dee said adamantly.

  It took Dee and Tony a few moments to get familiar within their new enclosure and then the trio melted back into the woods.

  “Why the rush, Drababan?” Tony asked, once they were far enough away from the house, and then some.

  “More shuttles flew overhead. It appeared they were in a grid pattern. They are now actively searching for Michael and, by default, us three.”

  “I don’t mean for this to be harsh, Drababan, but how would they know who Travis and myself are? It seems we are in more danger being with you. It’s not like you could hide in the general population.”

  “Valid concern. All the humans they encounter will be forced to submit to a DNA scan. You and Travis would not be able to hide in the general population either.”

  “Got me there. What if folks choose not to submit?”

  “When have the Progerians ever given a choice?”

  “Can’t we go any faster?”

  The inside of the shell was incredibly loud as it amplified the scrapes of branches and thorns making contact with the sides. They squealed in protest to being shoved out of the way.

  “Get down on your knees and do not touch any of the sides,” Dee said as he lowered the box down so that the bottom was now resting on the ground.

  “What’s going on?” Tony whispered.

  “A spy ship is approaching.”

  “How can you tell over the scratching?”

  “The pitch. Listen.”

  “I’ve worked around heavy machinery my entire life, the only way I’m going to hear it is if it lands on us.”

  “That could very well happen.” Dee looked up. He could not see the ship slowly gliding above them, but it would have been impossible to miss the whine of its drive and the movement of the trees as it pushed in past them.

  “That’s close. You’re convinced this thing can shield us from them?”

  “Shield? I never said any such thing. Dissipate. We should be displaying a much smaller heat signature than they would associate with a human being. I am hoping that they believe us to be a family of raccoons or skunks.”

  “I liked believing we were invisible more.”

  “They are taking an extraordinarily long amount of time above us to investigate. We may have to fight our way out of this. Is your weapon ready?”

  Tony took his rifle off his shoulder and flipped the safety. “It is now.”

  “Humans appear to like to wait until the count of three, so when I get to that arbitrary number, I will toss the shell off. The ship is to your right. Aim for the atmospheric intake which is to the left and forward of the exhaust.”

  “How big is it?”

  “A little bigger than the diameter of a manhole cover.”

  “And how high up is the ship?”

  “A hundred feet, no more.”

  “How much time do I have? This is not exactly an easy shot.”

  “Four seconds at the most. It is unfortunate that this is the only option being presented to us. One.”

  “You are supposed to say when you are going to start counting.”

  “Two.”

  Tony gripped his rifle tightly.

  “Three.” The shell was lifted off, the cold of the night roaring back in to replace it. Tony stood and acquired what he hoped was the right target, his finger applying pressure to the trigger just as the engines on the spy ship whined higher and the machine darted off.

  “We good?”

  “Either it spotted us and is relaying the information to ground troops or yes, we are indeed good.”

  “You sure do know how to put someone at ease.”

  “We should keep moving.”

  The trio pressed on for a couple more hours, working their way through the brush. Often times, they would get hung up and have to lift the contraption up so that they could get past a particularly thick bit of growth. It was during one of these times they witnessed a shuttle landing not more than three hundred yards away in a small field. Four Devastator troops disembarked. They set up a small perimeter before they began to move forward as the shuttle took off.

  “Apparently we were worthy of more consid
eration or this is just bad luck,” Dee said, as they placed the shield back over themselves and went low to the ground.

  “My guess is bad luck, seems to me they would have investigated our previous location a lot quicker and with force.”

  “Perhaps. You should leave with your grandson. I will make a stand to give you enough time to get away.”

  “Two on four is better than one. Let’s lift this thing up and take our chances.”

  “This ‘chance’ involves your grandson.”

  “I understand that. How far do you think I’ll get on my own?”

  “Slowly.”

  Tony winced each time the frame scraped against an errant branch causing a squealing sound, which was magnified inside. He hoped that the sound did not travel far in the burgeoning snow storm.

  “What are they doing?” he asked, as they put the shield to the side.

  “It appears they are setting up camp. I do not believe they know where we are. They most likely have deposited patrols all along our proposed route.”

  “We should just go then.”

  “This is one time I wish I had your son here to counsel with.”

  Tony was staring at Dee with a questioning look.

  “I find myself mired in indecision. Wondering whether to attack, hunker down for the night, or press on. Michael may have a lot of faults, but we would already be doing something.”

  “That’s the truth. Not sure if the boy was born with the ability to reason.”

  “In warfare that may be a blessing.”

  “I’m not one for wanton violence, but those four are threatening our, and more importantly, Travis’, very existence. My vote is to engage and destroy.”

  “I can see in you the oak from which Mike was hewn.”

  “That may or may not be a compliment.”

  “Indeed.”

  “I will take the one closest to us that is patrolling around their campsite.”

  “I will shoot the one on the other side of the fire. I believe him to be the one with the communication device. The two remaining will recover quickly, so get low fast.”

  “You tell me when.” Tony put the rifle up to his shoulder. It was dark, and snowing. His target was close to a football field away. If not for the fact he was perfectly illuminated by the fire to his back, and somewhere close to the size of a moose, it would have been a near impossible shot.