Alien Zoo

by Deb Stratton

  I looked back at the power outages and changes that occurred. It did make sense. They may have not had this intention when they first came. They may have come for other reasons and decided against harming us. She was right. That was a gift.

  The watchers were only able to return people that were healed or that failed the treatment. There had been no others returned in our area so that must have meant that they were still being helped or researched.

  Maybe helped was not the right word. The big “AHA” moment was sending my brain into shock. I started thinking about all the visits and fly overs. I realized they were actually able to search and target individuals that were ill. How I had no idea. Maybe they could scan for it. Maybe they were able to use some type of imaging. It was amazing and frightening to me at the same time.

  Bev had her say and excused herself. I knew what she went to do. She prayed. She prayed a lot for everyone.

  I got dressed and went to wake up Frank. We needed to talk about this as soon as possible in my opinion.

  “Hey boy, get up! I have good news and bad news. Well, more bad news than good or maybe not.” I laughed while saying it. It was amusing but not.

  We were beneath the darkness and were going to rise above it soon. I knew it was possible.

  I sat at the table and held my notebook. I waited for Frank to get dressed, and then we would walk back down to my thinking spot. Just in time for that one spectacular view of my most favorite thing in the world. Another day. Another sunrise.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The clouds were dark and made a view of the sunrise impossible to really see. Frank and I walked down to the farm and watched the clouds move by very quickly as they produced some light rain. We needed the rain. It had been a dry summer and in Missouri the spring is wet but summers can be brutally hot and humid. Fall always brought the light rain and wind. It was a beautiful season so far.

  It made me think about the holiday’s coming. Thanksgiving and Christmas would be much harder for most with no home to celebrate at.

  I am sure it would be OK. I was hopeful.

  Andy and I talked for hours. We went through the entire notebook and discussed Bev’s ideas. It really did make sense. It was the only way to look at the situation. We tried to decide what to do next. We decided that we would wait a few more days and then try to reach out to other areas. There had to be a way to get our message out in numbers. Traveling was difficult because of the shortage of gas. Resources were still limited.

  The farmers had enough gas stored on the farms to keep our patrol cars going but taking a trip would be pushing it. We would have to fill the trunk with gas cans and travel without each other. Frank decided to take the trip. I agreed it would be best for him to go. I needed to stay and offer comfort to the community. It was something that was much-needed. I also had Trace’s help now and that would make it easier without Frank around.

  The watchers were still in sight as we talked. I was relieved to see them back. While they were away it left only wild thoughts of what they were up to next. This gave me hope that our lives could continue in the way that we had always known, before they arrived.

  We walked back to the units slowly. We took our time to see if we were being watched. None of the ships came close to us, and we arrived safely back. The others were happy to see us return. It was nice to be missed. Noah was always interested in what was going on. He was the most amazing kid I had ever met. He was growing up fast and had the largest collection of Star Wars toys and collectibles I had ever seen. His parents and sister were the same way. They were such a beautiful family. Noah was different though. He was the only one that sensed good things from the watchers. He told me several times that they were not here to hurt us. If only I had listened to him the first time life may have been easier.

  “Hey Noah! How ya doing bud?” I said.

  “I am waiting to hear good news. Do you have good news?” he said.

  “I sure do! I am going to have a meeting with the adults tonight and I need your help. If you could go visit the other families and let them all know to be down here before supper.” I said.

  “You got it.” Noah was always ready to help. He loved being a part of everything we did. He was getting older and I considered letting him listen in to the meeting but talked myself out of it. I didn’t want to say anything that would be misinterpreted by the younger kids and teens. It would be in their heads soon enough after they heard their parents discuss it.

  Noah ran off and I sat down by Bev in the kitchen area to get my notes ready. I believed she was right and that we were very close to being able to understand what had been happening.

  I put my notebook up and helped start lunch. It was still a little early but I had missed breakfast. I spent my morning under a tree with Frank.

  Shelby came in and set the tables. The kids always ate first, so we used up the paper plates we still had. We were happy to have so many jelly options in the pantry. It made sandwich making much more interesting.

  Thinking about food during a crisis seemed odd. I looked forward to the meeting. The watchers were back and I felt like we were getting very close to some real answers. Frank would drive to Saint Louis in the next few days. The trip would take him through many smaller towns and give us something to compare to once he returned.

  He went out while I prepped food for the rest of the day. The weather was pretty good and we had no problems with the building or the residents. All seemed well at the moment.

  I had spoke to soon. The door opened and in came Frank with an older male. He must have been 70 or so. He was helping him in and sat him down at the table. I asked the other helpers to leave to get information from him.

  “What’s going on Frank? Where did you find this guy?” I asked.

  “Andy, this is Harvey. He used to live out of town about three years ago and folks said he had moved to live with his daughter.” He said.

  “Where was he?” I said.

  “He was found out by the old Miller farm. I think what he has to tell you will seriously blow your mind.” he said.

  “Alright, let’s hear it. Lunch is starting soon. Do we need to go somewhere else to discuss this?” I said.

  And so we did. We walked Harvey to my room and shut the door. He looked different than I remembered. He was not as fragile or elderly as the man I had seen years ago.

  “Hello Fynn, I have quite a story for you if you have an interest. I used to live in the Gasconade area. I had a small farm there and you came through a few times to fish.” he said.

  I remembered. I stopped going that way when the watchers showed up. The water always came up and flooded the river. It was the best fishing. That was the most difficult part of living in a flood zone. We usually had high water a time or two during the year. Some years were worse. It closed roads and changed the way we got where we were going.

  “Those were good times. So what’s the story? Where have you been? How have you been surviving on your own?” I said.

  “Fynn, I was taken. I wasn’t alone. I was outside feeding the cows and woke up in another place. I was in a hospital. It was unusual. The sun never shined through the windows. There were no other people there. I just kept waking up and falling asleep. I am guessing I was there about a year.” he said.

  I started to get worried about his mental health. Maybe he had dementia. Maybe it was the old timers’ illness. Whatever was happening, it was hard to follow. A cold beer sounded good. I needed something to get through this day. I never really drank beer much and found it odd that my thoughts drifted to this while in the middle of a conversation.

  “Well Harvey, let’s start at the beginning. You were feeding cows and then woke up in a hospital. Who was your doctor? Why were you there? Were you sick?” I said.

  I could not ask the questions fast enough. It still wasn’t making any sense.

  “I wasn’t sick. I was feeding cows and woke up there. I had never seen a single person there while I stayed. Someone was t
aking care of me though. They had to be. I had lots of wires in me and tubes. Heck, I don’t even remember eating there. Not once. Then, I feel asleep and woke up down the road.” he said.

  Frank kept looking at me. I kept looking at him. We looked at each other about ten times and said nothing. We all just sat there.

  I had interviewed hundreds of people in my career as a Police Officer. This would turn out to be one for the books.

  “Frank, why don’t you get Harvey settled into a bedroom. He can stay up front until we are sure he is feeling better.” I said.

  “I am feeling great. Don’t put up a fuss or worry about that. They fixed me. All my medicine is gone and I feel a few years younger. I could use a little rest time to clear my head though.” he said.

  I looked back at Frank and tried to stay composed. I was so confused. I was sure he was trying to tell us that he was taken somewhere and healed. It had to have been the watchers. The new information made my brain twist up. It was still not making sense to me. It was but it wasn’t.

  Frank took him back and I went to look for Bev. I needed to know what she thought about this.

  I found her in the kitchen cutting the handmade bread. We had bread everyday thanks to the large amounts of flour that was brought in. She found several ways to use it and it was delicious.

  “Bev, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” I said.

  She looked at me with her famous eyes up and face down look. She kept doing what she was doing but her eyes were on me. She was priceless.

  “So, Frank found the old man walking down the road. He used to live out in Gasconade but told us that he had been in the hospital. It was a hospital without people and it took a long time for him to come home.” I said.

  She put her knife down and her hands on her hips. It was going to get good real quick.

  “Fynn, I prayed about this. I know that we are spending our time searching for answers but the answers are right in front of us.” she said.

  “Meaning?” I said.

  “Harvey was taken by them watchers. They took him somewhere. Wherever it is that they go. They took him just like they took the others and tried to fix him. I think they tried to fix Bella or she was needed for some type of testing to find a cure for their own kind.” she said.

  I really did not want to hear this right now. I wanted to solve the mystery but in all honesty, the truth was hurting. It was hard for me to comprehend. Even though it was her truth, it was very point on to the real truth. I knew she was right.

  She continued on until I had it all in my head. I ran for my notebook and started making notes.

  - The watchers are seeking to cure a sickness/disease which plagues their own species using humans as test subjects.

  - The watchers abduct humans randomly in small amounts, different ages, races and genders.

  - They have somehow found a way to single out sick individuals. Certain Blood types?

  It started to come together in my mind. The meeting later that day would be a good time to discuss all of this. I planned on speaking to Harvey again before then.

  The afternoon was exceptional. Everyone was happy and at peace. The kids were getting extra game time so they would be worn out before the adult meeting started.

  I finished up my notes and waited patiently for the time to come to sit down and talk about it all. I walked outside for a few minutes and seen a few watchers in the area. I was sure they knew what we were up to by now. There were no people out on the streets and all of the noise and vibrations in town certainly came from our units. I did not let that worry me. I had come to terms with the entire meaning behind their visits and what the goal was. I honestly believed they were here to heal themselves and in the process of doing that they healed us.

  Well some of us. Bella was an exception. I felt that what was happening was not preventable unless we fought to prevent it. At this point, why would we? Life could easily go back to normal if we let them have their way.

  I had too many mixed feelings to understand it all. The meeting time was near and the adults were kidding the kid’s settled.

  I watched the sun as it began to set. It was filled with large clouds that were coming together for a storm. Hopefully we would get this one. This time of year a storm is rare. Fall rain and winds blowing in were the norm. The clouds were so high up that it looked like mountains. It reminded me of a trip my parents took me on to Denver when I was young. I loved storms but lightning bothered me. The older I got the more it worried me. It was mostly because I was afraid of house fires. I never associated lightning with that while I was young and now I think somethings always on fire. I used to walk around my house all the time asking myself that big question ~ “Do you smell that?” “What's burning?” I was always convinced it was my outlets or ceiling fan but it was nothing.

  Bev came to the door and asked me to come in. The meeting was ready to start.

  Frank had his feet up on an extra chair. He looked tired. Everyone started coming in and I called the meeting to order.

  “Thank you everyone for joining me this evening. There has been so many changes for us all, I just want to explore with all of you my findings and research results. As you know, the watchers have not interacted with us before on our ground. We have several people missing, and I am sure it is not only in our area. Mary, I am sure that I am speaking for everyone when I express my sincere condolences for the loss of Bella. She was a beautiful child. I believe that her and the others are being taken by the watchers for medical testing. At this time we have no idea what they are really doing. I do feel that the information I have collected that leads me to believe that they are seeking a remedy to their own health issues, had sent them to us. We may have a very similar DNA structure. I believe that their testing may heal us and it may also do the same for them. I have no proof of this. It is simply my observation. Any thoughts? Comments?” I said.

  Bev spoke right up. I knew she would.

  “I believe Fynn is right. I believe the watchers are taking people up to test for something. I believe that it is curing some, and then they are returned. They may also be returned if they do not survive. I think Bella was alive when she was dropped back off and the sickness was still with her. She may have passed away while she was in Fynn’s yard. I think at this point what we must do is stick together as much as possible. Try to maintain a normal life for the children and pray. I want everyone to pray that we all stay out of harm’s way. We should pray for our own lives as well. I feel strongly about this.” She said.

  Bev was so selfless. She cared so much about everyone and her love for the Lord was bigger than this world and space. The sad thing was that most waited until they were sick or in a bad situation to take her advice. The first thing people did when they were desperate was pray. What they needed to do was be thankful for each day and for Bev. Our life would be very different without her.

  Everyone started talking in different conversations very quickly. Bev had her own little group responding. Frank was talking to the other men. I sat down and just listened for a few minutes. I wanted to be a fly on the wall. What they were all coming up with was going to help give me the answer I was looking for. Not that I was anyone special. I was just a person that wanted to save our town. I wanted the world back to the way we knew it. Well, minus the crime and drugs. I was hoping a deep appreciation for the old ways in life would become normal again.

  The discussion began with the unexplained abductions. Of course the best way to start was with the beginning. No known type of ship had been seen on the ground. The ships were not speeding at the sound of light. They were coasting above us at a slow speed. It almost felt like an old Jetson’s episode from the 80’s. Well minus the fact that we were unable to do the same.

  Everything was calm and in order. Frank and Bev led the meeting to explain that we had no more information on Bella. We had no more information on why or how they were taking humans up. Some of the women looked stressed. The men seemed to flex up a b
it offering a plan to bait the ships. One offered to make the total sacrifice and stay visible until taken.

  His name was Daniel. He had nothing to lose or so he said. He offered the ultimate sacrifice and the meeting changed into a session of brainstorming. It was time for a plan to make something happen.

  Bella was taken and returned to the same area. We would be assuming the same would be the same with Daniel. He may only be gone days or months. He may never return. We discussed the different scenarios. Nobody but Daniel offered up their own life to discover more.

  “The watchers' intelligence level is a great match with ours. I will maintain an innocent thought pattern and approach to getting lifted up. My only hope is that I am able to accomplish it and return to tell you all what has happened to me.” Daniel said.