The Keras Genome

by Kurtis Eckstein

  “I’m sorry mom. Don’t cry. I love you. I promise I’ll explain everything when I get home, okay?”

  “When will you be home?” Her mother sounded demanding now.

  “Soon mom. Should be in the next couple of hours.”

  “I’ll be home waiting for you. Your dad had to go into work, but I was able to get off due to all that’s going on. This is crazy. I can’t believe what’s happening. It’s a nightmare! Did you see that soldier on TV? I saw the whole thing in person! I was on the interstate, taking an early lunch break, when it happened. I’ve never been so afraid in my life!”

  “Mom…” Madison paused, looking at Noah for permission. He shrugged. At this point, he didn’t really care an ymore, feeling apathetic about everything. She continued. “That wasn’t a soldier. That was Noah.”

  There was a long pause on the other end. Finally, her mom responded in a whisper. “Madison, sweetie, what’s going on?”

  “Mom, it’s not just Noah either. I’m different too. I’m okay, but different now. It’s those monsters. They did this.”

  Her mom was sounding hysterical. “Did what sweetie?”

  Madison’s acute hearing picked up something in the background. She spoke urgently. “Mom, what’s on the TV?” After a few seconds, the volume on the television went up loud enough for Noah to hear.

  A news anchor was talking. “This image was captured by a local man who was videoing the crater that occurred last night with his quadcopter drone. Taken around sunrise this morning, in this image you can see two large black objects that are approximately three miles long. No word from experts on what they might be, but some have suggested the long black objects appear to resemble larger versions of the legs of the black creatures sighted yesterday. The local man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he believed his drone had been shot out of the sky shortly after capturing this image. In other news, still no word from the military about the black creatures or the soldier seen fighting yesterday. Many believe the live video feed was a hoax, but eyewitness accounts and novice videos have been overwhelming. ”

  Noah and Madison briefly exchanged a glance, visibly relieved they hadn’t been captured on camera earlier that morning.

  “Mom.” Madison could tell her mom had briefly forgotten she was on the phone.

  “Sweetie, this is just horrible. You come home right away! Do you need me to pick you up?”

  “No, we can make it home on our own. I love you.”

  “I love you too sweetie.”

  Madison said farewell and hung up the phone. Noah looked at her questioningly. “Are you sure that was a good idea?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t see any point in lying about it. She won’t tell anyone of course, and they’re going to have to accept your new look if they want to keep me around.”

  Noah didn’t like what she was saying, that she was choosing him over her family. “Madison…” he said in soft tone.

  “Noah.” She held up a hand. “I love you. Everything comes second to that. Now, are we going to do this or what?”

  Ignoring Noah’s discouraged expression, she grinned at him as she spread her wings out. As the blood expanded, the pitch-black color turned dark crimson in the shade of the trees. Seeing her like this, he had to admit that she really did look like an angel. Now he could appreciate their comments earlier.

  Madison grabbed him by the hand, and with another devilish grin, she leapt into the air tugging him along like a ragdoll. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to her unnatural strength that mirrored his, but he had to admit it was attractive when she aggressively had her way with him.

  As they broke through the trees, Riley had just come down to see what was taking them so long. “What were you two doing down there?” Her tone was playful.

  “I had to take a phone call.”

  Riley crossed her arms as her four fluttering wings caused her to float in midair. “Uh-huh. Sure.” She then abruptly dived at Madison, tapping her on the shoulder as she whizzed by. “You’re it! Hands only, no blood!”

  A huge smirk appeared on Madison’s face as she chased after her. Looking back, she called out to Noah. “Come on slowpoke! It’s not as fun with only two people!”

  Noah couldn’t help but smile at their childish behavior, and decided that if he couldn’t enjoy a normal life, then at least he could enjoy what his new life offered him. His two wings split into four, and he joined in the chase.

  Chapter 26: Mother

  They played their unique game of tag for over an hour, creating a few new rules along the way. The biggest rule ended up being ‘try not to break the sound barrier’ to prevent them from attracting unwanted attention – a rule that proved hard to abide by since knowing exactly how fast they were going was difficult. When they spotted a helicopter in the distance, they dropped back into the trees below, deciding they should figure out what to do next.

  “I think we should tell our parents.” Madison was saying. She had her arms crossed as she spoke. “We don’t have to tell them everything, just enough to explain the wings.”

  “Or you can just give the wings back, and then you don’t have to explain anything.” Noah had his arms crossed too.

  “Noah, I already told my mom I was different too, and besides I don’t want them to think it’s your fault this happened.”

  Noah looked down muttering to himself. “But it is my fault.”

  Madison ignored him. “They don’t have to know what the wings are made of, but at least it will give us a place to stay while we let everything calm down. ”

  Noah looked back up with renewed ambition. “And what if the military come after them ?”

  Madison sighed. “The best way to protect them is to be near them. And this is our military we are talking about. They aren’t going to do anything to our parents.”

  “Madison, they tortured me and kidnapped you.”

  “Only because they were desperate, but we took care of the problem! Right Riley?”

  Riley had remained silent up until this point, letting them discuss it between themselves. “Umm…I mean it’s your parents. Personally, I wouldn’t take any risks if I was in your situation…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down, sorrow crossing her face briefly. Madison moved closer to her and put her arm around her shoulders. She then pulled out her phone and began tapping on it with her thumb.

  “It looks like we are at the edge of the state park just outside of town. There’s a road nearby that runs through.” She then began tapping again and held the phone up to her ear. “Mom, it’s me. You can see my GPS location now, right? Can you come meet us?”

  Her mom seemed relieved to hear from Madison again. “Of course sweetie! I’m on my way now. And I let Noah’s mom know he’s safe.”

  “Okay. See you soon.” Madison said farewell and stuck the phone back in her pocket.

  “What are you planning?” Noah wondered. “Are you giving the wings back? Because you can’t fit in the car like that. ”

  “I’m just going to let her see me like this.” Madison stated matter-of-factly. “I want her to see all of us like this. That way you can come home too Noah.”

  “Madison, you don’t need to do that for me. What if you scare her off?”

  “Noah.” She spoke firmly, placing her free arm on her hip. “I told you I’m not going anywhere without you. Obviously, at least one of us has to carry all this blood. If we all shoulder our part, then we can move around in a house freely.” She held up a hand again when Noah tried to retort. “I’ll let you have it back on prom night, so I can look pretty in my dress, but until then I’m keeping these wings.”

  Noah sighed. He was surprised when Riley finally joined in.

  “I agree. I’m not giving the wings back either. I don’t like the idea of making you stay outside while we enjoy the comfort of inside.” She seemed determined now, having pushed memories of her own losses to the edge of her mind.

  Madison nodded and added. “My mom will b
e here in probably twenty or thirty minutes. I’ll keep the explanation short, but that way she won’t be surprised when we show up tonight.”

  Riley caught on immediately. “Right, we can just drop in once it’s dark. We won’t have to worry about anyone seeing us.”

  Noah sighed. “Alright, I guess.”

  Madison pulled Riley in closer as she grinned. “Great! Oh, and Riley I can’t wait to teach you how to play this board game Noah and I love. It’s more fun with three people.”

  Riley smiled in response. It was nice for them to do anything that felt normal.

  They moved closer to the edge of the forest while they waited. Apparently, Madison’s phone allowed her to see her mom’s location too. She checked it about every five minutes to see how far away she was.

  “Almost here.” She announced after about twenty minutes. Madison stretched out her wings into two long tentacles laying on the forest floor, as she walked to stand next to a tree where she would be visible from passing traffic. Noah and Riley remained out of sight.

  The road that ran through the trees was fairly quiet. Only one car had gone by while they had been waiting. Madison only had to stand there for about a minute before another vehicle came within sight again. The car had already slowed down quite a bit as it approached. A woman driving was glancing at a phone in her hand. Noah was surprised to see another woman in the car with Madison’s mother.

  The passenger spotted Madison first, and Noah could hear the woman speak to the driver even from this distance. “Karen, look.” She was pointing in Madison’s direction. The driver sped up before pulling over to the side of the road. Both women got out of the vehicle, slamming the doors shut, and hurried over to Madison who held up her hand.

  “Wait.”

  Both women immediately stopped. Madison’s mother, Karen, was the one to respond. “Sweetie what’s wrong? ”

  Madison spoke in a rush. “Noah’s further in the woods, and we have a friend with us. Her name is Riley. None of us can be seen in public right now, so we have to talk out of sight.” Madison began backing up, but then stopped, seeming pensive. “Oh, and Sarah…Noah has amnesia. Like, he seriously doesn’t remember anyone.”

  The woman, Sarah, clutched her fist to her chest in response to Madison’s words. She seemed apprehensive. They both followed Madison into the trees as she continued to back up further and further in. Noah wondered who Sarah was. He didn’t recognize her, but she had come with Madison’s mom. He wondered if this stranger was actually his mother? Madison obviously seemed to know her.

  The sun was bright above the trees, allowing the forest to be lit up enough to see clearly. Noah and Riley stood side by side as the two women, escorted by Madison, came into sight. They stopped as soon as they saw the black wings. Sarah gasped and held her hands up to her mouth, staring in disbelieve. Madison then let her wings reform behind her back, and her mom had a similar reaction. Karen reached out to Madison slowly, walking close enough to touch her shoulder.

  “Oh sweetie! Are…” Tears filled her eyes as she stuttered. “Are you okay?”

  Madison tried to reassure her. “I’m fine mom. Just different now.”

  “Oh, my baby!” Her mom threw her arms around Madison’s neck and hugged her. “Are you sure? What happened? Are these…are these wings? ”

  “Mom, really, I’m okay. And yes, they’re wings.”

  Karen pulled away to look Madison in the eyes. “What happened to you?” She was clearly worried.

  “Those black creatures that attacked the city are aliens, mom. They basically experimented on us, accidentally giving us the ability to fight against them.“ Noah was surprised by Madison’s answer. They hadn’t really discussed how to explain what was going on, since Madison seemed so sure about her plan.

  Karen was quickly becoming hysterical. “They did what to my baby? Is that how Noah was able to stop them yesterday?”

  “Noah?” Sarah spoke up finally. She hadn’t stopped looking at him the whole time. Feeling uneasy about the stranger, he had chosen to focus on Madison and her mom. He looked at her now in response to his name. “Noah, do you recognize me?”

  He decided to be honest. “No, I don’t.” Then, in response to her pained expression, he added, “I don’t remember anyone, or anything, except for Madison. And the only reason I remember her is because I had a random memory two days ago.”

  Madison chimed in then, her cheerfulness awkwardly contrasted against the overall negative atmosphere. “Not just a random memory silly. He remembered asking me to prom! And finally asking me to be his girlfriend!” She winked at him as she said girlfriend .

  Noah forced a slight smile in response. He was happy about her comment, but felt too uneasy about the situation to earnestly feel that happiness.

  Sarah surprised everyone as she abruptly began singing in a shaky voice. However, after a few words, she became more determined, balling her hands into fists at her sides. The song was clearly a lullaby and it felt oddly familiar to Noah, but he wasn’t sure why.

  Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia hit him again so forceful that he actually took a step backwards. A series of memories flooded his mind, all exactly the same.

  He was curled up next to Sarah, except he was very small compared to her. He couldn’t have been older than five or six years old. She had just finished reading him a story, and she hugged him tightly as she began singing him a lullaby. It was the same lullaby she sang to him every night before bed, until he had decided he was too old for it. In the middle of her song she paused, bending down to kiss him on the forehead before she continued.

  “Oh…” He said, refocusing on reality. Everyone was looking at him, including Riley by his side. The woman who had been a stranger just moments ago had stopped singing in response to his reaction. He reached out his arms as he spoke, not wanting to frighten her by approaching. “Mom…”

  Noah’s mother dashed across the short distance between them and hugged Noah tightly. “I’m so sorry honey. I should have been there for you. I didn’t know.” She was crying.

  He returned her hug, glad to remember such an important person in his life. He suddenly felt bad he hadn’t remembered her at all. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Riley look down, clearly being reminded that she didn’t have a mom anymore. Noah reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

  Both mothers noticed, knowing intuitively something unspoken was wrong. Madison answered their questioning looks. “Riley…” She paused to see if Riley would have an objection before continuing. “…just lost both her parents this last week.”

  Noah’s mother, Sarah, immediately moved over to Riley and pulled her into an embrace. “Oh. I’m so sorry honey.”

  After a few seconds, Riley returned the hug, struggling not to break down again. Karen looked back at Madison, whispering. “Does she have a place to stay? She can stay with us for a while.”

  Madison nodded. “Actually, that’s what I was hoping for. We all need someplace to stay while we let everything calm down.”

  Karen examined Madison’s wings then, before looking at Noah and Riley too. “That should be fine. But sweetie, I don’t think you’ll fit in the car.”

  Madison smirked at her. “Mom, we can fly. We’ll just drop into the backyard once it’s dark. ”

  Sarah heard her, pulling away from Riley slightly to look at them. “You can fly ?” She looked like she was expecting Noah to answer.

  He shrugged. “I mean, we do have wings, so yeah – pretty fast too.”

  Both mothers looked stunned. Karen was the first to respond. “Oh, well I guess that solves that problem. I’ll make sure I have dinner ready for everyone by the time it’s dark.”

  “Umm…” Madison bit her bottom lip. “About that…mom, we don’t need to eat exactly.”

  Karen looked at her skeptically. “Like, never?”

  Madison was still biting her lip. “More like, very, very rarely.”

  Sarah looked at Noah briefly, and then she looked
at Riley when he didn’t immediately respond. Riley only nodded in response, wiping the few tears that had silently escaped her eyes.

  Madison chimed back in. “So really all we need is a place to stay. It shouldn’t cost anything extra to have Riley stay over for a while.”

  “And what about Noah?” Karen asked.

  “Oh, yes of course. If that’s alright Sarah?” Madison looked over at her. “We need to stick together for a while.”

  Noah’s mother nodded in response. “Of course, that’s fine. Michael and I will be coming over tonight to find out more about what’s going on. He’s been worried too. We all have.” Noah realized Michael must be his father. He decided to begin steering the conversation, since they couldn’t afford to tell them any more information.

  “Well, we can’t tell you much more than we already have. The military has been involved and they consider everything highly classified. The more you know, the more danger it puts you in.”

  Karen and Sarah gave each other a brief glance. They knew he was telling the truth, since supposedly he was the soldier seen fighting the monsters. Karen then looked back at Madison as she spoke. “Sweetie, you really can’t tell me more?”

  Madison was firm now. “Mom, I really can’t. And you know I tell you everything .”

  Karen nodded in agreement. Noah knew from their hotel stay that Madison was pretty open with her mom about what she was doing. It was probably very rare for Madison to flat out refuse to share something with her mom. Even though he couldn’t remember very much, he knew this wasn’t the typical mother-daughter relationship. He wondered what had led them to become so close.

  Karen sighed. “Okay, I understand sweetie. I guess we will be waiting for you tonight. I’ll fill your dad in on what you were able to tell me – and tell him not to ask a bunch of questions.” She gave Madison a wink. “Oh, and here.” She pulled out her phone with a small box attached. She disconnected the box and handed it to Madison. “I’m sure your battery must be low on your phone. This should keep it alive until tonight. ”