Infuse

by Michael Cornett

  As they walked out they noticed a car in the parking lot that seemed…out of place. Zoey couldn’t remember if it had been there when they had come in. “Bread, I don’t think that car…” A small man with tanned skin stood up from behind the backside of the car. “Good evening!” The man yelled to them. “I don’t guess either of you has a spare jack laying around?” The stranger pointed down in front of him, “Got a flat and no way to change it. Would appreciate any help you could lend.”

  Zoey glanced at Bread and whispered under her breath, “Let’s just go.” Bread looked to the man then back at her again. “Wouldn’t feel right leavin’ the man.” She grit her teeth, “You can’ trust everyone you come across. I’m sure he’ll find another vehicle.” Bread held up a hand to her and called out to the stranger, “Where ya headed?” The small man didn’t look like much of a threat, still standing behind the car, hair dripping with sweat and grease marks across his face. “I’m trying to get back to my little girl. I was out doing the same as you all I’d suppose,” he said pointing at the sleeve of crackers still in Bread’s hand.

  “Can’t go leavin’ a man and his daughter stranded,” Bread told Zoey. She shook her head at him, still not trusting the man. “He’ll find another way. Let’s go. Please Bread.” He waved a giant hand at her, “Psshh. You might be dead if I’da done you that way.” She knew he made a great point. If she would have stayed asleep a few more hours in the park that day…She shuttered at the thought. “Fine, but we’re losing travel time on the road. Be quick please.”

  Zoey climbed onto the seat of the scooter, wanting nothing to do with the stranger. Meanwhile, Bread walked over to meet him in his jolly way. Zoey admired the big goofball, wishing she could be more like him at times. More glass half full. More willing to help. More trusting. She had to admit that as much as he drove her crazy, she was lucky to have found him.

  A single shot rang out, yanking Zoey from her thoughts and throwing her into a panic. She wasn’t sure who was shooting or more importantly, what they were shooting at. When she scanned the parking lot, there were no threats visible. Bread was bending over to help with the tire, like he wasn’t even aware of the loosed bullet.

  She was about to call out to him, to warn him, when he toppled over behind the car. Zoey couldn’t see him, couldn’t tell what happened. Her mind was racing, trying to connect the dots when she heard it. The dark voice let out a low triumphant laugh in her mind, “I told you. I told you they’d all die.”

  She was in denial. Her mind racing to rationalize Bread still being alive. This couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be dead. Maybe he had just tripped when he bent over to help fix the tire. But the shot, where else could it have come from? Her rationalization ended with a sharp cracking noise. Stars swarm in her vision as she felt herself falling from the scooter. Pain and darkness consumed her.

  Chapter 16

  After dinner everyone cleaned up and went their separate ways, most preparing for bed, but Alec’s anxiety over the move to the prison him wired. He decided to take the first patrol duty instead of tossing in bed, which of course Natalie objected to, but luckily she hadn’t put up much of a fight. Between the weight of the decision to move and the haunting discovery at the prison, his mind was churning.

  An hour later, Alec found himself half on watch duty and half on yoga duty, hoping to relieve some stress. He tried to clear his mind as he went through upward dog, but kept thinking of all the supplies that needed moving, calculating the number of runs it would take to get everything and everyone transitioned. Just as he decided it would take four trips with the two vehicles they had, he realized what his body was doing. At some point as his mind was tallying supplies and trips, his body had stopped doing yoga and instead subconsciously began mimicking the motions from his dream. The dream with the being made of pure light.

  For someone who had spent years practicing yoga and martial arts, the stances and movements being performed in his dreams night after night were fairly simple. The stupefying part was the why. Why was Alec, at least to his knowledge, the only one who dreamed about the being of light, this celestial being? Why was the being practicing these movements? And why couldn’t he see the end of the dream? While these questions bothered him to the core, they still didn’t hold a flame to the question that had been torturing him for weeks now: What happened to Alexa? For some reason unknown to Alec, he couldn’t help but feel as if the two were connected. If he could speak to the celestial being, would it have all the answers he sought? Alec wasn’t even sure the celestial being was real, much less able to communicate in any advanced way. Yet, what other hope did he have? He was trapped in a dying world, tormented by merciless abominations at night and dominated by cruel men during the day. Luckily for Alec, he had Natalie and the others, not to mention the women at the prison. There had to be others out there, others like his group. Decent people. Good people, but was survival really all they had to latch on to? Living out their lives hiding from the abominations? Was there any real chance of finding those taken from them in the disappearance? What would they do if it happened again? Alec wrestled with all of these questions and more as he walked around the porch surrounding the cabin, watching for any signs of movement in the fields.

  The hours passed and the crisp cool air whipped against his face, helping keep him awake. Although it had stormed throughout the day, the night sky was star-filled without a cloud in sight. The moon was nearly full, allowing him to see further with his naked eyes than most nights.

  Sasha had followed Alec around the house several times, but seemed to grow bored after a while. She must have appreciated the clear night as well, spending the better part of the last hour sitting on her haunches gazing at the stars. Each time Alec passed by her on his rounds, he would stop for a minute and rub her oversized head, giving her a good scratch behind the ears. He wasn’t sure what it was about the dog, but having her around brought him a sliver of joy.

  As he circled around the house on the next pass, Nick met him at the back door. “I can take over if you’d like.” The thought of cuddling up to his sleeping wife in a warm bed sounded good, “Thanks, Nick. Been pretty quiet out tonight. I enjoyed thinking under all the stars.” Nick looked up at the speckled sky, “Reminds me of better times.” Alec patted Nick’s back as he passed, entering the cabin, “Me, too. Holler if you need anything.” Nick nodded and continued out onto the deck, rifle slung over his shoulder, “good night.”

  The bed was warm, and Natalie’s skin felt smooth as he crawled next to her and slid under the covers. He attempted to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake her. H must have been more exhausted than he realized, falling asleep within minutes.

  He found himself standing outside La Cocina, the restaurant they were eating at when Alexa disappeared, the night this all began. The dream seemed to replay the exact events that night, right down to the conversation about the thank you cards for Alexa’s birthday party, except for one small difference. In the dream, as he left to get Alexa’s dance shoes from his car, she came with him instead of staying in the restaurant with Natalie. Walking back to his SUV felt very much like déjà vu. There was the kid on his leash, the elderly couple walking hand-in-hand, and the kind, weathered homeless man in his tattered Starter jacket.

  Despite Alexa’s phone still cemented in her hand, she actually carried on a conversation as they walked. For whatever reason, Alec couldn’t hear their conversation. He could see her lips moving, her stared at her infectious smile as she talked, watched her blonde curls bouncing as she walked. She was perfect, more perfect than he could have ever imagined when he and Natalie first decided they wanted children.

  The tingling spread throughout his body, just like it had that day of the disappearance. Even though he couldn’t hear her words, Alexa’s expression told him everything. She was terrified, not of him, but for him. She reached out to grab him, but stopped as the sky above roared to life. They both stood in awe as the swirling red nebula opened up, blinding them with
light. Something was different this time. Alec tried to open his eyes, to blink away the light, to grab ahold of Alexa and squeeze her tight, so she couldn’t go, but he something prevented him. Still blinded by the flash of light, he desperately struggled to move his limbs, willing them towards her, but his hands felt like sand pouring out of an hour glass. His entire arms felt as if they were fading from existence and then he dropped, his feet taken from under him. The lights in his eyes began to fade, and he could see the outline of a figure in front of him. A petite figure, one he knew all too well. It was Alexa. And just like that he was gone, wind whipping in his empty clothes. He was taken this time, not her, and he was overjoyed. He didn’t care what happened to him, so long as his little girl was safe. Even in his dream, Alec seemed to be conscious that it was a dream, but that didn’t take away from how real it felt. He could feel the cool wind on his face, the contrasting heat as it exploded from the sky.

  Alec sat up, sweating and confused, but he wasn’t back in bed with Natalie. He found himself in the chamber of light with the other-worldly being. It was a bizarre feeling, waking up startled from a dream only to find himself in another. Even in this dream, he had the desire to wake up, to mull over the dream with Alexa, and to hold onto the feeling of seeing his daughter again, even if it was only a dream.

  The being made of light stood tall and statuesque, like a demi-god from Greek mythology. He slowly lowered his arms to his side, fingers pointing straight down as if it were standing at attention. He formed the number three with his middle, ring, and index fingers on his right hand. His feet glided across the floor of light as if he was skating on ice. They stopped about shoulder width apart, and then he extended muscular arms made of light. His left arm pointed straight out in front, palm facing inward, right arm in a ninety-degree angle, with three fingers still held perpendicular to the ground just below the right shoulder. The three fingers raised in an arc stiffly tapping its left shoulder, then tapped perfectly in the center of its chest, like some sort of religious gesture or maybe some sort of martial arts movement.

  After tapping the center of its chest, his feet shifted, right foot sliding across the glass surface of light until it stopped slightly in front. His left foot positioned slightly behind but weight perfectly balanced. His right hand was now extended straight out, palm facing inward as straight as an arrow, left arm held at a ninety-degree angle, just below the left shoulder with only the same three fingers as before, index, middle, and ring. It was a mirror image of the previous pose and just like before he tapped his right shoulder, then the direct center of its chest. This time as he tapped the middle of his chest there was an explosion of light, like a tiny supernova and the being spoke a single word. Infuse.

  Alec awoke, this time in his bed beside Natalie. His eyes were wide open and a feeling of serenity, of understanding, of purpose washed over him. He felt, at peace…and that’s when he heard the gunfire erupt. He thought at first this was another dream, his mind playing tricks on him, but Natalie shot up in bed beside him, terror glistening in her eyes, and he knew this was no dream, it was a nightmare.

  He ripped the covers off and stumbled to the floor, grabbing his blue jeans and a jacket. “Alec was that gunfire?” He ignored the question, grabbing the AR-15 that leaned against the nightstand, “Get the shotgun and get everyone hunkered together.” As he turned back to Natalie, she was already fumbling to get her clothes on. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that everything was fine, but there was no time. She didn’t need comfort right now, she needed strength. “You can do this, Natalie. We can do this.” Then he heard the inhuman shrieks. Abominations.

  Chapter 17

  Alec took the steps three at a time down the staircase as more gunfire sounded, this time from within the house. Mr. Pat had his bolt action rifle propped on one of the wooden kitchen chairs and was firing out an open window. "How many?” Alec asked loudly. “I’m not sure. Counted at least four pale figures by the moonlight.” Alec cursed, “Where is Nick?” Mr. Pat fired another shot at an abomination Alec could barely see with his unassisted eyes. “Left side of the house,” the older man said as he chambered another round.

  Alec swung open the front door and a gust of chilly wind breezed over him. He shivered as he lifted the assault rifle to his shoulder and glanced down the hill through the night vision scope. There were indeed four abominations, galloping up the hill from the southwest on all fours. He scanned behind those four and his heart sank as he saw at least a dozen more behind the front pack. Others were still swimming out of the thick woods and through the open grasses like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.

  Alec knew they were all doomed. There is nothing he could do to save his friends, his wife. He cursed himself for not convincing them all to go to the prison sooner. Despair turned into a longing for his family to be all together again. Maybe this way the way it was meant to be. Maybe it was time for them to all be reunited in the next world.

  Gunfire erupted beside him, causing a loud ringing in his left ear. He turned to see Kable firing less than a foot away from his shoulder, snapping him out of his shocked state. “What are you waiting for?” Kable bellowed. Alec lifted his own rifle and began firing. The abominations were moving quickly on all fours, darting from side to side, their arched backs barely rising above the grass in some areas.

  The ensemble of loud gunfire couldn’t drown out the awful shrieks of the abominations, lusting for human flesh as they wildly charged. Alec attempted to keep his hands steady as he blasted round after round, blowing one abomination’s arm free of its body before finishing it off with a headshot. Another precise shot caved in the bald head of an abomination that had pulled ahead of the others.

  Alec again surveyed the field through his night vision scope. He could see several dead abominations lying between the grass and the thick woods, but there were still so many, too many. The only good news was there didn’t seem to be anymore abominations exiting the woods.

  “Allllleeeecccc!” He heard Natalie scream, then the sound of her shotgun, boom, boom. He spun and jetted back through the front door to the sight of an abomination sprawled out on the floor, blood and gore splattered everywhere. Two more abominations were galloping towards the back door, apparently smashed in by the first. The abominations had flanked them. Alec didn’t know they were intelligent enough to pull off such a maneuver. Not stalling, he shot a quick burst into the abomination on the back porch and it flopped onto the wood with a crash. The other abomination dodged to the side, and lurched towards the opening of the door just as a black figure collided with the abomination, both crashing into the wood porch. “Sasha!” Alec yelled as he ran to the back door, ignoring what else might be waiting in the darkness. Sasha’s powerful jaws were latched onto the abomination’s throat. Despite her yanking and twisting it by the neck, the abomination’s gooey mouth still bit at the dog, red eyes insisting on devouring the dogs flesh. Alec put a single bullet through its head, killing it, but Sasha was still tearing at its throat. “Sasha, Inside, Now!” The Rottweiler reluctantly released her hold and followed him, panting, blood coating her jowls. He wanted to praise the dog, but there was no time for that.

  “Are y’all alright?” Alec asked Natalie as he panned the room. “We…we’re fine.” Natalie said, visibly shaken. Sara had apparently made it downstairs and was holding Luciana, but she looked like she should be laid up in a hospital bed, not holding a baby. “Keep Sasha inside,” he quickly instructed Natalie as he ran for Kable and Nick.

  “They’re coming from all directions! Fall back!” Alec yelled to Kable and Nick, who were still firing from the front porch. “Fall back inside!” Through the windows he could see Kable side stepping towards the front door as he fired. Nick was still at the corner of the porch, firing relentlessly.

  Kable made it inside and began firing out the window beside Mr. Pat. “Nick let’s go!” Alec wasn’t sure what to do. They were surrounded. Maybe they could bottle them up in the stairway. It was the best
idea he could come up with. “Everyone, upstairs. Mr. Pat, set up in the hall, cover the window facing west. Be sure all the hall doors are closed. Move people! Let’s go!” Alec took a glance through an open window, peering through the night vision scope. The breath caught in his chest as he panned the fields, counting the abominations. There had to be more than a dozen, and that was just what he could see from this vantage.

  He fought down the despair, the hopelessness, but what chance did they really have? A pale streak shot through his peripheral on his left. Nick screamed as the abomination landed on top of him, slashing and biting as they crashed onto the ground. Alec tried to get a clear shot, but they were tossing and rolling as Nick fought for his life.

  Alec could feel his hands tightening as he gripped the gun, the rage building inside of him. How many friends did he have to watch die? His own weakness, his helplessness infuriated him. He threw the strap of his AR-15 over his shoulder and dashed towards the door, pulling the Katana from its sheath on his back. “Cover me!” He yelled to Kable, hoping his friend heard him. Nick fired two shots into the abomination as Alec ran to him. He didn’t even see how Nick managed to fire the weapon, but it wasn’t enough to stop the abomination. Alec winced as he saw the abomination rip a chunk of flesh from Nick. He was too late, too slow to save another friend. Two steps later he sliced through the abomination’s skull, spilling out blood and brain matter onto Nick’s chest and face.