Gabe helps me sit up on the sofa. Michael places the tray on my lap but asks me to wait to eat while he removes my IV. Taking out the needle from my vein is very painful. It almost makes me cry. He puts a bandage over the insertion area and tells me to eat all of my food.
“I’m not six years old,” I grumble at him.
“No back talk.” Michael turns to Gabe. “How do you look on supplies in your backpack?”
“Not too bad.”
“I’ll check it, see what I can scrounge up. Where is it?”
“In the library with Erika.”
“Make sure Kris eats all of her food. I’ll be back.” Michael is gone once again.
“What is he going to do if I don’t?”
“Put you in a headlock?” Gabe shrugs.
“Yeah, right,” I laugh.
“Kris, were you really going to fight Erika? I never saw you react like that before.”
“No. Yes. I don’t want to rehash that. It wasn’t exactly my best moment.”
“I thought it was kind of cool. You were going to fight for me. Never had that happen before.”
“Don’t get used to it. Next time, I’ll let her have you.”
“I would fight for you.”
“You wouldn’t have to. I wouldn’t put you in that predicament.”
“That’s because you’re…”
“OH SHIT!” I jump out of my seat. Gabe looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’m trying to tell him there’s an alien Cicada crawling up the front of his shirt, but I can’t even speak. I point at it.
“What?” Gabe doesn’t even look down.
“KILL IT!” is all I can say.
Then he feels it on his neck. He tries to swat it off, but the needle sharp tentacles from the alien body strike his hands. Gabe is out of the chair. He backs into the counter, trying his best to get it off, but the thing keeps poking at his fingers. The Cicada reaches his jaw and grips its claws onto his bottom lip. Gabe thrashes around violently, knocking over stacked trays, notebooks, and clipboards from the counter. Then, suddenly, he stops, looking directly into my eyes with unmeasured terror. His mouth is open, and on his tongue is the Cicada, much smaller than before. The inside of his mouth is bloody. Gabe stands still. I move forward, hoping I can get it out of his mouth. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to do something. Just as I take the second step, the creature goes down his throat. Gabe runs into a wall and falls hard to the ground. His body seizes.
I rush to his side. His face looks like it’s about to explode. Dark veins rise to just below his skin. Eyes roll to the back of his head. I don’t know what to do.
“MICHAEL!” I scream as loud as I can. I’m not sure he hears me. The door is closed. The room could be sound proof. I yell his name again. The door finally opens, but it’s not who I thought it would be.
“Oh no,” Erika says. “Not again.”
“Get my brother!” I tell her.
She turns and runs, screaming for Michael.
I hold on to Gabe. I whisper that he’ll be okay. He loses consciousness, and his body goes limp. Michael comes in. He gets on the other side of Gabe and checks for palpitations on his neck.
“I don’t feel a heartbeat.”
“No. No. No.” I pat Gabe’s face, call his name, tell him I love him.
“Move, Kris.”
I can’t do it. I can’t let go.
“MOVE!”
Shocked into obedience, I scoot backward. Michael tears Gabe’s shirt open at the buttons and begins chest compressions. I watch and pray for him. I tell Gabe that I love him, hoping that’ll make him come back. It happens in the movies. People wake up at the last minute, and they’re saved, perfectly fine to live out the rest of their lives. The people that love them never give up. I take Gabe’s hand into mine, and I tell him to fight his way back to me. I tell him he’s strong, and he can do this. I say over and over again how much I love him.
Then something begins to appear on Gabe’s neck. His skin begins to crackle. It’s turning burnt black, quickly spreading. The bone spine appears at the back of his neck and part of his jawbone. Muscle and tendons charred as well. I don’t understand. That didn’t happen to us. This can’t be right!
Michael gets up, moves me away. We watch in horror as Gabe’s face becomes unrecognizable. His skull emerges, and his warm brown eyes turn dark, sinking deep into his head.
I hide my face in Michael’s chest. He pulls me out of the room and closes the door. I have to look again. Gabe is okay. I refuse to believe I’ve lost him. Through the window, I watch, and reality quickly hits me to the core. The man I once knew is gone before my eyes. I wasn’t able to save him. What am I going to do without Gabe?
DAY FIVE
C H A P T E R
39
Leesburg, Virginia, is the final resting place for Gabriel Resnik. He was 36 years old. He didn’t have children, and he was not married. But he left behind a woman that loved him for nine years. I don’t know the time or the day of his death, but I will never forget the moment. May he rest in peace.
My heart is crushed. I wish I could go back another day and do it all differently. I don’t know a future without him. I don’t want to leave the community center, where his dust remains, but I have no choice. There will be discomfort for me now that Gabe is gone, and I will have to learn to live with it for the rest of my life.
“I’m sorry, Kris.” Erika gives me wildflowers she found in the sports field. It’s a nice gesture, and I thank her. I leave them at the door to the community center and say one last prayer.
Michael and Erika take the lead up the quiet road. I follow them, not sure if I’ll make it, but my feet keep moving.
After a while, I’ve caught up with them. I’m not sure if they’ve slowed down, or I’ve sped up.
“Why did you guys pick that place to build a bunker?” I hear Erika asks.
“It’s secluded,” Michael says. “Deep in the woods. No one goes back there for any reason.”
“Who thinks to build a bunker? Was it your idea?”
“Group of my friends from the Army. We weren’t counting on an alien invasion though.”
“What were you expecting to happen?”
“Thermonuclear war.”
“I thought every government in the world dismantled those things.”
“If you believed that, I got a bridge for sale. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s built to survive hurricanes.”
“That’ll be stupid,” she says with a huff.
“Selling you a bridge across the Atlantic?”
“No, using nuclear bombs. I would say that you guys were overzealous, but we’re in an alien invasion. So, I’ll just not say it.”
Michael laughs. I don’t care, and I’m out of it. She could say something only a genius would understand, and I wouldn’t lift an eyebrow or ask what she means.
Before the walking seemed long, now it’s just difficult. The world is in slow motion, but I must admit, our view is beautiful. Rolling hills covered with trees to the north. Pastures and farmland all around.
But just like we saw coming up Highway One, there are broken windows in every building along the way. I’m convinced more than ever that the alien Cicadas flew through those windows searching for human life to invade. They hide under furniture, in closets, or wherever they can’t be seen, and they wait for the next uninfected person to attack and occupy.
Just thinking about how Gabe was attacked makes me shiver in fright. I can see the sharp needles from the alien Cicada body striking his fingers every time he tried to swat it away. It crawled into his mouth, and it shrunk. Those things actually can change sizes, just like Michael thought they did. I don’t want to think about how Gabe died anymore. I want to scrub my brain and forget all the bad things I’ve seen. My real job back in Richmond wasn’t so bad. I can use another phone call from an irate customer.
Erika suddenly stops. She trembles where she stands. Michael is frozen, holding his breath. I
catch up and stand between them, wondering why they’ve stopped. Before I can ask, Michael shushes me and points. We’re at a truss bridge that goes over the Potomac River. In the middle of that bridge are two women. Flying above it is a spaceship. It’s one we haven’t seen before. It’s spherical, sleek, and about as long as a commercial bus. It’s dull white, with dents where it could have been shot. Heat waves blast from underneath, whipping the wind and disturbing the water below.
I hear strange sounds, an unknown language. Michael rushes us over to the side of the road quietly, over the railing, and into the high grass. We get as low as we can, but we still make sure we can see what’s happening on the bridge.
Someone speaks again, using a strange language. I can’t place the dialect. Definitely not Spanish, German, Russian, or French. The person speaking the unknown tongue comes into view. Stunned and in total disbelief, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
The person is an alien from another world. Its body is like that of a human being, but it’s taller, slimmer, and definitely over seven feet tall. The hair is a braided indigo colored mohawk. I can’t see the color of his eyes, but they’re bigger than average. Jaw bone and cheeks are sharply defined. Its creamy brown-black skin is smooth. The alien wears a black scaly suit, fitted perfectly to his body without being too tight or outlining too much. Each hand has four fingers, and one of them, undoubtedly, has a weapon, a device I haven’t seen before.
Two more aliens walk up beside him and go to stand behind the women. Their uniforms are the same, black and scaled, but their hair is different in color and styles. Their skin colors are a little lighter, and they’re not as tall as Indigo Mohawk.
Indigo Mohawk speaks. I don’t understand what he’s saying. The women don’t seem to either. They look at one another after he pauses. Indigo Mohawk acts as if he’s annoyed by their inability to understand. He says something to the alien with spiked blue hair. Blue Spike holsters his weapon and produces a set of cuffs. He steps toward the closest woman. The moment Blue Spike grabs her wrists, she jabs a fist into his side. Blue Spike buckles down to one knee. She lands a solid punch to his face. I can’t believe she did that. I continue watching, mesmerized by the woman’s fearless will to fight back.
A silver object sticks out of Blue Spike’s abdomen, and he’s bleeding. She stabbed him and hurt him. I can’t believe it. The woman takes off, running for the railing, but Indigo Mohawk shoots her. A black laser creates a massive blast through her back and out of her chest. She flips over the railing and falls into the water. Indigo Mohawk doesn’t bother to check where she landed. The water undoubtedly has swept her dead body away.
He turns to Blue Spike, the injured alien, who’s hobbling a bit to stand. With a lot of effort on his part, he manages to rise to his feet. Chin and chest stick out in a show that he’s fine. Indigo Mohawk glares at him and goes to the human woman. He leans down, level with her face. He says something to her. I can’t hear him, but she shrinks at his words. He takes a metal-like bracelet from a satchel on his utility belt. He puts his four-finger hand over her face, pushes it back, and places the bracelet around her neck. He jerks her head aside as he releases her. The woman cries, trembling uncontrollably. I want to help her, but I am so afraid.
Indigo Mohawk steps aside and speaks to the third alien. It’s a female. She has a long scar down the center of her face, from her short blonde hair to her top lip. Blonde Scar listens to Indigo Mohawk. She nods and takes the human away, almost dragging her. They’re coming our way.
The spaceship flies to the same side of the bridge we’re on, turns one hundred eighty degrees just above the trees, and descends to the road. The thing is bigger than I thought, but it’s not as wide as the two-lane highway. If I wanted to touch it, I could just reach over the railing. That’s how close it is.
Blonde Scar and the woman enters the spaceship. Indigo Mohawk and Blue Spike eventually get to our area, but one of them doesn’t load right away. His black shiny boots shuffle, moving in our direction. The most I can see is to his knees. I’m certain it’s Indigo Mohawk.
Erika begins to sob. I cover her mouth. She’s about to make me cry, but I hold it in.
Finally, Indigo Mohawk gets back into his ship, and it lifts up. The wind it causes whips the grass and brush into our faces. It takes off, leaving behind a roar in its wake.
After a few minutes, Michael steps out into the open. Eventually, Erika and I do so as well. He tells us to wait while he goes to check to see if it’s clear to cross the bridge. Erika grabs my hand, squeezes so tight, it hurts me, but I don’t snatch out of her grip. I find that her seeking comfort is oddly soothing to me as well.
Michael watches the skies as he goes farther. He’s picked up the metal that the woman used to stab Blue Spike. When he gets to the middle of the bridge, he looks up and down the river, and up in every direction in the sky. Then he waves, indicating the area is clear. I don’t want to go out onto the bridge, but we can’t stay in one spot forever.
I take in a deep breath and start while holding onto Erika’s hand. At first, we’re slowly walking. It’s no problem. Then we hear a hawk. Erika jumps and takes off, leaving me behind. She moves a lot faster than I thought. I start running too, both of us speeding right by Michael, not slowing down at all. We don’t look back to see if he’s following, but I can hear his footsteps. He’s closing in. As soon as we’re on the other side of the bridge, Erika and I dive into the wooded area right off the road.
We know we’re safe, and we stay there. Michael stops on the road, but he doesn’t hide. He’s still scanning. When he guesses it’s clear to come out, he nods at us.
I don’t care. I’m not going out there. No way.
C H A P T E R
40
Frederick, Maryland
We’ve walked a long way, putting distance between us and where we last saw the aliens. Our journey has come to a much-needed resting point at the interchange for US-15 and Interstate 70. My feet are tired, but I’m not thirsty or hungry. We’ve been keeping watch, looking out for the new spaceship. We haven’t seen Seeds so far. Could be because we’re not in a highly populated area, but we’ve seen pockets of alien Cicadas attached to trees. I walk as far away as I can when I do see them, going through front yards, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. Mostly, when they’re not around, we stick to the middle of the road, walking the solid yellow lines. The alien Cicadas hadn’t attacked, maybe because we’ve already had it happen to us.
Michael takes care of his business in the woods behind us. I sit with Erika as she furiously cleans her fingernails with wipes. With nothing else to think about to get my mind off of Gabe, I begin to feel bad about what I could have done for him. I wish I could have fought like that woman did on the bridge. She was fearless, willing to die to get away from them. I didn’t do a thing. I froze and let that thing kill him. How did she do it? Fought back and didn’t think twice. Where did she find the guts, the strength, the absolute determination to fight against the aliens?
“You okay?” Erika asks.
“Yeah. What about you?”
“I’m okay.” She laughs nervously. “I was scared back at the bridge.”
“I was too. Did you see how that woman went after Blue Spike?”
“Who’s Blue Spike? You mean the alien on the bridge?”
“Yeah, he had spiked blue hair.”
“He was an odd bird. That woman though, she was crazy to do that.”
“Is that what you think?” I look to Erika with surprise. “I thought she was brave. She fought for her life, and she wasn’t afraid to do it.”
“But it was for nothing. She still got killed. She should have done what they said. She’d be alive.”
“You can’t be sure. You don’t know what they’re going to do to her.”
“Kris, think about it. The aliens sent their bugs and their little lightning spaceships to kill us. The ones who survive, they’re collecting.”
“Why would they do that?”
/>
“Enslave us. Torture us. Make us their toys.” Erika tosses the wipe on the ground and pulls out another. “Those things are horrible and ugly. They’re freaks.”
“Well, they are aliens from another planet,” I point out.
“Tell you what, if I get captured, I’m cooperating.”
“Wait…what?”
“I’m cooperating.”
“You would rather become a slave, get tortured, or become a toy?”
“Kris, look at me. Well, I’m a sweaty mess right now, but I’m a good looking girl. They might treat me like royalty. Their king might make me a concubine.”
“What?”
“I could marry a queen too. I’m not choosy.”
And now I remember why I don’t like her. “Erika, you just said that you thought they were horrible. You think they look like freaks. You’d marry someone you don’t like?”
“If it means saving my life and getting rich, absolutely, I would marry one of them.”
“Just whatever gets you over.”
“No, Kris, whatever keeps me alive. Am I shocking you?”
“Yeah, you are.”
“I’m allowed to have my opinions. I don’t have to like people or the aliens.”
Who in their right mind married this woman? Who was that guy that saw something in her worthwhile? Michael was right. Erika has no loyalty to anyone.
“You think I’m terrible?” she asks. “I’m not. I’m one of those individuals who see the world for what it is, and I maneuver through it.”
“You take advantage of people.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You’re being honest about who you are. Don’t candy coat it now. You use people.”
“Kris, I can tell you’re taking this personal. How I am has nothing to do with you, and don’t get mad at me because I don’t fit your bill of moral perfection. I’m the type that gets ahead of the self-righteous and the rule followers. You can’t think in the box and expect to expand beyond it.”
Dust to Dust: An Apocalyptic Thriller Page 16