His eyes popped open with a start. He stared up at the high ceiling as he identified the hard object that poked him in the back. The infernal egg. Sniffing casually, he recoiled from the smells of the dried secretions that decorated his sheets and mingled with his own body odor.
Knowing he should get moving, he strove to formulate a plan. Unfortunately, he was so overwhelmed by his fellow survivors’ comments and vitriol that his emotional numbness and self-pity paralyzed him. Even his bitterness toward Abby and Cobby failed to rouse him from his funk. Guilt can be a draining emotion, impossible to shake. He wondered why he should beat himself up. Hadn’t they rejected him?
Jose closed his eyes. Guilt. He tried to block the images of the dead minions. Was it possible that everyone had been correct? That Leeja was really a monster? The innocent minions and Doodiet’s limp body continued to haunt him as he curled up in a ball and wallowed in his reeking sheets.
He gave the egg a poke, wondering what he should do with it, but too overwhelmed and emotionally crippled to care. Being ostracized by his fellow survivors had finally taken its toll. Jose felt the temperature in the room rise. It took a few moments but the fact that the odors in the room had strengthened finally registered. It had now become foul and rotten. He glanced toward the door as the light appeared to move.
Realizing he was no longer alone, he slipped out of the bed, his tail wrapped protectively around his chest. He crouched against the wall, the bed between him and the moving light. As he shivered in fright, an image crystalized, allowing him to see the hideous nature of the trypid with all its ferocious teeth and flaming eyes. Eyes that zeroed in on the egg lying on Jose’s bed. The trypid screamed, the sound insane and deafening. Her many razor plant-like fibrous vines snaked out to covet the egg while her eyes lit on Jose. The murderous intent was unmistakable. No one stole a trypid egg and lived.
Jose’s skin crawled with clammy resignation. Suddenly, he remembered the Beretta. His heart beat wildly, salvation within reach as he slipped his hand under the mattress. He would be a hero now. He would be welcomed back into the fold. Abby would be proud of him. His mind danced with the turn of events. The trypid slithered closer, her mouth working spastically, drops of rusty saliva now splattering Jose’s bed.
Come on, come on, where is it? As his hand fumbled desperately, the Beretta nowhere to be found, the trypid lowered her reeking head toward Jose, her eyes bright with elation and madness. It raised several of its leafy razor projections over Jose and transformed its face to that of Leeja.
Jose hands fumbled for the Berretta as his brain registered Leeja’s face attached to the body of the trypid. Unable to stop himself, he wore the satisfied smile of a man in love as the razor projections pierced his body.
The trypid climbed onto the bed and gathered her tremendous body parts to cuddle the egg. She curled up and snuggled in, burrowing into the mattress. She dragged Jose’s inert but alive body into the cocoon of razor greenery around her egg. She watched with glee as minute cracks appeared on the surface of the egg.
Without missing a beat, the creature opened its dripping maw. From deep within she shot out a fibrous filament and shot it deep into Jose’s body. Jose writhed in pain as the rusty saliva was pumped into his body through the filaments. The trypid sucked deeply and Jose’s liquefied flesh began to drain into her waiting mouth. As the trypid fed, miniature fibrous filaments exploded from the cracks in the eggshell to find their spot on Jose’s draining body. Mother and soon-to-be newborn settled in to incubate. The perfect location had been found.
***
The minion team gathered in the weapons room, suited up in their protective gear. Auras flew around the room, fast and furious. Forbation held up his red staff, his aura urging caution.
“The actions of the humans have brought chaos and death to our planet. We will mourn after the Womb has been secured. The implant reports the beast is down, the egg is hatching. She has found a place to incubate. She may be docile now but the hatchling will alert her. If the trypid thinks her hatchling is being threatened, all of you will be at risk. Try to get the hatchling alive. May the Womb be with you and guide you safely, my Brothers and Sisters.”
***
Chloe and Kenya sat in the back of Dezi’s kitchen, listening to the quiet whispers of the rest of the adults. Raw emotions and wild surmising drifted down to meet the ears of the two women.
Echo stroked Chloe’s abdomen. Caesar rested uneasily at her feet, alert and watchful. Kenya flexed her foot, making it bounce as she swung it, angry frustration marking time.
“It’s been hours, chickey,” she whined. “I can’t sleep, I can’t relax . . . I need to be with my child. What if Bonnie needs help?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Just what do you think you’d be able to do if she is in danger?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m going nuts with worry just sitting here doing nothing.” She ran her fingers through her long curls, winding her shock of hair around her fist and piling it on top of her head only to have it tumble back down, cascading around her shoulders. Her twitching foot picked up its pace.
“I’ll die if something happens to the babies. Do you think Bonnie is alone?”
Echo’s aura intruded. “She has the company of my Brothers and Sisters. They tend the babies together.”
“But the beast . . . the trypid. What if it tries to get in?”
“It will not, Sister Kenya.” Echo’s aura was slow and dark, sadness clearly affecting the minion. “It will be looking for my Brother Jose and the egg.”
“But what if Jose goes near the nursery? He needs to pass it to get out of our end of the complex. Has anyone thought of that? We have no idea where the trypid is. She could be anywhere, including close by. Bonnie is completely in the dark about what’s going on. That makes her defenseless.” Kenya’s eyes grew large, her anxiety fighting its way to the surface.
“No Sister. The nursery minions know everything we do. We have a shared consciousness.”
Nonplussed, Kenya nodded. “Right, chickey. I forgot. But it still doesn’t make me feel good with that mama monster on the loose.” She looked Chloe straight in the eye and whispered, “You know darn well I can’t just sit here. I have a plan.” She hunkered down on the floor, pulling Echo close and looking up at Chloe. “I know you can’t go with me but maybe Echo can. You will, won’t you, girl? You’ll help me get to the babies?”
Chloe looked impatient. “This better not be one of your hare-brained schemes.”
Kenya threw her a withering look. “Have you ever heard me joke about the safety of my child?”
Chloe gave her a contrite grimace. “I’m sorry. I’m just on edge. My brother has been through so much lately and now with everyone against him . . .”
Kenya reached out and squeezed her hand. “I understand, chickey. That’s why I have to do something to help. I can’t just sit here like a dope.”
Echo’s aura intruded once again. “Sisters, have you forgotten the means by which Brother Jose left here? That means he didn’t go by the nursery. He needed to visualize a place he’d been before. He has never been in the nursery.”
Chloe slapped her forehead. “Darn, I forgot, Echo. I bet he went to his new room. He knows the trypid has already been there. It might be the only safe place for him.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Sister,” cautioned Echo.
Kenya jumped up. “Okay, why don’t I go back to Jose’s room and look for him? I’ll make him leave the stupid egg behind. Then we’ll go to the nursery together and check on the babies. He can help Bonnie and me bring them here where we can protect them. Would that make you feel better, Chloe?”
Chloe smiled and held her arms out for a hug. “You’re really a good women, Mrs. Kenya Cobby.”
The two women embraced and Kenya made ready to go. “Kane will have a fit when he finds out so you better play dumb. I’ll be okay with Echo with me.”
Echo tugged on her arm. “We will use the pathway
the Kreyvens use. It will be safe that way.”
“Wait,” Chloe shouted. “Take this.” From inside her skirt, she withdrew the Beretta and held it out to Kenya. “Make sure the safety’s off if you need to fire it.”
Kenya looked indignant. “What do ya think I am . . . a dope?” She reached out for the pistol and gingerly shoved it into a pocket. “I won’t bother to ask where you got this.” She eyed Chloe carefully. “Wish us luck.”
Taking Echo’s hand, they hurried over to the alcove the Kreyvens used to deliver supplies. The same alcove they’d used when they ran from the trypid in Jose’s room. Glancing around to ensure they weren’t being watched, they slipped through the Womb’s wall and vanished.
***
“Now what do we do, Echo? I can’t see a thing.” Kenya held her arms out before her, waving them back and forth to no avail.
“Be patient, my Sister.”
Kenya suddenly noticed a pin-prick of light that grew as she looked closer. “Oh, no you don’t. Not this again.” Before she knew it, a house Kreyven appeared, its colorful light display familiar and nauseating to the reluctant heroine.
“It is the only way, Sister. We would not make it without this transport. You do not know how to navigate inside the living Womb. Here we go!” The Kreyven’s wide jaws opened and plunged down on them.
Kenya righted herself, disoriented and infuriated. The Kreyven traveled quickly and accurately, depositing Echo and Kenya at the wall alongside Jose’s bed. The wall opened and the Kreyven took off, leaving Kenya sputtering and incensed as she watched it recede down the Womb’s pathway.
“That is the last time I get near that thing.”
Echo’s aura interrupted her, staccato radiance unable to garner her attention.
“I know, I know . . . I’ve said it before.” Kenya sniffed. “Ewww, the smell in here is awful.” She squatted before Echo. “You have to promise me, little dude. No more Kreyven.”
“Sister . . . there is danger.”
Kenya froze. A few critical seconds passed before she had the courage to stand and turn to face the opening in Jose’s wall. Her heart stopped, sweat draining from her pores. She tried to work her voice but her vocal cords had deserted her. She took shallow quick breaths and found herself beginning to hyperventilate as her life flashed in front of her. She prayed to the Womb, promising to be good if it would come save her.
“Back away slowly, Sister.”
Kenya couldn’t move, her eyes fixated on the monstrosity on the bed just two feet from them. Deep in the mess of the trypid and her egg, she could see Jose. Strange appendages protruded from his body and disappeared down the trypid’s mouth. Half of the shell had peeled away from the egg showing a red, writhing, wet mass with the same appendages that were sucking the life from Jose to feed the parasitic newborn.
Kenya screamed as a razor sharp appendage wrapped itself around Echo’s leg and jerked the minion off her feet.
“Echo!” Kenya managed to catch the end of Echo’s foot in her hand. With the other hand, she reached into her pocket and withdrew the Beretta. With her shaking fingers, she rested the gun against her side, fumbling and trying to release the safety. Sweat poured into her eyes, blinding her.
“Oh, come on, damn it. Please, please, please . . .” She groped with the gun, her other hand losing the battle for Echo. As Echo slipped from her grip she reached down with her free hand, took off the safety, aimed the Beretta at the monstrous head and pulled the trigger five times, splashing guts and gore onto her face and down her shirt. Echo dropped to the ground as Kenya turned to the hatchling, the Beretta raised.
A choir of auras hit her dead on. “No, Sister. Stop.” A team of suited minions rushed into the room from Jose’s doorway. She stood frozen, gloop dripping from her long hair, as they scooped up the remains of the partially hatched egg and the hatchling, and whisked it into a waiting cage.
They clustered around the bed to examine what remained of the trypid and Jose. They separated the two with a hook, dragging the trypid carcass out of the room.
Kenya began to shake, shock setting in. Echo leaned against her leg while the minion team finished their mission and departed with no further words.
“I want to go home. Tell Kane I want to go home . . . please.” She sank to her knees and gripped Echo. “Take me home . . . please . . . I want to go home.” Her last words ended in a shriek as a groan came from the bed. She covered her ears with her hands, ready to flip out.
“Help me.” The voice came as a whisper. Kenya’s heart stopped once again. She rose slowly to her feet, wiping away tears and wringing her hands. She glanced down at Echo.
“Echo?”
“Please,” Jose whispered from the bed.
Echo’s aura spiraled. “We must get him to the Healer.”
Kenya drew back at the pitiful sight of the formerly glorious Elder now reduced to a shrunken husk of a man, his wings twisted and matted with fluids, his flesh gray and wrinkled, and his eyes colorless, puffy slits.
“I don’t know what to do, Echo.”
“Pick him up, Sister.”
Kenya backed away even further. “I can’t do that.” She bit the back of her hand, fear and terror overwhelming her.
“You must, Sister. He is one of you.”
Kenya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Can’t you just heal him, Echo?”
“No Sister. I can create Elders by ignoring our laws but I do not have the power to heal one. Only a female Elder has that power. And it has never been necessary to explain the limitation, until now.”
Kenya moved closer to the putrid bed, which was littered with bits of detritus and flesh from the head of the trypid. Kenya shook her hands, trying to find a clean spot to get a grip on Jose. The smell was so nauseating, she was forced to turn away to vomit. She tried again, flicking vomit from her chin. Shutting her eyes she bent over the bed, scooped up the shriveled man, and backed away with him in her arms. Echo parted the wall for her to find the Kreyven waiting for them.
Kenya began to cry. “Thank you . . . thank you . . . I will never complain about you again, my friend.” She continued to sob as the Kreyven opened its monstrous mouth, swallowed the three of them, and disappeared down the cryptic pathway.
***
“Hey, sleepyhead. You’re awake.” Kane hovered over his wife, a wet sponge in one hand and Kenya’s hand in his other. He dipped the sponge in a tub of cool, blood-stained water and tenderly blotted her forehead.
“Eww, you sure smell rank, my love.”
She reached up to bring his hand down.
“What happened? Where am I?”
He stroked her damp hair, having already removed most of the gore. “It’s okay, babe. You’re safe now. We’re in the Healer. You just fainted after you got here and they hooked Jose up to the tendrils. Your eyes rolled back in your head and down you went.” Kane looked around. “We’re all here. Echo filled us in.” The faces of Chloe, Cobby, Abby, Netty, Echo and Baby popped into view, hovering above her.
Chloe reached down to hug her, tears on her cheeks. “You are my hero. Thank you so much . . . you saved my brother, Kenya. Thank you.”
“So we made it back in time? Is Jose okay?”
Chloe smiled through her tears, nodding her head with joy. Kane moved away from her face and pointed to a figure near the wall. Jose lay with healing tendrils doing their miracle work, his body already taking on weight as his fluids were replaced and his blood pressure stabilized.
“What’s going to happen to him?”
Chloe wiped her face with the back of her hand and responded sadly, “Forbation is calling a Declaration. It’s about Jose and sounds serious. He’s given us a couple of days to settle things down. He expects everyone to attend. No exceptions. I think it’s like a trial or something.”
Kenya’s eyes grew large, worry forming between her brows. “And what about the babies, Kane? Are they okay?”
He squeezed her hand for reassurance. “The babi
es are fine. They’re surrounded by loving minions. Bonnie is now here with us.” Kane put on his stern face. “And if you ever pull anything like that again, I will tan your gorgeous behind. Do you understand?”
Kenya blinked her eyelashes in innocence and reached out her arms for a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just worried about the babies and didn’t think it would hurt to stop by Jose’s room to check on him for Chloe. I didn’t think the trypid . . .”
“Shh . . . I know, babe. It’s over and everyone’s okay.”
“And we have another surprise. Do you feel like standing up? We have a very big moment ready to happen.”
Kenya looked at all the beaming faces. “Heck, yeah. Kane . . . just give me a hand. I don’t want to miss a thing.” The group assisted Kane in getting Kenya to her feet. Her gaze locked on Wil who stood grouped with Dezi, Hud, and Bonnie. “What’s going on guys?”
Bonnie shook her head. “I don’t know, Kenya. As soon as the Womb released the barriers from the doors and we were told it was safe, the three of us were asked to come here. We didn’t know you guys were here.” She looked at Kenya, “I hear you’ve been busy.”
Kenya gave a wan smile. “You could call it that.” She glanced back at Kane. “So where are we all going?”
A new aura hit them as the IV Navigator entered the room, her brilliant butterfly casting off trails of sparks and light.
“Ivey, I’m so glad to see you’re safe,” called Bonnie running up to her and kneeling for a hug. “Where have you been?”
“Hello, my great Sister Bonnie. I have been missing you so much.”
Bonnie looked happy but confused. “And where is Daisy? I thought someone said the two of you went on a mission.”
“Yes, indeed, my Sister. We have been back for many hours but I was detained from coming to you due to the emergency with the trypid. Come . . . I have something to show you.”
The crowd followed Ivey through an archway to an alcove. They saw two figures being tended by minions who glanced their way then backed away from the tendrils that connected to the figures, bringing them nutrition and the special healing and repairing of cells that would be so critical to their recovery.
When Aliens Weep Page 17