by Rick Kueber
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking.” A very masculine voice came over the intercom. “We seem to have hit some turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in their upright positions.”
“Babe...” Serena nudged me. “Did you hear the pilot?”
I heard, but I ignored his request. I was spellbound by the brilliant lights that were speeding through the sky and growing larger and brighter with every passing millisecond. Fear reached deep into my chest and squeezed my heart so angrily that I became paralyzed. The objects grew closer and larger until the closest one dwarfed the jet. The plane shook again in a constant and furious vibration and the interior lights failed and went dark. Our momentum seemed to be slowed and I knew, without knowing, that the planes jet-engines had all lost power. Even with this terrifying possibility, I could not take my eyes off of the geometric meteor that was overtaking us. The temperature of the cabin quickly rose and the light from the glowing object lit up every window. The entire jet vibrated convulsively and without warning everything went blindingly black and every sound was pulled from existence like we had entered the inescapable vacuum of a black hole.
Once again, I was startled to reality by a warm kiss and the gentle touch of a hand on my face. I opened my eyes, but all remained black. I reached out through the void and found her. My arms wrapped tight around her and I trembled in fear.
~***~
JIMMY:
Jimmy sat quietly next to Elle, thinking how this woman and her two companions had stumbled carelessly into his little town in the middle of the night. Her presence had given him a sudden hope that there must be others, and his 'knee-jerk' reaction to seeing them approaching had emotionally scarred him like a searing cattle brand, charring 'GUILT' into his soul. Flashing memories began to fill his thoughts. It seemed that was all he had now... memories: Outbursts of anger over losing his job after the economy's recent recession, cussing and screaming when he found a new grocery cart dent in the door of first pickup truck, even though it wasn't the only dent; rarely hugging his aging grandmother and forgetting to call her on her birthday; falling in love with a petite ginger-haired girl with more freckles on her cheeks and shoulders than there were stars in the sky and having her ripped from his life without warning. So much of Jimmy's life had been spent misdirecting energies and misunderstanding emotions. Life had gone from a complex world where every waking minute mankind had bombarded itself with amazing technology filled with mostly pointless information, and each day held new options and decisions, and every simple action could open a floodgate of possible reactions, to a life that was now the simplest of existences and the only decisions that had to be made were ones that would provide a meal or preserve a life. Jimmy felt that his little town had come full circle to the dawn of man; living in darkened 'caves', staying hidden from the wild beasts that would kill them, and hoping they were lucky and skilled enough not to starve to death.
Unlike the voice of his past, that chattered away relentlessly in his head, there were no sounds to fill the empty room. While he sorted through his regrets, his eyes drifted to Elle and as her exhaustion pulled her slowly into a sleepy abyss, he watched the stress and tension slip away from her. She pulled her feet and legs up to her and tucked her arms in tight. Even though the basement room was a very comfortable temperature, Jimmy thought she looked chilled, curled up next to him in an almost fetal position. Reaching over her, he pulled the afghan down from the back of the couch and unfolded it, wrapping her gently in it. Elle squirmed momentarily, making unintelligible sounds of comfort, like a child cuddling with its favorite teddy bear. When Elle settled back into her sleep, she had wiggled her way over and was using Jimmy's thigh as a pillow. It was a moment of indecision, but the longer he thought the easier it was to choose. He sank into the couch took a deep breath and put his past out of his mind. Softly, he laid his arm across her and put his hand on hers, feeling the perfection of her supple skin, marred by scratches and callouses from the harsh reality of recent events.
The two strangers melted together as the dark night passed ever so slowly as if the sun were afraid to show itself to our cruel world. Jimmy slid lower and lower, slouching further over and Elle readjusted with every change. Elle rustled, half awake, and found herself wrapped in a pair of strong and caring arms. With no other thought, she squirmed against the firm body behind her, and in her sleepy mind, she saw Tanner. Her hand ran the length of his thigh and she turned awkwardly on the narrow couch. His hand touched hers and then massaged its way up her arm and shoulder, reaching the small place on the back of her neck that sent her heart racing. The hesitation lasted but a second before he kissed her... and she kissed him back, a hard, passionate, intentional kiss. His fingers ran through her hair and she pulled him against her hard. Loud and deep breathing filled with moans of pleasure began to fill the room when he began to kiss her neck and explored her curves clumsily.
A near silent hum came from the flashlight on the coffee table. Being the only other sound in the room, the two noticed but paid little attention to it. When the light hummed again, only louder, Elle snapped back from her paradise of passion.
~***~
ELLE:
“What the Hell are you doing?” She pushed Jimmy away and fell onto the floor. “What gives you the right to touch me like that?” Her fury was directed at Jimmy, but inside, she knew she was talking to herself for being so willing to be held and touched intimately.
“I thought you...” Jimmy didn't know what to say, and with his own insecurities taking over, he believed he was completely at fault.
“Well don't think again.” Her words stabbed at him cruelly. “Keep your distance or, so help me God, you won't live to...” Just then, the flashlight made a buzzing sound on the table and vibrated onto the floor.
“What the Hell was that?” Jimmy asked. “Did you feel that?”
“That's a fucking Titan!” Elle said. “...and I think it's getting closer.”
“A Titan?” Jimmy sounded confused. “What's a Titan?”
“One of those giant mechanical 'things'. You know... the things those aliens landed in.” Elle was frustrated at his ignorance.
“ALIENS!?! We were overrun by those zombie people. There were some of them that had a light in their eye that I could see and they seemed to be leading the others, and taking everybody... but giants? I didn't see any giants.” Jimmy tried to make sense of it all in his head.
“Damn it, I'm still pissed at you, but I don't have time for that right now.” Elle began. “Okay... there were these giant ships that landed or crashed, we call them Titans. The 'aliens' were like glowing jello things and when the take over a person the person has this weird breathing noise that sounds like 'aaaaa- sooosh-aaaa-sooosh'... so I started calling them Ahsusha. They are the people with the glowing eyes. The ones that they take over and then leave like zombies, they are like an army bent on taking or killing the rest of us. They are the Takers. The Titans are so huge that when they move the earth shakes like an earthquake. That is 'what the Hell' that was.”
“Okay... so what do we do?” Jimmy asked nervously. “We've always just kinda hid out and tried to avoid the... Taker things.”
“What we do, is hope like hell that they don't come here. If they get close enough for us to see them, they'll probably see us too, and then we can't get away fast enough.” Elle's eyes glazed over when she thought about the invaders and how many people she had known or encountered that had not escaped them. Elle did not want to be part of those growing numbers and had a momentary urge to abandon everyone and run. It wasn't her nature, but she had seen with her own eyes, in a 'fight or flight' situation, few had won the fight.
There was a buzzing again, but Elle couldn't tell if it was stronger than the last. The only thing she was sure of was that there was a Titan on the move and it was close enough to rattle this little town. Elle snatched up the light and gave the handle a rigorous cranking until the light glowed brightly. She waved
the light around to get her bearings. When she spotted the motionless form of Tanner on the under inflated air mattress, she sat the light on the table and moved to his side. She sat on the hard floor next to him and brushed his hair to one side with her fingers. He moaned lightly and turned his head toward her. It was the best sign she had been given since the shooting. A single laugh escaped her lips just as a tear of joy was freed from her eyes. Elle was drawn to him and she leaned in close and kissed him.
~***~
I slowly came to consciousness and I ached in every cell of my body, but there was the most comforting peace that came with a warm kiss that I did not expect.
“Serena. I'm so glad you're okay.” I mumbled groggily.
“Serena?” The familiar voice said unhappily.
“Elle!” The name sounded like coming home. “Sorry... I was having the weirdest dream. I was on a plane with someone named Serena, and I think we were about to crash when you kissed me.”
“And you thought that it was 'Serena' kissing you and you were glad she was alright?” Elle was obviously upset and jealous.
“I guess so... but it was just a dream... a nightmare really. I thought I was about to die. The plane was being hit by a meteor or something.” I tried to remember, but the details were starting to slip away into a foggy forgetful place. “Where are we?”
“We made it to Barnhill,” Elle said, knowing it was not the paradise we had hoped to find.
Just then a loud rumbling filled the basement and the earth shook violently. Jimmy rushed through the door and up the stairs, calling back over his shoulder. “I'm going to check on Ed and Jean.”
“Who was that?” I asked, filled with confusion.
“I'll introduce you to everyone if we get the chance.” There was fear in Elle's voice. “There is a Titan coming. We need to go.”
“The pale one? ...I have to find it.” I don't know where the words came from, but I knew that there was an urgency deep inside that I couldn't ignore. “There was a pale Titan and I need to find it.”
“You aren't thinking straight.” Elle tried to reason. “We don't want to find any of them. We have to get Maddie and get out of here.”
“Where is Maddie?” I asked, still shaking off the confusion of my dream.
Before Elle could answer, Jimmy and the elderly couple came rushing as swiftly as they could into the basement. Again the earth quaked beneath our feet and all around us. The Titan was dangerously close now, too close to risk an escape on foot. Maddie and the others were blocks away at another 'safe house' and we had no way to contact them without physically leaving our safe haven and chancing the trip outside. I looked at Elle without a sound and with a quick nod, I darted for the stairs. She took off behind me, leaving the others behind, wondering if we had lost our minds. Reaching the main floor of the home, we could see the struggling light of the early morning sun creeping in through the heavy plaid curtains.
“Where are we going?” I asked Elle.
“I was following you,” she replied curiously. “Where are we going?”
“To get Maddie,” I answered her. “And then we have to get you two someplace safer.”
“I think I can find the house, but I can't be sure.” Elle peeked through the window curtain next to the front door.
I took Elle by the hand, unlocked the deadbolt and gave the brass knob a twist. I swung the door open and pulled her out into the perilous world. Elle pulled the door closed behind her and we trotted across the porch, down the steps, and into the unshielded front yard. Elle stopped suddenly, looking around at the strange and silent neighborhood. Low, misty gray clouds enveloped the town and gave it the feel of a post-apocalyptic movie set. It was an eerie feeling to see such a desolate world, cars were still parked in their places, bicycles lay in the front yards, and trash bins lined the street awaiting a garbage truck that would never come.
“None of this looks familiar.” Elle's voice cracked and I felt her hand tense in mine.
“We can't just stand here. We either go back inside, or we try to find Maddie.” I stated what seemed obvious to me just as a metallic creaking echo reverberated through the sky above us.
“RUN!” Elle screeched out and pointed to the sky above the line of cracker box houses that lined the street. Just above a thick layer of low-hanging clouds, through a wispy, foggy and more transparent layer, a metallic, midnight blue structure could be seen. One of the darker Titans was no more than a few miles away. I clenched Elle's hand in mine and followed her lead as she took off in a sprint to her left, darting between two beige, vinyl sided homes. We ran quickly through backyards filled with swing sets, swimming pools and a barrage of patio furniture. We ducked under a cluster of young trees, looking around frantically for some clue or sign of which way to go.
“This way.” Elle pointed towards a two story, wood sided house that stood above the others.
We crept quickly through the yards, avoiding the open areas as much as possible. Coming to the back door of the two-story home, I tried the knob, and found it locked tight. Elle motioned for us to move around to the front side.
“This seems familiar.” Elle smiled, stepping up onto the front porch and giving the front door knob a turn. A series of swift clicks and the door opened. Elle pushed it open and we stole inside and closed the door behind us. I leaned my back against the door, rubbed my forehead and took a deep breath.
“Where is she?” I asked when I caught my breath.
“Downstairs, just like the house you were in.” She said and started making her way down the hallway, checking each door as she passed it. I joined the search but soon we were in the kitchen at the back of the home and were hit with the dismal truth.
“This isn't it,” Elle said. “I'd have sworn this was the place, but this place doesn't have a basement.”
“So now what?” I knew what we needed to do, which was to escape this desolate town at least until the Titan was gone, and what we morally should do, which was to find Maddie and the others.
“It was a two story house that they had her in. There can't be too many of them around this little town, right?” Elle reasoned.
“This way.” I motioned for Elle to follow me. I jogged down the hallway to the front entrance where the stairway leading to the second story was. Grabbing the golden oak newel post, I spun around and leapt up onto the third step, skipping steps on the way to the upper floor. Elle followed close behind and caught me on the landing at the top of the steps.
“I'm going to check in this room, you take one of the others.” I pointed to a doorway at the end of the hall.
“What are we checking for?” Elle questioned my plan.
“Look out the windows and check for other two-story homes that are close,” I answered her query. “Maybe you will recognize it from up here.”
With a quick nod, she ducked into the room just to her right and I hurried down the hall and into the room at the end. The room seemed to be set up as a spare bedroom. It had a full sized bed, neatly made with a tan and blue patterned bed set and more decorative pillows than anyone in their right mind would keep on their bed. A tidy dresser lined the wall near the bed and only held a family portrait in a 5”x7” frame. There were two windows, one straight ahead and one on the wall to my right. I quickly peered out of the window and searched the skyline of houses. Each block that I could see was lined with a dozen houses or more. In all, I could see nearly four blocks. My heart sank when I spotted one two-story house after another. There were, at least, two to three on each block. I turned to the other window and looked in the direction it faced. Again, I scanned the houses and found numerous two-story homes scattered throughout the neighborhood. I Stepped out into the hall to find Elle crouching on the floor in the corner between two doors.
“Get down,” She whispered loudly. “It's out there.” She pointed over her left shoulder towards the doorway she had entered.
“There are so many two story homes, I don't know how we are going to check them al
l.” I squatted down and crept across the floor, getting closer and closer to my only friend in the world, Elle. A grumbling sound filled the air and an ear-splitting sound, like an exploding bomb, shook the town, shattering windows and scattering wall décor and bits of drywall across the floor.
“Come on!” I shouted. “We have to go!” My voice sounded muffled in my shell-shocked ears. Knowing Elle may not have heard me, I took her by the arm and drug her along with me, down the stairs and to the front door. Elle looked through the peephole and her face went pale. She stepped backward in disbelief and I felt her body trembling in my grasp. I refused to let her go but peeked through the peephole to see what she had been so disturbed by. The distorted view through the peephole was fish-eyed, but the vision was clear enough to shake me to my core. What was a desolate little suburban neighborhood just minutes before was now a war-torn area filled with shattered debris from houses, cars, trees and shrubs. An army of Takers wandered aimlessly through the street and yards before us. In the midst of the destruction, only a few blocks away, was the front appendage and foot of the midnight blue Titan. We rushed to the back of the home and when we found the back door, we paused.
“Now what?” I asked Elle for some glimmer of an idea that might give us some hope.
“We have two choices.” Her eye flitted back and forth, looking down to the floor. “We can stay here, take our chances of not being found, and hope they just move through... or we can make a break for it, run out the back and hope we aren't spotted right away. The sun being up may help since I think they sense heat more than movement.”
“I think we run.” I listened to my gut instinct. “But which way do we go?”