Control Freakz

by Evans, Michael

  “Natalie, come on, follow me. Now.” His creamy blue eyes narrowed at me, and he began to drag me down the steps of my front porch.

  “Where are we going?” I said urgently, stumbling down the brick steps as I tried to catch up with him. Attempting to stifle the fear coursing through me, I sucked in a quick breath of the dry, crisp, yet unseasonably warm, October air.

  “It’s Ethan,” Hunter replied as he shot me a grave look out of the corner of his eye. “He messaged me and said that shit’s about to go down, man. Be here as soon as possible.”

  “What the hell does that even mean?” I asked.

  I held Hunter’s warm, firm hand tightly as we raced down the sidewalk. I could feel the nervous beads of sweat already beginning to trickle down the sides of my face. Ethan never says shit is about to go down unless some serious earth-shattering stuff is about to take place.

  “I don’t know,” he said, a genuine look of worry in his eyes, and I could a hear a slightly frantic tone to his voice. “I don’t fucking know. But it can’t be good.”

  I gulped, and glanced up at the flashing colors of the early-morning sun reflecting like a spotlight on Hunter’s light-brown hair. Even with his wavy hair uncombed and in his shorts and tank-top from the night before, he still looked perfect. He always looked perfect.

  We both crossed the street, and I could feel the burn of the already simmering black pavement against the soles of my bare feet. My mind and heart raced, almost too fast for my body to keep up with, almost like a freight train threatening to charge off the tracks and crash into oblivion. And as the Southwestern-style townhome where Ethan lived—identical to the dozens of others on our cul-de-sac—emerged in front of us, I could sense a sinking feeling in my stomach.

  Out of nowhere, there was a loud thud, and I could feel Hunter grasp my shaking wrists even tighter. What the hell?! I could feel the beat of my heart furiously pounding against my chest, and the familiar, yet always creepy, tingling sensation in the tips of my fingers, signaling that my entire body could feel the imminent danger.

  Hunter positioned his body in front of mine as another loud bang, immediately followed by a blood-curdling scream, echoed through the eerily silent morning air. Gunshots?! I gulped, as my body froze. That never happens in this neighborhood . . . nothing ever happens in this neighborhood. Hunter and I both shot each other panicked glances as we approached the front steps of Ethan’s house.

  “Hunter, please tell me what is happening,” I said, my voice innately low.

  My entire body hung onto his muscular right arm like a child walking with her parent to preschool for the first time. He held me close, and exhaled as another gunshot sounded in the distance.

  “I have a bad feeling about this.” I could feel his body slip away from mine. “A really bad feeling.”

  There was a short pause before he knocked on the door, staring straight forward. I could see his blue eyes immediately transform into a wall of ice as they tried to block out their surroundings. The brown front door instantly swung open. Ethan stood there, hastily motioning for us to come inside.

  “Get in here,” he said. “Now.”

  My legs bounded through the front door, a surge of adrenaline suddenly beginning to kick in over the anxiety and fear coursing through me. The inside of Ethan’s house smelled strangely of pineapple, and there was still a sort of motionless, dead vibe to the atmosphere. All the lights were turned off, leaving his living room shrouded in a thin sheet of darkness.

  “Dude, what the hell is up?” Hunter asked urgently.

  There was an awkward moment of silence where Ethan seemed to be staring, with his deep-brown eyes into the void of space. There was a part of him that suddenly seemed dead to the world. I could see it in his glassy eyes, and in his caramel skin that was missing its normal glow. Ethan was in shock. And the power of that complete and utter shock, had drained the life out of him, and it caused the air to have a certain restricting thickness to it.

  Without saying a word, Ethan forcefully grabbed me and dragged my body behind him as he whisked us both upstairs and into his room. I shivered as an icy chill trickled down my spine. Upstairs, it was almost completely black except for the rays of light seeping through his cracked door. I stood frozen in the doorway to Ethan’s room, peering nervously inside, expecting to find the worst. A streak of red flashed across my eyes as the pulse of my heart literally echoed in my ears. I could feel the anxiety bubbling out of me as Ethan flicked the light switch on, his room then suddenly illuminated.

  “Where’s the dead body?” Hunter asked in a half-serious tone.

  My eyes darted across Ethan’s room, which was abnormally clean apart from the few clothes strewn across his bed. No crime scene. No tragedy. I stared at Ethan, perplexed, as he typed away furiously on his computer. What the hell is up, then?

  “Shut the fuck up,” Ethan said as he glanced at Hunter coldly. “I need to focus. They locked me out again, goddamit!”

  I felt my body slip away to the far corner of Ethan’s room, suddenly wanting no part of whatever was about to happen. Hunter and I exchanged panicked glances as Ethan continued to type away, an evident rashness to his demeanor. I could feel my whole body slowly start to become petrified with fear as the thoughts spinning through my mind began to slow down and become thick, like ice. My entire being began to hibernate like a bear at the advent of winter. The second I sensed danger I could feel everything begin to shut down as my brain began to tap into the stores of madness, fear, and despair locked up inside of me.

  What more information could he possibly steal? I almost felt like rolling my eyes at him, if it was just more of the pointless crap he found by evading the dozens of blocks on censored content and the firewalls omnipresent on the internet. But I could sense something different this time. I watched his feverish movements, and the mad, yet utterly overwhelmed look in his dark-brown eyes. He wouldn’t have called us over here this early if it wasn’t important. This must be bad. I bit my tongue to suppress a nervous squeal from slipping out of me. This must be really, really bad.

  “Look at this.” Ethan slid his chair away from the computer, his voice barely audible.

  I could see his body visibly contort with disgust and shock as he stared mindlessly at the screen in front of him. My curiosity took over, the outlandish, childish side of me hoping that this was somehow related to something about my father. My dad, or more formerly called Jack Parker, was always so covert about his life, especially his job. It’s like the second he stepped on that airplane and flew off to Area 51 he began a promiscuous second life, only to return home, absolutely impassive on his week at work. There was no telling what my dad really did for a living, after all, he worked in the most top-secret government facility in the world. But there was something that always told me that my dad knew even more than anyone could ever imagine. There was a look of hurt in his eyes, that caused me to feel all the struggles he had inevitably been through.

  However, Ethan’s computer had no answers about my dad. I let my eyes skim through the small font on the screen, quickly realizing just how terribly wrong I was.

  Protocol 00. Two solemn words appeared at the top of the screen, two words that I hadn’t known until now would alter my life―and the world―forever. I could feel every last strand of blond hair on my arms rise in unison as my eyes slowly made their way down the official document from the US government. I grabbed onto Hunter’s arm, who was standing next to me, in order to prevent my body from falling over in shock. My hands began to shake uncontrollably and sweat started to pour down my face, yet as my brain processed the final sentence of the document, there was nothing but an icy darkness that began to envelop me.

  The final sentence read, “And it is imperative that every last person who took the blue pill be extracted from the population immediately.”

  I felt my whole body shutting down instantly, like a sudden wave of septic shock was overcoming me. My hands began to shake as my lips quivered erratical
ly, desperately trying to release the colossal amount of fear bundled up inside of me.

  “They are after us.” Ethan managed to keep his voice low as his eyes widened and seemed to scream in panic. “We are fucked.” His voice broke off, and I could see his body visibly grow limp with shock.

  This is a dream. I buried my head in my arms, trying to block out the vision that seemed to be playing out in front of me so vividly. This can’t be real. This is not happening! I shook my head violently, frantically trying to wake up from the nightmare. “Protocol 00” incessantly chanted in my head, yet my brain could not muster enough strength to process what those words meant. I could feel it happening all over again, just like when my dad had disappeared.

  Everything was beginning to shut down. Slowly but surely, I could feel my very thoughts grow lethargic, as a cold, numb sensation resided over my entire body. This can’t be happening. No! No! No! I felt the rapid beat of my heart in my chest, as adrenaline, panic, and shock, coursed through my veins. The river of tears suddenly began to flow over the dam in my eyes, as the yelling that was coming from Hunter and Ethan blended together into a single cacophonous ring.

  None of it felt real. Even my soft, slightly tan skin appeared to be a mirage in the blinding heat of the moment. I looked up through the tears in my eyes, and suddenly felt like an old, ignorant man at the wake of a hurricane. The entire world around me was going into chaos. I could hear the screams accompanied by sounds of gunshots outside, just as the old man would have heard the emergency vehicle sirens accompanied by the loud cracks of trees breaking and the wind howling. And, just like the old man, I could feel the wave of shock starting to drown me, just as the waves would have drowned the houses around him. But still, I remained vigilant.

  Despite the true madness of reality, I denied its ever-looming presence; just as the old man would have convinced himself that he was still okay, despite the numerous evacuation warnings and the dark clouds enveloping the sky overhead. The thick, metal layer around my brain protected it from reality, as it continued to conduct the dangerously high voltage of shock and fear coursing through me. But, again, like the old man’s house, it was inevitable for the metal shield surrounding me to fall, then become inundated with the deadly reality.

  Bang! The deafening roar echoed off the walls as it instantly followed the ear-splitting noise of splintering wood. They’re here. I glanced at both Hunter and Ethan who had looks of complete and utter terror on their faces.

  Holy shit! They’re here!

  My eyes grew wide as the sounds of the footsteps grew louder and louder until they boomed like thunder in my ears. Instinctively, I ran toward the window as my entire body entered full-on panic mode. My heart rate kicked up to a dizzying height as my thoughts swirled around madly. I heard a high-pitched scream and my body froze with fear. That’s Ethan’s little sister. I watched as Ethan lunged forward out of his room and into the hallway that connected all the bedrooms in his house.

  “Stop right there!” I heard a deep voice say, probably a seven-foot-something man who could tear my skinny, fragile body in half. “You are under arrest!”

  My entire body froze at the words as Ethan’s parents ran out into the dark hallway, screaming belligerently. Hunter held Ethan’s bedroom door wide open, giving me a perfect view of the bedlam outside. I watched in horror as a tall, bulky government agent, who was literally three times my size with massive muscles and dozens of protruding veins, tackled Ethan’s little Scarlett and dragged her down the stairs.

  “No!” I jumped backward, closing my eyes as tears, hot with anger and fear, streamed down my face.

  “Get back here you son of a bitch!” roared Ethan’s dad, who was normally very calm, as he threw his body down the stairs in an attempt to knock out the government agent. Holy crap! I took a step back as my body stood in the corner, petrified with fear. We’re gonna die.

  My life flashed before me as Ethan’s two little brothers, who were flailing their bodies madly and crying hysterically, were scooped up and carried away by a single government agent. We need to leave! We need to run! My eyes scrambled around the room frantically looking for an escape, yet my feet remained glued to the floor. I tried to drain some of the toxic amounts of anxiety coursing through me, but it was no use, my mind had already succumbed to the pressure.

  “Ah!” I screamed madly, desperately attempting to shake the image of the crying children out of my mind.

  “We have to go!” Hunter yelled as he pushed Ethan out of the way and slammed the bedroom door shut.

  Suddenly, there was a deafening bang, quickly followed by a short, muffled scream. Every hair on my body instantly stood straight up as my spine contorted with fear. A gunshot. My eyes went wide with shock, terror, and fury as I realized that it was only a matter of time before one of those silver bullets connected with me. Crap. I gulped, trying to block out the sound of the thunderous footsteps and screams all around me. We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die!

  “Ethan, hold the door!” Hunter commanded, running over to the window and forcefully busting it open.

  “That’s not gonna do much!” Ethan snapped back.

  “Fuck it then,” Hunter replied. He stuck one leg out the window and onto the stucco roof that lay just below it. His whole body shook with shock and adrenaline as sweat began to coat his light skin. “Come on! Get out the window!”

  Finally, I could feel my body start to take over as it kicked into survival mode. The adrenaline coursing through me quickly overcame the fear and shock beginning to overwhelm my brain. My legs bounded toward the window, as Ethan quickly jumped out of it, leaving me, the last one inside the house.

  “Put your hands up!” the government agent’s deep voice boomed in my ear as he flew through the door, nearly ramming a hole in the wall along the way. I felt my entire body freeze up, just feet away from the window, as I stared death right in its fiery eyes. The agent reminded me of a bull with his horn-like, pointy ears, flaring nostrils, and the thin layer of black hair that coated his wide head. And that bull was inevitably headed straight for me.

  What do I do?! I’m gonna die! I began to shake as the vision around my eyes started to blacken. I could feel a cold, trickling sensation run down my spine, like snow falling from a cloud and hitting the pavement, instantly turning into black ice. And somehow the same icy feeling that corroded my spine inundated my entire body, leaving me frozen in place, like a sculpture.

  The man, if you could call him that, given his size, bounded forward in what seemed like slow motion, and I screamed reflexively. My body tensed up, preparing for its ultimate demise. Shit! I stared into his almost-black eyes that were devoid of any emotion, and suddenly wondered how it would be to die at the hands of this beast.

  The man was now just feet away, and I closed my eyes and let my body relax, and willingly succumbed to the hands of Death beginning to wrap around me. Then a flash went off across my eyes, and my internet-contact lenses sounded in my ear. My mom had sent me one last, cryptic text message. I love you, sweetie, it said. My eyes began to tear up as the reality of the situation began to hit me like a punch to the gut. Always remember that. No matter what.

  Right in that moment, I could feel the warmth of a hand grasping my arm and suddenly pulling me backward. No! No! Every muscle in my body started to convulse in an attempt to shake the monster off of me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, still refusing to deal with the reality of what was now to come.

  “Stop it!” I screamed madly, the anxiety and anger, at that moment, boiling over into one vicious scream.

  I could feel my body scrape against the edge of the window, just as the very life of me was being scraped slowly and painfully from my soul. I instinctively jerked back as the window suddenly slammed right next to my fingers.

  “Come on, Natalie,” I could hear his sweet voice say, and suddenly my body recognized the firm, warm grip to be his. Hunter’s.

  “Oh my god!”

  I’d finally opened my eyes, an
d instantly rivers of joy began to flow through me. It was Hunter, staring at me, panicked, with his gorgeous blue eyes. I could feel my cheeks blush. I must have looked like such an idiot, crying and screaming, while Hunter, meanwhile, had actually been trying to save me.

  “Natalie, I’m being serious!”

  Hunter literally forced my body to stand up and run with him, all in one smooth motion. I could hear his normally calm voice bubbling with anxiety and fear.

  “We have to go now!” he repeated.

  As the window was ferociously opened and the government agent began to make his way out of the small gap, once again, I could feel my body begin to take over. He’s gonna shoot us! The fear coursing through my veins propelled my feet forward at a blinding speed across Ethan’s roof as another succession of gun shots echoed in the distance.

  My family. I had to fight back the emotions to prevent my body from instantly collapsing from the shock. With every bullet sounding in the distance, I winced, wondering if that was the bullet that would connect with one of them.

  “Shit!” Ethan yelled suddenly, as he slipped and almost fell off the brown stucco roof.

  “Where do we go?!” I yelled, panicked.

  My legs started to shake erratically as Hunter abruptly stopped in front of me, approaching the edge of the roof. The government agent had finally managed to get his behemoth of a body out the window, and the fear coursing through me started to reach new heights as his big, bulky hands began reaching for the pistol fashioned in his belt.

  This can’t be happening. I stared in complete and utter shock at his hand as he swiftly grasped the pistol and aimed it directly at me. I’m dead! I’m dead! The thoughts in my brain suddenly went silent, and I was face to face with death, that was now right in front of me. A wave of coldness, despite the early morning heat, came over me like a dark storm that was about to unleash its never-ending fury down upon the earth.