Come Into The Light

by O'Rourke, Stephen

  Seth had seemed to be expecting what Jacob would say so he didn’t let the cheers and calls to action bother him. He was even smiling as he lifted up his arms to ask for silence.

  “Something will be done but for now we need to concentrate on our food supply, our water. There are people who need our help.”

  “Everyone knows what needs to be done.” Jacob rallied; causing another round of cheering that seemed to gain in intensity.

  Rosa had raised her hand to the group and shouted in amidst the cheering, “I want to know where my husband is! He was supposed to be here for this meeting!”

  The cheering had slowly ended. It was met by confused stares and recriminations, muted conversations and eyes that darted in Rosa’s direction. Harold could see that Rosa was upset and nervous. She was a short, round, motherly type of woman who rarely got nervous. In fact she was normally friendly, outgoing, and always ready to see the good points in anyone. Something was bothering her, something she couldn’t comprehend by the way her brows furrowed and her eyes stood straight out. She didn’t care what the others were thinking. She wouldn’t even look around to hear what they were saying. She was concentrating on just that one thing: her husband, John. John was the silent type, introspective, shy, intelligent and he was much taller than Rosa, unusually thin, scrawny with long arms and legs. He wore these cheap nerdy glasses and told harmless jokes that embarrassed him. He was a neurobiologist before all occupations ceased to have meaning and came up with the theory that certain brains were less susceptible to the sun thing’s influence, yet he couldn’t explain where the creature came from, what brought it here, or what kind of creature it was yet he told Harold he believed the creature thrived on the sun and its energy, and maybe it thrived on human energy as well.

  “I’m sure John was delayed for a good reason, Rosa.” Seth said, while turning to her.

  Rosa wouldn’t speak. She closed her lips in a sullen gesture as if she didn’t believe in what Seth was telling her. Seth had relied on Rosa’s support and John’s during the times when Jacob was attempting to take control. Harold saw a much needed opportunity to end the meeting before the fevered emotions bubbling up in the group got out of hand.

  “If I could say something.”

  “Oh, and who is that, our flighty boy wonder?”

  Jacob’s comment elicited a sprinkle of laughter and Harold found himself smiling.

  “I only need a moment of Seth’s time.”

  “Take all the time you need.” Jacob said, followed by more laughter.

  Seth followed Harold out to the hallway. He was perfectly at ease and didn’t need help walking anywhere inside the house for he knew every corner, every obstacle as if it played an intimate role in his life and he had no trouble swiftly accustoming himself to any changes like the redistribution of furniture in the living room.

  “You have bad news. I can hear it in your voice.”

  Harold told him everything including the hasty decision he made to see his uncle.

  “You know he can join us anytime.”

  “He is too far gone, besides he’d never do it. I’ve tried, remember?”

  Seth nodded, sighing, “And the girl?”

  “I’m not sure who she is, but I’ll keep an eye out for her. She’s vulnerable.”

  “You’re a good lad, Harold.”

  “I can see why Rosa’s worried. John is a man of his word. Maybe I should-

  “No, you’ve done enough today. Plus, you don’t sound all that hot.”

  “My head’s killing me.”

  “What’s all the secrecy about?” Sara asked as she came up on them grabbing hold of Harold’s arm and putting her head on his shoulder while smiling up at him.

  “Have you found another girl?”

  Before Harold could answer her Seth brought out an assembly of pain killers from his pocket giving Harold a choice, then he insisted that Harold lay down upstairs and rest. Harold was grateful for the order. Sara could sometimes overwhelm him, leave him speechless, now at least he had an excuse for telling her that his head hurt and he needed to rest. He’d see her later.

  “Maybe I’ll see you sooner than that.”

  Sara released his arm and bopped his nose with her finger, giving him a mischievous grin before turning and slipping back into the living room.

  Harold laughed when he crashed onto the bed. He wondered what she meant.

  ***

  The kiss placed on his lips sometime later woke him. Sara was standing over his bed biting back the need to smile as her eyes dared him to speak. When Harold saw how close she was to him he was immediately aware that he was naked under the sheets, sitting up in his bed with a stunned look on his face. His clothes scattered on the floor probably next to her feet.

  “You wanted someone to wake you, didn’t you?”

  “Oh yea, of course.” He said. His words rushed. Her closeness leaving him helpless.

  Sara stood up slowly and eyed him with curiosity, “Well, I’m that someone.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  She smirked and gave him a questionable look, “You know your breath smells, boobala.”

  He’s not sure where she got the nickname but she thought it fit him. He didn’t mind it all that much but he did mind her being there.

  “Sorry. I’ll remember to freshen my breath next time you decide to surprise me.”

  “Do I detect irritation?”

  “It’s not that I mind, it’s just that—

  She sighed, “You’re a secret person. You like your privacy.”

  “Something like that.” He confessed, yet when he saw she was taking it wrong he told her that he did like the kiss.

  “I hope so, because I wonder sometimes if you like me at all.”

  “I do.” He said, blushing, though the words faltered in his mouth.

  Sara crossed her arms and directed her eyes away from him, “Okay, okay, I’ll give you your privacy if you want it so badly.”

  “Oh, come on, don’t be mad.”

  “I’ll be whatever I want to be.”

  She stormed out closing the door hard behind her but Harold couldn’t say that it bothered him. In fact he was glad that she gave him the opportunity to dress. He would have to talk to her, smooth things over. She was in a different place than him in the relationship. He thought he made it clear he liked to take things slowly, but he wondered if there was something more to it. Girls continued to frighten him in that way. He has never gone all the way with any girl. He wasn’t even sure of his emotions. Maybe there was something wrong with him. He should know what he feels. It was all so confusing. He was afraid he was only going to hurt Sara or she hurt him. He liked her as a friend and he didn’t want to lose the friendship. Oh what the hell, why can’t it be simple.

  ***

  John was back and Rosa was all over him with worry and relief. She had hugged him so hard he was out of breath. He apologized saying they broke off into two groups and lost track of each other. He had Amanda, Circe, and Adam with him and they were tired. Adam was Seth’s teenaged son and Amanda and Circe were tough women with short haircuts who served in the military for nearly twenty years. They were part of John’s scouting team. There were a number of scouting teams and everyone took turns doing reconnaissance and scouting for supplies.

  “I’m afraid there isn’t much left we could find.” John said, looking shy and somewhat guilty. Rosa held his face in her hands and gave him a hard kiss on the lips.

  The four slipped off their backpacks and laid them on the dining room table for everyone to scrounge through.

  “The lab didn’t have any chemical inhibitors for the brain but there were some pain killers, antiseptic medicines, bandages, gauzes, tranquilizers at the hospital, although this is the last of them. I don’t think we’re going to find anymore unless there’s a gas station in operation somewhere and we can steal a set of wheels.”

  “You know what happened the last time we tried to get out of the cit
y, John.”

  John nodded. He was all too aware of what happened but they had few choices left, “If only I had those inhibitors, Seth. I believe that thing couldn’t get inside our heads and control us then, or at least not to the extent of preventing us from leaving.”

  “We’ll get them somehow.”

  “What’s this? Is this the best you could do?” Jacob asked, holding up cans of kidney and wax beans and directing most of his anger at John even as his team defended him.

  “All the food shelves are empty. We had to dig those out. They were stuck underneath the shelves. Must have rolled under-

  “Just watch what my team can do. This is pitiful.” Jacob threw the cans down making a crash on the table like he was using his fists.

  “Well, I’m sorry Jacob but-

  “Never mind. You did what you could.”

  Jacob made it clear that he meant it as an insult as he distributed the cans and the group dispersed saying their goodbyes before going out the door heading to their individual shelters.

  When they were outside and away from busy eyes, Amanda and Circe had pulled in close to Jacob to give him their report. They told him they were able to hook up with the supplier. He and his group had an impressive arsenal of weapons and the supplier was willing to work with them. Jacob asked if John and Adam were suspicious of the delay. Amanda said that John had accepted their explanation but she wasn’t sure Adam did. Circe confirmed Amanda’s assessment.

  “I could give a rat’s ass about that brat. Did you store the weapons where I told you to?”

  They confirmed that they did.

  “When do we move?”

  “I’m still fleshing out a few people, but I think it will be soon. The time for indecision is done.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Amy saw herself as some kind of jungle cat, capable of slipping in and out of doorways and alleyways without being noticed. She was sly and light-footed. One of her many talents. A nimble tigress out for a jaunt. Zoning in on the sheep people whenever they came in range and dropping back before they noticed her. Sometimes their eyes held the golden shine of their leader, their god as they realized they were being watched and shifted their gaze toward her. Most of the time they were no different from everyone else, the others who were not sheep, or not the same kind of sheep. Amy has lived long enough to know that none of it mattered. She would always be an outsider and more so once the unchanged joined the ranks of the changed and became worshippers under one god. A prospect that was inevitable given the evidence she has seen and stored in her mind. She was not only a cat but a scientist as well, a detective. And though she took on this role she didn’t care anything about the outcome devised for these people. They had forsaken her long ago. If she had to be truthful she would prefer to be alone, not changed or unchanged. The only one of her species. The design of things, of DNA. No one liked the way she thought, the way she didn’t like to be touched, and her sensitivity to noises, how she hated crowds and became nervous around people never knowing what to say, feeling like an actor playing a part in order to please the people around her, in order to be liked, accepted. Forget that. Why must she give so much and them so little? So she was weird, so what, it was who she was. A doctor from long ago said her brain wasn’t normal. He defined her as autistic. A freak of nature and science, of social development. Improved mental acuity only made her more of a social leper. What counted most were social skills, without them you might as well be a ghost.

  She had run across that boy again coming out of the abandoned bar: Ned’s. He disturbed her, made her feel things she didn’t want to feel, made her think things she would rather forget because she had no chance with him. What did she want from him anyway? He was normal. If he touched her she would feel alarmed, feel like she was suffocating. And the idea of kissing. She didn’t know why it was done. Who would anyone want to do that? None of it made sense to her. So why was she bothered? Why have these feelings if she didn’t want to act on them? Why should she let some boy torment her? She knew her place. She knew where she was happiest. She was no fool. So she should let it drop. Put him out of her mind. Yet every time she said she would do just that she got the itch to look at him, to pretend at something that wasn’t real, would never be real. Well, as long as it was pretend she would be alright. Watching him from afar, then capturing all those images of intimacy between them in her mind to masturbate to afterwards. It was all she needed to make herself happy. She has no reason to feel guilty, strange. She has a right to pleasure too. And by this means she would never have to feel awkward and inadequate in front of him. He would never have to descend into someone mean or cruel, someone who would laugh at her or be disgusted by her, someone far removed from the image she had placed on him. He could remain high in her mind as someone who might care for her no matter what she was like.

  She wondered what sort of relationship the boy had with the madman living up above the bar. She has snuck in to listen to him rant numerous times. It became one of the highlights of her day. She enjoyed his ranting. It tickled her. She liked it that he was crazier than her. He seemed to be pleading at one point and threatening at another. Cackling as he claimed he had outwitted the sun god, that the dark would protect him. She heard him eat, heard him wrestle with his food, heard the many tortuous pleas from the living vermin before they were silenced.

  Amy wondered if the boy, and she called him boy even though he was older than her, knew he was in danger. That some of the people in his group were working behind the scenes to make a lot of bad things happen. She wondered if she should warn him. No, she had to keep her distance, keep moving. He would find out eventually and so would the sheep. She certainly wouldn’t warn them not after what they tried to do to her.

  The sheep tried to change her that one time but she couldn’t be changed. Their sun god couldn’t get inside her mind. They had held her, forced her to stare into the light as it came for her, yet her mind proved too large a task for their sun god. She felt the probing, the forceful acts of entry that suddenly became erratic, confused, then disappeared altogether forming the oscillating echoes of bewilderment, of facing up against something that was unknown to it. They had let her go, shaking their heads in disapproval as she left them. These days they do everything they can to avoid her, not that they could ever catch her again now that she has become a jungle cat, a covert operative sweeping over the landscape of the city in search of entertainment and information.

  And speaking of entertainment wasn’t that the sunbies removing graffiti, hammering boards and replacing windows. Industrially attempting to remake the past, to get the city back in order. She must say it showed a remarkable amount of ambition, and also showed just how cruelly warped their sun god was. If only they knew what she knew. She felt guilty about laughing at them but she couldn’t help herself.

  CHAPTER 4

  Harold saw Jordan’s clothes scattered about outside the apartment building and his ring lying next to the curb. There were thin white fragments bathed in a puddle of blood on the sidewalk that looked like grounded bones. He shivered to think that that is what they were: human bones. In his mind he saw Jordan jumping from the roof, but if his clothes, his ring, were here where was he? Harold has seen plenty of people commit suicide in order to avoid the fate of the sunbies. He could have had a late change of mind, but that still didn’t answer the question. Where was Jordan? Come to think of it where were all the others who took their lives? How could they all have vanished? This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t run away.

  He was sitting on the steps outside the apartment building holding the bone fragments in his hand with a care that was near heart-rending when he looked up to see Nora and Bill standing at the bottom of the steps. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw them. They observed his reaction without emotion, though something golden slithered to life in their eyes.

  “We knew we’d find you here.” Nora said in a voice that was both pleasant and remote.

  Harold’s m
ind was racing. He couldn’t speak.

  “We appreciate that you were worried but there is no need for worry. We are among good folk and we couldn’t be happier. Our lord has provided us with electricity and real food and water. You don’t know how good it is for us. We’re rebuilding, starting a new life.”

  “You should see it the way we see it. He truly means the best for us. No more headaches, no more fear, no more hunger. He has brought us to the light.” Bill added, bending his lips into a blissful smile that Nora sees and imitates before turning back to Harold.

  “You don’t know how good your life can be. All you have to do is reach out to the light. The light will free you; the light will make you whole.”

  Harold wanted to laugh and to cry. The two people standing before him weren’t Nora and Bill anymore, that sun thing had gotten inside them and had taken over their minds just like he knew it would. He was the golden flash in their eyes the smile that functioned to disarm you. Harold liked to believe that maybe Nora and Bill were still in those bodies somewhere fighting for their existence. He had to believe that. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t.

  “You’re wasting your time with me.”

  “We are all worthy of his love.”

  He felt sick. He didn’t want to hear another word.

  “Please go away.”

  “What do you have there?” One of them asked in a voice that sounded accusatory.

  Harold saw them staring at his hand. They almost appeared to be sneering at what they saw there so he put the fragments in his shirt pocket, “Just things I like to collect.”

  He was getting anxious. They were making him anxious.

  “Listen, if you don’t mind there’s somewhere I need to be. So if you would—

  The smiles were gone from their faces. He could sense hostility, a type of determination. Their eyes burned with that golden light once again but this time there was a sharpness in those eyes, an intensity that was menacing, and when he got up to leave they blocked his path.