With Jake and Luke still playing devil’s advocate against Sam’s intentions and Corinna defending him relentlessly, Monica divided us up between the planes herself. Before boarding I asked Corinna if Isabel had gone ahead with Caleb, Balthazar, Eve, the babies, and Daniel. Monica said that Eve was going to need help with the babies. Isabel wanted Corinna to go with her, but Corinna did not want to leave without Sam. Monica had pulled me aside before boarding and told me that Roan, Delilah, and Bethany found Balthazar and the others quickly after their arrival to the facility below the Etowah Mounds weeks after they departed the Kyoto facility; almost one year ago. I still can’t wrap my mind around that fact that we have been gone from our Earth for an entire year. I expect one of the others to cave any minute and tell us that we really weren’t gone that long. That it was a joke and we were only gone a few days and nothing in our world has really changed. But, the images in the video room back in the Kyoto facility bring me back to reality, this new uncharted reality; the playing field had definitely been altered along with the means of survival.
A bright flash of lightning catches my eye outside of the small shatterproof glass. It showers down to the Earth, like fingers reaching for the surface. It lights the clouded sky and reveals the distance between us and the ground, but nothing more; no glaring evidence of what we are about to encounter. I feel the pressure within the cabin change and hear the sound of the elevators on the tail of the plane adjusting for descent. My throat constricts as I swallow hard and sit stiffly in my chair, looking straight ahead at the headrest in front of me. I feel the seat next to me shift as someone occupies it.
“Daughter?” says Ezra.
I bite my lip nervously but try to play along with his banter. “Yes, father?”
Ezra’s audible sigh is heavy with sympathy, “What are you thinking?”
Slow to answer him, he calls my name. “Jes?”
I turn to face him. “What do you think Einstein would have thought?”
Ezra, “About what exactly?”
“All of it. Traversing wormholes, other universes, other life, the intersection, the Copula.” I look at him before I carry on, adding sarcastically, “I could go on.”
Ezra crosses his arms over his chest and leans his head back on the headrest before he says, “I think he would have wished he had done a better job at protecting humanity from what it has uncovered.”
I look at Ezra and sigh, “The original guardian, huh.”
Ezra bows his head, accepting my answer and adds, “A man before his time and yes, a guardian.”
I stare out the window again, tugging on my lower lip as silence stretches between Ezra and I.
Ezra cuts the silence short, “Now, tell me what you were really thinking about.”
Damn it. There is no sidestepping him. I lower my hand from my lip and place my palms on my black cargo pants. “Just premonitions, pieces of the puzzle. Nothing blaring, ‘Here I am! I am the answer! This is what you need to do Jes!’” My voice has increased in volume and I scale it back, breathing in a calming breath before I continue, “There is a new piece to the puzzle. Parts of my legacy I think.”
Ezra is quick to command, “Tell me.”
“An old man chanting in a cave with me sitting across from him. A fiery pit separating us. The Dwellers...”
Ezra interrupts me, “Dwellers?”
I am about to explain my naming of the beings, when he appears to figure it out on his own. “You mean the beings from Andromeda? The occupiers? You named them ‘Dwellers’?”
“Yeah, that is what they do, right? Occupy, then dwell in the vessel until it is no longer needed.”
Ezra looks from me to the back of the seat in front of him with disgust on his face. “Yes, that is what they do.”
I continue, “The Dwellers are chasing us through the woods and...”
Pulling my lip between my fingers nervously, I reflect on the scene of the Dwellers stalking us quickly, bearing down on us, then me being yanked from the woods. But wait, there are too many missing parts. What happened to everyone else? I shake my head not wanting to imagine the worst, but it is too late for that.
Ezra interrupts my silent internal battle, “Jes? And?”
I tuck my crossed arms tighter around my ribs and wearily glance at Ezra. “What am I getting you into?”
He looks at me like I am insane for asking this, “Getting me into?”
“All of you. This is not like driving into Florida for some kingpin like Sam. This is beyond entering a lion’s den. Michael...the Dwellers...they...” I stumble over my words, not knowing how to describe what we could be encountering when we land.
Ezra turns his whole body to me and leans in. His eyes narrow on me and his lips tighten as he bellows, “Look…”
I glance around the cabin and notice Sebastian and Xander are tuned in by their false expressions and mannerisms of ignoring us.
Realizing his tone, Ezra stops himself then begins again more calmly. “You did not GET us into anything. We each have a stake in this Jes. Believe it or not, I think we are all bound by this legacy, not just the fellowship and definitely not just you. The more and more I am learning from Sebastian and what you see in your visions, I question all of our involvement. What if all of us were akin to the ancient natives that called upon this legacy we are tracking back to Georgia? Elisha, Monica, Nick, Luke, Xander, Nate, Corinna, me, everyone...even Sam.”
His including Sam Crest in this legacy sounds strange coming from him. I mean, even though he was manipulated into murdering my mother, his being a part of us didn’t seem real. Everyone that was beyond the veil knew the truth though. Michael was the puppet master all along, pulling Sam’s strings, making him an enslaved killer until Sam cut those strings. My mom was a victim among many others. I honestly don’t know how Sam will fair with all of that guilt on his chest and all of the guardians still holding him to those malignant acts.
Skeptical, I respond, “That is unlikely.”
He retorts, “Where is your proof that they are not?”
Annoyed, I raise my voice again, “Where is your proof that they are? In me? In Sebastian?”
Xander eyes Ezra and I with concern and I clam up again, fiddling with my lip. A moment later, I look back at him and see that he is occupied with Nate’s restlessness again.
Ezra’s rumbling whisper is confident, strong, and brings me back to our conversation. “The proof is in you, I know it. We are headed to the facility beneath the mounds in Georgia, where this legacy began. Between you, Sebastian, and what ancient proof lies within those mounds, I know that it will surface and reveal how we are all interwoven in this quest.”
I look into his eyes and see the unyielding conviction within them. “You Believe that in my head and Sebastian’s head, under those mounds, there are answers to how we are all part of this...this crazy, insane evolution and that we can fix it?”
His eyes do not leave mine when he nods firmly. I can say that Ezra has always been spot on with his theories, since the moment I met him in Margot’s Deli. Why should this be any different? I mumble, “Great.”
I look back out the window and fiddle with my lip. Another flash of lightning illuminates the sky, casting light on the ground. We are close to landing, maybe 5000 feet from the earth.
There are no flashing runway lights, just darkness with flashes of earth below lit by lightning. A voice comes over the intercom. “We are going dark in the cabin. The less light, the better. Don’t need any more attention than we are already putting out there.”
I hear a voice break in behind his. The urgent tone is gruff and militant. “When you land, go completely dark, no light at all. Cut the engine, everything, you got me?”
The pilot’s voice urgently responds, anxiety rising in his voice, “Yeah, yeah got it.”
The cabin goes pitch black suddenly. Instantly my body melds to the seat and my hands clasp the armrests with a death grip. I keep my eyes on the partially lit scene outside the wind
ow. Every flash of lightning exposes the ground getting closer, closer, closer. The sound of the plane creaking and jarring from the force of the pressure building fills the cabin.
The pilot announces raggedly, “3000 feet. I need a guide! Now!”
The gruff, militant voice replies, “Three flashes. Watch for it.”
The pilot answers, “Copy.”
I breathe in deeply, shakily. I feel the warmth of a hand rest over mine.
Ezra.
The pilot mutters, “2000 feet. Where are my flashes?”
A gruff voice breaks in, “We need you closer. Too dangerous this far out.”
My heart is pounding out of my chest and Ezra tightens his grip on my hand. Not sure if it is to calm me or relieve his own fear.
The pilot announces, “1500 feet! Deploying landing gear!”
The gruff voice patches in, “500 more feet, then the flashes.”
Pilot answers anxiously, “Copy.” The plane jars hard to the right, but the pilot corrects quickly. “Damn it! The wind is strong!”
The gruff voice warns him, “Wind shears bad here. Take it easy.”
Our pilot replies, “Copy. 1000 feet. I need those flashes now!”
The gruff voice muffles as he speaks to someone else, “Now, three flashes!”
With my eyes pinched closed, I imagine the pilot seeing the three flashes.
The pilot confirms, “I see them! Heading in now!”
Relief washes over me. Ezra’s grip loosens on my hand and I sense he feels relief as well.
The gruff voice reminds the pilot, “Keep your taxi light. Kill the engine as quickly as you can. We need to get the rest of your team in.”
He must have been talking about the other plane that held Monica and the others.
Gliding.
Gliding.
Gliding.
Touchdown.
“Killing the lights. We are down. We are down. Slowing. Slowing.”
The pressure of the pilot setting the landing flaps and gear into position tries to jerk me out of my chair, but I lock my body in place.
The gruff voice starts yelling at those around him through the intercom. “Move, move, move!”
The pressure of the braking gear eases off quickly.
The pilot calls out again, “Slowing, slowing.”
When the pressure pushing me against my chair is gone, Ezra releases my hand and I hear the click of his seatbelt. I release mine as well and hear the rest of the team do the same. I can only see silhouettes of them around me among the lightning through the windows as they shift in their seats and stand.
The plane lurches to a stop and I grip the back of the seat in front of me to keep from falling forward.
The pilot opens the cockpit door and heads straight for the hatch. I notice him holding down a button to the right of the door. Seeing his urgent movements, we all rise from our seats and move into the middle aisle closing in behind him. With a better look at the pilot now, I can see he is visibly sweating from the stress of what is transpiring. With his free hand, he draws something from his waistband, a gun. Holding it in one hand, he releases the button with the other and places it on the handle of the door. “The air-stairs are down, I’m opening her up. Follow close behind,” he says roughly.
The pilot throws his weight into the latch and twists, opening the metal door to the outside world. Sebastian takes post behind the pilot, with Ezra then me behind him. As we move toward the door, I turn to find Xander and Nate. They are right behind me. As I come face to face with the doorway, I hesitate for a moment, but it doesn’t last. I step down the metal stairs closing the small gap between Ezra and me. The sound of another plane engine dying a short distance from us is instant relief; the others have landed safely.
The clanking sound of metal rubbing metal and pounding shoes hitting gravel is getting closer and closer. The lightning flashes long enough to see a light mist of fog being parted by a vague line of bodies moving toward us. I stiffen for a moment, remembering the last time I encountered dark shadows coming at me. It didn’t end well. The flash of light is quick and it’s illumination gone, leaving us in the darkness again. “I can’t see anything,” I say nervously.
I feel Xander and Nate hovering close behind.
Nate whispers, “Yes you can. Look closer, focus on their energy. Now, look in their direction. Do you see them?”
Xander hisses, “I can’t see anything!”
I do what Nate says and sure enough I see them, more than shadows, but less than clear figures. They have weapons; they must be soldiers. I whisper, “I see them. They are hazy, but I see them.”
The movement of the other plane’s hatch opening catches my attention and I aim my focus to the other guardians exiting. Once again, I see the shapes moving from the plane and a cluster of equipped soldiers moving toward them.
We each have two soldiers flanking us. One soldier stands in front of Sebastian facing us; he must be the one in charge. Just as I concentrate on his essence, his gruff voice commands us, “Hang out any longer and we will be swarmed. Let’s move. Stay close. Keep the line tight.”
It’s the same voice from the intercom on the plane. The soldiers around us grunt acknowledging his hushed command as we shuffle forward, clustered together in a pack.
The air is thick like it was beyond the veil, breathable, but saturated. The pound of our feet on the gravel lacks the echo of an open space. It is strange because this is an open space. I slow for a moment, then widen my stride to keep the line tight. The tell-tale humming vibration stirs deep within me and sparks the pangs of nausea and vertigo instantly. I reach my arms out to hold onto something anything solid; Ezra’s shoulder in front of me is the closest thing to grab for. Immediately, he tries to turn and face me, but I squeeze his shoulder and push him on. “No, keep going.”
“You alright?” asks the soldier to my right.
I hold onto Ezra and close my eyes. Closing them helps with the dizziness sometimes. “They know we are here.”
Nate’s voice is filled with caution now. “How close?”
The soldier leading in the front calls back. “I’m sure they are watching us from the surrounding woods. We are about one hundred yards out. Let’s pick up the pace, boys. Not too fast not too slow.”
The soldiers around us pick up their pace and we have gone from a brisk walk to a light jog, maintaining the tight formation.
Elisha calls from behind, “Why not fast? The faster we move the sooner we are safe.”
One of the soldiers bordering us scoffs, “The faster we move, the more fun the chase is for them. Slow is safe.”
Nick gags, “Agh, what is that smell?”
Another soldier on the line says, “Third Tuesday of the month. You will get used to it.”
“Third Tuesday of the month. What does that mean?”
There is no reply, just the sound of gravel deadening below our shoes and metal rubbing metal from the soldiers’ hand rifles.
“We are here, open her up, now, now!” the lead soldier calls out into the darkness. We are in the middle of nowhere, we aren’t close to anything!
The suffocating darkness is flooded with a bright white light growing wider and wider as a giant metal door opens. Seeing our goal in sight, our line moves quicker. The next wave of vibrations deep inside of me sets my entire body into a spasm; I wretch forward and stumble. Solid hands take hold of me from either side, keeping me from falling as I pinch my eyes closed until this wave of vertigo passes.
“I’ve got you, Jes.”
The warm whisper on my ear tells me who kept me from falling. Nate. I take hold of his hands around my waist and squeeze them. Remembering my promise to myself, I don’t let my hands linger on his. His drop from my waist when mine do and I am thankful for that.
We are coming up on the threshold of the metal doors as four soldiers run past us, locking and loading their automatic rifles. The shooting begins immediately and sets our line in a dead sprint into what look
s like a compound. The soldiers around us are visible now; black helmet, black fatigues head to toe. They push us further beyond the door and start pulling guns from holsters and loading rifles. One of the soldiers hands me his tactical shield, “Hold this!”
I grab a hold of it just as he turns and starts shooting his rifle into the night. Monica, Jake, Siobhan, and the rest of the team rush the door with shields in their hands and try to seek additional shelter in this open area of the compound as the metal door begins to close. Outside, in the darkness, I see only the black of night against the assault of firearms as the soldiers shoot into the darkness at the Dwellers. I feel someone pulling me, trying to get me to move deeper into the compound, but I hold still. I need to see what they look like. Do they look the same as they did beyond the veil? Black orbs, slithering, slinking in to attack. Or, the way they looked in the video back at the facility moments before they took a vessel to dwell in or kill immediately. I feel my stomach lurch as I catch sight of one of them. The face…it is almost human, once human, now consumed. The eyes, they are black as night, no whites. The sockets are sunken with red-streaked veins jutting above the skin, spidering out toward the sharp skeletal cheekbones of the being. The movements they make; walking, running, they are unnatural, but quick, like something acting within the body that doesn’t know how to direct it in its normal capacity. The body jerks into a crouch, then jumps arms splayed out toward me. Thinking fast I swing the shield and send the Dweller soaring toward the doors. The body hits metal and collapses to the ground in front of the sealed doors. I blink just for a second and within that time, the Dweller is back on its feet staring at me. No one around me moves, Everyone freezes as this sole Dweller stands motionless. The soldiers’ guns are drawn awaiting its next move. As its chilling eyes meet mine, its taut mouth stretches into a rancid inhuman smile. The beastly being shakes its head from side to side slowly sending a chill straight to my core.
Transcending the Legacy Page 3