Suddenly, the disdainful smile turns into some inhumanly furious expression as he begins to yell, “You bastards should be ashamed of yourselves!” He points to the truck. “We were and will always be people! Different or not, we still bleed like you!” The man dashes at the truck and lifts it up as if it was made of cardboard. The crowd screams in fear. “We may be few here, but soon we will be able to take you down!” He shouts. The air around the small man quickens and makes the people cover their faces with fright.
I lean forward slightly to seetears slipping down his cheeks. It’s almost as if he knows that he won’t survive this brave encounter. He tosses the C.T.O. van into one of the buildings and the van turns into a mess of metal and flesh. The man brings his arms to his sides and clenches his fists. He shuffles his feet, glancing around at all the watching people. By watching him, I notice signs of nervousness. For instance, he curls his toes in his dark, brown shoes and his eyes keep on glancing everywhere quickly.
Waiting.
Silence.
It feels as if the Earth stopped turning as every human and inhuman wait for the next move in this epic battle of chess where a single pawn stands against an army of knights.
A feeling in my stomach makes me want to run to the poor man, shield him and scream at the C.T.O. before him. I pity the poor man who cowers on the middle of the street, with pale skin and beading eyes.
“He doesn’t need you, Alice.” A voice whispers in the back of my head.
“He seems so scared, he needs mercy.” I think back, “No one, human or not, deserves this cruelty of the C.T.O.”
“What would Eric do?” The voice’s words become snarky when Eric is mentioned.
“He would protect me. Shield me, not the terrorist. He wouldn’t care.” I answer bitterly to myself.
“Do you really know your brother? Listen, Alice. Listen to me and only me. Don’t go near the terrorist. The government says so. The president says, ‘No to terrorists and yes to freedom!’ Listen to them. They matter not your brother, or your own wellbeing. Watch what happens and don’t move a muscle.” The voice commands me sternly.
“Don’t move a muscle.”“No to terrorists and yes to freedom!” “Watch. Listen. The government says so.” I repeat to myself.
The voice doesn’t respond.
I watch the man sob and hold out his hands once more. I watch with a blank expression, “No to terrorist and yes to freedom.” “Ignore. No questions. I don’t matter. Watch the man. Watch what happens when you disobey.
Watch.”
“Listen.”
“The government says so.”
I quickly heard a distant bang which destroyed the silence and completely interrupted the dialogue in my head. A few drops of black warm blood fall down on the road. A pool of black blood starts to form around his chest area. Another tear glints in the bald man’s eye as he painfully hits the ground with his knees. The Chemi-Terrorist tries to display his resistance by turning his arms black and molding them into a pair of black wings as if his black flesh was made of clay. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
As he tries to stand up and flap those fleshy wings, but another distant bang reaches my ears. It was not loud but it felt as if it ripped my ears apart. This man’s display of courage was all in vain. The man completely fell to the ground as his skull was shattered by the bullet of the invisible killer.
This must have been the work of a C.T.O. sniper and realizing what happened, I cover my mouth in shock. A young girl falls to the ground and vomits on the sidewalk. A man pats her back with sympathy and shields her from the sight. I look down at the girl and lean down to help her up but she shoves me away.
“Watch, petty fool. Listen, the government says so.” She says with a hoarse voice.
“People of Boston, please continue on your normal lives! This happens plenty of times, for the ChemiTerrorists are becoming more and more volatile! Please stay calm and retrieve your vehicles! Do not panic! Continue walking in an orderlyfashion!” A male voice comes out from a megaphone fixed onto a street pole.
Everything here is overseen by cameras and announcements are made through megaphones as if we were in some concentration camp. This unnerves me greatly. But I have to live with it every day.
But the man’s voice gently sneaks into my right ear and gently licks my consciousness, licking off everything that happened there. My mind abandoned me for a moment, all I know is that my brain is doing everything without me. Everything felt so calm and serene and without any thought I turn to my left and slowly start to walk away from the violent scene. I can hear the footsteps of people falling in step behind me, and soon everyone is back on their feet and buzzing around once more.
I can still hear the male voice repeat his words over and over again. His words fill my brain with The Mist over and over again. And I just give up because it’s better this way. Because there is no way to resist.
Watch.
Listen.
The government says so.
The cars zip by me, but they start to form a long traffic to my side. After a few minutes, I remember where I am going. I turn down the corner from where the man came running down which just seems like moments before. The image of his body falling to the ground with a thump flashes through my mind.
As I stop walking and feel people shove past me, small drops start falling from the skies. The rain slowly washes The Mist away as I begin to feel cleansed. It feels so good here, in the rain. I suddenly catch myself with my arms out looking at the sky like a fool. I quickly shake my head and start walking onward. The rain is slowly soaking through my clothes.
The events from before flash back into my mind making me cover my mouth once more. How can one forget such things such as this? His blood was black! It is very hard yet now I can forget about the blood for a second and my head fills with pain.
A pale mist covers my eyes and I shake my head to make it vanish. The male voice from the C.T.O. megaphone makes my ears ring. The voice invades my head again pushing out everything out of it. I forget where I am heading again. I snap my fingers and run across the road. My memories return. Smiling, I feel accomplished that I remember. I have won a fight over my mind.
I walk into the grocery store and find what I need. While heading to the cash register, I glance at the TV on the wall. I see a man being interviewed about the event.
I gasp. I was just there! Did I witness it? I try to rack my brain but all I get is The Mist, the seducing voice of the young man. I just can’t remember anymore. I smile at the clerk and pay for the products. After all, I have lost this fight. My own mind was once more overtaken.
I jog outside the store and run across the road. I turn the corner and grimace at the huge crowd of people surrounding a C.T.O. truck. It was a complete pile of junk, flesh and blood. It was miraculous how the man’s throw was so powerful. I glance back at the store and a light clicks in my head. This must be what I just saw on the news. Suddenly, a flash of a man lying dead on the pale and cold street with blood pooling around him makes me clutch my head in pain again. I shake my head, forcing the image to leave. After regaining my posture, I cock my head to the side, not remembering what I just saw. Yet again. I shrug and take a detour around the crowds of people. I jog up the steps of my apartment and smile at the landowner.
“Hey Alice! Did you see the breaking news?” Mr. Rolf asks. He is a short and elderly man with a white cane. He is nearly bald and his eyes used to be blue as far as I recall, but now they are now grey with age just like the remnants of his hair.
“I did, actually. At the store they had it playing on the TV.” I answer quietly.
He stares at the TV and chuckles. “Scary, ain’t it? These terrorists have been infecting more and more people! They’re like a gang or somethin’.”
“Did you see it? Were you there, Mr. Rolf?” I ask quietly. I want to know what it looked like. What a terrorist looks like. A man flashes in my head. I shake my hands.
Watch.
; Listen.
The old man gives me a puzzled look and answers, “Well, no. Or yes. I wouldn’t know.” He shrugs at the end.
I cock my head at him. What on earth is that even supposed to mean? “How could you not know, sir? It’s you were there or not!” I exclaim loudly.
Mr. Rolf stomps his cane and spits, “You were there weren’t you, child? I watched a news report that people ask others to forget that they did it!”
My eyes widen. Is that really why I’m asking him? “I’m sorry, sir.” I whisper.
He averts his eyes and stares back at the TV. “Were you there?” He asks with a commanding tone.
“I wouldn’t know.” I mutter under my breath. “Ha, now you see why I said it.” He chuckles.
I look down and say, “Mr. Rolf, aren’t you upset that they do this to you?” He watches the TV in awe and answers without looking at me. “Why would I be upset? This is the good life! The president does everything he does to keep us safe. Besides, it is easier that way! I don’t need to do anything!”
I shake my head slightly and give him a slight wave. “I’ll see you later then, have a nice evening, Mr. Rolf.” Isay softly. Mr. Rolf gives me a big smile and a small wave.
I run up the dusty stairs and fumble for my silver key. I push it in the lock, and give it a small twist. In return, the door makes a small clicking noise and gives me entry. I open the door and sigh. I put the groceries down on the counter and rub my temples. I place my purse down next to the brown plastic bags and plop down on a stool. I rest my eyes for a few moments and listen to a door quietly opening.
I turn to the short hall and smile as Eric comes walking over. He gives me a small smile and grabs an apple from a tiny basket.
“When did you get home from work?” I ask.
He glances at the clock and says, “About an hour ago. What took you so long, by the way? I was getting worried.” I snort and gaze at Eric. He is still wearing his uniform. His eyes seem bloodshot and bags are under his eyes. He really needs some sleep.
“I don’t know, didn’t really expect to take that long either.” I say with a small shrug. He shakes his head and comes over to help with the bags. He flips his shaggy hair and I cringe.
“Please, Eric doesn’t start with your hair in the kitchen.” I rub my temples again and groan. After that mess in the street I don’t want anythingto do with his hair being in my food. He raises an eyebrow and just laughs. “Don’t start with me!” he mocks. “Oh shut up you little weasel!” I shout as I slap him gently on back of the head with my palm.
“Hey, Mr. Rolf was babbling when I went down there a while ago. Some weird things happened between when I came home and you coming from the store. Do you know anything?” Eric asks. I glance at him and smirk. This really is like an interrogation. “No.” I say abruptly. A chill goes down my head and spine as memories fill my head.
“You’re lying to me.” Eric clenches his fists and mumbles, “We’ve been together since the beginning ofyour life. I know when you fib.” I roll my eyes and sigh. “It’s not like I could remember everything even if I wanted to.” I say slowly.
Eric growls and sits down next to me. “What was it? A voice came and suddenlyyou forget it all?” I gulp down the vile mist and nod. “Has it happened to you before, Eric?” I ask quietly.
Eric turns his head to the side and explains, “It happened so quickly. I came walking down the steps of the apartment and a man lied dead on the ground. The voice came out of nowhere. It would slip into my head like some sort of a worm and try to change what I am thinking, but after a few moments it all just came backto me.”
“Why didn’t it work for you? I mean for me, it left and kept on coming back.” I whisper.
Eric chuckles and says, “It’s funny, Alice. We aren’t really different from other people, but something about our blood makes us not have it make such a huge effect on us.”
I take his hand and say, “I got glimpses of what happened. I saw it all, Eric. It was terrifying. The man… He… He… Oh that poor, poor man…. He deserved mercy… Who knows if he even did anything wrong…?” My voice drifts off. Just talking about it makes me revisit the horrible reality.
“Alice, don’t worry. This is natural. You know what the president has been saying, for now we have to live with it.” He squeezes my hand gently. “No to terrorists, yes to freedom.” I say. Eric looks at me with an eyebrow raised. “Alice, why did you say that?” He asks with a confused tone.
“I’m supposed to. We are all supposed to watch. Listen. It’s what the president wants us to do.” I say with a small voice. “Alice, don’t. Don’t say all that crap! How many times do I have to tell you? The government has got everyone confused.” He hisses.
I look down at my hands. The president has been talking about no more war. He tells us that a new weapon has come into his hands and that isn’t nuclear. It’s hard to believe really.
“Oh come on, Alice! Don’t look so glum!” He playfully pushes my shoulder with a huge grin on his face as if he totally forgot about all of that. I smile at him and sigh. Suddenly, my smile grows bigger when I remember something. “Tell me a joke, Eric.”
Eric grins and rubs his hands together. After a moment of silence, he opens his mouth to speak. “Ok, so a husband and wife are trying to set up a new password for their computer. The husband types in, ‘My_penis’, and the wife falls on the ground laughing because it says, ‘Error. Not long enough’.”
I stare at him for a moment before laughing. I wipe my eyes and say after fits of giggles, “You naughty little boy.” He laughs and then suddenly frowns. “What?” I ask with a confused look. “You forgot bread.” He says while crossing his arms across his chest. Eric lets out a chuckle and mutters, “And I was going to have a sandwich.”
I ignore his comment and growl, “What? But I thought I got some!” I put my head in my hands. Rolling my eyes, I snatch my shaggy bag from next to me. Only thenI remember the moment on the street. After that I forgot what I was getting. Just now I remember. Great. That just happens to be very, very resourceful.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” He says while straightening his spine.
“Back to the store.” I mumble.
“Don’t worry, I have plenty of time.” I say with a careless shrug. I give him a wink and hurry out. I run down the stairs and out the door. Mr. Rolf is nowhere in sight. Sorry to say but good grief!
The cool air makes me shiver as I watch the swarming people storm by. The rain has ceased and the C.T.O. truck is gone and the people have left. It is like they had covered up everything. Not a speck of blood lies on the cold wet road.
The walk home and back might have been longer than I expected. I don’t want to push or shove anyone so I just walk with everyone else. By the time I get to the store, I realized it took me an hour to get there. I search around for some French Sliced Bread but in a few moments I groan at the empty cabinet where the bread is supposed to be.
I run around, trying to find someone to get me some. Soon, I get the bread and jog to the last open cashier. When my things are paid for, I take a lookaround. When I came in, people were still walking around. Now, I’m left with the old woman with a hunched back wearing a Wal-Mart uniform.
“Be careful out there, girl.” The woman croaks. Her voice is hoarse and that made my throat dry. So I just started to want to tell her to get some water.
“Of course. I still have an hour, right?” I ask with an unsure look on my face. Surely I still have plenty of time until the curfew begins. Surely.
The cashier just turns off her light. A sad lookis on her face as she starts to wobbleaway. “Wait! Ma’am, where are you going?” I ask with a tiny voice. She turns to me and says, “Workers with the night shift get to stay here until morning. I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
I watch the woman walk away and lock the door to a grey office room.
Oh no.
I look at my watch, 12:00 midnight. I feel all of the blood flow o
ut of my face. A shiver zips down my back, causing me to quiver. The streets should be empty, all I have to do is run home, and stay out of C.T.O. eyesight. I cautiously slip out into the cool of the night. I am right about one part, the streets are empty. So I let out a shaky breath and run on my toes so I don’t make much noise.
Then I see a light.
I gasp and take a step back. Voices. Talking. Oh no! C.T.O.! I quickly turn down an alley and I listen to the nearby people. I think they are walking away, oh how I hope they are walking away.
I am about to walk out of the alley,when I suddenly feel that my hand is grabbed. I turn around to see two big men. They both are tall and have ripped bodies. The only thing different is that one has a beard and brown eyes and the other is shaved with blue eyes. “Lookie here! What a pretty cute little trophy!” The bearded man drawls to the other one beside him. I see that they are not from the C.T.O. because they had now uniforms so I attempt to pull myself out of his grasp. “Let me go or I’ll scream for the C.T.O!”
“No you won’t.” He shows me his hands, which are black and seemingly able to mold into anything. One of them has fire and smoke in the palm. Chemi-Terrorists. I open my mouth to scream, but he grabs me. “Besides, it would be foolish to shout for the C.T.O. while outside during a curfew, wouldn’t it?”
The black flesh wraps and swarms up my arm very tightly. I can feel the heat of his body. The flame and smoke from his palm starts to fry my arm but it doesn’t hurt, just tingles a little. The man looks horrified at me. All of the fire and smoke is leaving his body and my body consumes it.
Nothing is dark anymore.
I can hear and see everything around me, people in their houses to the rats lurking in the shadows. My eyes are wide and full of fire. Light bounces of the walls and slips into my torso. My body becomes engulfed with fire and light. I don’t knowwhat is going on but my head feels like it’s going to explode.
Alice: The Leader Page 2