“I was going to say, I felt that way before you showed up,” Remmy smiled, his eyes seemed unable to meet Cora’s. “I like sharing this with you. I like you, Cora.”
“I like you too, Remmy,” Cora said, not understanding Remmy’s point. Having never had emotions, Cora lacked awkward conversation practice. “I mean you’re weird and have a totally strange name, but I still like you.” The smile on Cora’s face held no notes of insult, rather it reached deep into Remmy’s chest and gently plucked the strings of his heart.
“Hey! I’m named after a famous artist,” Remmy smirked. “It’s completely a reasonable name.” He smiled back, unknowingly having the same effect upon Cora.
“You’re talking to someone who lived in the city with an Em-Pak, remember? No art, no music,” Cora grinned. “So sorry, but your name is still strange.”
Forgetting about the name debate, Remmy tried to clarify his earlier point, “I mean that I like you, Cora. Like more than anyone else.”
“You like the word like too,” Cora teased. “Do all boys talk this way?”
“What way?” Remmy asked.
“With tons and tons of words, but never really saying anything,” Cora grinned.
“I dunno,” Remmy said, suddenly looking crestfallen.
“What’s wrong?” Cora asked, worried she had teased Remmy too much. “I’m sorry if I – Remmy, I didn’t mean to…”
“No it’s not that,” Remmy said, staring at the ground.
“Then what is it?” Cora asked gently. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Remmy grunted.
“Remmy,” Cora said as she softly brushed his arm. She had no idea why she had reached out to touch him. It’s not like she needed to get his attention because she had that. And it’s not like she needed to touch him, but she did, some part of her needed to. In that moment, when Remmy looked so sad, Cora needed to touch him, to comfort him.
Remmy lifted his head to say something to Cora, to mutter some words, but as he met her eyes, the words suddenly became stuck in his throat. He leaned forward, silently praying that Cora would do the same or at least not pull away from him.
The sound of her heartbeat filled Cora’s ears. She couldn’t hear Remmy, though it didn’t look like he was saying anything. He was simply leaning towards her slowly, his eyes locked on hers. Cora found herself unable to do anything other than the same. As Remmy’s lips softly brushed Cora’s, her heart threatened to explode. Part of Cora was terrified by these new feelings, but that part was kept at bay by the one that reveled in them.
Raising his hand, Remmy ran his fingers through Cora’s hair. It was cool and smooth, the perfect complement to the soft warmth of her lips. Everything about Cora was perfect.
“Remmy,” Cora whispered as she rested her head against his. “I like you too.”
“Good,” Remmy smiled. He didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing else to say.
“Can we try that again?” Cora asked, a note of mischief in her voice.
“Yes,” Remmy said faster than he had intended. “I mean, yeah, sure.” Smooth, he silently mocked himself. He needed to get it together. Couldn’t blow it with Cora.
The two leaned forward, their lips gently brushing each other’s once again. Things seemed to slow, with their volume turned down. All that there was in that moment was Remmy and Cora joined by a soft, innocent kiss.
A feral scream shattered the fragile silence, shaking the two kissers from their sweet, stolen moment.
A second scream. Then a third. Soon it was too many to count.
“Cora,” Remmy gasped, leaping to his feet, pulling her up with him, “we have to run. We have to run now!”
-22-
The inner chamber of the ERC Council, once quiet and ominous, was now a buzzing mass of cameras and lights, all in preparation for the Council to address the citizenry. Things had gone far enough, they told Eldritch. It was time to reclaim order and get the citizens back in line.
How right you are, Eldritch thought, as he saw the shadowy figures of the ERC Council file into their chamber and take their assigned places. These people thought they were safe, hidden by shadows and fear, but Eldritch knew better. The Council was made of people just like him, like everyone else. They were no different from the citizens they controlled, who relied on Em-Paks to keep them safe. And just like those people without an Em-Pak, were just as vulnerable to infection as the rest of the citizens.
Eldritch smiled as he fingers brushed the small trigger device in his coat pocket now linked to the main server. His Em-Pak beeped and he quickly moved his thoughts elsewhere, not wanting to draw attention or suspicion.
The camera crew took their places and began to countdown. Everyone fell silent within the ERC Council’s Chamber, not wanting to interrupt such an important address and fearful of the consequences if they did.
“Citizens,” one of the ERC Council members began, “we have lived for many years secure in the knowledge that we were safe. Protected from the virus by our Em-Paks and protected from the Reds and Emos through the tireless efforts of the ERC, but our situation has changed. It has evolved and become even more dangerous. The Emos, once thought to be nothing more than misguided dreamers, have finally shown their true colors. They are terrorists, single minded in their desire to undermine and destroy everything that we have worked for, everything that we hold dear. Now, the Reds have joined the Emos in their mission of terror. This new threat must be eradicated, excised, and destroyed like the cancer it is. Rest assured in the knowledge that the ERC will protect you. The ERC will usher you safely through these troubling times and into an era of calm and control.”
Eldritch had waited for this moment. The ERC Council had made its grand promise and now Eldritch would expose just how empty it was. Slipping his hand into his coat pocket, Eldritch pushed the small red button in the center of the trigger device. Nothing happened. He waited and still nothing happened. Had he put in the proper codes? Of course, he had. He had double and triple checked them. Was it the device? Maybe his father’s notes had been wrong, but how was that possible? He had designed the Em-Pak. If anyone’s notes were correct, they were his, but still nothing happened.
“We are here to serve you, the citizens,” the ERC Council continued. There was more to the speech, Eldritch had read it himself, but the Council member stopped. Had they lost their place? That seemed unlikely.
Two of the shadowy figures of the ERC Council rose from their seats and turned to face the one delivering the speech. Were they going to take over? The dark outlines of their heads whipped back, arms spread wide as a terrifying scream erupted from their mouths.
The Council member at the podium turned to face the two flanking them from the sides.
“My God,” the ERC Council member cried. “Someone help us! Help us please!” Fear was present in those words, real fear. The kind felt without an Em-Pak.
Eldritch watched the ERC Council being torn apart by its own members. Those that were infected ripped into the others with wanton abandon. One member, yet to be infected, but whimpering in fear, tried to crawl away. Her face became partially visible as she scrambled out from under the large table at which she had previously sat. Hands with fingers curled and bloody, darted out from under the table, clamping around the woman’s legs, attempting to drag her back under the table. All broadcast for the citizens to see.
“Eldritch! Eldritch, please!” she cried.
The hammering of heavy boots on the floor filled the room. Eldritch refused to move, refused to help. Anyone in the room who showed any signs of being infected or appeared at risk for infection was about to be sanitized.
The woman cried out one more time. A final weak whine before a tangled mass of bloodied hands shot out from under the table, joining the first set and dragged her underneath. Her cries for help were cut short by a wet choke and sickening snap. A large dark pool crept from underneath the table.
“What are you waiting for?” Eldritch bark
ed at the nearest ERC officer. “Get this under control immediately.” With the ERC Council in pieces and covered in its own blood, Eldritch was the next highest official in the room.
Waves of gunfire erupted in the room, chewing the long, semi-circular table, once a symbol of the ERC Council’s power and status, to pieces. One member, infected and protected behind the table, leapt onto the top. The member’s eyes were wild as he crouched on the table, a feral expression carved into his wrinkled face.
Eldritch watched with satisfaction as the ERC Council member launched himself from the top of the table, his fingers curled into gore-caked claws. Bullets tore into the man, dropping him to the floor in a tangled heap.
“Clear!” a young ERC officer called as he was swept behind and under the table.
“Sir?” another officer asked, gently grabbing Eldritch’s elbow.
“What?” Eldritch snapped.
“Sir, the cameras were still on,” the ERC officer continued. “I’m not sure whether or not the feed was cut. We’re looking into it now.”
“Forget it,” Eldritch waved as he walked towards the ruined ERC Council table.
“Sir?” the officer questioned.
“Are the cameras on?” Eldritch snapped at the nearest cameraman. “Make sure the feed is streaming live to all cities. Make sure all citizens see this.” He waved at the carnage that surrounded him.
The cameraman waved his arms trying to gain Eldritch’s attention, “Assemblyman Eldritch, sir, the feed was never cut. We’re live right now, sir.”
“Good,” Eldritch nodded with a reptilian grin. He walked behind the blood stained and bullet chewed podium at the center of the ERC Council table. Turning towards the camera, Eldritch straightened his tie and smoothed his suit. “Citizens,” Eldritch said slowly, “you are no doubt as troubled as I am over what has just transpired. To see the ERC Council, once trusted with protecting you, tearing itself apart, infected by the very thing they were tasked with eradicating. And without question, you, like myself, would like to know why. Why has the ERC Council failed you so miserably? What could have been done differently? What does this mean for the rest of us? For our very way of life?” Eldritch paused to allow his questions to sink in. He walked slowly past the ruined, mangled bodies of the ERC Council, motioning to the battered remains strewn before him. The camera captured it all.
“Sadly, citizens,” Eldritch continued, “this could have all been avoided. I recently discovered notes from my father detailing a needed upgrade to the main Em-Pak server. The Council knew of this for years, but kept the information suppressed for reasons that even I struggle to comprehend. Perhaps they were worried that a momentary shutdown of the server would result in a loss of control. Maybe they were right, but I saw an opportunity in the chaos that swelled throughout our cities. In that time, when we were distracted, I moved to fix the server, upgrade our Em-Pak programming and save us all. I was, admittedly, too late with regards to the members of the ERC Council, or perhaps they had moved their devices to another server. I believe that the Council sought methods to save themselves, not the citizenry, and I say that they have reaped the twisted, deceitful fruit from the seeds they have sown. Rest assured, citizens, that I am still here to serve you. I, like my father, am constant in my mission to keep you safe, to end your suffering. I will take back control and reinstate order; you have my word. The ERC Council has failed because they forgot who they serve, forgot that they too were citizens. I will not. I will serve you, as one of you, as it should have been from the beginning. The Council is no more, but the ERC remains. I remain and so shall you.”
Eldritch moved from the camera’s view. As soon as he was sure that it was off, he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Ortiz?” Eldritch said quietly. “Pull them back. Clear the cities. Regroup with the rest of the ERC forces and clear the infected. We are in total control.”
-23-
The Reds stood atop the waterfall screaming with primal ferocity. Cora could count at least seven and saw movement in the surrounding woods. They were closing in on her and Remmy.
“Cora, you need to listen to me,” Remmy said, his eyes wide and panicked. “We’re going to run, but if we have to fight, don’t let yourself get too angry. Keep breathing. Remember, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Think about the pine needle. Think about something calming. Don’t get angry, okay?” Fear of losing Cora was superseded by the fear of her becoming infected, becoming a Red.
“Okay. Okay,” Cora said quickly as she grabbed Remmy’s arm and began moving away from the stream. The truth was that Cora was barely listening to Remmy’s words and definitely was not thinking about the pine needle twirling gently on the currents. All she could think about was running, getting away from the Reds. Panic wound itself around her heart, shortening her breath and making her head swim. Cora’s vision began to narrow to a pinpoint.
“Breathe!” Remmy shouted as he took the lead and pulled Cora along behind him. “Keep breathing! Just keep breathing!”
“I’m trying!” Cora gasped. “Can’t we just climb a tree?”
“No time,” Remmy wheezed. “They’d grab us before we got high enough. Just keep moving.”
The Reds were close behind. Ten of them spilled out of the woods and onto the narrow path. They moved as a pack. The Red in the lead, a large man holding a short axe, set the pace for the others. They were all smeared with dirt, hair hanging in large, tangled knots. Bright red paint streaked across their faces and bodies. At least, Cora hoped it was paint.
Remmy had screwed up, could feel it in his bones. How had he been so careless with Cora? Why had he taken her somewhere that was so far from the camp and the watch? But Remmy knew why. He wanted to be alone with Cora, to have her to himself, away from Xander, away from the others. But this greed now threatened to end both their lives. Remmy would do whatever he had to keep Cora safe.
“Cora, run for the camp!” Remmy shouted. “No matter what, don’t stop. Get to the camp!”
“What about you?” Cora panted as she pushed her legs to move faster and faster.
Remmy grunted something that sounded like ‘slow them down’ and skidded to a halt. Cora stumbled, realizing that Remmy had stopped. She turned to go back, but the look in Remmy’s eyes stopped her.
“GO!” Remmy yelled as he grabbed a heavy rock from the ground. “Cora, go!”
Cora’s vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes. She ran faster. Remmy was going to take on an entire pack of Reds with only a rock. He was going to die and it was all her fault. Why had she let him lead her so far from the safety of the camp? Why had she been so selfish?
“Help! Help!” Cora screamed even though her lungs felt like they would burst at any moment. “Reds! Help!” She prayed that someone would hear her.
Remmy steadied his legs and prepared to fight. Every fiber in his being screamed for him to run and get as far from the Reds as he could, but he had to buy Cora time, and he had to keep her safe, no matter what.
As the Reds closed in on Remmy, he was shocked to find that his thoughts were not on living, dying, or even fighting. All he could think of was that stolen moment with Cora and that soft kiss, the feel of her lips gently brushing against his, the feel of her hair between his fingers. Cora was the last thing he would think of before he left this earth. Whatever was going to happen, Remmy was determined that Cora would be the last thing he would think about. He would die with love in his heart, not fear.
The lead Red raised his axe as he came close to Remmy, his eyes narrowed and angry. Remmy could see strings of thick saliva strung between the Red’s yellowed, pointed teeth as he screamed.
Pointed teeth? The thought flashed through his mind. No one had ever spoken about the Reds having fangs. Granted, Remmy had never cared to look, but he couldn’t help but feel something was missing from everyone’s understanding of the Reds.
Waiting a few more seconds, a few more heartbeats, Remmy pulled back and fired the stone directly into the face of
the approaching Red. The rock collided with the Red’s nose with a hollow thunk, collapsing him to the ground. Remmy ran forward, shocking the other Reds and causing them to hesitate long enough for him to deliver a vicious kick to the face of the downed leader before grabbing his axe. Remmy raised the axe.
“Come on!” Remmy snarled. “Come on!”
The Reds slowly circled Remmy, their own weapons raised and ready.
Remmy swung the axe with all of his force at the nearest Red, but three more fell on him from the sides. Remmy vanished underneath the savage attacks of the Reds.
-24-
Eldritch couldn’t feel happy, but he imagined that he might, given what he had just accomplished. Why waste time with messy elections and politics when he could simply seize control? The ERC Council had stood in his way for far too long and now they were gone. It really had been the Council’s own fault. Had they recognized his greatness, Eldritch never would have been forced to take control of the ERC in such a dramatic fashion. Then again, had the transition not been so theatrical, the citizens might not have fallen in line as beautifully as they had.
The days following the televised downfall of the ERC Council had been tenuous, the citizenry uneasy and difficult to control. Once they saw Captain Ortiz and the his ERC Special Forces sweep through the streets, clearing the cities of both Reds and ‘Emos’, the citizens fell in line. After all, like all sheep, they wanted the security and routine provided by a strong shepherd. Eldritch was more than happy to step into this role and provide that much sought after sense of order.
The cities were bruised, some buildings destroyed, a few fires lit, and of course, the countless dead, but these were just growing pains, nothing more really. Eldritch didn’t have time to think about these things. He was tasked with the far more important business of setting things right. And the first place to do that was in the ERC Council room.
Love Bug Page 8