Afraid of the Dark

by Chris Hechtl

  “Sorry, sorry, um, what can I do?”

  “You can come with me,” Bill said. “I need a gopher to carry the bag and gear,” he said pushing the kid along. Jen looked a little concerned but Shane only nodded. Nick stopped resisting and moved faster then. He glanced at Jen.

  “He'll be fine Jen. He's a good kid. Keep him busy,” he said.

  “All of us,” Jayne said nodding. “I seem to remember there is a side entrance here for stuff. Merchandise pick up,” she said.

  “Leave that door. We'll keep a watch on it so if anyone comes in that way they can let them in without going through the glass doors,” Shane said, nodding to the glass doors. They were now covered by a mountain of appliances. People were still pushing more that way. He shook his head. At least they were thinking and clearing a space for others.

  “I'll get this lot moving to something constructive then,” Jayne said with a nod. She went over and hefted the drill and started speaking. People stopped what they were doing and looked up and then started moving off to other projects.

  “Glad she's on our side,” Shane said as people passed them. Jen smiled as she hooked up with Jayne and moved off. “Both of them.” He turned to Deputy Wayne.

  “Anything?” he asked, hands on his hips. “This is where you tell me you've got contact?”

  “Not a damn thing, sorry,” the deputy said wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. “The radio's a mess. I can't get through. It’s a madhouse out there. Everyone calling for help. Most are civilians on the radio net.”

  “And if they got onto the net that means the officers are down,” Shane said with a nod. Wayne winced, jaw hardening.

  “You're right,” was all he said.

  “I know, I'm sorry,” he said quietly. He sighed softly. “Wayne, do you remember me?” he asked. Wayne nodded. “I was a deputy once, before becoming a mall cop. I know the routine.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I was a marine before that.”

  “Damn good to hear that,” Wayne said with a nod. “I'm a little out of my element here.”

  “I've got a plan. We've got to keep people moving though.”

  “Okay. Fort up. I got that part.”

  “I'll try to fill you in with the rest when we can,” he said turning to see Bill approaching.

  “Boss we've got people coming this way from the hotel and tracks nearby,” Bill said, standing in a crowd and holding up his phone.

  “Send people to the doors they go to. Someone get something to communicate with. Exchange numbers or something,” he said. Bill nodded.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “How are we doing?” he asked coming around the corner. A few of the men started raising improvised weapons but then sheepishly dropped them.

  “Fine here,” a guy said shaking his head. “You in charge?” he asked.

  “Shane O’Neill head of security. Got a problem with that?” Shane asked amused.

  The man seemed to size him up and down for a moment and then shrugged. “Someone has to be I guess.”

  “As it happens I'm the chief of security here. That's the best we're going to get.”

  “Um...”

  “No, I'm not a desk jockey,” Shane said smiling. “FYI, I was in the marines and then a deputy sheriff. I've got combat experience.”

  “Oh,” a few of the people nodded, some looked relieved. “Sir, any idea on um, what's going on out there?”

  “No fracken idea,” Shane said. “Alien invasion is the current theory. I'm going with that.”

  “The end of the world man, it’s the end of the world!” a guy said, eyes wide. A woman nearby was sobbing. A few were on their knees praying. Shane pursed his lips. Now that they weren't in immediate danger people were coming unglued. Not good. He needed to keep them calm and focused.

  “What I gather, hey, listen,” he said looking around. The room quieted. “From what I understand, yes this is some sort of alien invasion. The aliens came from that comet. That's yet to be confirmed, but I've talked to a couple of people who said that the debris had pods.”

  That was true enough. He'd overheard a few people talking about it when he'd gone from post to post. He grimaced. Gossip always was faster than light. The problem was he needed to filter the truth from fiction. Fast.

  “Look folks, I don't have the answers right now. What we're going to do is turn this place into a fortress. So help out will you?”

  “Like do what?” a teenage girl asked, nose in the air.

  “Like take care of the wounded and kids for starters,” he said turning to her and then to the others. “For those of you with weapons, talk to Bill, Officer Wayne, or Bob, or me. We need to post guards at every door and window, and use the areas like choke points so they can't get inside.” A lot of people nodded at that. One guy hefted a bat and shotgun. He looked grim but determined.

  “Where do you want me?” He asked. Shane sized him up. He had blue blood splattered on him, but he wasn't shocky. He nodded. “Bill is my second, he's filling in holes. We were going to be staying in just Sears but we've got a lot of people and a lot of doors. Grab a couple of friends and head to the other end of the mall and keep an eye out. If you see people let them in. Aliens...”

  “Blast them.”

  “No, I'd rather you kept a low profile, actually,” Shane said with a grimace. The man's eyes flashed. He held up a restraining hand. “Just for now. I'd rather not call the swarm down on us if I can help it.”

  “Those are our friends and neighbors out there dying you know,” the man said.

  “You are more than welcome to take your gear and go out and help if you want. I plan on waiting until daybreak so I can see the bastards coming. We're at a disadvantage. The damn things are dark and its well...”

  “Spit black out, yeah I get it,” the guy said with a reluctant nod as the logic sank in. He looked left and right and then shouldered both weapons. “Okay, anyone coming with me come on then.” He walked off without a backwards glance. After a moment a pair of big guys shrugged and then followed. Shane nodded.

  “Okay, see if any of you have skills we can use. Medical you know. But we also need people who can do basic building to cover the windows and doors. Quietly mind you,” he said with a grimace. They nodded.

  “The rest of you who can't find a post bed down the best you can. Take a couple hours then relieve someone if you can.”

  “Like anyone can sleep with what's going on outside,” a girl muttered. He shrugged.

  “Do the best you can. Tomorrow's going to be a long day and I learned in the military to get what sleep I can when I can.”

  “You going to go to bed?” she asked, looking at him. He snorted.

  “I didn't say I would. At least not until I'm sure we're secure and we've got a watch rotation set up.”

  “Whatever,” she said hunkering down on the floor. She pulled a jacket off a nearby rack and spread it out under her. “Damn floor's cold.”

  “Get some blankets. Pass them out to the others who don't have them.”

  “Gee why didn't I think of that?” she asked with a trace of sarcasm. He shook his head.

  “Enjoy,” Shane said shaking his head as he walked off.

  Chapter 4

  “How are we doing?” he asked, looking around. He couldn't believe how things were going. They were tired, people were scared, but the night seemed to drag on and on. He was pretty sure adrenalin had something to do with it, skewing their time senses, but damn. Was this night ever going to end?

  “Sears is secure. We've used the power tools to button it up the best we can for now,” Bob said. “I've got work crews moving through the mall and securing the doors and windows,” he said.

  “Good,” Shane said with a nod.

  “Is this all legal?” Tamara asked hesitantly.

  Bob gave her an amused look. “Hon if they have a problem with it they can kiss my ass. Or they can damn well bill me. If anyone's left alive come morning.”

 
“Right,” Shane said with a nod. “This is a survival situation, right now property rights are out the window. We're going to save whom and what we can and I don't care what or where we get the stuff from right now,” he said. Jen gave him a look but he shrugged.

  “Well, we've got pallets, furniture, fridges in front of the stuff here. I'm glad we've got teams assigned to go to watch each entrance.”

  “Good,” Shane said. “Bill's in the security office with a couple people. We need to get the teams phones or exchange numbers,” he said.

  “The phones don't work honey,” Jen reminded him. It was true, the phones were dead. He wasn't sure if that was due to enemy action or overload. They'd have to find out soon.

  “Maybe not now, but I bet we've got some very smart highly motivated people around who can figure out something. Maybe use them as walkie talkies or something,” he said.

  Bob nodded at that. “I think there is a kiosk in the mall, probably more than one that has phones that can act like walkie talkies. I'll send a teen to check it out,” he said.

  “Good,” Shane said. Good use of resources. Trust a teen to know all the ins and outs of a cell phone.

  “I'll do it,” Tamara said starting to move off before Bob did. He grabbed her arm. She turned on him. “Find a kid silly, not do it myself. I've got the kids with Trina,” she nodded to Jen who smiled. “But I don't think that will last forever.”

  “You... honey...”

  “I'll do day care folks,” Tamara said, giving the impromptu council of war a look. “It’s what I'm good at. Making babies and taking care of them.”

  “It’s a gift honey,” Bob said quietly. She gave him a soft smile and nodded as she patted his arm.

  “I'm going to do another sweep of the mall. Make sure nothing got in. And stop at that store and pick up some more weapons,” Shane said.

  “What store?” Bob asked.

  “The one downstairs with all the swords,” he said.

  A guy nearby looked up and suddenly grinned. “Dude, now you're speaking my language. Bring me back a Viking war ax,” he said. “I did cosplay man, I wish I had my shit now but it’s all in storage.”

  “Why don't you come with me and pick one out yourself,” Shane said with a nod. He squeezed Jen's hand and then nodded to the others as the meeting broke up.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  They passed through the store, ignoring the concerned expressions. A few murmured questions. The guy with him grinned and told them they were heading to the sword store. Before they got to the door leading to the inside of the mall he had a dozen people with them, one of them his son Nick. He looked back and then sighed at his son's determined look.

  “All right, come on folks, this way,” he said. They stopped at the sword store and he looked over the weapons. Many of them were purely display pieces, made from inferior metal and not properly sharpened, really only good for hanging on walls, but it was the best he could get his hands on given the circumstances. There was a better selection of knives and daggers, hunting and survival knives, mostly well-made and sharp. He handed the more usable weapons out to Nick and each of the people there. Nick looked awed but sober.

  They loaded up with as many weapons as they could, not talking much. He sent Nick to find a cart and bring it back. As Nick rushed off, another teenager arrived with a back pack. They loaded him up daggers and other small weapons and sent the kid off. After about ten minutes Shane handed the job over to someone else and headed off to find something else to do.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  When he returned to Sears he found people were getting dressed. He nodded to some, turned his back on a few shy women and even one guy. Some were yanking the tags off, others didn't bother.

  He found Jen dressed in jeans and a tank top, hair up in a pony tail. Wordlessly she handed him a bundle of clothes. He passed her his weapons and got to work changing. He changed hastily, the last thing he needed was for all hell to break loose when he was in his underwear again. He put his body armor back on when he was done dressing.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Shane started as his phone rang, people nearby stopped talking softly and looked at him. He recognized the number immediately and put the phone to his ear.

  “Yeah Bill?” he asked.

  “Sorry boss but we've got some stuff going on outside.”

  “Incoming?” he asked. Jen froze. There was a ripple of reactions from those close enough to hear, a mixture of emotions from fear and anxiety to anger.

  “No, not our way, but... it’s ugly.”

  “Be right there,” he said hanging up. “I've got to go,” he said kissing Jen on the cheek and then moving out.

  “If the phones are working... I need to call my mom. Shit it’s not working! How'd he get a signal?” someone said.

  “I have no idea. What network are you on? Maybe he's on a different one...” he heard people talking as he left.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  He made his way to security, nodding to the various people guarding doors as he passed. Bill had been busy; he'd opened the doors to the sports stores and a few other large stores that had a mix of equipment. Good. He nodded to a guy holding a ski pole and grimaced. They'd have to get better weapons into the right hands.

  He pulled the phone out and tapped at it. It rang and Bill answered. “Yeah boss,” he asked.

  “I am so glad we're on the same net and we've got dedicated coverage inside,” he said. He'd had Gabriel, an IT guru, set it up when he first took office because there were so many dead spots in the mall. It had cost a lot and it had taken a bit of politicking with the main office to get it in, but it was worth it. He was kicking himself that he hadn't thought of it earlier when they had talked phones. He'd have to tell the others to get on the same net.

  “Boss, it’s hard, seeing people outside getting chased and torn apart and not do anything for fear of attracting attention.”

  “We've got civilians to cover Bill,” he said. “Can you get someone inside the police station and start...”

  “Already did,” Bill said, waving him over. He nodded and hung up as he entered the office.

  “Officer Wayne and I handed out everything he had. I wish we could get to his car but it’s not worth the risk,” he sighed as they went inside the office. A guy watching the monitors looked up at them and then back to the screens.

  “We've got to fort up the best we can. We'll have to do a careful sweep of the interior of the mall,” Shane said.

  “Yeah I know. So far we've been lucky. No monsters,” Bill said. “I'm surprised really. I really thought they'd check it out. Or some would have landed on the roof. It’s clear though. All clear.”

  “Good,” Shane said. Let's keep it that way,” he said, grimacing as he watched a truck fly up Towngate Circle, the four lane access road which ran in a rough ellipse around the mall's perimeter, on the camera. The truck had sped around the corner on two wheels and up the hill on Towngate Circle facing East. He wasn't sure where they were trying to go, away he guessed. Not like there was any place to go. The truck had reached the intersection with Memorial Way when the driver saw the wreckage ahead and lost control as he realized there were cars everywhere but no place to go. Unable to stop in time the truck slammed straight into the side of another car. Shane winced at the damage.

  “Hope they had air bags,” Bill murmured.

  “And seat belts, can we get to them?” the guy watching the monitors asked looking up at them.

  The wreck wasn't that far away, just outside and across the parking lot. Not far, a couple of hundred yards, but an infinite distance with alien monsters roaming around and eating people.

  “Maybe... No, shoot,” Bill cursed softly, and then a little louder as they watched the dark shapes of animals crest the hill and swarm the truck. He looked away. So did Shane and the guy watching the monitors.

  “This sucks,” the guy said breathing hard.

  “Yeah,” Shane said. “It does. Nothin
g we can do about it. At least not yet.”

  “What can we do about it?” the guy asked, looking up at him.

  “First protect the people we've got. Second arm them and get as much food and gear as we can. We'll have to work on forting up here or somewhere else in the morning.”

  “You want to go out in that?” Bill asked in disbelief, waving to the camera.

  “I don't think we're going to have a choice.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “Hey, hey! I'm getting a signal!” a teen said excitedly. Others around her hushed her but she waved her phone. Some looked up in interest. Jayne looked up and in the direction of the voice. She'd tried to get people to rest like Shane had told her, but it was too soon. People were freaked. At least the hysterical sobbing and praying had finally stopped. Only a couple of hours had passed and stress and anxiety had everyone on edge.

  “What is it?” Jayne said coming over. Others were coming as well.

  “News broadcast!” the girl said grinning and ignoring the dirty looks shot her way. She held her phone up and then went back to looking at it. “My phone picked it up. I've got the app. I think it’s the emergency broadcast network.” Jayne nodded and leaned closer to hear. Others did as well.

  “I repeat. To all people in the state of California. This is an emergency broadcast message. This is not a drill, this is not a hoax. Please seek shelter indoors from an unknown animal infestation. I repeat. You are urged to seek shelter in basements or within a strong structure. Remain indoors and away from any windows or doors....”

  Jayne grimaced as she straightened. “Okay, use an ear bud or headset. I designate you to keep an ear on this. Record it if you can. Okay?” she asked looking at the teen. The girl nodded. Good, the kid needed a job Jayne realized. Hell, they all did. They needed to focus. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time to do something about that. They had to do something or they would freeze up completely.

  “Good. Folks,” she turned to pitch her voice so others could hear, but not quite loud enough to make many wince. At least not too many. “Folks the good news is the authorities are aware of the situation.” She had a tight lipped smile for the dyspeptic look many people were shooting at each other and her. That was a no brainer statement. “But the bad news is it’s bigger than we thought. Statewide at least. Probably bigger. Most likely it really is a worldwide invasion. When we know more so will you. Get some rest,” she said. “We've got a couple more hours before dawn and I'm pretty sure it’s going to be a damn busy day.”