by Chris Hechtl
“Um...”
“Worms man,” Tom said, looking really shook up. “Rip right through your skin; dig in, up your nose, in your mouth, in your eyes... up your ass... Its insane man. Not how I want to go.” He shuddered.
Bobby gulped loudly. Tater looked ill. Shane grunted, looking into Torres' eyes. She nodded. His jaw flexed. “Show me,” he said quietly. “The rest of you can stay here.”
“Good.”
She took him to the kid. He was thrashing in the dirt, clutching at his arm and moaning. He had sores all over the arm. They were spreading fast, it looked like his veins and arteries were standing out all over. Pulsing. Suddenly he wasn't sure if it was his arteries anymore. He tried hard not to gulp.
“Get it out, oh my god!” the kid begged. His throat was hoarse, his fingers clawed at his skin.
“We can't Sid, we...” the medic moved forward and had to be restrained.
“Just cut the arm off!” the kid screamed He coughed and worms dribble out of his mouth as he choked and vomited. “Oh my god!” he moaned as they writhed around on the ground. The group stepped back. They could see worms under his skin, working up his arm. He ripped off his shirt; they could see his flesh was pulsating with them.
“Sid,” Shane said gently. He tried hard not to vomit. He could feel the gorge and fought it down manly. He'd barf later. He could smell the sweet smell; someone other than Sid had already done it. The smell wasn't helping. “Sid,” he said again gently.
The kid looked up, clutching at his arm. A worm dangled from his nose. He wiped at it and flicked it away.
“Sid, we can't treat you. You are infested. We can't let anyone else get infected. We can't let you go back to the base. If you did you'd kill a lot of people.”
Sid cried, shaking. He rocked a bit and shook. After a moment he clutched at his head. “Oh god, they are getting into my head. I can feel them. I can feel them! Kill me! Please for the love of god, KILL ME!” he screamed.
Before anyone could stop her Torres skated her pistol across the floor to the boy. He picked it up with his good hand and put it in his mouth and then stopped. The poor kid was shaking like a leaf.
His eyes closed as he prayed silently. He wasn't the only one, the others did as well. Shane stepped back and motioned for others to step back.
Finally the kid finished and coughed. In a fast motion he clenched his eyes tight and then pulled the gun out and put it to his head and pulled the trigger. His body crumpled immediately.
Shane and the others looked away. He could hear retching behind him. He stepped back. “Burn him. All of it. And the girl, the entire area, and where they came from. Soak it in acid and gas and let it rip. Call a fire truck here to keep it contained.”
“Okay.”
“This area's off limits. Pull our teams back. We'll need a hazmat team to check the area before we can go back in. Which we don't have.”
“Doc will want a sample,” Torres said.
“Doc can go piss up a rope. No way am I letting those in the base. Everyone gets checked. Everyone. Pull back and we'll call a medical crew in. Full bio-hazard protocol.”
“Shit,” Torres sighed. She grimaced as a worm humped itself towards them. “My gun,” she said.
“Its infected. We don't know how small the eggs could be. Draw another from stores,” he said, turning. “Move people,” he snarled.
He got out and away from the building and as far as his truck before he lost it and what was left of his lunch. He wiped at his mouth when he was done and looked up at his crew. Bobby gulped.
“Yeah, its bad. Keep on the concrete, watch for worms. Bio-hazard now people,” he snarled.
They began to spring into action. Shane sighed. Damn this invasion.
...*...*...*...*...
Jen had heard stories of aliens in forests. She took a look at footage on the web and was awed. There were shots of a herd of alien creatures, some with antlers, and some without.
“I'm betting the ones with antlers are the boys,” Shane said, tapping the screen. She looked up an annoyance.
“How do you figure?” she asked.
“Um... males are traditionally the defenders of the nest. Females need to conserve their energy for reproduction.”
“And for putting up with the men,” she said, eyes dancing.
“That too,” he said with an answering smirk. “Also females tend to have better camouflage than males because of this. They need to blend in since they are immobile. Males tend to stand out.”
“Cite your sources,” she said, lips puckering in amusement. His arms went around her. She leaned back, dimpling a little.
“Hmmm... Let's see. Animal planet, Discovery channel, and the best one of all,” he said, voice dropping into an amused purr as his hands held her to him.
“And what's that?” she asked amused, eyes twinkling.
“The smartest woman in the whole wide world,” he said, grinning as he rocked her back and forth a little.
“Really? You've met her?” she asked, blushing a little.
“Yup, she's around here somewhere,” he said, making a show of looking around. She gurgled a little and smacked his shoulder. He chuckled, hugging her until she gasped.
“Don't squeeze too hard I just ate!” she said in a strangled voice. He chuckled again and then released her. She felt his chest rumbling in a chuckle.
“These things are so fascinating!” she said.
“More than me?” he teased, hands wandering.
“Daddy long legs,” she murmured trying to stay focused. Damn the man for pushing her buttons!
“Hey,” he said. She ignored him, looking at the tablet screen.
“Yoohoo...” he said. He waved. She continued to look, scrolling through documents.
“I know how to get your attention,” he growled. She blushed again as she felt his tongue on her ear lobe. She ducked away.
She sighed in exasperation. He just wasn't going to quit. “Slobberer,” she growled. She poked him. “Some people need to work you know,” she said firmly. She knew she didn't sound convincing. Not at all. Her heart fluttered. They hadn't had alone time together in months. Every moment was precious now.
“Really?” he teased. “I've got ten minutes and a vacant broom closet nearby...” he waggled his eyebrows in a leer as she looked at him. “Interested?” he asked, eyes dancing.
“Where the hell did you find a vacant broom closet in this warren may I ask?” she asked, amused. He kissed her long and lovingly, stroking her hair for a moment then breaking the kiss with a smile. He took her by the hand.
“Come on, I'll show you,” he said softly.
“All right, you talked me into it,” she said setting the tablet down and following.
...*...*...*...*...
“We're getting more flack about the judicial system we've set up,” Jen said, cradling a cup of tea.
“Oh?” he asked, scraping his plate for the last bit of egg.
“Did you really castrate that guy and stick him outside?” a guy asked from behind them.
He turned, and raised an inquiring eyebrow as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. He was actually surprised by the question; they had posted the trial and the results.
“Not me personally,” he said after he swallowed. He picked up his juice and took a sip. At least they had plenty of lemonade.
“Look, we can't incarcerate them for long, couldn't just look the other way and if they throw them out they become a danger to others.”
“He...”
“There is no excuse for what he did. None whatsoever,” he growled.
“The stress, trauma....”
“You and I both know that's bullshit. We're all under stress. The same stress. Some more so than others. He wasn't in a stressful job. He was pushing a broom. I'm out there every damn day, with a bunch of other people, shooting the aliens. Do you see me raping someone? Stealing? You see anyone else doing that? And don't blame the victim either. No means NO. Means NO.
Let’s get that through our thick heads right here and now. She shouldn't just spread her legs and try to enjoy it. He should have backed off. There is no excuse. NO excuse. Pedophilia, rapists, whatever. Wanna do that? Do it someplace else.” He snarled, making a brushing motion.
“We catch you, the aliens will be the least of your problems,” ee snarled. People around them agreed vehemently, especially the women. There was a muted cheer. He nodded. A rare few remained silent.
“Frontier justice. That's what we're back to. At least for the time being,” he said and then turned back to Jen.
...*...*...*...*...
Warner grimaced as he blew into his hands. Cold night. Stupid to be out here in a guard shack, even if it was insulated and reinforced. Stupid. Damn aliens could be right outside. Not the ones on foot of course, they would find it hard to get through the defenses he had to admit.
He heard a scraping and then hooves on concrete. He grimaced. Damn aliens. He heard a bawl and then screams.
“Shit man, that... no way anyone's outside right now,” he muttered. His side unfortunately didn't have the night vision cameras. He'd bitched to Bill but they only had so many to go around. They were supposed to go dark, all but the lights on the flag. The eggheads had ordered it to try to get the herds to go someplace else. He was all for it but he had to see. He couldn't take knowing something, possibly several somethings, were nearby and hunting. No. His hand steadied as he flipped on the lights.
He blinked as his eyes adjusted. In a flash of motion his mind suddenly registers a Hell Bison running for its life toward the wall and the dubious shelter of the now turned on lights. He winced, if that thing hit, it would be like getting hit by a tractor trailer. It was huge! Easily three meters tall and probably over a ton! Why wasn't it with its herd?
Just then he saw a flash as a Hellcat jumped into the light and onto the animal's back. Its momentum carried it over the animal avoiding the spines covering its back. However its claws were sunk into the hide of the Bison and it pulled the animal into the somersault with it in a mess of flailing hooves.
The animal bawled in terror as the giant Hellcat lion recovered before it did and bit down onto its throat. He winced at the sound of crunching as the animal tugged and bit into the throat, eyes tightly held shut against the lights shining down on it.
The Hell Bison kicked feebly then something in its eyes let go and they turned glassy. The last feeble kick ended and it just slumped. The Hellcat gave it a few more chomps and savage tugs for good measure then let go. Purple blood dribbled from its open maw.
Warner noted it had a broken tusk. The Hellcat was protective of its fresh kill, he snarled at the offending lights overhead and something in the dark shadows just beyond. After a moment it dragged its kill out of the light and into the darkness opposite whatever was stalking it.
“Eat or be eaten. What a fucked up world we live in,” Warner sighed as he flipped the extended ranged lights off to conserve power. He shivered. He knew he was going to take the images of that Hellcat to bed when he went off shift in the morning. And probably every morning for some time to come. He blew into his hands, knowing it wouldn't help with these shivers.
...*...*...*...*...
When Thanksgiving approached they got a radio call from a harried FEMA director. Shane nodded to Jayne as she explained quietly on their way to the radio shack.
“Her name is, um...” she checked her notes. “Phyllis Dillsworth,” she said wrinkling her nose. “Apparently she's the new FEMA state director.”
“Lovely.” He dodged a knot of talking people.
“She's having a hard time, I think. Give her a break.”
“Which vertebra?” he asked with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes. “I told Jill to keep her busy. Feed her facts and figures. Send her a URL to our page.”
“Facebook is our friend?”
“Don't start smart ass.”
“My ass hasn't smarted in a while thank you.”
“I'll tell Jen you said that,” she said with a wicked grin. He returned it.
“Go for it. I dare you,” he said.
She snorted. “Knowing you, you'd probably enjoy it,” she said.
“Maybe,” he said, grinning a lopsided grin her way. They rounded the corner and gently pushed their way through the crowd of people eagerly listening in.
“You've got, let me get this straight, thirty thousand people there?” the voice asked.
“In the mall complex and the surrounding annexes yes,” the radio woman said patiently, rolling her eyes to her audience. Shane crossed his arms and leaned back against the post behind him. Jayne shook her head. Jill was doing fine. He'd thought about handing this off to Irma or Candace. Didn't the dumb broad watch TV? They were on the news every night now.
“In the mall? How in god's name did you fit all those people in?” the woman asked in disbelief.
“With a really big shoe horn and a ton of grease,” Gabriel muttered, patting his now reduced belly. Jayne tried to glower at him but her eyes were dancing with suppressed laughter. He snorted.
“We're not just in the mall. We've interconnected bases from the 215 to Heacock Street. Our main complex is the mall, Lowes, most of the major stores on this section of Day Street and the Towngate plaza however,” the radio woman said patiently. “That's thirty thousand people. About two hundred and forty are military or military dependents. Another three thousand four hundred and seventy nine are retired military or law enforcement. They make up the bulk of our militia and security forces.”
“Are we really that big?” Gabriel asked surprised.
“You should get out of your office more often Gabe,” Bob said with a tired smile as he scratched his scalp. The big guy could be held up in front of his PC for days coding sometimes. As long as he had a supply of tacos he was happy. “Half of the surviving town is in our borders now.”
“Damn,” Gabe said with a grunt.
“There are approximately eighteen to twenty thousand people in small isolated or loosely organized forts in the rest of the city area. We can upload a survivor list, as well as get you a rough head count of those we're in contact with,” Jayne said taking the mike.
There was a pause and then the FEMA woman cleared her throat. “And who is this?”
“Jayne Stone, you can call me Mall Four. I'm the domestic manager of the entire complex.”
“And I'm told the reserve base has fallen?” the woman asked. “So no airstrip is available?”
“You might be able to try Riverside or Perris, Hemet, or Redlands airports. They might be functional but I doubt it. We have no intel on any at this time, but judging from what the aliens did to the base, its highly doubtful.”
“So I see. I'm looking at the real time satellite view now,” the woman said. “Can you give me a breakdown of the demographics and your food situation?”
“We have approximately seventy one days of food for our current population,” Jayne said looking at her tablet. She scrolled down. “We've got about twice that in fuel, but we're concerned about munitions. We're no longer finding much ammunition and we've had to resort to making our own. We're getting low on gunpowder though.”
“Can you repeat that? You're making your own? Ammunition? Did she say ammunition?” the woman asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes. Though we could use some more nitrates and sulfur. We have some talented people who can make or recycle many things. We have also set up greenhouses as a long term project to help our food situation, solar panels, improvised generators, trash and water recycling but we're on the edge,” Jayne said.
The woman cleared her throat over the microphone. “That's extraordinary. You may think you're on the ragged edge but trust me, you are much better off than other populations we've been in contact with. We'll see if we can get you a care package out sometime soon.”
“I'll upload a list to wherever you want it,” Jayne said.
“You've got net access?” the woman asked,
surprised once more. Jayne rolled her eyes to the others.
“What does she think this is the Stone Age?” the radio woman murmured.
“For some that's just about right apparently,” Shane muttered. He nodded and took the mike from Jayne.
“FEMA agent this is Mall Six. Yes we have net access. Its intermittent and we only use it during the day when a satellite is overhead since we don't have a working land line. Send us a link and we can set up a two way communication with you,” he said. “We've been uploading intel on the aliens since the invasion began.”
“Um, ah, yes yes, that'd be good. That'd be fine,” she said stuttering. “Mall Six did you say?”
“I'm the guy in charge,” Shane said, smiling a little. “Shane, Shane O'Neill. We've been clearing out the aliens from our area the best we can but there are still pockets here and there. We're low on water; the largest concentrations of aliens are around the available water sources unfortunately. Some we can't touch, there are too many aliens in the area and we need to conserve resources.”
“Um, thank you Mall Six. I believe we're working on the water situation already.”
He glanced at Gabriel. “Can you set up a site or something? A simple URL page on our server for her to access?”
“It'd have to be an isolated system. Like we did for that general. I don't want anything or anyone in our systems without our say so boss,” Gabriel said. Tony, his partner nodded. Their fingers flew into a blur, clacking at the keyboard. After a minute he nodded.
“Basic Apache site is up. We'll add to it as we go. I take it you wanted her to see the vid cam so a link is up,” he said, pointing to the web-cam built into his monitor.
“Miss Dillsworth we've got a URL for you to try,” he glanced at the string and then read them off to her syllable by syllable. “You'll find links to our video camera system and we can post updates there. Jayne, that's Mall Four, can post our known dead and survivor list for your records as well.”
“Thank you ah, Mall Six. I'm ah, I don't have net access at this time,” the woman said, sounding a bit sheepish and embarrassed. “I'll ah, have to get back to you on that. FEMA out.”