When we’re close enough to talk, the brown in her eyes meets my blue. I mentally place her age at about twenty-five, but her haggard appearance makes it just a rough guess. Her long, dark hair is tangled with small leaves in it. A smudge of dirt outlines her strong jawline. Clearly, she’s been without the essential comforts of society for a significant period of time, though she’s still in the basic white outfit of leisure time.
After scanning us, she addresses my brother. “My name is Jess. You’re the first people who have stopped.”
“Well, I am glad I could be your rescuer,” my brother says.
Dominic is used to getting everything he wants and that includes women. Luckily for him, they’ve always fallen under his charm. He stays with them until he gets bored and then moves on to his next conquest.
Jess tucks her curly hair behind her ears and stands up straighter. I note, with embarrassment, that she’s almost as tall as I am.
To my surprise, she says, “If I needed to be rescued I wouldn’t be coming to you, now would I?”
I laugh before I can help myself. One look from my brother and I’m silenced. I’m going to pay for that later. I hope being able to witness his rejection will make it worth it.
The new girl analyzes this exchange and pauses in thought. She gives off such an impression of genuine strength.
When she talks next, she directs her question to me. “How did you all get out in time?”
“First of all, I’m Elliot. This is my brother, Dominic, and our mother, Annalise,” I say as I gesture to each of them.
Jess gives my mother a quick nod when I introduce her, ignores my brother, and looks back at me. I meet her gaze a little nervously.
“But to answer your question, my brother works with the genetic engineers and saw some footage he wasn’t supposed to and got us all out of Potentia.”
“Of course he works with the genetic engineers.” Her disdain is shocking. I’ve never met someone who didn’t revere them. “What did you see?” Jess reluctantly addresses Dominic.
“I have seen many things but none as beautiful as what I expect you could be…with a proper shower. I can help you with that,” Dominic says, clearly trying to win her over still.
“Dominic,” My mother hisses in warning.
Jess clenches her jaw. “I asked you a question, not an invitation to disgust me.” She pauses to let her words sink in. “Now tell me—what did you see?”
My mother smiles at Jess, even though she just put one of her sons in his place.
“A video of someone with a peculiar appearance who spent her energy attacking another person. I do not really know anything else. I just knew something was wrong and they were about to close down the territory, and I did not want to be trapped. I left and we have been on the road since yesterday afternoon.” His tone is hard—as if he’s trying to compensate for the blow to his ego.
“So you guys haven’t actually seen anything firsthand? You don’t know. . .” Without warning, Jess laughs. Her straight teeth gleam in the sunlight. “You guys don’t know anything. You just happened to get out of the territory with basically no reason to? I can’t believe it.”
“What don’t we know, dear?” My mother looks nervously at Jess.
“People are changing into creatures, for lack of a better word. Once they turn, nothing is left that shows any resemblance to what they used to be. All they do is try and…and eat other people.”
“Eat other people? What are you talking about?” My mother’s pitch rises piercingly.
“I mean they try to bite and consume our flesh. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to believe me.” She pauses and looks past us. “I didn’t and learned my lesson the hard way.”
I put my arm around my mother to offer some consolation.
“Listen,” I say. “At least you acknowledge how ridiculous you sound. Are you suggesting this illness is making people revert to cannibalism?”
“In a way, but that doesn’t completely explain it. They just change into something and there’s no reasoning with them—no stopping them unless you kill them.” When she says the last part, her eyes drop in pain.
We all take her words in, trying to decide her level of sanity. After a considerable amount of silence, I ask her, “What’s your story? Why are you here walking alone?”
She shrugs. “I got out by myself and have been on my own since then. Nothing to talk about.”
I look over to my brother to see his reaction to her response. He seems to still be focusing on nursing his pride. My mother has all of her attention on Dominic with a worried look on her face. Jess, on the other hand, looks unhappy, yet determined.
Not sure if it’s my place or not, I nonetheless say, “You can come with us. No one should have to go through this alone. We have a vehicle that’s taking us to our grandparents’ house on the lake. Maybe they won’t be impacted by whatever is going on and everything will be okay there.”
She deliberates and casts a few glares my brother’s way, so I add, “Please come with us.”
A few long moments go by while she decides what risk she wants to make: going at this alone or with a group of strangers she just met.
“I’ll go with you for now. Don’t think I need you all for my safety. I don’t need protecting and I won’t put up with any nonsense.”
She intends the last part for my brother. A familiar look has spread across his face. It may not be recognizable to other people, but I know my brother enough to know what he’s thinking. He sees a new challenge. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for Jess. She says she doesn’t need protecting, but I’m not sure if I would be protecting her or my brother.
“It’ll be nice to have you join us,” my mother says. “My parents live just off the lake. I’ll admit, we’ll be a little tight on space, but I’m really glad we ran into you.” She smiles at Jess. Jess considers her before returning the gesture.
“Now that we are all friends, let’s get back in the vehicle,” Dominic says as he motions impatiently for us to start moving.
I’m the first one to reach the door. “My brother and mother are already up front. Is it okay if you sit in the back with me?” I ask Jess.
“Oh, I can easily move and sit in the back,” my mother exclaims.
Jess eyes Dominic and says, “I can sit in the back. I don’t mind it at all.” Her tone is nice, yet stern. She doesn’t leave it up to discussion. Dominic raises an eyebrow but keeps his mouth shut.
“Right,” I say, opening the door for her.
She climbs in our vehicle and I follow her. She exhales in relief. “To be honest, I haven’t been able to really sit down and relax in days.” Her voice is quiet enough that I doubt if anyone else could hear her.
I reply at the same volume. “You can relax. We’re still a couple hours away.”
She nods in acknowledgment and surprises me by listening. She immediately rests her head back and closes her eyes. After a few moments, her breathing slows and her mouth opens a little. She must have been really exhausted to fall asleep so quickly.
I take the chance to study her. Sleeping, her sharp features soften. The freckles on her nose hide within the dirt smudges on her face. I wonder what her story is. She intrigues me.
“Does Elliot have a crush?” Dominic says to interrupt my musings.
My cheeks go red and I quickly divert my attention to my hands.
“Dominic, don’t say that,” my mother says.
Dominic ignores her. “She would never be interested in someone like you. By the looks of her, she is Planned. You could never deserve someone like that.”
“I’m serious, Dominic. Not another word.” My mother’s voice rises in pitch as her anger increases.
“I do not want him to get his hopes up and end up hurt. I saw the way he was just looking at her,” he says, full of innocence.
“I don’t know how many times I have to say this. You two are brothers and it’s about time that you act like it.”
I look outside the window opposite Jess and watch all of the nature pass by. It’s easy to imagine everything is back to normal and we’re just on another family trip to visit my grandparents. Everything looks exactly the same as it always has. Spring causes everything to come to life. Green fills the landscape. I take in the atmosphere and take a deep breath. Everything is so full of life and growing.
Except Dominic killed two men yesterday. Life isn’t as full of promise as it would appear. I’m sure this won’t be the last time I wonder what’s happening to the people who are still in the territory—to the people who were left behind.
Chapter Eight
My grandparents’ log cabin is finally visible through the woods. The sight of the lake and my grandfather’s boathouse instantly calms all of my nerves. About another mile or so and we’ll be there. It seems like it has been such a long time since we left Potentia. It’s startling it’s been less than twenty-four hours.
Jess laughed at us when she learned we weren’t eating our food packets, so since then, we’ve been snacking on what we brought from our living quarters. We’re only allowed to keep a finite supply of food so it’s a good thing we’ll be at Grandmother and Grandfather’s soon.
I examine our group. Sleeping in the car and the stress of the unknown has left its mark on us. Even Dominic can’t hide the bags under his eyes. However, the sight of the cabin makes everybody smile.
“It’s beautiful, just like always. I somehow forget how nice it is up here. It really was a wonderful place to grow up,” my mother says.
“I imagine it was a very peaceful childhood,” Jess says. She eyes the calm setting nervously.
Even though I now know why my mother never let me live here, I can’t help but feel like I missed out. Every detail of this place makes me feel at home. The large, thick trees that I grew up climbing surround our trail—trees that have been alive and thriving for longer than I can imagine, without any genetic manipulation.
The vehicle parks itself in the small clearing next to the boathouse and the four of us get out of the close quarters. Besides the waves tranquilly breaking in the distance, everything is very quiet. After all of the uncertainty and exhaustion recently, this place looks like a piece of heaven. Untouched by the development of our society, the cabin has always had a serene atmosphere.
Just to the right of the boathouse is a pile of firewood where my grandfather and I used to chop wood. I clench my fist in memory of bringing the ax down on the stump with my grandfather standing stoically next to me.
I exchange a glance with my mother. The amount of joy in her expression almost breaks my heart. Just as I need her, she needs her mother right now. It’s going to be much better here. We make eye contact and her contagious joy spreads easily.
I look over to Jess so we can share in this moment. Her eyes won’t stop darting around the cabin. I go to the other side of the vehicle. “What’s wrong?”
I don’t think she’s going to answer me, so I’m surprised when she finally does. “It just seems too perfect. We haven’t crossed paths with anyone. I know it’s only been a couple of hours, but I would’ve expected to at least pass someone.” She shrugs and looks toward the lake. “It’s odd, that’s all.”
“Jess, we’ve just been lucky. We got out in time. You’re going to love my grandparents. My grandfather seems to be getting more and more chatty every time I see him, but he means well. And my grandmother…well, honestly, she can be a bit overbearing. You’ll get used to it. Hopefully, they have food cooking.” I can hear the enthusiasm in my own voice. It must be very obvious to Jess.
She offers me a small smile and walks up the hill toward the cabin. I stare after her, wondering again about her history. I shake my head to clear it and follow her. My thighs burn slightly from all of the recent physical activity as I push my way to my grandparents.
Out of anticipation, my mother moves faster than any of us. The sun is setting behind the cabin and she walks in its shadow. She enters the house just as the rest of us step onto the patio. The door swings shut behind her. I smile in excitement as I pass their matching rocking chairs. I’m about to see my grandparents again. I really miss them.
As soon as I open the door, the smell assaults me. It’s so strong the air almost feels thicker. This must be what death smells like.
I quickly scan the cabin for my mother. She approaches a small figure in the kitchen. My grandmother has her back turned toward us, her posture unnaturally hunched.
My brother looks at me and I see my own confusion mirrored in his face. Jess utters a small exhalation of air. My heart stills instantly in my chest. The entire energy of the cabin hints at something terrible, but I can’t put my finger on it. Something is wrong.
My mother’s hand reaches out to my grandmother, but what turns around isn’t my grandmother. Dominic was right, their color changes and they just look wrong.
“Mom?” My mother articulates her last word before the thing that used to be my grandmother rips into her throat. Blood sprays all over the living room walls. Mother’s head falls back and we make eye contact one last time as the life leaves her. Horrible moaning noises echo from my grandmother as it claws through my mother’s weak flesh, the grey tinge smothering the healthy glow from her body.
My heart starts up again with a vengeance, beating out of control. Frozen in shock, I’m unable to move. I try to breathe, but it feels like I can’t get enough oxygen. I close my eyes in an attempt to escape this horror—to escape the unthinkable. This has to be some terrible nightmare. I can’t survive in a world without my mother. How could I? Something pushes past me and I reopen my eyes.
Jess knocks down a chair as she rushes forward toward my dead mother. I’m motionless, refusing to accept what just happened. This can’t be.
My eyes follow Jess’s movements. She approaches my grandmother and takes out a long knife. Numb, I absentmindedly wonder where she’s kept the knife.
Jess closes the gap and stabs my grandmother in the head. The gruesome figure falls lifelessly to the ground and the groaning finally stops. Losing the support, my mother falls beside her. The two of them lie in a shared pool of blood in a last embrace.
Jess exhales a large breath and kneels down to stab my mother’s head as well.
How can I exist in a world where my mother doesn’t? The one constant, good thing in my life was just brutally destroyed by another person I love. This can’t be happening. I blink hard, trying to wake myself up from this terrible nightmare. This doesn’t make sense.
A noise echoes to my left and something moves toward me. When it comes into the light from the window, I notice it used to be my grandfather. It used to be the man who taught me how to fish, the man who would read me to sleep, the man who showed me how important it is to always be kind. This was the man who was my true father figure. Now, there is nothing in its dimmed, yellowed eyes. Where life and laughter used to flourish, an absolute void exists.
Jess races over. Before she gets to us, Dominic steps in and pushes it to the ground. It falls awkwardly and struggles to get back on its feet. Before it can, Dominic picks up the fireplace poker next to us and slams it down on my grandfather’s head. Fresh blood sprays on the impact and it collapses to the ground. Seconds later, I follow suit.
My head drops in despair as tears flow down my face. The pain is overwhelming. The image of my mother dying is on an endless loop in my brain—her eyes fading from consciousness as her own mother tears her throat out. I can’t stop crying. Her not being with me is unimaginable. I need her.
Losing parents at a young age due to death isn’t supposed to happen in today’s society, especially in this manner. This sort of tragedy just doesn’t happen to me. It only occ
urred in the past before our society advanced to the point it has. I can’t comprehend what just happened—or why.
I’m vaguely aware that Dominic mutters, “We need to dig graves now,” and leaves the room to head back outside.
I’m not sure how long my grief consumes me before Jess walks over. I turn my head in an attempt to hide my face. She sits down next to me and tentatively strokes my hair. At her touch, I weep even harder. Still not saying anything, she delicately holds me against her.
Even though we don’t know each other very well, the physical touch has a calming effect and I’m thankful for her presence. Gradually, my breathing evens out and I regain some composure.
“I’m sorry,” I say. I hastily wipe tears off of my face.
“What are you sorry for? There’s no reason to apologize for anything.”
“I shouldn’t be this weak. I should be better than this. How pathetic am I?” I laugh humorlessly and stare at the wall in front of me rather than look at Jess. I’m afraid if I make eye contact with her, the emotion will flood my system. The pain of the loss is just too powerful.
“Elliot. Look at me.” She waits until I timidly look her way. The strength in her eyes is surprising. “You’re anything but weak. It’s one thing to hear about this, but a whole different thing to actually witness it.” She pauses and considers for a moment. “And to your family no less.”
“But I can’t stop crying,” I respond when another tear falls down my face. “No man should do that. Dominic would never do this.” I pause for a moment. “Where is Dominic? Is he okay?”
She gently lets go but remains next to me. “He’s fine. He went outside.” I try to look away, but she grabs my face and forces me to meet her gaze. “You’re not Dominic and you should be proud of that. There’s nothing wrong with showing emotion when something horrible happens. Your mother was just killed in front of you and you no longer have your grandparents,” she says.
“You don’t understand, Jess. I’m not…I’m not normal. I’m not Planned. That’s why I’m so weak—why I’m never good enough. Look at Dominic. He’s so strong. Everything has always been handed to him. He’s always had everything,” I say.
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