Plexus

by Wilcoxson, Troy

  “Aah!” his father squeals in pain.

  Max maintains his tight grip on the jaw with one hand and grabs the man’s hair with the other. His father closes his eyes tightly. Max pulls his father’s jaw, popping it out of place and ripping muscle, sinew, and the remaining bone. With an eruption of misery, Max tears the jaw away. Blood dumps down his father’s open neck, soaking the front of his clothes. Max swings his fist, plunging it through the side of his father’s cranium, trailing blood, skull fragments, and brain matter in the wake of his powerful fist.

  The elderly man gasps as he witnesses the events through the window.

  Selflessly and without hesitation, Max sprints into the fire, grabbing his mother. He is engulfed in flames. The stage collapses as the rest of the church is engulfed in flames as well. The curtains disappear as the fire dances across the ceiling. Max drops to his knees in a loud uncontrollable cry. He holds his mother’s smoldering, whimpering body. The elderly man notices Max’s eyes illuminating in the same color as the embers flutter past his burning face.

  The elderly man focuses again on the stained-glass battle scene. He looks at the devil as he fights the archangel, then pans down to the base of the image, where he notices a message.

  The front doors fly inward, followed by a massive spray of water. The fire that engulfs Max is defeated by the overwhelming force of the fire hose. Firemen run into the burning church, grabbing Max and peeling him from his dead mother.

  “Take her!” Max shouts desperately.

  One of the EMTs looks into Carol’s glowing green eyes as they slowly fade away.

  “Forget her. She’s an android! Come on,” the other EMT says to his partner.

  “Please, take her! She’s dying!” Max roars as they drag him from her grasp.

  “Leave her. She is not a priority,” the EMT says, not realizing Max is an android himself.

  Max’s cries echo off the city buildings as first responders pry his hands from his whimpering mother and drag him out of the smoke. EMTs lift Max onto a gurney and quickly slide him into the back of an ambulance. The police cruisers surround the church.

  A couple police officers approach the elderly man as he stands there, staring at the stained-glass window in shock.

  “Sir,” one of the officers says.

  The elderly man does not respond.

  “Sir?” the other officer says.

  The elderly man is oblivious to them.

  “Are you okay, sir?” one of the officers asks.

  “At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, he rose, Apollyon the destroyer of angels,” the man whispers.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “I’m sorry”

  The sun peeks over the horizon beneath the orange sky. At the top of a grassy hill sits a large oak tree. Dandelions flutter in the wind. A golden Labrador runs through the grass toward the tree. A young boy follows the dog. A female’s hand grazes across the top of the grass. Her brown hair blows in the wind. A male arm wraps around her. She rests her head on his shoulder while approaching the old tree. The sunlight breaks in the great tree’s branches, into a hundred rays of light. Particles glow like stars as they pass through the rays.

  Emily removes her head from Zach’s shoulder as she locks eyes with him. He smiles, lifting her arms around his neck. He places his hands on her hips and gazes into her eyes. She smiles back. A tear exits her upper eyelid flying up into tree branches. Surprised, she looks up at the tree branches confused. Emily’s eyes open, revealing her upside-down inside a wrecked vehicle. The disoriented girl’s hands lay limp on the ceiling. She looks at her bloody hand confused. She looks out the broken windshield to see gas leaking all over the road and a truck engine on fire. She then looks to her left to see Zach unconscious with blood on his forehead. She reaches over, grabbing his right sleeve.

  “Zach?” Emily says, gently shaking him.

  Zach doesn’t respond. Uncertain, she shakes him again.

  “Get out!” A male voice yells urgently.

  “Zach!” Emily shouts.

  Eric runs up to Emily’s side window.

  “We need to get you two out of here now!” Eric orders. “That’s gas leaking out of your car!”

  Embers light the road up, sending a trail of fire their way. Emily quickly unbuckles her seatbelt. She drops down onto the car’s roof. Emily hastily maneuvers toward Zach to unbuckle him. The fire closes in on them right outside the window. Smoke fills the inside.

  “We don’t have time!” Eric roars at Emily.

  The Palomin show up in their vehicles. Emily violently tries to unbuckle Zach’s seat belt, but it appears to be jammed. Eric grabs her leg. She pulls her leg from his grasp as her eyes water. She bares her teeth, groans, and pulls the seat buckle with everything she has.

  “I’m not leaving him!” Emily cries. Tears run down her face.

  Eric grabs her ankle tightly and pulls her with aggressive force out the window. The car catches on fire and for a brief moment Zach opens his eyes. Zach and Emily lock eyes and at that moment the smoke consumes him.

  “Zach!” Emily screams. “Let me go!” she cries.

  Eric carries her quickly across the street.

  “Please! I can’t leave him!” she begs.

  “There’s nothing you can do!” Eric shouts.

  “I have to save him,” Emily mutters as tears run down her cheeks.

  “Hit it!” Eric orders the driver.

  The two trucks speed away from the Palomin, turning sharply around first one corner and then another. Boom! The ground shakes, and Emily’s face pauses in shock. Everything goes quiet. She looks down, searching her thoughts and unsure of what just happened. Her eyes move back and forth and then stop as the reality kicks in. Her mouth drops as she comes to the realization. A tear drops down her cheek. Eric sees. He hesitates, unsure of what to say. He places his arm around her, pulling her to his chest.

  “I’m sorry,” he says softly.

  Emily’s heart begins pounding violently. She fights to manage her breathing, but it becomes uncontrollable. Her chest raises and lowers quickly as she starts to panic. Tears continue to drop while she buries her face into Eric’s chest. He squeezes her tightly. A moment of silence goes by.

  “It was my turn,” she says quietly.

  “What are you talking about?” Eric asks.

  “To pull him out of the fire,” she replies.

  “There was nothing you could have done.”

  “I should have saved him.”

  They arrive at the church, stopping at the front door. Eric assists her out of the truck. They all head inside.

  The Palomin priest approaches, accompanied by Jiro and Eric’s wife, who is holding a baby. Eric runs up to her and his baby. She smiles.

  “We waited for you,” she says. Eric places his arms around his family.

  “I love you both,” he says.

  She rests her head on his shoulder.

  “We need to leave the city,” Eric says.

  “I know,” his wife replies.

  The priest and Jiro look at Emily, seeing her face in distress.

  “Are you okay?” the Palomin priest asks.

  Emily looks at him with watery eyes and tries to force a smile. She shakes her head, and a tear drops to the ground.

  “Come with me,” the priest says to Emily as they walk toward the hall. She follows.

  He opens a bedroom door.

  “Try to get yourself some rest,” the priest says. She walks into the room. He gently shuts the door behind her.

  Emily plops down in the chair next to the bed. After a few minutes of staring into space, her eyelids grow heavy. She pulls her legs up into the chair and falls asleep.

  Thump! Thump! Thump! Startled, Emily wakes up. She looks at the door. A small folded piece of paper slides under it. Her eyes narrow in confusion. She stands up, walking to the piece of paper. She leans down, picks it up, and then flips it open.

  “Meet in the confession booth at nine. He’s
alive.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  As my eyes adjust to the blinding light, I see them standing there like titans on the horizon.

  09:00 PM—Palomin Chapel

  Emily approaches the confession booths. She picks a random booth and goes inside. She sits there anxiously waiting in the silence. She looks down at her watch, which reads 9:01. A wooden door creaks open in the booth next to hers. She watches as the shadow shuts the door and sits down. The anticipation sends her heart racing. “Who is this sitting next to me?” she thought to herself.

  “You there?” the male voice whispers.

  “Yes,” she replies quickly.

  “I don’t have much time,” he adds.

  “What the hell is going on?” she asks.

  “Plexus,” he replies.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “There’s a project called Plexus. I don’t know what it is or what it’s for, but what I do know is that it has something to do with a mass group of humans. There is a massive list of names on the list to be abducted and brought to Plexus. Your friend was on the list. Word is he ended up in a car accident just as the Palomin arrived. They pulled him out and took him.”

  “How is he? Is he okay?” she asks desperately.

  “I believe he’s fine.”

  “What is Plexus?” she asks.

  “It’s a place, I think. I don’t know the location, but I know how you could get there. Although I wouldn’t recommend it,” he says.

  “How?” she asks.

  “I can get you on the list. It’s the only way,” he says.

  She swallows nervously.

  “Okay,” she replies.

  “Okay?”

  “I’ll do it,” she says.

  “Very well. Be in the park across the street by 10:00 PM,” he says as he positions himself to get up.

  “Wait,” she whispers, halting his movement.

  “I don’t even know you. I don’t understand why you’re doing this for me,” she says.

  He turns, facing her through the screen with brightly glowing blue eyes.

  “Years from now, when mankind looks back on its day of reckoning, I hope people understand we were not all like him.”

  The Palomin leaves the confession booth. After a moment of pondering, she gets up and leaves. She approaches Jiro, Eric, and his wife and child.

  “We’re about to leave, Emily! Are you going?” Jiro asks.

  Emily kneels down to Jiro.

  “I’ve got to go find Zach,” she says with a smile.

  “I’ll go with you!” he replies.

  Emily smiles. “I know you would,” she says. Jiro throws his arms around Emily, squeezing her as tight as he can. Tears build up in Emily’s eyes.

  “Will I ever see you again?” Jiro asks as his eyes begin to water.

  Emily sighs as tears drip down her cheeks.

  “I don’t know,” she replies softly.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Jiro says with a final squeeze.

  10:00 PM—At the Park

  Emily walks over to a bench in the park and sits down, fidgeting with her hands nervously. “What the heck are you doing?” she thinks to herself. She places her hands on her forehead then runs her fingers through her hair anxiously. The sound of tires screeching across the road grows more intense while the roar of an engine gets louder. A van speeds around the block, plowing over a fence and driving onto the park lawn. It slides to a stop right in front of Emily. She stands up. The side door slides open. Three armed Palomin pour out, aiming their rifles at her. A fourth Palomin steps out with a small cloth bag. He walks behind Emily. She stands there still as stone. The Palomin puts the bag over her head, binds her hands, and forces her into the van. They speed away.

  She can feel two large bodies sitting on both sides of her. It’s quiet. Her body rocks back and forth, and occasionally she sees some light peer through the threads of her shroud. The smell of musty cloth fills her nose. Her warm breath brushes over her face, and after what seems like hours, they finally slow to a stop. A muffle of commotion stirs just outside the van. “What are they saying?” she wonders. The side door moans as it slides open and stops with a thud. The commotion grows louder and clearer. Several people ask where they are, while others sound like they are crying. She feels a large hand grab her right arm, guiding her out of the van. She steps out onto a hard surface. The hand guides her toward the loud chatter. With a last forceful push, the hand lets go of her. She bumps into somebody else, then into another person. She notices she is surrounded but cannot see anything.

  “Where are we?” a voice cries.

  “Shut up!” another voice roars.

  Emily hears somebody gets hit. Someone runs into Emily and then hits the ground at her feet.

  “Get up!” a voice yells.

  Emily bumps into someone else. She hears a voice saying “step up” over and over. The voice gets louder as she is forced closer to the man. A hand grabs her right arm.

  “Step up,” the voice says right beside her. She can feel his breath against her head cover.

  She raises her right leg, moving her foot around to find a platform. The man groans impatiently. A hand grabs her calf, placing her foot onto the surface. She then raises herself up. She moves her left foot forward a little bit. It runs into something. She raises her foot again to climb what appear to be stairs. She makes her way up and is then guided toward her left. She hears a voice saying “take a seat” over and over. The voice gets louder and louder. A hand grabs her arm again and forces her into a seat next to somebody. She can hear people crying. The sound of footsteps passes by her side, and after a few moments, the floor vibrates as an engine roars to life.

  “You’re good to go,” a voice says.

  She hears what sounds like two doors squeaking and slamming shut. The throttle picks up as her weight shifts back into her seat. She hears a man sobbing next to her.

  “Do you know where they’re taking us?” he whispers to Emily.

  “I don’t know,” she replies quietly.

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  Hours go by, and Emily’s weight shifts forward as the wheels squeak to a stop.

  “Get up!” a voice roars.

  Emily stands up. She makes her way to the front of the bus and down the stairs. Her head cover gets yanked off, pulling her hair and blinding her eyes with sunlight. Her eyes adjust, revealing a desert horizon and many massive structures surrounding them. The closest structure in front of her has clear markings that read “Plexus 017.” She looks down at the base of the colossal structure to see seven massive lines of people, each leading into an opening in the structure. The lines start all the way back at the buses parked on the road. In between, each line is littered with armed Palomin pacing back and forth. On the far left and far right side of the massive lines are towers with heavy machine guns. A loud alarm sounds off.

  “Prisoner escape!” a female voices states over the intercom.

  Pow! The gunshot startles the people in line. The alarm goes off. Emily’s heart begins to panic while she makes her way down her line.

  “What the fuck is going on?” cries a man ahead of her in line.

  He steps out of line, walking toward one of the armed Palomin guards. The guard raises his muzzle, aiming it at the man.

  “If you’re going to kill us, then why don’t you just do it?” the man yells as he closes the distance on the guard. “You think I’m afraid of you?” the man says with a chuckle. He repeats it again, this time with a tear running down his face. “You think I’m afraid of you?”

  Pow! The man drops lifelessly to the ground. Emily’s mouth drops. She makes her way closer to the door. She attempts to peer inside, but it is too dark. Another alarm sounds off.

  “Prisoner escape!” the voice says again.

  Pow! Pow! Pow! Emily makes her way into the dark opening. The alarm stops again. A huge door behind Emily closes, locking them inside. A large Palomin walks up to Emily in
the darkness. Blinding florescent lights flicker, then turn on.

  “Take your clothes off!” the Palomin orders the crowd with a deep voice.

  “Everybody!” he adds.

  Everyone begins removing his or her clothes. Emily hesitates. The large Palomin looks at Emily.

  “That means you too—now!” he roars at her.

  Emily kicks off her shoes, undoes her pants, and pulls off her shirt. Everyone stands naked. Another door opens in front of them. A buzzing sound gets louder as they make their way deeper into the Plexus structure. A number of Palomin approaches a batch of people, grabbing the prisoners’ heads, and cutting all their hair off with electric clippers. Emily’s eyes grow big as a Palomin approaches her with a loud buzzing clipper. He grabs her face and starts buzzing all her hair off. Tears run down her face and onto his fingers while long strands of hair fall down her naked body, landing on and beside her feet. They finish cutting everyone’s hair, and the next door opens.

  “Move!” a guard shouts.

  The naked crowd makes its way into the next area. Emily notices people ahead getting sprayed and scrubbed down inside an enclosed decontamination unit.

  “Next!” a Palomin yells, looking at Emily.

  She makes her way inside. Her mouth drops as she gasps from the cold spray.

  “Raise your arms!” a suited Palomin orders Emily.

  She raises her arms as they continue to spray her. Other Palomin approach with huge brushes and begin scrubbing her skin raw.

  “Next!” a Palomin yells.

  She leaves the decontamination unit with red, irritated skin. She continues to follow the line as they approach large high-powered fans that blow them dry. They are then handed a pair of nicely folded white jumpsuits.

  “Put these on,” one of the Palomin orders them.

  The captives start unzipping their suits. Emily steps in the leg holes, slides her arms in through the sleeves, and zips the front closed. They approach a very large cage elevator. Emily follows the crowd inside. She turns to the door just as it shuts. The elevator vibrates and begins to elevate. The Palomin guards stand watch as it ascends.