The Eye of Madness

by Mimms, John D;

  As Mary stepped to the side, Donna rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. She blinked and screwed up her eyes. As the world came into focus, her heart leapt. Standing a few feet away, glowing with silvery luminescence, were her parents. They smiled lovingly at her. Before anyone could speak, Donna rushed to them and embraced them both. She didn’t notice the cold and warmth of their intimate touch. Nor did she notice the warm shooting stars streaking through her body that were her parent’s tears. All she knew was unconditional and unbounded love. Mary had saved her from her own arrogant stupidity and brought her home. Perhaps not quite as expected, but she was home.

  Many of the Impal men spent several hours placing the sleeping Impals in straight lines at the back of the hanger. They carried out the task with a great deal of respect and dignity. After all, they were still people regardless of how they died.

  Cecil spent time with his wife and daughters, but not as much as he wanted. Even though the darkness seemed to have passed, the world was still dangerous. It would take strong leadership from a benevolent military to restore order. He considered it his solemn duty to begin the healing right away. Cecil left the girls in the trusted hands of Thomas Pendleton as he and a few other officers made their way to the base headquarters. He did not consider it his own personal mission, he realized he would be one part in a large and moving machine of reformation. He still felt somewhat responsible for his father’s actions. However misplaced his feelings may be, Cecil was ashamed to carry the surname of Garrison.

  As he and a few other soldiers walked the dark trail between the hangar and headquarters, Cecil noticed something. A person watching from a well-lit window on the second floor of the infirmary, which stood next door to base headquarters. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach when he remembered what his father told him about Burt. The person watching in the window was Sally.

  “Jesus,” he thought to himself. “I need to get in there and talk to her.”

  Cecil broke off from the group with the promise he would meet them in the conference room in twenty minutes. Little did he know, it was the same conference room with a closet containing the corpse of a man impaled by a flagpole.

  Sally met him at the door with a big hug.

  “I’ve been so worried about you and your girls … what happened?”

  “We’re fine,” Cecil said and then shook off the question. “I’m so sorry about Burt,” Cecil said as he gave Sally another hug.

  He felt as if he needed a hug himself. Cecil felt numb and empty on the inside because he had lost his daughters and now his best friend.

  “Would you like to see him?” a woman in a doctor’s lab coat asked from behind Sally.

  Cecil looked to Sally for consent and she nodded her approval. He patted her on the back one last time before stepping past her, and then followed the nurse down the long, sterile hallway to the stairs at the far end. They went up one flight and then turned right, walking a short distance before pausing in front of a partially shut door.

  “He’s in here,” the nurse said. “I’ll come back for you in a few minutes.”

  They were in an area with several patients rooms. Cecil thought it a bit strange that his friend was not taken to the morgue or at least a private and secluded area of the building. He stood outside the door, feeling empty and alone. A tear rolled down Cecil’s face, but he wiped it away when another thought occurred to him. Shouldn’t Burt’s Impal still be here? After all, he had seen Sam Andrews die and his Impal was still here.

  Cecil stepped forward and eased open the door. What he found in the room, he did not expect. He presumed to see Burt lying in a state of eternal repose with his Impal standing beside the body. His expectations did not even approach the truth.

  There was no bright light from an Impal, in fact there was no Impal at all. A standard hospital bed rested in the shadows a few feet away from a high, narrow window. There were several pieces of medical equipment humming beside the bed. Someone lay in the bed, but the darkness were too thick to make out any features. Cecil took a couple of steps forward before he stopped in his tracks. The person spoke.

  “It’s about time.”

  It was weak and labored, yet he recognized it all the same. His hair stood on end and his stomach felt as if it was on a runaway elevator. The notion of ghosts or Impals fled his mind as his thoughts turned to something more sinister, something ‘undead’. The voice was Burt’s, but yet, it couldn’t be him. He was dead and there was not an Impal anywhere in sight. Cecil took a step backward and rasped, “Burt?”

  There was several moments of silence as the machines beside the bed whirred and beeped. Cecil heard a long and labored inhale followed by an exhale.

  “Yep.”

  Cecil walked to the side of the bed. The covers were pulled up to just below his neck and a large bandage encircled his head. In the faint glow from the heart monitor, he could barely make out his features. His eyelids resembled a turbulent ocean, bobbing and rolling up and down over his eyes. It was hard for him to focus. Cecil reached out and took Burt’s hand. He felt a faint squeeze, not much, but enough to know that Burt acknowledged his presence.

  “I’m here, buddy,” Cecil said, trying to restrain the tears of joy. “I’m here and we won.”

  Cecil knew this was not exactly the truth. There was still a lot to be done before any victory could be claimed. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell Burt. He felt another faint squeeze letting him know he had been heard. Cecil was trying to think of something else to say when someone spoke behind him. He almost jumped out of his skin.

  “The doctor said, screw your old man,” Sally said. “He wasn’t going to let Burt die.”

  Cecil turned, his mouth agape. Sally mistook his shock at her uncharacteristic use of profanity as offense for mentioning his father.

  “I’m sorry, Cecil,” she said. “I know this has been hard for you … please forgive me.”

  He shook his head as if fending off a pesky fly.

  “I’m glad he told him to ‘piss’ off,” Cecil said. “I hope he didn’t face any repercussions because of it.”

  Sally ducked her head and stared at the floor.

  “The doctor’s Impal is downstairs. He is still caring for Burt in spite of his execution.”

  The Impals stranded on the island in the Atlantic Ocean were fortunate to have such good leaders, not to mention the brilliant mind of Nikola Tesla. These men would help lead them back to civilization, but their good fortune did not end there. Since the eye passed, they had come to realize they were not the same as before the storm. They still looked the same, but they were not as dense as before. The Impals were able to pass through things with little or no concentration. They also seemed to have lost their desire for food. In fact, they suffered no more ties to physical existence, including the need to sleep. While this was curious and interesting, it was not the most incredible thing.

  When discussion started about how to return home, of course the method they used to cross the Chesapeake Bay came up first, but was not popular with any of them. The argument continued until something happened by chance. Young Chester Henry was playing with a couple of other children when he jumped over a log. He kept going after he jumped, floating along like a soap bubble in the wind. Impals couldn’t fly, but their mass had changed. They could pass over any surface without sinking, including water. The Atlantic Ocean was nothing more than an enormous puddle of water to them.

  They huddled together on the beach with Lincoln, Danny, Tesla, and the president in the lead. One by one, they pushed off and began to glide over the churning surf. They resembled a large glowing fog bank heading west.

  CHAPTER 46

  CIVILIZATION

  “We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.”

  ~Will Rogers

  The world moved slow and deliberate over the next few weeks. In almost every country, the respective militaries maintained order. It was difficult to b
ring the Earth to at least some small measure of what it had been before the storm. The task seemed overwhelming, but turned out not to be the case. The population of the world was cut by a third during the eye’s presence. The optimist tried to frame it as two thirds of the population had survived. Yet, when one considered that one third of the population is about 2.4 billion people, it was hard to embrace optimism. Besides restoring order, the most important task was disposing of the bodies. Disease was now running rampant in several countries. Sickness added more corpses and more Impals every day.

  The most sanitary and efficient means of disposal was fire. For weeks, the constant cremation pyres burned. Most of the atmosphere filled with dingy smoke. The lavender sky a deep purple bruise from the haze and the yellow clouds appeared greenish-gray. The Impals were the perfect candidates to help carry out this task. They were immune to disease and to the adverse effect of smoke, yet this idea was not as simple as first believed. The Impals were temporarily relocated to different clean up zones away from their homes. This was done so they should not have to dispose of their own body or the bodies of friends and family. However, this logistical issue was not the main problem; the Impals were different since the eye passed. Physically they were the same, but it was as if their light had dimmed a little. It was hard to see since there were so many new ones now than before. The Impals also now possessed the ability to fly, or perhaps more accurately ‘glide’. They were no longer encumbered by gravity. Their fainter luminescence seemed to coincide with a fainter density.

  Some might believe these to be desirable traits for the Impals, however it presented one major problem. They were unable to interact and influence their physical environment as easily. It took far more concentration to accomplish a physical task, and in some cases, it was not enough. Moving bodies was not easy for most of them and impossible for others. Only the sheer volume of the additional 2.4 billion Impals made the task possible.

  The Impals were still wary of fleshers, but it soon changed after the world summit meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas. The United Nations building in New York had been destroyed during the eye of the storm. Most of its members died in an enormous explosion and fire which razed the building. It was still unclear what happened, but there was little doubt it was a result of the darkness. A few world leaders were exposed as a dark soul and jailed as their backgrounds were investigated. Surviving and recently appointed world leaders attended the conference. There were three of these leaders in the United States, not counting Cecil.

  Many suggested that Impal leaders should attend. However, the idea was shot down. It was decided for the ‘integrity’ of the process, the fleshers be the only ones making decisions. Cecil considered this an outrageous prejudice. He considered boycotting the talks, yet he knew it would not do the United States, the world, or the Impals any good. He was selected by his military peers to lead the US delegation and he considered this his solemn duty. Thanks to the former General Garrison, the United States had few politicians left. The Constitution would require some improvising for a while and Cecil was a good choice. Despite his nefarious heritage, Cecil had demonstrated incredible character by standing up to his father. He sacrificed so much for the good of his country. The world needed men with integrity now.

  Cecil settled his family back into their suburban Virginia home before he left. Both of his daughters were now Impals, but it didn’t seem to make things any more difficult, at least for them. Barbara found it very lonely since now she would dine by herself.

  Lincoln returned, along with the others on the island. He was given special consideration to live in the White House, as well as the most recent president, and Nikola Tesla. Albert Einstein showed up a few days later and he also received a special invite. Three of the most intelligent and influential men in history now resided in the most famous house in the world. It would prove to be a blessing to have these men together.

  Carmella moved back to her small Georgetown apartment. Her mother moved in with her. They had years of catching up to do and Cecil saw to it that she was given as much time off her job as she needed. Of course, she and Steff also stayed in touch.

  Thomas and Seth Pendleton accompanied Cecil to the summit in Little Rock. Arkansas’s capital city was only about twenty-five miles from Conway. Both of them felt a strong desire to return to their home.

  “Of all the places in the world, why did they choose Little Rock?” Thomas asked after they crossed the state line separating Virginia and Tennessee.

  They travelled in a twenty vehicle military convoy with Cecil in the center car. It was suggested he fly for security reasons, but most air traffic had been grounded since the eye arrived. It would be another disaster if the darkness returned with planes in the air. Thousands of the dead were on planes when the eye arrived. In any case, Cecil insisted they drive. He wanted to see the devastation first hand.

  “Because its central location and it doesn’t have a lot of history on the world stage, good or bad,” Burt said. “Most major cities around the world are all but destroyed. Little Rock suffered the least damage.” He scratched the bandage on his head and frowned. His wounds were healing well, but they itched. The doctor, now Impal doctor, who saved Burt’s life, recommended he take at least another week to rest. There was no way he was not going to be by Cecil’s side in this important and historic moment. “Besides, there are two military bases nearby, the Little Rock Air Force Base and Camp Robinson.”

  Thomas nodded and wrapped his arm around Seth. Cecil glanced at Thomas, and then smiled at Seth. “Are my girls all right?” he asked.

  Thomas rubbed Seth’s head and said, “I know it is hard to understand unless you have experienced it,” he said, then shook his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Major Garrison, but they have never been better in their lives.”

  Cecil did have a small understanding of what Thomas was telling him. He wondered on more than one occasion what it would be like to be an Impal. He still felt a prejudice about death, based on his own mortal existence. It was still a horror in his mind, a definitive ending to the only existence he had ever known. Despite the truth surrounding him for so long now, he still found it difficult to cope. The Impals were not enough to quell his natural instinct to fear the death of his body. A part of him considered his daughters gone. This ate at him every day as he mourned their physical absence. He felt selfish because he always believed that mourning the dead is a selfish act. They are in a better place. What we truly mourn is their tangible absence from our life. This was how he dealt with death ever since his mother died.

  Cecil smiled. It was the only response he could muster at the moment. He decided to change the subject and asked another question. “Are you a religious man, Thomas?”

  Thomas regarded him for a moment and said, “Not as much as I should have been, but yes I am.”

  “Why do you think this storm happened?” Cecil asked.

  He hoped to gain some special insight about what God’s plan was in all this, but to his disappointment, Thomas shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I never saw anything outside of the dark souls that would give me a clue one way or the other. We were invisible to the world, watching a horror show unfold around us. It was a helpless feeling.”

  “I’ll tell you what I think,” Burt chimed in. “I am a religious man, a Christian, but I never have been as good as I should be.”

  “Didn’t Hitler think you were Jewish?” Cecil said with a wry smile. Burt did not find it amusing.

  “I would rather not talk about it,” Burt said. “I believe what I have to say is important.”

  Cecil felt about three inches tall for his insensitive remark. He was open about his experience in the darkness, but Burt was not so willing to discuss it. He couldn’t imagine it to be worse, but perhaps it was. “Please continue,” he said.

  “I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I think it is a reminder,” Burt said.

  “A reminder?” Thomas asked.

  �
�Yes,” Burt said. “A reminder from God that death is not the end, and we are eternal.”

  “You think God sent the storm?” Thomas asked.

  “What do you think?” Burt asked, “you’ve seen more than any of the rest of us.”

  Thomas shook his head. “All I have seen is a world in which I was invisible. I have seen the horrors mankind is capable of. I saw no evidence of God.”

  “What about the doors Seth said he saw?” Cecil asked. “What is beyond those doors?”

  Seth glanced up at the mention of his name. He gave his dad a sad smile, then ducked his head.

  “His mother went through one,” Thomas said. “He didn’t follow so he doesn’t know. The doors, if they are doors, are gone now.”

  There were several moments of uncomfortable silence as they sped down the interstate. Cecil gazed out the window, searching for something, anything, to change the subject.

  “Has anyone noticed it is almost Thanksgiving and the trees have not changed?” he asked as they passed through a forested area. He first noticed this when trapped at the cabin in the woods.

  “You know … that’s true,” Burt said, pointing out the window. “All these trees should be bare this time of year. They still look like we are in May or June. The grass is still green too.”

  “We’ve had some pretty chilly nights,” Cecil added. “The weather is normal, in a meteorological sense.”

  “I don’t know,” Thomas said. “The weather doesn’t seem as noticeable to me as it used to.”

  “I wish Dr. Winder had come with us,” Burt said. “I kinda liked the little nerd. He was a plethora of knowledge.”

  Dr. Winder’s Impal, along with Charlotte and Derek’s, showed up about a week after the eye passed. Cecil gave them all a warm welcome and a prestigious residence in Washington, but only Dr. Winder agreed to stay at the White House. For him, it wasn’t so much the prestige of the house. It was the access to Einstein and Tesla, not to mention his old friend, the most recent president.