“In position for extraction,” the man said, looking at her stomach and sounding like he was reporting to someone in authority. “Waiting to go green on your mark.”
Emily realized what he was about to do with the energy device. “No! You can’t do this! Not my baby! Please! No!”
He brought the tip of the energy knife closer to her, then stopped his advance. He looked up and across her torso as his eyes changed their focus into a long stare. It was as if he was waiting for someone to give him the all-clear to proceed.
Emily once again tried to get a read on him when he glanced at her for a moment, but failed. He was cold and dark on the inside, giving her nothing.
She was about to scream again, but stopped when a voice spoke up from deep inside her consciousness. “Mom? What’s happening?”
“Julius?” she shot back in her thoughts, feeling thankful he was still alive. She looked down at her belly and noticed it was larger than before. She didn’t know if the red mercury was causing it, or if Julius had grown exponentially in the past few minutes.
“Is someone trying to hurt us?” he asked using a much more deliberate and determined voice. The change in tone and his full command of vocabulary gave her the answer. It wasn’t the red mercury making her stomach bigger. It must have been her son. He was developing faster than she ever thought possible. There was no doubt he was getting stronger, smarter, and more aware, too. She could feel it oozing out of him and crawling across their mental connection. All of it told her she couldn’t keep hiding the real world from him. Not for very much longer. It was time to be honest and start her teachings, like any good mother should.
“Yes, honey. Some men are here. I’m not sure what they want, but I need you to stay strong and be ready to help me. Can you do that for Mommy?”
“Okay. But I’m really scared.”
“I know, baby. Me, too. But we need to stick together and be ready to fight back.”
“Do you want me to reach into their minds and see what they want from us?”
“You can do that?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing it. That’s why I ran away and hid for a while. I knew they were coming.”
“I’m glad you did, sweetheart. But right now, we need to jump away. But I can’t seem to get it started. Can you help me do it?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good, because we need to jump, right now!”
Orange Man spoke up, bringing his eyes back to her stomach. “Affirmative. Extraction commencing.”
“Stop! You’re going to hurt my baby!” Emily screamed, hoping to delay the procedure long enough for Julius to initiate a jump.
Just below her navel, the red mercury spread apart to expose her skin as Orange Man brought the energized tip of the device closer.
Julius spoke up again, this time his voice sounded unsure and thready. “Mom, I can’t seem to start the jump. I don’t understand. I did it before.”
“Must’ve been the energy beam that hit us,” she told him. “Or the red mercury. They must have done something so we can’t jump. But you still need to try again, honey. Hurry. Please. We can’t give up.”
The Orange Man lowered the tip of the energy blade and made contact. Her skin started to sizzle but there was no pain. She watched the man’s device send a small wisp of smoke into the air, which in turn sent the scent of burning flesh to her nostrils.
Emily put her head back and looked up at heaven. “Please! God! No! Don’t let them take my baby!”
* * *
Nora felt her body slam into the ground and flop on its side. She opened her eyes and ignored the headache thundering in her skull. Four tapered chair legs and a thick, wooden pedestal were in front of her. She immediately got to her feet and looked around in a flash to get her bearings.
She was in her kitchen, standing naked between the breakfast table and the center island. Three Orange Men were in the room, hovering around Emily on the center island. The young girl’s stomach was covered in something red and one of the men was aiming an instrument at her midsection.
Nora snapped her head around to the right and noticed a metal box on the table shooting blue energy at the wall. She followed the beams up and saw three blue cocoons above her. A jolt of adrenaline coursed through her heart when she saw the face of her husband inside one of them. Jim Miller and Derek were in the other two.
Four feet ahead of her was the Orange Man that she’d flown into on the embarkation platform. His head and neck were sticking out of the tile floor and so were one forearm and hand. Her body block maneuver had done its job again, somehow delivering her safely. She didn’t understand how it all worked, but didn’t have time to think about it.
She grabbed the shotgun from the table and cocked it before firing a blast at the metal box on the table. The device flew apart in pieces, making the energy beams stop instantly. The three cocoons vanished, allowing the bodies of Duane, Jim, and Derek to slide down the wall to the floor.
Nora turned the shotgun around and cocked it again. This time she ran at the Orange Man holding the tubular device and fired the gun at close range to make sure she didn’t hit Emily with any of the pellets. The blast hit the man square in the right cheek, tearing his face apart. He flew into the hickory cabinets and dropped hard.
Before she could aim and fire again, one of the other two Orange Men grabbed the shotgun by the barrel and ripped it from her hands. He put it on the counter as the other man swung a powerful backhand and hit her square on the cheek. The force sent Nora flying sideways into the refrigerator, smashing her ribcage against the door handle.
She hit the floor and gasped for air before the two remaining men picked her up by the armpits and wedged her against the fridge.
The man on her right focused his blood-red eyes on her chest and drew back his muscular arm. His fingers went into the shape of a claw as he brought his arm forward.
Nora closed her eyes and began a silent prayer, realizing he was going to rip her heart from her chest. If this was her last moment on Earth, she was going to go out thinking about God and heaven, while praying for the safety of her family.
Just then, a gunshot rang out. Then another and another. The pressure around her arms disappeared and she felt her body slide down the refrigerator door. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jim Miller standing a few feet away in a firing position with a smoking pistol out in front of his body.
The two men who’d been holding her were now on the floor with the other one, all of them bleeding from wounds in their heads.
Duane ran over and grabbed the shotgun from the counter and turned it around while cocking another round into the chamber.
Derek grabbed Nora by the waist and pulled her behind Duane and Jim as they opened fire on the three Orange Men sprawled on the floor. More rounds went into them, spraying the area with copious amounts of their blood.
“Don’t forget their briefcases,” she said, tapping both of them on the shoulder and pointing.
“Good idea,” Miller said as he and Duane spun around and fired. A second later their technology blew apart from the force of the remaining rounds.
When the shooting stopped, Duane dropped the shotgun and turned to Nora. He hugged her tightly, then gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before letting her go. “Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, sort of,” she said, flexing her jaw and rubbing her side. “But we’ll need to get out of here before they ramp up and send more. We only have a few minutes, I’m afraid.”
Nora went quickly to Emily and stood next to her, checking her vitals.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Emily said, giving her a compassionate smile while Nora continued her cursory exam. “I thought we’d lost you forever.”
“That’s never gonna happen, my dear sweet girl. I’m tougher than I look,” Nora answered with a slight grin on her lips.
“Where did you go? Did you see them?”
“I’m not sure where I went, but I’m back now and that’s all
that matters,” she said, studying the red substance covering the girl’s midriff and her swollen abdomen. “But I’m a little worried about you right now. Can you sit up?”
“No, I can’t move. Everything is numb from my neck down. Plus, I don’t feel so good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My head’s all woozy and I’m having a hard time focusing. I see two of you right now.”
Nora turned to Jim. “We need to get her to a hospital and I mean right now. Can you take her to the car for me?”
“Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?”
“No, we can’t stay here and wait. They’ll be coming back and probably in greater numbers.”
Miller nodded and started toward the center island, but Derek stepped in front of him. “Nobody touches her except me. That’s my baby in there.”
Miller raised his hands and backed away. “She’s all yours, kid.”
“What do ya need me to do?” Duane asked Nora.
“Find the car keys and then bring me some clothes.”
“Like what? Jeans and t-shirt?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Anything will do.”
“What about Em?”
“A blanket will suffice. But hurry.”
* * *
Derek stood next to the center island and put his hand on Emily’s cheek. “Heya, babe.”
Emily looked back at him with her eyes wide and her lips soft. “Heya, beautiful.”
Derek nodded at the red substance covering her midsection. “Does it hurt?”
“No, but I can’t really feel anything.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, but they were going to use it to take my baby. Our baby.”
“Over my dead body,” he said with a clenched jaw, feeling a swell of rage building inside.
Duane returned with a set of keys dangling in one hand, and a small stack of clothes and a folded blanket in the other.
Nora took the blanket and draped it over Emily’s body. Then she started dressing in the sweat pants and t-shirt Duane had brought for her.
Derek looked at Emily. “You about ready to go?”
“Yep, but you’re gonna have to help me. I can’t move.”
“I know. I gotcha. Don’t worry.”
“Stay away from the red stuff. I don’t think you should touch it.”
“I won’t,” he said, scooping his arms under her upper back and legs before lifting her up.
“Derek?” Emily asked, this time in a weak voice.
“Yeah,” he answered, looking down at her.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything,” she mumbled before her eyes rolled back in her head. A moment later, her eyelids closed and her head slumped to the right.
“Em! Stay with me! Em!” he snapped, jiggling her slightly in his arms. He waited a few seconds and then said the same words while jostling her again. She didn’t move or answer him either time.
Derek whirled around to Nora who was slipping on the second shoe. “Hey! Something’s wrong with Emily.”
Nora checked the pulse on her neck with two fingers on her right hand.
“Is she gonna be okay?” Derek asked, fearing the worst.
“Her heart rate is steady, but until we get a better look at her, it’s too soon to say for sure,” Nora said, turning to Duane. “Can you open the front door for Derek?”
“I’ll get it,” Miller said, picking up the shotgun from the floor and tossing it to Duane. He tucked the pistol inside the back of his pants. “We’re gonna need more ammo. I’m guessing you have some around here somewhere.”
Duane nodded. “Roger that. Top shelf. Master closet. I’ll be back in two shakes.”
Miller led Derek out the front door and across the grass to the Impala. He opened the back door and stood aside as Derek slid Emily in, being careful not to drop her or touch the red stuff coating her stomach.
When Derek stood back up, he heard the faint wail of sirens in the distance. “Damn it, cops.”
“It was going to happen eventually. Even at this hour,” Miller said. “I’m surprised it took this long.”
“Yeah, but still, the last thing we need right now is to deal with the police.”
Derek saw Nora and Duane running out of the house. Duane’s hands were filled with boxes of ammo as he flew around to the driver’s side of the sedan. He put some of the boxes on top of the cab and slid them across the Chevy to Miller, one at a time.
“Where to?” Duane asked Nora, pulling the door open and holding the car keys up.
“Montoroli’s clinic.”
“Wouldn’t a full blown hospital be better?”
“It would, but I’m afraid if those Orange Men come back for Em, the hospital is the first place they’ll look.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That’s why I do the thinking around here,” Nora said, driving her point home with a head tilt.
“Yes, dear,” he said with a roll of his eyes and a glance at Miller.
Miller laughed.
“Don’t be sarcastic, Duane. Now give me your cell phone. I wanna make sure Dr. Montoroli is there and ready for us.”
Duane nodded, getting into the driver’s seat while Miller bolted to the front passenger’s seat. Derek and Nora hopped in the back seat with Emily, each sitting on opposite ends of her and her blanket.
Duane fired up the car in a flash, then turned his head around as he put the Impala in reverse and backed up. “What about our kids?” he asked Nora during their short trip to the street.
“They should be safe for now. You can go get them later. First, we need to make sure Emily is okay. I don’t know what that red substance is or what it’s doing to her, but we’ll need to figure out a way to get it off her. And I mean fast. That can’t be good for the baby. Or her, for that matter.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Emily knew she was dreaming when she found herself wearing a floppy sun hat and a skimpy red bikini while lounging on a cozy deck chair aboard a towering cruise ship. She could feel the gentle sway of the great ocean liner as it cut across the wind-driven fetches. It was on its way to some tropical destination, sending sprays of salt water over the bow and into the crisp, clean air. She imagined a tapestry of endless beauty waiting for her and the rest of the passengers at the end of this magical voyage.
Everywhere she looked, she saw scores of children running and playing—not a single adult anywhere. The sprawling deck was filled with boys giggling and girls shrieking while the horde frolicked under the warmth of the midday sun.
She couldn’t help but marvel at the children and their unbridled innocence. Their smiles were infectious and so, too, was their spirit—all of them living in the moment, without a care in the world.
It reminded her of her own childhood, long before the night of The Taking. It was back when her life was simple and on course toward something special. Back before she learned how cruel life could truly be. Back before fate had reached out and touched her soul, twisting her existence into something dark and sinister.
A moment later, her dream changed without warning. Now she was at her classroom desk, sitting in the last row of a sparsely decorated classroom of Dysart High School. The floppy sun hat was gone, but the red bikini remained.
She panicked, leaning forward and covering herself with her hands and arms. The teacher standing in the front of the room wasn’t Mrs. Thompson as she expected—it was her mom, Candi Heart.
“Mom?” she said in a cautious tone, looking left and then right to see who else was around. But there weren’t any other students in the room. It was only her and her mother.
Candi’s face was flushed, with a deep scowl and a pair of fierce eyes, as she paced across the front of the classroom with an extra long yardstick in her hand.
“Emily,” her mother said before turning her gaze at Emily and firing a disappointed look. It was the type of heart-squeezing stare that mothers get right before they are about to scold you for comin
g home after curfew. The kind of stare that penetrates deep into your soul where the truth hides beneath a bed of lies. “You haven’t been following The Rules! How many times do we need to go over this? How many times?”
Candi tapped the yardstick against the blackboard three times, and then a list of ten rules magically appeared one by one, like a special effect in the movies. Each of them was written in white chalk with asterisks placed in front.
Emily read through the list from top to bottom, even though she already knew the list by heart:
* No friends.
* Don’t tell anyone about your time jumps, ever.
* Keep moving.
* Fly under the radar.
* No cops.
* Never use your real name.
* Don’t get involved; nothing good ever comes of it.
* Travel light and stay fast.
* Always check your stash.
* No men, no romance, no boyfriends.
“Now, let’s recap,” Candi continued. “In the past few weeks of Emily time, you’ve broken almost every one of these rules. And look where it’s gotten you, young lady. People have been hurt and a few have even died because you can’t follow these ten simple rules. And to top it all off, now I find out that you’re pregnant. Tell me, how on Earth did that happen?”
Emily shrugged. She wanted to say she was sorry but didn’t. She knew from experience that when her mom had that look in her eyes, she’d better not interrupt her. Otherwise, the punishment would just get ten times worse.
Candi continued her diatribe. “Now look at you. Your hair’s a mess and you’re running around high school in a bikini. What were you thinking when you left the house this morning?”
Emily shook her head and dropped her eyes, but didn’t respond. It was all too intense. She knew she was dreaming, but it didn’t make the situation any easier. Moms know exactly how to lay on the guilt, choosing the perfect words to lather it on thick.
Candi broke the yardstick over her knee. “Who in their right mind dresses like that? Especially a pregnant, homeless teenage girl! Didn’t I teach you better than that?”
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