Rafael darted between two women about to stab one another, and flicked out with both hands, sending both of the women tumbling down to the ground. Arnie and Denise had taken care of all of the people with guns in our immediate area, and were going down side streets to handle anyone else they could find. Before I had a chance to react, a pudgy man in his underwear stabbed a taller man in the face with a fireplace poker, and the taller man went down in a heap. I pushed The Master out of the pudgy man’s mind and commanded him to go home and lock himself in.
There was unbelievable carnage all around. The street was covered in blood and dead, mutilated bodies, but there were also many more that were simply unconscious or scurrying away from the bloodbath and toward their homes. Ling was walking north on the main street, taking control of each person as she went. Suddenly, a wiry man darted out of an alley from just behind her and pointed a gun at her head. No! Look out, Ling! I darted through the in-between, arriving just in time to push his hand to the left, causing him to miss her. Unfortunately, he instead struck a heavily wrinkled old lady who was sitting on the curb attempting to bite the leg of a younger woman. She dropped instantly and did not move.
These people seem almost like zombies… hey, wait a minute… I think I have an idea… a faster way to help… Due to my ability to go in and out of the in-between at an extremely high rate of speed, I was able to strike the man with a great deal of inertia behind me, and he went flying, clearly unconscious.
That’s it! That’s the strategy… I darted in and out of the in-between, twenty times per second, each time using the additional speed to knock another person out. Very quickly I had taken down every person still standing on our portion of the street, and I progressed quickly past Ling, heading north. She stood, mouth open, dumbfounded at the people dropping like flies all around; I was going in and out of the in-between so fast that she couldn’t see me.
I don’t think I can keep this up much longer… too tiring… my hands are raw, I think the left one is broken… come on, Ferdie, keep going, get all the starfish you can… I was able to continue for about five more minutes, but finally I fell to the ground, unable to move any further. Lying flat on my back in the middle of the street, surrounded by gore, I stared up at the sky; clear, brilliant blue, with birds flying by happily. I was too tired to think; I could only observe.
The next thing I saw, though, was an immense man who appeared to be of Native American descent standing over me. He raised a walking cane high over his head, clearly intent on bringing it down on me with all the strength he could muster. Go ahead, do it… I’m too tired to stop you… you’ll be doing me a favor…
Suddenly his head snapped to the right, and he fell on top of me like a sack of cement. “Oh no, you don’t,” Denise growled, huffing and puffing for all she was worth, sweat pouring down her arms and face. “Not my Ferdie.”
She grabbed him with one hand and yanked him off of me, tossing him ten yards down the street. She bent down at the waist and said, “I think we got all of them. All that aren’t already dead, I mean. You got more of them than any of us. I saw you. That was really something. Mind if I sit down?”
“Go ahead, just be careful not to sit in any pools of blood. Did any of our group get hurt?”
“No, lots of really close calls, but everyone’s ok. Arnie got shot, but it went right through his shirt and missed him. How’s that for luck?”
“How many dead?”
Denise looked down, grimacing. “Not sure. Hundreds. Maybe more than a thousand. But Ferdie, we saved a lot of people here today. We did the best we could. If we hadn’t come when we did, they would all be dead, so we have to count it as a victory.”
“Oh yeah? Then why are you crying?”
She had big tears running down both cheeks, and of course I started to bawl as well, tapping my head frantically. “I don’t know, it’s just… when is this going to be over? I don’t know how much more of this any of us can take, that’s all.”
I reached out and took her hand, and didn’t say anything else.
Chapter Twenty Three
After a few minutes’ rest, I felt well enough to rise. Everyone in our group had found their way to our little spot in the middle of the street but no one felt much like talking, so we just stared at the destruction around us. Each of us spattered with blood, our clothes torn, and my left hand swelling alarmingly. My body also hurt, and it occurred to me that the bullets that bounced off my force field seemed to have taken a bit of toll on me. This is the most horrible thing I have ever seen… Carloforte was worse, but I didn’t see it happening right in front of me… I can’t get the image of that woman chopping off that kid’s arm out of my mind… he was probably about my age… we better leave while we’re still able…
“If you dudes have seen enough, I’m ready to get out of here.”
There were slow nods of agreement all around, and we walked at a steady pace south through town toward the freeway. We had to go up on the sidewalk in some places to avoid the piles of bodies and body parts in the middle of the street. I felt like vomiting several times on our trek, and I think the rest of the group did too. As we walked silently I glanced around, and the rest of the group looked as shell-shocked as I felt. Eventually I noticed people peeking out of windows and doors here and there. One young man came out onto his front lawn in a threatening manner, mumbling something in Spanish; one glare from Ling and he turned around like a scared puppy and ran back into his house.
“Hey, do you think these people, the survivors, might think that we did all this? We are the only ones any of them saw… I bet they think it’s our fault! All they know is we ran around knocking everyone out,” I whispered to Arnie out of the corner of my mouth.
“I think you may be right,” he growled, “We need to pick up the pace and get out of here, unless we want to go through a second battle.”
As we scanned the area, more and more people were exiting their homes and workplaces, and they did not look happy. They advanced on us aggressively, and a stocky, bald-headed man bellowed, “Hey, it’s them! They killed my sister!” All around, people took up the charge, yelling and throwing things our direction. Once again we formed a back-to-back circle, and Denise shouted, “We better do something quick, or we’re going to be in a world of crap here!”
“Ok, we’re bailing through the in-between. To the RV!”
As we faded, it was comical, despite the horrifying circumstances, to see the surprised and shocked expressions on the faces of the angry mob that had been on the verge of overtaking us.
It took a moment to locate the RV, parked several miles southwest of the town. We faded in just outside the door, and quickly made our way in. “Oh my God! What happened?” Aunt Martha cried. “You’re covered in blood!”
“We don’t have time right now, we need to leave! Let’s get out of here!” I roared in return. She quickly jumped into the driver seat and fired up the RV. “Aunt Martha, have you been listening to the radio?”
“Well no, Pasquale and I have been talking. Why?”
“Please, just turn it on, any local station will do.”
“The only station that has much of a signal is coming from Albuquerque. Will that do?”
“Yes, yes… I’m sorry, please hurry!”
Before long a news station from Albuquerque was blaring out of the speakers. “…We don’t know yet exactly what led to the slaughter of over a thousand people in Artesia, with many thousands more injured. It appears virtually every resident of this small southern New Mexico town was affected in some way. Thousands lie unconscious, peculiar lumps rising on their temples, many were brutally hacked to death, hundreds shot… this is simply unprecedented in state history, and brings to mind the horrific massacre in Italy, and the smaller but equally tragic deaths of a group of American teenagers in Canada. Survivors report that the carnage appears to have been caused by a small band of people, although the methods described seem impossible, superhuman. Police and state troopers are
on the scene now, and federal officials are expected soon. Witnesses described the suspects as one tall teenager with reddish hair, an Asian female who appeared in her teens or early twenties, a tall, very muscular Hispanic female, a middle-aged man who was described as average-looking, and a very tall, bald man with tattoos on his neck. If you see these people, please do not approach them; they are considered very dangerous. Contact authorities immediately.
“I’m sorry, Stu, for going off script here, but there is something very wrong going on in the world. This is not simple terrorism, not a mad despot slaughtering people to maintain power. This is something else entirely, and I think everyone feels it, knows it.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Jerry. We have some unconfirmed reports that some of the people camped out along the freeway outside of Roswell, the, I’ll just say it, the crazies who are there believing that all this is due to the arrival of space aliens, are on their way to Artesia, apparently because they assume this horror has to do with UFOs. We’ll have more discussion on the Stu and Jerry Show after we return from these words from our sponsors.”
We all sat in stunned silence for a full minute. Finally, Rafael spoke: “This is a very disturbing development. I suppose it is both predictable and understandable, as the residents saw no one else but us. Nevertheless, we are now officially fugitives from justice.”
“Ok, let’s think about our immediate situation. Does anyone know we’re in this RV? No one saw us leave it, because we went through the in-between. I suppose someone could have seen us just now when we faded in just outside the door, but we were only out there for a second, so I’m going to say probably not. That reminds me, let’s move away from this big front window.”
We went back to the living area, made sure the curtains were closed, and continued. “We really should get moving soon. I would suspect that the authorities will be stopping any suspicious vehicles before long, and a huge RV sitting on the side of the road for hours would probably qualify as suspicious,” Arnie offered.
“Yeah, that’s probably true. We need to head back to the desert. Well, we’re in a desert, but not our desert. Should we take the freeways back, or do you think we should take another route?”
There was a firm knock at the RV door, and an authoritative voice said, “State Trooper. Open the door please.”
“Oh crap!” I hissed, “We all need to go to the in-between… now! Aunt Martha, wait ‘til we’re gone to open the door.”
We quickly joined hands and faded away, but as we were doing so the State Trooper was trying the door, and in our rush to enter we neglected to lock it. He bolted into the RV, gun drawn, and Aunt Martha and Pasquale both threw their hands up. “Don’t move! Get down on the ground, hands behind your heads!” he barked. Aunt Martha and Pasquale immediately complied, and he shouted, “Is anyone else in this vehicle? IS ANYONE ELSE IN THIS VEHICLE? ANSWER ME OR I WILL CONSIDER IT A HOSTILE ACT!”
“No, there’s no one else here, go look for yourself!” Aunt Martha cried.
The officer moved aside, and three more entered with guns drawn, searching the remainder of the RV. “We have a report that several people were seen entering this vehicle, and they may have matched the description of some suspects we’re looking for. I need both of you to sit up slowly, while keeping your hands behind your head.”
They did their best to do what they were asked, and eventually got into the right position. “Alright, what I need for you to do for me right now is come to a fully standing position.”
They did so, and he asked, “Do you have any weapons or sharp objects on or about your person?”
Pasquale glanced at Aunt Martha, probably because he didn’t understand the question, and the officer roared, “You look at me when I am speaking to you! I repeat, do you have any weapons or sharp objects on or about your person?”
“No, no, sorry officer. It’s just that my nephew Pasquale here, he’s from Italy, and his English isn’t too good. We don’t have any weapons on us, and you are really overdoing it. We’re not a threat to you, look at us.”
The other three officers returned. “It’s clear. We need to check the cargo holds underneath.”
“The key’s up there in the ignition. Be my guest.”
The three searchers exited the RV, and the first officer said, “I need to see IDs and registration.”
“Mine’s up there in my purse. Pasquale here, he’s from Italy like I said. He doesn’t have American ID.”
“Turn and face the wall, hands behind your heads.”
Again, they did as he commanded, and he handcuffed both of them.
Ok, this has gone too far… we’re in here waiting, safe, while they’re going to get arrested or shot… I have to do something now…
To the rest of the group, I said, “You dudes wait here, I’ll signal you when it’s safe.”
I faded into the living area and quickly took control of the officer. I had him unlock Aunt Martha and Pasquale, put away his gun, and back out of the RV. The other officers sprinted up, guns drawn, and I took control of them as well. I made them all lie on the ground just outside the door while I decided what to do next.
“Are you ok?” I called to Aunt Martha and Pasquale.
“Yeah, but we need to get a move on!”
I went more forcefully into the minds of the officers. I never tried to make someone forget something before… maybe it’s just as simple as giving them the command…
You never saw this RV or the people in it. You don’t remember how you ended up face down on the ground. You will stay in this position for fifteen minutes, and then drive into Artesia to help the victims there. Do you understand? If you understand, respond by throwing your guns as far as you can away from the RV.
After a brief hesitation the officers flung their guns away, which appeared to be a bit of a struggle, as they were lying in their stomachs with their faces pressed into the dirt. I decided to give them one more direction: You will do your jobs, but you will treat all people with dignity, kindness and respect. If you understand, respond by waving both hands over your head.
Once again they again did as I directed. Hey, I think it worked! I turned and whispered, “Aunt Martha, let’s get out of here now.” I signaled the rest of the group to fade in, although I really didn’t need to, as they were watching the whole thing.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she replied. She ran to the front, fired it up, and roared down the road.
Chapter Twenty Four
“Ferdie, how did you make those policemen to forget?”
“I… I don’t really know, Ling. I just put a strong command into their minds, and I could tell that it worked. I’ve never done it before, but I figured it was worth a try. It was either that, or… I’m not sure what else I could have done, to tell the truth.”
Arnie, who had been deep in thought, said, “So here’s the problem now. If a call went out and those cops picked it up, everybody got the message, and they’ll be looking for the RV. Our only chance now to get back out to the Mojave is to travel as much as possible over surface streets. There are areas where that won’t be possible, but wherever we can that’s our best bet. We need to find a safe place to stop soon. I’ll get out and take off the license plates. If we’re lucky, the paper dealer placards will still be behind them. That may help to avoid detection, at least short-term.”
“Wait a minute… how about this: the whole world is going crazy, right? Riots in the big cities, cults springing up, all anyone can talk about is the apocalypse. They already think angels and demons are here, and space aliens, and who knows what all else. I don’t know anything about the stock market, but on the news they said it’s the worst crash of all time. It won’t be long at this point before society breaks down, and then everyone will be on their own. There won’t be any cops to save them. I know this is a lunatic idea, but what if we just came out in the open? If we could convince people that we were here to save them, if we went around doing things to help like we
did in Artesia, but do it in front of the world, we could probably do some good, and it might force The Master out in the open. If we told everyone that this whole thing was started by him, and if we explained what the “elephant men” really are, I don’t know… it might work.”
After a few moments of reflection, Denise responded. “I don’t really like the idea of coming out in the open for a couple of reasons. One, it could backfire. We might not be able to convince everyone that we’re here to help, and then, who knows, they might even get the military after us. Two, even if it does work, we run the risk of becoming objects of worship. I don’t like that thought, and I know you don’t either. On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of dying, or of everyone else dying, so I’m conflicted.”
“Yeah, those are good points. There’s no way we could know for sure what would happen. Anyone else have any thoughts or ideas?”
“I think coming out in open air may to work. But first, should we continue to look for other Seven person? One more is out there in the world for us to find. Would this be good to do?” Ling queried.
“Oh, man, I almost forgot. Thanks, Ling. The problem for us right now, though, is we might not make it back if we don’t do something to avoid getting arrested.”
“There’s a truck stop up ahead, let’s pull around the back and I’ll remove the license plates. I’ll pull the plates off another RV in the area and swap them with ours. That will throw them off our tail, at least for a while.”
“What if someone sees you?”
Ferdie and The Seven: Book three: Fractals Page 17