Human Blend

by Pescatore, Lori

  “Why are we on this planet and not our own?” she contemplated. Julie kept her head down. All this information was weighing heavily on her.

  “It’s a long story. I think there is some kind of conflict on our planet. I don’t think it is anything that you need to concern yourself with,” Marcus told Julie. He placed a hand on her knee. “Go see Uncle Gregg. He’ll be able to explain things a lot better than I can,” Marcus said, showing rare compassion.

  The door to the office opened, catching Marcus’ attention. Eli had opened the door with his key when he found it locked. “Why was my door locked?” he asked.

  “She did it, ask her.” Marcus smiled and stood.

  “Julie?” Eli said, seeing her distracted state. He looked back at Marcus when she didn’t respond. He shrugged his shoulders. “What did you do to her?” Eli asked kneeling down in front of her.

  “It’s none of your concern, Doctor Elsworth,” Marcus stated.

  Julie came around, “Eli,” she said, noticing him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern etching his face. She didn’t reply. She scanned his face with her eyes.

  “I’m… I’m gonna go home,” she said, standing up.

  “I’ll drive you,” Eli quickly said.

  “No… I’ll be fine. I really need to be alone right now,” she explained. She paused in the doorway. “Thanks Marcus, for…” she left the sentence unfinished and gave a small laugh. Looking to Eli once more, “Bye,” she said softly and walked down the hall.

  “Well, see ya later,” Marcus said, heading for the door. His escape was blocked by Eli. “C’mon, Doc, I’m starving. I gotta get something to eat,” Marcus complained.

  “What did you tell her?” Eli demanded to know.

  “My answer is still the same as it was the last time you asked me,” Marcus replied. “Look, Doc, she is going to be fine. She just needs time to digest,” he added.

  Eli did not stop Marcus again when he left. He sat down at his desk and thought. Something about the tone of Julie’s voice bothered him.

  “Julie…” he whispered.

  Julie made the short walk to her apartment at a leisurely pace. Her mind was swimming with all the new information that she did not fully understand. She felt lost. She laughed to herself; she was more confused now, after her talk, than she had been before. The revelations told were just barely the beginning, she realized. “I don’t belong anywhere,” she mumbled to herself.

  Julie was at her front door when she remembered that Austin had her key. Shoot, she thought. Julie didn’t feel up to seeing him. She just wanted some quiet time to think. I’ll just tell him I don’t feel good and send him home, Julie told herself.

  She turned the door knob and opened the door. She was not expecting the surprise that greeted her.

  Earlier;

  Crushing the cigarette out with his boot, the man got back into his blue van. “Good life, here I come.” He laughed. He drove around the back of the building looking for security cameras. Seeing none, he parked the van next to the dumpster. The man wore a blue workman’s uniform. He grabbed the crowbar from the back of the van and pried open the back access door. Once inside the building, he made his way up the steps to the first level. He knew which apartment was hers. He had been watching her for weeks, following her from state to state while laughing to himself at just how easy it was. The man still wanted the element of surprise, so he walked down to the landlady’s door and knocked.

  Mrs. Gosley’s door opened slightly. “Hello,” the man called through the opening. When no reply came, the man pushed the door open further. He was stunned by the sight that greeted him.

  Mrs. Gosley was tied up in a chair, her head hung slightly. Next to her lay the body of a woman with blood pooled around her. “What the…” the man began to say. He stopped as soon as an all too familiar face came into view.

  “I was wondering when you would show your ugly face, Fred,” so spoke the familiar face.

  “Luke, hey man. How’s it going?” Fred laughed. A hand reached out, pulled him into the apartment, and shut the door. The hand belonged to one of Luke’s henchmen.

  “I don’t know who’s worse, you or Laney. Both of you suck at covering your tracks,” Luke said.

  “I wasn’t trying to cover, boss. I planned on surprising you by bringing her back,” Fred said, his voice a bit shaky.

  “I hate surprises,” Luke snarled. “I thought you were trying to pull a fast one over on me.” Luke laughed. He walked over and put a hand on Fred’s shoulder. “Forgive me, old pal,” Luke said with a smile. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Fred’s temple. “So, where is my surprise? Old woman says Laney doesn’t live here,” Luke stated.

  “Luke… man… I have all the info, I swear. She lives here,” Fred said anxiously. Luke pushed him to the floor in front of Mrs. Gosley.

  “Let’s hear it,” Luke ordered.

  “She’s using the name Julie Miller. She even changed her hair to blond. She’s in apartment 109. She works at the hospital. I came here to get the key. I was going to be waiting for her when she came home,” Fred rattled off the information.

  Mrs. Gosley moaned when she heard Julie’s name mentioned. Luke pulled the older woman’s head up by her hair. “Guess that name rings a bell,” he sneered.

  “Trouble,” Mrs. Gosley mumbled, making Luke grin.

  Letting Mrs. Gosley’s head hang once more, Luke stepped over the other woman’s body to get to the key board hanging on the wall. He took the keys to apartment 109. “Let’s go wait for my surprise,” he said. “Chase, be sure and thank the old woman properly,” he addressed one of the other men in the room. Luke headed for the door. The other henchmen yanked Fred up by his arm and followed Luke down the hall.

  Luke unlocked apartment 109. Pushing the door open with his foot, he looked inside. “She’s spending my money, I see,” Luke said, looking at the big screen television and stereo. At this point, Chase had rejoined the group as all five men entered the apartment.

  Luke did a quick walk through of the place. “So, what time are we expecting her?” he asked Fred when he had returned.

  “She’s off at six,” Fred answered.

  “So, we have a half an hour.” Luke checked his watch. It was at that moment that the sound of a key in the lock could be heard. Guns were readied as everyone pulled back away from sight. The door opened.

  Austin was singing along to a song playing on his iPod. He carried a bag a groceries; he planned to make a special dinner for Julie. Austin had taken a few steps in before he noticed he was not alone.

  “Who the hell are you guys?” He frowned. It was then that he noticed the guns. Someone stepped behind him and put one to his head.

  “I might ask you the same question,” Luke responded.

  “That’d be Austin,” Fred answered. “Laney went and got herself a boy toy.” he chuckled.

  “What are you talking about? There is no Laney here,” Austin scowled, although his heart was racing. He had a sinking feeling that these were the same men Julie was running from.

  Luke slammed the butt of his gun down on Austin’s shoulder, causing him to drop to his knees, spilling the bag of groceries. Austin cried out in pain as the hurt traveled down his arm, leaving a numbness behind. The pain was not long-lasting. Before he could register that fact, Luke placed his foot on his back, pinning him to the floor. “She’ll never learn,” Luke huffed. “Get something to tie him up with,” he ordered.

  Austin lifted his head up to get a better look at who these men were. He recognized one of them. “You’re the guy from the hotel,” he accused.

  “That’s right, Romeo,” Fred chuckled. “Looks like your hot romance has come to an end,” he added. Fred was glad that at least Austin’s interference would take him out of target range for Luke’s ire.

  The moment Austin felt the pressure released from his back, he was hoisted up onto his feet. Thrust into a kitchen chair, his arms were pulled behind him and bound.
“Who are you people?” Austin asked.

  “Your worst nightmare,” Luke leered in his face.

  “Want me to mark him up, boss?” Chase asked, cracking his knuckles.

  “Not yet. I want her to watch,” Luke said.

  Luke picked up Austin’s wallet which had fallen out of his pocket and onto the floor. He took the cash inside of it and looked at the driver’s license. “Austin Dorsett, age eighteen,” Luke said, and laughed. “You’re too young for her,” he said, tossing the wallet onto the sofa.

  “I’m telling you, you guys have made a mistake!” Austin pleaded. Luke grabbed Austin’s chin.

  “The only thing I wanna hear from you, pretty boy, is where is my money and where is my girl?” Luke snarled.

  “She’s not your girl,” Austin replied without thinking.

  Luke raised his gun and placed the barrel of it on Austin’s lips. “Wanna say it again, boy?” Luke challenged. Austin kept quiet this time. “Thought not,” Luke grinned. “Give him a few bruises, but keep him conscious,” Luke told Chase, reversing his earlier decision.

  Chase smiled from ear to ear. He stood in front of Austin and prepared to follow orders. With a crooked smirk, Chase reared back his fist and slammed it into Austin’s jaw.

  Austin’s head bent backwards with the impact. The pain radiated through his face and momentarily put him in a dazed state. The numbness just began to settle in when the next blow hit him in the eye. Austin felt his eye puff and swell shut. He could do nothing to defend himself, as his hands were bound tightly behind him. The pain in his jaw seemed to dissipate as the numbness in his cheek and eye took forefront. Austin was surprised when less than a moment later he was able to open the eye that had swelled shut. He looked up at his abuser and noticed a confounded look upon his face.

  Austin remembered back to a few days ago when he had been working on fixing a machine in the laundromat and had sliced his finger. Instead of bleeding, he had watched in amazement as his finger closed up without a trace of the injury. He had figured back then that lack of sleep had caused him to hallucinate. Now, as the pain from the beating had completely subsided, he realized that something strange was going on. Noticing the look upon Chase’s face, the man had noticed it too. “Hey, he’s just like…” Chase’s sentence was unfinished as the apartment door began to open once more. Instinctively, everyone turned with guns drawn, aimed at the intruder.

  Julie was not expecting the greeting she received as she opened her apartment door. She froze in fear as she saw men, some of whom she recognized, standing near Austin, who was bound to a chair. Her breathing quickened as she realized her worst fear had come true. They had found her and now Austin was in danger. Her blood ran cold at the next sound she heard.

  “Welcome home, sweetheart,” Luke said, appearing from around the partially opened door.

  Julie held onto the door frame as her legs began to weaken. No, no, no. This can’t be happening… not again… not Austin, she thought.

  Luke reached for her and pulled her inside the apartment, slamming the door. He pinned her against the wall. “Did you miss me?” Luke laughed.

  “Get your hands off of her!” Austin yelled.

  “Chase, what the hell? Didn’t I tell you to mark him up?” Luke scolded.

  “Yeah, but boss…” Chase began to say, but Julie interrupted.

  “No, Luke, please. I’m… sorry… I’ll go back with you, I promise… no more running away… just please, please!” Julie begged.

  “Laney, Laney, Laney… what am I gonna do with you?” Luke said, brushing a strand of blonde hair back. “Did you really think that changing your hair… your name… was going to keep me from finding you?” Luke asked, his voice soft. Julie began to shake; she knew what was going to happen when he used that tone of voice. “Did you?” he yelled as he grabbed her and propelled her across the room.

  “Julie!” Austin yelled.

  She slammed into the television, knocking it off the stand and shattering the screen. One of the pieces had sliced her arm, but it healed immediately.

  “See, that’s what I’m talking about… he did the same thing,” Chase said. All eyes turned to Austin. Austin had watched as Julie’s arm healed as quickly as his own injuries had.

  Austin and Julie locked eyes. Marcus said he didn’t have any abilities, she thought.

  What is going on? Austin pondered himself.

  “You telling me he fixed himself, too?” Luke asked Chase.

  “I saw it with my own eyes. Joey saw it, too,” Chase confirmed. Joey, one of the other henchmen behind Austin, nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s be sure of it,” Luke said, raising his gun and pointing it at Austin.

  “No!” Julie shouted, running over to Luke. She was too late; the bullet hit Austin right in the chest. Austin arched his back from the impact and pain that followed. After a few seconds, the pain went away. The bullet proceeded to slip out of the hole it made in his shirt and onto the floor.

  Julie had grabbed Luke’s arm after the gun had fired, and was still holding it and she watched Austin heal himself.

  Austin was breathing heavily, but was just as amazed as everyone else when the bullet fell to the floor.

  “Another one,” Luke laughed. “Oh, this is too good to be true,” he said, walking over to Austin. “You do numbers, too, boy?” Luke interrogated.

  “What?” Austin asked, still stunned by the events unfolding.

  “Numbers, numbers… do you see numbers like her, too?” He asked again, more firmly. Julie was shaking her head from side to side as Austin looked to her for help. His mind drifted back to the carnival. He had seen the numbers. That’s how he won so many prizes; he had seen numbers. He again chalked it up to not much sleep.

  “You see numbers, too?” Austin asked Julie. Julie was frozen in fear. She didn’t know what Luke would do with this new information.

  Marcus either lied or had no idea. Judging by Austin’s own reaction, he had no idea either, Julie thought.

  “This is my lucky day. Now you and your little boyfriend here can make me money,” Luke said to Julie. “Anybody else I need to know about, sweetheart?” Luke asked, stepping closer to Julie.

  “Actually, boss, there is one other person she’s been shacking up with,” Fred chimed in.

  All eyes were on Fred now. “Doctor Eli Elsworth. I’ve seen her in some tight embraces with this guy too,” Fred elaborated. Julie began to sway, No… not Eli, she thought. Luke pulled her into an embrace. “Wanna tell me about this one? You two-timing me and your boy here?” He asked her.

  Julie wanted to shout out that Eli and she were just friends; that he helped her. She couldn’t; Luke would use that information to get back at her. “No, he’s nobody,” she lied.

  Luke grabbed her face and made her stare at him. “You’re a bad liar,” he said. “Where’s this guy live?” he asked Fred, still watching Julie’s eyes.

  “Right next door, very convenient for those midnight rendezvous,” Fred laughed.

  Austin put his head down. He knew that what they were saying were all lies. Doctor Elsworth was just helping Julie out. He did not entirely trust the doc’s intentions, but he did trust Julie. Even with the lies she had told, it was just to protect him. He believed that with all his heart.

  “Chase, go see if the doctor wants to join our little reunion party,” Luke said and smiled as he saw the tears form in Julie’s eyes. That told him all he needed to know.

  Chase left the apartment door open as he knocked on Eli’s door. “No answer, boss,” he called back in.

  “Get the key from the dead woman,” Luke ordered.

  “What dead woman?” Julie’s voice shook as she spoke.

  “C’mon, I’ll show you,” he grinned and lead Julie out the door and down the hall. Julie’s apartment door was left open, and Austin watched as they stopped in front of Mrs. Gosley’s apartment.

  Chase opened the door wide before going in. “No!” Julie cried out and struggle
d in Luke’s hold. She saw the bodies of the two dead women. The woman on the floor she did not recognize. She fought to go to Mrs. Gosley, whose lifeless form lay slumped over, still bound in a chair. “Why?” Julie cried.

  Luke knew that both women were beyond revival, so he released Julie. Julie stumbled in, and grabbed Mrs. Gosley’s head, and raised the woman upright in the chair. “No.” She cried as she saw the bullet wound in the middle of the old woman’s forehead. Julie could feel no life energy in her; she was beyond healing. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” Julie wept and hugged Mrs. Gosley’s body. She reached over and felt the woman lying on the floor. She, too, was beyond saving. Julie’s pants were now covered in blood as she knelt near the women.

  “You know this is what happens when you try and leave me,” Luke said, pulling Julie to her feet.

  “Please, Luke… no more. Please, let’s just go. I promise… I’ll be good, “ Julie said in between sobs.

  Chase walked past them and toward Eli’s apartment. Julie was pretty sure that Eli was still at the hospital, but that did not stop the panic from setting in.

  “We could just go away, me and you,” Julie said, moving in closer to Luke. She decided to gamble on the Lure. Although she had no idea what she was doing, she had to try something. She pushed the Lure out and felt it encircle the two of them. She began kissing Luke. “We have to leave. We don’t need Austin or Eli,” she said as he began to respond to her kisses. “Just us, Luke, just us,” She said as she felt his passion grow.

  “Laney,” he growled, pulling her tight against him. Julie fought the urge to pull it back within herself as his hands began to roam her body.

  “Now, Luke, we have to leave now,” she urged.

  “No,” Luke said, pushing her down onto the sofa in Mrs. Gosely’s apartment. Julie didn’t understand. He wasn’t supposed to be able to say no, she thought.

  He reached for her pants and began to undo them. Julie scooted away from him and pulled the Lure back in. She had been foolish to try something she didn’t fully understand.