This Town Is a Nightmare

by M. K. Krys

  “Wait, slow down,” Everleigh said. “What are you talking about?”

  “Blitzkrieg,” Arthur said. “It’s a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy, using the elements of speed and surprise, often with the help of air superiority.”

  “In English,” Everleigh said.

  “Surprise attack,” Arthur said. “Happens so fast and from so many fronts that the enemy doesn’t have a chance to respond.”

  A shiver traveled down Beacon’s spine.

  Everleigh shook her head. “I don’t get it. I thought the Sov wanted to keep us ‘docile and complacent,’ ” she said, doing air quotes.

  It was a good point. Nixon had told them that the Sov’s elders had predicted that, far into the future, humans would attack the Sov and take over their planet. So instead of waiting around for that to happen, the Sov had decided to deal with the problem now. Only they couldn’t just kill all the humans, because that would start up a war with another alien race that didn’t take too kindly to genocide. That’s why the Sov began inoculating humans with the antidote—so they could make sure humans never got smart enough to figure out space travel, while keeping the other aliens off their back.

  So why this sudden change of plans? Why kill humans?

  “The elders had a new vision,” Nixon said. “Something about someone saving the planet. I guess they decided to head us off at the pass after all.”

  Beacon suddenly felt like he could puke. Victor’s words that night in the alley came roaring back.

  “You know, when the elders told me that you would be responsible for saving the planet from us, I thought you must be really extraordinary. Especially smart, especially talented—anything. But in the weeks that I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve realized you’re just an average human kid.”

  Could the Sov have been talking about him? Was he really going to save the world? Scarier yet, was he responsible for the Sov’s decision to forget about Plan A and drop acid rain on the Earth instead?

  Beacon tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice when he asked, “What else did you hear? Did they say who would save the world?”

  “That’s all I know,” Nixon said. “There’s only so many times I can patrol past the same meeting before people start getting suspicious.”

  “Sims?”

  Nixon straightened at the sound of a guard’s voice down the hall.

  “Coming, sir!” Nixon called. Then he lowered his voice again. “There’s a supply room down that hall.” He nodded toward one of the corridors branching off the rotunda. “There should be hazmat suits inside.”

  Then he turned around and hurried away.

  “Wait!” Arthur whispered. “What do we need hazmat suits for?”

  But Nixon disappeared.

  “What do hazmat suits have to do with anything?” Arthur repeated.

  “I don’t know,” Everleigh said. “But we’ve got to see what’s inside that room.”

  Beacon pushed down the overwhelming urge to just sit down on the floor and rock himself until all of his problems went away and crept across the rotunda with the others.

  There was a small window in the top of the door. Beacon stood on his toes and peered through the glass.

  The room was bathed in blue and red neon lights. There were vials of brightly colored liquid in metal trays on every surface, and along the back of the room were three huge glass cylinders, each containing a prisoner. They looked out at the scientists moving around the room in orange full-body hazmat suits, gas masks on their faces and giant oxygen tanks strapped to their backs. Beacon had thought that all the life had been drained out of the prisoners, but now he knew it wasn’t true: There was a flash of fear visible in their otherwise lifeless eyes. Whatever they’d been brought here for, it wasn’t good, and they knew it somewhere deep down.

  “What do you see?” Arthur asked.

  “It’s some kind of lab,” Beacon whispered.

  A woman in a hazmat suit walked carefully with a vial of blue liquid held away from her body with a set of tongs. As Beacon watched, she placed the vial in a little machine on the side of a giant cylinder with a girl inside. The machine closed around the vial, then slid slowly up the side of the cylinder, like an elevator crawling to the top floor of a skyscraper. The girl backed away from the vial, but there was nowhere to go. Blue liquid began spraying through the top of the cylinder. The girl screamed and shielded her face, frantically trying to wipe away the liquid. She fell to her knees, coughing and sputtering. Then she collapsed against the glass. Her body was motionless.

  The scientists nodded happily. The door to her cylinder was opened and one of them scooped her up and carried her through a door at the back of the room.

  Beacon ducked down, swallowing past the bile in his throat.

  She couldn’t be dead. The Sov wouldn’t do that.

  Except he knew that they would.

  “What’s going on?” Everleigh asked.

  “They’re—they’re testing something on the prisoners,” he muttered. “I think one of them was just killed.”

  “Let me see.” Arthur edged up on his toes and peered through the window.

  Everleigh took a peek, then steeled her jaw. “We have to do something.”

  She was right. Beacon just wanted to find his dad and get as far away from this town as possible. But he couldn’t let these people die.

  Beacon looked through the glass again. There were two prisoners remaining, each in a cylinder. They needed to figure out a way to release them. Beacon bit his lip, thinking.

  Just then, a scientist walked to the shadowy back corner of the room, where black metal bars took shape. Beacon couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it before. Dog cages. They were the same as the ones his aunt Deb used for her mastiffs when she was kennel training them. Except it wasn’t dogs inside these cages. Dirty fingers clutched the black bars. As he watched, the scientist opened one of the cages and roughly yanked a prisoner out.

  Beacon felt the blood drain from his head.

  “Dad!”

  “What?!” Everleigh shoved Beacon aside and looked through the window, just as the scientist dragged their dad into the empty cylinder.

  “Oh my God! We need to get in there.” Everleigh reached for the keypad next to the door, but Beacon grabbed her hand.

  “We don’t know the code to open that door, and we don’t have any weapons. All you’re going to do is get those scientists to call the guards, and then we’ll all be in one of those things.”

  “So, what, we just let them kill our dad?”

  “Of course not,” Beacon said. “We just have to be smart about this.”

  “The supply room,” Arthur said. “Nixon said there were hazmat suits in there.”

  He really was a genius.

  They found it quickly. The supply room was a small, sterile room filled with clothing racks. They each grabbed an orange hazmat suit and shoved their arms and legs inside, then pulled on the hood and zipped one another up.

  “Let’s go!” Everleigh said.

  “Wait, they were wearing these.” Beacon tossed Everleigh an oxygen tank backpack. She caught it against her chest, making an oof sound at the unexpected weight.

  “Don’t throw that! Do you want to set this place on fire?” Arthur shrugged out of his regular backpack and into the oxygen one. He tried to shove the PJ into his pocket, but it was too big.

  “Just ditch it,” Beacon said. “It’s useless, anyway.”

  With a pained sigh, Arthur stuffed the PJ and his bag into an empty shoe cubby. Everleigh strapped the respirator over her nose and mouth.

  “I think they wore the masks under their hoods,” Arthur said.

  “Who cares?” Everleigh said. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, just passable. Let’s go.”

  They
ran out into the hall. Beacon knew they should walk, that running looked suspicious, but they didn’t have time to waste.

  They reached the lab. Beacon took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

  After a moment, the door slid open. A scientist squinted at the three of them in their inexpertly applied gear.

  “Change of shift,” Beacon said, deepening his voice.

  “We don’t change shift for another three hours.” The scientist looked at his watch.

  “Change of plans.” Beacon shouldered past the scientist. Everleigh and Arthur pushed in after him.

  Beacon risked a glance at the cylinder his dad was now inside. Seeing him there steeled his nerves. He held himself up straighter and turned to the nearest scientist.

  “I need this one released,” he said. “On Victor’s orders.”

  “What for? We were about to test the latest batch,” the woman said.

  “I didn’t ask,” Beacon said. “You got a problem with it, you can take it up with Victor. Open the hatch.”

  “The hatch? You mean the access panel?”

  “Exactly,” Beacon said. “No time to waste.”

  The scientist nearest him stepped closer, squinting into Beacon’s hazmat suit. “Who are you? I don’t recognize you.”

  “You wouldn’t. I’m new,” Beacon said, turning away. The scientist grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

  “Can I see your identification?”

  Beacon felt around his hazmat suit, even though it had no pockets, and he definitely had no identification. “I must have forgotten it.”

  Another scientist standing near a bank of computers picked up a phone and began speaking in fast, low tones. Beacon needed to get his dad out now. He frantically looked around for something to smash the glass.

  But it was too late.

  The doors slid open, and someone stepped into the lab.

  Victor.

  15

  For a moment, Beacon thought he must be imagining things. How could Victor be here? They had assumed he would return to Driftwood Harbor to attend to his world domination plans after his cover had been blown impersonating their dad. But shouldn’t he be sleeping like the rest of the Sov?

  Then he wondered if this was just Galen impersonating Victor again, like back at the cave. But that wasn’t possible. Galen was sleeping off his transformation.

  Then it hit him.

  Of course Victor wouldn’t be asleep. He was the leader of the Sov. He wouldn’t have gone after the queen on the lake along with everyone else. That would be like the president personally defusing a bomb instead of sending out a bomb squad.

  “You’re really becoming thorns in my side.” Victor stepped forward. His tone was casual, but his shoulders were pushed back and his eyes were glaring black pools that pinned Beacon to the spot. “I’m beginning to think I should have just killed you and dealt with the consequences. And let me tell you, there were many, many times I was tempted those few weeks we lived together.”

  “Yeah, well, you weren’t such a great roommate, either,” Beacon shot back.

  “And your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches suck!” Arthur added.

  Victor ignored them and took another step into the room. It was the middle of the night, but his hair was slicked back and there wasn’t a single wrinkle in his crisp, pressed suit. “You know, I should really be thanking you right now.”

  Beacon knew it was a trap, but he still couldn’t help asking, “For what?”

  “We needed new test subjects.” Victor smiled coldly. “Nancy, kindly put the intruders in the cages.”

  The woman took a step toward Beacon.

  “Don’t even think about it!” Everleigh yelled from somewhere behind Beacon.

  Beacon looked over his shoulder. Everleigh had yanked the respirator off one of the scientists. The man was white as chalk. He sent a panicked look to Victor, his mouth frozen in a perfect O of surprise. Everleigh held up a vial of the mysterious blue liquid.

  “Back away from my brother, or I’ll smash this thing,” Everleigh said. “And your colleague here dies.”

  Everleigh could die, too, Beacon thought—she hadn’t exactly taken care putting on her respirator. But he couldn’t say anything, or he’d risk ruining whatever plan Everleigh had up her sleeve right now.

  The scientist hesitated, looking between Everleigh and Victor.

  “You don’t follow orders from human children, Nancy,” Victor said calmly. “Now do as I say.”

  Nancy took another step toward Beacon.

  “Fine by me,” Everleigh said, raising her hand.

  “Stop!” Nancy froze and raised her hands in defense. “Just, please. Put that down.”

  “I won’t ask you again, Nancy,” Victor said through clenched teeth. Beacon had thought Victor’s calm composure was chilling, but his rage was absolutely terrifying. “I said put. The children. In the cage. Or you’ll regret it.”

  His face rippled, but he didn’t transform. Beacon didn’t get it. Victor could end this whole conversation by changing into his squid form. That’s when it occurred to Beacon that he couldn’t transform—not when the rest of the Sov were down for the count. Then he’d be leaving the whole base vulnerable while he slept. The realization galvanized him.

  “He won’t hurt you,” Beacon told the woman. “It’s too late to get new scientists.” He had no idea if any of this was true, but from the way Victor’s jaw clenched, he must be onto something.

  “But my sister?” Beacon forged on. “She will definitely hurt you. Trust me. Just let my dad out of that thing, and we’ll be on our way. No one has to get hurt.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Victor said.

  Nancy looked from Victor to Everleigh. Everleigh smiled darkly, a warning all over her face. Go ahead, she said. Test me.

  The scientist closed her eyes for a brief moment, then she raced over to the cylinder.

  “STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” A tentacle burst out of Victor’s shirt like a rocket, spraying buttons all over the room.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” Everleigh warned, shaking the blue vial. “Not unless you’re really, really sure this stuff won’t kill you, too. How much do you trust your scientists?”

  Victor stole a glance at the nearest scientist, then let out a roar of rage as his tentacle slurped back under his shirt.

  Nancy punched buttons on the side of the cylinder.

  “Don’t even think about calling your guards right now, or I promise I will smash this thing,” Everleigh threatened.

  Victor practically vibrated. If they ever crossed his path after they left this place, they were totally dead meat.

  The door slid open, but their dad didn’t move.

  “Dad, come on,” Everleigh said, waving frantically.

  But he still didn’t budge.

  “He’s had the antidote,” Beacon said.

  And they couldn’t use the PJ on him.

  “What now, geniuses?” Victor sneered.

  Beacon swallowed his rising panic. He told himself to stay calm. That they would find another way to jolt him out of his mind-controlled state once they escaped this place. But he could see from the look on Everleigh’s face that she was worried, too.

  “Tell him he has to come with us. And obey our commands,” Arthur said.

  “Well, go on.” Everleigh shook the vial.

  “You have to go with them,” Nancy said grudgingly. “Obey their commands.”

  At her order, their dad stepped out of the cylinder. Beacon couldn’t help it. He rushed forward and embraced his dad, not caring about Victor or the fact that his dad was brainwashed or that they might never get out of this building. They’d found him.

  “The other two as well,” Everleigh said. “And the people in the cages.”


  “No,” Victor said.

  “Do it now!” Everleigh commanded.

  “You will not take anyone else.” Victor stepped forward, the front of his suit billowing like there were a pair of raccoons fighting underneath it. He seemed to be seconds away from transforming.

  Beacon cut Everleigh a look that said everything he was thinking. Don’t push it. This had always been about rescuing their dad. If they blew it and Victor transformed, none of them would get out of here.

  Everleigh clenched her jaw.

  “Fine. Come with us,” she told her dad.

  The twins’ dad slogged toward her like an overworked circus animal.

  They backed toward the exit.

  “Open the door,” Everleigh ordered.

  One of the scientists punched a code into the panel, and the door whizzed open behind them.

  “Let’s go,” Everleigh commanded. She waved Beacon, Arthur, and her dad out of the lab, still firmly gripping the vial of blue liquid. Her eyes settled on her dad for a moment longer than the others before she ripped them away. After the last of them had exited, Everleigh looked at Victor.

  “You’re evil, and I hope karma comes for you,” she said.

  The door closed.

  Awesome. They definitely wouldn’t be the target of a revenge killing now.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Arthur said. “He’s probably already calling for backup.”

  “What about the Rainmaker?” Everleigh said.

  “Are you kidding me?” Beacon said. “You just royally ticked off the leader of the Sov. We don’t have time for that.”

  “If Nixon is right, none of this will matter if we don’t find that thing,” Everleigh said. “We’ll all be dead.”

  She was right. It was starting to become a habit.

  “Hold on,” Arthur said, pulling out the building plans. “It’s got to be a huge machine if it’s going to eradicate everyone on the planet, right? So we’ll find a large room.” He scanned the plans, then pointed. “There. It’s the largest room in the building, and it’s nearby. Just down the west wing.”