The Demise of Humanity

by Miller, Jayme L.

  The group all agreed that it was an electric energy they felt and learned to control. They had to control their emotions in order to use their gift. I knew this already and felt frustrated but didn’t want to seem ungrateful so I smiled and listened.

  “I want you to gather your energy and focus on where it is directing you and then move it around and own it,” Quinn told me.

  Everyone stepped back and gave me space. I closed my eyes and gathered my energy. I felt it zap around and move wildly inside me. My mind shot the energy out, I grabbed Addy and Silas’ gifts. I felt a hot panic inside me the same one that always came over me. It felt good to hold onto their gifts but I quickly remembered they weren't mine, so painfully I let them go. I hated the empty feeling it left each time I gave it back. I opened my eyes and saw Addy and Silas staring at me. They knew what I had done but they also knew I hadn’t meant to upset them.

  “Why do you always take my gift?” Addy accused.

  “I’m sorry,” I stumbled.

  “Addy, Layla is learning and we are here to help, remember?” Quinn stated sharply.

  “Yeah, well it feels like she is ripping a piece of my soul out of me everytime she does that to me,” Addy said with a southern accent Layla hadn’t heard before.

  “That is good to know,” Quinn remarked.

  “I can feel the energy inside me but when I let it expand it grabs for each of your gifts. It becomes a need and the next thing I know I’m holding onto them and it is difficult for me to give them back. I have figured out how to take your abilities when you are sleeping without hurting you,” I explained.

  “When you take all of our abilities like the day in the field can you use them?” Olyvia asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I replied.

  “I’ve been contemplating since your arrival to the warehouse, if your gift is to take their gifts; what would be the purpose of that? It doesn’t make sense. I believe once you are able to center your gift you will be able to figure it out. Keep practicing and try not to grab anyone else's ability,” Quinn stated.

  I practiced over and over again grabbing Lucy, Wes and Sally’s gifts and quickly releasing them. I knew they felt it each time and I struggled to control my emotions. It didn’t seem fair that everyone else knew their ability and had control over it. My body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Time ticked by and I failed over and over. I knew my ability was to take their gifts but Quinn was convinced my emotions were getting in the way of my true gift. I was growing more and more unstable and decided to take a break. The group was being patient with me and this I was thankful for. I knew I was slowly draining the group. I could see it on their faces. I sat down in a plastic white chair and consumed a gallon of water. Silas and Gabe stood near me speaking to each other but they spoke quietly and I couldn't hear their conversation. The back door to the warehouse flew open and Mike came running out yelling for Quinn and me. I shot up and ran towards him.

  “The red head is awake and needs to see you,” Mike exclaimed, he was winded from running.

  Years of smoking cigarettes left him coughing and hacking uncontrollably. Hannah appeared from nowhere and handed him an inhaler. Mike grimaced first at his daughter and then at the inhaler, finally giving in and taking three puffs from the inhaler.

  Quinn and I hurried into the warehouse and quickly made our way to Zola’s bedside. Zola didn’t look well, in fact her skin had turned a sickly grey color. Her eyes and cheek bones were sunken deep into her head and her lips were dry and cracked. The green speckles in her eyes were now laced with tiny red veins. Her body appeared to have absorbed in on itself, leaving skin drooping over brittle bones.

  “My God!” I quaked, “What is happening to her?” I asked no one in particular.

  “I am dying,” Zola choked out, as if there need not be an explanation for the obvious.

  Even in her deathly state she managed to smile at me. The muscles in her face forming a weak smile.

  “We need to get Olyvia!” I ordered.

  Quinn doesn’t move and I feel anger start to boil like water in a pot left unattended on the stove.

  “Olyvia has tried to heal her, numerous times in fact and it has not been successful,” Dr. Nickels remarked, standing next to me with his damn clipboard. Always taking notes and documenting everything. I didn’t know that it even mattered anymore but I kept that thought to myself for the time being.

  “Layla, you have to get me back to my people, please,” she begged.

  “Why would you want to go back to them?” I asked.

  “Because I will die if I don’t,” she stated.

  “I don’t understand,” I quaked.

  “I am connected to my people like you are connected to your people. They will come for me and they will kill everyone. They are trained killers,” she explained.

  “We can keep you safe,” I said.

  “Safe? I was safe with my people. I told you to leave me and you didn’t listen,” her tone was harsh.

  “We had an agreement and you broke it,” she added.

  “I thought I was helping you. I thought you wanted to get away from them, from Dr. Mills,” I cried.

  “I was helping you and your friends. I can’t escape the Dr. Mills because I will never leave my people. Please, Let me go before they come,” she begged.

  “Ok, you are free to go because unlike crazy Dr. Mills we don’t hold anyone against their will,” I hissed.

  I dropped her bed rail and assisted Dr. Nickels in disconnecting the wires and IV from her. She couldn’t sit up without assistance and I didn’t think she would make it back to her group let alone out of this room. Mabel and Quinn guided her into a wheelchair. The wheelchair came from the local hospital.

  Greg joked, “Never know when one of these baby’s may come in handy.”

  I guess he had been right. I thought we were wasting our time collecting so many supplies but now I was thankful. I guess Dr. Nickels knew what he was doing after all. Zola cried out in pain when I wheeled her out of the warehouse and guided her to the gate. I was shocked to see two army trucks at the entrance. People from the warehouse were scattered around the parking lot and were armed with weapons. I did a quick search for the twelve and found them at the gate.

  “Layla,” Zola quaked, “I can’t help you anymore. You have to remember everything I told you. Will you do that?”

  I stopped the wheelchair and knelt next to her, “I saw something when I touched your hand, when you were sick. I need to know was it real or did you do something to me?”

  Zola regarded me for a long moment before responding.

  “It was a vision from the past and it was real. It is my gift to see the past. You must have somehow connected with me. What did you see?”

  “I saw you and your people when you were children. You were being injected with something and given the tattoo on your neck. There was a police officer there and a little girl,” I stopped not sure I wanted to tell her it was me. My father was the monster that stole all of her people and brought them to that hell.

  Zola’s eyes widened with recognition but she remained silent. I watched her eyes focus at nothing in particular as the memories of her childhood raced around until she found the one she was searching for. Her head shook when the memory came front and center. She closed her eyes tightly and I could see the memory was painful for her.

  “Bring me to my people,” She whispered, not opening her eyes. She rubbed her forehead like the memory was causing her pain.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, thinking of all the things I wanted to apologize for. The part where my father took her or the part where I left her there and never told anyone what I had seen. I guess I couldn’t tell anyone because I hadn’t remembered but I still felt guilty.

  We made it to the gate and my stomach turned inside out when I watched Dr. Mills approach. I wanted nothing more then to kill him. I regretted not killing him when I had the chance and here he was standing on the other side of the gate, grinn
ing at me. His crazed smile ever present. Mike stood by my side and Quinn on the other. I hadn’t noticed them until Quinn spoke.

  “Hello, my name is Quinn and you must be Dr. Mills. I have heard much about you.”

  The doctor chuckled and said, “All good things I hope?”

  I went to take a step forward but Mike gently held my arm.

  “Hello Zola, you are looking...unwell,” Dr. Mills sneered.

  A tall soldier stepped forward with a briefcase and the doctor opened it. Gun’s raised in every direction.

  “Fall back soldiers. No need to raise weapons.”

  Dr. Mills pulled out a syringe filled with the greenish liquid I had seen before.

  “If you will send Zola onto this side of the gate we will be glad to leave,” Dr. Mill requested.

  “Sure thing,” Quinn said cheerfully then spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. His tone and demeanor changed to something I hadn’t seen or heard before. It was a direct and commanding tone. “I want to make sure everyone understands that we do not keep anyone against their will. If I remember correctly we still live in the United States of America. The land of the free and that means we will travel anywhere in this city, state or country as we see fit. Your group will not capture any of our people. We have enough trouble with the screamers. We don’t need to fight amongst ourselves. If we find out you are taking people against their will, you will leave us no choice but to intervene. Do you understand Dr. Mills?

  “Are you threatening me and my people?” The doctor sneered.

  “Let’s hope not,” Quinn dictated.

  Dr. Mills narrowed his eyes and stared at Quinn and then glanced around taking in all the weapons aimed in his direction. He turned and glanced at his men, then turned and faced Quinn once more.

  “I will agree not to take any humans from your group but what I do is frankly none of your concern,” the doctor stated.

  Zola’s head fell forward and she started to fall out of the chair, I caught her and held her up.

  “Zola!” I cried.

  “I need to inject her now or she is going to die,” Dr. Mills stepped forward. His face against the fence.

  “Open the gate,” Quinn yelled.

  The gate squealed open and the doctor stepped forward and quickly took action with the syringe. He injected the needle into the side of Zola’s neck, right above her tattoo. Her body started to convulse at an alarming rate but as suddenly as it started it stopped. I watched in shock, her skin changed to a healthy white color and her body came back to life before me. She opened her eyes and stood up.

  “Sir. Thank you. Sir,” Zola reported to Dr. Mills.

  Her dire condition was gone and she was in tip top shape.

  “What was in that syringe?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid I cannot say,” the doctor smirked and walked back to his group.

  “Wait,” I called.

  Everyone turned in my direction. I didn’t want anyone to hear me so I walked up to Dr. Mills. Weapons raised in my direction by the soldiers.

  “Do you know a man named Officer James Knight?” I asked quietly.

  I knew by asking this mad man I would be revealing more than I should but I had to ask. He didn’t reply right away but when he did I knew recognition had clicked into place.

  “Officer Knight? Yes, I know him, in fact he is back at my facility.”

  I felt my heart quicken and excitement fill a missing piece I thought was lost forever.

  “I want to see him,” I demanded.

  “I’m afraid that isn’t possible. Your leader made it clear we cannot take his people,” Dr. Mills answered.

  “We are not held here and I will come with you, freely. I need to speak with officer Knight,” I walked past the doctor and to the passenger side door of the army truck. I climbed into the truck and slammed the door.

  “Layla,” Silas and Quinn called in unison.

  I poked my head out the window and said, “I’m leaving. I’ll be back soon.”

  Dr. Mills sneered at Quinn before entering the truck behind the one I was in. I decided it would be better if I didn’t look back as we drove away from the warehouse. I knew I was once again leaving my group behind for my own selfish reasons. I didn’t want to dwell on it so I glanced out my window. The city was becoming difficult to recognize. The screamers wreaked havoc on the buildings and destroyed everything in their path. The ride felt quick in the army truck and no one spoke. We pulled into the parking lot and exited the building. I followed the doctor and Zola into the laboratory. The room had been washed clean from the destruction and death it once held. Zola guided me to a door away from the lab.

  “Are you sure you want to see officer Knight?” She asked. The concern in her tone should have been alarming to me but I needed to know why he hadn’t come back to me.

  “I’m sure,” I replied dryly.

  We walked down a long cold hallway. It was dimly lit and my eyes took a minute to adjust to the change. We entered through another door and were in a huge room lined with hospital beds. I swallowed hard and searched each occupied bed while we walked down the row. The room was filled with over twenty beds and in each bed was a sleeping person. A couple teens but mostly adults in their mid 30’s and 40’s. Zola stopped at a bed halfway down the row and peered at the a man. The man’s face was covered by a thick gruffy beard. It took me a long moment to recognize that the man was in fact my father. I wanted to call out to him and hug him but the expression on Zola’s face kept me from doing so. I followed her eyes to a camera in the corner of the room.

  Keeping my composure I asked, “How long has he been here?”

  “Since the beginning,” she replied.

  “Don’t give the doctor leverage,” she whispered and then walked away.

  “What is wrong with him?” I asked, running to catch up.

  “He was put into a coma along with everyone else in this room. This was done one day before the world got sick,” she explained.

  “Why doesn’t the doctor wake them up?” I questioned.

  Zola stopped walking and checked the room before speaking.

  “If the doctor wakes them up they will turn into screamers.They are test subjects now. I know you don’t like the doctor but he is working on finding a cure and every person in this room knew what was going to happen.They were all given a choice to be here and in exchange for their help they were given something.”

  I gasped in surprise. Dr. Mills walked into the room and approached.

  “I brought you here as you requested and I would like to know how you know Officer Knight?” Dr. Mills ordered.

  “He was an old friend,” I lied.

  Disappointment spread across the doctors face. He fidgeted with some papers he held tightly in hand. I watched him roll the papers and then sigh.

  “I had hoped you were his daughter. I can’t seem to remember her name for the life of me. Do you know his daughter?” He hissed.

  “No,” I spurted.

  “Too bad. I would have liked to run some test on her. She maybe the key to everything,” he sounded disappointed.

  “What do you mean the key to everything?” I inquired.

  “Officer Knight and I had struck a deal. His daughter was ill and going to die. He was desperate and willing to do anything. At the time I was running a risky drug trial. I couldn’t get the approval I needed. I did what I had to and ran the trial on children. I believe we had discussed this already.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “The trial was 100% successful on every child tested. What I hadn’t realized at the time was there would be unforeseen side effects,” he explained.

  He rubbed his head and dazed off.

  “What kind of side effects are you talking about?” I asked.

  “The children came down with severe flu symptoms and I thought we would lose all of them but after a week or so they were better. All of the children are my soldiers now. All except Knight’s daughter that is. He gave he
r the injections but she had a different reaction. He told me she died but after some investigating I discovered she was alive and quite well,” His face turned into a sinister expression.

  I backed away from him slowly only to bump into Zola. Her hands wrapped around my arms. I didn’t fight her.

  “Layla, I know who you are. I knew the moment I first saw you. The funny thing is you don’t seem to remember anything,” Dr. Mills stated and smiled.

  “My father never injected me with anything. I was never sick,” I blurted out.

  I knew I was saying too much but it didn’t matter.

  “Silly girl,” he laughed, “you are right, you never were sick and you are not the daughter I seek.”

  “I don’t understand,” I muttered.

  “Your sister was sick. You are a triplet. I have been searching for your sister for years.”

  “No,” I whined, “I am an only child. I have no sisters. You are mistaken.”

  “Your father and I go back many years, before you and your sisters were born. Your parents tried everything to conceive a child. They were unsuccessful until they came to me that is. With my help your mother gave birth to three baby girls. You and one of your sisters were healthy. The other was frail and ill. It was agreed upon that your parents could choose two of three babies. They chose you and the sick baby. I tried to convince them to leave the sick one but your mother insisted on saving her.”

  “What happened to the other baby?” I asked feeling the walls closing in around me.

  “I raised her here at the facility as my own daughter. She was safe here with me. That is, until you showed up and she saw you. She ran away. I believe she went to find you.”

  “How did she know who I was if she thought you were her father?” I asked.

  “Your face is her face. She found files I had hidden away. She told me she kept having dreams and seeing you in them. I laughed it off at first but with everything that had occured I believe she was telling the truth,” he explained.

  For the first time I saw something in his expression that showed he actually cared for my sister. A sister I never knew existed. Two sisters to be precise. One dead the other missing. Pieces started to click into place