Except for the bodies.
Those who were dropped from the sky, emptied of anything remotely human. Those who were left behind, barely recognizable after being torn, shredded and drained of all life. Annihilated by the sharp talons of the alien predator, the elusive Sundogs, the monsters seen only by the select few remaining. The gruesome image of the truck driver he and Colin found flashed before him. He wouldn’t exactly classify a corpse as a sign of life. So, aside from the departed, there had been zip. No birds, no cats, no wild beasts roaming the land, not even an ant. For all of his knowledge, Zack couldn’t fathom how the Sundogs had wiped out every existing species known to man. Well almost every one, German had survived, and that they’d found him alive constituted a major miracle in Zack’s mind, but to what avail? If no other canines were found, he would be the last of his kind. Thousands of species vanished from the Earth every day before the Sundogs invited themselves to the party, but Zack never witnessed those lives being extinguished or gave them any thought. If German had good health, he might live fifteen or more years. Would Zack be around when his life passed? Would any of them be around to witness this tragedy? Zack shook his head to these questions and a million others he asked over and over.
He couldn’t lay all the blame on the Sundogs. It was Eve’s people who were the masterminds, who controlled the Sundogs, the planet. Vampires, Luke called them. Adita, Roth named them. As far as Zack was concerned names meant little. Giving the aliens a specific name, such as vampire, would deceive the mind into thinking of them in that capacity, which could be dangerous. The Adita could not be destroyed by holy water or garlic. A stake to the heart was up for debate, seeing as how he didn’t know if they had hearts. The Sundogs had internal organs, including a heart, but their skin was capable of absorbing the kinetic energy from the most intense of impacts with amazing effectiveness. He knew this for fact, having tested its strength with various high-powered military hardware. Reason might dictate the Adita’s skin would withstand the same level of assault, and reason also suggested they did have a heart, but reason wasn’t exactly reliable in the current environment.
Research in the bunker’s vast data base on the name Adita delivered ambiguity in providing answers or hope. He’d found similar names existing in ancient script, and even stories of blood sucking demons, gods and angels depending on the date or region of reference. A few vague descriptions of ghost like beings having soulless eyes peppered history, but the names Agra and Arati never surfaced. A few sightings of a waif like being, that may or may not have been Eve, were cited. One passage referred to the waif as a witch, others called her a dark angel. One Russian tale told of a pale goddess, who delivered a group of starving settlers from the depths of hell to a heaven of abundance. The accounts were never in great detail or conclusive. The tellers often referred to as people too far ‘in the cup’ or too crazy to be relied upon.
When pressed, Austin had shared little information about Eve or her people. Based on what Zack overheard in the Adita death chamber, he knew she was somehow connected to Roxanne’s death. But Austin had been a closed book on the subject of his wife. His reaction, and subsequent behavior, belied the captain’s previous obsession with finding her, but the topic was better left alone until such time Austin felt like sharing. Zack doubted very much they’d have ever the ‘what happened to Roxanne’ conversation.
Climate control, gargoyle looking beasts with computer chips, vampire like aliens, all of these oddities could be rationalized, maybe even explained by modern science or some sort of science. However, making sense of the Captain’s attitude was beyond sense, common or otherwise. Zack sighed, as if in doing so the weight of his thoughts might dissipate into the air. He knew in a few hours it wouldn’t matter. The captain would be gone, Luke and Ed tagging along like dutiful soldiers. Gone on a mission to save Austin’s son, to save the people in the warehouses, to stop the Adita and to most likely die before doing any of those things. Yet another anomaly Zack didn’t quite understand. The paternity of the boy was unquestionable, he was Austin’s son, but who was the mother? Eve or Roxanne? If Eve was the mother, the boy would not be fully human and that in itself raised many more questions without answers.
“Watching the suns?”
Zack bolted out of his chair like a startled jackrabbit. “Holy shit man. You scared the crap outta me.”
“Sorry,” Austin offered halfheartedly.
“Forget it.” Zack leaned on the chair for support, trying to calm his nerves. “What’s with the sunglasses?”
Austin rubbed his shaved head, pausing before he spoke. “Can I trust you?”
“Uh, I think we’ve figured that one out months ago.”
“This is different.”
“From what?” Zack laughed. It came out sounding maniacal rather than humorous. What could possibly be different from anything they’d experienced thus far? “Serious dude. You can trust me.”
Austin reached up and took off his sunglasses. He lifted his head and looked straight at Zack.
Zack’s jaw dropped. “What the fu...”
“Told you it was different.”
“Different? Different is dying your hair pink or having a tattoo of Justin Bieber on your thigh. Man, that’s not different, that’s fucked up.” Zack stepped closer to Austin.
Austin held up his hand stopping Zack from getting closer. “I need you to run some blood tests.”
“What happened?” Zack couldn’t stop staring at Austin’s eyes. Once blue, now blue and black. The black appeared to be spreading in the pupil, like someone had spilled ink in his eyes. If it continued, his eyes would soon look like an Adita’s, solid black.
“Eve bit me.”
“Whhhaaat?”
Pulling up his sleeve, Austin turned over his arm exposing the purplish marks on his wrist. “Right before we left Bliss. She said it was a gift.”
“Gifts come in boxes wrapped in shiny paper.”
“Do you have the equipment to test my blood?”
“Yeah, but what am I looking for?”
Austin shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Good place to start. You want to do it now?”
Austin put his glasses back on and turned for the door. Luke and Ed wouldn’t be ready to leave for about another hour, which would allow time to draw a few blood samples, but that was all. Zack would have to figure the rest out after Austin left and by then the answers might not matter. Austin wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. The bunker’s temperature seemed higher than usual but that didn’t make sense. The system Zack built always kept the climate at perfect temperatures, so maybe he was running hotter than normal.
Once in the lab, Zack filled three vials with Austin’s blood. The color was a combination of red and blue, the consistency thick, like cold motor oil. With the vials stored in the refrigerator, Zack pulled out the microscope. He put a drop on a slide, smeared it and placed it on the stage, not bothering with staining. The lab had a more sophisticated scope, but it took a while to setup and he had the feeling Austin wanted answers fast.
“Wanna look?”
“You do it.” Austin stood to the side, sunglasses in place.
Zack peered into the eyepiece not expecting to see much without stain, but was shocked when the cells appeared to jump up at him like he was watching an old 3-D video game. Large bluish-black cells were consuming the red. The foreign cells were shaped similar to red, but contained a nucleus that was rapidly absorbing the normal cells. Thoughts of gamma radiation and the Hulk surfaced.
“Well?” Austin asked, growing impatient.
Zack sat back from the scope. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m no scientist.”
“I don’t have time Zack,” Austin snapped. “Just tell me what you think,” he finished, using a less harsh tone.
“I think,” Zack spun around to face Austin, “whatever Eve of the dead injected into your bloodstream is taking over, eating your cells like a giant piranha. Like a cancer, like what gamma radiati
on did to Bruce Banner. And based on the rate of consumption you’ll be fully vamped out within a couple of weeks.”
“They aren’t vampires,” Austin responded in a dry tone. He expected more from Zack than to believe in fantasies.
“What does it matter what you call them? From my limited account, they’re superior beings and, based on this sample, they have superior kick your ass DNA. So vampire, bloodsucker, Adita, it doesn’t mean shit. Not in stopping them anyway.”
A wave of dizziness washed over Austin. “Am I becoming one? Is it changing my DNA?”
Zack breathed a heavy sigh. “Man I don’t know. I don’t have enough to go on or the equipment to test that kind of thing. I could go the hospital in Colorado Springs, run a few more tests, but they’d take time. You could postpone your trip until I know more.”
“Not an option.” Another wave hit him, this one stronger.
“Then I don’t know what to tell you.” Zack clicked the scope light off. “Maybe you can ask Eve.”
Austin shook his head. “I know this much and I think you know it as well. Once this thing is complete, it’s not something that can be reversed.” He removed his sunglasses.
Zack stared into Austin’s eyes and repressed the urge to shudder. He didn’t have to say out loud that he agreed. “What are you going to tell Ed and Luke?”
“The truth. They need to know in case...in case I become dangerous.” Austin looked away, images of Madison flashed through his head.
“Dangerous how? Has something happened?”
“No,” Austin replied. “I gotta get...I gotta get my gear.” The room wobbled out of focus. Austin grabbed for the table, catching the edge before collapsing to the ground.
Zack rushed to him. “Austin. Austin you ok?” He turned him over. His eyes were closed, his skin pale and clammy. Zack checked for a pulse, still strong. “Shit.”
Zack called Ed, catching him right as he was leaving for the barn. “I need you in the infirmary right now, bring Luke.”
Ed and Luke arrived in less than two minutes, bursting into the room.
“What’s wrong?” What happened?” Luke ran to Austin’s side.
“I don’t know. One minute we’re talking, the next he collapsed.”
Ed looked past Zack to the microscope and empty vials on the counter. “What were you doing?”
“It’s complicated,” Zack replied, knowing it was that and a few other things. The three men carried Austin into the next room and laid him on the bed. Zack checked his pulse again and it was still beating strong. This comforted and unnerved him all the same.
“What the hell happened?” Luke asked.
Various lies ran through Zack’s mind, none were believable, but telling the truth wasn’t an option. You can’t tell what you don’t know, Zacky boy. Another popular phrase dear old dad was fond of saying. A good philosophy to live by when you ran with the mob. Zack looked away from Austin to answer Luke. “Honestly man, I don’t know. He said something about being hot and the next thing I know he’s on the floor. If I had to guess, maybe some kind of flu.”
“Is he gonna be ok?” Luke glanced down at his friend, noticing his pale skin.
Zack shook his head. “I wish I knew. His heart beat is regular. So is his blood pressure.” Zack sighed. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Not complete bullshit, but the best he had to offer and the most he wanted to share. Without having to think it over, he knew Austin wouldn’t want anyone knowing about his condition.
6 Departure
A week after Austin sank into a deep sleep, Eve was wandering the temple making her plans. Sometimes Caleb followed at her heels, asking his millionth question for the day and other times he gave his mother peace and went off exploring every dark corner. Always he caught up to her for she did not wait or pause to ensure he was safe. Although her mind was void she was deep in thought, thoughts that would cause Agra much concern if he were to hear them.
Eve deposited Caleb back in his room with instructions to stay out of trouble and Agra’s way. He smiled and promised to be on his best behavior. An impossibility Eve knew, for, although only seven, Caleb’s abilities had advanced beyond most mature Adita. He heard many thoughts, sensed many feelings, and none more so than Agra’s. The true meaning of this she had not yet come to understand, but she knew Caleb was aware the lurking danger and of the need for caution. For this Eve was grateful, hoping her son would always be more than cautious where Agra was concerned.
Outside the temple, Eve wandered down the path through the tangled undergrowth of the jungle. The vines and limbs parted, allowing her to pass unhindered. Soon she came to the clearing near the warehouses, seven rows of buildings, numbering thirty-five in total. She walked to the front of the first building in the last row. The massive doors slid open at her silent command. She walked past the tables of specimens hooked up to a multitude of tubes, not seeing or caring about them as a living being. They were a means to avoid an end. The Adita needed the humans if they were to continue on, to not turn into savages controlled by instinct alone. The fact that her people were already driven by a strong desire to survive, one that eliminated compassion or any such feeling beyond that of basic instinct, never occurred to Eve. Had this fact been pointed out to her, that the Adita behaved much like animals, it would not have altered her view. If asked, she would give her opinion that humans were not so far advanced from the beast. Given the choice to live or to perish, they would survive by whatever means necessary. The nature of the beast cannot be altered or changed.
Eve was almost to the end of the row when she paused at the foot of a female specimen. The sound of the woman’s beating heart was clear and a quicker pace than any other. She examined the woman lying on the table. Behind the blank stare of her brilliant green eyes, Eve felt her strength radiating outward. Laying her hand on the woman’s forehead, Eve explored inside. Images of a familiar face flashed before her as the woman’s memories played out. Eve focused on the future and the woman’s place in it. Life and death, death and life, both were associated with the woman. An overpowering emotion filled Eve’s mind and body. A feeling she’d experienced when Agra spoke of Caleb’s future, his purpose. The one she’d felt when he’d spoke of termination; so intense at times it liked to crush her. The same fierceness she sensed coming from the woman.
Eve decided then and there to take the woman to Earth when she returned. She would help Eve gain the trust of the humans and would be needed in the future. Reasons yes, but not considerable enough to ask permission to again break Adita law. An action that if taken was against all the rules and meant death for even allowing the thought to occur, but this woman was important. Making the humans accept her was in part true, but not the only motivating factor in play. Other events were going to happen in the future and this woman would play a role in those occasions. Eve’s self-preservation instincts were strong, stronger than loyalty to her people and of this admission she felt no guilt. Maybe the cause being she’d spent too much time alone or perhaps she’d taken on more human traits than she’d realized. The reasons did not matter, only Caleb mattered.
The process to revitalize the woman was complicated and not without great risk, but Eve had other preparations to attend first. She moved on from the woman, down to the last table in the row.
“Good morning Captain Chase. How does your blood taste today?” She smiled down at the putrid blob of flesh lying on the table. “Don’t fret. This will be the last time.”
Chase didn’t stir, but Eve could hear his muddled thoughts. “Still cursing me?” She traced her finger down his arm. “Soon you can rest forever.” Eve pulled his wrist to her mouth and drained the remainder of his blood. She was sorry to lose him. His blood was sweeter than any she’d ever tasted, except for maybe her first kill. He too had been a worthless despicable man she’d taken great pleasure in killing. Chase’s arm fell limp to the side of the table. His heart pushed out two more beats before giving up; his rancid thoughts churned no longer. Despi
te her disdain, Eve appreciated his efforts. He fought all the way to the end, never believing he would die. To her surprise, his last lucid thought had been filled with regret. Not for being a despicable man, but for lost opportunities, for Charlie.
Charlie. Eve repeated the girls name in her mind and brought forth an image of her face. She looked forward to seeing the girl again, and felt perhaps their relationship might be different this time. After all no glass prison or General Roth would be watching this time. And no voice of her father telling her what to do or not do. She was her own master now. Charlie would be her friend and maybe she would be more. With this thought in mind Eve whisked herself back to the temple where she proceeded directly to Agra’s chambers. She stood outside his door and waited. Rules didn’t mean a great deal to her, but she knew entering Agra’s chamber without an invitation had irritated and angered him. She needed him to be calm, his mind was easier to follow when not stirred into a frenzy.
“Enter.” The word, his voice, echoed in and around the hallway.
Eve pushed open the door and stepped inside, careful to keep her head down until he acknowledged her.
“Eve. A pleasant surprise. I did not hear you coming.”
Eve looked up into her father’s face. They both knew this a lie. Eve had made certain he heard her, for had she not taken this precaution he would have grown suspicious; he would have given her additional consideration, which Eve wished to avoid. Let him continue to trust in his assessment of her intellect as an inferior being, one who continued to stumble about in her new way of life. As in any pack, only one alpha was allowed and that one alpha, if threatened, would attempt to eliminate any and all threats. She would not challenge his position, not now, not yet.
“I’m sorry to arrive unannounced, but I wish to discuss...”
“I agree you should leave as soon as possible. However, the matter of taking the boy will have to be approved by the Elders.” He walked over to Eve. “However, I expect they will see the benefits of sending him to Earth.”
Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) Page 4