“Absolutely not,” Darius said. “She just called me Dare-Dare. Thank you very much.” Darius walked to his truck.
“Not a problem. We’ll just bond some more.” Colin followed. “I’ll stay with you. How’s your couch?”
“Fine. I’ll get you money.” Darius arrived at his truck.
Colin smiled.
***
Bret accepted the cash as she stood by the open car door. “Say thank you,” she instructed Chuck.
Chuck leaned with a raised hand. “Thanks, Dare-Dare.”
Darius slightly rolled his eyes then nodded. “I’m killing you, Colin.” He grumbled and laid his hand on Bret’s door. “Be careful. Stay in touch. I mean it. I want to keep this thing going, okay? We can’t make progress if we aren’t all in it together.”
Bret nodded.
“Oh, she’ll stay in touch,” Colin said. “We’ll even get into it further over lunch, right, Bret?”
“Right.” Bret closed her car door. “See you Tuesday.”
“I look forward to it.” Colin leaned for a second in the window, gave a glance of farewell then backed away.
Chuck put the car in gear, waved and pulled out. “Jesse will have a fit.”
“About what?” Bret asked.
“Lunch with Colin. You spent days with this man. Jesse isn’t gonna be happy about that. You know how he is. Now you’re having lunch.”
“We’ve bonded.”
“I’m staying clear,” Chuck said.
“Oh, stop. I’ll just explain to Jesse what we’re doing.”
“And what exactly are we doing, Bret?” Chuck asked. “They’re the scientists. What can we possibly do except break the news?”
“Research,” Bret replied. “That’s what my part is.”
“Research.”
“You know Chuck, if you paid attention.…”
“I paid attention.” Chuck put on the turn signal and pulled over into a convenience store parking lot. “What kind of research?”
“I’m supposed to see if I can find out if things like this happened before in history. Just to see if maybe flukes like this occurred before and history is just repeating itself.”
“And if not?” Chuck parked the car.
“Well, then, we stick to proving one of the many theories we tossed out. That’s Colin and Darius. They have lot of research; it’ll take time and money. They said that’s not a problem.”
“And they are researching what?”
Bret huffed out. “Changes in the earth. God, pay attention.”
“It’s the lack of nicotine,” Chuck said as he opened his door. “I’ll be back.”
“Chuck?” Bret questioned. “Why do you seem so disinterested? One would think.…”
“It’s not disinterest, Bret.”
“What is it?
“Doubt.”
Bret gave a curious look.
“We’ve had some freak occurrences, really bizarre things. What if it is just the beginning, but not of strange earthly phenomena? What if it’s something else, really out of our control.”
“Like what.”
With a hint of sarcasm, Chuck said. “Gee, I don’t know, Bret. You work as a messenger for God. Think about it.”
After the car door shut, Bret immediately began to do just that…think about it.
***
“Kids.” Darius picked up a ball that sat on his walkway and tossed it to the neighbor’s yard.
“Your grass needs to be cut,” Colin said as he followed him.
“It does?” Darius peered around. “I guess.” Scratching his head, he moved toward his door. “But doesn’t it strike you as odd?” he asked then stopped at his door. A huge stack of mail flowed in front, and Darius kicked it aside as he turned the key on the lock.
“What?” Colin picked up the mail. “That you just kicked your mail.”
“No.” Darius opened the door. “Strike you as odd. As…ah, man.” His hand shot to cover his mouth and nose.
Colin stepped in. “Tell me, does your house normally smell this foul?” He shook his head with a wince.
“No.” Darius immediately opened a window. “God, what is that smell?”
“I’ll just leave this door open,” Colin said.
“Please. I wonder if I left food out on the stove.” Hand still covering his mouth, he walked to the kitchen of his single-floor one-bedroom home.
Glad to find the couch under the abundance of papers, books and notes, Colin sat down his briefcase. “Was it food?” he asked in reference to the sound of Darius in the kitchen.
“No, maybe it’s milk gone bad,” Darius called.
“Well, check, will you? Do you have any air freshener?”
“I don’t know.”
Colin mumbled. “He doesn’t know. Go figure.” He bent down and lifted a newspaper from the table. An entire half of a pizza was glued to it. “What are you doing in there?”
“Looking for the source of this horrible smell.”
“Maybe it’s an accumulation of odors over time,” Colin suggested, pacing about Darius’ living room. “How long has it been since you cleaned in here?”
“I don’t know. Can you boot up my computer please.”
Speaking softly to himself, Colin said, “If I can find it.” He stepped over the coffee table. “Ah, yes. There. I see it.”
“My house isn’t that bad.” Darius banged about in the kitchen.
“Yes, Dare-Dare it is,” Colin replied. “I think I’m gonna open more.…” Colin stopped speaking when his foot caught onto something.
Darius came out of the kitchen. “Maybe the neighbor has a sewage problem.”
“It’s not the neighbor, Dare-Dare, it’s your smell.”
“What?” Darius chuckled.
“I found the odor.” Colin glanced downward.
Darius walked over to Colin. “Aw, man.” He whined as he looked down. “My cat died. Fuck.”
“You’ll have that when they don’t eat for a week. The humane society is gonna love you.”
“Let them register the complaint with Jeffers.” Darius shook his head and walked back toward the kitchen. “I really liked that cat.”
“Where you going?”
“To get a garbage bag.” Darius said.
“A garbage bag.” Colin whispered. “Wow. You really did like that cat.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny.” Darius emerged with the bag.
“You aren’t gonna just toss it in the garbage are you?” Colin asked. “Of course the garbage men wouldn’t know if you mixed it in with all of your other stuff.”
“No, I’m not gonna put her in the can. I’m putting her in the bag so I can bury her.”
“You’re not gonna make me sit through a major production funeral like you did when you were sixteen and your guinea pig died.”
“Shit.” The bag dropped from Darius’ hand and he flew from the room.
“What? What did I say?”
After briefly disappearing, Darius returned from the bedroom. “My hamsters are dead, too.”
“Hamsters, as in plural.”
Darius nodded.
“Before we proceed with the mass grave thing, are there any other pets that you possess that may be deceased at this moment?”
Ignoring him, Darius picked up the garbage bag and handed it to Colin. “Here. I’ll be back. Start with her. I think she might be stuck.”
“Me?” Colin questioned. “Dare-Dare.” He inched his foot into the dead cat. “She’s stuck alright. We may need a jackhammer.” He turned his head; Darius was gone. “Really, if we just shuffle the mess no one will know the cat is here. The smell will dissipate in a few days.”
“You know.…” Darius poked his head from the kitchen. “This isn’t funny. I’m upset. I loved my pets.”
“Are you getting another bag for the hamsters?”
“No, tongs. I’m just gonna flush them.” He withdrew into the kitchen.
“Oh,” Colin said with a single nod. “Flush the
hamsters. That’s love of pets alright.” He nudged the carcass of the cat. “I’m in trouble when I die, aren’t I, cat?”
***
Colin was too apprehensive about drinking anything from a cup that came from Darius’ cupboards, so he opted for a can of soda. Not really his favorite.
“You realize,” Colin said as he shuffled to join Darius at the computer desk. “This house it’s…it’s deplorable.”
“It’s not that bad.” He replied.
“Really? Health department catches wind of this…you’re shut down.” Colin wiped off chair and sat down. “Does your mother know you live like this?”
“Fortunately for me, no. Of course, I haven’t heard from her in six months.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“What kind of guy is it this time?” Colin asked.
“Weatherman.”
“Figures.”
Darius just looked at Colin then returned to the computer. “Nothing.”
“What?”
“Not even on the net. I did a search, yeah, little ones.”
“Are we looking for new pets to kill?”
Darius gave a scolding glance. “No. News of what happened.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Remember when we were walking in the house I told you it was odd.”
“I thought you were referring to the house.”
“No,” Darius said. “I was referring to the fact that nothing is mentioned in the news, the paper, nowhere.”
“Well.…” Colin popped the tab to his can. “I guess the government accomplished what they wanted. They got their story out, people are satisfied, move on with our lives.” He wiped off the can before taking a drink. “So, now that you’ve looked on the net, wanna go get that food now?”
“One more thing. I want to post on my science club.”
“Excuse me?” Colin asked. “You have a science club?”
“Not me personally. I belong to it. Harvard runs it. You have to enter your teacher information and doctrine stuff before they allow you to join. Everyone’s legit. You should join. It’s fun.”
“Fun? A science club is fun? No, no thank you. I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself,” Darius said as he typed.
“What exactly are you posting?” Colin asked.
“The way I figure, if there are any earthly changes, weird occurrences or phenomena being discovered, it will be here. Trust me. In addition, if it’s not, my post should send them scurrying to look. This is fascinating enough that they’ll research it themselves with vengeance.”
“Ah.…” Colin nodded. “Have all the bright minds out there do your hard work for you, then you piece it together and take credit.”
“Exactly.”
Colin smiled. “I knew I raised you right.” He lifted his soda can with a grin.
***
It amazed Bret how much remained, or rather how little remained in her home after the government seized and disinfected it.
The computer received a nice dust job, but other than that and anything else hard, it was gone. Anything with cushion, foam, or feathers…removed for fear of hidden nesting. She was grateful her clothes—with the exception of a few sweaters—were still there. The new furniture was cheesy but free. So were the bedspreads for that matter.
It was evident that Jesse worked hard on the house. Having been told by a remaining neighbor that the authorities pretty much showed zero respect toward property, the house could have been destroyed. Or not there, such as Sally’s home and the house to her right. Both were gone, set aflame by firemen to kill the infestation that was out of control.
And what of the ants?
The hole was filled in, paved again, and with the exception of the two new vacant lots, and scattered ‘for sale’ signs, Bret’s street was back to normal.
Though the consensus was that Bret needed to get home and get some rest, such was not the case. She insisted she had enough rest while quarantined, but she desired good food and computer access.
That was until Jesse warned her about her email. Days without checking, and a message sent out to the Christian listeners of Bret’s show brought nearly 3,000 emails of well-wishes and prayers her way. Everyone in the family volunteered to pitch in and help reply to those emails.
But Bret first. Settled with a cup of coffee, Bret opened her email. The most recent of which was bold and top. One from Darius.
“What’s he want?” she asked aloud.
“What was that?” Jesse called from the kitchen.
“Darius sent me an email.”
“Who?”
“No one. Some guy from quarantine,” she said and clicked on the mail.
A thump-thump of his shoes brought Jesse to the dining room. “Why does some guy you were quarantined with feel the need to email you now? You just left him.”
“The sex was great.” Bret said.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, he wants to get together and have coffee when I meet Colin for lunch on Tuesday.”
“Who’s Colin?”
“Another guy from quarantine.”
“Bret, why.…”
“Jesse.” She spun her chair to face him. “They’re scientists. Okay? I’m helping them with something.”
Jesse laughed and walked away.
Bret snarled, “Like that’s funny.” She shook her head, returned to the computer and replied, stating that she’d like to have coffee and would bring the money he lent her.
6. NEW MOON
May 11th …
Coffee bar latte in hand, Darius toted books under his arms; they, of course, had papers sticking out. Over his shoulder was a book bag and he sipped as he walked down the corridor to his classroom.
“Morning, Professor Cobb.”
Darius gave a polite smile to each student that greeted him and to the three that waited outside his classroom door. “Last I looked we still had close to half an hour until class,” he said as he handed his coffee and books to a student. He lifted the key to his door and unlocked it. “Thanks.” He took his stuff back.
“Had to take the early bus.” Scott followed him into the class. “Don’t know about them. How are you feeling? Is it safe to come in here?”
“Fine and yes,” Darius replied then walked down the step. He turned on his computer before placing his armful of items down.
“Anything we can start on?” Scott asked.
“No Just relax. Talk.” Darius took another drink of his coffee, eyes glued to the computer.
“We should have known something was up with them bugs.” Scott sat down. “Dude, I could have been you.”
“Any of you could have.” Darius saw the ‘ready’ screen and began to type. He was focused, and attention to the early birds in his classroom was just about nil.
He logged onto the Internet and then to his Harvard site. “Now let’s see,” he spoke softly to himself typing in his information. “What is this?” he asked of the line that read ‘URGENT’, and then he clicked on it.
***
Like Darius, Colin arrived early to his classroom. He had a lot to catch up on.
“Dr. Reye, how are you, sir?” Roger, an intelligent, less-than-attractive boy approached the desk holding a box.
“Fine, thank you.”
“I heard you were ill.”
Colin glanced up from his work. “Yes, I was.”
“What was wrong?”
“Brain tumor. Very sad. Deadly. They got it though.”
“Whoa.”
“Yes.” Colin returned to his work.
“I was camping and found some specimens, I was wondering if you could look at them.”
“Wouldn’t be much of an educator if I didn’t encourage you to find out for yourself, now would I?”
“Yeah, but I looked,” Roger said. “I can’t find them. Can you?” he reached into the box. “This one here.…”
Colin’s cell phone rang.
�
��Your phone is ringing,” Roger said.
“Yes, I know.” Colin lifted it. “Hey, Dare-Dare. What’s up?”
Roger extended the fist-sized geological specimen to Colin.
“Are you near a computer? Can you go online?” Darius asked.
“Yes; why?” Colin replied.
Again, Roger extended the sample a bit further. “Sir, if you can just….”
Colin only raised his eyes then turned back to the computer. “I’m looking at my computer. What now?”
“Go where I tell you,” Darius said and proceeded to give the information to Colin.
Colin typed.
“Dr. Reye?” Roger called his attention.
Darius said, “Now my user name and password.”
“What am I looking up?”
“Are you in?” Darius asked.
“Yes.” Colin replied.
“Click on Urgent.”
“Done.” Colin said.
“Dr. Reye?”
“Hold on Dare-Dare.” Colin faced the boy. “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?”
“Well, yes, sir, but I thought I you could tell me quickly what this is, then I could research it before class.”
Grunting, Colin nodded. “I can.”
“And?” Roger asked.
“It’s a goddamn rock.” Colin spun his chair and when he did, he saw why Darius called. His eyes skimmed as he read. “Holy shit.”
“Exactly,” Darius commented. “Now the question: Do I go or not go.”
Colin sat back in his chair and took in the words. “Go.”
***
“Reading about it, worrying about it, isn’t going to do you any good,” Jesse told Bret while getting ready for the funeral.
“But what if it happens?” she asked.
“Nothing is going to stop God’s end, Bret. If there was something that could do it, don’t you think there would have been a little mention of it in the Bible?”
“Yeah, the chosen.…”
“Bret, stop.” He took the Bible out of her hands. “God’s not ending the world.”
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