by H. J. Lawson
Chapter Twelve
When I got to the Fort, I was hoping all of my questions would be answered. But, yet again, I find myself with no answers and so many more questions.
“Willow … I need you to tell me the truth. Who gave you the bracelet?” And why is she glowing gold when it’s off? One question at a time, I think.
“I got it from Brooke.”
“Where’s Brooke?”
“Gone.”
“Where?”
“To find the other Seedlings.” Her smile sends shivers down my spine. But, wait … Seedling. That’s what the crazy virus people called me. The lady in the street … the guy in the museum … and now my little sister.
“Willow … what’s a Seedling?”
“God, do you know anything?” Willow rolls her eyes dramatically. “Seedlings are the hope for the future. Everything we can depend on. The evil Shadow man has taken over people’s bodies to try and capture us.” Willow looks around the room. “The bracelets stop them from seeing us. Brooke and her friends call themselves The Watchers because they watch over us. They are going to come back and bring us to their spaceship. Then we’ll be safe and sound on the other planet. Hey, why are you crying?”
I hadn’t even noticed the tears streaming down my face. Quickly, I wipe them away. Willow sounds so like our mom. When Brooke first went missing, Mom was convinced she was taken by a spaceship. And now here is my baby sister saying we’re all going to be taken by spaceships as Seedlings or Watchers or whatever.
“Willow, is Brooke the one that told you all of this?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure? Have you talked to Mom recently?”
“No, Paige. Why don’t you believe me? I wouldn’t lie, I’m not a liar.” Which is the truth. Willow has never lied to me or our father, no matter what the situation was or how much trouble she would get in.
“Okay … okay … has anyone else been glowing like you?”
“Just Brooke when she took off her bracelet.”
Of course. “How come you guys can glow, then?”
“Because … isn’t it obvious? We’re special.” It sounds like our mother’s words coming out of Willow’s mouth, making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
I open my mouth to ask another question but I stop when I feel a presence behind me. I whip around, ready to fight.
“Hey.” It’s AJ.
“Oh … uh … hi.” I blush, putting my arms back down at my sides. “Sorry. With everything going on I get a bit … paranoid.”
“No worries. I understand. How are you holding up?” Seems like AJ has snapped out of his odd staring phase. I really hope he doesn’t have the virus.
“Not so good. Hey, have you seen River?”
“Oh, uh, some of the other infected kids were taken to some other side of the camp. They were given blue wrist bands, I think because they were mostly the rich kids of celebrities and the government from our school. They’re probably top priority or something and can get help or even a cure.”
“Is there a cure?” I ask, excited.
“Not that I’ve heard of. If there is, I’m sure it’s top secret. You know how it goes. The rich and famous taken care of first.”
I sigh because I do know it’s true. It was like that in school, why would it be any different in a world of crisis? “How come you’re not sick?” My memory flashes back to the blood seeping from his nose as he was carried onto the bus with the other sick kids.
“I was able to fight it off somehow.”
“Really? Then there is hope for the others. We’ve got to get out of her.”
“Where are you guys going?” AJ asks.
“To get our parents. They need us.” Dad … he’s going to be tough to get. “I don’t know how, but we have find them.”
“I might know a way.” AJ grins.
“What’s the plan?”
AJ keeps smiling while he tells me he overheard the guards say something about flying the blue band kids out of here. Although the planes haven’t arrived yet, he’s not so sure how much time we have before it’s time to go. If we get some blue bands, we’ll be able to get onto the planes.
The plan sounds good. Just hop on the plane with the other kids and land near the NASA base where my dad works. I’m sure they want to get those rich kids there as soon as possible. But … my mom. I still need to get her and boarding a plane might stop me from reaching her.
I need a revised plan.
Before the planes take off, I need to get my mom.
None of the kids inside here has attacked us or anyone else. At least not yet. If I take Willow with me, there’s no telling what we’ll come across. My experience so far tells me it might not be easy to fight and watch out for my little sister. If she comes with me, I’ll be putting her right in the line of danger. If something happened … I would never be able to forgive myself. At the base, kids aren’t going crazy like the adults.
“Willow, give me a minute to speak with AJ.”
We walk a short distance away from her. “I can’t take her out there. It’s not safe. Can you watch her in here?”
“Yeah. Unless you want me to get your mom?”
I laugh, then blush.
“What?”
“My mom is …” I pause. Has she really lost her mind? “She doesn’t like strangers.”
“Oh. I can watch Willow.”
“Promise you’ll keep her safe?”
“I promise.”
We head back over to Willow. “Willow, you’re going to stay here with AJ.” Willow looks up at me with surprised eyes. “AJ, can you get those blue bands and a guard uniform?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“If they start to load the planes before I get back, get on them without me and make sure to get Willow to my dad.”
He rests his hand on my shoulder. “She’ll be okay with me. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
For a moment, a wave of calm washes over me while I look into his eyes. I know I can trust him.
I lean down and kiss my sister goodbye. “Make sure you listen to AJ, okay? He’s going to keep you safe. I’ll be back soon with Mom and we’ll go see Dad.”
Willow nods in agreement and hugs me tightly. I hold on for a minute longer, then pull away.
Chapter Thirteen
Moving around the base is easy as long as I have a guard walking me. The guard with me now doesn’t talk much and has a beard that would make any hipster from Brooklyn proud. He’s stocky and about my height, but there’s no question he isn’t one to be messed with.
My thoughts drift to AJ who now has the responsibility of Willow. I’m not sure how he’ll handle the other tasks, but I have a feeling he’ll do okay. In the last ten minutes, I’ve spoken to him more than my whole time at school.
The bike is right where I left it, not stolen, thank god. I take out my cell phone and put in the address for navigation. The internet is working for now, but I take screenshots of the directions just in case. Willow and AJ are both supposed to call me if anything happens or if they find out when the planes are leaving. I just hope I’m able to receive the calls.
It’s weird. After all these years in school, this is the first time I’ve actually gotten AJ’s number. Good thing it only took the end of the world for me to have it. River would be proud.
I really hope AJ is right about River getting help for the virus. If it’s true, then that means there is some sort of cure and we won’t end up like the extinct species in the museum. We might not even have to fly out to outer space like my dad said.
As I’m riding the bike, I glance down at the golden honey gem bracelet Willow gave me. As the stones catch the sun, a feeling of familiarity comes over me, as if I’ve seen something like them before. But, I can’t quite put my finger on it.
What if Willow was telling the truth? I mean I know I saw her glow. That wasn’t something she was making up. Then again, there is a deadly unknown virus going around, s
o seeing my younger sister glowing could be a side effect. It’s just too much for me to even try to understand.
I look at the bracelet again and decide to keep it on. Although I don’t know what’s happening, standing by my sister is always my best option. I need to focus on my mom now anyway; when I get to her the real fun begins.
The mental institution comes into view, much to my relief. I really didn’t want to get too far from the base. I haven’t heard from AJ or Willow yet, so I can assume the planes haven’t arrived yet.
In front of the institute, my mother is standing with her bags. There isn’t anyone else around her, which is surprising since she’s supposed to be supervised at all times. Her hair is in a messy knot on top of her head, she’s wearing a dirty pink robe, and layers of clothing. Nothing about her appearance surprises me.
“What took you so long?” she huffs with her arms crossed and a pissed off glare. “And why do you have blood on you? Are you sick? You can’t be.”
I look down at my pants and see blood splattered all over them. “No, Mom. I’ll explain later. I don’t have the virus. Do you?”
Her laugh is high pitched and menacing. “Of course I don’t have the virus.”
“You can’t bring all those bags.” The woman actually has four bags with her. I look at my bike and know there’s no way for everything to fit.
“But I need it all.”
“Why?”
“To stop the Shadow Men, Paige!” She waves her arms up towards the sky and I notice the golden honey gems catching the sunlight. She’s wearing the same bracelet I am.
“Mom. Where did you get that bracelet?”
“Brooke. And I see you have yours as well.”
“Brooke was here?”
“Of course, she was! She’s not going to skip out on visiting her own mother! Now … where’s Willow?”
I tell her my plan as quickly as possible, trying to remind her we have to get going. When I finish she doesn’t move, but only gets a wild look in her eyes. “You left her by herself! Are you kidding me?!”
She then starts pacing back and forth while holding her hands in the air and acting as if she’s playing an invisible floating keyboard. Then she begins the chants I’m all too familiar with. The same chants she used to do in the basement of our house when she was having one of her episodes.
I decide to be productive and start going through her bag while she finishes up. Most of it is junk with the exception of a few outfits and some food. “Mom. Why do you need all –”
A woman’s shriek cuts me off. I look around to find the source, but when I hear it again, I figure out it’s coming from inside the institution. Then I hear more shrieks and shrills and crying, all from inside.
“Mom! Get away from the entrance! Do people in there have the virus?”
“Yes.”
I become alert and take out my sword, waiting to see if anyone emerges. No one does, and I keep hearing the calls for help. I quickly figure out why when I examine the door more. A wooden plank has been hammered across it.
“Do you like my handy work?” My mom asks, coming up next to me. “Your dad never thought I could do anything helpful with tools, but clearly I did an excellent job.”
“You did that? Why?”
“To stop them from coming out.” I look up and see the barred windows all along the building. It does seem like anyone is going to be able to get out.
I hear more commotion and screaming from the door. Part of the door comes off and hands start to pull at the wooden plank. A face appears through the door, and she doesn’t look sick. Neither do the other faces that also pop up. They just look terrified.
“HELP ME!” The first woman that appeared starts wailing. “HELP US! DON’T LEAVE US HERE TO DIE!” Her pale face begins to turn colors, first red then blue. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not seeing things. Hands suddenly grab the woman by the throat and pull her back into the institution. I continue to hear her screams as she’s dragged away.
“Mom, I thought you said they had the virus. The infected are killing those that aren’t.”
“Well, most of them. Come on, we have to go. You’re already late,” she says walking to my bike. I try to catch up with her.
“What?”
“Most of them have the virus. “
“Why are they going crazy like that?”
“Because they were crazy to start off with.” She smiles wickedly. Mom changed since she went in the home. She got worse.
“Why aren’t we sick?”
She reaches into one of her bags, mumbling about showing me something. “Because of this.” She pulls out a bag of dirt.
I let out a frustrated sigh. I can’t believe I fell for the things she was telling me. For a moment, I actually thought she was making sense and knew what she was talking about. But no, she’s still my weird mother who believes dirt has the power to cure the virus.
There’s a crash above us. I look up and see a second-floor window smashed open and people trying to jump out.
They’re all looking down at us. “Help!”
I want to help them.
Screaming fills my ears, coming from the side of the house. I look and see a man in a hospital gown running towards us. I reach for my sword, then hear a loud bang and he falls to the ground. I turn and see my mom holding a gun with a twisted smile on her face.
“Perfect. Got one.”
“Where did you get that?”
“Brooke gave it to me.” She smiles more. I roll my eyes, I really don’t have time for this. I grab a bag and throw it on the bike.
“You know, I really wish you got a car. That would be a little easier than this. I wish you thought things through more.”
“We need to get going! Pick a bag and let’s get out of here.”
She hands me the gun and starts to go through all her stuff. I’m just relieved I have the gun now and not her. She’s in a mood, tutting as she has to pick one thing over the other, but she’s lucky I’m even letting her do it.
“Paige, shoot her!”
“Huh?” I look at her trying to figure out what she’s talking about. I follow where she’s pointing and see a woman slowly approaching us. She doesn’t look sick nor like she wants to attack us.
“Please help me …” she says barely above a whisper. “Don’t shoot.” She put her hands up while still slowly approaching us.
“Paige! Shoot her!”
I don’t do anything. She could be an innocent woman just looking for help. I know we can’t really help her, but that doesn’t mean I have to be inhumane towards her. Then, I watch as her face screws into a horrible look, her eyes begin to bulge, and her mouth turns into a creepy grin.
“HELP ME!!!” she begins to scream at the top of her lungs.
“MOM, LETS GO!” We’ve waited long enough. I grab her bag and hop onto the bike. Reluctantly my mom jumps on, too. I put the gun in my bag and the bike lurches forward, ready to get the heck out of there.
This doesn’t stop the infected woman; she sprints towards us while screaming something I can’t understand. Without hesitation, my mom grabs my sword from my bag and swings it at the woman, slashing it across her horrid face.
We leave the woman bleeding and screaming on the ground, driving ahead while not looking back.
Chapter Fourteen
I glance over my shoulder and can’t see the institution any longer. Finally, I’m able to breathe knowing we left all the insanity behind us. Well, except for my insane mom. I pull over on the side of the road and turn off the bike. There’s something about my mother having my sword that doesn’t feel right to me.
“Mom, can I have the sword back?”
“Can I have my gun back?”
“Mom! You gave me your gun.”
“Then I took the sword.”
“Why do you need the sword?”
“You’re not the only one that needs protection, Paige.”
“You have me to protect you; you don�
�t need a weapon.”
She opens her mouth to say something else, probably to tell me how irresponsible I am, but then she stops. A look of panic crosses her face.
“Mom … what’s wrong?”
Ignoring me, she goes to her bag and starts ripping through it. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
“Mom, what is it?”
“It can’t be … it can’t, it can’t. It’s not here!” She bangs her hands against her head and proceeds to pull out her hair. “It’s not here!”
I’m too scared to ask what’s she’s talking about. It’s never good when she’s in a state like this.
“Paige, we have to go back.”
“What? Are you –” Insane.
“We have to! The … the calling device. I need to contact Brooke! It’s the only way I can. I have to call her once we’re altogether. Without it I won’t be able to!”
“Mom, we can’t go back there. We just barely got out alive. We have to get to Willow.”
“We’ll all be dead if I don’t go back.”
“No.”
She blinks at me a couple times, looking as if she wants to hit me. The two of us stare at each other, neither woman willing to back down. Then, she grabs her bag and takes off running towards the institution. It can never be easy with her.
“Come back!” I yell, knowing it’s useless. I look ahead, where we need to go in order to get to Willow, and everything freezes.
A silver disk hovers in the sky. It looks like it could be a plane, but in reality, I know a plane doesn’t look like that. The only other thing it could be is a UFO. A spaceship. Something not of this world.
It continues to hover in the sky.
“Mom! They’re here!” I shudder to think all the gibberish my mom was saying earlier was right. As fast as I can, I turn the bike around towards my mother and catch up to her. “Mom, look.”
Mom stares at the spaceship and fear washes over her.