Amoeba (The Experiments)

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Shoveling out?” Jake was groggy.

  “Yeah, it stopped ashing.”

  “Cal, it’ll rain in a day or two, and that’ll wash it away.”

  “Yeah I know.” She shrugged. “But we’re bored. Go back to sleep.”

  “Get me in an hour?”

  “Yeah.” She moved to the door when she saw Jake lay back down. The cold air that was so inconsistent with a tropical island’s weather pelted her when she stepped outside. How eerie and gloomy everything looked. So gray. She stepped off her porch into the ash that lay as thick as two feet of snow. She saw Lou, gun in one hand, food in the other, walking across the unity circle. He must have taken a break from the roof to get his food. “Hey, Lou,” she called to him.

  Lou chuckled, lifted his hand in a wave as he spoke. “Look at you ready for winter. Is there anything you and Jake didn’t prepare for?” Shaking his head, he walked to his bungalow.

  At that moment Cal wanted to tell him, ‘yeah, a pregnancy’ but she didn’t. After seeing Reed and Judge getting a good laugh from Rickie who was lying on the ground making ash angels, she walked to Billy who was staring at the ground.

  “Hi.” She tapped him on the shoulder.

  Billy looked over his shoulder at her. “Just the girl I wanted to see.”

  “Uh oh.”

  “Funny.”

  “What’s up? Oh, wait, bad question to ask you.”

  “Ha, ha, ha. Look at this foot print I found.” Billy pointed to the ground. “Do you think it’s possible that bigfoot lives . . . Cal? What’s wrong?” He saw her waving her hand in front of her face.

  “Whew. Warn me next time. . .” Cal’s eyes widened and her eyes shifted to the ground. “Shit.”

  “Cal!” Lou called out.

  Cal looked up to see Lou standing on his roof aiming toward her bungalow. As soon as Cal spun her head pulling her M-16 in front of her, she saw what she hadn’t saw in four years. A Stasis. On the roof of her bungalow. Thin gray hair covered its grotesque and distorted muscular seven-foot frame. Large fangs protruded from the mouth that seemed to smile a slobbering smile at Cal before it stepped back out of her sight. “Jake!” she screamed out. “Jake, get out of the bungalow! Jake!” She ran, unable to see the Stasis anymore, fearing it had jumped inside. “Jake!” She pumped the chamber.

  Jake opened the door and came flying out. “Cal, what’s wrong?”

  “Jake, get out of the . . .”

  The familiar and shrill beastly growl rang out as its warning cry. Jake had only taken a step and had barely looked behind him when the Stasis charged from out of their bungalow, lunging for Jake, picking him up by his throat, and tossing him out off the porch into the unity circle. The second Jake crashed with a lifeless roll and a bellow of ash, gunfire rang out from Cal and Lou, searing into the Stasis, but it didn’t faze him. He stepped from the porch after Jake.

  Jake slowly tried to pick himself up from the ground, raising his head and catching sight of the stasis at the same time he heard another one cry out. His head shifted, and he saw one coming over the grade. “Cal!”

  Cal spun, and it was right behind Billy. “Billy, run!”

  Billy saw it, heard it, and smelled it, and he charged out of the way, nearly bumping into Rickie who had raced forward toward the newest Stasis, growling at it as it growled at him.

  Then Cal saw it. It moved with speed toward Jake who had just stood up. Firing out once, then giving up, Cal charged towards the Stasis, pulling her Stasis knife from her belt and leaping on its back seconds before it swept its clawed hand down at Jake. She held on to the beast with her legs and one arm. It shrugged its body violently trying to get her off, but like a warrior, Cal raised her arm high, and plunged the knife into the neck of the Stasis. It cried out painfully, tossing its arms out and arching its back. Then Cal released the guillotine blade sending the head of the beast flying forward and causing its huge body to jolt and spin in its last headless neurological moment before it dropped lifeless and still to the ground.

  Jake stumbled through the blood covered ash toward Cal, reaching his hand to her face and kissing her. “Thank you.”

  Cal smiled and shoved her M-16 at him. “I’ll go get another. Behind you, Jake.”

  The moment Jake took the weapon and Cal backed up was the moment he heard yet another cry. Spinning around and pumping the chamber, Jake fired at close range directly into the third charging Stasis. It backed up from the oncoming bullets that not only hit him from the front but from the back.

  Somehow knowing it was nearing defeat, the Stasis cried out, swung out its arm, knocked Jake’s weapon to the side, and turned and took off running into the woods.

  Cal leaped from the porch with her weapon seeing the one Stasis running into the trees. Hearing what sounded like two wild dogs fighting, she looked to her right to see small Rickie and a Stasis in a battling roll on the ground.

  She met up with Jake and charged Rickie’s way. They stopped at the same time, stood side by side, raised their weapons high, and waited for an opportunity, an opportunity that never came. Blasting out its beastly cry, the Stasis tossed Rickie and jumped to his feet. Rickie rolled into the feet of Cal and Jake. Then the Stasis, like the other, bolted, shielded its head from the gunfire, and ran into the woods.

  Jake stopped firing and reached down to Rickie. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, Sarge.” Rickie swayed as he stood up. “Guy, like, I amaze myself for how strong I am.”

  “Me, too.” Jake grinned. “Rickie, feel like chasing them with me? We have a bloody trail to follow.”

  “Sarge, like, I’d love it,” Rickie said with excitement.

  Jake looked at Cal. “Cal, you have to . . .”

  “Here.” She handed her weapon to Rickie and smiled at him. “Lou and I will keep guard here. Go get them.”

  Jake kissed her on the cheek and moved backwards. “Stay inside, stay armed, and stay with Billy. Not like he’ll be any help, but I don’t want him dying.” Jake ran to the path looking up to Lou. “Reload and stay on guard!” He ordered, then charged into the woods with Rickie following the well patterned bloody trail.

  Cal folded her arms close to her body watching Jake and Rickie disappear.

  “Cal.” Billy walked up behind her. “You all right?”

  “Fine. You?”

  “Fine. You were amazing.” Billy laid his arm around her shoulders., and the second he did so, Cal turned into him, leaning against him. At first Billy hesitated, then he put his arm around her. “What’s wrong?”

  Cal shook her head. “Nothing.” She let out a deep breath of relief. “I just needed to stop for a second.” She lifted her head and stepped back.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go inside.” Cal turned her body and moved toward her bungalow. The whole time she kept looking to the woods, knowing that Jake would be fine, but unable to stop worrying so much for him.

  ^^^^

  Ollie was perturbed as he shut off Stan’s loud music. “Do you mind?” He asked with a snap.

  “Yeah.” Stan walked back over to the player and turned it back on. He bobbed his head all the way back to the center counter.

  Ollie huffed from the counter back over to the boom box. “This is so ridiculous. This either stays low or shuts off . . .” He turned it off.

  Stan turned it on. “Stop it.”

  “Or we compromise. You hear me young man. I cannot work or concentrate with this racket.” Ollie noticed the struggle with Stan over the music had stopped, and Stan stared down to the phone. “What’s wrong?”

  Stan looked at the steady blinking red light. “Why isn’t Curtis answering down in monitoring?”

  “Maybe he went to the bathroom.”

  “Still?”

  “What do you mean still?”

  “When I changed the tape fifteen minutes ago, Caldwell was calling him.”

  Ollie looked at the phone. “Should we pick it up?”

  “No. We’re bu
sy. Maybe he has the ringer off.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Now . . . music.” Stan reached for the switch.

  “No.” Ollie smacked his hand.

  “Music.”

  “No.”

  The adult male game of hand slapping patty cake was interrupted when what sounded like a bang against the cabinet door came from the room. Both Ollie and Stan turned at the same time to see what the noise was, and both Ollie and Stan jumped back when they saw why Curtis hadn’t answered the phone. Curtis stared up at them, wide-eyed, mouth open, only something was missing from Curtis. The rest of his body. Only his head lay, a blood smear by it, was on the floor. Before either one of them could say anything, an arm came flying in.

  Stan flew across the room. “I’ll get the gun! Shut that door!”

  Ollie raced as fast as he could, his trembling hand reaching to the side, gripping the door, but before he could slam it shut, the snarling growl blasted him and then so did the claw of the Stasis.

  The Stasis ripped straight through Ollie’s large gut, lifting a heavy Ollie up from the ground. Ollie’s body jolted and shook, and blood sprayed on the face of the Stasis. A loud ripping sound rang out as the Stasis tossed Ollie away, gutting him as he did.

  Stan trembled, pulling at the desk drawer in a hurry. He could barely pick up the revolver when the Stasis charged his way. He got one shot out, and then the Stasis swung out his arm sending Stan’s gun flying. Stan moved to the right, and the Stasis followed. As the beastly arms reached for Stan with an attacking claw, Jake’s voice rang in the room.

  “Blast him, Rickie!” Both Rickie and Jake opened fire on the Stasis. The force of the bullets turned the Stasis to face them, and Jake and Rickie blasted it some more in the center of its chest and head. “He’s going down!” Jake told Rickie, then dropped his M-16, raced forward, and using the center counter as a single step, Jake leaped up and out, sailing his body into the Stasis. Not only did the weight of Jake’s body slam the Stasis back a few feet, but the Stasis grabbed on to Jake, and both of them crashed with a mighty force out of the window directly behind them. The body of the Stasis broke Jake’s fall as they landed hard to the ash filled ground two stories down. Finding himself on top of the Stasis, staring at the large teeth that spread wide in a reaching bite towards him, Jake grabbed his knife, and with all his strength careened it through the front of the Stasis’ throat, unlatched the guillotine, and severed the Stasis’ head.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  Caldwell Research Center - Los Angeles, CA

  July 10th - 4:00 p.m.

  “This is not the Holiday Inn,” Greg huffed to the maintenance man as they stood in the back of the control room. “If they want accommodations like this, then they ought to stay at a fuckin hotel and not in our quarters.” Greg ran his hand over his own head. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Just do what you can.”

  The somewhat frightened maintenance man made his quick exit.

  Dr. Jefferson walked up to Greg. “It’s not his fault.”

  “I know.” Perturbed, Greg looked over his shoulder at the loud investors who chomped on pizza, drank beer, and watched the monitors. “I just wasn’t expecting this. Two more controllers dead.”

  “It’s very hard to take. I know. I was in your shoes last experiment when we lost our entire controller staff. Plus, I don’t think you were expecting to lose two Stasis’ in one day.”

  “No.” Greg shook his head. “But, there’s still one out there. Jake can’t find him and neither can our satellites. He’ll show back up.”

  “Do you suppose that’s what they’re waiting for?” Dr. Jefferson twitched his head to the investors.

  “I suppose. Awfully convenient how they showed up, wouldn’t you say?” Greg raised an eyebrow.

  “I would say. All five, too. And look how happy they are. I wonder why?”

  “I’ll tell you why,” Greg said with irritation. “Because there were two kills today, and neither of them were one of their participants.” He grunted. “I’d be a happy camper, too.” Tossing his hands up, Greg put on a fake pleased look and headed back to what he felt was the lion’s pit when he walked back into the air space of the investors.

  I-S.E. Thirteen - The Island

  July 10th - 5:20 p.m.

  There were three reasons that Jake showered and cleaned up at Rickie’s bungalow. One, he knew Cal hated it when he was covered in blood. Two, Cal was in the bathroom. And three, the biggest reason, Rickie’s tub was so dirty that what fell from Jake’s body would hardly go noticed.

  Even though the small cut above his eye still bled some, Jake was clean, and he headed into his bungalow, ready to see Cal, wanting to share the good news and the bad news with her, and wanting pretty much to fool around. He was still feeling that rush from when Cal saved his life.

  Figuring he couldn’t offend her by smelling or looking bad, Jake reached for the bathroom door when he heard the shower running. It was locked. He tried it again just to be certain because Cal never locked the bathroom door. “Cal?” He knocked.

  “Be out in a second.”

  “I don’t want you to come out, I want to come in. The door’s locked, babe.”

  “I know.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m taking a shower.”

  “And I’m missing it. Cal?” He heard the water shut off. “Fuck.” He spoke quietly to himself.

  “One second, Jake.”

  Tossing his hands up, Jake backed up and sat on the bed. He stared at the shut door.

  A few seconds later, the door opened, and Cal walked out wearing a robe. “Sorry.”

  “Why was the bathroom door locked?”

  “Privacy.”

  “From who?”

  Cal moved to her dresser laying her tee shirt and shorts on top. “I just . . . Jake?” She stepped to him. “Oh, look at your eye.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Did you clean it?”

  “Of course. I’m clean, right.” He felt Cal’s hands touch his face and he closed his eyes. “You smell good.”

  Cal giggled. “I just showered.”

  “Cal, you saved my life today.” Jake softened his voice and laid his hands on her hips.

  Cal pushed his hands away. “I just helped.”

  Jake replaced his hands on her hips. “Cal?” He pulled her into him, putting his head near to her chest and with his mouth found the opening at the top of her robe.

  “Jake, stop.” Cal stepped back. “I’m trying to see your eye.”

  “And I’m trying to be seductive here.” Jake’s huge hands gripped her hips tighter and pulled her back. “Cal, come on hon, what’s wrong? It’s been almost two weeks.” Again. Jake ran his lips softly on her chest.

  “Jake. No.”

  “Cal, come on. You know what I get like when we have an exciting day. We’ve had a few and you’ve been denying me. I’m getting a complex.” His hands searched the front of her robe.

  “Jake, my body has been tired.”

  “I’ll do all the work,” Jake whispered, grabbing the edges of the lower portion of her robe.

  “Jake.” Cal giggled his name. “Stop.” Her hands fought to move his insistent and roaming ones.

  “Cal.” He complained her name reaching in her robe.

  “Jake. No.” She tried to grab his wrist and pull him out.

  “Please?” Hands touched upon the bare skin of her hips.

  “Jake. No.” Cal struggled.

  “Cal just . . .” Jake’s hands stopped cold and his head sprang up. “Cal?”

  “See!” She shouted, smacked his hands and spun around. In her race away she snatched up her clothes, ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

  Jake’s hands were still extended outward, only touching cool air where her body once was. He blinked several times, holding them out. “Cal.” He called out her name.

  “One second.” She mumbled something uninterpretable and then the door opened. Cal emerged wearing the tee shirt
and shorts. “I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”

  “Stop.” Jake called to her.

  “Jake, I’m really . . .”

  “Stop!” He yelled as she reached for the door. “Get back here.”

  “Jake, I’d really rather . . .”

  “Cal!” Jake wiggled his finger to her. “Now please.”

  Almost stomping, Cal headed back to him. “What?”

  “Lift that shirt.”

  “No!”

  “Cal, lift that shirt.”

  “No!”

  “Lift that fuckin shirt now, Cal!”

  “All right!” Cal stepped closer to him and lifted the shirt to just below her breasts. “There.”

  Jake gasped and nearly fell backwards when he saw her.

  “Satisfied?”

  “No.” Jake saw her lower the shirt. “Lift it again.” When she did, Jake, in a slanted walk, eyes peered low, moved closer to view a small but protruding round belly. “Wh . . . wh . . When?” His index finger poked the small stomach that started below her belly button and rounded out like a normal pregnant woman. Jake let out a tiny peep when he felt the firmness of it. “When?”

  “About two weeks ago I started to show a little, then bam. It seemed like every day I woke up I got bigger and bigger. Can I lower my shirt now?”

  “No.” Jake dropped to his knees. “Two weeks now. It’s not been this big for two weeks. I think I would have known.”

  “Not for two weeks, no. For three days it’s been this big and I’ll tell you, it’s been difficult hiding it from you. Why do you think I didn’t fight with you about going today? I know I can’t. I can’t.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “Sorry.”

  Jake’s hand reached out, fingers spread, and he laid his hand palm flush on her stomach. Slowly he felt it. “I cannot believe you didn’t share this with me.” His eyes stayed glued to her stomach as he felt it.

  “Do you blame me?”