Will nodded and took a sip of his drink. ‘Monica’ had found her way to Australian slang. She was adapting faster than the others. Based on her composure and the rowdy scene behind him, Will decided that she was the alien in charge. He could’ve easily overpowered her in this moment. The others would be slow to react and he could be out of the building before they’d even looked up from their drinks. But her human, female form irked him. This was Tom’s mum. He cursed this hesitation. The real Monica was in mortal danger and yet he still couldn’t deliver her a body a few bruises, for her life.
He had to find another way.
Will thought of the Doc and then realised he hadn’t seen her since the beginning of the night. He looked around and saw her at the opposite side of the room, crouched down in front of Tom, or the body of Tom. Will grunted with disapproval.
“What is the matter William?” ‘Monica’ asked.
“Uh, the Doc’s drink is empty,” He muttered.
“Unacceptable,” ‘Monica’ said, a knowing twinkle in her eye.
“Right.”
Will strode over to the Doc. He stood over her and ‘Tom’. “What’s up, Doc?”
Natalie didn’t react. She kept her eyes locked with the aliens. “I was just explaining to Tom here, that drinking alcohol isn’t good for children.” She said, calmly.
“Seems like a lost cause.”
A cheer went up through the crowd of aliens on the other side of the room. Natalie stood and looked over, her brow creased with worry.
“Are they-”
“You’re welcome,” Will said, hearing the slight slur in his own voice.
Natalie pulled him aside, out of ear shot of ‘Tom’.
“How did you know that would work?”
“I didn’t. It hasn’t. Monica isn’t drinking.”
“She’s adapting quickly. But I have an idea.”
Will nodded. “So do I.”
20
“Come on Tom, let’s go and talk to your mother,” Natalie said.
Will had already disappeared back into the drunken crowd. His natural habitat. Natalie found ‘Monica’, watching pensively from the sidelines. She got into her line of sight and casually strode over.
“I believe this belongs to you,” Natalie said cheerily.
‘Monica’s’ eyes flicked to ‘Tom’ and then back to Natalie. Natalie could feel the intensity of her gaze. It was decidedly inhuman and probing, looking for whatever angle would work best. Natalie matched the stare and subtly moved her body into ‘Monica’s’ posture. When she had been talking to Tom, she had noticed something. His hand positions always matched her own. Then she remembered something she’d read in the cafe, if she mimicked a mind swapper’s body language, like ‘Monica’, she could lull her into a relaxed state.
‘Monica’, as the leader, needed to be isolated. In theory, alone, her defences would crumble.
“Thank you, Dr. Natalie Kyle. Are you enjoying the evening?”
“Yes, of course Monica Farrell,” Natalie said, her tone the same dull evenness of ‘Monica’s’.
For the next few minutes, Natalie did exactly as her research had told her. Mimicry should dull the senses of a mind swapper, until they became so relaxed they would become suggestible. Natalie noticed the muscles in ‘Monica’s’ face relax. She asked ‘Monica’ to accompany her outside for some fresh air.
Natalie’s heart pounded erratically as she waited for a response. ‘Tom’ stared blankly at the space between them. The slurring voices of the aliens filled the room.
“Of course,” ‘Monica’ said, and then gave a dull smile.
Natalie mimicked the smile.
“Wait here, Tom,” Natalie said, very quietly.
It was hard for her to remember he was an enemy. Her brain couldn’t be convinced. She wanted to pick him up and run both of them out of the town hall to safety.
Natalie refocused on ‘Monica’, lulled into a receptive state, she lead her towards the door. Each footstep increased the tension building inside of Natalie. If she could just get ‘Monica’ outside and away from the other aliens, she might be able to get away and get to the portal, where the real Tom was.
They headed out through double doors and onto the concrete ramp. Wolfgang wagged his tail eagerly and rushed to Natalie’s side. He sniffed at ‘Monica’s’ hand.
‘Monica’s’ eyes snapped to attention.
A hollow laugh came from deep in her throat. “Interesting technique.” She said.
Natalie’s stomach dropped. She turned to face ‘Monica’ now, her hand on Wolfgang. The doors were shut behind them and they were alone in the flickering white light.
“You really insist on making my job a lot harder don’t you, Dr. Natalie Kyle?”
Natalie heard a metallic growl in the distance. Wolfgang growled.
“Ah yes, your canine companion. We did consider them as hosts but found they lacked… authority.”
Natalie inwardly cursed her stupidity. As another species, Wolfgang would once again jerk ‘Monica’ into alertness. She shouldn’t have taken her to the front of the building, but the back.
“You can’t stay here. Humans notice when a whole town disappears,” Natalie said, forcing her voice to be strong and clear.
She eyed the door behind ‘Monica’ and took stock of her situation. She was unarmed, but she had Wolfgang. At any moment a tail could shoot out from the darkness and paralyse her. She definitely wouldn’t have time to inject herself with serum in time. ‘Monica’ was taller than her but also skinnier, like a twig. Natalie had never fought anyone before in her life. She had to get back inside, and she had to do that by playing nice. She thought about pretending that she too was mind swapped, but she knew that ‘Monica’ would never buy it.
“Is that so? From what I hear, humans don’t tend to notice very much at all,” ‘Monica’ said, and bared her teeth. “Like your partner in there. He hasn’t seemed to notice that you’re in danger.” ‘Monica’ took a step towards Natalie, her hands stretched out, claw like. Her movements were no longer human. But devolved, and menacing.
Natalie’s mind whirled with plan after plan which she dismissed just as quickly. She took a step back. Wolfgang bared his teeth, and his hackles went up.
The door burst open behind ‘Monica’. Will appeared, his gun pointed at ‘Monica’s’ head.
The gun clicked. “I bet you know what this does,” He said.
‘Monica’ snarled. “You wouldn’t hurt the hosts body,” She said, still looking at Natalie.
“I really wouldn’t bet on that,” Natalie said. “Will, there’s slugs close by,” She added.
Will grunted. “Step inside the building,” He growled.
“Actually, we should keep her separated,” Natalie said.
“Right, grab her arms.”
Reluctantly, Natalie grabbed ‘Monica’s’ arms and pulled them behind her back. While still holding the gun level, Will rifled around in his various pockets. Finally, he pulled out some wrist clamps. He chucked them to Natalie, she caught them, one handed. If she wasn’t so terrified she would’ve felt impressed with herself. Natalie slipped them around ‘Monica’s’ wrists and pressed the tightening lock into place. The clamps solidified and tightened to a point where they would impossible to escape but that also wouldn’t cut off circulation.
“You’re too late,” ‘Monica’ said.
Natalie looked to Will who shrugged. He had no idea what she was talking about either.
The door to the town hall opened and the entire town was crowded around it, they were no longer swaying or laughing.
“How did William Sanderson get his gun?” ‘Monica’ hissed.
“William Sanderson appeared drunk. Like you wanted,” Said a man at the front of the crowd.
Will leapt into action. He grabbed the doors and slammed them shut, holding them together.
“Find something to bar it with!” He shot over his shoulder.
“Wolfgang fetch!” Natali
e yelled.
Wolfgang darted off into the darkness. He appeared moments later holding a thick branch. He ran up the steps and wagged his tail.
“Good boy,” Natalie said.
She let go of ‘Monica’, grabbed the branch and handed it to Will. He thread it through the doors.
“It won’t hold long. Let’s go.”
“What about Monica?”
“Leave her.”
Will leapt off the ramp and took off. Natalie scrambled after him. She glanced behind her as she ran and saw ‘Monica’ on her knees, her mouth was open in a silent scream.
“Good bloody luck, your humans will be disposed of by now!” She shrieked.
Natalie put her head down, and ran after Will, towards the park and the portal.
21
Will fired off a shot into the darkness. The growls were growing louder and more frequent. Natalie kept her head down and ran down the road, now slick with rain she hadn’t heard during the party. There were clearly still some mind swappers inside their original, slug form. Natalie was grateful that the town was small, alarmingly small. After just a day of being there, she knew where the park was. Natalie pushed her legs to catch up to Will, he wasn’t making it easy on her.
“Will,” She said breathlessly.
He didn’t respond.
“Monica said- she said-” Natalie had to put her head down and run to catch up again.
“I heard,” Will said, not nearly as out of breath as Natalie was.
Natalie swallowed down the dread quickly rising through her. So she hadn’t misheard ‘Monica’. The people of Quuorn, or, at least their minds, might not actually be alive when they got there.
“You must’ve known,” Will said, after a beat.
“I did… I just-”
Will grunted. “Yeah, well this is real life.”
Natalie kept quiet and focused on running. Her mind filled with the face of Tom. Wolfgang barked and a tail shot out of the darkness. Natalie leapt, higher than she ever had, out of the way. Will fired off a two more shots and something shrieked. The night grew quiet then, but for their frantic footfalls on the road.
When they reached the park, they both slowed their pace. There was no way to know what was waiting for them.
They approached the portal from the North side of the park. Natalie could feel the static in the air from the portal, making her hairs on her arms stand on end. Wolfgang was twitchy beside her. She patted his head to calm them both.
They ran from tree to tree, Will had his gun raised. When the portal came into view, Natalie gasped. She’d seen many portals since the Newton’s Gate incident, but they always took her breath away. There was something mystical about them. Especially at night, with their eerie blue glow. They were something magical, that her scientist brain couldn’t reconcile with her inner child. Will crouched behind a white gum tree and beckoned her over. She could see the same two police officers she had spoken to earlier, the ones that she had called, just outside the portal. Their voices drifted out into the park.
“How bloody long does it take to get to Quuorn,” Frank said.
“They’re coming from Queensland,” Hannah said.
“You couldn’t of found a closer buyer? We don’t know how long the portal will last and I can’t be here all weekend. The Mrs will kill me.”
“Not at this price. Trust me, Sarah will be be thanking you when she’s sitting in her new car.”
“Her new car?” Frank laughed. “That’ll be my new car.”
“Whatever. They’ll get here when they get here and then we’ll be set. First access to a portal is always worth a decent buck.”
Will glared at Natalie. Her cheeks heated but she pretended not to notice his look.
“How are we going to get past them?” She asked.
“I can take them.”
“You’re going to attack two armed police officers?”
Will leapt out from behind the tree and bolted towards the portal. His steps were silent and fast like a jaguar. Wolfgang sprang out from beside Natalie and chased after him. Natalie cursed under her breath and followed. Her heart pounded louder than her feet. The cops could pull their guns and shoot them at any moment.
Will didn’t slow as he approached. When Hannah was halfway through her yell, he had rammed full force into Frank, sending him and Will through the portal. Wolfgang leapt in behind them and then that left Natalie and the female cop, Hannah.
“You!” She screeched, scrambling for her gun.
Natalie squeezed her eyes shut and ran right into the woman. Following Will’s lead, she pushed Hannah through the portal into a new world. They hit the ground, hard.
After a moment, Natalie opened her eyes. She gasped in mouthfuls of air. It was textured differently and it took a few moments for her lungs adjust. Her chest and arms ached from the impact. She struggled to get to her feet.. Hannah was unconscious. Natalie looked at Will, he was holding the collar of Frank, as she watched, he delivered a blow and that cop too, fell unconscious. Breathing heavily, and with a wild look in his eye, he met Natalie’s, and then saw the cop on the ground. His eyes widened.
“What?” Natalie asked.
“Nothin’,” He said.
Wolfgang manoeuvred himself beneath Natalie’s hand. She looked around at the world within the portal and despite the terror and the pressure, her mind began to expand with possibilities.
“Let’s go,” Will grunted.
Natalie nodded and tried to gather herself.
“Judging by the way the slugs hunt, we’re probably looking for some kind of nest. A safe place to bring their paralysed prey,” She said.
“Yeah, I know where they are.”
Will reloaded his gun, he then briefly scanned the horizon and took off at a jog. Natalie kept pace with him. She searched the horizon but couldn’t see much through the thick atmosphere. The smell was nearly unbearable, Natalie kept waiting for her senses to adjust but they didn’t. The slime squelched beneath her feet as they wove around large black rocks.
The rocks suggested volcanic activity, or even deposits of valuable elements. Natalie wished she had some of her gear, anything to take some readings with. After a few minutes, her mind was whirling with research possibilities and new observations.
She frowned. “They’re smart. Really smart,” She said, through heavy breathing.
Natalie almost couldn’t run anymore, but she pushed her body to keep moving. She ran a lot with Wolfgang, but the stress of the situation was getting to her. She’d already pushed herself too far. Keeping her mind on the science, kept her legs moving.
“The slugs - have you seen - them before?” She managed. “In your travels.”
Will grunted.
“Really - it might help.”
“Not quite the same as these slug boys.”
“But similar?”
“Just as ugly. Just as much a pain in my ass.”
“I just think - minds like that - don’t go in bodies like that. And, that - the mind swappers come from - somewhere - else.”
They passed the first plant Natalie had seen on the planet. It looked hard, dead and uninviting. She tried to grab a sample as she passed, but the branch didn’t break easily.
Natalie glanced at Will, there was a slight frown on his brow.
“What do - you think?” She said.
“I think you’re right.”
Natalie grinned. The mind swappers were too smart to have evolved within such a form. She tried to remember their anatomy exactly, but her memories were uneven from the stress of each encounter. Science wasn’t usually done on a battlefield. She wanted to do a dissection of the slugs to see how they worked. She wanted to look into their cells.
Wolfgang started barking and ran ahead, out of sight.
“Wolfgang!” Natalie yelled.
Will stopped and placed an arm out to stop Natalie too. He held up his gun and motioned for her to be quiet. Natalie shook off his arm and ran after Wolfgang. Ther
e was no way she was letting Wolfgang be some sort of danger scout.
She ran around the edges of a wide, black rock and stopped short in her tracks. There was a black river, Wolfgang was up to his chest in it. Standing in front of him, was a creature, only just smaller than an elephant. It had black smooth skin, large horns that stuck out to the sides. The thick air visibly moved around its fist sized nostrils.
Wolfgang barked hysterically. The creature, let out a sound that made Natalie’s ears ache.
22
Will cursed the dog and the Doc and this whole damn world. He ground his teeth and followed them, gun at the ready.
We don’t have time for detours.
The fastest way for the mind swappers to get what they wanted, the bodies and lives of the town of Quuorn, was to get rid of the previous occupants. Will rounded the boulder and stopped short. There was a beast, much bigger than they were, and the dog was trying to stand up to it.
“Goddamn dog,” Will growled.
Will received a look from Natalie.
“Be quiet. I think it might charge,” She hissed.
“Tell your bloody dog to be quiet.”
Will aimed at the beast. It looked like a cross between a hippo and a demon. It probably was, he figured. He’d visited a few hell dimensions in his travels, everything was always ugly and mean.
“Wolfgang come,” Natalie said.
The dog was too far gone to hear her. It was leaping around, splashing water everywhere and making a racket. The ugly fella kept up its warning growl, but it grew more desperate by the second. The dog and the hell hippo were like too incomputable forces that never should have met. Together they were reaching melt down point. One of them was going to need to be put down before they all ended up dead, and the hide of that hell hippo, sure looked thick.
Natalie bent down. “Wolfgang,” She said, louder now.
“Get that dog under control,” Will hissed.
The hell hippo took a step forward. It puffed out two membranes at its sides, making it even larger. The dog whimpered and took a step backwards.
“Oh, shit,” Will said.
The Missing Town Page 8