Amoeba (The Experiments) (67 page)

“Over?” Greg looked at the faces of the investors who sat around the table. “Not hardly. If another Stasis is what you want, we certainly can provide that. We not only have the wolf hybrid like Rickie, but we have the cheetah, like the ones that were on the island. Thinkers. But I don’t think we’ll need that. First off.” Greg paced. “We deliberately shorted their food supply. The only problem with that is that Jake rationed it out. And seeing how stupid Larry Kale was to never notice Jake stole the key to the storage, he never got to override Jake’s rationing. But we can solve that. We still have an Australian wildlife research facility to satisfy, and they have supplied what we feel will be the next participant test.”

Aldo raised his hand. “Are you gonna tell us about this one
?”

“Oh most definitely
,” Greg answered. “See . . .” He stopped talking when he heard the attention-grabbing clearing of the throat from Dr. Jefferson who stood with Barb. He turned his head to the door to see that he was being summoned. “Excuse me.” Greg smiled quickly and walked over to Dr. Jefferson. “What’s up?” He whispered.

Dr. Jefferson shifted his eyes to Barb, then to the investors. He handed Greg a folder. “Check it out. We may have bigger problems.”

Feeling a bit under the microscope because he knew he was being watched by the investors, Greg, remaining cool, opened the folder. His face took on an immediate panicked look that he couldn’t hide as he raised his eyes from the papers he viewed. “When?”

“Just now.”

“Damn it.” Greg closed the folder and handed it to Dr. Jefferson. He kept his voice low. “I’ll meet you in my office. You too, Barb.” Waiting until they were gone, Greg, running his index finger over his top lip with one hand in his pocket, walked to the table with the five investors. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ll be right back. Just . . .give me a few minutes.”

Aldo watched Greg moved to the door. “Problem
, Haynes?”

“Um . . . no
, not at all.” It was a nervous smile that Greg gave Aldo, quick, near sweaty, but he flashed it and left as soon as he did.

Aldo reached into his pocket and pulled out his money clip. He picked a bill and laid it on the table. “Fifty says he doesn’t come back.”

“Hello!” Rickie seemed annoyed, hands on
his hips at the cavern. “Hello!” he called out long and loud again. “Nothing, Cal-babe.”

“Rickie, don’t worry about it.” Cal comforted him.

“Maybe it’s just me. Lou-ster, you try guy,” Rickie suggested.

Lou placed his hands on his hips
, cleared his throat, and bellowed his voice. “YO!”

“See.” Rickie tossed his hands up. “It’s gone. I can’t believe the echo is gone.”

Cal smoothed her hand on Rickie’s back. “It’s all right. Walk with me away from here to wait for Jake.”

Sadly, Rickie agreed.

The sight of Stan walking down the hill confirmed to Billy that Jake didn’t summon him and drag him into the woods to shoot him. He breathed a little easier walking up the large hill with Jake, knowing now - since seeing Stan - that something was up. Jake telling Billy to bring his camera wasn’t just a cover up for the accidental discharge of Jake’s thirty-eight caliber weapon.

“A little further
,” Jake told him.

“Why are you being so secretive Jake?” Billy asked.

“Because I want you, as a journalist invoking the ‘big’ story, to appreciate it. You need that initial first response we all got.”

“We?”

“Cal, Rickie, Lou, and myself.”

“Good or bad?” Billy questioned.

“Depends on who you are, don’t you think?”

“Can you give me a suspenseful lead
-in to it? How did you find what you’re taking me to see?”

“By accident. Rickie is tired of jumping into the ocean, especially after that last shark scare. So I thought this cavern’s not too big or deep
, and I could have him practice him jumping over that. So we came up.”

“And that’s where you found
it
?”

“Yep.”

Billy started to huff in the climb. “God, the air is thin up here. Or is that just me?”

“It’s you
, but don’t take too big of a . . .”

Billy let out a loud sound of disgust.

“. . . breath.”

“What is that smell
?”

“What I’m taking you to see.”

“Do I want to?”

“Yep.” Jake walked with him. “See
, it answers questions. And there’s Cal. Cal!”

Cal raised her hand in a wave and moved down to them. “Did you tell him?”

“Sort of,” Jake answered.

“No he did . . . hey.” Billy reached out to Cal. “Are these my basketball shorts?”

“Yes. I stole them. I need them and . . .” Cal answered. “Jake said it was okay since you made me get big.”

Jake grinned.

Billy didn’t argue. “So . . .” He cleared his throat. “Jake, you were saying this answers questions. Which ones?” Billy moved closer to the cavern, and the smell got worse. He wondered how Lou and Rickie standing there could take it.

“Well
, remember how we were wondering what happened to all the big, giant mutant animals?” Jake asked.

Billy nodded.

“There were so many of them, right? Tons of birds, yet how many did we kill?” Jake continued to explain as they neared the cavern. “They were hitting us daily, maybe two a day, but then they stopped. Well, the question of where they went has just been answered, and you are going to say ‘Thank you Jake for this photo opportunity’.” Jake smiled and held out his hand to the open cavern.

Billy lifted his camera and peered down. What looked like a river of remains lay at the bottom. Millions of flies swarmed around the blood and guts
which had been seemingly chewed up and spit out. Hundreds of large broken beaks poked up through the mess like little mountains. “Jake . . . Jake . . .” Billy’s cheeks puffed out, his shoulder lifted, and he sped away a few feet where he threw up.

Jake watched him. “Or he could say that too.” He looked back over the cavern.

“Jake?” Cal caught his attention. “Why do you suppose this is the first time we found remains like this so close to camp?”

“I think whatever has been doing
the killings has used its resources on the other side of the island.”

“And now it’s feeding here.” Cal huffed out with concern. “That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not, Cal. See, its appetite is getting bigger. Obviously,” Jake said, indicating the remains. “And when whatever it is eats up all its wildlife resources here, we’re in trouble. Because that means . . .” Jake raised his eyebrows, “. . .we’re next.”

“We’ll fight it
, right?” Cal asked. “We’ll have to come up with a line of defense.”

“Absolutely.” Jake watched
Billy approach through the corner of his eyes, wiping his mouth. “We’ll work on that defense. But the only problem is that we haven’t a clue what we’re dealing with. And how do you go about defending yourself against something that kills you like . . .” Jake’s head motioned down to the remains again at the same time Billy retracted his steps for another round of stomach content tossing. “This.”

--One day, one hour, one minute, one second. The experiment is not over until Caldwell Research Institute declares the end. And that is the moment you walk away from them . . . maybe.--

Excerpts from ‘Surviving the Iso-Stasis’

By Jake and Cal Graison

Cal giggled like a teenager standing in Reed’s bungalow in front of his mirror. She ran her hands down her thighs and across the sleek tight bicycle rider style shorts she wore. “Reed, thank you.”

“Ew ook eh-el-en.”
He gave Cal a thumbs up.

“I’m outgrowing all my clothes
, and these are not only expandable, but they don’t make me look fat, huh.”

“Eh-er.” Reed shook his head.

“Let’s go outside. Gosh, my confidence has gone way up.” Cal grinned and opened the door. Wearing a long tee shirt that came nearly to the edge of her new maternity shorts, Cal made her way to the unity circle where everyone sat around the fire. “Hey, Jake, look, I have another pair of shorts. Reed gave them up for the baby cause. Now I don’t have to go and steal that other pair off of Billy.”

Jake looked up at her, back to the fire
, then back up quickly. He lifted the back of the shirt just a little. “Cal,” he stated firmly. “Should you as a pregnant woman be wearing those . . . ow.” Jake shrieked and grabbed his shin when Cal kicked him. “What the fuck?”

“I can’t believe
that not only did you insult me in front of everyone but you . . . you called me fat. Asshole.” Cal folded her arms, and just to make her feel better about herself, went and sat next to Lou.

Reed saw red the same as Cal
, and he verbally blasted Jake in his own way. “Ew . . . Ew . . .” Reed pointed in anger. “Eh-hen-it-ov hig.”

“What?” Jake tossed his hands up. “Cal
, why is he calling me an insensitive pig and you’re saying I said you were fat?”

“You did.” Cal soured her face as she leaned over Lou to look at Jake to her right.

“Where did you get that?” Jake was lost.

“Sarge, like
, you told her that,” Rickie interrupted. “You said, Cal-babe you look like a horse in them . . .”

“Rickie!” Jake blasted. “Cal. If you would have given me a second you would have known I was merely implying that those shorts are well . . .” Jake shrugged
, “. . .provocative and should a pregnant woman be wearing them.”

Cal gasped out. “There you go again
, Jake. You and your fuckin Virgin Mary complex.”

“Cal. Please.” Jake cringed. “And where is this nasty behavior coming from? You are just too defensive.”

Before Cal could say anything further, Judge, who sat alone across from them, held up his hand to her. “Jake, this is your first time round with a pregnancy, isn’t it?”

Rickie snickered. “Dude, it’s like his first time round with a woman.”

“Rickie,” Jake snapped.

Lou shifted his eyes and tilted his head. “Is that . . . true?”

“No!” Jake blasted.

Cal made
a vocal peep of sound then drew up a drastic bitching tone. “Go ahead, Jake. You go right ahead. Now you’re throwing your past lovers in my face. What’s next, are you going to instigate me and tell
they
weren’t fat?”

“What?” Jake spun his head Cal’s way. “Where in the fuck are you getting that from? Did you hear that come from my mouth
? No.”

“I did.” Rickie held up his hand. “Sarge
, like, you just said it. You were like, Cal-babe, I used to bang some thin chicks in . . .”

“Rickie!” Jake turned red. “Why am I outnumbered here
? What the hell did I do? I merely make an observation that the shorts were too tight, and all of a sudden I’m not only calling my wife fat, but now I’m talking about ‘doing’ thin woman. For your information, Cal, no woman I had ever been with was as thin as you used to be . . .” Jake cringed. “I meant, you know what I meant.”

“Sarge, you
, like, meant to not open your mouth and insert your foot.”

Lou whistled. “And
that’s
a pretty big foot.”

“I give up.” Jake tossed his hands up. “I quit. I lose. Thank God you’re not saying anything Billy. At least someone is on my side.”

Cal rolled her eyes. “That’s because he’s a coward when it comes to you.”

Billy quickly turned to Cal. “What did I do? I’m just being quiet.”

“Do you think I’m fat?” Cal asked. “Be honest.”

“No.” Billy shook his head and laughed “Cal, that is ridiculous. The only part about you that is growing is your . . .”

“Oh, so now I’m growing. Thank you, Billy. Thank you very much for the vote of confidence.”

“Cal!” Jake yelled at her. “Why are you yelling at him now? What the hell. Does this make you feel big or . . .”

“Quit calling me fat!” Cal screamed at him.

“I’m not calling you fat!” Jake had
had enough. “I thought, now correct me if I’m wrong here, but I thought we left the female-style, premenstrual bitching shit behind. Don’t I get a break for nine months or something?”

Judge had the answer. “No. And Jake, that is what I was trying to tell you. You have to learn to be sensitive.”

“I am sensitive,” Jake said, speaking defensively.

Judge held up his hand. “Women that are pregnant tend to get a bit . . . well
, let me just tell you a little story. Now I distinctively remember it being my third child that my wife was carrying, and she became a vicious woman. Not that I minded now, she was carrying my child. But, one time I was playing cards down at the club. Blast! The door opened and in came Matilda, waddling her eight month pregnant self in, yelling at me in front of my fellow club members, pulling me out of there by my ear, and threatening to smear my re-election campaign.”

Jake was baffled by this. “And during this reign of terror pregnancy, did you at all consider perhaps locking her in the house
?”

“You would say that
,” Cal snapped at him.

“And I have had just about enough verbal abuse directed my way from that mouth.” Jake pointed at Cal and stood up. “Say it.”

“What?” Cal looked dumbfounded.

“Say it.” Jake held one hand on his hip while he extended the other toward Cal. “Say it.”

“I hate you.”

“Thank you. Now I can rest. Good night.” Jake turned, stepped over his log
, and headed to the bungalow. He slowed in his walk and turned back around to the now silent group. “Does anyone hear that?”

Everyone looked up.

“There.” Jake moved his head again to the faint sound. A high-pitched fluttering, as if the wings of a fast moving butterfly were amplified. “It’s sounds sort of like a whistle getting closer. Do you hear that?”

“Cricket?” Lou guessed. “Sounds like a mutant cricket.”

The sound grew closer and closer.

“Have we seen a mutant cricket?” Jake asked. “I don’t think it’s that big. Maybe we . . .”

The sound stopped. In the thick silence, a gurgle, slow and quick, came from Judge. Everyone turned their attention from the sound back to the campfire just in time to see Judge’s eyes grow wide and watch him drop face first off his log to the ground with a deadened ‘thump’.

It was quiet. Almost too quiet. The sound of the burning fire. The flickering orange hue that lit Judge’s still body.

Cal jumped up. “Jake.”

“Watch out.” Jake grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let Cal step closer.

Rickie grew antsy watching how slow Jake moved. “Sarge, like, hurry. Do some of that chest pounding shit. Judge had a heart attack.”

“Rickie.” Jake whispered his name. “Step back.” Jake moved closer to Judge. “Something is not right.” He looked down
at the still body, mouth open. Blood trickled from the corner of Judge’s eyes like tears. “Why are his eyes bleeding? Something isn’t . . .”

Just as Jake began to squat, a slight ripping sound was heard. He turned his head to a snickering Rickie who commented that Jake’s pants were too tight. “Rickie
, please.” The ripping grew louder then . . . Crack! It was like Judge’s skull literally burst at the seams. Pieces of his head flew out at the same time the rest of his body sucked in as if every ounce of life, liquid, and fat were sucked from him. His legs started to disintegrate from the feet up. And as Jake jumped back out of the way a loud humming, whistling sound came, sounding like multitudes of the sound they heard earlier. “Lou! Get Cal back!”

On Jake’s words, the source of the noise was revealed when from out of Judge’s body poured what looked like a moving black blanket of small slimy creatures. Millions of them scattered out, hissing in their movement
, scurrying about the ground.

Rickie and Reed shrieked
, dancing around and stepping on them. Lou swept Cal up into his arms and charged with her toward the bungalow, with Billy racing behind them. Jake, stepping on the tiny objects that flew about the ground, reached down to the camp fire for a log. As he did, one jumped on his hand, and Jake winced at the stinging pain he felt. He shoved his hand close to the fire and watched it drop off. He picked up the log, ignoring the burning to his palm, and held it out to the ground. The things cleared in a circle from the fire he shoved at them. Then Jake tossed the log about like a torch at the ground causing the things to join back together and very loudly and quickly speed off out of the campsite and into the woods.

Just when Jake thought it was safe, just when the silence en
sued again and there were no more noises heard from them, he spotted it on the ground near Judge’s body. Quickly, Jake picked up Lou’s tin coffee mug, dumped out its contents, and tossed it over the two inch, black slug looking thing.

“Sarge.” Rickie out of breath approached him, first taking in the sight of what was left of Judge’s body. “What were they
?”

“I don’t know
, Rickie.” Jake held firm to the bottom of the tin cup. “But we’ll find out.” He lifted the cup slightly, saw it was still there, then hurriedly placed the cup back down.