APOCALYCIOUS: Satire of the Dead (35 page)

             
The ship can detect heat signatures through buildings, but we fear that most survivors have ventured underground. If they see Basil’s ship they will scurry back to their shelters. There is much to be afraid of on your world, and because of what has already transpired the survivors would probably see you as a threat to their existence.

             
“You guys really need to work on your pep talks, you know that?” Arlington said, and then asked, “And what about you guys? What’s your plan?”

             
We must return our ship to our dimension. Our mission will be complete once your training is done.

             
“How much more training might that be?”  Arlington asked.

             
Your education will be complete soon enough. Laptu can help you prepare the downed craft and Basil will be your pilot.

             
Arlington’s expression changed from serene to one of determination. “OK…I owe you guys… you’ve given me a second chance, and I won’t squander it,” Arlington felt their relief in his mind.

             
Thank you Arlington Neff; we trust that the ship will be in good hands.

He thrust his right hand out to Noah, “Thanks, man.”

              Noah took his hand and shook it; Arlington repeated the process to Shem, genuinely glad to finally have a purpose again.

             
             
Chapter 38 - Killing Is My Business, but We're in a Recession

Lexington
, Kentucky 

              Hito resupplied himself and equipped the two women with a bit of looting at overrun military outposts. He drove a HMMWV to a small, well-furnished, yet tactically positioned house in the forested hills of Lexington, Kentucky and began the slow process of getting to know each other.  Even though they had only known each other a week, they had easily found comfort in one another’s company. Much to Hito’s relief he had noticed that the animosity between the girls had all but vanished, at least outwardly.

             
Hito had chosen not to confide in them his story of Victoria; he knew that there was no way they would trust him if he told them that story, but he did tell them that he planned on killing anyone that deserved it. Shere and Annie had not judged him for this; instead Annie had held him and they told him that they would agree to help him dispose of the dregs that still lived. It was easy for Shere; it was part of her duty to protect the innocent citizens from the evil ones that preyed on them. Annie agreed, but admitted that she would probably be of little help.

             
“You were going to kill us weren’t you?” asked Shere. “Back in the factory, there was something in your eyes.”

Hito had grown to appreciate her straight forward way of talking. She was never rude, but always honest and direct.

              Hito looked at the floor wondering how he should answer that. Honesty was a good thing, but in this case he wasn’t so sure. He wondered how this partnership would work without trust. He then slowly looked up and met her gaze. “Probably,” he said with regret in his voice then explained weakly, “But I was going to do it quickly; it wouldn’t have been personal.”

             
Annie smiled sadly, “We already knew that, I think.”

He nodded and then looked at Annie. “I am glad that I didn’t,” he said sincerely.

              Shere laughed. “Probably not half as much as we are, but why were you going to kill us? We didn’t do anything to you.”

             
Hito looked at her and shook his head. “I’ve seen a lot of depravity…” he started and shook his head again. “I don’t know…I’ve done a lot of things that I’ve not been proud of,” he confided.

             
“I think that can be said for all of us,” Shere said.

             
“Tomorrow I can teach you how to shoot,” Hito offered, desperately trying to change the subject.

             
“I’m a Marine, Hito, I used to tear through three hundred rounds before breakfast,” said Shere then looked to the blonde girl, “How about you Annie?”

             
Annie shook her head. “No one has ever taught me anything, but how to be a whore,” she admitted, choking back a sob in her throat as tears formed in her eyes.

             
Shere looked surprised by this and was suddenly suspicious that it was part of some sly little game. “What are you talking about?” she asked arching an eyebrow.

             
“Yeah, seriously,” agreed Hito. Annie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and Hito handed her a napkin from the table.

             
“Thank you…I feel so stupid,” she said dabbing at her eyes.

             
“You don’t need to feel stupid around us,” Shere said as she saw that this was no act. Annie was genuinely upset about this.

             
“I don’t feel stupid telling you about it. I feel stupid because of who I am,” she said.

             
Annie continued. “Just after this plague started I was abducted by these military types, but I don’t think they were
actual
military, but they kidnapped me and took me to this big house in the middle of nowhere. They drugged me and took turns using me.” Her voice began to crack and Shere could feel her anger rising.

Annie blinked back her tears and resumed, “While I was there, I was given all these pretty clothes, plenty of food and water, and never once had to worry about the zombies. The man that owned me was a doctor… and his basement was where he kept his hospital. There were dozens of other girls there. He ‘fixed us up’, that was what he called it. ‘Fixed us up’…and he gave us all these huge, fake boobs” she said, grabbing them in both hands and squeezed them almost violently, for emphasis. “Some of the girls had fat sucked out of them, while others he
injected the fat into their lips to make them fuller, prettier like Shere’s,” she said, looking at the black girl. Shere gave her a small uncomfortable smile. “That’s why mine look like this. He used to make us lay in tanning beds and he tattooed us. Each tattoo was the same rabbit shape, but each color indicated that that girl was someone’s property. I was passed around to any man that had a few cases of whiskey or a bag of cocaine or weed. They were free to…” she took a deep breath and Hito noticed that her tears were no longer shamed, but angry. Hito saw that she had a reserve of strength in her and respected her for her courage. Annie continued, “… no… they were
encouraged
to do whatever they wanted to us. I would get punished if I disobeyed, and they taught me to pretend to enjoy it, no matter how much they hurt me.”

             
‘How did you get away?” Hito asked her

             
“One night…Dr. James was what we called him, but I don’t think that was his real name, had a big party. The doctor and his friends got really loaded and took their turns with me. They beat me up pretty good, but I took it, and kept on taking it because I saw that they had begun to act strange and I could feel the drugs wearing off of me. I think they got a hold of some bad stuff. Eventually, they passed out or overdosed and died- I hope they did anyway- and I got dressed and ran for it. I had no idea where I was or where I was going. I didn’t know just how bad it was on the outside, but I figured that being eaten alive by a pack of dead cannibals was no worse than what I had endured for the past few months.”

             
Hito stood up abruptly and faced away from the two women looking into the fire.

             
Annie broke into tears. “You hate me now! I wasn’t going to tell you…”

             
Hito turned to Annie and dropped down, crouching next to her, and gripped her by the shoulders, his eyes fierce. “We’ll find them and kill them! We’ll kill every last one of them,” Hito promised as he lifted her up and she broke down completely, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding tightly.

Shere rose and placed her hand on the middle of Annie’s back and whispered in her ear. “Yeah, we can do that. We’ll kill them all.”

             
                                         
Chapter 39 - The Shadow Pawn

Wright Patterson Air Force Base

Dayton, Ohio 

              Behind the ballistic glass sat the famed crash remains of Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947. The round, saucer-shaped flying disk rested on heavy gauge steel jack stands and Thomas never thought that he would be privy to this type of classified information, but here he sat, gazing at the impossible. To Walters’ right sat a skinny gray haired man in a lab coat. The scientist had lived here his entire life. Joseph Steinman had taken over the research team after his father had died in 1986.

             
“I am convinced that engaging the power source of this craft is and always has been likely to be catastrophic,” said the scientist.

             
“You just did it last month and nothing happened, so just
do it
and leave it engaged,” ordered the General.

             
“We have seen in the past that when engaged the drive field causes a spatial disturbance, if left open we do not know what could happen,” protested the scientist.

             
“I am giving you an order. If you are unable to follow my orders then I am sure that I can find someone who can.”

             
Dr. Steinman’s shoulders sagged. “Very well, but I am not responsible for anything that happens thereafter, General.”

             
The General put a hand on the scientist’s shoulder. “That a boy; I knew I could count on you. Now start up the drive field, you gutless piece of shit.”

             
Dr. Steinman waved to the other scientists in his team to proceed. There was much scurrying around the lab. Once in place, Steinman nodded his head to go ahead, disgust and concern etched onto his old, lined face. There was a certain sequence of buttons and levers manipulated before a low resonant hum began to vibrate in their inner ears. The General beamed triumphantly, a used car salesman smile stretching across his face.

             
“Begin phase one,” shouted Steinman. The other scientists sat in front of their computers typing away at their keyboards, watching for anomalies on the gauges.

             
“Phase two is ready, Doctor,” said one of the other scientists in a shaky voice.

             
“Begin,” Steinman said, in resignation.

             
The low hum became very still, but now there was the smell of ozone in the room and behind the bullet-proof glass the saucer began to hover, and the saucer remained perfectly still, as if it were parked upon an unseen platform.

             
“Phase three is ready!” yelled another scientist.

             
Dr. Steinman hesitated and the General glared at him. “Begin,” said the scientist. From behind the glass there was a sudden appearance of what resembled a mirage upon pavement on a hot day.

             
“What now?” asked the General.

             
“Now we wait.”

             
“Wait for what?” asked Walters.

             
“Watch,” said Steinman.

             
As they stood there watching, the mirage beneath the saucer began to grow upward.               “What’s going to happen?” asked the General.

             
Steinman shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know. We have not let our experiments get this far before today.”

             
“Well, what do you hypothesize will happen?” asked the General.

             
“We think that it is an Einstein-Rosen bridge; a wormhole.”

             
“Yeah great, a wormhole…whatever that means.”

             
“A wormhole is an, as of yet, unproven theory of dimensional travel, in which the fabric of space is folded in upon itself to make space travel faster than the speed of light.”

             
“So we are going to meet some aliens today?”

             
“That remains one theory.”

             
“Well why didn’t you tell me that?” roared the General. Walters grabbed a phone from its cradle. “Security? Get me an armed squad down here at Section Three. Pronto” he ordered and slammed the phone back into its cradle. He glared at the old scientist. “What are you looking at?”