Earth Man

by Richard Paul Evans

  Since he’d missed breakfast Danny decided to make French toast and bacon for dinner. The bacon grease could melt the nylon of the track suit so he made sure the apron covered him properly. He looked ridiculous but he didn’t care at all. Taking the eggs and bacon out of the fridge he placed them side by side on the counter. Using a sharp kitchen knife he cut the bacon package open along the bottom seam, peeling back the plastic. As soon as his fingers touched the fatty pork he saw an image in his mind of the animal it had come from. An obese hog with arthritic knees, the creature had managed to avoid slaughter by hiding in the middle of the herd during the cull. Eventually the pain in its legs got so bad that it collapsed and it was dragged away with a meat hook like a sack of potatoes. Seeing it happen firsthand turned his stomach. Sliding the garbage can under the counter, Danny took hold of the bacon gently by the plastic corner, afraid to touch the meat. Then he slowly slid the bacon package across the counter until it fell over the edge into the garbage can. As he put the trash back in its place Helen walked in, dressed in a yellow t-shirt and her favourite jeans.

  “I just bought that,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Oh, the bacon? Yeah it’ll make more sense once I tell you what I can do, what happened I mean.”

  “It has something to do with bacon?”

  Danny crossed their tiny kitchen, leaned over and whispered to his wife.

  “It has something to do with everything.”

  Raymond raced home on his old customized BMX bike, doing his best to hop as many curbs as possible. He wore a helmet only because his father would take the bicycle away from him if he didn’t. His parents were pretty cool about letting him use Marcus’s half pipe and they never said anything about the risky tricks he attempted all over town, so he figured wearing a helmet was a fair compromise. Dr. Rue sat at the intersection nearby, lost in his own mind. The chemicals the Third pumped into his bloodstream kept him passive and pain free. It had learned from its last host that the human body did not respond well to rapid changes in its form. It needed time to prepare itself properly and so it burrowed deep into the brain of the doctor, slowly changing him into the perfect battle-suit. It could smell the boy was near; the son of its enemy, for it had adapted and improved the human’s olfactory receptors. It shifted nervously and the doctor awoke from his stupor, a sharp stabbing pain in his ear. The light was red and it seemed as if he’d been waiting there forever.

  Dr. Rue finally saw Raymond coming down the road, riding on the sidewalk. As he tried to clean out his ear with his little finger, he saw Raymond slow down as he came to the intersection. The light was still red, with no sign of changing. It seemed to take forever for the boy to cross and the doctor watched him pass in slow motion. The Third was nervous; the enemy’s child was too close. The boy smelled like his father, the one who had escaped its clutches, the one who had hurt it. As the boy passed in front of the car Dr. Rue stepped down on the gas, closing his eyes when he heard the thud as Raymond rolled over the roof. The Third forced him to open his eyes, forced him out of his car to see the boy, to look at what he’d done.

  Raymond was gone. The creature was confused and its human host responded to its strong emotion, searching back and forth on the road. It ran to the front of the car where the bike had left a stain of paint. Finally looking down the road the Third saw Raymond pedalling away. The boy had gotten up and retrieved his bicycle and simply rode off. The son of his enemy was tough and clever. Dr. Rue felt a twinge of guilt as he got back in the car, wondering why he’d pressed down on the gas pedal. Something told him to follow the boy, to mark the house where they lived. The Third spoke directly to the doctor’s brain, he could no longer tell which thoughts were his own and which belonged to the alien inside. Soon it would begin to consume his brain, filling the space with discarded layers of its constantly growing form. It had learned how to use the limbs well enough and it was enjoying mocking the other humans, hiding in their midst. Subtlety was a new experience for the Third, it liked the sensation. Human forms were lacking in so many physical ways but they had developed their own weapons, with hands and science. There was a word it had learned from humans, ‘marinate’. It planned to remain in the doctor and allow his body to marinate in the chemical stew it created. This was a word that pleased it; the human would grow more flavourful in his own fear and waste, screaming in silence as the Third consumed him cell by cell. There was no rush to conquer Earth; it had been hasty to attack its enemy so directly. There was no reason for it to do anything at all. The Growth could wait forever if they must. Dr. Rue turned on the radio and the buzzing in his ears faded away. Turning right, heading in the direction Raymond had headed, he suddenly felt euphoric. He thought it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the child, make sure he was alright. A gym bag in the back seat containing a hundred and fifty thousand dollars was of little interest to Dr. Rue now.

  “The stupid doctor hit me with his car!” Raymond shouted as he stormed into the house.

  Danny put a plate of food down for Raymond and then checked his son to see if he was hurt, inspecting him for any blood or bruises.

  “I’m okay Dad. But the guy’s an idiot.” Raymond said, flopping down into the wooden chair.

  “You’re serious?” Helen said, standing up just as her son sat down.

  “Yeah Mom, the guy ran into me on a red light. I had the right of way.”

  “Which doctor, Ray? Dr. Rue?” Danny asked.

  Morgan dipped her French toast in ketchup and stuffed it in her mouth. She had little interest in the stuff her older brother talked about.

  “Yeah, you’re doctor. The one from the hospital!” Ray grabbed a piece of toast and stuffed it in his mouth as well, grinning at his little sister who smiled back with ketchup all over her cheeks.

  “You’re okay though, right?” Helen asked, returning to her seat. She tried to see if his face had any bruises while she raised her coffee to her lips.

  “My back is going to look like shit, but I just like, rolled over the car, landing on my feet like BAM! Then I got back on and rode home.”

  “You didn’t talk to him?” Danny said.

  “No. Why? He’s lucky I don’t sue him.” Ray replied triumphantly.

  “Yeah but does he know you’re okay?”

  “I rode away Dad.”

  “You aren’t supposed to just get up and leave when you have an accident, Ray.” Helen added.

  “Yeah well, he’s the idiot who hit me. I can do what I want, I’m fine.”

  Danny just shrugged his shoulders and continued serving dinner.

  “I’ll talk to him tomorrow, Helen. I have to go by the hospital anyway. The bills have started arriving.”

  “Tell them to wait their turn behind the others.” Helen said, raising her mug into the air.

  After the children went to bed Danny paced back in forth in their bedroom, trying to find the right words to start with. He started to talk about the planets first, about their sentience, about how each was unique. From there it began to pour out of him, all the things he’d seen and felt. He told the story in reverse, ending with when he’d left the house in pursuit of the deer. Helen listened to it all, sitting on the edge of the bed with one foot on the floor. When he’d finished she pulled him down next to her on the bed and said “I need a cigarette.”

  A minute later she returned with a pop can as an ashtray and a lit cigarette in her mouth.

  “So you started smoking again.” Danny said.

  “So you apparently got superpowers.” Helen replied.

  Danny closed his eyes and let the power of the Earth flow through him. Helen gasped as the tiny red tendrils of light began to form around his shoulders and head. The light seemed to come from inside him, spreading through every cell as if he were a neon sign. An owl was already out, desperate for a morsel of food. Taking its abilities, he began to levitate off the floor. As he opened his eyes he realized there was not enough room for wings to form yet he still floated off the ground. Hel
en got up slowly from the bed, dropping the cigarette into the can where it fizzled out.

  “Are you really flying?” She asked, circling him.

  “I’m flying. I flew home from Edmonton. That’s where I called you from.”

  “Holy shit tell me you are not flying! I mean I saw you in the driveway but I figured it was, I dunno, a trick or something. ”

  “It’s like those hippy environmentalists always say, you know? Hakuna Matata, the Lion King, all life is connected. I guess they were right. Circle of Life.”

  “Hakuna Matata means no worries.”

  “For the rest of your days, yeah I know, but how else can I explain it?”

  Danny shrugged his shoulders and suddenly the wings burst forth, crashing into the ceiling. Helen scurried back across the bed and Danny burst out laughing.

  “Come on, Helen. They’re just wings.” Danny held out his hand and helped his wife off the bed.

  “This is what I felt in the hospital. I felt this power reach out and I healed. Completely healed. Tomorrow I’m going to start practicing, training, I don’t know. See what I can do.”

  “Should I even ask about work then? I mean, what does this mean?” Helen said, running her fingers along the wings.

  “Are we in dire need of money?”

  “No more than usual, I guess. We’re okay as long as nothing else goes wrong.”

  “Nothing else is going to go wrong, Helen. We’re going to be okay. This is exciting isn’t it?” Danny said, floating from one wall to the next. Helen tried her best to seem excited rather than show the real fear she was feeling.

  The next day after work Helen went to Phil’s house to meet Danny. Danny had begun training as he’d promised to do and apparently there was something at Phil’s that she had to see personally. The weather was nice and Phil’s girlfriend Linda had invited her over to swim any time so she wore her yellow bathing suit and her sandals. They only lived a few houses down from him so Helen dropped the kids off at home and went to find her husband, a towel around her waist. Helen could see Linda in the backyard so she opened the gate and entered. Phil sat with his back to her, drinking a beer with the rest of the case at his right hand. Linda leaned against him, both of them staring at the pool.

  “Where’s Danny?” Helen asked. Neither Phil nor Linda turned around.

  “In there.” Phil said, pointing with his beer can. Pointing to the swimming pool.

  Helen walked in front of them and sat at the edge of the water. She could see the faint shadow at the bottom, moving back and forth.

  “How long has he been down there?”

  “Thirty-seven minutes!” Linda said cheerfully.

  Before Helen could say anything Danny suddenly surfaced, spitting a mouthful of water out. Leaping up and grabbing Helen, he pulls her down into the water. As they pop back onto the surface Danny kissed his wife and although she was angry she kisses him back.

  “This is so much fun! I can breathe underwater, no lungs or flippers, my body like, takes the air out of the water. It was so amazing.” Danny said as he helped Helen out of the pool.

  “So he says he’s a superhero now.” Phil said, cracking open a fresh beer.

  “You’re one lucky sonofabitch, Danny. Always have been.”

  “Damn right he is.” Helen said, kicking water at him as she tried to climb out. Linda, wanting to be part of the fun, tackled Helen into the pool. Within minutes both women were splashing Danny and he dived below the water to escape. Phil smiled and shook his head at the three of them.

  “You guys are worse than the kids.” Phil grumbled.

  After a few minutes Danny got out of the water and breathed with his natural lungs again. He’d been trying to call Dr. Rue all day but every time he got through to someone at the hospital or his private office, they put him on hold until he got tired of waiting. Danny dried himself off with a towel and went inside Phil’s house to call the doctor in private. It took all his patience to keep from losing his temper when the secretary put him on hold again. Eventually he just left a message for the doctor to call him and returned to the pool.

  A week later Helen stood next to Highway 97, facing Ellison Lake. Suddenly Danny flies past her, laughing hysterically. Turning back around Danny flew toward her but he was moving too fast and headed straight for her. He’d wanted to try flying without wings and while he had less control and maneuverability, his speed had increased tenfold. Helen stepped back quickly, clicking the stopwatch as Danny disappears southward past her. Suddenly he twisted around and begins to spiral out of control. Helen ran in his direction as he bounced full speed off the ground like a tennis ball. Still in motion he flew back up and then down hard into the lake. Helen ran to the water but before she can call his name he came walking out holding his injured arm. A tiny stream of blood pours down out of his elbow where a patch of skin has been grinded off.

  “I’m okay. I guess that’s what I get for showing off.” Danny said solemnly. “It was easier with the wings.”

  Danny had figured out he didn’t need the wings, they were optional. It was much easier for him to maintain control and it felt more natural to have them pushing him through the air. Flying under his own power made him uncomfortable. Both of them had wondered what would happen if the powers suddenly switched off while he was in the air. Helen was worried about putting her trust in a strange power, but Danny had assured her that she only needed to trust him. He kept his own fears and reservations to himself.

  “Well let’s stay on the ground for a while, okay?” Helen said, checking out his arm. It was red from the impact with the water but she was sure nothing was broken.

  “Learn to walk before you try to fly, alright?”

  Even though Danny had only told Phil and Linda, people in Kelowna began to suspect something strange was going on. Danny’s weird behaviour was only half the story, people began to see him doing things, things like flying and digging in the dirt. Soon there were stories everywhere and they had no choice but to tell their kids. People began to watch him with interest, waiting to see if he’d do something remarkable. Danny took Raymond and Helen and the three of them drove south into Washington, DC where they could have more privacy. Morgan was at home, with Linda and Phil; she had not quite understood what they’d told her about her father.

  They found a nice quiet stretch of sand on Rimrock Lake where Danny could practice his abilities without being self-conscious. Morgan had gone to visit her grandmother so they could take as much time as they wanted. Raymond was no longer as interested as he’d been when he’d first found out. After seeing Danny flying and breathing underwater Ray didn’t find smelling things or lifting rocks to be all that exciting. Helen and Danny agreed that they’d probably discovered all they could with the animals and insects that lived in their local area.

  “It’s not natural anymore, it’s not working properly.” Danny said from the passenger seat as they prepared to leave. He’d been agitated all day and Helen decided to ignore him.

  Helen drove them home, the sun was going down and everyone was tired, hungry and whiny.

  You have to stop trying. Let’s just relax and see what happens.” Helen said as positively as she could.

  “You need to go into the city, like Vancouver, show everyone all the shit you can do.” Ray said.

  “Watch the language Raymond.” Helen said, glancing at him in the rear view mirror.

  Helen pulled over at the local convenience store just off Boundary Point Rd on the U.S. side of the border.

  “I need a coffee, you guys want anything?” Helen said as she parked.

  “I have to use the washroom.” Danny said, getting out of the car with her.

  The building containing the bathrooms was added to the back of the main structure so Danny headed around the side while Helen entered through the front. Just as he reached the bathrooms a man came out and headed toward the vending machine at the end of the path to Danny’s left. The man was middle aged, black and dressed in a lar
ge cape or cloak and fur moccasins. Danny entered the washroom, relieved himself in the urinal and washed his hands. When he came back out the man was holding up a can of cold Coke and staring at it.

  “Looks good.” Danny said, admiring the frosty soda.

  “Perhaps.” The man replied.

  Although clearly a black man, everything else about the man made him seem Native American. His clothes were made of fur and leather and were tanned a dark brown. The stranger’s hair was straight and greying with a headband wrapped around that seemed to be keeping it down.

  “What brings you to Washington?” the older man asked.

  His eyes never left the cola, although his face did change expression. It was as if he were waiting for the can to do something, or say something, which Danny wasn’t in the mood to deal with. Danny saw a bench across from the washrooms and sat down. He could see the car, Ray in the back listening to his mp3 player.

  “Checking out the wildlife I guess.” Danny kept his response short; he didn’t want to get into a long discussion with a stranger at a rest stop. Especially one dressed so oddly.

  “Aren’t the animals the same as in Canada?”

  “How do you know I’m from Canada?”

  “I can recognize one of my own,” with that said the stranger offered Danny the cola with a smile. Danny took it and smiled back, taking a small sip. It was simply too cold and refreshing to ignore. As the man watched him, Danny realized something was off.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t pay you for this, I don’t have any change on me.”