by Tara Ellis
“How much further, Nate?” I ask, concentrating again on the road. I might be able to see in the dark, but with such little moonlight, going this fast is still a challenge.
“A few more miles,” he explains, leaning forward. “There’ll be a private driveway on the right-hand side. It’s got a big log entrance gate, but it’s always open. So you’ve seriously never been sick before?”
The change in topic throws me for a moment. “Um, yeah. Not like that, anyway. I’ve never missed any school or been in the hospital. I didn’t know what I was missing.” My humor is lost on them.
“She’s had perfect attendance like, every year,” Jacob offers. “Drives me crazy. My teachers think I’m gonna do it too, but I always seem to get sick. It’s not fair.”
“So this virus basically made all your senses better and then toughened up your skin, connective tissue, and muscle?” Kyle summarizes. “Where can I get some?” We all laugh, but his comment brings up a very real point.
“Careful what you wish for,” I caution. “They indicated that my reaction was unusual from the norm, so I don’t how much of it was the anti-viral meds, and how much is a genetic thing. We all might have a different outcome. I think some of it depends on how our brains are hardwired. Like the math and IQ part. I’m really not any smarter, unfortunately. But who knows if that would be different for you, Nate.
“I sure hope he’d be a little smarter,” Kyle jabs, and I hear a loud smack as someone gets hit.
“I’m hoping that with some time, the professor’s meds can be refined and offer more protection,” I continue. “Can you imagine if the whole population was changed like me? Just try and picture that.” My question hangs in the darkness and I know they are all contemplating a society where everyone has super strength and senses. The negatives would far outweigh any positives.
“There it is!” Nate calls out, pointing to the right. I slow down as we approach the turn and I’m relieved that the gate is, in fact, open.
“How much time do you think we have until they have this airborne version done, Alex?” Chris has been relatively quiet and it doesn’t surprise me that he would ask the most important question.
“They didn’t say. But it sounded like most of the staff was transferred there in the past day or two. I figure that means they must be close to being ready. They aren’t going to want to expose themselves accidentally, which is why they are using the bio lab. Once they infect someone, it’s another three to four days before they’re recovered enough to determine what the outcome is. So I’m guessing less than a week before they would have any kind of results. Let’s hope that someone there has high standards regarding how they release it.”
Nate jumps out of the now stopped truck and runs around to the back of the dark house. In a few minutes, the garage door opens and he walks out grinning, his red hair somehow contrasting against the grey shades of my night vision. “It’s here!” he shouts, stating the obvious.
Everything easily fits in the Tahoe’s storage area and the three rows of seats provide each of us with our own space. Chris turns the key far enough for the gas gauge to light up. “Not quite a quarter tank,” he announces.
Nate quickly does the math. “So that gives us roughly 6 gallons, plus the 20 we brought. At 16 mpg, that’ll take us nearly 416 miles. How far to your friends house in Couer’d’Alene?” he asks, turning to me.
“Do you have the maps, Chris?” I discover that he already has them out and is trying to find the right one.
“Yeah, here,” he says, spreading it out on the driver’s seat. The three of us huddle around and he shines his flashlight on it. It was another one of Chris’s smart ideas. We had searched out and printed all the various routes to each of our destinations, including mileage. When we went back to the library the next day to try and do more research, the internet was down and never came back. We were lucky.
“A hundred and forty miles to Spokane and a hundred and seventy-two miles to Coeur d’Alene,” I tell the others. “So only about three hours to Missy’s house. It might take a little longer since we’re going to avoid the main freeway. We figured it would be best to take highway 2 all the way East and then veer off on Sunset before I90. What do you think, Mom?”
I switch places with her so she can study the map under the light. We had kept all the maps hidden at Kyle’s house since we knew I was the bigger target. Mom had left the logistics up to us.
Nodding her head, she steps back. “There are only a few ways to go, but I think that’s as good as any. If their resources are as limited as you think they are Alex, we just might stay ahead of them. It really isn’t that far.”
“What if they get the military in on it and set up road blocks?” Lisa has been so quiet, that I’m startled by her voice over my shoulder.
Chris looks at the map more closely while contemplating an answer. “It’s been around three hours since you ran, right Alex?”
I think back over what feels like days, not hours. “About that,” I agree. “Maybe three and a half.”
“It was clear that the Army wasn’t helping them search in Omak yet,” Chris continues, his face intense in the glow of the flashlight. “At least, not when we were at the professor’s. I think the Mudameere wore out their contacts there. I’m sure that even they have limits. I imagine that given some time, they’ll re-group and, based on how important they think Alex is, use whatever resources deemed necessary to bring her back. Let’s hope that things aren’t as organized outside our quarantine, and it’ll take them awhile to orchestrate things.”
“I think they could pull off a road block on the main highway in and out of bigger cities, like I90,” I add. “But there’s no way they’ll have all the smaller ones covered that fast.”
With everyone in agreement, we head back out. It’s almost five in the morning now and the sun will be up soon. We want to get as far away from here as possible before that happens. We can still see the spotlight of the helicopter in the distance behind us and none of us will feel safe until it’s out of sight.
Mom, Lisa, and Jake are now in the back row and Jake is already falling asleep, his head in Mom’s lap. Kyle and Nate took the two middle seats. They’ve reclined as far as possible and are also trying to nap. Chris volunteered to be the navigator and is studying the maps under the dim light of the open glove box. I study his face for a moment, so handsome even in the shadows. He appears older than his seventeen years, even more so after what has happened. I think we have all aged.
Baxter groans in his sleep and I shift my attention to my other best friend. He fills the space between Chris and me, his head resting against my legs. I reach out to soothe him, as I often do when he’s caught up in his doggy dreams. My touch doesn’t help this time though and he continues to twitch and whimper softly. I look up to find Chris watching me, his expression a mix of concern, confusion, and something else.
Turning my attention back to the empty road, my heart flutters momentarily as my emotions surge. When Chris’s warm hand settles on mine, Baxter relaxes under the combined weight. No matter what kind of improvements I might have, I’m stronger with the love of my friends and family.
FIFTEEN
This has to be another dream. I’m back in the alien terrain, standing in an open area void of any type of vegetation. The air around me is thick, and full of a yellow haze.
There are thousands of others standing in this field, only this time they don’t seem as tall. Looking down at my own enormous feet, and then back at one of the stunning men next to me, I understand that I’m the one who grew. I am one of them now.
I reach for a contraption that’s hugging my face. It feels like a type of respirator. Only a few of us are wearing them and I wonder why everyone doesn’t have one. I’m certain that breathing in this soupy atmosphere isn’t healthy. It wasn’t this bad here during my last encounter.
In fact, a lot of things have changed. The landscape is more barren, the people look different and the pyramids in
the distance stand dormant and dull. I get the distinct impression that hundreds, if not thousands, of years have passed.
I become aware of a large shadow settling over us and look up into the underbelly of a giant, glistening ship. It’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, but it has to be several miles across. It is diamond shaped, with three points and is slowly rotating clockwise. I can’t tell if it’s flat on both sides, because I am directly under it. The sky around it is now a dark yellow, and so dense that I’m unable to make out the planets which were prominent before.
A murmur rises from the crowd and we all start joining hands. As we lift our locked fists above our heads, we are surrounded by a blinding white light. I feel a detachment between my mind and body for a moment and then as my vision clears, a new scene comes into focus. We are now all standing in a vast room, joining thousands more in what can best be described as a stadium.
Those with the respirators are taking them off and I follow their lead. It is a clear plastic-like material that fits snugly over my nose and mouth, ending just under my eyes and below the chin. When I cover it with my large hand, I find two small areas of depression on either side of my nose. Pressing into the spaces, the seal is broken and it comes away in my palm.
The air has a slightly metallic tinge to it but is otherwise cool and fresh. An excited buzz of conversation is rising in volume as the room continues to fill. With each flash of intense light, more people appear. They must be collecting us from all over the planet. It is clear though that this is expected and planned. They want to be here. Many are hugging each other and all are smiling, looking both happy and relieved.
Slowly easing away from the bulk of the group, I make my way to the curved outer wall. Running my hand along the metallic surface, I find that it’s warm and impossibly soft. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before. Leaning in to study the design etched into it, I gasp at the discovery that it’s actually hieroglyphs. My excitement growing, I walk along the wall, determining that the entire surface is covered in an ancient text. I even recognize some of it.
A hush falls over the room and I turn, afraid that I’ve been discovered. Instead, I see that a man has stepped up onto a raised platform in the middle. He’s dressed in the same dull blue outfit as the rest of us, but across his chest is draped a fabric of shimmering silvers. It isn’t much, but enough to set him apart and indicate that he’s different somehow.
He raises his arms and the throng of thousands is instantly silent. I would guess that there might be as many as eighty to a hundred thousand now. I see that the floor slants outwards, with the lowest spot in the middle of the room. It creates a type of theatre without the seats. The platform has to be a good twenty to thirty feet in the air. When he speaks, his voice is amplified in such a way that I imagine there is some sort of invisible audio system.
“My fellow Nephilim, our time of re-birth is finally upon us.” A cheer erupts and I find myself yelling with them. Their language is different than anything I have ever heard before, but I understand it. I hear the language they are speaking, but can comprehend it much the same way I did the limited Arabic Dad taught me. It’s very musical and clipped, deep and resonating.
Again, he raises his hands and the response is immediate. “Some of you were here during our darkest days and witnessed our fall. Those that ushered in this new era are our heroes.” There is a ripple in the crowd that works its way around the room. As I watch, most of them take a knee, leaving only a handful of men and woman standing. I follow the example and kneel down too. I study a man still standing near me and can see that while he appears fit, his hair is thinned and his face lined with age. He raises an eyebrow at me, and gestures for me to join him. I quickly turn away.
“Remember,” I look back at the man who seems to be their leader. “Hear our stories and never forget how we defied God and destroyed not only our home but each other. Never again will we follow the evil nature of our hearts!”
“Never again!” The room sings out together.
“Never again will we turn on our brothers, our children, or our God!”
“Never again!” I chant with them this time, the native words easily rolling off my tongue.
“Rise, Nephilim!” He motions us to stand and we all join the elders on our feet. “Today we embark on our greatest journey ever. We are saddened to leave our broken world behind, but God will lead us to a new home. Let us never forget that united we stand, divided we fall.”
“United we stand, divided we fall!” The mantra is repeated, the volume and intensity in the room growing. “United we stand, divided we fall!” The words fill my head and I find myself singing it back with the crowd. “United we stand, divided we fall!” The wave of emotion rolling through the room fills me and I am caught up in it.
“United we stand, divided we fall!” I sit up in the seat, jerking forward so fast that Baxter is knocked partway onto the floor. I’m disoriented and confused for a moment by the seatbelt across my chest and the moving road coming at me through the windshield. I pull at the restraint and kick out at the dashboard, pushing back into the seat
“Whoa!” Chris yells, the Tahoe swerving slightly. “Alex, it’s okay! You were dreaming!”
“Alex!” My mom’s voice cuts through the haze a bit faster and I blink rapidly, willing my muscles to relax. Taking slow, deep breaths, my heart slows and the adrenaline fades.
“Are you okay?” she asks, leaning forward from the back seat. I look back at her and see that I have woken everyone. Jake is squinting at me sleepily, a shocked expression on his face.
“What were you saying?” he asks groggily. “It sounded really weird. Kinda freaked me out.”
Turning to Chris, I automatically start petting Baxter who has warily climbed back next to me. He simply nods to confirm what Jake said.
“United we stand, divided we fall,” I repeat. “I guess I was dreaming. That was one heck of a bizarre dream.”
“That isn’t what you said,” Chris states, his voice a bit odd. I study him a moment, now clearly visible in the early morning light. He took over driving as soon as the sun began to rise so I could get some rest. I must have been asleep for only a few minutes. He’s obviously shaken and I can’t imagine why.
“Okay,” I ask warily. “What did I say then?”
“I have no idea,” he answers.
“It was like some sort of different language,” Jake offers.
“Except your voice sounded different too,” Kyle continues. “Really low and … I don’t know, just different.”
“Like the language of the Nephilim,” I mutter to myself. The hairs on the back of my neck are tingling, because there is something about it that I recognize. But that’s impossible.
“The Nephilim?” Chris asks me. He’s staring at the road now, but I can tell he’s trying not to look at me. Did I really just say that out loud?
Sighing, I realize that I have to tell them everything. I can’t risk alienating my friends anymore than they already are. I just hope they understand, because I have no idea what it all means. What’s happening to me?
SIXTEEN
After explaining both of my dreams in detail, I struggle to remember what I had overheard when I was sick. I want to make sure I get it right.
I think back to the first time I came to and the Doctor and Seth were talking. “Seth told the doctor that he knew I was different, and that ‘control’ wasn’t going to accept any excuses if I died.”
“They were probably referring to your dad and his position in the Khufu Bast,” Chris offers. “Or maybe because of your Egyptian bloodline.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. Except the doctor later referred to me as my ‘kind’, and Seth said something else to me right before I escaped.”
Everyone is looking expectantly at me, except for Chris. He is trying to watch the road. I wish now that I had waited until it was just the two of us. Even though I need to tell them all, I can’t help but squirm under the scrut
iny.
“He said that I didn’t realize whose side I was on yet and that I didn’t have a choice. That it was my heritage. Our heritage, like we belonged to the same group or something. I’m not sure you guys, it was just really off. Like there’s this big secret that I’m not aware of, but it’s all about me. I don’t like it.”
“Ah Alex, he was just trying to mess with your head,” Kyle says lightly. “He was desperate. Don’t let ‘em get to you. We all know whose side you’re on!” His support means a lot and when everyone else agrees, I have to chastise myself for doubting them in the first place.
“Have you ever heard of genetic memories?” Chris’s question catches me off guard. I should be used to that by now.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Some people think that our memories are encoded into our DNA, kind of like a computer program. Some even go so far as to specifically meditate to try and access them. I don’t quite believe in that, but the more scientific explanation for instincts is interesting.”
“I saw a show on that,” Nate adds. “Haven’t you ever wondered why we have a natural fear of certain things? There have been studies done that indicate most primates are born with this intuition. How? I think it’s very plausible that it’s written into our genetics. Sorta hardwired.”
“Exactly,” Chris confirms. “So we know the Holocene virus, and now the Nephi virus is unique in that they have hundreds of bits of DNA in them. We’re not even certain where that DNA came from, except for that it’s not like anything ever seen before.”
“Are you suggesting that I have alien DNA in me and that my dreams are a kind of genetic memory?” I ask, amazed.
“How is that any weirder than the fact that you can now see in the dark and have increased collagen production? I mean, seriously Alex. Your muscles even look bigger.” He’s grinning at me, but I stare at my arms, alarmed.
