Silver Silhouette

by Rodzil LaBraun

  Tish walked over to the steps where she tossed her handbag when she came home. Pulling out her cell phone she found Aaron's number quickly. The shortcut was still on the home screen. She debated a million times on removing it, but never did. Sitting down on the second step she pressed the screen to connect the call. What would she say if he picked up? Should she leave a voicemail?

  As she listened to the dial tone through her phone she heard another phone ringing. It was probably her fathers, she thought at first. But it didn't sound like it was coming from the TV room. Where was it coming from?

  "Is that Aaron calling back?" Pam said as she and Charlie returned to the foyer staring at her on the phone. It was obvious to them now that it was not her phone that was ringing. And it wasn't her parents. The sound was muffled, not distant. It occurred to Tish that the ringing was coming from the coat closet. Maybe somebody left their jacket and cell phone at their house.

  Mindlessly, Tish walked toward the closet and reached for the door knob. Her call then connected to Aaron's voicemail. She forgot to figure out what message to leave, so she hung up. The phone in the closet stopped ringing at the same time. That was weird, she thought. Cautiously gripping the knob she turned it in slow motion. In the far distance, it seemed, she heard screaming. It was her parents yelling "NO!" She did not know why they sounded so far away.

  The instant she began to pull the door open it flew into her face, knocking her to the floor up against the front door. Her nose ached and she tasted blood in her mouth. Above her crouched a large Sanguillen in an aggressive pose. She was about to die. It was happening so fast, but her brain turned it all into slow motion somehow. She tried to plead for her life but her lips could not move fast enough. Then she noticed the vampire beast was not even facing her. It had taken a protective stance over her body and was facing into the house, an evil click and hiss erupting from its face. It was as tall as the door frame despite its posture.

  Tish slowly turned to see what it was looking at. Somehow an incredibly large prehistoric bird had gotten into her home. It squawked from its long, deadly looking beak, flapping its wings knocking over everything in the foyer. The sound of glass and wood splitting assaulted her eardrums. If the bird could fully extend its wingspan could be as much as twenty feet wide. Long talons scraped the floor, clawing for traction on the polished wood.

  Beside the bird, and less noticeable was a light tan monkey creature. It looked more like an ape, but it was leaning forward to avoid the flapping wings of the bird. If it could stand erect it would likely be quite tall. There was a natural sadness in the ape's expression, the appearance of a human emotion that was unlikely the feelings of the creature. It looked like it could pounce at any moment. In fact, they all did. The situation was a powder keg that was just a fraction of a second from blowing up. Three of the strangest looking things she had ever seen in her life, but frighteningly familiar from her hallucinations.

  "Stop!" Tish yelled. She did not know why, but it was important to stop the oncoming bloodshed. After the word left her mouth she wondered if she was dreaming. The Sanguillen she had seen before. She knew it to be a real creature. The other two were products of previous visions. Had she been knocked unconscious by the door? Was she dreaming? As she wondered these things all three creatures turned toward her, adjusting their aggressive stance. Were they now going to attack her? All three of them at once? No, she decided. Their posture looked more like a bow than an attack stance.

  Tish tried to rise to her feet. The blood was pumping in her forehead, and her brain felt like a loose duckpin ball rattling around in her skull. She tasted more blood now, licking her lip where it was starting to swell. The Sanguillen reached one claw forward too quick for her to pull away, and helped her to stand erect. Gazing into the beast's eyes she found something human, something familiar. This creature did not mean her any harm.

  Turning to the other two beasts she found their posture to be similar, resembling servitude. The bird's beak had dropped all the way to the floor as it stood motionless with its eyes closed. The ape's facial expression had not changed, but there was warmth and love in its eyes. The love that only a mother could give her child. What did all this mean?

  Tish's trance was broken by the unintelligible clicking and hissing from the mouth of the vampire creature, as it still held her arm firmly as not to let her fall. It repeated the same sound several times, like it was trying to improve its pronunciation. Finally, it sounded like her name, Tish. When the vampire saw recognition in her eyes it began repeating another word while plucking its chest with its claws. This word she understood quicker, realizing it was saying its name. Tears flowed when she recognized the word, Aaron.

  Tish watched then as the vampire pressed it's long, slender clawed fingers to its mouth. It appeared to be eating a bug, but she somehow knew the gesture to be an attempt at blowing her a kiss. She smiled. It did not occur to her to blow one back. If this was a dream Aaron would already know how she felt about him deep inside, despite his otherworldly appearance. She saw stirring to her right as the remaining two otherworldly animals adjusted their stance. Then Aaron began to dance with her. At least, it looked and felt like a dance. Soon she realized he was just repositioning her away from the door.

  Then, in a blur, the door whipped open and Aaron was gone. Tish stared after him but there was nothing to see. When she turned around the dream must have ended, because her parents were standing there. There was love in her mother's eyes, just like the ape's. But her father's had only rage. As she puzzled what his problem could be she noticed something quite obvious. They were both naked.

  Well, her mother had on some panties, but one of the hip straps had snapped. She kept her arms crossed over her chest modestly. Beside her Charlie had on nothing. Both hands were cupped over his privates. On the floor was much shredded debris, the fabric she recognized as her parents clothes, as well as broken glass from vases and picture frames that no longer existed in full form.

  That's when it hit her. These people were not her parents. They were alien creatures just like the vampire beasts. They had fooled her. Confusion rushed in like a dam bursting. A thousand memories blew through her brain like a photo flip book. Just like the hallucinations there were all kinds of weird animals, alien creatures. But they were all connected somehow. And her parents were her parents again.

  She did not fully understand. Her head hurt. Her mind hurt, too. But her heart hurt most of all. She had been betrayed, by everyone. Was there anybody other than herself that was what they said they were?

  26 - On the Run

  Thomas got the call while sitting down to watch the Duke Basketball game. It was early in the game and the teams were just trading baskets in transition for the most part. It was Thomas' first day off in two months, so he ignored the call. A few seconds later the phone vibrated again. "Okay," he told himself, "just look to see who it is, then turn off the whole phone." Duke scored the next bucket on a three pointer from about five feet beyond the line, nothing but net.

  Charlie's face appeared on the cell, alternating with the Silver Silhouette logo. Dammit. There was no avoiding the call now. Thomas lifted his beer bottle and furiously poured the contents over his snack mix as he answered, "Hello?"

  "Thomas, its Charlie. There has been a Sanguillen spotted in Leesburg by the Catoctin Grill. This is our chance. Where are you?"

  Thomas took a deep breath before replying, "I'm at home. I can be there in less than two minutes after I get off the phone and change clothes. How long ago was it spotted?"

  "Less than a half hour ago," the phone said.

  "Well, hell, it could be anywhere now. What do you want me to do?" Thomas wondered if the snack mix could be salvaged.

  "Head over there and I'll call you back with more information." Click.

  One minute later found Thomas in his black hoodie and pants, and stepped onto his back deck ready to switch to vampire mode. Then his phone vibrated. He fished it out of the tight pocket sewn i
nto the large front pocket of his hoodie. The phone had to be kept secure when he ran fast. If it fell out he would be out of earshot by the time it the ground.

  "Hello?"

  "It was spotted under a tree between the restaurant and the shopping center. I'll send back up by car to that location. We're having Tish call Aaron to see if he's the reason they are back in the area." Click.

  No respect. Why did he put up with it? Did the old bastard have to be so rude? Even Thomas was not that rude was he? Well, maybe he was, now that he thought about it. But not to Charlie. Of course, Charlie was his boss. If it were the other way around he would probably be worse. Thomas laughed and shrugged it off as he morphed to Sanguillen and darted across the neighborhood and down an alley that ran adjacent to Market Street.

  There had been a vampire there, alright. The claw marks in the mulch, and a couple scratches on the tree. A black, freshly washed Cadillac pulled up beside him with two more agents as his phone vibrated again. It was Charlie, of course. Did he really get any other calls on his day off? No. This time he was laughing as he answered, "Hello?"

  "What so funny?" Charlie snapped.

  "Oh, nothing," Thomas said. Maybe laughing was bad idea. "There was definitely one here, there are marks...."

  "Yeah, then it came to my house. It was in my house, goddammit!"

  Thomas was floored. What kind of rogue goes to the place where he is mostly likely to be caught? "How long ago?"

  "One minute ago! I'll search by air, you search by ground. It was that punk Aaron. Listen for my calls from above when you get close." Click.

  Thomas took thirteen seconds to inform the car bound agents. They were not Sanguillen. Then he took off for Charlie's house in the Ashburn direction. That would take him three minutes if he could manage to stay to shadows. The importance of not being seen was always higher than anything else. Every one of them had to take that oath. There was no way that they could be discovered on any planet.

  He picked up Aaron's trail quickly upon arrival. The boy was a rookie. Ignoring additional calls on his vibrating phone he raced the path of Aaron's escape. By the time he reached Point of Rocks on the Potomac River he was able to sense the boy’s presence. He quickened his pace, eager to be the company hero. Catching the boy would elevate his status significantly, especially if he could keep himself from killing him in the process. In Sanguillen form it was not as easy as it sounded.

  Aaron crossed the bridge only seconds before Thomas' arrival at the river. He scanned the waterway in an instant to see enough rocks breaking the surface to provide a shortcut. Then he came to a screeching halt on the first boulder at the river's edge. The boy had stopped. He was within a hundred feet of the far bank, possibly sensing Thomas' proximity. Why did he stop? There were only two possible reasons. One, he sustained an injury prohibiting him from continuing to flee. Two, it was an ambush.

  Thomas focused on the boy as much as he could. There was no indication of distress, from what he could tell. So Thomas then broadened his focus across the river as far as his mind could reach. There were tiny sensations about a half mile in. He could not be sure at that moment if it was additional rogues at that distance. But it soon became clear that they were approaching the river stealthily. He counted two to the west and one to the east. He considered giving up on the boy and going for the one farthest from his companions, the one to the east. That's when he felt it.

  Tiny pings to the back of his mind, like a new ship appearing on the edge of sonar. There were two more, on this side of the river, coming from Lovettsville. They had set the trap. Before he could turn and run the lone rogue to the east darted for the river, heading for the same line of rocks he was going to use to cross and catch the boy. This would be close. But Thomas was very fast, and very strong. It would take maybe three or more of them to bring him down, he boasted to himself. Unless, perhaps, one of them was Jose. He was the strongest and most experienced of the rogues, the closest thing to an individual threat to Thomas.

  Thomas ran east along the water's edge toward Maryland's more populated region. If he could stay ahead of them he could use the busy highways to protect himself. Only rogues were the least interested in keeping the oath of secrecy. Some in the past would straight out expose themselves to humans, not caring at all about the future of the race. Still, it was his best chance, until he sensed three more in that direction. They had herded him. He had underestimated Jose's tactics badly. The rogues from the west were starting to cut off an escape route to the south. There was only a small window of hope, crossing the Potomac again near Great Falls. Perhaps there would be reinforcements there for him. The tables would turn quickly then. He had to hope.

  In desperation Thomas was getting sloppy. Tree branches and rocks were snapping cuts into his shoulders, arms and legs. He had never been this close to being caught here on earth. On the Sanguillen home world, yes, many times. But never here. It was actually quite thrilling, he thought. Then he used his sense to measure their distance and direction again. They were very close, and had him completely surrounded. He would have to find their weakest point of the circle to break through. His chances were not good.

  He felt regret at that moment. Remorse for his own arrogance, for this huge mistake of underestimating the rogues. He wished he had accomplished more on this fantastic planet, too. Becoming a rogue hunter years ago had been a mistake. He could have developed differently, maybe even be married with children. And he would not have killed all those Kamilians. Even as rogues they were his own people. He had been careless the first time it happened, his first killing. But each new death made him feel more justified in his actions. And more arrogant. It lead him to this very moment.

  Thomas firmly believed it was Jose directly behind him now, within fifty feet. Damn he was fast. How could he be catching up? Thomas had often bragged about his own speed. Now he knew he could be bested in that department.

  Then it happened. Jose crashed to the ground, breaking bones against the rocks, snapping tree branches as he rolled through the woods like a pinball ricocheting off everything in his path. He was badly hurt. If the others weren't bearing in he would consider turning back and finishing off Jose. It would be easy with him in that condition. But the truth was he would still likely be caught.

  As Thomas reached a clearing both of his shoulders screamed out in pain and his feet left the ground. Was there a drop off that he didn't notice in time? Had he lost focus on his path? The ground was getting farther away from him now. It did not look like he would ever land. Then the huge wings flapped and he knew he had been rescued, by Charlie himself.

  They then passed over the three rogues approaching from the east. One of them actually launched themselves into the air, comically reaching for his legs despite being more than ten feet away. It was a futile effort. Charlie would not release him even if it crushed all the bones in his shoulder. The rogue attacker would likely die at Thomas' hands in the air anyway. It was for his own good that the rogue couldn't jump high enough.

  Miles later he was gently dropped on the roof of the main Silver Silhouette building in Great Falls. Charlie landed beside him and morphed back to human almost instantly.

  Thomas was delighted to be alive, but embarrassed that his own boss had to save him. The only accomplishment had been Jose's injury, which turned out to be Charlie's doing as well. He had whacked Jose in the back of the head with his bony beak, knocking him hopelessly off balance. Thomas begged for permission to return after him along with reinforcements. But chances were he had already been rescued by the other rogues and carried off somewhere. Thomas knew they couldn't get far like that. They would likely remain in the area. Hope of catching them soon was not yet extinguished.

  27 - The Great Reveal

  Tish awoke in her own bed, fully dressed from the night before. Her face was aching all over as she sat up. What had happened? Did she get drunk? Was this what a hangover felt like? Then she remembered being hit by the closet door in the face. Soon thereafte
r the remaining memories flooded her brain once again, causing her to get dizzy. She laid back down. There was an ice pack nearby on the nightstand. She applied it to her face, but it was nearly room temperature.

  In time she cleared her head from the barrage of images and made her way downstairs. She found her mother at the dining room table on the phone, looking at maps on her tablet computer. She appeared bewildered. When she saw Tish she excused herself and hung up.

  "Hi, sweetheart," she said in her motherly voice. "Are you feeling any better?"

  Tish sat down on the opposite side of the table and said, "I think I'll be okay. Can I get a fresh ice pack?" Her mother returned with a new pack wrapped in a thin cloth that they used for cleaning windows and the stainless steel appliances. Tish stared at it momentarily before applying it to her face. "Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

  Pam took in a huge breath and released it slowly. "I can," she said. "But it would be better if your father was here as well. Can we wait until he gets home?"

  "No," Tish said, aggravated. "Where is he anyway?"

  "He chased after Aaron, along with Thomas."