Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

“All clear,” said the taller one. Both of them had phasers holstered to their waists. I wondered if they’d ever used them on anyone.

  Hamilton chewed on his lower lip. “Hmm… well, he can’t get too far. Alexandra, you’d better make sure these boys get back to their cabins – and remember what I told you.”

  “Yeah. No problem,” I said, walking away. I looked over my shoulder at Jimmy and Bruce, who were still standing there. “Hello? Come on, you guys.”

  “There goes our chance at seeing the flight-deck,” mumbled my brother, walking toward me.

  “We have plenty of time for that,” I reminded him. “This is just our first day on the ship.”

  “I guess,” he replied, looking down as he walked.

  “Bruce, do you still want to hang out with Jimmy in his room?” I asked as we turned down the next hallway and headed back to our wing of the ship.

  “Heck yeah. No way am I going back to mine right now. My parents are acting crazy,” he said, lowering his voice. “They’re actually beginning to scare me.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, stopping abruptly.

  “My mom,” he said, folding his arms under his chest. He looked sad. “She acts like she hates me.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked, feeling sorry for him. Nobody should feel that way about their parents.

  “You heard her in the cafeteria,” he answered. “She doesn’t even care if I come back to the room or not. And then earlier today, she… she…”

  I waited but he didn’t continue. “She what?”

  “She grabbed me by the neck,” he said so quietly that I could barely hear him.

  “She grabbed you by the neck?” I repeated, my eyes wide.

  He tilted his head back and I could see red marks just below his chin.

  “Whoa, does that hurt?” asked Jimmy.

  He nodded. “Man, I never saw her get so angry. Thank goodness Dad stopped her.”

  I tried not to look too upset, but I felt horrible for him. His mother was a monster. “What exactly happened?”

  He shrugged. “I accidently fell back to sleep this morning, after she woke me up. I didn’t mean to.” He swallowed. “She got really angry and pulled me out of bed. Then she slammed me against the wall. The next thing I know, she was squeezing my neck so hard, I could barely breathe.”

  I covered my mouth in horror. “Oh, my God.”

  He looked at me, blinking away the tears. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have told you. Don’t say anything. She’ll kill me if she finds out.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Jimmy, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Your secret is safe with us.”

  I wanted to agree but it felt wrong to keep that information hidden. It was clearly child abuse. “Has your mother done stuff like that before to you?”

  “No,” he said, wiping a couple of tears from under his lashes. “In fact, I think there’s something wrong with her.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “She just isn’t herself. Either is my dad, but at least he hasn’t hurt me. He just ignores me.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked as we started walking again.

  “He used to allow me into his lab and I’d get to help him with some of his experiments and even some of his research. Other times, we’d just hang out or play checkers together. But, now, he’s always too busy.”

  “So, he doesn’t spend any time with you, anymore?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No and the last time I asked if we could play a game, he nearly bit my head off. He said that the lab was now off limits and I had to stay out of his office, too.”

  “That’s cold, man,” said Jimmy. “Sorry your dad is being such a choad.”

  “And your mom, too,” I said, not knowing exactly what that was. But, his dad definitely sounded like one.

  “Especially my mom,” he said, frowning. “She’s really acting crazy. I still can’t believe she almost choked me to death.”

  “Did she apologize?” I asked.

  “No. In fact, she warned me that if I disobeyed her again, I’d regret it even more so the next time.”

  “Maybe she has her period?” asked Jimmy.

  My jaw dropped. “Oh, come on. Don’t blame everything on that like Dad does.”

  “She doesn’t have that,” said Bruce, looking grossed out. “I overheard her saying that she doesn’t get it anymore. Ever.”

  “Maybe Blayze is right,” said Jimmy, his eyes wide. “Maybe your parents have been taken over by aliens?”

  “Dude, I could only wish. At least then I’d feel better, knowing that my parents weren’t the ones being total jerks. That the aliens were making them do it.”

  “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for the way that they’ve been acting,” I said as we stopped outside of our cabin.

  “What’s reasonable about doing a choke-hold on your son?” asked Jimmy. “I think even Mom and Dad would have a problem with this if they knew about it.”

  “Probably. But, it has nothing to do with being an alien,” I replied, pushing the door open. I stepped into the room and they followed me inside. I turned around and faced Bruce. He really wasn’t as bad of a kid as I’d thought. “They’re both probably very stressed out. Although, that doesn’t excuse what your mom did. That was definitely messed up. She should be held accountable for it.”

  Instead of answering, both boys froze and stared behind me in shock.

  “What did she do?” asked Blayze Watkins.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gasping, I turned around and quickly got into a fighting stance position. “What are you doing in here?”

  “We need to continue our earlier conversation,” he said, stepping toward me, his hands up in the air. “And this time, you’ve really need to listen to me…”

  I grabbed his arm and the next thing I knew, he was on his knees and I was subduing him in some kind of wristlock hold.

  “Whoa! Did you see that?” gasped Jimmy. He jumped up and down and laughed. “My sister is one bad –”

  “Jimmy!” I shouted, tightening my grip on Blayze’s wrist as my kneecap pressed firmly into his back. He groaned in pain. “Go and tell Mom he’s in here. Make sure she calls Security.”

  “No, please don’t,” pleaded Blayze. “Or we’re all going to regret it later!”

  “What do you mean?” asked Jimmy, frowning.

  “He means nothing,” I said, angry. “Now, go and get Mom!”

  “Bruce, isn’t it? Your parents are acting like that because they aren’t in control of their bodies anymore! They’ve been possessed by aliens and I can prove it,” he said, clenching his jaw as I added more pressure to his back.

  “I knew it!” said Jimmy. “That explains why they’re treating you like crap, Bruce.”

  Bruce’s eyes widened. “You seriously think they are aliens?”

  “Oh, come on. He’s crazy,” I snapped. “Don’t listen to him. Just, go and get help, you guys!”

  “No, wait… please… hear me out!” gasped Blayze as I twisted harder.

  “Let him go, Alex. You’re going to break his wrist,” said Jimmy, looking worried.

  “No, I’m not. I wouldn’t even know how to break someone’s wrist.”

  “Yes,” hissed Blayze, clearly in a lot of pain, “you do, and I should know because I showed you how to do it. Before they… brainwashed you. How else do you think you learned these moves?”

  The air rushed to my head as I suddenly became aware that I had just subdued a two-hundred pound man effortlessly.

  Me.

  Someone who had never gotten into a fight before, let alone taken any self-defense classes.

  He closed his eyes. “I won’t hurt you. I swear to God, I just need your help. Please, Alex.”

  Feeling overwhelmed and confused myself, I released Blayze’s arm and backed away from him.

  He stood up slowly, watching me like a hawk. “Believe it or not, I’m quite impressed,” he said, rubbing his wri
st.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, trying not to let him see my hands trembling. I didn’t know what was going on and it was really starting to scare me. Even I couldn’t argue that I’d taken him down with skills I wasn’t aware of.

  “You said that you could prove my parents have been taken over by aliens. How?” asked Bruce.

  Blayze’s eyes shifted to him. “They erased my memory, after I’d discovered their secrets the first time. But, it’s all been coming back to me. And now I have this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flash drive.

  I sucked in my breath. I’d seen that storage device before. It was unique because of the symbol etched on the side.

  “I was hoping you’d recognize this,” he said, holding it up. “Since you’re the one who found it in the first place.”

  Our eyes met and an image flashed into my head. It was of me, handing him that very same flash drive. My stomach tightened as I tried to force the memory closer to the surface. What did it all mean? Was I as crazy as Blayze?

  “Uh, what in the heck is that?” asked Bruce.

  “I’ll show you. Do you have a computer we can use?” asked Blayze.

  “I have my Ejournal. It’s also a universal tablet, so we should be able to access what’s on the flash drive,” I said, walking over to where I’d left it earlier. My heart was pounding in my chest as I struggled to remember what was on the disk. I’d seen it before. I was certain of it.

  “Lock the door,” said Blayze.

  Jimmy ran over and pushed the security buttons. “Okay. It’s locked.”

  We all gathered around the tablet as Blayze turned it on and then slid the flash drive into the side. After a few seconds, an image of a man in a military uniform appeared on the tablet. He was holding a flashlight and it looked like he was in some kind of dark cave. There was blood under the side of his nose and his face was covered in dust.

  “Jenny, it’s me, honey,” he said quietly. He looked over his shoulder and then back at the camera he was recording himself with. “I just… I just wanted to try and send you this message… before it’s too late.” There was a loud explosion somewhere behind him, and he flinched.

  “What’s going on?” whispered Jimmy. “Who’s Jenny?”

  “His girlfriend or wife, I think,” said Blayze as the soldier began talking again.

  “My entire platoon is gone, Jenny. Mark, Dave, Samuel… all of them.” He brushed a few tears from his face and looked over his shoulder again, obviously terrified. “The aliens… they disintegrated them with these high-tech lasers before we could find out if they were friend or foe.” He laughed grimly. “Guess we didn’t have to ask, huh?”

  Another explosion and the man swore. He grabbed the camera and began running through the darkness. After a few seconds, he sat down, adjusted the camera, and began talking once again, this time slightly out of breath. He leaned closer and the longing in his eyes made my heart break for him and his girl, Jenny. “I… I just want to say that I love you, babe. No matter what happens, I will never stop. And make sure Gemma knows about me. That I loved her so much. I wish I could have been a better father,” he voice broke. “I’ll never get the chance to see her walk for the first time… or ride a bike…”

  “Look out!” hollered Jimmy as something moved behind the soldier.

  Bruce leaned closer. “What is it?”

  A silvery light wrapped itself around the man. He stiffened up and then cried out in agony.

  “The light… I’m pretty sure it’s the alien,” said Blayze somberly.

  We all watched in horror as the man’s eyes rolled back into his head and he began to have some kind of seizure. The camera fell to the ground and then we couldn’t see what was happening. But, we could hear his screams.

  Sighing, Blayze turned the sound down on the tablet.

  “That’s… that’s horrible,” said Jimmy, who was as white as a ghost. He turned to me. “That poor guy.”

  I looked at Blayze, wanting him to turn it off, but he motioned toward the screen.

  “I know it’s bad, but we need to keep watching,” he said. “It’s important.”

  “Okay,” I said, just as the man stopped screaming.

  “Watch,” said Blayze.

  The camera began to move again.

  “Check it out,” said Bruce, as the soldier’s face appeared briefly on the screen. He grinned. “He’s okay.”

  “No, actually, he’s not,” said Blayze.

  We all watched as the soldier began monkeying around with the camera. After a few seconds, his dirt-stained face reappeared; there was a calmness there that wasn’t before. Then I noticed that his irises were now infused with a silvery light. My heart stopped. I looked at Blayze in shock and he nodded.

  “Wow, look at his eyes,” said Bruce. “That’s not normal.”

  “No, he’s been possessed,” said Jimmy, frowning. “Wait a second. He looks kind of like your Uncle Hamilton, only a lot younger.”

  “That’s because it is,” said Blayze. “Or rather, it was.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jimmy turned to him. “How many years ago was that video shot?”

  “Almost twenty,” he replied.

  “During the war,” I said breathlessly. I still couldn’t believe what we’d just witnessed. But, deep down, I knew that it was one-hundred percent real. I also knew that I’d been the one who had discovered that video, initially.

  Blayze looked at me. “Is it coming back to you now?”

  I nodded slowly. Some things were. Enough that I felt like throwing up. “I remember finding the flash drive under Dad’s desk.”

  “Apparently, he’d lost it,” said Blayze.

  Jimmy’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying that Dad knows about the aliens?”

  Blayze put a hand on his shoulder. “Yes. In fact, we’re pretty sure that he’s being controlled by an alien, too. Same with your mom.”

  Jimmy shook off his hand. “No,” he snapped, backing away. His eyes filled with angry tears. “No! Our parents are not possessed by aliens. That’s a lie.”

  “I wish it was,” he answered somberly. “Believe me, I really do.”

  “But, their eyes aren’t silver,” I said, not wanting to believe it either. I had doubts myself. Their love seemed so real. Not an act.

  “The aliens are obviously good actors, and as far as the eyes go, well, that’s an easy fix,” he said, looking into my eyes. “You of all people should know that.”

  I’d forgotten that I hadn’t been wearing the contacts.

  Bruce stared at my eyes and his jaw dropped. “Wait a minute… they’re kind of a silvery-violet. Are you an alien, Al?!”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, Bruce, I’m not an alien. And my name is Alex, not Al.”“She had surgery on them when she was a baby,” said Jimmy. “They accidently changed the color of her eyes to that light purple. I think it’s pretty cool, but she doesn’t like it.”

  “They’re beautiful,” said Blayze, looking into them. “I’ve always said that.”

  He did? “Um, thanks,” I said, feeling my cheeks turn pink. “I guess they’re okay.”

  “Are you sure that it was an accident?” asked Bruce. “Maybe you really are an alien and they told you that story so that you wouldn’t find out.”

  “Oh, come on. If she was an alien, she’d know, right?” said Jimmy.

  “She would but you wouldn’t,” said Bruce, glaring at me now. “Maybe she’s not who she appears, either.”

  Jimmy’s eyes widened. He turned to me. “Crap, you’re not an alien, are you Alex?”

  I wasn’t sure of much anymore, but I knew I wasn’t a stupid alien. “No, Jimmy. And like I said, I’m pretty sure that our parents aren’t either.”

  “You believed that they were aliens before your mind was erased. By your parents, might I remind you,” said Blayze.

  “Her parents erased her mind?” gasped Bruce.

  He nodded. “Maybe even yours, too. It’s why w
e’re going back to their home planet. We’re all liabilities.”

  “Wait a second, wait a second… are you saying that Planet Z is actually their planet?” said Bruce.

  “Yes. That’s what this mission is really about. Going home. Most of the people on this ship are aliens.”

  “Why aren’t we aliens yet?” asked Bruce, looking confused.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s because your bodies aren’t mature enough to handle the alien’s life force,” Blayze looked over at me. “Ours are, though.”

  “So, why haven’t they changed you two into aliens?” asked Jimmy.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe our hosts don’t need us yet.”

  “This is crazy,” said Jimmy. “I know what we saw, but our parents aren’t aliens. I’d bet my life on it.”

  “Face it, Jimmy, they have to be,” he argued. “It’s why they erased our memories. Why else would they help them?”

  “Is there a way to tell?” asked Jimmy.

  “Nobody has to tell me,” said Bruce quickly. “My parents are not acting normal. I guess it’s kind of a relief to know that they don’t really hate me. My real parents, that is.”

  “No, I’m sure they don’t. Also, I think they’re aware of what’s going on, but can’t do anything about it,” said Blayze.

  “How do you know?” asked Bruce.

  “It was something I heard, after we were captured. Hamilton was talking to one of the other scientists about it.”

  “Are all of the scientists controlled by the aliens?” asked Jimmy.

  “I’m pretty sure they are,” he said.

  “I still don’t get why they lied about this mission. Why not just contain us?’ I asked.

  “I think they intend to move all of us back to their planet within the next year,” said Blayze. “Earth is a very unhealthy environment and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the aliens are very health conscious.”

  “I suppose that makes sense. Our bodies are their temples, right?” I said dryly.

  “So, what do we do now?” asked Jimmy.

  “Nothing,” said Blayze. “In fact, you need to pretend that you know anything about this.”