Black Melt_Mother Fountain

by Indy McDaniel

  Chapter Eight

  Love’s Labors Melted

  Benjamin, Tom, and Anders came together in front of Kari’s house. Slowly, more infected gathered with the trio. Even over the short period of time, their numbers had expanded to a far more comfortable quantity. We can take the house, Benjamin thought into the fold. Even that pesky bitch with the gun won’t be able to stop us now.

  Not yet, a firm voice responded, speaking above the multitude of other personalities. We have a special guest arriving soon.

  Anders – able to hear the voices just as easily as Benjamin could – let out a snort of annoyed impatience. Benjamin turned and leveled a glare at the large man. All it took was a teasing threat of removing Anders from the fold to get the former FBI agent in line. He gave a solemn nod and waited along with the others.

  Just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean we shouldn’t surround the property, he added to the cacophony of voices. Make sure they don’t try to sneak out.

  Benjamin waited for the superior voice to confirm the validity of Anders’ suggestion before waving a handful of the infect to do just that. They split apart and disappeared around either side of Kari’s house to cover all possible exits.

  ***

  Ellen Murphy’s pale face looked ghostly in the darkened attic. But she was still conscious and – despite the continued throbbing coming from the stump of her arm – she was still ready and willing to fight to protect Kari and Felicia. Her gun rested at her side. They hadn’t heard anything from the house below since barricading themselves in the attic, but Ellen knew it was only a matter of time. The only thing she could hope for was that Stark or some other form of backup showed up before the freaks busted in.

  “I can’t believe this is really happening,” Kari whispered, hugging Felicia close to her chest. Her wide eyes were distant with shock.

  “Me, either,” Ellen agreed, holding up her stump and giving it a forlorn look. “I really liked that hand…”

  “Did they tell you?” Kari asked. “What all this is supposed to be?”

  Ellen shook her head. “Nope. They just told me and my partner to sit on your house and make sure no one gave you any trouble. Acid spitting freaks weren’t in the briefing.”

  “The other agent, Stark,” Kari said. “He told me. It’s some kind of alien fungus. It killed my sister. He said it might have some kind of intelligence to it and that it might be coming for us. But he didn’t know why.”

  “Alien life?” Ellen asked, her brow rising. She let out a humorless laugh. “First contact’s a real fucking bitch, huh?” She clamped her mouth shut as her eyes shifted to Felicia. “Sorry. I didn’t think that through as well as I should have.”

  “You seem to be doing a little better,” Kari said, letting the cursing slide. Given everything Felicia had been through that night, she doubted a bit of foul language was going to make a difference.

  Ellen nodded. “I’m running on pure adrenaline and endorphins. Here’s hoping that holds out long enough for the cavalry to get here.” She shrugged. “I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out or throw up anymore. So I guess that’s something.”

  “That… that bad man outside killed Mommy?” It was the first thing Felicia had said since the whole ordeal had started.

  Kari looked down at the girl. “It’s complicated, honey,” she said, not knowing how she was going to explain the situation to Felicia when she didn’t even fully understand it herself. “The man outside, he’s sick. That same sickness killed Mommy.”

  “Did the sickness make her crazy like the man outside, too?” Felicia asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kari lied. Stark had shown her the images of her sister’s body – what was left of it – and she knew all too well that Madison hadn’t been infected like the man outside was infected. But she wasn’t about to tell Felicia that her mother had been melted down into a puddle of black goo.

  “Why the hell does life have to be so damn complicated?” Ellen muttered with a sigh. “Last month, I was just finishing up basic training. I got assigned to the Baltimore field office two weeks ago. This was my second assignment. I got a real jerk for a partner. He’s out there now. Infected and wanting to kill me.” She shook her head. “I swear, it feels like my whole graduating class is cursed or something. There was another chick, cute thing, she got assigned to Santa Fe. Her first gig out, she was working a job in conjuncture with the DEA to take down an incoming cocaine shipment. Some cartel douche bag got off a shot and hit her right in the face. Dead before she hit the dirt. Another guy, halfway through training, goes in for a routine checkup, comes out diagnosed with lung cancer. He was dead a month later. Now this shit.”

  “Could you not?” Kari chimed in.

  “Sorry,” Ellen said. “I keep forgetting to curb the language.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about the language,” she replied icily. “But I don’t want to sit here listening to you gripe about this shit. It sounds like you’ve already given up. And if you have, then you’d better give me that gun of yours right now, because I’m not going to let anything happen to Felicia, with or without your help.”

  Ellen silently considered Kari’s words for a few moments before nodding. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Bad form of me to bring it up at all. You don’t have to worry. I’ll give my life to make sure nothing happens to you or the girl.”

  ***

  Allen nearly took out the mailbox as he swerved his car into the driveway. He threw the car into park and unlatched his seatbelt. Opening the driver side door, he scrambled out, almost forgetting to yank his keys free of the ignition. He didn’t fully understand the situation, but he knew enough. He knew Kari and Felicia were in trouble. He’d not said much on his way out of the restaurant, rushing to his car, getting behind the wheel, and breaking a multitude of traffic laws on his way home.

  But he was here now. Judging by the seemingly abandoned state of the house, he couldn’t see any immediate danger, allowing him to relax somewhat. He hurried towards the front door, fumbling the keys in his hand until he came up with the one for the deadbolt. He slipped the key into place and was just about to turn it when he heard the soft giggle from beside him. He turned to the bush growing just beside the front door, squinting into the darkness.

  “Who’s there?” he demanded. “Who the fuck’s there?”

  Benjamin stepped out from behind the bush, grinning widely and stroking his tainted cock. “Hello, Allen,” he purred. “Nice of you to join us.”

  ***

  “Kari!”

  She jumped when she heard the voice and would have called back, except Ellen reached out with her sole remaining hand to grip her by the shoulder firmly. She gave a stern shake of her head.

  “It’s Allen,” Kari insisted with a harsh whisper.

  “There’s no way we can know if it’s really him or not,” Ellen insisted. “My partner left the car for only a few minutes and when he came back, he was one of them.”

  “Kari!” Allen called again, fearful urgency in his voice. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “He doesn’t sound like one of them,” Kari argued. “He sounds normal and freaked out.”

  “I find it hard to believe those freaks would just let him walk into the house,” Ellen said.

  “Maybe he snuck past them, or maybe they wanted to follow him into the house and jump him.” Kari felt a franticness rising in her. “Either way, I have to at least see if he’s alright. If he is, he can help us get out of here. If he’s not, I can distract him long enough for you to get Felicia to safety.” She yanked her arm free of Ellen’s grip and scrambled towards the attic hatch. She turned back to Felicia. “You stay up here with Agent Murphy,” she told her. “If it’s safe, I’ll come back for you.”

  “This is a stupid idea,” Ellen warned. “At the very least, I should be the one to go down there.”

  “No,” Kari said firmly. “You have the gun, you have the training. You can keep Felicia safe if something happen
s to me.”

  “Aunt Kari, don’t go,” Felicia whimpered.

  Kari gave the girl a frown. “I have to, honey. You’re daddy’s downstairs and I have to make sure he’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise. But I have to go. I’ll be right back.” She turned back to the attic’s hatchway, tugging it up and out of the way. “Shut this behind me,” she told Ellen.

  Kari wasn’t an idiot. She knew the odds of Allen not being infected were ridiculously slim. It wasn’t some blind hope inspired by childish love forcing her to go see for sure. The attic was only a temporary sanctuary and if the weird goo-fucks had gotten to Allen and entered the house, they couldn’t wait for Agent Stark and the cavalry. Even with a missing hand, Murphy was better equipped to keep Felicia safe than Kari was. I think I finally understand chess, she thought as she dropped from the attic and into the upstairs hall. Funny, I never thought of myself as a Queen.

  * * *

  “Kari!”

  The hushed but urgent tone of Allen’s voice nearly caused Kari to let loose with a terrified shriek. After sneaking out of the attic, she’d been creeping her way through the house as quietly as possible to avoid giving away her position. She’d wanted to spot Allen before he spotted her. That plan seemed to have crashed and burned.

  Kari turned towards the voice and got a brief glimpse of Allen’s darkened silhouette before he rushed forward and embraced her firmly in his arms. The hug felt warm and safe and Kari allowed herself to melt into it. “Allen,” she gasped, hugging him back. “Thank fuck. Are you okay? Did you see anyone on your way in? They were outside.”

  “There was no one out there,” Allen replied. “Are you alright? Where’s Felicia?”

  “She’s… She’s safe,” Kari said. She didn’t know why she went with a vague answer to Allen’s question. Gut reaction to the tense situation, maybe. Whatever the reason was, Kari felt better not broadcasting Felicia’s hiding place out loud. If Allen hadn’t seen any of the freaks outside, it was possible they might be lurking inside the house. And if they were, she didn’t want them overhearing her. She could guide Allen back to the attic and they could go back to cowering in the dark and waiting for the cavalry.

  “She’s really not.”

  Kari didn’t like the sudden shift in Allen’s voice. She realized his cheek – pressed against hers – felt a good deal rougher than it should have given the fact that he’d shaved that morning. And his skin wasn’t just rough. It felt almost… flaky.

  Planting her palms flat against Allen’s chest, Kari managed to push herself back from him enough to get a reasonably good look at his face. Her eyes shot wide with horror as she spotted the patches of black growth creeping out from his lips and inching down from his eyes. “Allen, no,” she gasped.

  “You need to tell me where my daughter is, Kari,” Allen growled wetly at her as thick globs of obsidian saliva drooled from his lips. His fingers dug into the flesh of Kari’s arms. “You will tell me where my daughter is. One way or another.”

  Kari managed to push aside the shock and sudden sense of loss as she looked into Allen’s now alien-like eyes. As he yanked her down the hall and towards the bedroom they shared, she let loose with a scream of epic proportions. It was a good way to deal with the terror rushing through her, but more importantly, she knew Ellen would hear the scream. And most importantly, the rookie FBI agent would know exactly what the scream meant.

  ***

  “Shhh…”

  Ellen had barely managed to snatch up the young girl and clamp a hand over her mouth to avoid Felicia crying out in response to Kari. Stupid, she thought. I told her not to go. Goddammit, now what do I do?

  Even though Kari’s scream successfully managed to signal the danger lurking within the house, it offered nothing in terms of options. The same defensive advantage the attic provided was also its chief disadvantage. The solitary access point made it impossible for their enemy to sneak up on them, but it made escape infinitely more difficult to achieve. Ellen had her gun, her phone, and a squirming child desperately trying to break free of her one good arm. If the infected things decided to force their way into the attic at that moment, she didn’t like the odds of survival.

  Just when Felicia began to calm down, another of Kari’s screams came oozing up from the floor beneath them and the young girl went back to squirming. “I’m sorry,” Ellen whispered into Felicia’s ear. “We can’t do anything to help her. I have to keep you safe. If I do one damn thing right tonight, it’s going to be keeping you safe.”

  ***

  Kari let out a hiss of pain as Allen’s fingernails scratched across the skin of her arms. It seemed a small price to pay for freedom, but it stung all the same. She managed to break free of his grip and stumbled backwards a couple of feet before he spun towards her. His face was an inky horror, black crud oozing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He lunged towards her and Kari reacted instinctively by snapping a foot up between his legs.

  Regardless of the shocking change that had taken hold of Allen, it seemed that his genitals were no less sensitive. He cried out and dropped to his knees, cradling his bruised crotch. Kari gave herself a fraction of a second to bask in the satisfaction that the self-defense class she’d taken years ago had finally paid off before making a dart for the bedroom door.

  She managed to get through the door and into the hall before Allen shook off the pain of her kick and charged after her. She heard his heavy footsteps rushing towards her and forced herself to run faster. The stairs were within sight. She could jump down them three at a time if need be and then make a fast exit from the house. It may have been certain death, but if she was able to lead Allen and whatever other infected freaks were around away from Felicia, she’d count it as a win.

  Allen caught up to Kari at the top of the stairs. He dropped his shoulder low and collided with her back. Kari let out a sharp scream as she toppled forward down the stairs. Her body met the hard steps with a series of meaty thuds and a sharp crack followed by a wail of agony. Allen rose back to his full height and glared down the stairs at Kari’s crumpled form.

  Stabbing pain jolted up Kari’s left leg. It only took a glance for her to spot the bloody bone shard protruding from her pants leg. If it weren’t for the adrenalin surging through her veins, she was certain she would have passed out. But she was still conscious, which meant she could still try to escape. She could feel the warm stickiness of blood trickling down the side of her face, but she ignored it. Rolling onto her stomach, she extended her arms out in front of her and proceeded to crawl as best she could towards the front door. The sound of Allen stomping down the stairs after her wasn’t comforting.

  Kari made it a few feet before she realized Allen was no longer stomping towards her. She could hear his heavy breath above her and a shudder of dread came with it. Twisting onto her side, she looked up at him with pleading, tear-filled eyes. “Allen, please,” she hissed through her teeth. “This shit already took Madison away from me. Don’t let it take you, too.”

  Allen stared down at Kari, shaking his head slowly. “You don’t understand,” he replied, wetness bubbling in the back of his throat. “We’re about to have the ultimate family reunion.” He reached down to the crotch of his pants and that’s when Kari noticed the distinct bulge.

  “Oh, what the fuck?!” Kari yelled. “Allen, what the fuck are you doing?!” It was a stupid question and she knew it. She could clearly see what he was doing as he unfastened his pants and shoved them down his legs to reveal his aching erection. And she could guess what would come next. But the insanity of it all forced her to question everything.

  “I’m sorry,” Allen sputtered as he dropped down on top of Kari and rolled her onto her back. “I have to know. I can feel how it felt, but I have to know how it feels. I have to know why you were so much more special than me.”

  Confused horror filled Kari’s face. “What the hell are you talking about?” She tried to bring her hands up to shove Allen away but he knocked them
aside easily enough before tearing her shirt open down the middle. “Allen, you’re fucking sick! Get the fuck off of me! Snap out of it! Please!”

  Allen did stop. He stared down at Kari with sadness, his hands resting on top of her breasts. “You know, Kari, seeing this shit from the inside? It’s a dream come true. A fungus this advanced, this intelligent, no one even bothered to theorize the possibility. And now I get to understand it on a cellular level. Not just understand it, but experience it. You can’t possibly comprehend how fucking happy that makes me.”

  Kari blinked tears from her eyes. The face was Allen’s, the voice was Allen’s, but the words weren’t his at all. Her sanity had already been on the verge of vacating her completely and the tickling suspicion at the back of her mind threatened to pull the final threads of it away. She clamped her eyes shut tight and shook her head frantically. “This is fucking impossible,” she told herself firmly, trying to make herself believe it.

  Allen’s right hand moved up from Kari’s chest to take hold of her face and give it a hard shake. “Keep it together, sis,” Allen growled. “Now is not the time to lose your shit. You’ve never been so important in your entire goddamn life.”

  “No,” Kari gasped. It had taken less than a day for her normal life to become completely insane. Hearing her dead sister speaking to her with Allen’s blackened, crusty lips, Kari’s mind decided that sanity was vastly overrated. “No!” she shrieked, eyes bulging wide with horrified madness. She brought an arm up and slammed her elbow into Allen’s throat with enough force to crush his trachea.

  The front of Allen’s throat dented inwards, putting an end to his bubbling words. His eyes sparked with anger and his arm came up, backhanding Kari across the cheek and nearly knocking her unconscious. Lying dazed on the floor, one leg twisted and broken, she could do nothing to defend herself as Allen’s hands moved down to her pants, working them open and tugging them halfway down her legs.