by Sean Platt
Emily smiled, sinking into their happiness like a bath.
“Ask me anything,” she said.
* * * *
CHAPTER 6 — Jake Barrow
Jake was still in the basement, back in Luca’s room, trying and failing to keep his eyes off of Emily. He was supposedly in charge of watching Luca, but all he could do was stare as Emily sat in the bed next to Luca, reading through a book she found on the shelf in the living room.
He knew she was only reading the book to avoid eye contact, and a part of him wanted to go back in the living room, maybe play with the kids or something, but hell if he could break away from the girl, trying to find the right words to say to charm her.
There was something about Emily that made Jake feel things he’d never felt. It wasn’t like lust — he felt that plenty while thinking about Mary, and sometimes Marina, though he imagined Marina less with Mary around. Her hard body and don’t fuck with me posture had a way of turning him on. There was something sweet about Emily that made him want to talk to her, touch her, know her — something that made him long for her to have the same feelings toward him.
It was a crush, plain and simple. And while he’d had countless impure thoughts since the days when he started needing moments alone, he’d never felt anything so perfectly innocent.
More than anything, Jake wanted to kiss her. But he was pretty sure she thought he was way older than he was. While the team thought Jake was sixteen, he was, in fact, only fourteen. He was just very big for his age. And he was sure if he’d told them his actual age when they first found each other, they’d never have let him do stuff with them. But now, he felt screwed.
He wondered if there was any way he could tell her his real age, so maybe she’d not feel so weirded out by him. Maybe he could finally tell the others, too. He’d already proved himself as a capable fighter, and it wasn’t like there were child labor laws in the postapocalypse preventing him from still going out on runs with the Alpha Team.
She looked up, and he quickly looked down.
He felt twice his already giant size, six times as awkward, and as Boricio would say, dumb as a dick hole.
He kept trying to think of something that wasn’t stupid to say. But hell if he could.
Jake heard Marina return to the living room, shouting.
He ran with Emily to see what was going on.
“I spotted Marcus out on the street,” she said. “And he had Mary.”
“What?” Jevonne jumped out of his seat. “The guy from that place you were all at?”
“Yeah, he must’ve somehow tracked us.”
“How?” Teagan asked.
The kids clutched one another between her and Brent on the couch.
Jake felt like he should speak, maybe ask something that would prove his intelligence and ability to respond. Maybe impress Emily.
“What about other bandits?” Brent asked before he could.
Marina shook her head. “I only saw Marcus, and Mary.”
Brent stood from his spot beside Teagan. “We need to get her.”
She pulled at Brent’s shirt sleeve and tugged him back to the couch. He barely resisted, and fell back on top of Teagan’s legs.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Brent stood again, and shrugged himself from Teagan’s grip. “I’m going to help find Mary.”
“No!” Ben said. “Please, Dad, don’t go.”
“No.” Marina shook her head. “They’re right. You need to stay here and protect the kids.”
Brent reclaimed his spot on the couch, eyes sad, expression wounded.
Jake wasn’t sure what was going on there, whether Marina was really saying he should stay here because it was best, or if she was caving to Teagan’s and Ben’s request.
Marina looked around the room. “Who else wants to go with me?”
Jake desperately wanted to go. He would definitely volunteer but hoped he’d be chosen. That would show Emily that he was one of the team, that he pulled his weight, that he was brave and valuable and worth having around.
Jake raised his hand. “I’ll go.”
Jevonne nodded. “Sounds good, Barrow. You and I will follow Marina. Jazz and Brent can stay here and handle anyone that shows.”
“All right then,” Marina said. “Are we ready?”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ascended the few stairs from the doorway into the house.
Jake grabbed his pistol and machete then turned and waved at Emily, and the others, smiling. “Bye, everyone.”
Everyone said “Bye,” but he only cared Emily’s small farewell wave.
Feeling brave and worthwhile, he followed Marina and Jevonne into The City.
They walked several blocks, with Jake focusing on Marina’s ass rather than the detritus of a dead world that littered the concrete hallways around them. Not a bad substitute. Jake had always thought Marina was hot. Specifically, she had a fantastic ass. Perfectly athletic. Mary turned him on, but she was almost too hard. Marina was slightly softer. Perfect, really. Not too fat, not too flabby, not too muscular. Nice and toned. He felt a flush of shame, wondering how he could go from thinking kind and sweet thoughts about a girl like Emily to dirty ones about these two women.
“Too bad you can’t take a picture.” Jevonne winked.
“Shut up.” Marina was a half block ahead, too far to hear them, but being caught by Jevonne was bad enough. “I wasn’t really looking.”
Jevonne, who was in his early forties, but always gave cool conversation, laughed. “Dude, you couldn’t have been staring harder.”
“I didn’t want to look at all of this shit.” Jake waved his hand at the destruction around them.
“Hell, man, I don’t blame you, I’m just calling it like I see it. You can stare at all the ass you want. Lord knows I do.”
Jevonne smiled, clapped Jake on the shoulder, and made him feel like less of an idiot. Jake was surprised because usually Jevonne was friendly, and on the quiet side around the others. Not exactly someone he’d picture checking out booty.
Jevonne went on. “Ya see, the thing about ass … ”
Marina stopped walking, and Jevonne fell silent.
“This is where I saw them go,” Mary said.
Jake looked up at the sign: Thomas Edison Middle School. The school was mostly burned and broken, but there were still several parts, including the main entrance, which were serviceable.
Jake smiled at the sign in front of the burned-down school, wondering if it also looked like this before The Fall.
Marina stared into the entrance. “I’m going inside to check it out. You two wait behind, and guard the doors. Radio me if you see anything suspicious.”
“Shouldn’t we go with you?” Jake asked.
“No, I’m quieter on my own. I’ll come back if I need you. And this way, if they leave, you can catch them.”
“Okay,” Jevonne said.
Marina left. Jevonne continued.
“The ass is a lovely sight to behold, and the best part of the body because — as you know — you can stare without getting caught, and it gives you a reasonable estimation of what the rest of that woman’s body might look like. If a woman has a nice ass and legs, you can bet the rest of her body will match. And you can stare without getting in trouble like you would if you got caught staring up top.”
“I wasn’t staring,” Jake tried again.
“You don’t have to deny it. This shit is biological. Men are designed to check out a woman’s birthing hips and judge her to see if she can yield healthy offspring. That shit is half instinct. Boners aren’t our fault.”
Jake laughed.
The radio crackled.
“Jevonne,” Marina said, “I need you in here now. Barrow, you stay behind, and watch the doors to make sure no one leaves.”
“Okay.” Jevonne’s tone was back to business, his eyes serious. He fastened the radio to his belt. “You see both doors? There’s one up close and another farth
er down that way.” He pointed toward the tree line. “Don’t lose sight of either door, no matter what. You got it? And if anything comes out, you radio us. And if we don’t answer, then you take that fucker out and get Mary, okay?”
Jake nodded. “I got it.”
“Well then,” Jevonne said. “Yippee-ki-yay.”
Jevonne inhaled, exhaled, then left Jake alone.
Jake told himself he’d die before allowing Marcus to take Mary away. It was his job to protect his team, his friends, and he was grateful for the chance to prove himself. But Jake couldn’t quiet the voice inside him that wanted to whisper all the ways he was sure to fuck up.
You’re a lousy shot.
That wasn’t true. Daily practice had made Jake a decent shot, and everyone knew he was unstoppable at close-quarters combat.
That’s because you’re the size of a house. You just have to stand there. You’re shit, and you know it.
That wasn’t true either. Jake could throw a punch because Ed and Boricio had both shown him how. Jake didn’t hit like either of the guys, since they had different styles of fighting, but he’d learned to throw down his own way with their help. No matter what, he’d be able to take whatever was coming.
No, you can’t. You’re a coward. And everyone’s going to see it.
Most of him wanted the excursion to go smoothly, for them to find Mary and return her to safety without any hiccups. Another part of him was hoping for a skirmish, nothing too big, just big enough to give him a chance to prove he was a decent shot, good in close quarters, and brave enough to use his courage as much as his size to help his friends when they needed him.
As time passed, the sun grew hotter in the sky, and shadows from the surrounding trees moved across the nearby asphalt. Every breaking branch sounded like bandits sneaking up behind him.
He turned, scanning the school in front and the woods behind, trying to keep an eye on both.
They’d been gone too long.
He wiped his brow and looked all around.
An ancient paper skittered across the road. A bird flew from the school’s rooftop and sent something small falling.
And then a loud crack behind him.
Jake spun around, gun aimed, crying out, but saw nothing. Embarrassed, he gathered himself.
Gone too long. I should check in.
He hoped they’d turned their radios to buzz, in case the sound of his call drew unwanted attention.
“Anyone there?” he said into the radio.
No response.
He looked around again, unsure whether he should enter the school and abandon his post, or wait as ordered.
Jake looked around yet again, unable to shake the danger pressing on his mind and body.
If he climbed the school steps, he’d lose sight of the second door for sure — the one thing he promised not to do.
If the Reaper escaped, or worse, left with Mary, and fled through the same door Jake was supposed to be guarding, he’d never forgive himself.
And neither would anyone else.
Jake would rather die than disappoint anyone, especially Boricio.
Boricio had been a tormenting older brother and Jake’s best friend ever since Boricio found him starving while wandering the streets. Boricio had relentlessly mocked Jake ever since that first day, burning through an endless litany of names, starting with Baby Huey, then Tank for a few weeks before finally settling on Truffle Shuffle.
Jake wasn’t fat, just big, and Boricio knew it. He’d always had to put up with a lot of shit from other kids growing up, until he lost his temper one day and sent a kid to the hospital. No one even whispered about him after that.
But he never lost his temper with Boricio. Jake understood that getting shit from Boricio was like getting rain from a cloud. That was the way he talked, and that Boricio was busting Jake’s balls because that’s what guys did when they were friends. Despite Boricio’s teasing, or maybe partly because of it, he’d made Jake feel like he belonged to something for the first time ever. Boricio had also taught him more than anyone. Every insult somehow worked backward, and made Jake feel more like a man. Every time —
Marina suddenly flew out the front doorway.
Alone.
“What the hell?” Jake said quietly to himself.
Marina approached him. Her eyes were big, concerned, not quite right. “Where’s Jevonne?”
“What do you mean? I thought he was with you.”
“No.” Marina shook her head. “He came back out. You didn’t see him come out?”
Jake looked around nervously.
I fucked up, and I fucked up in front of Marina. Must’ve missed him when I was looking in the woods. Dammit!
“Wait, is that him?” Marina’s eyes widened as she pointed toward the trees.
Jake turned to look. “Where?”
Something sharp hit the back of his head, then everything went black as his body fell.
Jake never felt the ground.
* * * *
CHAPTER 7 — Marina Harmon
The kid hit the ground with a dull thud.
He was huge, crashing to the road without any grace, like a sack of excrement.
It looked down as the life left Barrow’s body. The human, Marina, wanted to feel something, but It kept her from feeling anything, lest her body revolt against It.
It looked down at the boy who was once named Jake but was now the remnants of a soul on the way to the Great Void.
It could feel Marina crying out, fighting for control of her body.
But it wasn’t hers any longer.
Neither her body nor her mind. Certainly not her will.
That alien at The Farm had seen to that, just as it divided itself, leaving most of ITS body for her to kill as a show to the humans, and the other part wormed ITS way inside her.
Now the thing that was once Marina could only watch, helpless and afraid, as The Darkness planned to decimate her friends.
Please, she begged inside her mind. Please don’t do this.
It laughed. It remembered that other part of Itself dating her, getting close, and trying to take over her father’s church, trying to get the vials.
How do you feel now, Marina, to finally lose to the very Darkness you thought you were destined to defeat?
Marina screamed, trying to push It out.
But It held on tight, sending sharp pain through the host’s body, until she stopped fighting.
Only after It felt her weaken did It start walking.
“Where are we going?” Marina asked.
It refused to answer.
But that didn’t matter. She and the alien were one, and if Marina focused, allowed its thoughts to become one with hers, she could see the truth as if she’d felt it herself.
“No!”
Marina whimpered, seeing — feeling — the horrible truth.
“Please don’t,” she begged again.
It approached Chandler House, and sent out a message to The Collective.
I’ve found The Light.
* * * *
CHAPTER 8 — Brent Foster
Brent wondered if he’d ever get used to the resilience of children. A day ago, they’d been living in a shipping container filled with filthy slaves under the constant threat of rape or death, with barely anything to eat or drink between terrors. They’d escaped Hell, and found their way to a home in The City. Now, barely a sunrise later, Ben and Becca were smiling while reading the few tattered books that Jazz had managed to scavenge.
Teagan took his hand. “Come on.”
Brent looked from the children to Teagan. “Where are we going?”
“Upstairs. For some privacy.”
“Oh, okay,” Brent said, wondering if Teagan wanted to do what he didn’t think she possibly would want to do for a long time. They went upstairs, leaving Jazz and Emily downstairs with the children.
Upstairs, her face grew more serious. “Are you okay?”
Brent nodded. He wasn
’t sure if he’d ever felt worse, or at least less optimistic. They were home but far from safe. Mary was possibly missing, and the aliens were a constant threat, along with the Reaper. Still, he sure as shit wasn’t about to whine.
“We’re okay,” Teagan smiled. “We made it, you know. He saw to it.”
“What do you mean, He?” Brent felt his agitation swell.
Teagan pointed to the sky.
“God?”
Nodding, she smiled wider. “I was praying that He would save us, and He did. Now we’re safe.”
Brent had prayed, too, a few times during the crisis because that’s what you did when you were a few breaths from death, whether you believed in the bearded man above or not. But away from the wretched town and its wretched people, it was harder for Brent to buy stock in the fairy tale. He couldn’t believe God had saved them, even if he wanted to.
“No,” Brent said. “Marina saved us. Not God.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “You’re right, Brent. Marina saved us, but only because that was part of His plan.”
“Really, Teagan?” Brent dropped her hand and gestured around the room. “This is His grand plan? To flush the world down the toilet except for a few turds that refused to go down, then leave the rest of us here like rats fighting for scraps?”
That was probably enough. Teagan’s jaw hardened.
“Some fucking plan, G!” Brent couldn’t help it. “Great job and glory, glory hallelujah.”
Teagan’s expression softened, as if she were willing her anger away. She put an arm on Brent’s shoulder; the smile returned to her face. Calm.
Her placidity was pissing him off.
“He works in mysterious ways.”
Brent shrugged Teagan from his shoulder and took a step back.
“I thought you didn’t believe in God. I thought your father scared the Good Lord right out of you.”
Teagan looked at Brent, still calm, now patronizing.
