Soul Taker

by John Garforth

  “No, they can’t, they don’t see it our way at all, the media are putting a completely different slant on it, they’re getting the punters all worked up about ‘old time religion.’ Said Frank, “all the churches and religious leaders are jumping up and down with excitement. There line is, that these poor victims are proof positive that we all have a God given soul which leaves and moves on when we die. These people are soulless, through no fault of their own, they are victims, casualties of an uncaring society. They must be treated with love and kindness.”

  “That’s a load of crap and you know it,” said Clara, getting to her feet, “those bastards out there are the result of a Genomic meltdown. Their DNA is riddled with errors, due to the blast and heat, followed by lethal doses of radiation. Through our meddling with time travel we’ve resurrected a new race of genetic abominations that could be intent on world domination.”

  “I know that and I understand what you’re saying,” said Frank, trying to placate his President, “but just think about it, if the Neutron bombs work and the media get hold of the story. There’ll be pictures everywhere of hundreds of bodies piled up, we’ll all be labelled as Nazis. Not a good move in an election year.”

  The President looked at him, arms folded across her chest, her expression was petulant.

  “What about the Nuclear option then? Put it all back the way it was, I’ve given orders for Captain Reed to be brought back to Naples as soon as it’s convenient. What if she could go back in time for us again, undo everything that she did the first time. Maybe everything would go back to normal?”

  Frank Lister walked over to the window and looked down at the street, he was shaking his head slowly.

  “It might work Frank,” continued Clara, “who’s to say, we could at least try it.”

  She was staring at the back of his head, feeling more and more exasperated.

  “Madam President,” he said, without turning his head, “I know it must sound like I’m knocking back every idea that you have. But before we go on, I just want you to know that It gives me no pleasure disagreeing with you all the time, but I’m afraid we can’t send Captain Reed back to meet herself. She’d be creating what the scientists call a Paradox. That in turn would blow the Timeline, then God knows what else would come hopping out of it this time.”

  President Powell looked like she was about to pull her hair out in frustration.

  “Well what are we going to do?” She almost screamed, “we’ve got the summit coming up, I’ve got to have something to tell them all. The leader of the Western World, the greatest Super Power on earth can’t just stand up and say ok guys we’re screwed, this could be the end of everything, because whatever we do the bastards just keep coming.”

  “Madam President, my advice, and that of your whole team is to cut and run. We always knew that if the Time test failed, there would be no point in maintaining a presence here. You must announce a tactical withdrawal, take all our troops back home, pull out of Europe completely. What is there left for the us on this ruined continent? Nothing. We need to cut our losses and retreat, leave whatever it is that crawled out of those cities to its own devices.”

  “But what about our Allies? What do I say to Spain, Portugal, Greece and what is left of Italy?”

  “We have to be pragmatic Ma’am, offer them settlement rights, between Canada and ourselves, we can manage all that would want to come. Hell, we’ve still got control of the Airports, tell them that we’ll evacuate them if they want. Those that want to remain, we’ll help however we can. We need to draw a line under all this and contain the situation. Europe is contaminated and we must place it under Quarantine as quickly as possible.

  She walked over to her Chief of Staff and turned him around to face her. He could see the look of relief etched on her face, it had been a decision that had needed to be made, there was no alternative.

  “Have you seen the Arial shots Frank?” She continued, almost in vindication of what they had just decided, “you can see how they’re all coalescing at pivotal points in the cities. The bits and pieces, the flotsam and jetsam of humanity coming together in great stinking lakes of flesh. The canals in Venice are just a writhing bubbling morass, it’s disgusting.”

  She pointed past him, towards the window

  “There are things out there, sickening things, that have never walked the earth before. Before you say anything, I know that none of this is their fault, but they’re not coming across as exactly friendly, are they? This is Biblical Frank, I don’t mean the second coming either, this is the end of days.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The hatch on the Time Pod still hadn’t opened. In her training, it had always been emphasised, that at the end of mission, the launch centre team would be responsible for triggering the release. Piper frowned, the lack of regard for operational protocol puzzled her, she remembered Mary as being a stickler for the rules. Piper got to her feet and was about to pull the release lever, when the hatch panel sprang open, flooding the interior with white light. The silhouette of a figure moved into the doorway, casting a long shadow, it was Mary.

  “Sorry for the delay Piper, welcome back and congratulations, it’s good to see you again, especially in one piece. This is not the welcome home that any of us had planned, but since you returned and changed the Timeline so much has happened. “

  “I’m sorry Mary, obviously, I’m out of touch, so I don’t quite know what you mean? Said Piper, ducking her head and walking out into the familiar white room.

  Mary put her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

  “What am I thinking of, of course you don’t know Piper, how could you? You’ve not had any contact with the outside world yet, have you?”

  “You’re going to have to fill me in Mary,” said Piper, looking around, she noticed the viewing gallery above her was empty, the cold feeling of anti-climax suddenly depressed her. Two technicians, dressed in white, squeezed past her and into the sphere.

  “Come on Piper, let’s get out of here, you look tired. There’s a lot I need to tell you, but you’ve got to see the Doc first, then I suggest a bite to eat, then sleep, ok?”

  Piper looked and felt dazed. “I must admit that I’m starving, “she said, “and you’re right, a shower and some sleep would help. Do I have time?”

  Six hours later, Piper was fed, rested and back on her feet. She’d had an A1 from the doctor and was about to enter the Communications room on the ground floor. Looking through the small square window in the door, she could see it was packed.

  She squeezed in to the dimly lit room, banks of screens filled one wall, all were flickering and jumping with information and sound. In the centre was an island of computers, all manned, Brigadier General Oscar Brightside was sat at one of them. Piper caught Mary’s eye across the other side the room and waved. Before Mary could respond, the Brigadier General, grinning from ear to ear, looked across at Piper and started to clap. The whole room followed, some of the people getting to their feet, Piper gave a broad smile and a theatrical bow.

  As the moment passed, Mary took Piper by the elbow and led her, through a chorus of congratulations, to the wall full of screens at the front of the room. It took a brief time for Piper to focus on the images in front of her and then a little while longer for her to believe what she was seeing.

  The screens showed a live picture of each of the re-born cities, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and all the others. Piper found them beautiful, she had literally not seen anything like them in all her life. Mary typed on the computer keypad in front of her, the camera focused on Rome zoomed in, magnifying the image.

  It was only then that Piper discovered the horror that now moved through the streets of Italy. There was a battle raging in one of the squares, American soldiers were using machine guns on the monsters that hopped, jumped and ran towards them. It was a pointless exercise, how could you kill something that wouldn’t die, bullets passed through them with no effect, if the abomination’s bodies were blown apar
t, the lumps of stinking flesh behaved like magnets and re-built the host.

  The nightmare intensified, when one of the slug like freaks spat out a projection of slime that wrapped itself around the leg of one of the fleeing soldiers. Slowly, the screaming man was reeled in, until he was grabbed by a five armed, four-legged abomination that hugged the soldier tight until the struggling man’s body disappeared into the quicksand of the creature’s pink flesh.

  Another screen was focused on the famous Colosseum in the centre of Rome. The great Monument was full to overflowing with an undulating lake of human flesh, bits of bodies were moving across its surface and things were crawling in and out of the morass. Pink slime cascaded down the ancient stonework, forming in enormous quantities on the surrounding roads. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned, it was the Brigadier General.

  “I’ll need to see you in my office this afternoon Captain, we have to go through a de-brief.”

  “Yes Sir,” said Piper

  “There’s also a call come through for you on this phone Captain, do you wish to take it here?”

  “Yes Sir,” she said, curious about who would want to call her.

  She put the phone to her ear covering the other with her hand, then and said hello.

  “President Powell here Captain Reed, just thought I’d give you a call to congratulate you on a job well done.”

  “Thank you, Madam President,” Piper’s voice wavered with emotion.

  “You are probably aware that, the result of your efforts is not what we’d hoped for, we’ve meddled with something we didn’t really understand and now we’ve created a horror that we don’t know how to control. But that has nothing to do with you Captain Reed, you carried out your mission in an exemplary fashion and your country is proud of you. Furthermore, in recognition of the outstanding and the ground-breaking work you have carried out for your nation, I am hereby promoting you to the rank of Colonel.”

  “Thank you again, Madam President.” Piper wanted to say more, but the President cut her off.

  “No more than you deserve Soldier, now pass me back to the General.”

  Piper felt uncomfortable in front of the screens, she couldn’t help feeling responsible for the nightmare that everyone was witnessing. It was, after all, she who had visited this very Biblical plague upon the land, somehow dragging this horror back with her through time. She turned to Mary, but before she could speak the Brigadier General, clapped his hands loudly.

  “Listen up people,” he shouted across the room, “I’ve just finished talking to the President and I’ve got an announcement to make.”

  Silence fell, everybody turned their heads.

  “We’re packing up and shipping out folks, the mission is over and the station is to be mothballed. All US forces in Italy and the rest of Europe are being re-called back to the USA at the earliest opportunity. Our job now is to crate up all our equipment, including the Time Sphere, everything, including ourselves, is then to be Helicoptered to our base in Naples.

  This is now our top priority, we must be ready to leave within three days, no excuses. I would suggest that we start to close the equipment down now, there’s no time to lose. I want to see all department heads in my office now. Captain Reed, sorry, I mean Colonel Reed, we’ll postpone the de-brief ‘till later, my office will be in touch. OK everybody, dismissed.”

  As the General finished speaking, the wall of screens in front of Piper began to flicker out, one by one. Technicians and soldiers were moving in, dismantling and stacking desks, plastic crates and boxes were being dragged in and filled. Colonel Jake Linderman strolled over and joined Mary and Piper as they walked out of the room.

  “Congratulations Colonel,” he grinned, holding out his hand “you made it back.”

  “Only just,” she said, smiling, her hand vanishing into his as he shook it, conscious of how different he looked without the blank stare.

  “Heard anything from our Moler friends lately Jake?” Mary asked, “I know they made a big impression on Piper.”

  “No, not a word or a sighting, seems to me that we’ve probably messed it all up for them now, anyway. I mean, you think about it, here we are, rushing about, thinking we were clever, hell bent on changing the World and now, suddenly, we’re running away, our tail between our legs. We’re leaving all the crap that we’ve created, for them to sort out, how the hell are they going to do that?”

  “Unless someone can find something to stop that horror that we’ve made,” said Mary, “then the whole continent is doomed. There’s not much left of it now, but what there is, above or below ground, will be finished.”

  Piper hesitated for a moment, a plan was starting to form in her head.

  “If you want my opinion,” Piper butted in, “this whole cut and run policy is a profound mistake. This ‘mucus soup’, or whatever it is, seems to devour everything organic that’s in its path, it’ll cover the whole continent eventually, then when it’s taken over China it’ll move on to Australia. Then south to Africa and eventually over the top to Canada and when that happens, where is there left to run?”

  “You’re preaching to the converted Piper,” said Jake, “If it was up to me, I’d make a stand now, whilst this things in its infancy. But I just can’t see what we can do now, the decision’s been made, the President says that we’re leaving.”

  “Well I’m not,” said Piper, “from my own experience I’ve found that running away is not the answer, how will all the Molers down in the Burrows survive? Once that ‘horror show’ gets into the tunnel complex, which could happen at any time, then they’re finished. Can you two imagine the guilt that I feel, bringing all that crap back with me. Well this is my last chance to try and put things right, there won’t be another one, so forgive me my friends, but I’m going to slip away quietly and take my chances.”

  “It’s desertion, Piper, “said Mary.” I know that you’re racked with guilt, but think carefully, your reputation will be ruined and you’ll lose everything. Besides, what can you do on your own? What can anyone do against the creatures that are already dead?”

  “There must be something and I’m not convinced that the poor dead city dwellers are responsible, I think that there’s something else behind all this mess. It feels strange, almost alien, something that we’re not seeing, all I know, is that somewhere, there will be a way to stop all this, I’ll just have to keep pushing until someone finds it.

  Besides, I have nobody back home that cares whether I live or die, so does it really matter what happens to me. But, listen, I don’t intend going AWOL just yet, someone might come looking for me and that would prove difficult. I think I’ll wait until we’re all leaving, then if I just slip away, maybe no one will be the wiser until it’s too late. Mary, please try and tell them about the guilt I feel and explain that I must try and make amends for what I’ve done.”

  “I promise that I’ll try and do what I can for you Piper, you know that, but I don’t hold out much hope that it’ll do any good. You know just how blinkered the military are, everything is black and white, there are no grey areas, desertion is desertion. I’m only sorry that I can’t come along with you, help you out, try and make a difference. But I’ve got to think of my husband and children back in the States, I don’t think they’ll appreciate me being listed as a deserter.”

  “Back home to me,” said Jake, his eyes wandering around the room, “is the Marine base at Beaufort, South Carolina and Mary, there are family, back there, waiting for me as well.”

  “I didn’t know you had any family Jake,” said Mary, “you’ve never mentioned them before.”

  “Three brothers and a father, can’t wait for me to get home. Trouble is they’re not any family of mine, they belong to this girl that I was seeing before I came out here. Word is, they’ve bought a shotgun for me and somehow, I don’t think it’s a gift.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake Jake,” said Mary, grinning at Piper, “when will you ever learn.”

  “Thin
g is, right at this moment,” said Jake, looking at Piper, your little trip sounds better to me, than going home does, so, fancy some company Colonel?”

  “More the merrier Jake,” said Piper, just hope that you, or I, don’t live to regret it.”

  He held up his hand and she high fived him.

  “Now, the way I see it,” he said, fixing her with an un-blinking stare, “there can be only two outcomes to this little trip, I’ll either end up dead, which is not an idea that I’m keen on at the moment, or maybe I’ll come up smelling of roses and they’ll make me a hero, just like you are Piper.”

  • • •

  “Don’t hit him any more Wes, he’s just a kid, he won’t do it again,”

  Jake’s Mother was out in the back yard, pushing herself between the broken fence and the upturned shopping trolley, trying to pull the child away and at the same time reason with his father.

  “Think about it Wes, they’ll see the marks at school and they’ll send the police out, looking for you”

  The drunken, dull witted, psycho, that she called her husband, threw down the thick leather strap and staggered back into the shack and turned the TV up full blast, the neighbours started screaming for him to turn it down.

  This was a snapshot of Jake Linderman’s childhood on one of his better days. His father hadn’t beaten his mother up, hadn’t kicked him and hadn’t locked him out of the house, yet. He’d had something to eat, not much, but it was more than yesterday.

  His life was, a full on, unremitting crisis, that seemed to go from bad to worse. When he was 9 years old his father’s brother Stan moved in, a construction worker, sacked for syphoning fuel from company vehicles. Jake had to give up his bed and sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag.

  He wasn’t keen on school and often wandered around the local town, during the day, sneaking home when he thought that everybody was out. One afternoon, he discovered his mother and uncle in bed together, they didn’t see him, although, from then on, he often come home and watched them.