by James Holler
John spent the rest of the day walking up the path to the village until he reached the area where pain began. He looked, hoping to see some sign of Isamu, even yelling out his name a few times. Finally, he walked back home and told Hailey and Katie what had happened. They agreed to go with him to tell Olga and Li Jing.
Before John even finished speaking, Olga interrupted. "This is your fault. You put ideas in his head," she said, fighting back tears. Li Jing sat staring at the floor. "He isn't coming back, is he?" she said, looking up. "I don't know," said John. "What are we going to do? It will be our time soon. He should be here," said Olga. "You can stay with us," said Katie. "Yes, you can stay with us," said Hailey. As darkness approached, the group carried Olga's and Li Jing's beds to their cabin. John said little the rest of the day, feeling profound guilt and sadness, and wondering if he would ever see his friend again. The women spent the evening talking about what child birth would be like and speculating on what would happen to their children.
Time passed, babies were born, and babies disappeared during the night. The time came at last for Hailey to give birth, and like for the other births, the caretakers showed up as soon as labor began. Each birth had been quick and without complications, and this one was no different.
The caretakers took control of the cabin, placing Hailey on blankets on the floor. When the baby boy came, he was cleaned up, and Hailey was helped to her bed. After Katie, John, Olga, and Li Jing held the baby, group by group, the others came and went. They all knew that they had this night and tomorrow with the baby, then it would be the second night. That is when some unknown person or being would come for the baby.
After all the visits were over, they had time to enjoy the baby. He had a full head of hair and much lighter skin than Hailey. John knelt by the bed, and as Hailey held her child, he reached for his tiny hand. As if he knew who was there, he gripped John's index finger with his little hand. "I think he is mine," said John. "I think so too," said Hailey, smiling. "Have you decided on a name?" asked Olga. "Yes. Charles," said Hailey, "After my father."
"Can I hold him," asked John. "Sure," said Hailey, lifting Charles up to John. John was a little clumsy trying to decide how to hold him. "Hold his head up," said Hailey. John lifted his son near his face, supporting his head with his hand. He gently kissed his forehead, then positioned him on his shoulder like you would when burping an infant.
The next day, it was hard to get the newborn away from Hailey. She breast fed him like women had done for thousands of years, and the bond between mother and child was already growing stronger. Her total focus was spending every possible moment with him. In the evening, John wanted to hold Charles for a while, not knowing if it would be the last time. He swayed back and forth, holding him in his arms, then he lifted him to his shoulder.
As he slid his hand down the back of his head, his finger felt something hard. There was something small but noticeable, right at the base of the baby's skull. Feeling it with the end of his finger, it felt about the size of a grain of rice. None of the women noticed, so he kept his discovery to himself. "Do you want to hold him?" he asked Katie. "Yes, of course," she said.
John carefully handed him over to Katie. As if he were scratching an itch, John felt the base of his own skull, and was excited to find that he too had the same hard spot. This must be how they control us, and track us, thought John. He thought of Isamu, and wished he was here with him. What can I do with this, he wondered, as his mind raced.
As darkness fell, the mood in the cabin became solemn, because they each knew what tonight was. John wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew that he should tell someone about what he had found. While Katie held the baby, he went to Hailey, put his cheek against hers and put his arm around her. With his lips were next to her ear, he whispered "I'm going to get up. After I do, feel the base of your skull with your finger. See if there is something very small, and hard there. If there is, wink at me." He stood up and walked across the room, and when he turned around, Hailey winked at him.
John could tell that Hailey was now thinking about what this meant too. "I'm going to stay up with you tonight," he said to Hailey. The others agreed to stay up also, so John walked outside to put more wood on the fire. On his way past the table, he picked up the knife. Other than the light from the fire, they had no light at all.
After adding wood to the fire, he felt for the little hard spot again. He checked the sharpness of the knife with his thumb, and locating the hard spot with the end of his finger, he placed the end of the blade right on top of it. He applied downward pressure with the knife, and slide it across his skin. It was painful, but he didn't care. He could feel it now, in the open wound. Trying to pry it out with his finger tip, he became frustrated when it wouldn't budge. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself for more pain, then stuck the end of the blade below the object and pried upward.
He could grip it now between his fingertips. In a quick jerk, it came free, but not without some cost. The pain was strong enough to make him yell out. "Are you alright?" he heard a voice ask from inside the cabin. "I'm all right, I just touched some hot wood," said John, not wanting them to know the truth. He felt blood running down the back of his neck. In the dim light, he doubted if anyone would notice. He rubbed his neck with his hand, trying to remove as much blood as he could.
There was water on the table, so he retrieved a cup full, then washed up as well as he could and went back inside again. "John, come here," said Hailey. As he got to her side, she took his hand, and pulled him close to her. "What are you going to do?" she asked quietly. "I don't know, but if I can help it, I'm not going to let them have Charles," said John. "Don't do anything stupid," whispered Hailey. "Now have I ever done anything stupid? Don't answer that," said John, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean it. We need you here," said Hailey.
Much like on the night Isamu and John spent waiting, time seemed to slow down. Hours crawled by as the five of them talked, trying their best to stay awake. As baby Charles alternated between eating and sleeping, suddenly the talking stopped.
Li Jing and Olga fell from their chairs and hit the floor. Katie was standing, and also fell to the floor. Hailey was in bed so she didn't make a sound. Thinking quickly, John also went to the floor. He positioned himself so he could see Hailey and Charles. He could feel his heart pounding. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Even with the light from the fire, the room was very dimly lit, and totally silent, except for the sounds of nature coming from outside.
He waited for the unknown, with his knife hidden beneath his shoulder on the floor. What should I do, he wondered. He'd spent so much time planning, and now when he needed a plan, he didn't know what to do.
After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. What will they look like, he wondered. Although already beating fast, his heart rate increased even more. His body felt like it was ready to tremble from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. A single familiar figure came into view, and even in the poor light, he could tell that it was Rebecca. John's first instinct was to stop her as she approached the baby. He fought off the urge to leap to his feet, while pretending to be unconscious like the rest were.
Rebecca had a basket with her, and set it on the floor, as she approached the bed where Hailey and Charles were. Very gently, she took Charles from the arms of his sleeping mother. Keeping one eye completely closed, John watched, squinting with his other eye, which was partly shielded by his arm. Once the baby was in the basket, Rebecca wasted no time leaving. John remained motionless for several seconds after Rebecca left the cabin.
He raised his head and looked around, to make sure Rebecca was gone, then quietly but quickly got to his feet and went to the door. The moon was just beginning to rise, so that meant that soon there would be plenty of light. He could see Rebecca walking up the path to the village, and followed, being careful to stay to the side of the path, so he could take cover if he needed to.
They neared the spot where John had felt severe pain when he tried to approach the village before. He wasn't sure what to expect, but if the pain hit him again, he wouldn't be able to go any farther. Passing that point, and feeling nothing, he thought of how Isamu was able to go well past there. Did he already have it figured out, he wondered.
Rebecca walked past the rows of cabins and continued until she reached the path that John, Hailey, and Katie had used to find the village. She was taking the same path that led to the clearing where they woke up with the others. It was getting lighter now, so John slowed down and allowed her to get farther ahead. Maintaining a steady pace, she never looked back.
John was well back now and walking slightly crouched. It was a clear night, and the sky was full of stars, but as the moon rose higher, the stars lost much of their brilliance. John wondered where they were going and what he would see. He still was unsure of what he would do, or even what he could do. Rebecca stopped at the edge of the clearing, so John got off the path, just to be safe. She quickly looked over her shoulder, then walked into the clearing, with John matching her speed.
Once Rebecca reached the center of the clearing, she stopped. John again stepped off the path, so he wouldn't be seen. She set the basket down, then bent over it for a moment. John peered through the leaves of a small tree, so he could see what she was doing. She turned and started walking directly toward the path, so John scurried off to the side about twenty feet.
Rebecca walked right past him, on her way back to the village. John kept his eye on the basket, which was still sitting where she had left it. Checking to see where Rebecca was, he wasn't sure what to expect next. Once she was out of sight, he worked his way to the end of the path. This must be where they pick up the babies, he thought. He got completely off the path, because he wasn't sure who might show up, or what direction they might come from.
John watched and waited for what seemed like a very long time. He felt guilty for leaving little Charles out there alone. Should I go get him, he wondered. He wished that he could go get him and take him back home. What would that accomplish though, he thought.
Far to his left, there was a bright light, but he couldn't tell what it was, because his view was blocked by vegetation. From that direction, a lone figure walked into the clearing and toward the basket. John's heart again began to pound, as he gripped the knife that he had been carrying. He nervously shifted it from one type of grip, to another. The figure reached the basket as John stood to his feet.
Every cell in John's body was urging him to run, but still unsure of himself, John walked quickly toward the center of the clearing. Any ability to restrain himself quickly vanished and he sprinted with every ounce of strength he had. As the gap between them closed, John's first thought was to tackle this unknown person. If I do that, I could hurt Charles, he thought. As he got closer, he could see that the person appeared to be male. It's just me and him, he thought, as he neared him.
John could feel the pent up anger that he had suppressed for months, bubbling to the surface. "Get away from my baby," he yelled, in a tone that was meant to intimidate. The figure remained motionless, with his arms down to his side. John slowed as he reached him, then raised his knife and felt the surge of power that anger brings to the human body.
He wasn't thinking now, as he brought the knife down with all his strength, aiming to strike this man in the back, between the shoulder blades. He barely began the forward motion with his arm, when it was stopped by a hand grasping his wrist. He was now face to face with this unknown person. His face wasn't like John's. The facial structure was similar, but he had no nose, and had a forehead that was larger and broader. There were two slits where the nose should be, and his eyes were slightly larger and farther apart. With and expression that was neutral, his ears were larger and fused to his head, not sticking out from it.
My name is Enoch. You cannot hurt me, John heard him say. He heard him, but there was no sound. He spoke to John using his mind. That is what you think, thought John. Enoch understood his thought. Go ahead, try with your other hand. I can react faster than you can act, Enoch told John telepathically.
How can I understand what he is thinking, and how can he understand what I'm thinking, wondered John. He expects me to go for his head, so I'll go for his solar plexus, thought John. No, I expect you to go for whatever it is you go for, thought Enoch. What in the hell can I do, if he can read my mind, wondered John. Relax, there is nothing you can do to hurt me, thought Enoch.
John decided to hit Enoch in the face. At the very moment John decided to strike, Enoch was holding his other wrist. John tried to free himself, but Enoch was much stronger than he was, making struggling pointless. John hadn't come all this way to just give up though. I'm going to let you go now, thought Enoch. He then released John's hands, allowing him to lower his hands to his side. John lunged forward in an attempt to tackle Enoch, but fell flat on the ground, where the basket had been. He looked back and saw that Enoch was holding the basket, and was behind him. He popped back up to face the strange looking creature.
John could see the expression on Enoch's face change. It was a subtle change, but to John, it looked like sadness. Regrettably, you are no longer acceptable, thought Enoch.
At that moment, John felt something start to close around him, like a tight bandage, even though he saw nothing. He couldn't move his arms or his legs, and fell to the ground. Don't be afraid. There will be no pain, thought Enoch. Enoch stood over John for a few minutes, holding the basket containing Charles, then turned and walked away. John couldn't move his head enough to see where they were going, but he did see some light emanating from the same area where Enoch originally came from. John tried again to move his arms, but it was as if he was frozen. He couldn't even move his fingers. He felt his muscles suddenly relax, but still couldn't move.
Enoch was gone, but two men who looked like Enoch came to John's side. It is time, John understood one of them think, as he looked at their expressionless faces. John instantly felt himself becoming light headed. With the lightheadedness, came a sense of euphoria that he had never experienced before. It was a little like the shot of morphine he got in the hospital, when he had been in a car accident. This feeling was better though.
The feeling of euphoria slowly became a tingling sensation all over his body. This new feeling wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant either. Two more men arrived, with a container large enough for a man to fit in. That looks a little like a coffin, thought John. Is this what it feels like to die, he wondered. John's thoughts slowly transitioned to darkness. Two of the men lifted John from the ground.
The next day, on the same beach where John woke up, a young man from Kansas opened his eyes. He was alone and confused. He didn't know how he got to a beach from Kansas. He looked around and saw his clothes from the day before, and a few items from his home.
