by Anson Barber
“Yes! That would be great.”
I laughed. “You must really hate that box.”
“Claustrophobia like you wouldn’t believe. You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“It’s no problem. I don’t like locking people up in that box anyway. Just unavoidable sometimes, you know?”
“Right.” She frowned.
I followed her into the room, locking the door behind me before I tossed her bag on the bed she’d be using.
“Thanks again for packing my stuff. You’re a very thoughtful kidnapper,” she joked.
“I aim to please.” I claimed the bed closest to the bathroom and sat on the edge, watching her.
She checked over the curtains thoroughly and then sat on the other bed. She seemed very nervous so I decided to give her a minute.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked when I came out of the bathroom. She still looked uneasy as she twisted her fingers together. “I can sleep in the van.”
“You’re not going to touch me or anything?”
It saddened me that this was a legitimate concern of hers. I thought back to that guard at OBX and wondered how many people took him up on his offer, or if anyone had ever reported him. “No. I’m not. But can I point out if I were that kind of person I probably wouldn’t tell you anyway.”
I tried to make it sound lighthearted. She didn’t laugh.
“Emery, I’m not going to mess with you. Just rest.” I rolled my eyes, a bit annoyed that she still thought me capable of such a thing. After all those hours of bonding in the van, you’d think she’d trust me a little more.
“The windows are secure?” she asked.
“Yes. I checked. I even put towels in the cracks just to be safe. You don’t have much time. Got anything you want to do?”
She nodded and rooted through her bag before going in the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Her nervousness wasn’t any better when she came out. She looked at the curtains again and then paced.
“You better get in bed. Trust me, Em. I promise you’ll be safe.”
“Okay. Thank you.” She got in bed and pulled the blanket up under her chin. “Thank you for everything. I’m sorry I’m such a pain.”
“I get it. It’s scary. I’m a stranger. I’m not offended. Well, except about the part when you said my smile was weird.”
“You weren’t even supposed to hear that.”
I pouted and pretended to wipe a tear away. “Whatever.” She laughed at my performance.
“Actually, your smile isn’t weird. It’s nice.” She looked at me, inspecting my smile.
“Well, thanks for clearing that up. Good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the—uh, never mind that last part.”
She drifted off to sleep a few minutes later. She looked peaceful enough. Not scared or suspicious. I knew it was difficult for her to be there sleeping in a room with me. Completely vulnerable with a stranger.
I checked the curtains again and set the alarm on the nightstand for noon. No need to bother with a wakeup call. I looked over at her once more before I clicked off the light and went to sleep myself.
I was confused when the alarm went off. It was daylight and I rarely saw it so bright. The curtains were lit up, but no direct light was coming through. Then I remembered what I’d planned to do.
I got up and threw on a shirt, picking up my phone on the way to the door. Emery hadn’t seen the sunshine for months. I wanted to take some video for her so she could see what it looked like today.
I stepped outside. I snapped a few photos from the parking lot, shot some video and went back to bed. I fell asleep quickly, pleased with myself.
When the phone alarm rang again, I flipped on the light by my bed and checked on Emery.
She was still sleeping. Obviously. Nothing could wake her up before it was time.
I got up and exercised, shaved, showered and dressed, then ran across the street for a breakfast burger. I checked my phone for the time again when I came back in the room. Probably any minute now.
I walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her. Her dull blonde hair stretched out over her pillow like golden waves.
Absently, I picked up her hand and began stroking her cold, pale skin as I waited. I’d hoped it would be a more comforting way to wake up.
Her eyes didn’t flutter when she woke this time. They flew open and she instantly turned to the source of the heat against her hand.
“What are you doing?”
“I didn’t touch you,” I said.
“What do you call that?” She looked down at her hand resting in mine.
“I didn’t mean…” I shook my head. “Just your hand.”
“Why are you sitting on my bed? What did you do?” she accused as she tugged at her shirt.
“Seriously? I didn’t do anything, Emery. I swear.” I glared and got up. So much for trust.
“But, if you were the kind of person who would, you wouldn’t have a problem lying about it, right?”
I was really regretting having made that point earlier. “I thought you believed I wasn’t that kind of person?”
She seemed to calm down. Whatever fear was driving her reaction, it had burrowed right into her basic instincts. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m cranky in the morning without coffee. And you know how long I’ve been without that.” She smiled at me, and watched me closely to see if I’d forgiven her.
“Look, I just sat there for a few minutes before you woke. I didn’t really realize I was holding your hand. I just thought you might find it more comforting. Besides, you looked like a princess waiting for the prince to come break the evil spell,” I said with a laugh. She looked at me skeptically.
I decided I should explain. “My babysitter’s daughter used to make me watch Sleeping Beauty every day for like three months. At least it had a cool fight with a dragon in it.” She laughed and looked down at her arm, holding it up to the light and twisting it to inspect the black veins trailing under her skin.
“So you didn’t kiss me then?” she joked. “Since the evil spell is still intact.”
“I didn’t think the experiment would hold up to your rigorous scientific standards.” I shrugged. “Also, I’m not a prince.”
“And I’m no princess, so I guess I’m screwed.”
I would have liked to test the theory anyway, but I didn’t mention that. I didn’t want to have to start from scratch with the trust issues.
“Well, I guess I’ll get cleaned up and we can leave?” she asked to break the awkward moment.
“Yes. I’ll bring some food for you.”
“Thanks.” She looked down at the floor. I guess she felt embarrassed about needing to eat.
When she came out of the bathroom, I held out the blood bag while I opened up a Danish from the snack machine.
She snatched the blood from me, and went over to face the wall before she started to drink it. She was a little feisty, but at least she hadn’t snapped or bitten me.
“It doesn’t bother me, you know,” I told her as I sat at the tiny table for two by the door.
She looked over at me but didn’t move.
“You can sit at the table and eat with me if you’d like.” I pushed out her chair with my foot. “It’s fine. It’s most likely better for you than this pastry from the vending machine.”
She seemed to war a bit with the part of her that wanted to just tear in and drink, but her better half won out. She smiled and came over, sitting in the chair across from me. She still seemed a little self-conscious and protective when she took a sip, but eventually she finished the bag.
“They do remind me a bit of juice boxes,” she admitted.
“Ready to hit the road?” I asked after we had packed.
She nodded and looked around the parking lot as we
made our way to the van.
She eyed the DHS logo I was legally obligated to display on the side of my van, alongside which was written RETREVAL AND CONTAINMENT. “Do you ever have people waiting at your van for you?”
“I generally try to park somewhere discreet. And if I think the person checking me in has any ideas, I change hotels. It was harder in the beginning. There were hardly any hotels open, so I didn’t have a lot of choices. Sometimes I just stayed in the van.”
She nodded.
Once in the car she decided to drop the small talk and go straight for hardcore philosophy. “You said you think I’m human, right?”
“You are human,” I said. It was important for both us and them to remember that.
“What makes you so sure?”
“You’re talking to me, aren’t you?”
“But really, who is talking to you? Technically I’m in my second life cycle. I died, Dillon. My heart didn’t pump. For over a week I wasn’t breathing, while the alien fluid did its work. There isn’t a single organ in me that could be transplanted into an uninfected human, so aren’t I a different species?”
“I don’t believe that. I’m sorry. I know I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but I know in my heart that you are human. You have the same feelings you had before. You are still you, right? That’s human.”
“When I got out of that hole I was buried in, I was afraid I wasn’t human. The first time the hunger hit, I knew it.”
“Humans have a pretty strong survival instinct. It isn’t that different.”
“Well, I’m hoping to become a little more human,” she conceded but I could tell she in no way agreed with my analysis. We decided to agree to disagree on the topic of humanity, which meant she didn’t have much to say.
She went through my CD case when the radio got fuzzy again.
“I really don’t understand why the electronics are still messed up. I mean it doesn’t make any sense.”
I debated on whether or not I should tell her the truth about what lurked at the edge of lunar orbit. She was a doctor, she needed all the information to find a cure. However, it was a secret. One I’d been trusted with, even if that trust had come at the end of a round of tequila shots.
“They say it’s from their departure. It caused some kind of micro particles in the atmosphere or something like that,” I repeated what we were being told on the news.
“I know what they say. That doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
I attempted to joke it off. “It’s a disturbance in the Force,” She didn’t laugh, apparently not a Star Wars fan. Nobody’s perfect, I guess.
“They could be lying to us about everything.”
I took a deep breath. She was right. Hell, I didn’t even completely trust the information Colonel Arder had volunteered. But I quickly decided my loyalty was with Emery, and that she needed to know.
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?”
“I promise.”
With a loud exhale, I let the truth about the beacons flow out like a dam breaking.
“Who told you this?”
“Someone who would know.”
“And these beacons wake us up every night?”
“It coincides with the pulse. It makes more sense than any of the other theories.”
She sat there in silence for a very long time. I began to worry I’d shared too much.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Sure. Just keep it to yourself, okay?”
“Yes. I will.” She shook her head. “Just when I thought I understood all this.”
“I hoped maybe it would help. Give you some new ideas.”
She nodded. “It does. Understanding what parts of the body are affected and why is a key issue. Thank you.”
She was quiet again for a while. I figured she was thinking, running equations in her head, thinking up experiments. She didn’t seem angry or upset, just thoughtful.
I stopped for coffee at a convenience store. I was only inside for a few minutes, but when I came out all hell had broken loose.
There was a large, fancy pick-up truck parked two spaces away from my van. A group of men were peeking in the back, and someone had the passenger door open. Emery jumped out the driver’s side when she saw me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yelled as I hurried to her side. I held up my ID for them to see. Unfortunately my gun was under my seat. They backed away from my van when they saw my badge.
Emery stood next to me. Her breathing was fast, her eyes wide.
“Calm down,” I whispered and touched her shoulder. “Breathe.” I didn’t want her to be afraid, but I wasn’t entirely sure she shouldn’t be scared. One of the men had a rifle in his hand, the other a chain. All I had was a badge.
“Why ain’t she in the box, boy?” one of them asked.
“None of your business. Now back off. She’s under federal protection.” Technically not true in this case, but they didn’t know that.
“He’s got her sitting up front ’cause she’s purty,” the youngest said, grinning.
“You like doing it with dead girls, son?” the older man said as they herded us by the back of the van.
“Excuse me?” I expected them to be stupid, but to be stupid and vulgar in front of a lady. That really pissed me off.
“You like ’em all cold inside? That’s just sick,” one of the others said.
“That’s sick?” I looked at them in disbelief. “And I suppose you only had the best of intentions just now. What, did we time warp back a few centuries? Is killing innocent people because they’re different from you okay again?” I knew I shouldn’t push them, but I had to force them to see what was wrong with them.
“They ain’t people no more, boy!” the older man said as he spat tobacco on the pavement.
“What if she was your wife or sister or your daughter? Because she could have been! They could have started in the rural areas first.” I reminded them.
“My daughter was one. I put her out of her misery. She didn’t want to drink blood. She didn’t want to be a monster. She thanked me.” The man’s voice shook, the pain was still there.
Oh. Hell. The only thing worse than an ignorant and dangerous man was an ignorant and dangerous man who had to believe they were right—because admitting they were wrong would drive them mad. There would be no talking him down. We were in big trouble with only one way out.
I said nothing. I put my hand around Emery’s cold arm and pulled her behind me. For once she didn’t give me any trouble. She seemed to want to stand behind me.
That’s when I felt what she’d brought with her from the truck. Clever girl.
Her one arm wrapped around my waist tightly while her other hand was seeking mine. Her head was pressed against my back between my shoulder blades. We were so close we were nearly the same person. It made it easier for me to hide what we were doing.
I took a few seconds to register how nice that felt, waiting until someone, any of them, made a move. The man farthest to our left took a step to advance closer to my back.
I pulled the gun Emery had brought out of the truck, twisted and fired, shooting the encroaching man in the foot.
His screams cut through the darkness.
The group collectively took a step back but no one moved to help the wounded man. I aimed at the old man with the rifle, the most immediate threat.
“I’ve got sixteen rounds left. There are six of you standing. The next person to come closer is not going to get it in the foot. Anyone interested?” I waved my Glock at them.
The older man, the one who had killed his own child, twitched his fingers on the rifle he was carrying.
“Don’t do it. You’ll be dead before you get it up, old man.” I clenched the grip of my gun.
The old ma
n glared as the fat guy to his right snickered.
“All this for a cold piece of ass. Let’s go, guys. We’ll take care of her at the Outer Banks.” He laughed as they turned to leave.
I kept my stance between the men and Emery.
For a moment I thought they would leave the wounded and wailing man on the ground, but one of the younger boys grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the truck.
When they pulled away, spattering stones in our direction, I patted Emery’s arm which was still wrapped tightly around me. I could feel her trembling.
I secured my gun in my jeans and turned to face her.
She was still clinging to me so I just held her and rubbed her back.
“It’s okay. They’re gone now. You’re safe.” I repeated as I stroked her hair. Slowly she calmed. I felt her take a deep breath and then she pulled away from me.
She looked up into my eyes.
“You stood up against your own kind to protect something…other.” Maybe she finally understood I didn’t like it when she referred to Haunts as inhuman. However, the word other didn’t set well with me either.
“Could you please not call those assholes my own kind? It’s insulting to my DNA.”
She chuckled.
“I’m sorry. Thank you for protecting me.”
“Thank you for bringing me my gun.” I’d gotten sloppy on this job leaving the gun in the truck, or maybe I just hadn’t wanted Emery to see that I carried.
A few hours later we needed to stop again, this time for gas. I wanted to run inside to get coffee and gum.
“Can you stay out of trouble for a couple of minutes?”
“Yes.” She looked around at lights and security cameras. Surely no one would try anything here.
I made my purchases as quickly as possible and left the store expecting a problem.
When I got back to the van she was standing by the passenger door, looking up at the moon. It reminded me of the pictures I’d taken for her during the day.
“Oh yeah! I took these for you today.” I held out my phone with the photo of the sun reflecting off the parking lot.
She took a quick breath of surprise as she looked at the first photo. She flipped to the next. The one of the clear blue sky. Then the video I took, giving a slow 360 of the area.
