Charged (Electric)

by Casey Harvell

  It feels like we drive forever. Eventually the sun breaks across the horizon to our left, and we drive on. When the sun is high above us, Mason stops.

  “Time to switch?” Jared asks.

  “Well, yes, but that’s not why I stopped. Look.” He points southeast. “I don’t think we want to get too close to that.”

  I follow his finger and see the metallic fog. I get out of the car, my hands already in front of me, creating an energy sphere. I can’t afford to hold back, and finally, the numbness I’ve been feeling since we left Columbus, is waning. In its place is fury. I’m pissed. I’m super pissed. And I’m going to unleash my rage on these freaking nanobots.

  I only make it a few steps before I throw the sphere as hard as I can towards the fog. The ground trembles on impact, the aftershock slamming me back into the Jeep, hard. I haven’t thrown one like that, well, ever. Not even the first few, which I didn’t know how to control. And I expected to feel drained after, but I don’t. Not like before, anyway. I really wish Dr. Ford was around to give me some more answers.

  “Kat, are you alright?” Mason jumps out of the Jeep and crouches next to me, where I now sit on the ground, my back leaning up against the Jeep’s large tire.

  “Yeah,” I stand up to prove it and brush the dust off my jeans. “I’m good.”

  “Dang, girl,” Jared says.

  “Yeah, kick that nanobot ass, Kat.” Brie adds.

  “Think that’ll hold them back?” I ask.

  “Babe, I think they felt that in Mexico.” Mason laughs.

  He’s right. The fog is already visibly drawing back. Soon, it’s just a memory. “It must have just made it this far.” I speculate.

  “According to the maps before we left, it hadn’t made it further west than the Ohio River. I guess it’s advancing.” Brie tells me.

  Wait a minute. “We may have a chance to solve a mystery here.”

  “What do you mean?” Mason asks.

  “Remember how confused Dr. Ford was that they can’t seem to locate any survivors?” I tell them.

  “Yeah, so?” Jared questions.

  “Well, here we are, in a place I just zapped, where the infection just occurred. Aren’t you guys just the teensy bit curious as to what happens to all the people?” Like my mom. And Mason’s family. And Brie’s mom. What could be the fate of the world, if Dr. Ford fails?

  “It could be dangerous.” Jared says.

  I roll my eyes. “What isn’t, anymore?”

  “Point taken.” Jared smiles a bit.

  “It’s up to you guys. Who knows what we’ll find.” I look at each of them. I don’t want them feeling forced into going.

  “But if we found out, I mean, it would help, right?” Brie asks.

  “I don’t know if we want to know, though.” Mason adds.

  Jared looks hard at Brie, then turns back to me and Mason. “I say we do it. If it can help, then it’s worth a shot.”

  “Okay, I guess. A hunting we will go.” Mason finally succumbs.

  So far, all we’ve found is empty house, after empty house. Eventually, as it begins to get dark, we stop at one of them to spend the night. Jared and Mason secure the downstairs, while Brie and I make a picnic of sorts on the floor of the master bedroom.

  It’s a nice house, all big windows and wood floors, with way nicer furniture than my house or Brie’s. Hopefully tonight, it will be our sanctuary.

  We eat our MRE’s. They’re not very good, but they fill our stomachs. Part of me wishes that we could try cooking something in the nice kitchen we saw downstairs, but Mason wants to play it safe. We only leave one small light on as we eat.

  Baby bear makes himself comfortable on the bed. Again, I notice he’s getting bigger. He’s going to have to get used to walking on his own, if he keeps going at this rate.

  I’m happy we decided to stop in a house that still has electricity. Not all of them did, and I can recharge to my heart’s content. After I’m done, we call it a night. Brie and Jared drag in a mattress from the other room and we push a dresser in front of the door. I’m not sure why, since no one’s around, but I don’t argue if it makes everyone feel better.

  The morning comes too quickly. It sure beats sleeping in the Jeep. We pack up and move on, pushing east, and I throw more energy spheres, just to be safe.

  We search for people and still find none. By noon, after I’ve thrown another sphere, we stop and have lunch. Spotting a farm house off in the distance, I nearly drop my food when I shoot up. People. I see people.

  “Hey, do we still have those binoculars?” I ask Mason.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Look!” I point towards the house, watching everybody squint at once.

  “I’ll go grab them.” Jared runs to the back of the Jeep.

  “What should we do?” Brie asks.

  “Nothing, until we get a good look at them.” I say, with a bad feeling in my gut.

  Jared walks back slowly, his eyes in the binoculars, pointing them towards the house and the people. When he lowers them, his face confirms my bad gut feeling. “I don’t think we should go over there.” He tells us, handing me the binoculars.

  He’s right. These people are obviously infected. Their skin holds a metallic sheen, so dense in places it appears to be actual metal. And there are more of them then I thought. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was a convoy of sorts. I pass the binoculars to Mason, who looks quietly before passing them to Brie.

  “Well, I guess now we know.” She says softly.

  “But where are they going?” Jared asks the question we’re all thinking.

  Mason shocks me by saying, “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “I’d at least like to get a picture for Dr. Ford.” I murmur.

  “Then it’s settled,” Brie begins packing up her food. “Let’s do this.”

  They all turn, but something in me is screaming ‘No!’

  “Wait.” I say quietly. “This is different. I know that this is dangerous. I can feel it.” They all start arguing with me. “Hey, let me finish!” They settle down. “I do think we should follow them, from a very, very safe distance. Once we find out where they’re going, we turn back. But I also think that we should get a picture for the scientists to study. And only one of us is completely safe from the infection.”

  They all stare at me, wide-eyed. “No way.” Mason says.

  “Absolutely not.” Brie follows.

  “It’s the only thing I can think of.” I say, staring at my Converse.

  “I think we should stay together.” Jared surprises me. “No matter what.” Brie and Mason nod in agreement.

  “Oh, give me the cell phone.” I say to Brie. “Maybe I can get a picture from here.”

  The problem with following a bunch of people walking, when riding in a Jeep and trying to stay unseen, is timing. We have to be careful not to lose them, while at the same time staying far enough away not to be noticed. Brie suggested leaving the Jeep and following them on foot, but I didn’t want to take any chances losing our fast getaway, in case we need it.

  So we continue with our deranged game of hide and go seek with the metallic humanoid monsters. Jared drives, while Brie keeps an eye on the metal heads with the binoculars. Mason keeps checking behind us, and I find myself intermittently checking both sides of us. We’re all on high alert.

  As night falls we’re forced to slow it down. Jared doesn’t want to attract attention to us by using the headlights. This makes driving much harder than it would’ve been otherwise. Let me tell you, navigating off-road in the dark is not for the faint of heart.

  It’s easy to tell when we’re venturing too close to the metal heads, because Baby bear begins to get very restless, something that’s not normal for him.

  What makes me restless is the metallic fog that seems to be looming around every turn. I keep throwing energy at it, watching the metal heads reaction, (they seem to notice it, but not where it’s coming from,) and trying my
best to keep the fog at bay, while not wearing my energy down too much.

  After a few hours, we have no choice but to stop and refuel. We stop at a gas station at the side of the road. Just as we figured, it’s abandoned. And mercifully, the electricity is on, so I charge up while the guys refuel the Jeep and containers we’ve been traveling with, and Brie takes Baby bear to go stock up on our food supplies (those MRE’s are really not the tastiest things).

  I meet everyone back at the Jeep and we’re off again. We catch back up to the metal heads and hold back as they appear to have slowed into a mass congregation.

  “What do you think their doing?” Brie asks, peering out the window into the darkness. The metal heads glimmer softly in the moonlight.

  “I have no idea.” I say.

  “Well, if we’re stopping, I’m stretching my legs a bit.” Jared pops open the back door, and I watch in horror as Baby bear, restless from the close proximity of the metal heads, bolts out.

  I dare not yell, and draw the metal head’s attention to us, but I take off after him into the night. I run through a recently harvested field, stumbling every few steps over invisible mounds of dirt, and catch a quick view of Baby bear disappearing into a small copse of trees, before I slow down to catch my breath. He’ll feel safe there, I hope, and not go back out into the open field.

  It’s just now that I notice the rain. It makes me wonder if that’s why the metal heads stopped, as a huge clap of thunder sounds and the slight drizzle gives way to a downpour. Great. Just great. I pick up my pace, sure that Baby bear will be just as scared of the thunder as he is of the metal heads.

  A flash of lightning and a sizzle, not too far from me, causes me to jump. That was disturbingly close. I suddenly realize that being me, in a field during a thunderstorm, is probably not the best thing in the world. In between the rumbles, I can hear Mason, Brie and Jared calling for me.

  I can’t respond, because the grove of trees is now too close for comfort to the metal heads, who have shifted their positions in the rain. The next flash of lightning shows me why. I’ve been spotted by the metal heads, and they’re getting closer by the second, not as fast as they’ve been, but still too fast for me.

  A hand on my shoulder causes me to scream. I turn to see Mason. “Kat, c’mon, we have to get back to the Jeep!” He shouts over the storm.

  “You have to go get Baby bear, and get back to the Jeep. I’ll meet you after I take care of them.” I jut my thumb towards the metal heads.

  Mason sees the resolution in my face as another lightning bolt strikes less than twenty feet away from me. “Where’d he go?”

  I point to the small grove of trees. “He’s in there. Go! It’s not safe for you to be by me, with all of this lightning.”

  Understanding passes through his gaze before he takes off towards the trees. This is the first thunderstorm I’ve encountered since the accident. I’m not sure what will happen to me if I get struck by lightning, although I know I’ll probably fair better than Mason or the others.

  I see Mason emerge with a wet fur-ball in his arms and breathe a sigh of relief. I wait until he’s almost back to the safety of the Jeep and turn to the metal heads. Even with the rain pouring rivulets of water down my face and across my eyes, I can still see the glare off of them with every flash of lightning, and it sends a shiver down my spine. It makes me realize how cold it is, I’m going to catch a cold for sure.

  If I make it out of here. I take a few steps towards the metal heads. Their progress is becoming incredibly inadequate and I just want to get this over with. Looking around, it becomes apparent that however slowly, they are succeeding in surrounding me. Panicked, I turn towards the Jeep, happy to see it’s being ignored and their attention is focused on me.

  Running out of options, I turn my face up towards the rain and raise my hands in front of me, palms facing the other. I begin to create an energy sphere, when I feel, rather than see the flash of lightning engulf me. It’s not a single lightning strike, more like I’m pulling all of the energy from the storm into me. It flows through me, morphing the energy sphere in my hand into a beacon of raw energy. My palms are force apart, and outward. It’s all I can do to aim my hands, palm out at the metal heads, and away from the Jeep.

  I feel my feet lift off the ground, the energy propelling me up a few feet in the air. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the rain lessens, the rumbling lowers, and I fall the few feet back to the ground, into a heap.

  Holy crap. I stand, looking around me, at the carnage of what just occurred. The smell of burning metal and flesh causes me to dry heave, but I pull it together before I actually throw-up, and pull the collar of my shirt over my nose.

  I know I shouldn’t look. That everything I see right now will probably haunt me for as long as I live, but I can’t stop. Even if I didn’t mean to do what I just did, it’s too late to change it.

  Dazed, I look past the eviscerated remains of the metal heads and try to find the Jeep, through the smoke and steam permeating from the battle scene. I stumble towards it when I see it, and Mason jumps out and runs to me.

  “Kat, that was insane! Are you alright?”

  I give a quick appraisal. Physically I feel fine, kind of numb and perhaps in shock, but not hurting. Mentally, I’m a hot mess. But I doubt that’s what he means as he runs his hands over me, checking for injuries.

  “I’m f-f-fine.” I manage to get out through my chattering teeth.

  Mason wraps an arm around my shoulder. “You’re freezing. Let’s get back to the others.”

  I nod, but don’t move yet. “Hold on.”

  I take off my now soaking wet, charred hoodie and walk to the nearest chunk of a metal head. Being careful not to touch it, I wrap it in my hoodie before turning to Mason.” “Okay, let’s go.”

  He looks hesitant. “Are you sure that’s safe?”

  I open the hoodie, again being careful not to make direct contact with it. The metallic glare is gone, replaced with a tarnished looking metal. I don’t feel any energy coming from it, like I do from the fog or the live metal heads. “I’m pretty sure it’s dead. I want to send it to the doc. We should turn back, start heading west.”

  “If you’re sure it’s safe, then that’s good enough for me.” We make our way back to the Jeep through the now squishy field, picking our way over the charred metallic remains.

  We drive in silence for a while. Nobody wants to discuss the giant pink elephant in the Jeep with us. The stress of everything begins to weigh down, the reality of everything sinking in to all of us, at different rates of absorption.

  I refuse to try and decipher what the hell happened back there, with the lightning. That’s just getting compartmentalized in the recesses of my brain for now. If I think about all of those people…infected or not, that was too many lives I just claimed.

  Jared pulls the Jeep over, so we can stretch and eat something. It’s a relief to stop, it feels like we’ve been driving for so long now. There’s a small creek or river not too far from where we stopped. Mason and I start pulling out some food for all of us. Brie follows Baby bear to a nearby bush so he can relieve himself.

  It’s rather warm out, making me think we may have traveled further south in our pursuit of the metal heads than we first assumed. I peel the hair off the back of my neck, wiping the sweat away. It’s been a long time since any of us has had the luxury of a shower, and I look longingly at the stream.

  I notice Brie following my gaze. Her eyes light up, hopeful. “Do you think it’s safe?” She asks as she approaches me.

  “Is what safe?” Jared asks, right behind her.

  “The water,” I explain.

  “It does look nice.” Mason says.

  “Doesn’t it?” Brie hints, waggling her eyebrows at me.

  Despite everything, I burst out laughing. “It does look nice,” I tell them. “But we know the water could be infected. I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.”

  Brie actually begins to pout. Even
the guys look defeated, their shoulders falling in unison.

  Mason pipes up, “Can’t you just zap it, babe? Then we can all go for a swim?”

  Oh, the temptation. I cave. “I guess I could try, but I have no idea what will happen.”

  Brie nudges me forward, eager to get clean and refreshed. “Go,” she orders me, “zap away!”

  As I move towards the water, I shake my head gently, but there’s a wry smile on my face. Guess I’m out-voted, although I have to admit, I’m not that upset about it. The water looks so nice and cool.

  I do my energy sphere thing, and as soon as I turn around, the others are moving towards me. Jared is hopping on one foot, attempting to take his sneakers off as he walks. Brie and Mason take the more direct approach, stopping beside me before losing any articles of clothing they don’t want to get wet. Well, when in Rome, right? I begin taking off my own sneakers.

  “Hey! Where’s the phone?” I ask Mason, right before he jumps. We haven’t heard from Dr. Ford yet, but I don’t want to destroy the only means of communication that we have.

  Splash! “Relax, it’s in the Jeep. Now get over here!” He calls back to me.

  Jared and Brie soon jump beside Mason, Baby bear even plays in the shallow water by the shoreline. Satisfied that there is no eminent threat, I jump in and join them.

  The water is crisp and cool. It’s perfectly refreshing and exactly what we all needed. I watch curiously as Brie runs back to the Jeep, but when she returns with bottles of shampoo and conditioner I grin. Good thinking, Brie!

  She squirts some shampoo in her hand and tosses me the bottle. I follow suit and we all pass the bottles around until we are clean.

  We probably spend more time in the water than we should. Even I don’t want to say it’s time to go. Not that we really have any place to be, but it seems like a good idea to keep moving. I figure we can enjoy the water for just a little bit longer. We can all use the boost in morale.

  Brie and I lay floating in the water, our faces towards the sky, while Mason and Jared have some sort of testosterone filled water fight. I roll my eyes at Brie. Boys.