by R. Brewer
Isaiah leaned toward Evan. "What I don't understand is what you told me when we first got down here. You told me that the aliens were actually humans who were advanced enough to know how to move through the dark rifts of neighboring galaxies. Wouldn't our DNA be the same?"
"Well, if what Officer Wending and Fester have told us is true," her dad said, the look on his face revealing his anxiety, "Then Helen led a life of lies… beyond even what I knew of. Our otherworldly visitors could be a different species altogether or capable of mutation beyond what we can comprehend. Humans would be doomed if these things ever got out."
A bitter laugh escaped Jodie's mouth. "And that's about as probable as them learning to use an elevator. Which, if you think about it for more than a second, could happen by accident, with the way those things thrash around."
"We need to find a way out of here and fast," Nick said, Christy nodding in agreement.
"The only way I know of is to take the elevator up into the supply distribution warehouse," Jodie's father said.
"That way's no good, Dad," Jodie said, recalling her close encounter with the alien creatures. "I came in through there and the whole warehouse is full of those things."
Billy cleared his throat. "Well, why don't you just take the other elevators?"
Jodie turned to look at him, aware that the room had become very quiet. "What other elevators, Billy?"
"The ones at the end of this wing. They go right up into the auto fleet garage." Billy smiled, obviously aware that he was a hero for the moment. Jodie wished he'd given them this information sooner.
"Auto fleet?" Isaiah asked. "Did you say auto fleet?"
Billy nodded. "Yeah. All gassed up and ready to go. Gypsum vans, all-terrain vehicles. Maybe even a hummer or two."
If Billy didn't smell so bad, Jodie thought she would've gone over and hugged him. She looked at Chuck. "We need to find people from Gypsum, too. We have to find Mei and whatever information we can about what happened to Chuck, so we can help him."
"There's something else Fester told us," Christy said, apprehension apparent in her voice. "About Mei."
Jodie felt her face growing hot. "What about Mei?" she asked.
"They took her, Jodie," Nick said, his voice trembling.
"Took her where?" Jodie asked. "Who took her?"
"My dad said she went with two guys into the ship," Fester said. "The one that was supposed to take everyone else."
"They took her into a ship? What kind of ship?" she asked, aware of the irritation in her voice. Jodie wanted to scream. It couldn't be true. The idea of a ship, alien DNA, and what her mother had created seemed surreal. For a moment, she considered the possibility that she might actually be hallucinating this entire scene.
"A spaceship. He said a spaceship," Fester said. "He told me to tell you one guy's name was Renfro and the other guy's name was McKinley."
Jodie felt her blood pressure rise abruptly. How could she not have known the extent to which the FBI was involved in Gypsum's plan? She mentally kicked herself for not being aware. Jodie rubbed at her ears as they began to ring.
If it was true that Mei had been taken into a ship of some sort, how would she ever find her? That is, if she was even still alive. Jodie looked up to see Chuck wavering on his feet and felt herself come back to their present situation. "You need food right now, don't you?" she asked, realizing that he was probably the only thing keeping them safe. There'd been no sign of any of the creatures since Chuck had arrived.
Chuck nodded. "Time to show me where that vending machine is," he called to the other side of the room, where Billy sat, slowly stroking Hunter's fur. "We'd all best go together."
Jodie watched as Chuck reached out and pulled Fester close.
"I'm sorry, Fester, but we have to leave your mom and dad here," Chuck said. "You have to say goodbye now." Chuck reached out to comfort him, touching him gently on top of the head, then releasing him.
Slipping her arm around Fester's shoulders, Jodie said, "You let us know when you're ready to go. We'll wait by the door."
"I'll stay with you, Fester," Christy said. Helping him over to his mother, she pulled back the sheet covering Bonnie's face and Fester leaned down to kiss his mother on her cheek. "Fester, your mom and dad are together now. I know you were angry with him, but it seems like he was trying to make up for what happened to us. You'd better say goodbye to him, too."
Fester pulled the sheet over his mother and went with Christy to his father, lying on the floor in the middle of the room. He uncovered David's bruised and battered face. "I'm sorry for what I said to you, Dad," Fester said, touching his father's arm.
"He knows that, Fester," Christy said, slipping her arm over the boy's shoulders.
Fester slowly covered his father with the sheet. "Where am I going to go, now? I won't even have a place to live," he said, obviously searching for words to express his pain as he burst into tears.
Christy pulled him close. "That's pretty simple, Tim. You'll stay with us. Don't you ever worry about having somewhere to go. We're your family."
Jodie felt as if she wanted to sit in a corner and cry for days. She couldn't imagine seeing anything more heartbreaking, even with everything they'd gone through. She hoped she wouldn't add to these experiences in the future, either.
Nick's big arms enveloped Christy and Fester. "We have to go. Are you ready, Fester?"
Fester nodded, wiping his eyes.
The group clustered by the open doorway, behind Chuck.
Billy stepped in front of Chuck. "I'll lead," he said. "Keep up with me, big guy, and success will be yours."
Everyone followed quietly as they entered the hallway. Save for the sound of Chuck's feet hitting the floor and Hunter panting, it was completely silent. Jodie felt a creeping sensation, as if something weren't quite right. She kept her handgun ready.
The light from the vending machine cast a greenish glow across the hallway. Jodie stepped up the pace to keep up as Chuck started walking faster, slipping his Hello Kitty bag over his head. He handed it to Billy as they approached the machine. "You hold, I'll fill," he said.
Chuck pulled on the door of the machine, trying to open it quietly, but it wouldn't budge. In the end, he punched his finger through the lock mechanism and pulled the door open. An entire rack of Three Musketeers greeted him. Jodie almost wanted to laugh at the expression of joy on his face as he popped one in his mouth. She helped him as he emptied the rack into his bag and piled whatever wouldn't fit into Billy's arms. Then, he emptied the other racks and Jodie distributed the food to everyone. "You'll need strength, too," she said.
The candy bars slipping out of his arms, Billy let out a little laugh, trying to catch them as they slid from his grip. Then, he stopped abruptly and groaned loudly. His face grew beet red and he let his arms fall to his sides, a cascade of candy bars landing at his feet. He opened his mouth to speak just as the tail of something burst through his chest, spraying Chuck with blood.
Chuck jumped behind Billy and grabbed the tail stabbing into the young man's back. He yanked on it, pulling it from Billy’s body, at the same time, dislodging the creature it was connected to from behind the coffee machine. The creature was partially dressed in what looked like a business suit, the tie still around its neck, embedded deeply in its skin. Parts of it looked like a normal man and the remainder a mass of oozing gore, clearly, the result of a horrible mutation. The creature bellowed out a horrific scream, so loud that Jodie felt pressure on her eardrums, the intensity forcing her to slam her hands down over her ears.
Nick pushed Christy and the two boys back, away from the creature just as Jodie felt Isaiah reach down to pull her toward him. Gripped by terror, she was helpless to do anything but let Isaiah pull her away as Billy slumped to the floor in front of her. Chuck spun the creature around and sliced his hand through its body, severing its spinal cord, silencing it for good. He cast it to the side and quickly bent down to next to Billy, whose body shook violently. Chuck gra
bbed his hand and held onto him, pulling the boy into his lap. "I'm sorry, Billy. I'm so sorry," he said as Billy's body grew still. Chuck slid his hand over Billy's face, closing his eyes.
The room was brightened red as Chuck's entire skeleton began to glow. Jodie watched as he looked up at her, the tears in his eyes filling with a blackish liquid. "He was just a kid," Chuck said, his voice revealing his sadness. "Just a follower. Didn't even know who he was yet."
Jodie spun around, checking the hallway in both directions. The sound of non-human feet clicked and scraped somewhere, the sound echoing down the vents. "We have to go. Right now. You need to leave him, Chuck," Jodie said, grabbing his arm.
Chuck gently set Billy's body on the floor. Grabbing the bag of candy bars, he pulled out three and shoved them in his mouth, refilled the bag with whatever he could fit and slipped it over his head. "Stay behind me. One of you watch our backs. We're getting out of here," he said. "Right now."
Jodie looked down the hallway, seeing the bank of elevators. They moved swiftly and reached the doors without incident. She pushed the button and the elevator opened, revealing a small car, not big enough for all of them by any means. Chuck reached inside and yanked the camera from the ceiling.
"Chuck and I will take the next one," she said. "Everybody else in." Isaiah stood in front of the group and Jodie handed him her automatic weapon. "You might need this more than I do."
"You're sure?" Isaiah asked.
"Yeah," she said, smiling. "I've got a handgun and, more importantly," she whispered, "I've got Chuck."
They packed into the elevator car with Nick holding Hunter so that everyone could fit. No sooner were they in, than Jodie remembered they were missing something necessary to operate the elevator. "They can't go without using the handprint reader," Jodie said.
"Handprint reader? You're kidding me," Chuck said. "You mean someone from Gypsum has to hold their hand on it in order for it to operate?"
Jodie nodded, feeling increasingly nervous with the escalating level of noise coming from the vents.
"Hold on a minute." Chuck sprinted back to the creature he'd killed earlier and Jodie watched him crouch down near the body.
"Isaiah, if we get separated, we'll meet you back at Nick's place," Jodie said.
Isaiah nodded. "I hope the auto fleet wasn't housed in a restricted area. What if we take this elevator right up into a building within the Area 51 property?"
"You should be okay. The distance between the ranch where we . . . I came in was a couple of miles or more," Jodie said, not wanting to bring up the subject of Eric. "Be careful when the door opens. There were armed guards at the other elevator."
"Do you think it's safe to go back to Lake Tahoe?" Nick asked. "I mean, won't they look for us there?"
"I thought about that," Jodie said. "They probably think we're already dead. If they saw us come in here, they won't think we've gotten out, but if you see any security cameras, take them out if you can. No sense letting them have proof of life."
"I wish you would come with us," Evan said. "But I know it's pointless trying to change your mind. Don't you linger here any longer than you need to."
He knows me too well, Jodie thought. There was no way she would leave this place without finding out how to get Mei back. And, she wanted to help Chuck. They both needed answers.
"What do you mean, Jodie?" Christy asked. "You're not planning on staying down here for some reason, are you?"
Jodie didn't want to argue with them. She knew what she needed to do and didn't have time to justify her actions to anyone. "Just until we find some answers," Jodie said, reaching out to hug Christy. "Chuck'll keep me safe."
As if on cue, Chuck returned with whatever it was in his arms. He leaned around the corner of the elevator where Christy stood. "Try this," he said, holding up the creature's hand.
Jodie felt bad for Christy, who gagged as the man's hand was presented to her. She watched her swallowing hard, apparently trying to keep from being sick as she took the hand from Chuck. Christy placed it against the reader and a soft bell sounded as a greenish glow reflected off the walls. "You keep her safe while we're gone, Chuck," Christy said, gently setting the hand on the floor.
Chuck ducked to look inside the elevator. "Fester, you keep your chin up. You have to be strong and help them. I'm counting on you," he said.
"Yes, sir," Fester said, clearly trying not to cry.
Jodie watched the faces of her friends and father disappear behind the closing doors, feeling like part of her heart went with them.
"You don't intend to go up after them, do you?" Chuck asked.
"We have to find out what happened to you, Chuck . . . and, we have to find out where they've taken Mei. Then, we have to make sure that Gypsum doesn't go through with any more plans. We need to go right into the center of this installation, the part under Area 51 where all the Gypsum people are probably walled off. Somehow, we have to get to them."
Chuck looked at her with an intensity she hadn't seen before. She understood that his expression was also a product of his deep feelings for her. His frame began to glow ever so slightly.
"You'll have to tone that down a bit, Rudolph. We don't want any more of Santa's helpers to find us."
Chuck looked down at his body. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Sure," he said, his bones fading to a cool steel blue. "Let's go."
CHAPTER 20
Isaiah wedged his body between Evan and Christy and pointed the weapon Jodie had given him at the front of the elevator. He found himself wishing he’d had the time to go up and clear the area before sending so many unarmed people into an unknown situation. Regardless, he knew they needed to move. With only one automatic weapon left, the likelihood of Chuck being able to protect all of them with so many creatures lurking in the vents and stalking the hallways was very remote. In his heart, he knew getting out of the installation as quickly as possible was their only option.
The lightning fast upward motion of the elevator was making him progressively more nauseous with each passing moment. Feeling his forehead, Isaiah could tell he had a fever. The flu, he thought. Just what you need when you’re already fighting for your life. He was looking forward to finding somewhere to lie down.
"Only a little while longer," Isaiah said, turning to glance at Nick. "I don't know what we'll find when the doors open, but try to stay behind me as best you can."
“You okay, buddy?” Nick asked. “You don’t look so good.”
“Yeah. Probably just worn out from all this, or something.” Isaiah knew it was worse than that, but there was nothing he could do about it until they got out. Until then, he’d just have to hang on. He felt a shift somewhere deep inside, like something was moving in his gut. It came on him in waves, nearly bringing him to his knees at times. After the second episode, Isaiah was starting to feel less and less confident that a normal illness was responsible for what he was experiencing.
“Isaiah, you’re really sick, aren’t you?” Nick asked. He moved sideways, setting Hunter on the floor next to Noah. “Look after him, okay?” Nick said to Noah.
“Sure,” Noah said, trying to crouch and reach the dog in the cramped elevator. Hunter whined softly as Noah tried to soothe him.
Isaiah felt Nick’s strong arms holding him up. For a moment, he realized it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Then, the sick sensation passed as quickly as it had appeared and he stood on his own. “I feel okay now,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Thanks.”
“Sure, buddy,” Nick said, releasing his grip.
Feeling the downward sensation pushing on his body, Isaiah realized the elevator car was slowing. "Okay, it looks like we're almost there." Suddenly, the car came to a jerking halt.
“Why are we stopping?” Christy asked, the tension in her voice apparent.
The elevator lights flickered for several seconds, finally casting them into darkness until the overhead safety lamps began to glow red.
Isaiah looked at the pane
l on the wall, which still shown green, and pushed the button, nearly losing his balance as the car jerked a foot lower and stopped.
“What’s happening?” Fester asked.
“I don’t know, but---” Isaiah stopped and looked at the ceiling as the noise of something moving echoed in the shaft far above them. “Nick, we’re going to have to take a look. Can you hoist me up?”
“Last time I did that, it didn’t work out too well for us. Sure you wanna look up there?” Nick asked.
“Yeah. I don’t think we have much choice. Give me a boost.” Isaiah handed Christy the automatic weapon. He thought she looked terribly uncomfortable. “Just for a minute … until I get up on top, okay?”
Christy nodded. “Never held one of these before.”
Isaiah pulled his flashlight out of his pocket and stepped and shuffled past Nick, directly underneath the escape hatch.
Nick crouched and grabbed him around the legs. “Ready?”
“Yeah. See if you can push me up to the access panel.”
“Got it,” Nick said, lifting Isaiah toward the ceiling.
Reaching the panel, Isaiah flipped the lid back. He could hear movement above him and switched on his flashlight. Long shadows filled the elevator shaft, making it difficult to see anything. Shining his light back and forth, he was just about to give up looking when he noticed a cable next to the wall swaying back and forth.
Following it upwards with his light, he finally saw it. The creature, climbing down toward him. Half man, half reptilian, its massive head seemed unnaturally large for its body. Inky black eyes stared down at him. It made a clicking noise with its mouth, looking almost like it was chewing air. For a moment, Isaiah felt as if he knew what the creature was thinking. He could hear its voice in his head, telling him he wouldn't be hurt, telling him he should just move out of the way.
Isaiah shook off his thoughts and hoisted himself up on top of the elevator. “Nick, if you can make it up here, I could use a hand,” he whispered.
