Ominous Order

by Felisha Antonette

  “Sit!” Kylie demands, a pistol clutched in each hand, aimed at the leaders.

  They panic, hurrying to find seats around the table, hands trembling as they keep them raised over their heads. I wave my mother and Sean to follow me in.

  “Ky,” I say, cautiously approaching her. This wasn’t a part of the plan. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting you all peace. Getting us answers,” Kylie says. Carden passes her, bloody and bruised, on his way to a seat around the table. “Get back here,” she says, snatching him by his arm. “I don’t want to have to put this gun to your head, but I need you to do a few things for me.”

  “More things?” Carden sobs, throwing his bruised hands in his face. “Please. Please no more.”

  Kylie ignores his whimpers. “First, get your mother down here.”

  “She’s already here,” Arletta says, entering through a black door in the rear of the room with Richard beside her. Sean and I aim at them. We flick our guns to the left, instructing them to also have a set at the table. They comply.

  “What are the other two things?” Carden asks, voice trembling.

  Kylie looks at Arletta and says, “Get your Vojin contact here. Asap.”

  Arletta chuckles, looking away from her.

  Kylie looks at Arletta and kicks Carden in his calf, forcing him to his knees. “We don’t have time for this, woman. I have absolutely no problem blowing a hole through your son’s head.”

  “But why?” Carden yells, glowering up at Kylie from over his shoulder. “I saved your life! Remember?”

  Remaining behind him, Kylie fires a shot past Carden’s head. He throws his hands over his ears as Ky lifts the gun. She likely blew out his eardrum with that one.

  Carden tries to shuffle out of Kylie’s grip on the back of his neck, keeping him shoved against the ground. I know firsthand how strong Kylie is, and with Carden not having the proper training, he’s not getting out of that hold. He shouts, “I saved you. I convinced you to stay here so you wouldn’t die in that plane crash. That has to count for something! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

  Arletta nods. “Yes. He did. He even convinced us to be kind when we took you, to give you a nice room, and slowly manipulate you into offering your body to the Guidance. We were originally going to breed you and Luke with original Itteix, but Carden thought that was cruel. Always caring for the little people,” Arletta titters. “He even thought you’d prefer to breed with your fellow Creation.” She points a finger my direction. “But that was out of the question. He’s useless to us. We need the Itteix bloodline.” She leans back on her chair and crosses her legs. Richard whispers in her ear. She chuckles. As Richard draws back from her ear, her eyes gloss with appeal. Sitting forward, her gaze pins on me as a smirk slowly spread her lips. “But I don’t know now. Seeing how closely the twins cling to the Itteix. We may have to reconsider.”

  Kylie shifts her gaze to me, but it doesn’t settle as she looks at the ground, squints, and then looks back to Arletta. She straightens her spine and takes her bottom lip between her teeth. She bites down hard, as her disbelief is replaced with disgust, curling her upper lip. “You’re the scum of the earth.”

  Sean pulls up the door, and my mother stays tucked behind us. The Guidance has zero protection; Sean and I took out the last of them when they ambushed us. The closest thing they have is us, and I’ll be damned if I lift a finger to save their lives after they sabotaged our plane and threatened to use us.

  Pressing her hands to the table, Arletta leans forward and looks the Guidance members over. They patiently wait for her to speak, though their brows furrow with panic. She softens her expression and grins. “I reassure each and every one of you, everything will be fine. We have a rogue Creation, and unfortunately, we’ve discovered when you don’t completely remove emotions and the will for power from your subjects, this is a side effect. This is why we want to push through the new Creation models, sign off on this, and start production as early as tomorrow.”

  “There isn’t going to be a tomorrow! Have you not looked outside?” Sean points in the direction of the covered window. “The Vojin have taken over!”

  Arletta ignores him. “We have the entire situation under control,” she says to her counterparts.

  At these words, the trembling Guidance members relax in their chairs and smiles begin to spread across their faces as they thank her and nod.

  Obliging with Kylie’s request, Arletta leans over and pulls a black tablet from what may be a bag beside her. She places it in front of her on the table. She taps it once, and within seconds, a stream of dust appears in the room and forms into the Vojin behind Kylie at a podium that’s just grabbed my attention.

  Kylie demands, “Call off the dogs.”

  Standing at the podium is a figure of glistening blue and green particles churning under a layer of latex-like flesh. A thin film falls over the Vojin’s eyes as if he is blinking. The alien extends his slender arm and spreads his four fingers in Kylie’s direction. The Vojin speaks, voice deep and hollow as if he speaks from a hole in the ground. “You do not have any say in this Kylie Alexander. Your purpose to our plan was minimal, and you have shown your disloyalty.”

  A smile splays across Kylie’s face. Something wicked flashes in her eyes. She’s got nothing to lose; I see it in her eyes, her plan coming together.

  My mother snatches the spare gun from my rear holster. I whisper, “Do not shoot anyone. Not yet.” She loads the gun, clicks it off safety, and takes it in both hands. Her index finger lines the side of the barrel. “Just wait.”

  Arletta stands, clapping. “Thank you,” she says to the Vojin, slightly bowing her head toward it. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” she announces. “The Premier is dead, and I,” she emphasizes, splaying her arms at her sides as she takes a bow, “am replacing him. A change is getting ready to embark on this world, thanks to the pavement laid by my new friends.” She looks to the Vojin and smiles. “Forget enslaving the country; we will dominate the entire world. They want Creations, fine. We will distribute them for the top dollar, and with the capture of our pet.” She winks at Kylie. “We’ll have the control we need.”

  The Vojin flashes red and flicks its finger. A speck flies through the air like the point of a laser beam. It hits Arletta square in the head, and her body whips back as though she were shot. She hits the ground, lifeless.

  Everyone gasps all at once, the sound filling the sudden silence that fell upon the room. I can feel the fear that takes over the Guidance members as they scream and shuffle into each other, trying to get as far away from the Vojin as the room will allow.

  “This,” The Vojin shouts, color burning maroon, “is not the plan. There will be no more Creations. There will be no more humans that use this planet as a wasteland. You remaining will follow our lead. We will say what goes and what doesn’t. We will give the orders; we will maintain order, but peacefully. We know what this planet needs. This leadership is no longer needed.”

  Kylie shoves Carden to the floor, whips around and sends two shots at the Vojin, landing one in its neck and the other in its chest. By the many specks lingering on its eight fingertips, we were all about to get a feel of what Arletta experienced.

  Behind the falling Vojin, I spot Richard fleeing from the room, escaping through a black door. My mother runs past me, Sean on her heels as she chases after him.

  “We’re on Richard,” I say as I run past Kylie.

  She gives me a final nod. “I got the Vojin.”

  I have to push my legs to keep running, and my eyes to look away from her. With every step forward, I feel like I’m trying to shove myself through sand that’s up to my neck.

  Our time together was too short, and our goodbye was too long.

  Behind me, I hear her say to everyone remaining in the room, “You all are free to go. But outside is a war zone. If you step foot out there, you’ll either be eaten by a Zombie or murdered by the Voj
in.”

  A Guidance member tells Kylie, “We know you aren’t rogue. They were the problem. We had good intentions when we made our guidelines, but greed will ruin any good thing and turn it wicked.”

  I make it to the door and burst through the opening, hearing running footsteps clear a single flight of stairs. Richard must be headed to a glass door or there is a large window at the landing. The dark stairwell I enter flashes with the vibrant explosions going on outside, making it easy to make out my steps as I run up the stairs. When I reach the double glass doors, I shove them open, seeing my mother right behind Richard, struggling to get the gun tight in her hands.

  Richard flees across the wide balcony, stumbling though he manages to stay upright. He throws constant glances over his shoulder as he reaches for something at the front of his body. I glimpse a flash reflecting off a silver barrel.

  Pulling it from his waistband, Richard runs, arm extending behind him as he pulls the trigger of his silver pistol.

  The sound of the gunshot and the sight of his bullet clipping my mother in the head smack into me like I’m running into a wall.

  Sean’s not far behind them, but by the time he catches her in his arms, she engulfs in light and explodes. Her kaleidoscopic blast, a silver, blue-hued eruption implodes into itself before blasting out rings of colors. The wave snaps like a crack of thunder and propels me into the door behind me.

  I slam into the wall and hit the floor. My ears ring, and my vision is blurred as I try to make it back onto my feet. Though I can’t see clearly, I fire shots in the direction where I saw Richard land, never letting off the trigger. When my vision clears, Richard’s bullet-riddled body is hunched against bare branches of a bush.

  My breaths are heavy and my neck burns.

  I whip around, but there is nothing left of my mother. Just Sean on his hands and knees scavenging around the ground searching for remains he can hold close to him. Remains of the woman we thought we’d once lost—though she was here all along—only for us to actually lose her before our eyes.

  Jabbing my forehead with the butt of my gun, I cross the ground to Sean. I grab his shoulder. Sean sits back on his knees and keeps his head hung low. I squat down beside him, having no words to keep him going at a time like this. It feels like I’ve been stabbed in my chest, and the blade is still working its way through me. I intended to help Sean up and encourage him, but I end up taking a knee and pressing my forehead to my fist.

  Sean grabs my shoulder, sniffs, and clears his throat. “Alright,” he says, voice croaky. He coughs. “I, uh. I thought we had her.”

  I shake my head, wishing he wouldn’t talk about it. “I get it. Just don’t. Fucking focus so we can make it out of this alive.”

  Sean press his fists to the ground and shakes his head. “I’m done, Marc. This was it.”

  “No, you’re not. This,” I point to the gravel, “is going to drive you into action. You’re not quitting on me.”

  I don’t hear her approach or know how long she’s been around, but Kylie falls to her knees next to Sean, throwing her arms around him. She rubs his back and says, “You can make it through this, Sean. Believe me when I tell you, it could be worse. Come on.” She grabs him by his shoulders and tries to help him from the ground. Sean nods and starts to stand.

  “Good, bro,” I say, patting his shoulder. “We’ll get through this together. Let’s finish this.”

  The scream beside me is almost silent, but I hear the wheeze of air escaping Kylie’s throat as she strokes backward, pain filling her blue eyes. I turn, and it feels like I’m moving in slow motion as I lift my gun and pull the trigger.

  Carden stabs Kylie in the back, knife ramming in and out of her.

  My shots are ineffective, gun empty, bullets lodged in Richard’s lifeless body. I toss my gun aside and search for another, remembering a second too late my mother took it.

  I’ve always preferred the silence, but this one sinks down on me. I no longer hear the explosions, the screams, the pods charging through the air, the thunder snapping in the sky. My throat seals closed.

  Kylie struggles to stay on her feet, fear clouding her face as her eyes meet mine.

  I jolt forward, driven into action seconds too late.

  Carden’s head jerks to the right, bullet entering his skull from the left.

  Sean stands, arm extended, clutching his pistol tight in his hand. Tears streak his face as he holds his position, angry breaths causing his chest to rise and fall.

  I dive for Kylie’s collapsing body. “Hey,” I say, shaking her to keep her eyes open. My throat’s on fire and my hands shake. “Ky?”

  Her eyelashes flutter, but she struggles to hold her eyes open. She utters, “Hmm?”

  “Stay with me.”

  Her body starts to fade, light in her chest flickering as it goes dimmer.

  “Ky, f-fight this,” I choke on my words. “Please?” I pat her face as her eyes close.

  They don’t reopen.

  I hunch over her body, a wail cutting from my throat as I squeeze her in my arms. “Please,” I beg.

  A hand falls on my shoulder. “Look at me,” Sean says.

  I lift my head and meet his eyes. “I can’t save her, Sean.”

  He squats down beside me and drags the side of his fist over my face. He looks to the sky and makes his quirky smile. “This oughta be fine, huh?” When he looks back at me, he says, “You make sure they make a statue of me. I want one in every fucking state in the America.” He passes me the butt of a knife. “You know what you have to do, right?”

  I gently place Kylie on the ground and jump to my feet as he rises. I snatch him by his arm when he walks away from me. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Sean knocks my hand away. Backing away, with a bounce in every step, he shrugs once and says, “Saving the world.”

  “But, Sean.”

  Quickly fading into the brightest beam of light, strikes of lightning shoot through his frame as he turns around and runs backward. “Save her, Marc. Be happy. Make something new and spectacular for us, Creations and Itteix.” Sean shoots up to the sky, disappearing in the clouds. Within the next second, blue and purple strikes of lightning streak across the sky. An explosion follows that sends a wave blast through the clouds in the sky. A gust of wind plows down on us at over fifty miles per hour. I throw myself over Kylie’s body, cringing against the ripping sensation working its way from my head to my feet. Three explosions follow the first, growing faint in the distance. Matter falls from the sky, bodies of lifeless Vojin plummet with the bits and pieces of their mother ship that shadowed the sky.

  A gentle jerk in my arms draws my attention back to Kylie, and I realize why Sean gave me the knife. I adjust the knife in my right hand for the ease of slicing open my left palm. Then Kylie’s. I hold our hands together and wait patiently, hoping it works, engaging my healing capability.

  I pull Kylie to my chest and hug my free arm around her.

  A few more Vojin shoot up to the sky. It worked. Just as the Trade had hoped.

  Well…almost.

  It’s my brother instead of Kylie who risked his life to save this world. Or he gave up his life for me to have her… And dammit does it hurt to be separated from him. I already miss his laugh, and nothing is going to replace him. “Fuck!” I scream, the fear of being alone nipping at the last string of hope I have left.

  “Ky. I need this to work.” I look down at Kylie and find comfort in her still being whole. That must mean it’s working, or she would’ve burst by now as Itteix do.

  Kylie blinks. She squeezes my hand and breathes deep. The words gurgle in her throat as she asks, “What did you do?”

  I yank her to me and bury my face in her neck, hiding my watering eyes and trembling chin. “I thought I lost you.”

  She cuffs her arms around me and says, “You were supposed to. But it looks like the world had other plans. Where’s Sean?”

  I draw back from her and look up, seeing the light of h
is stellar explosion beginning to fade. “He’s, uh…” I swallow hard and clear my throat. “He gave me you.”

  Kylie looks at her bloody hands and then to me. She slowly asks, “He gave you me? Is this an Itteix ability? I’m healed.”

  I press my lips in a line and shake my head. A different weight weighs on me now that the tables have turned. It may have been losing our mother that changed Sean’s mind, or Kylie being attacked. I don’t know. But as much as I didn’t want to lose Ky, his death is as great a blow to me as watching the life drain from her.

  I press my fist to my bowed head and take a minute. Kylie rubs my back and lays her head against my shoulder. When I can finally explain, I tell her about how I discovered we can break the bonds to our twins and align them with another and how Sean ultimately gave his life not only for the world, but for me to be with her.

  Shrugging, I add, “Unfortunately, if you don’t plan to be around me forever, it won’t do you any good, but at least you’re alive.”

  Kylie looks up at me from her palm, brows creased so tightly they wrinkle the skin in the middle of them. “Why wouldn’t I want to be around you forever? Who else would I choose?”

  I bow my head to hide my smile.

  She lifts it, pressing her hands to my cheeks and leans forward to kiss me. I slide my hand through her hair and tug her a little closer. When I draw back, I lay my forehead to hers and look at her closed eyes. “When I woke up and kissed you this morning, I didn’t think I’d get the chance to kiss you this afternoon.”

  “Me either.” Her ice blue eyes flick up at me. “The situation isn’t the best, and our losses is something I wish we never needed to endure. But I’m happy I’m still here to have you.” She breaks away from me sooner than I’m ready to let her go. “Now, the Trade will be after me and who knows who else when they find out I’m still alive. Without each other, we’ll be left with everyone else, and that wouldn’t be enough for me.”