Front Matter

*** Red Sky is seeking an editor. Contact Connie at www.ConnieMyres.com ***

RED SKY – Trilogy Part Two- Wild World

by Connie Myres

Published by Health and Home Topics

Copyright © 2012 by Connie Myres

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of Connie Myres.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

Cover image and design by Connie Myres.

www.ConnieMyres.com

Overview

This trilogy, Red Sky, is a story of family and the love they share as they struggle to survive an alien invasion while striking up friendships with strangers along the way. A science-fiction/thriller, Red Sky takes the reader on a journey with the “uninfected” through bands of zombies and spiders as they finally track down the alien/human hybrids at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. The alien agenda is to continue breeding with select humans and to alter Earth’s environment to support this new hybrid species.

Part One: Invasion

Part Two: Wild World

Part Three:

Author

Connie Myres was born and raised in Michigan, USA. She has been crafting stories since childhood. Children she would babysit for loved to hear her mystery stories because she carefully included all the children listening. Connie has worked as a registered nurse in hospitals and as a visiting nurse. Currently she is a freelance writer and videographer in Michigan or any pleasing location.

Writing Web site: Connie Myres www.conniemyres.com

Videos and Articles: Health and Home Topics www.healthandhometopics.com

Red Sky  (Unedited) Trilogy Part Two – Wild World

Want to edit Red Sky and share in the profits? (if there are any profits)

Formats: HTML, PDF, EPUB, iBOOK, MOBI

CHAPTER 1 – 

*** I will publish each chapter as I create them. ***

Read  the “unedited draft” of Red Sky – Trilogy Part One – Invasion

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HTML, PDF, EPUB, iBOOK, MOBI

Want to Edit Red Sky?

Red Sky needs an editor. If anyone is interested in editing it I will put their name in the credits and give them a percentage of the profits, if there are any. When the book has been edited I will publish it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and other places.

If no one wants to edit it, I will still keep it here on this site. 

Red Sky - Invasion is part one of the trilogy and runs around 36,000 words.

If you are interested in editing Red Sky, use the Contact form and send your resume/references in the message body and I will get back to you. 

Red Sky:

This trilogy, Red Sky, is a story of family and the love they share as they struggle to survive an alien invasion while striking up friendships with strangers along the way. A science-fiction/thriller, Red Sky takes the reader on a journey with the “uninfected” through bands of zombies and spiders as they finally track down the alien/human hybrids at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. The alien agenda is to continue breeding with select humans and to alter Earth’s environment to support this new hybrid species.

Part One: Invasion

Part Two: Wild World

Part Three:

*****

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of Connie Myres.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. 

Credit: Soniaromanoff

Painting of Russian writer Evgeny Chirikov by Ivan Kulikov, 1904

Red Sky needs an editor. If anyone is interested in editing it I will put their name in the credits and give them a percentage of the profits, if there are any. When the book has been edited I will publish it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and other places.

Read Red Sky.

If no one wants to edit it, I will still keep it here on this site. 

Red Sky is a novella and runs around 36,000 words. It’s not a long book but is the first book in the trilogy. 

If you are interested in editing Red Sky, use the Contact form and send your resume/references in the message body and I will get back to you. 

Red Sky – Trilogy Part One – Invasion:

This trilogy, Red Sky, is a story of family and the love they share as they struggle to survive an alien invasion while striking up friendships with strangers along the way. A science-fiction/thriller, Red Sky takes the reader on a journey with the “uninfected” through bands of zombies and spiders as they finally track down the alien/human hybrids at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. The alien agenda is to continue breeding with select humans and to alter Earth’s environment to support this new hybrid species.

Part One: Invasion

Part Two:

Part Three:

*****

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of Connie Myres.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. 

Front Matter

*** Red Sky is seeking an editor. Contact Connie at www.ConnieMyres.com ***

RED SKY – Trilogy Part One – Invasion

by Connie Myres

Published by Health and Home Topics

Copyright © 2012 by Connie Myres

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of Connie Myres.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. 

Cover image and design by Connie Myres.

www.ConnieMyres.com

Overview

This trilogy, Red Sky, is a story of family and the love they share as they struggle to survive an alien invasion while striking up friendships with strangers along the way. A science-fiction/thriller, Red Sky takes the reader on a journey with the “uninfected” through bands of zombies and spiders as they finally track down the alien/human hybrids at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. The alien agenda is to continue breeding with select humans and to alter Earth’s environment to support this new hybrid species.

Part One: Invasion

Part Two: Wild World

Part Three:

Author

Connie Myres was born and raised in Michigan, USA. She has been crafting stories since childhood. Children she would babysit for loved to hear her mystery stories because she carefully included all the children listening. Connie has worked as a registered nurse in hospitals and as a visiting nurse. Currently she is a freelance writer and videographer in Michigan or any pleasing location. 

Writing Web site: Connie Myres www.conniemyres.com

Videos and Articles: Health and Home Topics www.healthandhometopics.com

Red Sky  (Unedited) Trilogy Part One – Invasion

Want to edit Red Sky and share in the profits? (if there are any profits)

Formats: HTML, PDF, EPUB, iBOOK, MOBI

CHAPTER 1 — Eerie Northern Lights

     “What is that light?” Sarah Van Dam whispered as she stared at a bright blue ball of light in the distant sunset. She leaned forward toward the pick-up’s steering wheel to get a better look at the orb that seemed to hover over a small town.  The highway wasn’t too busy as she pulled her cell phone from her purse to capture a video of it.

     “It’s too bright to be a star. Maybe it’s just a Halloween prank.”

     Sarah sat alone in the cab of her father’s pick-up that she had inherited upon his death several months ago. He had died of lung cancer and surprisingly the smell of cigarette smoke still filled the cab.

Sarah turned the radio down to background noise and began to record video as she spoke aloud. “I’m driving home after dropping the kids off at their dad’s and I started seeing this strange light. I’m not sure how well it’s showing up on this phone but I’ll try to get closer and tape again.”

     Sarah closed the phone and held it in her hand ready to record at a moment’s notice.

“If it’s a UFO, traffic isn’t slowing, no one seems concerned. Maybe they just don’t notice it.”

     The highway curved away from the light and Sarah lost sight of it and the need to investigate. She looked over her left shoulder. It was gone.

     She continued her drive home to west Michigan. Dropping her teenage sons off at her ex-husband’s house was hard. Larry Sallo had been convicted of domestic violence a few years back. He had punched her in the chest for not letting him take the kids when he showed up on her doorstep unexpectedly and began calling her names and saying things to purposely hurt her like, “Nobody likes you.” After she picked herself up off the floor, she called 911 but he had already left taking the kids with him.

     Larry had no problem lying to get his way; he was very skilled at it. He deceived people so easily, especially when it came to spreading lies about Sarah. He was so convincing that even her family believed him; something Sarah had a hard time understanding.

     Sarah’s mind wandered between UFOs and her kids as she neared the end of her hundred mile trek home. After the divorce and Larry’s conviction, it was like a fresh start to move away from the people and places she knew.

     She pulled into her driveway leading into the woods; it felt good to be home. She didn’t have much money because she worked per-diem as a nurse so that she could pick the days she worked, thus avoiding the threats from Larry and his wife Bertha. They would call and write letters to the Friend of the Court accusing her of not getting the kids to the drop-off point on time; nevermind that it was because she had to work occasionally on the child exchange day. It was easier to go with less money and avoid the confrontation.

     “Evil has a name,” Sarah said, parking by the side door of her blue gray colonial home. “It’s you Larry, you and your bulldog Bertha.”

     The trees hid the setting October sun as Sarah stepped onto the side porch and put the key in the lock. Jibber ran up to her wagging her tail. The Labrador, German Sheppard mix was glad to see her.

     “Hey, Jibber,” Sarah said, patting her on the top of the head.      

     She pushed the door open, Jibber wasted no time squeezing in so as not to be left outside. “You can stay in for only a little while.”

     Jibber followed her into the kitchen where she took a cold beer from the refrigerator and tossed her keys onto the counter. She then proceeded upstairs to her bedroom and got into her pajamas.

     Sitting back on the large pillow against the headboard of her canopy bed, she sat her laptop onto her outstretched legs and began working on her personal blog while Jibber lay on the floor beside her bed.

     When she was finished with her blog entry, which was more like a diary entry, she went downstairs for another beer and then turned the television on before climbing back into bed.

     The television was on the local channel as Sarah fished through the blankets on her bed looking for the remote control.

A news broadcaster interrupted the sitcom’s laughter. Sarah found the remote just as the suited man spoke.

     “We are interrupting your current programming to bring you this update. The brightest most intense aurora borealis is currently taking place. This unexpected event, also known as the Northern Lights, can be seen as an undulating red and blue light show. This is nothing to be alarmed about, just be aware that officials are looking into the cause of this exceptional phenomenon.”

Sarah watched as the newscaster turned in his seat while a director with a headphone set approached him and spoke quietly in his ear then walked back off camera.

     The newscaster cleared his throat as the camera panned out and an elderly man took a seat next to him while a stagehand placed a microphone on his shirt. “Ladies and gentlemen this is meteorologist Andy Wilkins from Western University. How are you?”

     The meteorologist paused, hesitating as if camera-shy. “I’m fine, thank you.”

     “What is causing these spectacular Northern Lights?”

     The meteorologist glanced at the camera in front then settled back on the newscaster. “Charged particles from our Sun’s solar wind produce an aurora or light emission in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The magnetic field of the Sun’s solar wind collides with Earth’s magnetic field and when conditions are favorable we get a light show also known as a geomagnetic storm.”

     “I’ve never seen a storm this bright and intense, Andy. Would you say this one is setting a record for us here in Michigan?”

     “I wouldn’t be surprised if this aurora beats the great geomagnetic storm of 1859.” The meteorologist squirmed.

     “Professor, should we be worried. Are we in any kind of danger?”

     “In folklore it’s believed that the Northern Lights are an omen foretelling disaster like war or famine.” The meteorologist drew in the side of his mouth. “But I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Though, ham radio operators may have trouble communicating because it could affect some radio wave frequencies.”

     The newscaster smiled. “I’m sure we’re all relieved to hear that, except for the ham radio operators.” He smiled and then turned forward toward the camera. “Stay tuned to Channel 3 for further updates.”

     The TV switched to a commercial. Sarah put down the remote and got out of bed.

     “Come on Jibber, let’s go outside and check this out,” she said, putting on her slippers.

     Sarah went downstairs and out the front door onto the main porch that spanned the length of her house. It was chilly. She tightened the belt on her soft white robe as she looked up at the sky.

     “Wow, look at this, Jibber.” Sarah was excited as she talked to her faithful companion, especially when the kids weren’t around. She knelt down and pulled her close. “It’s glowing so much I can see deep into the woods.”

     Jibber broke away from Sarah and went into the yard where she began to pace and whine. A pink glow was cast onto Jibber’s black coat as Sarah followed Jibber into the yard. “What’s wrong, Jibber?”

     It was indeed an eerie feeling. Sarah felt her skin tingle as she looked straight up into the dancing pink curtains of light with blue undertones.

     “This isn’t right, there’s something terribly wrong about this,” Sarah said, as she grabbed Jibber’s collar. “Let’s go inside.”

 CHAPTER 2 — The Chaos Begins

     Even though they seemed safe, Sarah knew there was something wrong, very wrong, she could feel it. She wanted to close the curtains on her windows but she had no curtains because her income barely paid the mortgage. She couldn’t help but wonder if there were damaging rays being emitted from the storm and if they could possibly penetrate solid structures, like her house.

     Sarah went back upstairs with Jibber at her heels. The television had spurts of static but was viewable. Doing what she does when there could be a tornado; she grabbed her belted jeans hanging over the chair in her bedroom and slipped them on. A long-sleeved t-shirt and her shoes quickly followed. She had no problem being prepared in case she had to leave quickly.

     Spreading out the top blanket so as not to get her shoes on the sheets, she climbed back into her favorite spot on the bed and with the remote turned up the volume on the TV. Jibber tried to jump onto the bed but Sarah held her hand out to block her.

     “Jibber, you can’t get on the bed,” Sarah said, scooting to the edge so that she could pet her and keep her calm.

     The programming was once again interrupted with the same newscaster, but this time he wasn’t smiling. “We are interrupting this program to bring you this breaking news. Reports are coming in from around the world, both hemispheres are being affected. We have this report from Aadam in Australia.”

     The screen flickered as a jittery reporter came on. “As you can see, it’s daylight here in Australia, underneath a red sky. If you look behind me on this city block of Melbourne, you’ll notice people wandering around, as if confused. Not everyone is affected, but many are. This all started when the sky turned bloody.”

     “Aadam, we’ve had a spectacular Northern Lights display here in the US. Do they know what’s causing this to happen in Australia?”

     A confused businessman walking down the sidewalk bumped into Aadam, knocking him momentarily out of camera view. “Scientists here are baffled, they originally thought it was coming from the sun but that appears to not be the case. It’s a mystery.”

     “Aadam, we’re going to leave you while we bring meteorologist Andy Wilkins back on. You be careful.”

     The static on the TV was getting worse. Sarah could barely hear the Australian reporter say thank you. She turned the volume up even louder has she tried to make out what the Professor was saying. Through the video squiggles and the audio crackles she could only make out the words “exposed to something” and “Channel 3.”

     “What? I can barely hear anything and I manage to pick out the station identifier. Isn’t that just my luck, Jibber?”

     The TV was now all static and unwatchable. She clicked the TV off and took her phone from her purse. Even though it was 11:30 p.m. and the kids might be sleeping, she wasn’t going to let that stop her from calling.

     “Damn,” Sarah said, hitting the redial. “Come on, connect this time.”

     Her fourteen year-old son’s phone rang unanswered. “Georgie, answer your phone.”

She then tried her older son, Willis. “The number you called is not a working number. Please check the number and dial again,” the recorded message said.

     Sarah hated calling the regular house phone because both Larry and Bertha were nasty to her. Larry would always lecture her with his demeaning tone. He was a debaser while Bertha was always falsely accusing Sarah of one thing or another. Both she and Larry had not problem lying, even under oath.

     She dialed the house phone. Just before the answering machine came on, Sarah heard Larry’s nail scratching voice, “hello.”

     “I need to talk to Willis and Georgie.” She wanted to get right to the point so she didn’t have to deal with Larry any longer than necessary.

     He replied in his usual condescending tone. “Sarah, they’re sleeping. You can’t talk to them.”

     “It’s important; I really need to speak to them.”

     “No you’re not. We have things to do early tomorrow and I’m not waking them up.”

     Sarah didn’t want to beg. “It’s important, something has happened.”

     “What?” He always gave her a hard time.

     “Have you looked outside or listened to the news?”

     Sarah could hear Bertha in the background. “Who is that? Is that Sarah?”

     Larry replied with a disgusted, “yes.”

     “Hang up on the bitch; there’s no reason for her to call in the middle of the night.”

     The line went dead.

     “I hate your guts!” Sarah said, pushing down hard on her phone’s red button. Sarah felt like crying.

     “Okay, Jibber, what do I do now? I want to go get them but I know he won’t let me take them, he won’t even let me talk to them.”

     Sarah turned the TV back on to see if there was any better reception. She flipped through the channels hardly able to make anything out. Obviously the satellites were being affected. 

     “I better call Lilly and make sure she’s okay.” Sarah used her landline to call her best friend. Lilly and she had hit it off right away when Sarah first moved to the area. They had a lot in common. Not only were their kids in the same school but they liked to go out and watch rock bands while having a few drinks. They were both divorced from asshole men and just could not find Mr. Right.

     A sleepy Lilly answered the phone. “Hello.”

     “I’m sorry to wake you but there’s something weird going on outside.”

     “What’s going on?” Lilly was sounding more awake.

     “Look out your window and you’ll see.”

     “Okay, hold on.” Sarah could hear Lilly get out of bed and walk to the window. “What the hell is that? What’s going on?”

     “I don’t know for sure. Apparently it’s not the Northern Lights. Turn your TV on before it goes out.”

     “I can’t believe this, it’s really strange.”

     Sarah could hear the static of Lilly’s TV then the phone lost connection. She looked at her TV, it was almost impossible to make anything out. Just before it went out and the electricity was lost, Sarah could hear a voice in the static. “Stay inside, for god’s sake do not go outside!”

CHAPTER 3 — Sarah Meets Jack in the Jail

     Spooky silence filled Sarah’s bedroom; just the click of Jibbers claws on the hardwood floor as she tried to get under Sarah’s bed. She tried calling her sons again to warn them to not go outside, but there was no connection. Sarah felt a panic come over her for fear something would happen to Georgie and Willis.

     “Come on, Jibber.” Sarah clapped her hands for Jibber get out from under the bed. “We gotta get the kids. I don’t know how we’ll get them because Larry will give me a hard time, but I can’t stand being so far away from them.”

     She kept calling for Jibber as she put her wallet purse around her neck and her light cardigan sweater on. A faint red glow filled her room as she took her larger purse and stuffed it with underpants, a t-shirt, and anything a person may need if they were going on a weekend trip.

     “Come on, Jibber, you have to come with me. You can’t stay here.” Sarah had to grab her collar and tug on her to get her to emerge from her safe place under the bed.

     Jibber followed her to the dark mudroom. She fumbled for her one dim flashlight on the counter next to the side door. “Damn it, it needs batteries.”

     She opened the drawer where she kept batteries; she was not surprised when she could not find the ‘C’ batteries she needed. “That figures.”

     Pushing past candles and whatever else lay in the junk draw it occurred to her that her nursing pen light would be a good substitute. She made her way to the bathroom where she

kept the basket of nursing items from her scrub pockets; she found the penlight and put it into the purse around her neck. Making her way back to the kitchen she stuffed into her larger overstuffed purse with granola bars and bottled water.

     Grabbing the pick-up keys off the counter, she looked at Jibber. “Are you ready, Jibber? I know we’re not supposed to go outside but I can’t just sit here.”

     She opened the door slowly, almost afraid to breath. She kept thinking of the confused people in Australia that were infected with something and the warning to not go outside. The sky had turned from pink to red. “It’s beautiful.”  There were faint waves of sparkles dispersed in the red undulating sky.

     “Come on, Jibber, get in.” Sarah didn’t have to ask twice, Jibber jumped into the cab of the pickup without hesitation.

     Sarah put the key in the ignition and turned it, but it barely turned over. She tried again, and still it would not start.

     “Why the hell isn’t it starting? It was running fine when I parked it.” Sarah was beginning to feel like she would never make it to her sons.

     “Please, God, let it start.” Resisting tears she turned the ignition again. It started. She put it in reverse, turned around in the gravel, and then ahead down quarter mile long driveway to the road. The truck sputtered as if it would stall if she let off the gas, so she kept her foot on the pedal.

     After a couple miles they entered Bloomingdale. People were walking down the sidewalk and across yards to the village park. “I wonder what’s going on.”

She slowed down and looked over toward the park. A few people stood in the center, not far from the abandoned railroad station that was now a Bloomingdale’s Depot Museum. They all were gazing at the same spot in the sky.

     “There’s Lilly, what’s she doing here?” Sarah said to a restless Jibber, not staying still in the passenger seat.

     She let off the gas and pulled over. The pick-up was idling, but barely. Jibber tried to follow her out of the cab. “No, Jibber, you stay here.”

     Sarah got out of the pick-up and ran up to Lilly, not wanting to leave the truck unattended for too long. “Hey, Lilly, what’s going on?”

     Lilly kept her gaze toward the sky, answering with a bland, “nothing.”

Sarah was taken aback, Lilly was always talking, never shut up and now she was blowing Sarah off.

     “Is something wrong?” Sarah kept stride.

     Lilly didn’t answer; she continued to walk with the others. Sarah looked up at the sky but all she saw was same red she’d been looking. She heard the pick-up beginning to stall.

     “Lilly, come with me.” Sarah grabbed Lilly’s arm. “I don’t know where you’re going but it can’t be good.”

     Lilly pulled her arm away and walked away from Sarah who starting to turn back to the stalling truck. She didn’t want to leave her friend but she couldn’t let the truck die, it may not start again and her kids were highest priority.

     She got in and put her foot on the gas just before it died. “That was close.”

     Locking the doors she looked at the gas gauge, a little over half a tank. That would get her there. No power, no pumping gas at the gas stations.

     “Let’s get out of here.” Sarah put it in gear and headed out of town. Jibber looked at her as if she knew what Sarah was talking about.

     “If I can keep this truck running we should be to the kids by two.” Sarah looked over to Jibber who was now finally lying on the seat. The truck sputtered as Sarah approached an intersection. With the traffic lights not working, she only slowed down; there were no other cars in sight.

     “This is really strange, Jibber. Where is everybody? I don’t see any other cars on the road. I know it’s the middle of the night but you’d think there’d be other cars, at least a few.”

     She couldn’t keep her eyes off the sky; it was mesmerizing, hypnotizing.

     “We’re almost to the highway, and then we’ll make time.” She said to Jibber whose ears perked up.

     They entered the larger town of Paw Paw. Once again a line of obedient people were heading to a common place.

     “This is like a horror movie. Where are they going?” She looked to Jibber who was back sitting up and looking out the windows.

     “I wonder if we should stop at the police station. I’m beginning to think we should’ve stayed home.”

     She pulled into the police station parking lot. A vintage police car sat by the road; it made her think of Abbott and Costello.

     Once again leaving the truck run, Jibber got out with her. The power was out here, too. She approached the front door.

     ”I hope we don’t get shot.” She pushed the door open into the darkness. “Hello, is anyone here?”

     She cautiously walked into reception area. Only the glow coming in through the windows lit the interior. “Hello.”

     Her voice fell on silence. She walked further in when she heard a male’s voice. “Hey lady, back here.”

     Sarah and Jibber walked down the corridor to the back of the jail toward the voice. “Over here.”

     Sarah looked around the corner; an inmate was talking to her from a cell.

     “Lady, you gotta get me out.”

     She saw a man about her age locked in a cell. He didn’t look like a criminal; he looked instead like someone she’d date. Two other men were in the cell with him; oddly they were standing and facing the back wall oblivious to Sarah being there. “Where is everyone?”

     “They all just walked out, saying something about a red sky.” He gripped the cell bars. “Looks like you and I are the only ones with any sense.” He pointed to the men in the cell with him who were now trying to walk through the wall.

     “Where’d they go?” Sarah kept her distance from the cell.

     “I don’t know, like I said they just walked out,” the inmate tightened his grip on the bars. “You gotta let me out, there’s something really strange going on here and I don’t want to be trapped in here, especially with these characters.”

     He looked honest, but she wasn’t always a good judge of men, take Larry for example. “What’s your name?”

     “Jack. What’s yours?” He smiled.

     She didn’t answer right away. He was looking at her in an ‘I’d like to get to know you better’ kind of way. Like they had just met in a bar and sat down beside her.

     “My name’s Sarah.” She paused. “Why are you in jail?”

     “Too many speeding tickets, nothing serious if that’s what you’re worried about. They were supposed to let me out in the morning anyway.”

     Sarah sized him up. He was clean shaven with wavy shoulder length brown hair. Both arms had tattoos, which she couldn’t make out from the distance she was standing. She liked his smile.       “I need to find an officer first.”

     “You won’t find one, they all left.”

     “And you don’t know where they went?”

     “I don’t know, but they all went.”

     “Every one of them?” She hoped he knew more.

     ”Every last one, it’s like they all just dropped what they were doing and walked out the door.” He looked at Sarah. “You know this thing has affected everyone but you and me; I wonder why.”

     “I don’t know.” But Sarah knew what he was talking about. She walked back toward a window.

     “Where are you going?”

     “I just want to see if there’s a police officer who’s not affected.” She looked out and saw people, even a police officer heading toward a common area.

     “Sarah, you gotta let me out. I don’t want to be trapped in here helpless. In case you haven’t noticed these guys aren’t exactly acting normal.”

     Sarah walked back to where Jibber was sitting in front of Jack’s cell. “I’m going to follow them, and then I’ll be back.”

     “Let me out and I’ll go with you. I don’t think it’s safe to be out there by yourself.”

     “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” She headed toward the front door. “Jibber, you stay here.”

CHAPTER 4 — The Chase Begins

     Sarah saw a flashlight on a shelf at the front desk. She grabbed it and walked out the door. “Damn it, the truck is still running. I’ll make it fast.”

     A line of people were heading toward the winery field. She kept the flashlight off and blended in, walking silent and keeping pace with people several yards in front of here. The red glow from the sky gave enough illumination to reveal people of all ages, even mothers with babies.

     Then it occurred to her, how was she going to get back without drawing attention to herself?

     She followed the crowd down the street past the winery. The grape field was ahead. She slowly veered off the path until she found a place where she could hide and sneak up to see what was going on.

     She found a secluded spot behind some bushes. Kneeling down she watched as the mass of people filed their way into the rows of grape vines.

     The sky grew brighter as a blue orb appeared above the vineyard. It hovered for a few minutes before shooting out a beam of light to the ground. People began to moan and call out in pleasure as they began to push and shove in a frenzy to get close to the beam where, upon entering, they disappeared.

     What’s happening to them? Are they getting beamed up to the orb or are they disintegrating? What is that orb, a spaceship? And why aren’t I affected, and that prisoner?”

     No sooner had the people entered when some began to exit the beam looking more possessed than ever. Their gate was less fluid as they lumbered in Sarah’s direction.

     “I’d better get out of here, this is not looking good.”

     Sarah dodged between bushes and houses trying not to be seen as she made her way back to the jailhouse. The truck was barely running, ready to stall at any moment.

     She looked back and saw the people continuing their walk in her direction.

     Sarah burst through the jailhouse door. “We gotta get out of here.”

     “Finally you see it my way.” Jack said trying to shake the bars.

     Sarah approached the cell. The other two men were now agitated, walking into the back wall with force. She looked at the lock. “How do I unlock it?”

     “There should be a key at the desk,” Jack said, looking back at his crazed jail mates. “You better hurry up before these guys decide that I’m more interesting than that wall!”

     She ran to the desk shining the flashlight around as she opened draws and scanned the walls and desktop.

     “I can’t find them,” she yelled back down to Jack.

     “Try looking under the desk!”

     Sarah glanced out the window; the mob was just across the street and heading their way. She knelt by the desk, feeling every nook and cranny. She was starting to get panicked when she felt them.

     “I got them!” She yelled, running down the hall. She fumbled with the keys, trying to find the one that would fit into the lock.

     “Come on, get it in there; we’re running out of time.” Jack looked back at the other two men who now had bloody faces and were fixing their gaze upon Jack as they turned around. “Hurry up, Sarah.”

     “Got it!” The door clanked opened; Jack slammed it shut behind him locking the inmates in as they reached for Jack.

     Jibber barked as they ran to the main door but the mob was only feet away from it.

     “They’re like zombies,” Sarah said, stopping in her tracks.

     “We can’t get out this way,” Jack said, grabbing onto the door handles to keep it closed. “Find something to put in these handles to keep it from being opened.”

     “Doesn’t it have a lock?”

     “It needs a key,” Jack said. “We don’t have time.”

      Sarah went back into the cage and found a billy club on the counter. She ran back to the door and placed it in the handles.

      “It’ll fall out, we need something longer,” Sarah said, helping to hold the door.

      The zombies were now just outside the glass doors. Sarah looked at their faces; it was as if they lost their humanness and gained the anguish of a painful death as they began to pull and bang on the doors.

      “Stop looking at them,” Jack said. “Go to that closet and see if there’s a broom or something.”

      Sarah ran to the closet. Jibber was restless, ready to run down the hall. She took a broom and placed it the door pulls, along with the club. They both paused for only moment to look at the invading mob. Their faces contorted and drooling.

      “They do look like fucking zombies,” Jack said, taking Sarah’s arm.

      “Now their moans sound like they’re in pain,” Sarah said.

      “We gotta get out of here before they eat our brains or something.” Jack said, only half joking. He guided her away from the door and down the hall where Jibber was already waiting for them.

     “That doesn’t seem like an implausible idea,” Sarah said, running next to Jack. “Look, Jibber found the back door.”

     “We’ll need a key to get out,” Jack said, approaching the door. He put his ear next to it. “I don’t hear anything; hand me the keys.”

     Sarah held the light as Jack tried different keys until he finally found the one that turned. Sarah held her breath as Jack slowly opened the door, and then closed it.

     “What are you doing?” Sarah asked, rolling her eyes. “We gotta get out of here.”

     “We need weapons,” Jack said, running back down the hall.

     “We don’t have time; we have to get to the truck,” Sarah yelled back at him.

     Jack tried not to let the clawing at the front door distract him as he tried to get into the gun cabinet.

     “The guns are locked up; we don’t have time to get them,”

Jack said, as Sarah ran up next to him.

     Sarah saw Jack’s eyes land on the billy club holding the door. “Don’t take it, don’t even think about it.”

     Jack didn’t listen; he took the club from the door. “Let’s go, that broom won’t hold long.”

     They ran back to the rear door where Jibber anxiously awaited.  Jack opened it and cautiously walked out. “It’s clear.”

     They had made their way to the corner of the building when they heard the broom break and the front doors crash open.

     “They’re coming.” Sarah was petrified. “We gotta get to the truck.”

     Sarah was close behind Jack, and Jibber was close behind

Sarah as they followed the wall to where they could see the front parking lot. The sputtering truck was in sight.

     “Shit,” Jack said, pointing to a white pickup surrounded by zombies. “Is that you truck?”

     “Unfortunately.”

     Then they heard the back door slam open.

     “Time to go,” Jack said. “Follow me.”

CHAPTER 5 — Jibber Catches a Zombie

     Jack ran ahead to the pickup where a zombie was pacing bythe driver’s door. With billy club in hand, a firm blow to the head, Jack sent the crazed man stumbling backward. Jibber barked while Sarah ran to the driver’s door and got in.

     They were being surrounded as Jack and Jibber went around the truck to the passenger door. Sarah gave it gas just before it stalled.

     “Get in!” Sarah yelled, shifting into drive.

     Jibber got in ahead of jack who quickly locked the door.

“Go! Go! Go!”

     “I can’t, there are people in front of me,” Sarah said, inching forward.

     “Backup then,” Jack said, looking back.

     “I can’t, they’re behind me, too.” Sarah’s breathing increased.     

     “Then floor it, run ‘em over,” Jack said, looking at Sarah. “They’re not people, they’re zombies and I don’t intend to die today.”

     Sarah closed her eyes for only a moment. When she opened them they were completely surrounded. She had no choice but to drive through them.

     “Damn it, Sarah, if you’re not going to do it then get out of the driver’s seat and I will,” Jack protested.

     Sarah floored it. The pickup thumped as it struck the zombies. Some were pushed to side while one was one over. It was a sick feeling to run over a body. Upon reaching the street a crowd had amassed, she had no choice but to plow through them.

      She merged onto the highway with it still floored.

     “You can slow down now,” Jack said. “I think we’re through the worst of it.”

     Tears streamed down Sarah’s face. “I can’t believe I just ran over those people.”

     “Don’t worry about it, you had to do what you had to do,” Jack said, looking in the side mirror. “What did you see back there when you followed them?”

     Sarah slowed the pickup to a steady speed as she wiped the tears from her face. “There was light beam coming from the sky and it was drawing people to it. They’d actually walked inside it like they were getting pleasure from it; they were moaning like in ecstasy like they were—”she paused.

     Jack looked at her smiling. “Like they were what?”

     She quickly glanced at him, knowing he wanted her to say it. “You know.”

     He sat back and clasped his hands behind his hand. “Like they were having an orgasm?”

     She looked over at him. His unshaven face and broad jaw line was attractive to her. Tattoos curved around the muscles in his arms. She was actually glad he was with her. “Yeah.”

     Jibber had calmed down and was now lying on the seat beside them.

     “So, Sarah, where are we heading?”

     “I’m going to get my kids, they’re with my ex-husband right now and I’d just feel better if they were with me.”

     “How far away are they?”

     “About a hundred miles, so we’ll be there in a couple hours if we don’t run into any more problems.”

     “Is your ex going to be okay with you taking the kids at four in the morning?” Jack sounded skeptical.

     “Probably not; so I really don’t know what to do about that,” Sarah said, hesitantly. “I guess I’ll solve that when I get there.”

     They sat in silence as they drove down the empty highway. The sky glowed red in the darkness as Sarah scanned the highway for signs of life, or death.

     “Do you have a family, Jack?”

     “Nah, not me; too busy,” Jack said.

     Just then Jibber began to whimper, raising her head to look out the window.

     “What’s wrong, Jibber.” Sarah reached over to pet her head.

     “I don’t see anything,” Jack said, looking out the windows.

     “I wonder if she needs to go the bathroom.” Sarah slowed the pickup and then stopped along the deserted road.

     Jack looked around before opening his door to let the anxious dog out. “I don’t see anyone, it should be okay.”

     Jibber jumped out and then vanished into the darkness.

     “How much gas is there?” Jack asked, as he looked at the dried cornfield where Jibber had run.

     Sarah looked at the gas gauge. “Just under half a tank; that’ll get us there but not back home.” She stared into the distance. “The pickup barely started so I’m afraid to turn it off.”

     “Well, we’ll just drive it until we find gas or can’t drive it anymore. We might have to siphon gas if there’s no power.”

     “I don’t see any signs of power,” Sarah said, glancing around.

     Jack turned the radio on and scanned through the static. Then a distant voice was heard through the noise. Jack tried to get it in but all they could make out before they lost the signal was a man saying, “If you…shelter…Jackson…infected…stay out.”

     Sarah smiled. “It’s good to know that we’re not the only ones unaffected.”

     “It sounded like he said infected, not affected.”

     “It’s about the same thing,” Sarah shrugged. “He also mentioned Jackson, we’re heading that direction. Maybe the channel will come in better when we get closer.”

     “And we can find them and see what’s going on,” Jack added.

     “He also said stay out. I remember the news saying, before it went out, something about staying out of the sun.”

     “We don’t have to worry about that for a few hours,” Jack said. He looked toward the field. “What’s taking that dog so long?”

     Sarah scanned the surroundings before getting out. She walked over to the shoulder where Jack was standing. “Here, Jibber. Here, Girl.”

     She walked toward the ditch in the direction that Jibber had vanished into the corn. “Jibber,” she called.

     “We shouldn’t call too loudly,” Jack said. “Those zombies might hear us.”

     Then they heard a rustle in the dry corn stalks.

     “Where’s the flashlight? She’s dragging something,” Jack said, looking through the cab’s glove compartment.

     “Uh, I kinda forgot the one from the jail…while I was running for my life.” Sarah said, reaching into her small cross-shoulder purse. “But here, I have a penlight.”

     Jack found a flashlight on the floor of the cab’s backseat. “This doesn’t work worth a damn.” He banged it against his hand.

     “Sorry.”

     Jack shined the dim light in the direction of the rustling stalks. He banged the fading light against his hand as he walked toward the sound.

     “Be careful,” Sarah yelled to him, shining her penlight in his direction.

     Jack disappeared into the field. The red sky was still casting its eerie glow over the landscape.

     “It’s Jibber,” Jack yelled as he emerged from the stalks. “She has something.”

     Sarah watched from the side of the pickup as Jibber drug an object out of the last row of corn onto the grassy ditch.

     Jack approached Jibber and her prey. “Go, Jibber, go!” he commanded, trying to get the dog to move away from the limp object.

     Sarah ran up to get a closer look. Jack knelt down for a closer look as Jibber released her grip and growled. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the body. “Oh my god, is that a zombie?” She gasped, raising her hand to her mouth.

     Jack stood and nudged the body with his foot. He looked back at Sarah. “I believe Jibber caught us a dead zombie.”

CHAPTER 6 — The Drive to the Kids

     Sarah kept her distance from the body. Its glazed eyes were open. Its teeth, although the regular human type, were bared with particles of something stuck around them. The skin looked dead, sallow. “Is it dead?”

     Jack poked at it some more. “It’s dead, alright.”

     “I wonder if Jibber killed it.”

     “No way,” Jack said, walking over to Sarah. “We would’ve heard the fight; she found it dead out here.”

     “I wonder how it died.” She knelt down next to it, shining the her light from its head to the tattered boots on its feet.

     “What are you looking for?” Jack asked.

     “I’m looking for any signs that would’ve caused its death.”

     “It turned into a zombie, that’s what killed.”

     Sarah snickered. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think we should touch it though, in case it has something contagious.”

     Jack pointed to Jibber. “What about the dog, she’s been biting it?”

     Sarah shrugged, not wanting to quarantine her faithful companion. “Hopefully I’m wrong and it’s just something to do with that blue light beam or the red sky.” She paused. “Which, for some reason, hasn’t affected us.”

     Jack started walking back to the pickup. “Let’s get out of here. If there was one of those things out here in the middle of nowhere there could be more.”

     They ran back to the truck, Jibber jumped in the back seat.

     “Are sure that dog should come with us?” Jack said, looking at the panting dog with its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

     Sarah put the truck in gear and began driving. “Until I know she’s contaminated, she’s coming with us.” She hoped Jibber was fine, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to leave her faithful companion behind.

     Jack grabbed a shop rag from the glove compartment, wiped Jibber’s face, and then through the rag out the window.

     “There’s hand sanitizer in the glove box,” Sarah said. “I want some, too.”

     They rode in silence for several miles. The full moon was blood red, as its light struggled to penetrate the scarlet atmosphere. Approaching Jackson, Sarah began to fiddle with radio, hoping to reconnect with the earlier broadcast.

     “Here, let me try,” Jack said, placing his hand gently on top of hers.

     Sarah paused for a moment before pulling her hand away from the warmth of his skin. It felt good but she was not going to let on.

     They were now entering the Jackson city limits. Sarah pointed out the window. “Look at the mall, there’s a group of people by Sears.”

     “Should we stop?” Jacks said.

     “No, not until I get my kids,” Sarah said firmly.

     “Maybe they can help us.”

     “We’ll look for people on the way back. I don’t want to take the chance of anything happening and slowing us down. After all, they could be zombies.”

     Jack nodded in agreement. “We will need gas, though.”

     “I know we will, but we have enough to get us there. I’m not going to be happy until I get the kids.”

     “What if…” Jack did not finish the sentence.

     “What if, what?”

     Jack looked at Sarah, trying to read her face. “What if the kids are affected by the light?”

     “They can’t be,” Sarah fought back tears. “They’re my sons, my flesh and blood, so if I’m not affected they’re probably not affected.”

     Jack said no more; they would find out when they get there.

     Sarah looked straight ahead. She knew Jack could ask to be let out, but he was not acting as if he was going to leave her. He would probably be better off not having to worry about a mom and her kids and the family dog.  She was glad he was staying.

     They were now leaving Jackson. She looked over to Jack who was slouched in the seat with his eyes closed, just as Jibber also was in the backseat. As she fought off sleep herself, she looked at his strong jaw line, illuminated by the dashboard lights. He needed a shave. She found herself becoming increasingly attracted to him.

     “Jack,” Sarah said, yawning. He did not budge. “Jack, we’re almost there.”

     Jack opened his eyes. “What?”

     “We’re almost there.”

     “What time is it?” Jack sat up and stretched.

     Sarah looked at the clock on the dash. “It’s almost three.”

     “That little bit of sleep wasn’t enough.” Jack yawned. “You must be tired; do you want me to drive?”

     Sarah yawned. “Yawning’s contagious, stop it.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m okay, it must be the adrenaline. I’ll sleep later.”

     “Speaking of sleep, your kids are going to be sleeping when we get there; so what’s the plan?”

     “I don’t know.” Sarah took her cell phone from the small purse around her neck. “Still no signal.”

     “No plan? Play it by ear?”

     “What I want to happen is to sneak into the jerk’s house, get the kids, drive back to Jackson before we run out of gas, and find shelter with that radio guy before the sun comes up.”

     Jack laughed. “You’re not asking for much.”

     Sarah smiled. “It could happen.”

     “Yeah, right.”

     “Hey, you asked me my plan, and that’s it. Do you have a better one?”

     “We’ll follow your plan,” he said, still smiling. “So what’s the setup?”

     “I don’t know, what you mean.”

     ”Who’s in the house, where are the bedrooms, do they have a dog, does your ex have a gun?”

     Sarah let out a sigh. “This sucks, all I know is that Larry, his wife Bertha, and the kids are the only ones in the house. I’ve never been in the house before so I have no idea where their bedrooms are. But, unfortunately I think they do have a dog, I’ve heard it bark in the background on the phone. I think it’s one of those little poodle types.”

     “We’ve got to do something with the dog unless we’re just going in and forcefully taking the kids. How old are they?”

     “Georgie is fourteen and Willis is seventeen.” Sarah added. “I don’t think he has a gun, I have it.”

     “You have a gun?” Jack was excited. “Where is it?”

     “At my house.”

     “At your house! You didn’t bring it?”

     “I didn’t even think of it.”

     Jack winced. “This may be more work than you think.”

     “The house is just ahead on the left,” Sarah said, as they turned onto the dark side street lined with cold houses. “There’s no electricity here, either.” 

     “Drive slowly by the house,” Jack said. “Which one is it?”

     Sarah pointed toward a drab house close to the street. “It’s that two-story, the one with the garage.”

     She drove by trying to see inside the windows but it was too dark.

     “Park over there.” Jack pointed to a vacant lot a couple houses up.

     Sarah pulled over and once again kept the pickup running. “The gas will be gone soon, we can’t take too long.”

     Jibber tried to get out with them as they quietly opened the doors.

    “Keep the dog here,” Jack said in a low voice, taking the billy club.

     “You stay here,” Sarah said to Jibber, gently closing the door behind her with penlight in hand.

     Jibber began to bark. Sarah quickly opened the door and tried to quiet the dog, but to no avail. She held Jibber’s collar and spoke to her as if the pooch undersood. “If you want to come with us you’ll need to be quiet.” She whispered.

     Jibber’s tail wagged as she climbed over the seat and out the door.

     The sky was still undulating red as they walked in the quiet darkness toward Larry’s house. Sarah was happy she was close to her sons but was afraid of what lay ahead.

     “So let me get this straight,” Jack said, pausing behind a raft. “You’re kidnapping your kids.”

     Sarah looked away, unsure how to answer. She knew that Friend of the Court would not look well that. She whispered back to Jack. “I suppose we should knock on the door first, that way the court won’t think we just broke in.”

     “If you say so.” Jack laughed.  “Let’s go.”

     They went to the front door while Jibber sniffed around the bushes. Jack knocked. No one answered. He looked at Sarah with a cocked smile and knocked once more.

     Sarah rang the doorbell. They waited. Silence. She rang it again. Again, silence.

     “I wonder why no one’s answering.” Sarah asked pushing it again.

     “Maybe they all went to the blue light,” Jack joked.

     “God I hope not,” Sarah said.

     The dog began to bark. It’s barking grew louder as it approached the door.

     Jibber began to growl.

     “This is taking too long; we need to get back to the truck before it runs out of gas.” Jack said.

     Jack banged on the door. “Open up!” He yelled.

     “You sound like the police,” Sarah giggled.

     “The only thing we managed to do was wake the dog up,” Jack said. “Come on, we’re going in.”

     “Okay, you’re right,” Sarah said. “This is not normal circumstances and it should be okay.”

     “Do you always rationalize things?” Jack said, attempting to turn the knob.

     “No.”

     “It’s locked.”

     “There’s another door on the other side.” Sarah turned and walked down the steps.

     They walked around to the side door. Jack tried the knob; it, too, was locked.

     Jack turned to Sarah. “We’ll need to break in.”

     “Do it quietly,” Sarah whispered.

     “And I was the one in jail,” Jack joked.

     “Very funny.”

CHAPTER 7 — Break In

     Jack tried the windows around the house. A lower window was open. Jack was able to push the screen out, which gave them entrance to a utility room.

     “Have you done this before?” Sarah was amazed at how easily Jack was able to gain entrance.

     Jack just looked at her with a concerned expression. He climbed in. “Wait here,” he said, grasping the billy club. The blue/pink sky cast a glow in through the windows illuminating his path. He walked toward the closed door by the drier. Slowly he opened it, there was no sound. “Okay, come in quietly.” He said.

     Sarah quietly climbed through the window. Jibber started to jump to get in through the window. “Stay.” Sarah said firmly. Jibber winced and sat down outside the window.

     Sarah walked to Jack. The utility room door opened into the living room where a small, barking poodle awaited them. It nipped at the air a few feet from their ankles.

     Sarah’s first impression was the difference in furnishings between her home and Larry’s. A definite difference in wealth. His furniture and antiques displayed no lack of income.

     They slowly crept through the living room toward the stairs. Ever so lightly they placed their feet on the steps. Being a new house there was no creaks and moans.

     At the top of the stairs was a hall that certainly housed the bedrooms. Sarah scanned the doors for signs of things placed on the door that would identify the kids’ rooms.

     Sarah was very uncomfortable with the kidnapping, fears of the court taking the kids away was strong. Jack was about to open the first door at the head of the stairs when she grabbed his arm and stopped him. She motioned for him to follow her downstairs.

     “I’m afraid that if Larry’s not affected, he’ll call the police and I’ll go to jail and never have the kids.”

     “Ridiculous,” Jack assured her. “We knocked and rang the doorbell, no one answered. We only entered because we were concerned for the boys safety.        

      They went back up the stairs and tried the first door on the left. The bed was empty and made and items were in place. Sarah thought this must be a guest room.

     Sarah looked down the hall; there were only three doors left. She assumed the one at the end of the hall must be the bathroom, so the other two must be occupied rooms. The small poodle was still yapping but no one was going into the hall, leaving their room to see what was going on.

     Jack looked at Sarah as he placed his hand on the next door’s knob and slowly turned it; he had billy club braced for action if needed. He pushed it in. Sarah held her breath.

     The bed was disheveled as if it had been occupied but no one was in the room.

     “Must be Larry’s room.” Sarah whispered. There were no rock-and-roll posters on the wall, instead a couple landscape paintings and lace curtains with blinds. A flowered bedspread must be Bertha’s influence, she thought.

     While Sarah scanned the room, Jack opened the door to the room at the end of the hall. “Bathroom,” he whispered.

     “One room left,” Sarah said.

     Jack slowly opened it. The curtain was closed so the room was darkened. There was no movement.

     Sarah looked at the two beds, there appeared to be a body under the blankets but they weren’t moving. Sarah’s heart sank and panic began to overtake her. As she felt for the light switch a movement in the corner then charged for them.

     Jack raised his club as Sarah turned the switch on.

     “Stop!” Sarah yelled, reaching for Jack’s arm to stop him from swinging.

     “Mom!” Willis said, catching his breath. “Why didn’t you say something?”

     “Are you okay?” Sarah was almost in tears as she hugged Willis.

     Then the panic once again began to overtake her. She looked around the room.

     “Where’s Georgie?” She released Willis and walked around the bed, moving the blankets.

     “They came and took him,” Willis said, sadly.

     “Who took him?” Jack asked.

     “Who are you?” Willis asked.

     “Willis, this is Jack, he’s helping us,” Sarah said.

     Willis relaxed his arm and sat on the bed sadly. “Dad and Bertha took him. Georgie didn’t want to go but they forced him to.”

     “Were they affected?” Sarah asked.

     “What do you mean?”

     Jack said, “Were they acting strange in any way?”

     Willis paused, then said, “Yea, not long after the sky turned red Dad and Bertha got began just walking around the house like they were looking for something but they weren’t talking and they walked like they couldn’t bend their arms and legs very well…..What’s going on?

     “I don’t know,” Sarah said. “Keep talking about what went on.”

     “They kept looking at the red and blue stuff in the sky. They didn’t say much, just kinda paced around the house until they decided it was time to leave. Georgie and I watched them. They ignored us so we just hung out in the bedroom, then they came and got Georgie.”

     “How was Georgie acting, I mean was he acting normal?” Sarah asked, her stomach was queasy while she waited for his answer; fearing Georgie was one of them.

     “Yeah, me and Georgie didn’t know what the hell was going on. Georgie didn’t want to go, they forced him.”

     “Where’d they take him?” Jack asked, looking out the window.

     “Back by the old skating rink. I tried to help Georgie but dad looked at me with evil eyes like he would kill me if I didn’t leave them alone.”

     “We’ve got to find Georgie,” said Sarah.

     “Quick, pack your things, “Sarah said. “We’re getting out of here.”        

CHAPTER 8 — Getting Georgie

     Sarah quickly packed Georgie’s things in a backpack. They ran back to the truck with Jibber right by Willis. They threw the things in the back and climbed into the cab.

     “Which way is the skating rink?” Jack asked as he climbed in the driver’s seat.

     “Over there.” Willis pointed to a trail that led into dense trees where a blue orb hovered.

     Jack turned the pickup to the skating rink, driving slowly down the road with the lights out.

    “We got to get him before the sun comes out,” Sarah said.

     “But then what?” Jack asked. ‘We’re gonna be exposed to the light in this truck unless we find shelter. So what’s you plan?” Jack’s teasing was now more tense.

     Sarah sighed, “My plan is to get Georgie and then drive to Jackson and find that shelter those people were talking about on the radio.”

     “Well we’d better get moving on this,” Jack said. He pulled over, once again leaving the truck on.

     The three, with Jibber, got out and followed the trail toward the glow. They could hear chanting as they got closer.

     ”Let’s get off this trail and sneak up,” Jack said.

     Jibber followed Willis’ commands to be quiet. They knelt behind a fallen log. A blue orb hovered above the old outdoor skating rink, casting a blue haze onto the cracked concrete. Dozens of people, young and old, were standing around the ecchymotic fog as if mesmerized and totally entranced, chanting.

     “What are they saying?” Willis whispered.

     “I don’t know,” Sarah said. “It’s like some foreign language.”

     “Do you see Georgie?” Jack asked.

     Willis and Sarah scanned the crowd.

     “There he is!” Willis pointed.

     Georgie was seated by the old fence weeping.

     “Sneak up behind him, get his attention, and when no one is looking, grab him and get the hell out of there,” Jack said.

     “Sounds like a good plan,” Sarah smiled.

     “I’ll go with you,” Willis said, starting to move in that direction.

     “No, you wait here and make sure Jibber doesn’t follow me.”

     Willis took Jibber by the collar as Sarah quietly crouched through the trees and brush until she reached a spot about twenty feet behind Georgie. But how to get his attention.

     She looked back to Jack and Willis, not able to see them. She looked at the crowd of people chanting in an unfamiliar language around the blue haze that now appeared more as a beam of light into the sky.

     “Georgie,” Sarah whispered, afraid to be too loud and heard by the others. Georgie didn’t seem to hear.

     She picked up a pebble and tossed it beside him, he didn’t move, his head was down resting in his hands.

     Sarah moved up a few more feet, she didn’t want to startle him and cause him to yell or scream and draw attention.

     “Georgie, it’s mom,” Sarah whispered. Georgie’s head moved.

     Don’t look back,” Sarah whispered. “Can you hear me? Nod your head.”

     Georgie’s head nodded.

     “When I say so, slowly turn around and sneak toward me.”

     She looked at the crowd, engrossed in the orb. Sarah was so grateful that Georgie wasn’t affected.

     Just as Georgie began to slowly turn around and quietly come toward her, Larry turned and looked at Georgie who was now moving in Sarah’s direction.

     Larry yelled, “Konda!”

     Every one turned and looked at Georgie.

     “Run!” Sarah yelled, running up to Georgie, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. She could see Jack and Willis on their feet motioning for them.

     The crowd was chasing them and not far behind.

     “To the truck now!” Jack yelled, swinging his club at the approaching crowd. Jibber barked and surprising to Sarah actually became vicious and attacked the zombies; a true guard dog, she thought.

     Sarah, Georgie, and Willis reached the barely running truck and got in.

     “Hurry, Jack!” Sarah was yelling, as Jack cracked a zombie in the head with his billy club.

     Willis opened the door for Jack who quickly jumped in, locked the door and yelled, “Go! Go!”

     “What about Jibber,” Willis yelled.

     “Sarah hit the gas and they fled the angry crowd.

     “Jibber, I don’t see Jibber!” Willis said. “We gotta get her.”

     Sarah felt Willis’ sadness. “We’ll go back for her.”

     “No we’re not,” Jack said firmly. “We only have enough gas to get to Jackson and find the other uninfected people.”

     “We can’t leave her,” Willis insisted.

     “She can fend for herself. Those zombies will kill us if we go back and besides it’s almost dawn and we don’t know what will happen when the sun comes up.” Jack turned to Willis. “I might turn into a zombie.” Jack smiled quickly.

     “Not funny.” Willis looked back; the zombies were now out of sight.

     Sarah looked in the rearview mirror at Georgie. “Are you okay, Georgie?”

     Georgie still had tears in his eyes. “Yeah,” he said quietly.

     The red undulating sky gave way to a pink, red sparkle as if particles were reflecting the sun. Sarah pulled onto the highway and went full speed toward Jackson while Jack tried to pick up the reception on the radio. Bits and pieces broke through as they neared.

     The radio broke, “broadcast ending soon…at St. Joseph…

     “I know where that’s at,” Sarah interrupted.

     The broadcast continued, “…hurry…before it’s too late.” Then the station was gone.

     “Okay, then,” Jack said. “Go like hell there before it’s too late.”

CHAPTER 9 — The Militia

     The highway was empty as was the streets of Jackson as they exited and made their way to St. Joseph.

     “How much further?” Jack asked.

     “Not far,” Sarah said.

     Just then the truck sputtered and rolled to a stop, despite Sarah’s efforts to keep it going.

     “What happened?” Willis asked.

     “We ran out of gas,” Sarah said, dropping her hands onto he lap and scanning the neighborhood for signs of life.

     “How much further is it?” Jack asked.

     “Just a couple of blocks; we should be able to see the church steeple.”

     “It looks safe,” Jack said, opening his door. “Grab the backpacks, let’s go!”

     The four ran down the eerily empty and quiet street; not even a dog was barking.

     “It’s over there!” Sarah pointed as they reached an intersection. The church steeple rose above the tree line.

     The school and church could be seen past white, neat, well-kept houses as they ran into the parking lot.

     “I wonder if they’re in the church or the school,” Sarah said, short of breath.

     “Look for a sign in a window or something that would act as a signal,” Jack said.

     “Look!” Georgie yelled, pointing toward the school. “There’s a sign in that upstairs window.”

     They ran across the parking lot to the back door of the school. They pounded on the locked door. They ran around the school to the front door, looking in windows along the way, no people could be seen in the darkened interior.

     They climbed the sprawling front steps to the large, double doors and once again yelled and pounded on them.

     Sarah looked over her shoulder at the red sky. The sparkles in the upper atmosphere looked like they would soon fall to the ground like snow.

     Just then the front door opened, they ran in and the door was quickly closed and barricaded behind them.

     Two men and one woman held guns on them. A gray haired disheveled man lowered his gun. “They’re not infected,” he said with a gruff voice and cigar hanging out of his mouth. “Follow us, quickly.” He motioned toward the stairs.

     They ran up to the top and barricaded the hall’s fire doors. It was dark, all the windows were covered so that no light entered; the classroom doors were closed. Student desks and tables were in the hall. A teenage girl walked up from the back of the hall and smiled at Willis and Georgie.

     The gray haired man put his pistol in his holster and put his hand out to Jack. “My name’s Professor Dillon, glad you were able to make it before it was too late.”

     Jack shook his hand. “I’m Jack; this is Sarah, Willis and Georgie.”

     “You have a nice family,” the Professor said.

     Jack didn’t correct him.

     Professor Dillon turned to the others. “This is my daughter Clare, her husband Tony, and their daughter Dawn.”

     “Nice to meet you,” said a muscular woman abut Sarah’s age dressed in camouflage. Sarah got the impression they were survivalists.

     Tony shook Jack’s hand. He was a muscular man with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

     Tony looked at Georgie and Willis. “I have a daughter about your age.”Dawn, come over here.”

     A slight girl with tomboyish clothes and mannerisms approached.

“Dawn, I’d like you to meet Georgie and Willis. Now you have someone to keep you company.”

They exchanged greetings.

     Dawn motioned for Willis and Georgie to follower her. “Come over here and I’ll show you what I’ve been working on.”

     They followed her to a table with papers and books spread out on it.

     Sarah turned to the Professor. “So what’s going on, any ideas?”

     “What’s going on?” Professor Dillon repeated, walking to a long table and motioning for them to sit. “It’s the end of the world; at least as we know it. Those infected people out there, through no fault of their own, mind you, are now our enemies. I don’t have it totally figured out yet, but intelligence from space has possessed the majority of the population. I’m not sure of their intentions yet, whether it’s slavery or simply a death sentence so they can take over Earth.”

     “And exactly how do you know this?” Jack asked, skeptically.

     The Professor took the cigar from his mouth and looked Jack square in the eyes. “Because I’m a Professor of astrophysics at Western.”

     Jack backed down, he hadn’t expected a disheveled man in combat gear to be more than a vigilante, even if he was calling himself Professor. “Why aren’t we affected?”

     “I theorize that some of us, a small percentage obviously, are immune to whatever it is. Our immunity must run in families because family units seem to be left intact. We’re not the only ones uninfected, there’s another group over by Kalamazoo that I’ve been in contact with.”

     “That’s where we’re from,” Sarah said. “Maybe we can meet up with them on our way back home.”

     “They’re hold up at Borgess Hospital where there’s a good emergency generator. We’re heading to the Owl Observatory in Kalamazoo, though,” The Professor said, rolling the inch long ash from his cigar into the soup can. “I think we should all travel together because there’s safety in numbers”

     Sarah nodded in agreement. “How were you broadcasting from here?”

     “The school has an emergency generator but we can’t keep it running long because there’s only so much fuel. We turn it on long enough to broadcast, get water, flush toilets.”

     “You said to stay out of the sun, why?” Jack asked.

     The Professor took a puff of his cigar. “I don’t know any of this for sure, it’s all theories, but I’ve been watching this gaseous cloud next to Mars for the last several months. It seemed to be intelligently controlled by the way it maneuvered. When the sun hit it, it would glow and set off red sparkles that affected the red planet by causing a reddish area where the cloud was adjacent. It was almost like something was inside or behind the cloud, but we never saw anything.”

     “I didn’t hear anything about that on the news,” Sarah said.

     “I reported it to NASA, but why the news didn’t pick it up, I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t want the public to panic.”

     “When dad saw it come up missing he told us to get ready for the worst, so we grabbed our gear and got ready, just in case.” Clare said, placing her hand on her holstered Smith and Wesson .44 mag revolver.

     “When I saw it leave Mars and head our direction I knew we were next,” the Professor said. “Since we were already coming out here to celebrate Father Mitch’s birthday, we packed a lot of our gear just in case we needed it. When the kids left school for the weekend, Father let us setup on the upper floor, especially since the sky had started turning red.”

     “Where is Father Mitch?” Sarah asked.

     “He’s holed up in the rectory,” the Professor said. “We need to go over and check on him and convince him to come with us to Kalamazoo.”

     “How do you know he’s not affected?” Jack asked.

     “I don’t, but I noticed there are covered windows, like I told him to do,” the Professor said.

     “Why didn’t he stay here?” Sarah asked.

     “He wanted to be available to the parishioners in case they needed him,” Clare said.

     “So Professor, tell me again, what the hell is going on?” Jack asked.

     The Professor his cigar. “What I believe is that aliens want the Earth, so they’ve infected the majority of the population with ‘something’ that puts them under the aliens control. These ‘zombies’ are programmed to kill us ‘uninfected’ people. Also, I don’t think these zombies have a long life span, I think that when they die off, the aliens will land and take over Earth.”

     “So how do we stop them?” Jack asked.

     “That’s the million dollar question,” the Professor said. “Right now, I don’t know.”

     “Sounds like we’re doomed,” Sarah said, looking at Willis and Georgie across the hall talking to Dawn.          

     Sarah looked at the clock on the white plaster wall, it was seven am though it was hard to tell the time of day because of the darkness in the hallway from the closed doors and covered windows. A few candles lit the area. Willis and Georgie were still conversing with Dawn, they were off in their own world, and currently oblivious to what was going on outside, at least for the moment, she thought.

     Sarah turned to Professor Dillon. “How do you know that it’s dangerous for us to go out during the day, I mean for sure. Because it seems to me the zombies, for lack of a better word, are out roaming during the night. Has anyone checked to see what was going on outside now? I mean, this is the first actual daylight hours since the infection began.”

     ”You’ve got a good point,” Professor Dillon said, standing. “I don’t know for sure, I’m just being cautious based upon my theories.” He walked toward a room door. “It’s almost daylight, grab a pair of sunglasses from that box and follow me. We’ll look out a window and see what’s going on, if you’re up to it.”

     Sarah reached into the box. “I’ll do whatever needs done to get through this.” She looked at Willis and Georgie who were starring at her. “You guys stay here, I’ll be right back.”

     “Be careful, Mom,” Georgie said.

     “I will, don’t worry.”

     Clare put on a pair of sunglasses with side shields, handing a pair to Jack with outstretched hand. “We need to check on Father if it’s safe to go outside.”

     “There’s no connection from the school to the church or rectory?” Jack asked.

     “Not that I’m aware of,” Professor Dillon said, opening the classroom door, stepping inside, while the rest followed.

     It was still dark inside the room as the shades had been drawn on all the windows. A crucifix hung above the blackboard. The desks were in neat rows. Professor Dillon walked up to a window. “It looks like it might be okay, I’m going to move the shade a little and look outside.”

     He moved the shade enough to glance outside. The sky was beginning to lighten as dawn approached. Red sparkles floated down from the haze, leaving about an inch of the snow like substance on the ground. “I don’t see anyone walking around. It’s dead.”

     “Nice choice of words, Dad,” Clare said. “Can we look?”

     “My theory is that the infection is coming from rays from the red sky and that it may be absorbed more intensely into our systems through our eyes during the day, hence the sunglasses. But fortunately I think we’re immune, for the most part, but I don’t want to take any chances. I don’t want any of us to get a weak form of whatever strain this thing is.”

     “But what about the people who were effected who never looked into the sky, how’d they get infected?” Sarah asked.

     “I think that the rays can penetrate objects, buildings, and the like and then absorbed into us that way, I just don’t want us to get a high dose of this stuff through our eyes.”

     “So you’re thinking the red light is stronger than the blue light from the orbs that Sarah and I have been looking at all night?” Jack asked.

     “I think so because this whole thing started with the red light, but really I don’t know because the blue light is what attracted and seems to have infected everyone in the first place. But what worries me also, about this red light is the red sparkles; I don’t think it’s wise to breath any of them in. Fortunately, it’s not windy outside, but even though when we go to check on Father we should wear masks to keep us from breathing in the particles, another source of possible contamination.”

     The rest of the group looked out the windows. Sarah thought it was pretty, like someone had taken red glitter and sprinkled it onto the trees, buildings, and ground like frosting on a birthday cake. There wasn’t any wind so it lay as a shimmering blanket on the landscape. She didn’t see any tracks through the snow, it did indeed look dead.

     “How are we going to keep from tracking the red stuff back into the building? And if we decide to meet up with other people in Kalamazoo, I think there’s just no way we’re going to keep this red stuff from getting on our skin and breathing it in,” Jack said.

     “Maybe we shouldn’t go to Kalamazoo, and just stay here,” Clare said, seeming worried for the first time. “Besides, a couple sisters borrowed our vehicle and have never returned.”

     Her father backed away from the window with a concerned look. “The problem with that is that we’re going to run out of food and water soon and we’re going to need to leave to search for supplies anyway. Besides, we need to get back to Owl Observatory where Max, hopefully, has been working this problem.”

     “There’s even a bigger problem,” Sarah added. “What about the aliens. If your theory is correct, they’ll be coming down to Earth and occupying it. How are we going to defend ourselves? I’m sure they’re gonna want us dead like the rest of the infected.”

     “That one I don’t have an answer for; I need to get back to the observatory in Kzoo so that I can examine the data. Before we came out here I was getting some interesting data on the object around Mars. I was letting the computer do its calculations while I left for a couple days, leaving Max, my assistant at the observatory to oversee it while I was gone. I don’t think he was infected because I was able to speak with him before things went crazy.”

     “So you’re thinking that there might be something in that data to help us kill those bastard aliens?” asked Jack.

     “I’m hoping.”

     “That’s your theory.” Sarah giggled.

     Everyone, especially Jack, thought it was hilarious.

     “Are just you and I going to check on Father?” Jack asked.

     “I think that’s wise, it’s best to expose as few people as possible to the elements until we see how it’s going to be,” Professor Dillon said.

     “We’re not getting to Kalamazoo without gas that is if we can get a vehicle to start.” Jack said.

     “We’ll have to try because walking fifty miles isn’t going to get it.” Professor Dillon closed the blind.

     They left the classroom. Professor Dillon reached into his vest pocket and retrieved his cell phone. “I’m going to try to call Father and let him know that we’re coming. But I doubt I’ll have any luck because the cell phones haven’t been working.” He pushed a button and then put it back into pocket. “I was right, it’s not getting a signal.”

     Sarah walked back to the kids and sat beside them, joining the conversation of snowboarding.

     “Hey, mom,” Georgie said. “If we get enough of those red crystals outside we can probably board on them.” He smiled.

     “I don’t know about that,” Sarah said.

     Just then Jack walked over to them. “I’m going with the Professor to get Father. I’ll be back, don’t go anywhere.”

     “Yeah, right. Where would I go?” she laughed.

      Jack smiled and walked to the Professor. He was acting protective of her and it felt nice. She felt her and the boys were in good hands with him, even though he was in the Van Buren County Jail when she first met him. But she put that out of mind, because maybe he was telling her the truth that he was only there for unpaid speeding tickets.

     She watched as Jack and Professor Dillon secure large plastic bags to the lower legs and duct tape in place. Sarah assumed that this would keep the red sparkles off their clothes and be easy to remove when they returned without contaminating everyone else. She was feeling increasingly attracted to him as she looked at his light brown wavy hair poke out around his hat and blue hospital mask. For a moment she wondered about repopulating the world with him. It would need to be done, after all, so no guilt feelings there. Even though her marriage to Larry wasn’t annulled, God would surely understand, right? I’ll worry about that if I need to later. She couldn’t help but look at their ridiculous getup and smile. She imagined his warm skin and firm muscles and began to get somewhat excited by the likely prospect that maybe, just maybe, she’ll actually get to feel him and he feel her.

     Jack turned back and waved at her; Sarah smiled.

     Tony handed the Professor a gas can and siphon hose. “I’ll hold down the fort here.”

     “We won’t be long,” the Professor said, as he and Jack closed the door behind them.

CHAPTER 10 — Father Mitch

     Outside, under the red sky, Jack and Professor Dillon closed the main outer door to St. Joseph School behind them.

     “Here,” Professor Dillon said in a muffled voice through his mask, handing Jack a Kimber Custom pistol from his camouflage jacket. “Do you know how to use it?”

     Jack looked at the hand-checkered double diamond rosewood grip, the full chamber, and the .45 caliber stamp on top of the five-inch barrel. “Yeah, not a problem. I’m pretty accurate with ‘em. Never shot a Kimber Custom but if the LAPD SWAT team uses them I feel a whole safer.” He placed the billy club in his other hand.

     “Special Ops uses ‘em, too,” the Professor added. “Let’s go.”

     Jack scanned the surroundings; he saw no signs of life; no people, no zombies, no birds or dogs, not even a mosquito. Jack would never admit it but he was a little unnerved by this whole situation.

     Halloween pumpkins on the steps of a home across the street were covered with a couple inches of red sparkles, as if a volcano had erupted and left red ash over the city.

     “There are plenty of vehicles to get gas from,” Jack said, pointing to numerous cars parked along the street and in the local driveways.

     “That’s good, but we’re going to get Father first.”

     “Sure, not a problem.”

     “Ya, know, Jack,” the Professor said, bending down to get a closer look at the red sparkles. “These sparkles look almost like spores. I wonder if that has anything to do with the infection that spreading around.”

     Jack kicked at a pile of the red sparkles; they dispersed through the air like he had just kicked a puffball mushroom. “I’m no scientist,” Jack said, looking back at the Professor. “But I once heard about a fungus that turns ants into zombies and this stuff looks the powdery spores from a puffball mushroom.”

     The Professor raised his eyebrows and looked at Jack. “I think you’re onto something. There actually is a parasitic fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis that infects a particular kind of ant and then takes control of the ant by having it wander away from its group and go to a particular leaf at a particular height off the ground, ideal growing conditions like heat, humidity, and light, for the fungus. Then makes the ant clamp its jaw into a vein on the leaf and then die while the fungus grows inside it. It then sprouts fungal threads on the dead ant, especially the back of the head.”

     Jack ran his hand around his mask. “You mean that stuff’s really true?”

     “It’s true alright.”

     “So are you saying that fungus is going to start sprouting from these zombies?”

     “I don’t know,” the Professor said. “But what I do know is that these spores have probably infected most people.”

     They approached the rectory. The glass in the rectory was broken and the door was slightly ajar.

     “That’s not a good sign.” Jack said, slowly pushing it open as the Professor tried to look in through the broken glass.

     Jack’s fingers tightened on the pistol as he slowly pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked in. “Anyone here?”

     The Professor was right behind Jack. “Father, it’s Professor Dillon. Are you alright?”

     They both paused to see if they could hear anything, but only silence filled the air. Some smaller chairs lay on their side as if there’d been a struggle. The rectory desk was at an odd angle and papers were on the floor. They walked further into the rectory and noticed the door to the upstairs was closed.

     “Look at the gashes on that door, Jack.” The Professor pointed to the large gouges as if someone had taken a knife and was trying to stab their way in. He walked up to it and tried turning the door knob, it wouldn’t move. “It’s locked.” He knocked on the door. “Father, it’s Professor Dillon. Jack and I are here to help you. Are you okay? Can you let us in?”

     “Shh, I heard something coming from upstairs,” Jack said, pausing for a moment. “Father, we gotta get out of here, we want you to come with us.”

     Jack turned to the Professor. “Shouldn’t he have something over his face so he doesn’t breathe that stuff in?” 

     The Professor nodded. “I brought an extra mask.”

     They heard a stumbling coming down the stairs. “Father, put a scarf over you face. You can’t breathe in these red particles. Can you hear me?”

     A muffled gruff to the affirmative was heard approaching the door. They stood back as the sound of the door being unlatched and slowly opened made them skittish.

     “Father are you alright?” The Professor said, as a slight, gray haired man opened the door, whiskey bottle in hand. “For god’s sake, Father, are you drinking?”

     “Only a little,” Father joked, raising the whiskey bottle above his head as if he were going to swing it at them. “It’s also a good weapon, if needed.”

     “Do you have more of that?” Jack laughed, following Father and the Professor up the stairs.

     “Follow me.” Father walked into the kitchen and got a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. “Here, guard it, we might need it later.”

     “I like you.” Jack laughed, reaching for the bottle.

     “Father, you really need to protect your lungs from those red particles. I don’t know if they’ll harm you but there’s no sense taking any chances.”

     The Professor pulled a mask from an inside pocket and handed it Father, then began opening drawers searching for garbage bags to cover his lower legs.

     “Have you heard from the sisters, are they okay?” the Professor asked.

     “I haven’t heard a word,” Father said, crossing his arms. “All I’ve seen is people following that blue light. What is that anyway?”

     “We’re not sure yet, Father. But, we do know that we got to get out of here. We need vehicles and gas.”

     “The church van is in the garage.” Father went to an old cabinet and pulled out a couple rosaries. “I have mine on, you boys might need these.”

     Jack was raised Catholic but hadn’t seen the inside of a church in years. “Thank you, Father,” he said placing the red rosary in his pants pocket.

     “Father I hate to take your stuff, but we’ll need food, too,” the Professor said as he opened the pantry.

     “Don’t you worry about that,” Father said, getting a box of garbage bags from below the sink. “Fill these up.”

     “Just what I was looking for.” The Professor took two out and handed them to Father along with a roll of duct tape. “Put these on to cover your feet and legs.”

     “How could I possibly walk with those on my feet?” Father reluctantly took the bags and tape. “And besides, what’s the point?”

     “They’re to keep those sparkles or spores, whatever they are, off our clothes so that we don’t traipse them inside the car, because we’ll take them off before we get in.”

     “I think you’re fighting a losing battle on trying to keep that red stuff off of us,” Father said, sitting down and slipping a leg into a bag.

     “You’ll need this mask and sunglasses, too.” The Professor handed father the rest of the required garb.

     The Professor and Jack quickly filled a couple other bags with food while Father worked on duct taping the bags on his legs.

     “Is all this really necessary?” Father asked, putting on his mask and sunglasses.

     “The Professor thinks so,” Jack laughed, looking at Father’s tape job and crooked glasses and mask.

     “Let’s go,” the Professor said, grabbing the gas can. Jack and Father Mitch each took a bag of food as they went out the back door to the garage. Father opened the garage door and they went inside the building. A large van that would seat them all was there. St. Joseph Catholic School was painted on the side.

     Jack opened the door and got into the driver’s seat. “Do you have the keys, Father?”    

     “Oh, sorry.” Father reached into his pocket. “I left them in the rectory, I’ll be right back.”

     “Shit, Jack,” the Professor said, pointing to Jack’s legs. “You forgot to take off those bags before you got in.”

     Jack looked down at his feet. “At least it doesn’t look like the spores stuck to them.” He got out, ripped the bags off his legs, and tossed them in the corner of the garage.

     As Father left the garage, Jack and the Professor looked over the van and put the groceries in the back.

     “Here’s some extra gas,” the Professor said lifting a large can from the side of the garage. “It’s only half full.”

     Just then they heard Father running to the garage and bursting through the door. “There’s someone out there. I don’t know if they say me.”

CHAPTER 11 — The Trip Back Begins

     Jack ran to the door, pistol drawn and club in hand and looked out. In the distance, on the other side of the road, he saw a man walking. He was looking straight ahead, not turning his gaze toward them. “The daylight hasn’t killed that zombie; he’s alive and wondering around.”

     Father gave the Professor the van keys. The Professor took the bags off his feet, got into the driver’s seat and checked the gas. “Don’t you believe in keeping vehicles fueled, Father? It’s almost on empty.”

     “What can I say, we need more donations,” he joked. “I see you found the gas can, anything in it?”

     “Not enough, we’ll need more.” Professor looked out the garage window. “There’s a couple cars over there. Don’t you have your own car, Father?”

     “It’s in front of the rectory.”

     “How much gas is in it?” The Professor asked.

     “I think a quarter tank.”

     “I see another zombie,” Jack said grabbing a gas can. “We’d better get busy; I don’t think these zombies sleep.”

     “We should probably take both of Father’s vehicles, even though it means we’ll have to gather more gas. I just can’t see nine of us fitting in that van with all our gear,” the Professor said.

     “We may end up splitting up because of needing to stop for gas, but let’s try to keep together and get to Owl Observatory,” Jack said, while emptying the half-full gas can into the van.

     “I’ll take the van because I have the most gear to haul,” the Professor said looking at Father. “Where’s your sunglasses and mask?”

     “In my pocket,” Father smiled.

     “Why?” the Professor asked, looking at them peering from his pocket.

     Father coughed, “Because I’ve already been exposed to the red and blue lights and I’m okay. I was just as exposed as everyone else and they became infected, I don’t think the sunglasses are going to make a difference, besides, I can’t see with them on.”

     “He coughed,” Jack said, looking at the Professor.

     They both looked at Father.

     “Don’t worry; I had this cough before all this started. I was coming down with some kind of virus, I’m fine   

     “He could be right,” Jack said, taking his sunglasses and mask off.

     “Maybe, but let’s play it safe for now until we get the data we need from the observatory.” He paused. “Father, I wish you’d put your glasses back on.”

     “Not gonna happen, son. I’m blind as bat with ‘em.”

     The Professor looked at Father and Jack. “What the hell.” He took his sunglasses and mask off and tossed them onto the dash of the van.

     “Father where’s the keys to the car?” Jack asked.

     Father handed Jack the keys. “Thought you might need them.”

     “I’ll take Sarah, Willis, and Georgie in the car with me,” Jack turned to Father, “How many people does the car fit?”

     “It has two bench seats so at least six.”

     “Clare, Tony, and Dawn can come with me, so that leaves you Father,” the Professor said.

     “Father can come with us, giving you room for most of the gear,” Jack said.

     “Okay, enough dilly dallying boys, let’s get out of here and go to that Observatory you mentioned, maybe there’s no infected people there,” Father said, taking the bags off of his feet. “Let’s go.”

     “I’m getting Sarah and the kids first,” Jack said. “Then I’ll hunt for gas since Father tells me there’s at least a quarter of a tank.”

     “As far as I remember,” Father said.

     “Okay, you go. I’ll put the gas from this can in the van and meet you at the school.”

     “Let’s go, Father,” Jack said as he opened the door and quickly walked out.

     “Wait,” the Professor yelled quietly. “Take this bag of food.”

     Father grabbed the bag and was on Jack’s heels as they made it to the old gray sedan. Jack unlocked the door and got inside while father got in the passenger seat.

     “I don’t see that zombie,” Jack said, adjusting the rear view mirror. “It must’ve walked away from us.”

     He started the car and they drove to the school entrance.

     “Stay here, Father,” Jack said, opening his door. “We’re going to move quickly so no sense getting out.”

CHAPTER 12 — Father the zombie fighter

     “Jack’s out front with a car,” Clare yelled to the others. “Hurry, gather the gear.”

     Tony unbolted the entrance door and quickly rebolted it as Jack stepped inside

     “What’s the plan?” Sarah asked as she ran up to Jack.

     “You and the boys are coming with me and Father,” he said, gathering items from the school to put in the trunk of the car. “Willis, Georgie, grab that smaller CB and battery along with those tarps and be ready to go.”

     “You don’t have your protective stuff on,” Sarah said, keeping her distance from Jack.

     “Oh, yeah, we decided it wasn’t necessary.” Jacks arms were full equipment as he approached the door.

     “What do you mean, I thought the whole idea was to keep us from getting contaminated,” Sarah said, with unease in her voice.

     “Those sparkles are more than likely spores and all of us have already been exposed to it and if we were going to turn into zombies, or whatever, we would’ve done it by now.”

     “So we’re immune?” Sarah asked, standing by Willis and Georgie.

     “Looks like it,” Jack said, checking his revolving. “And if we all turn into zombies you can blame it on the Professor.”

     Sarah sighed. “Very funny.”

     “Where’s dad?” Clare asked.

     “He’s right behind me. He’s going to be pulling up in the church van and take the rest of you, so be ready to go with the rest of the gear.”

     “I don’t see him,” Tony yelled from the window. “I wonder if something happened. What was he doing when you left?”

     “He was putting gas in the van; he was going to leave after that.”

     “I wonder if something happened to grandpa,” Dawn said with a quiver in her voice.

     “Do you see him yet, Tony?” Jack yelled, ready to leave.

     “No.”

     “I’ll go back and check on him. Sarah, you and boys come with me. The rest of you stay here, we’ll be back for you.”

     Jack motioned for Sarah and the boys to follow him. They ran swiftly to the car where Father anxiously sat in the passenger seat. Sarah, Willis, and Georgie put their gathered items in the trunk and swiftly got into the back seat, locking the doors.

     Jack looked at everyone, and looked behind him, Professor Dillon was still not in sight. “We have to go back and see what’s keeping the Professor.”

     Father looked back at the boys and Sarah. “How you are? I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.”

     “Me too,” Sarah said.

     The boys nodded their heads, as they said hello to Father.

     Jack turned the car around and drove in front of the rectory, looking back to the garage where he had left the Professor.

     “I see a zombie in front of the garage,” Willis yelled.

     Jack pulled around the rectory toward the drive to the garage. There stood two zombies pounding the garage door. “It doesn’t look like they’re able to get inside the garage.”

     Jack began blowing the car horn to get the zombies attention. The zombies turned toward the car and began walking toward the car. “Everyone hold on.”

     Jack blew the horn a few more times as the zombies approached.

     “The Professor’s opening the garage door.” Sarah said, pointing.

     “Jack, those zombies are getting closer,” Father said, anxiously.

     As the Professor backed out of the garage, a zombie was holding onto the driver’s side of the van.

     “There was a another zombie inside the garage,” Sarah said. “I hope the Professor is okay.”

     Jack backed the car up as the zombies were only a few feet away and getting closeer. The Professor spun the van around on the crystals, but the zombie held tight to the driver’s door handle and pounded on the window.

     “Give me that club, Jack.” Father said. “I’ll go knock that thing off his car so we can get out of here.”

     “Are you strong enough for that?” Jack asked.

     “I have to be because we need you to drive the car.”

     “I can drive,” Sarah said.

     “I can drive or knock that thing off,” Willis said.

     “We don’t have time for this,” Father said, as Jack handed him the club.

     Jack backed up a little further and stopped quickly to let Father out of the car. Father ran swiftly to the van and began yelling at the zombie and poking his club into the zombie’s side. The zombie turned and looked at Father and then stepped off the van’s running board and lunged toward Father who was swinging the club. He landed a firm blow on the zombie’s shoulder, causing it to stagger, giving Father seconds to run back to the car. The Professor sped into the road as the three zombies were now focused on Father and the sedan.

     Everyone was yelling inside the car for Father to hurry as the zombies gained on him. Father recklessly swung the club as he approached the car. Jack had the door open as Father jumped in, quickly closed the door, and locked it as the zombies slammed into the car.

     “Go!” yelled Sarah and the kids.

     Jack spun his wheels, leaving the zombies behind. He turned the corner to the school entrance and saw everyone running out to the van.

     “The zombies are coming!” Georgie yelled as he looked out the back window.

     Jack pulled to the side of the van and yelled out to the Professor who was helping put things in the back. “Are you alright?”

     The Professor smiled and nodded at Jack as a streak of blood ran down his face.

     “He’s bleeding, Jack.” Sarah said. “I hope a zombie didn’t touch him, we don’t how contagious this stuff is.”   

     “I hope not, too,” Jack said, worriedly.    

     The zombies were almost on them when Jack motioned for the Professor to lead the way. They sped off, heading toward the highway, in the direction of Kalamazoo’s Owl Observatory.

CHAPTER 13 — The trip to the observatory

     When they got the highway, they began to relax. The van kicked up pink fog in front of them from the red particles on the road. Jack stayed back a short distance so that they weren’t riding in the dust.

     Jack looked down at the gas meter. “I hope the Professor remembers that we need to stop for gas because I don’t think I know exactly where the observatory is.”

     “I have a general idea,” Sarah said. “How much gas do we have?”

     “We’ll need to find a car to siphon from in fifty miles or so.”

     Willis broke the seriousness as he laughed and said, “You were great, Father, fighting off those zombies.”

     Father turned around and smiled at Willis. “Well thank you, lad, who would’ve guessed I’d be a zombie fighter. But I did give them a run for their money.”

     Everyone laughed.

     “Did you know any of them?” Georgie asked.

     “Georgie,” Sarah said, as she gave Georgie the look to not pursue that line of questioning.

     “Oh, it’s okay,” Father said. “One was a parishioner, a parishioner who I don’t see very often and has been a bit shy in his donations.”

     Jack laughed. “I guess he got what was coming to him.”

     “So how have your donations been, Jack?” Sarah asked, a little annoyed.

     Jack cleared his throat. “Okay, not so good. Sorry Father, I haven’t been a very good Catholic lately.”

     Father smiled. “Don’t worry, Jack, it’s nothing a little confession won’t fix.”

     “Sure,” Jack said, glancing back at Sarah in the rearview mirror with a ‘what’d you get me into’ look.  

     The vehicles sped along through the pink haze, avoiding abandoned cars still in their lanes.

     “Jack,” Sarah said, “Have you noticed that the pink stuff is going away, it doesn’t seem as deep as it did earlier. The sun must be melting it.” She looked at her and the boys feet and the floor of the car. “There are no more sparkles in the car.”

     “Maybe by the end of the day it’ll all be gone,” Jack replied.

     “What’s it from?” Father asked.

     “I don’t know, exactly,” Jack answered. “But the Professor and I think that the red sparkles are actually spores that the aliens put into Earth’s atmosphere and then filtered down and infected most people; like that fungus that infects ants and turns them into zombies.”

     “Cool,” Willis said, enthusiastically.

     “What?” Father questioned. “Zombie ants?”

     “The Professor can explain it to you,” Jack said.

     “Okay, the sparkles being spores makes sense,” Sarah said. “We must have a natural immunity to it, but what worries me is the Professor’s wound; I hope spores don’t get into it and in his blood stream, and possibly making him more susceptible to being infected.”

     “Oh that’s good news,” Jack said, sarcastically.

     Father reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette. “Do you mind?” He said, holding it up.

     No one protested as he lit it. “My nerves are a little shaken.” He took a long drag and exhaled. “What about those blue beams of light?”

     “I saw people go in them and get sucked up to a spaceship,” Georgie said.

     “I did too,” Sarah said. “When they came back down and walked out of it they were changed,” she paused. “Changed into the zombies.”

     “And I believe you saw all this while you kept me locked up in jail with those two crazed freaks.” Jack’s slightly raised his voice.

     “What? You’re a criminal?” Willis asked.

     “No, I’m not a criminal. I was only in jail for not paying some speeding tickets,” Jack said, exasperated. “Do I act like a criminal?”

     “No,” Willis said. “But you could be faking it.”

     “I think he’s okay,” Sarah said, hoping her intuition wasn’t leading them astray.

     “The important thing is that we all stick together and help each other, if we’re going to get through this,” Father said.

     “Or you’ll beat Jack up if he’s really a criminal,” Georgie laughed.

     “Okay, are you guys done picking on me,” Jack asked, somewhat amused.

     “Sorry, Jack,” Sarah said, stretching her legs out. “I’m gonna get some sleep. Maybe I’ll figure out why some people were infected and others weren’t; is really just a natural immunity or something else. Like, can we still be infected?”

     “You mean zombies, Mom,” Willis said.

     Sarah looked at Willis. “The infected became zombies.” She smiled. “If we could figure out what has saved us maybe we could help others fight the infection.”

     “By the looks to me, Sarah,” Jack said. “I think it’s too late to change them. Did you see how crazy they are, how anxious they are to kill?”

     Sarah looked out over the corn fields and wondered about who was infected of the people she knew. It was hard to believe what was happening, but she was glad for the breather, though she knew it would be short lived when they stopped for gas and reached their destination, or whatever may lie in their path.

CHAPTER 14 — The stop for gas

     Sarah and the boys managed to get enough sleep to take the edge off when the car began to slow.

     “They’re stopping,” Jack said, pulling up next them, rolling down Father’s window.

     The Professor said, “Do you need gas?”

     “Yeh, before too long,” Jack said, across Father.

     “The next exit has a gas station, restaurant, and things, so there should be cars around. Do you want to get off on it?”

     “Let’s go for it,” Jack said.

     The Professor took off with the sedan right behind.

     Sarah felt her moment of relaxation fading as the tension grew, not knowing what awaited them.

     “He put his blinker on,” Willis laughed. “There’s no body on the road but us.”

     They followed the van onto the exit. A McDonald’s sign and a Mobil sign were ahead.

     “I’m trying a gas pump,” Jack said, pulling into the gas station. “Just in case the electricity is on.”

     They pulled up to a pump, while the Professor parked the van by the next island of pumps. Jack got out, lifted the pump handle, and yelled over to the Professor, “We might as well try it.”

     Jack engaged the pump, the numbers reset. “It works!”   

     The vacant parking lots and empty roads were eerily quiet. She could hear Jack talking to the Professor; they were discussing the observatory and the getting food at the gas station’s carryout.

     Jack motioned for Father to pop the trunk, which he did. Jack got out the gas can and filled it.

     Jack got back into the car. “We’re gonna see about getting some food and things from inside the station.”

     “What about McDonald’s?” Georgie asked.

     “We’ll see,” Jack said, pulling up to the front door and positioning the car for an easy get away, if needed. He grabbed his Kimber and slid the club toward Father. “Be ready to drive, if necessary. The Professor and I are going to check it out first and if it’s safe you guys can come in and quickly get some things.”

 Father scooted to the driver’s seat, ready to drive. They watched as Jack and the Professor entered the front door. Sarah looked around to see if there were any zombies. “Everybody, keep your eyes open.”

     Jack came back to the front door and motioned for them to come in.

     “I’ll stay with the car,” Father said. “It just seems the wisest thing to do.”

     “You’re right,” Sarah said. “You kids should probably stay here, too.”

     “No,” they protested.

     “Okay, you can come in but have to stay close to me.”

     They got out of the car and cautiously entered the front door.

     “Do we just start taking things?” Georgie asked.

     “I am,” Willis said, grabbing chips on his way to the cooler of pop.

     “Only what we need,” Sarah said. She grabbed sacks from behind the counter gave them to the kids and herself. She put aspirin and other medicines in hers. Bread, peanut butter, water, and nuts. Flashlights and batteries.

     Jack grabbed a carton of cigarettes with a bottle of whiskey. He noticed Sarah looked at him funny. “It’s for later, when we celebrate.” He smiled.

     She watched Jack take more cigarettes and booze. “This is for Father.”

     Sarah noticed that when he walked past the condoms he looked at her and smiled, yet did not take any. She smiled back.

     “This is fun,” Willis said, he truly was a kid in a candy store.

     “Where’s Georgie?” Sarah asked, looking down the aisles.

     “Georgie!” She yelled.

     “I’m over hear, Mom,” Georgie said, walking to the McDonald’s side of the store.

     Sarah walked toward Georgie as he approached the counter. There, only feet from Georgie, was a zombie. Sarah saw close-up the red eyes and sneer. In its hand was a tire iron that he raised to strike Georgie.

     “Georgie, look out!” Sarah screamed, as she ran to grab him. She managed to knock him out of the way just as the tire iron came down on Sarah’s shoulder. Jack ran around the corner and fired a shot, hitting the zombie in the forehead, dropping it. Just then, they heard the car horn blowing franticly.

     “Come on,” Jack yelled, pulling Sarah to her feet and pulling Georgie to the front door. “We gotta get out of here.”

     Willis dropped the candy bar he was eating, and ran to the car with his bag.

     “Our bags,” Sarah said, grabbing hers and Georgie’s as they ran to the car.

     Jack got in the passenger seat as Father took off before they could completely close their car doors. The zombies seemed to come out of every corner, attempting to surround them. Father maneuvered the car to a safe distance.

     “What the fuck!” Jack yelled, looking back at the van. It was surrounded and the Professor was fighting a zombie by hand. “Father, pull around so I can get a clear shot.”

     Father skillfully maneuvered the car around toward the van as zombies followed them. Jack put his window down as Father kept a safe distance from the zombies surrounding the van.

     “Slow down,” Jack yelled. He pulled the trigger on the Kimber and dropped the zombie that the Professor was struggling with. The Professor quickly got into the van through the cargo door that Clare had opened, while Tony sped off. The van had to run over a couple zombies in order to clear the pack. Father squealed the car tires as he made his way out of the lot and to the entrance of the highway.

     “That was cool,” Willis said.

     Jack turned around and rolled his eyes at Willis.

     Sarah turned around and looked out the back window to the van. “It looks like there’s something going on inside the van, like a commotion.” Sarah said. “I hope a zombie didn’t scratch him during the attack, because we just don’t know how contagious or infectious this stuff is, yet.”

     Jack looked back. Tony was driving as Clare appeared to be putting a bandage on the Professor’s arm. He then looked at Sarah. “How’s your shoulder?”

     Sarah shrugged and felt her left shoulder. She pulled the neck of her shirt to reveal the skin of the shoulder. “I’m okay.”

     Jack smiled, staring at her shoulder. “Yeh, it does look okay.”

     Sarah looked back at the van again; things seemed to be quiet now. The van pulled alongside the car. The Professor had a smile on his face as he motioned for them to follow.

     Father waved back as they passed. “They must be okay.”

     “I hope so,” Jack said, sitting back in the passenger seat.

     Sarah looked at the boys and their bags of things. Georgie’s bag was ripped; a candy bar was falling out as the car vibrated at well over the speed limit.

     Willis grabbed a bag of potato chips from his bag and began to eat it. He looked at Sarah, “I’m hungry.” He said, noting her look of how can you eat at a time like this.

     “How much longer, Mom?” Georgie asked.

     “It’ll probably be another hour,” Sarah answered.

     “I think the observatory is west of Kalamazoo, outside of town to avoid the lights,” Jack said.

     “How far is that from home,” Georgie asked, sounding worried.

     “Half an hour,” Sarah said. “We’re getting closer to home.”

     “What if our house is surrounded by zombies?” Willis said. “We won’t be able to stay there.”

     Jack turned around. “Don’t you boys worry, we’ll be okay. I hope that we get the answers we need at the observatory and take care of those zombies. I personally can’t believe they’ll live long and if they do, the aliens, or whatever that blue light was from, will take them or do something with them.”

     “But don’t the aliens want the Earth?” Willis asked. “If they do they’ll get rid of us, too.”

     “Not if we get rid of them first,” Jack said. “And besides, we have God on our side, look who’s driving our car.”

     Everyone laughed.

     Father spoke up. “Believe me, boys, I’ve been saying Hail Mary’s and Our Fathers for us.”

     The car tore down the highway, right behind the van, avoiding empty cars dead on the highway. The pink dust was disappearing, the signs whizzed by. Hopefully the zombies and troubles were being left behind and a solution to the chaos lay ahead. For a moment, Jibber was on Sarah’s mind and she felt sad. For another moment her attention turned to Jack in the front seat, just ahead of her. His brown hair was partially obscured by the seat headrest. Did a future with Jack lay ahead? It was a surreal moment with the barren highway and deadness of the surroundings; no birds, no jets streams, the roadside rest area had semi-trucks and cars parked, but no people. Sarah wondered where the people had actually gone. She assumed they had probably gone to the blue light and then what? Did they all turn into zombies and are just wandering around? If so, then they are everywhere, there’s no escape. Maybe what Jack said is so, that they’ll die soon since that seems to be what the aliens may actually want unless they want them for slaves.

     “Could the aliens want the infected people as slaves?” Sarah asked.

     “That possible, but who’d want zombies for slaves?” Jack said.

     “Maybe not all of them are turned into zombies,” Sarah said. “Maybe some are turned into zombies to get rid of people like us, and the rest are slaves.”

     “Slave zombies!” Willis shouted out.

     “That all makes sense to me,” Father said.

     “It makes no sense to me,” Georgie said.

     They laughed.

CHAPTER 15 — They reach Owl Observatory

     The van turned its blinker on as it exited Michigan highway 94.

     “Why do they keep putting their blinker on?” Willis asked, closing his bag of chips.

     “We must be getting close,” Sarah said.

     They followed the van down a secondary road into the forest; dark, quiet, perfect to observe the stars. A sign with the name Owl Observatory and an arrow pointing straight ahead lay before them.

     The van slowed and then stopped. The Professor got out and walked to the car. Jack put his window down.

     “We’re almost there,” the Professor said. “How are you guys?” He looked at everyone in the car.

     “We’re okay,” Jack said, looking at the Professor’s arm. “But how are you? Did that zombie get the best of you?”

     A bloodstained bandage covered his left forearm. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

     “For god’s sake, Professor, you should tell us if that’s from the zombie?” Jack asked.

     “Maybe, it all happened so fast I’m not sure if it’s from that damned zombie or if I scrapped it on the car. He paused. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said looking back at Sarah. Then he turned his gaze back to Jack. “If it’s from a zombie, then I trust you’ll know what to do if I start acting weird, or something.” He paused and cleared his throat. “If anything even needs done, which is what I’m hoping.”

     Sarah was glad the Professor had thought about the possibility of a contagion entering through his wound, the possible consequences of isolating him from the group.        

     The Professor’s arm rested on the door at Jack’s open window. Sarah noted the blood stained dressing and whether any blood was going to come into contact with the car door. None did.

     The Professor returned to the van and they followed it to the Owl Observatory entrance outside Kalamazoo. The drive took them deep into the woods, outside the city lights. The white dome came into view as they rounded the last bend in the drive.

     “It looks clear of zombies,” Jack said, as they parked near the entrance in a manner that made for a quick getaway.

     Everyone got out of the vehicles and stretched their legs. The fading green grass showed no signs of the red spores. They felt free of contamination, at least from the environment.

     The Professor walked up to the glass front doors of the observatory, it wouldn’t open. “Max must have it locked.”

     He walked to the side door, everyone followed.

     “Damn, this one’s locked, too. But not to worry,” the Professor said. “I think I have the key to this door.”

     He fumbled through several keys on the key ring he had in his pocket before finding the one that clicked with the door. Everyone was quiet as he slowly opened the door, not knowing what was on the other side. The door opened into the darkness.

     “Let me go in first,” Jack said, holding the club and the Kimber firmly in his hands. He felt for the light switch. “There’s no lights.”

     “The power must be out,” the Professor said. “We have an emergency generator out back.” The Professor walked toward an outbuilding with Tony and Clare beside him.

     Jack looked back at Sarah, Willis, Georgie, and Father. “Be careful, and quiet.”

     “We need the flashlights you got from the gas station,” Willis said. “Come on, Georgie, let’s get them from the car.”

     “Wait,” Sarah said, “I’ll go with you.”      

     “We’ll be okay,” Willis said. “We’ll be right back.”

     “Stay close by me,” Jack said to Sarah as he entered the darkened room. Enough light filtered in revealing muted gray shadows.

     “You don’t have to worry about that,” Sarah said, walking close to Jack.

     “Jack?” Father said.

     “Yeah?”

     “We shouldn’t get too far separated from the others.”

     Whack! The side door whipped open, Willis and Georgie ran in with their flashlights on.

     “Boys, relax, we’re right here,” Jack yelled from the other side of the room.

     Willis and Georgie ran to them as the observatory powered on. The stairs that lead to the main complex majestically wound around to the dome. The Professor, Clare, and Tony came into the complex and swiftly walked ahead of the rest to the top of the stairs.

     “Max!” The Professor yelled. “Max, it’s Professor Dillon!”

     Just then, a side door opened. Jack quickly turned and aimed his Kimber at the sound.

     There, in the doorway of a bathroom, was an unkempt, wild haired, unshaven, scrawny man, buckling his pants.

     “What the hell is going on?” He said, raising his hands and dropping his pants.

     “Max, good to see ya,” the Professor said not get getting too close.

     Everyone laughed at the sight of his Scooby doo boxers and thin shaking legs.

     “Very funny,” Max said, pulling up his pants. “Get that gun outta’ my face.” He turned and buckled them, they would certainly fall down if he didn’t pull it snug. “What the hell, Professor.”

     “Max, this is Jack, Sarah, and their sons Willis and Georgie. And this is Father Mitch from St. Joe’s,” the Professor said.

     They exchanged pleasantries. Sarah had a warm smile as she was reminded that the Professor still thought her and Jack were husband and wife, even though no one had rings on.

     Willis whispered to Sarah. “The Professor thinks Jack’s our dad.”

     “Shhh, it’s okay,” Sarah said. “We’ll clear it up later.” Neither boy protested.

     “Let’s get our stuff and secure this place,” Clare said. “Dawn, you go up by the Professor.”

     “Father can help me secure the observatory,” Tony said, casting his gaze around the interior.

     “I’ll go outside with you, Clare,” Jack said.

     “Me, too,” Sarah said, motioning for the boys to follow Dawn to the upper dome. “Maybe we can get things in one trip.”

     The group quickly went to the vehicles and grabbed everything they could carry, including food and other survival items.

     Sarah looked into the back of the Professor’s van where Sarah was gathering items. “Anyone claiming that gun?”

     Clare looked back at Sarah and smiled. “You mean that 12-gauge? It’s yours if you want it.” She handed Sarah the shotgun and an ammo belt full of shotgun shells. “The rest of the stuff can stay just in case we have to leave fast.”

     Jack walked over to Sarah as she put on the ammo belt. “Do you know how to use that thing?”

     “I think so,” Sarah said, picking up the shotgun. “I think a shell goes in here, you cock it, make sure the safety’s off, and then pull the trigger.”

     ”I think you got it,” Jack said, impressed that a non-buff female knew how to use a shotgun. “That’ll only fire one shot at a time, but it’ll get you out of a jam.”

     “Let’s get out of here,” Clare said, slamming the van door closed. She picked up a backpack and ammunition and headed toward the observatory. 

     “We’ll be right there,” Jack said, still standing by Sarah. He smiled as he turned closely toward her. He paused.

     Sarah knew he was waiting to take a cue from her. She smiled back. He pushed her hair gently from her eyes. His hand felt warm and strong. She didn’t pull away as he slowly pressed his lips on hers. A warm tingly feeling filled her body as she exhaled a whisper of a moan. He pulled her close, she didn’t resist. She didn’t know what to do with the rifle in her right hand. She’d never had to deal with this problem before.

     Jack spoke as he moved from her lips to neck. “Is that rifle getting heavy?”

     “Yeah.” The moment was overwhelming. She could almost let him have his way with her, but now was not the time.

     “We’d better get inside,” Jack said, brushing her breast as he pulled away. “Not that I want to stop.”

     “Right,” Sarah ran her fingers through her hair. She looked at the rifle in her hands. “I need a guitar strap for this.”

     Jack took the rifle from her. “Let’s go.”

     They re-entered the observatory. Clare ran over and locked the door behind them.

     “Jack, get up here,” yelled the Professor.

     Sarah and Jack ran up the stairs to the control room. Jack sat their guns on the counter. “What do you have?”

     The Professor pointed to the computer screen. A picture of Mars with a red, gaseous anomaly was enlarged on the monitor. “This is what Max and I have been watching. We think that it occasionally hides behind Mars. We inadvertently found it while we were checking for Earth bound asteroids.”

     “What is it?” Sarah asked.

     Max flipped screens. “Look here. At first we thought it was just an aberrant gaseous asteroid, but the behavior was just so unnatural that we focused on it, just to figure out exactly what it was.” He pulled up a video. “This was recorded two months ago. If you watch closely, you’ll notice it makes intelligent maneuvers.”

     They watched as the object made a right angle maneuver, shot a beam of light to the service of Mars, and shot another beam of light toward Earth, before disappearing behind Mars, once again.

     “Oh my,” Sarah said. “And you said that you told NASA?”

     “We did,” the Professor said. “We copied our images and video and sent a report. We didn’t hear anything back. I then called to follow-up on it but a NASA official told me that they weren’t able to capture the image themselves, but that it could just be an optical illusion.”

     “In other words,” Max said. “They blew us off.”

     “Or,” the Professor added. “They believed us but didn’t want it getting out to the public, believing that if they told us it was bunk that we’d drop it and move on to our usual asteroid hunting and not cause public chaos.”

     “That makes sense,” Sarah said. “But obviously you didn’t drop it, so what else did you find out?”

     The Professor began. “You’re right, obviously we didn’t drop it, we continued to keep the scope trained on the area, waiting for it reappear and last week it did. It came back around to the front of Mars and began heading directly toward us. I once again called NASA but was unable to get anyone to talk to me. I then got a call from Sister Kate to come out and celebrate Father’s birthday,” the Professor said, looking over to Father Mitch.

     “I didn’t know any of this. But I’m glad you came out or I might…” Father trailed off.

     “You might be zombie meat,” the Professor said. “Anyway, while I’m at the school I losy communication with Max, and you know the rest.”

     Max continued. “Here are some images I captured before I lost power here.”

     The group gasped and murmured. On the screen was a spaceship, an alien craft. It was diamond shaped. The last image he cycled through showed a blue glow that was building at the base of the ship. And then a blue beam shot from the base with a  flash, it filled the screen before going gray static and then going black.

     “This is when the power went out,” Max said, turning and looking over the now silent group. “And speaking of power, we can’t keep that generator going long because it’ll be out of gas and we’ll have to venture into zombie land. That’s why I didn’t have the power on when you got here.”

     “Did you flush the toilet when you were done?” Willis joked.

     Max gave Willis a sidewise glance. “You can go check if you want.”

     “Okay, boys,” Jack interjected. “But what does all this mean?”

     “Like I’ve already said, based on what I’ve seen, I hypothesize that the aliens want to take over the planet by infecting susceptible people and turning them into vicious zombies so that they’ll kill the uninfected.”

     “Why don’t they just nuke the planet?” Tony asked.

     “Well, obviously that would make the planet uninhabitable,” Max said.

     “The big question,” Sarah said. “How do we stop them?”

     “That’s why I wanted to get back here to the observatory,” the Professor said. “I’m thinking there must be something in the data we collected that will give us the answer. I’ll keep going over it until I find something, hopefully.”

     Jack looked at Max. “Were you able to use the generator at times to look for solutions to this alien invasion thing?”

     “Yeah, I ran it a lot until I went into town to get food and fuel and saw those zombie things and knew I’d have to hold out here for who knows how long,” Max said.

      “We have to figure out how to get rid of the aliens,” Sarah said.

      “You mean, KILL the aliens,” Jack said. He turned to the Professor. “How do we do that?”

The Professor looked back at the computer screen. “I don’t know.”

     There was silence.

     Max threw down his pen. “We need to catch an alien.”

CHAPTER 16 — They Professor’s Not Well

            “How do we do that?” Jack said. “I haven’t seen an alien. I think they’re still up in their spaceships.”

            “I’ll keep going over Max’s data. I’ve been away from the computer. There has to be a clue in here somewhere.”

            “You mean your best guess,” Max said.

            “Is there anything we can do?” Sarah asked.

            The Professor sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. “I’m so tired I’m having trouble focusing on the computer screen.”

     “Maybe you should take a nap, Dad,” Clare said.

     “Yeah, I think I’ll lay down in the break room.” The Professor said, standing.

     “Oh, Professor, looks like you’re bleeding through your dressing,” Sarah said, walking toward him.

     The Professor looked at his arm surprised. Blood had soaked through the dressing. “We have some supplies downstairs.”

     “I’ll help you,” Sarah said, following him down the steps. She looked back at Jack who had a concerned look on his face.

     Sarah followed him to a supply room next to the bathrooms.

     “We don’t have much, but there is some first aid supplies in here.”

     Sarah grabbed some gauze sponges, wrap, tape, disposable glove, and some antibiotic ointment. “Let’s go in the bathroom and clean your wound.”

     He followed her into the ladies room. Sarah turned the water on warm, put the gloves on, and began taking his blood soaked dressing off. She slowly unwrapped it, taking care not to get any blood herself.

     “Good idea wearing gloves,” the Professor said.

     Sarah smiled.

     “I know you know there’s a potential of being infected by that zombie bastard,” the Professor added.

     “But we don’t know for sure.”

     Sarah was taken aback by looks of the wound. She cleansed it, applied antibiotic ointment, and dressed it. “There, good as new.”

     “Thanks for your help.” The Professor then paused. “If you notice that I’m starting to act strangely, tell Jack. He’ll know what to do.”

     “Don’t be thinking those thoughts, you’re going to be fine,” she reassured him. “But if anything were to begin happening, we’ll take care of it. Maybe we’ll even find a cure to this infection. But if I had to guess, you haven’t been transformed yet so you probably won’t.”

     “Maybe, but I’ve been more exposed than the rest of you. Maybe it can’t be fought off as well when it’s directly entered into the bloodstream.”

     “We’ll find out.”

     They left the restroom and went to the break room. The Professor lay on the couch that Max had been using as a bed. Sarah helped cover the Professor up.

     “Thanks, I’ll see you in a little while,” the Professor said, closing his eyes.

     “Get the rest you need, you’ve been through a lot,” Sarah said. “You’re body needs to restore its strength so you can get better.”

     The Professor didn’t answer, he was already dosing off. Sarah looked over the break room. Max wasn’t a very good housekeeper. Food wrappers and pop cans were wherever he had last left them. The snack and pop machines were along the side wall of the lounge/break room, with another pushed in front the window. The window’s curtains were drawn. Sarah parted them to see the back lawn of the facility at ground level. Even with the vending machine in front of the window, she thought the zombies could still break through the class.  We should board it up, she thought. But with what?

     She went back up to the upper level, leaving the break room door open so that she could hear if the Professor needed her help. When she got to the top of the steps she looked down to the lobby and wondered about how they’d defend themselves and keep the zombies from getting them if they happened to break in.

     “Jack,” Sarah said, looking back at him. “We have the doors secured, but what about the windows? How can we secure them? “

     “I think Clare and Tony took care of it,” Jack said. “Besides, this observatory doesn’t have that many windows.”

     “Yeah, you’re right.” Sarah smiled nervously.

     “Relax,” Jack smiled back. “I’ll protect you.”

     Sarah nodded in agreement; comforted by knowing that he would take care of her and the boys. She was looking forward to getting to know Jack better later, when things calmed down. If things calmed down.

     She walked over to Willis and Georgie who were examining the telescope with Dawn who was surprisingly well versed in how the apparatus operated. “How are you guys doing?”

     “This is cool,” Willis said. “Can we look through it tonight? I want to see Mars.”

     Georgie stepped up. “I want to see the alien’s spaceship. I bet it has spiders and laser guns.”

     “That’s stupid,” Willis said. “You watch too many sci-fi movies.”

     “No it’s not,” Georgie protested. “Look at that.” He pointed to the dome’s sky window.

     Sarah looked up, moving forward to get a better look. There floating in the sky were spheres with spider like legs attached around the circumference. “Oh my god; Jack look at that!”

     Jack looked up.”How far away are they?”

            Max dropped what he was doing and ran to a side window. “Looks like there are several of them floating above the trees. I wonder if they’re scouts.”

     “Everyone, away from the windows and don’t move, don’t even breath.” Jack said.

     Everyone moved to the center of the dome, sat down, and froze. Gazes fixed on the windows.

CHAPTER 17 — The Spider Drone’s

     A few gray metallic, squashed basketball sized objects with eight spider like spindly legs moved toward the observatory.

     Sarah jumped as the sound of one of them landed on top of the dome, and moved around the top of the structure with a metallic pitter-patter. She scanned the dome for any possible entry points. Then several more came into view, as if they were calling for backup. Everyone stayed motionless.

     Then another landed on the dome. She could hear taps and bangs around the building. They must be testing for an entry point, she thought. They didn’t look strong, to Sarah. Like their purpose must be just be for gathering information. Soon the entire observatory was surrounded with the sound of the drones trying to gain entry.

     “What the hell is going on?” The Professor yelled as he climbed the steps.

     “Quiet, don’t move!” Jack said, in a loud whisper.

     Sarah looked at the Professor. He had stopped on the steps. His skin was damp, his face was a pasty color. He was wobbly and shaky.

     Then it got quiet.

     “Did they leave?” Willis whispered.

     The Professor continued his climb up the stairs.

     Jack stood up and looked out a window that faced the back land. “Damn it, those bastards are just standing out there, they know we’re in here and have us trapped.”

     Everyone stood up and looked out.

     Clare went to her father. “Dad, let’s set down.”

     Max pushed a chair over.

     “I’m fine, damn it,” the Professor insisted as he sat down in front a computer.

     “How are you feeling?” Sarah asked, careful to keep her distance.

     The Professor looked up at her. “I’m fine, I’m not infected, if that’s what you’re thinking. I think I just have the flu or something.”

     Max walked over and looked out the window. “I think those spider things are drones, for those alien bastards. We need a plan.” He turned back to the group. “I haven’t been able to come up with anything in my calculations that would do those things in…unless,” he paused.

     “Unless what?” Jack asked.

     Max ran back over to the computer and paged through some screens and pages of numbers in a notebook. “This just might work.” He grabbed his back of empty cigarettes. “Damn it, I’m out of cigarettes.” He crunched the pack and threw it on the floor.

     Tony walked over with his pack of cigarettes open for Max to take one out.

     “Thanks,” Max said, anxiously lighting it with a click of his Zippo.

     “Are you on to something?” Tony asked.

     “I don’t know yet.” Max took a long drag. “But if these calculations are correct I just might be.”         

     “Stop messin’ with me.” the Professor got up from the chair against Clare’s wishes. “I’m fine.” He pushed his chair next to Max who gave him a puzzled look. “What are you looking at?”

     “Nothing,” Max stuttered. “I thought you were sick. Maybe you should go lie down.”

     “I’m fine, where are your calculations?”

     Max thrust paperwork in front of the Professor and pointed at the screen. “It seems that they’re waiting for something. Their power system is obviously foreign to me but they’ve put their ship’s engine, if you will, into neutral, as if they’re just waiting for something.”

     “Waiting for what?” Jack asked, still looking out the window. “Even these spiders are waiting.”

     “Something to happen down here, or something from above,” Max said.

     “I’ve got a theory,” the Professor said, examining the still dry dressing on his arm. “If this stuff was contagious I would’ve been infected but nothing’s happening, other than I feel like shit.”

     “Maybe they want us,” Sarah said.

     “What do you mean? Why would they want us?” Jack asked.

     “Like alien abductions?” Willis asked, smiling.

     Georgie giggled.

     Sarah sighed. “Maybe, I mean now that we know aliens exist, I’m sure alien abductions were really happening.”

     “But why don’t they just zap us up to their ship?” Jack said. “Why bother with spiders and zombie attacks?”

     “Maybe these aren’t the same aliens,” Max said.

     “These are the other bad aliens?” Clare laughed.

     “Damn,” Max said taking his last drag. “Can someone break in that old cigarette machine downstairs?”

     “I’ll do it,” Willis said, already making his way down the stairs.

     Everyone laughed.

     “I’ll go with you,” Georgie said, running off behind Willis.

CHAPTER 18 — The Cigarette Machine

     “Hey, wait for me,” Georgie yelled after Willis.

     “Well hurry up then,” Willis said, running to the break room.

     Georgie stood beside Willis in front of the old cigarette machine. “Why do we have to break into it, why not just give us change?”

     “Don’t you see the sign?” Willis pointed to the Out of Order sign on the front of the machine covering the money slot.

     “How are we going to break in?”

     Willis looked the machine over. “Here, help me pull it out.”

     Willis and Georgie pulled the machine away from the wall.

     “Damn it,” Willis said, looking over the enclosed back. “There’s no way into this thing. Help me tip it over.”

     “Can’t we just press A2 and EET and reach in and get the stuff?” Georgie said.

     “Try it.”

     Willis stood back and crossed his arms while Georgie pushed buttons reached into the shoot.

     “It’s not working,” Georgie said, surprised.

     “We’ll do it my way then” 

     Willis and Georgie tipped the machine forward until it fell on its face, making a loud crash. They then tipped it on its side. Cigarettes had fallen to the face.

     “Put your hand in there in there and see if you grab those,” Willis said to Georgie.

     Georgie reached in and pulled out three packs of cigarettes. One pack Willis immediately opened, lighting a cigarette.

     “You’re not supposed to smoke,” Georgie said. “You’re going to get lung cancer.”

     Willis inhaled deeply. “Yeah, well I’ll worry about that later.”

     Just then there was a banging on the main door to the observatory. Willis and Georgie froze.

     “Oh shit,” Willis said, slowly walking to the break room entrance so that he could see the front door.

     “What are you doing?” Georgie whispered.

     “I want to see who it is.”

     Willis cautiously peeked through the door, looking toward the entrance. The spiders were thrusting themselves against the glass door trying to break in.

CHAPTER 19 — The Drone’s Break In

     Sarah ran to the overlook. “Those things are trying to break in and the kids are downstairs.”

     She ran to the steps just as the front door glass broke, crashing into the lobby. “Willis, Georgie hide!” she yelled.

     “Hurry, everyone in here,” yelled Tony, as he directed everyone into the meeting room.

     Sarah stopped and turned to the group who was now running in to the safe room. Max was still at the computer.

     “Max let’s go,” Jack said, grabbing Sarah by the arm, pulling her inside the room. “Hurry, they’re coming.”

     “I can’t, I almost of this figured out.”

     Jack saw the spiders rising to just a few feet from Max. Just before a spider touched Jack,  he slammed the door shut and locked it.

     Dawn was in tears. “Max, why didn’t Max come in?”

     Jack just gave her worried a look, not saying anything.

     Sarah was almost in tears as well as the clank of the spiders were heard outside the door. She looked around the room; computer terminals lined one wall, while file cabinets lined another. A table with chairs around it was in the middle. A small window was on the back wall.

     “Max, are you alright?” Jack yelled through the door.

     There was no answer.

     “Max, talk to me,” Jack yelled again.

     “Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” Max said, in a casually loud voice.

     The Professor ran to the door. “Max, what’s going on?”

     “They’re just looking at me,” Max said. “I think they’re interested in me. They seem to be looking me over.”

     “Can you come to the door?” The Professor asked.

     “I don’t know. I can’t tell if they’re dangerous or not, but I’m afraid to move,” Max said.

     “Can you communicate with them?” the Professor said through the door.

     “I don’t know; I’ll try.” Max paused. He looked at two of the spiders who were directly in front of him, while the others circled him and floated around the room.

     Max held out his hand. “My name’s Max.”

     “What’s going on?” yelled the Professor.

     “Nothing, they’re still just looking at me. Well, at least I think they’re looking at me. I don’t see any eyes. I still can’t tell if they’re friend or foe.”

     “Can you stand?” the Professor said.

     “I’m kinda afraid to.” Max said. “But before I stand and get eaten by these things I think I did solve one clue.”

     “What did you find?” the Professor asked.

     “It appears that the alien craft has been to Earth before. The data is similar to data collected during the Roswell UFO crash in 1947. I don’t know what all this means and why they made zombies out of the majority of the population or why they spared us and why they still are sparing us. They must want something from us.”

     Sarah went to the door. “Max, if you can stand and they won’t harm you, can you go check on Willis and Georgie?”

     “Sure, I’ll do that,” Max said. “I’m going to stand now.”

     Max slowly stood, pushing his chair back. “They’re still just looking at me. I’m going to move toward the stairway.”

     There was silence as Max slowly walked to the steps. He started to descend when he noticed movement outside the front door where the spiders had broken the glass.

     “Oh my god,” Max said worried.

     “What?” the Professor said.

     “I saw something move outside. It wasn’t a spider, it looked human.”

     “Was it a zombie?” Sarah asked. Her voice quivered.

     “If it’s zombie, I’m joining you guys.”

     Max slowly descended the steps. A few of the spiders surrounded him while a few stayed outside the room door and a few others moved around the lower lobby.

     Max was just about ready to step off the last step when a zombie stood at the doorway. At first the zombie didn’t notice Max and seemed a little confused. When another zombie came up behind the first, they stepped through the broken glass.

     “They’re zombies!” Max yelled, turning to go back up the steps. “Boys, stay hidden, there’s zombies in the building.”

     Jack opened the door just as Max got to it. Max ran into the room as Jack closed and locked the door behind him.

CHAPTER 20 — Zombies Are in the Observatory

     Willis and Georgie pushed the toppled cigarette machine against the door of the break room and hid in a closet positioned in the ‘L’ of the room. They could see through the closet door’s wooden slats into the darkened room.

     “What’d Max say?” Georgie whispered.

     “Something about zombies,” Willis said.

     “Are we safe?” Georgie asked.

     “I think so, but don’t make any noises.”

     The stood quietly in the closet. All they could here was their breathing.

     Then there was a bang at the break room door.

     Willis and Georgie looked at each other in fear as the bang grew into more bangs and the door opening pushed the cigarette machine aside.

     “It’s the zombies,” Georgie had tears in his eyes.

     “We gotta get out of here, if they can get through that door they’ll get through this one.”

     “Go out the window?” Georgie suggested.

     Willis slowly opened the closet door. They both cautiously walked out and looked around the corner of the room toward the front door. Arms of the zombies reached through the door, grasping at the air.

     “How’d they find us?” Georgie cried.

     “I don’t know but let’s get out of here.”

     They went to the window. It wouldn’t open.

     “It’s locked,” Georgie said, turning the latch.

     Just as Willis thrust the window open, the cigarette machine moved again, this time allowing the zombies to squeeze through the door.

     “Go, go!” yelled Georgie.

     Willis pushed out the screen and helped Georgie through. Georgie was screaming and crying. Willis frantically began climbing through as Georgie pulled on his upper body. A zombie grabbed Willis’s leg.

     “Kick it!” Georgie yelled

     Willis kicked it and pushed it away just as the second zombie reached him, but not before Willis was able free himself outside.

     They were free and turning to run when zombies came around the building toward them. The two zombies that were in the break were climbing through the window. They were surrounded. Just as they saw no way out, metallic spiders floated down from the sky. Willis and Georgie froze. The spiders formed a barrier around Willis and Georgie, causing the zombies stop their pursuit and retreat.

     “Are those things going to kill us?” Georgie whispered.

     “I don’t know, but they’re not doing anything yet.” Willis walked back toward the window.

     “What are you doing?”

     “We need to check on mom.”

     Willis grabbed a staked lawn ornament that was in the flowerbed outside the window.

     “What are you doing now?”

     “It’ll make a good weapon. You should find something.”

     Georgie looked around and picked up a rock. They walked back to the window and climbed through.

     “Shhh,” Willis said.

     They listened and heard no movement. Then proceeded to the door of the break room where the cigarette machine had been pushed to the side.

     “Hey look,” Georgie said, picking up a couple packs of cigarettes from the floor.

     Willis took them from Georgie and put them in his pocket. Then they slowly and cautiously proceeded through the door into the main lobby.

     “The zombies are gone,” Georgie said.

     “We don’t know for sure so keep your eyes open.”

     “The spiders are gone too,” Georgie said looking behind them.

     With weapons in hand, they slowly ascended the stairs to the upper level.

     “Quiet,” Sarah said.

     Everyone froze. Muffled through the door could be heard Willis and Georgie yelling for Sarah.

     “It’s the boys,” Jack said unlocking the door.

     “Wait, what are you doing? Those spiders are out there,” Clare said.

     They must’ve left because nothing stopping the boys from moving around out there,” Jack said.

     Jack cautiously opened the conference room door and looked around the observatory’s upper level. “Boys, up here.”

     Willis and Georgie ran up to Jack.

     “Where’s mom?” Willis said.

     “I’m right here,” Sarah said running out and hugging the boys.

     “Where’d all the things go?” Max said, looking around as he walked back to the computer and sat down.

     “You won’t believe what we just went through,” Georgie said. “Those spiders protected us from the zombies.”

     “What?” said the Professor? “The spiders protected you? How?”

     “We were hiding in the break room, after trying to get cigarettes,” Willis began. “When we saw the zombies coming, so we hid in the break room closet but the zombies found us and attacked us as we tried to escape through the window and when we got outside we were just about to be swarmed by more zombies out there when the spiders came down from the sky and formed like a barrier around us so the zombies couldn’t get to us.”

     “And the zombies ran away,” Georgie said.

     “This whole thing is really confusing me,” Sarah said. “I thought the aliens had created the zombies and that the spiders were from the aliens.”

     “Well let’s think about this,” the Professor said. “We know there’s alien craft and we know that a blue light was sent down from a craft which drew the majority of the population to it and then they changed into zombies. The spiders had to have come from an alien craft. “

     “But why would the aliens create zombies that attack us and then create spiders to save us,” Jack asked.

     “That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question,” said Max, scratching his head.

     “Could there be two different types of aliens attacking us?” asked Sarah.

     “Not likely,” the Professor said. “The scans haven’t shown that. The aliens want something from us but I’m not sure what. For whatever reason, we weren’t affected by the light or infected by a virus; I mean look at me, I was scratched or bitten by one of those damned things and I’m okay.”

     “That’s what you say,” Max said smiling.

     “Where do we go from here?” Sarah asked.

     “I think we send out a scout team,” Tony said.

     “But where to?” Clare asked. “We can’t just go out blindly; we need at least a direction.”

     Tony went to the window that overlooked the back land. “There’s a few of those spiders standing in the yard. All we have to do is follow them and they should lead us to the ship.”

     “Assuming the ship landed,” Clare said.

     “Then what?” Sarah asked.

     “I don’t know,” Tony said. “We’ll figure that out when we get there.”

     “We’d better get our gear,” Clare said, walking to where they had most of their belongings. “Who’s going with us?”

     “I’ll go,” Willis said, lighting a cigarette.

     “No you’re not,” Sarah protested. “You’re staying here with me and Georgie.”

     “Mom, I’m seventeen and if I want to go, I’m going,” Willis protested.

     “No, I refuse to let you go. We need to stick together,” Sarah said.

     “It doesn’t matter, I’m going anyway,” Willis said, grabbing a backpack.

     “But why?” Sarah asked.

     “Because what’s to do here? At least if I go I can help.”

     Sarah looked at Jack with tears in her eyes; Georgie standing close to her.

     “I’ll go too,” Jack said, smiling at Sarah. “But Willis you’re going to need to learn how to handle a weapon.”

     “I’ve got just the weapon for him,” Tony said, getting a Winchester thirty-thirty short rifle with bandolier out of his gun case. He handed gently to Willis.

     Clare walked over Sarah and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry; we’ll take good care of him.”

     “I know,” Sarah said, pulling Georgie close with her other arm.

     Clare walked over to Willis and gave him a quick walkthrough on using the short rifle.

     “They’ll take good care of him,” the Professor said.

     Sarah smiled and nodded.

     Georgie walked over to the window. “The spiders are moving.”

     “We gotta get going,” Tony said, hastily gathering up the remaining supplies.

     Willis walked over to Sarah. “Don’t worry, mom, I’ll be okay. When this is over I’ll clean my room.”

     Sarah laughed. “Yeah, right.” She held him tight, not wanting to let go. “If anything happens to you I’m going to be very mad.”

     “When I come back you owe me a bacon cheeseburger.”

     “It’s a deal,” Sarah said, finally letting go. “I love you.”

     “I love you too,” Willis said.

     Jack walked over to Sarah as Tony, Clare, and Willis began down the stairs. He pulled her close and tight. “I won’t let anything happen to him.” He then gently kissed her on the lips.

     Sarah felt a rush of warmth throughout her body. Even though she had released Jack from the county jail, she trusted him. His claim of being there for unpaid traffic violations seemed plausible.

     Willis walked over to Sarah. “I’ll be alright.” He gave her a hug.

     The four left down the stairs and out the broken front door.

     “Let’s pray,” Father said, making the sign of the cross.

     Everyone bowed their heads in silence as Father prayed. “Father, please guide and care for our family and friends as they set out on their journey. Keep them safe and bring them back to us with good news. Keep us out of harm’s way as we patiently wait for their return.” Making the sign of the cross, Father continued. “In the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

     “Thank you, Father.” Sarah said, wiping a tear from her eye. Who better to watch over them than God?

     “You’re quite welcome, dear,” Father said. “While we wait for them to return it’s good to keep busy with our work here.”

     “Amen to that, Father,” Max said, striking a match and lighting a cigarette.

     Dawn walked over to Georgie. “Want to play some cards?”

     “I don’t care.”

     While Max, the Professor, and Father stood over the computer, Sarah walked down the stairs and watched as van pulled out of the drive.

CHAPTER 21 — Sarah’s House

     “They’re going that way,” Willis said, pointing west.

     Jack steered the van in the direction of the spiders that appeared as dots in the sky. Tony sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with his rifle, making sure it was flawless.

     “It’s almost as if they’re leading us to the ship,” Clare said, straining her neck to see them through the window.

     Jack glanced back at her. “You’re right. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

     “It means we’ll find the aliens,” Tony said.

     Jack peeled out of the driveway and roared down the road. Abandoned cars lined the roadside. Houses had their front doors wide open. It looked eerily like a war zone.

     “At least there are no zombies,” Willis said, clenching his rifle.

     “I wonder where all the zombies are at,” Clare said.

     “I don’t know but we only have a couple more hours of daylight.” Tony said. “So hopefully we get to where they’re going before we lose site of the drones.”

     They drove on while the sun set lower in the sky. The spiders seemed to have stopped and were hovering several miles ahead.

     “Tony, can you tell what they’re hovering over?” Jack asked.

     Tony looked at the map. “It looks like they’re at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant”     

     “Shit, I think you’re right,” Jack said.

“I’m not relishing the thought of going to Palisades,” Tony said

     “Why?” asked Jack.

     “For one thing I don’t know how long that thing will stay on line without human intervention before a nuclear meltdown and if everyone’s not zombieized, I hear there’s a strike force there called Viper team run by an assassin.”

     “What?” Jacked looked at Tony in disbelief. “Why would a nuclear power plant hire an assassin?”

     “It’s because of the potential for terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants, but they didn’t know he was an assassin, they just knew he worked in the military and he passed their security clearance so they hired Gus Jordan. He gave the security guards elite strike force training and is developing Viper teams at all nuclear power plants.”

     “I never knew that,” Jack said.

     “I guess Gus fought against jihadists in Afghanistan and Iraq and he believed they’d have an easy time at taking Palisades if the security guards weren’t able to put up much of a fight.”

     Jack looked down at the gas gauge. “We’re going to need to stop and refuel soon.”

     “There’s a gas station just ahead,” Willis said. “Then we can stop at my house if you want since we know where the spiders are.”

     “Okay, show the way,” Jack said, looking forward to see where Sarah lived.

     The electricity was on at the small gas station in Glendale, a small dead town. Jack pulled up to a pump. After making sure there were no zombies walking around he opened the van door and got out.

     “Let’s check out the party store, I’m thirsty,” Clare said.

     “I’ll go with you,” Willis said, following her out the van door.

     Tony stayed in the van while Willis and Clare walked to the side of the van and Jack began fueling the van.

     “Where’s your weapon?” Clare asked, holding her rifle up.

     “It’s in the van.”

     “Go get it. You don’t go anyplace without it,” Clare said, with a serious tone. “It’s what will save your life.”

     Willis went back into the van and grabbed his 30-30 that was lying on the seat and returned to Clare who was waiting for him.

     “Here, hold it like this,” Clare said, showing Willis the ready position. “You have to be ready for anything, but be careful, I don’t want shot.”

     Willis giggled. “Don’t worry.”

     They walked up to the store’s window and looked in.

     “I don’t see anything,” Willis said, shielding his eyes from light so he could see in better through the reflections.

     “Me either. Follow me.”

     Clare slowly opened the door and went inside. No signs of movement or sound. She walked around the counter and into the back room. “It’s clear. Get what you want quickly.”

     Willis grabbed the usual pop, chips, cigarettes and a lighter. Clare grabbed a bunch of water bottles, bread, peanut butter and anything she could put in a paper sack that she got from behind the counter.

     “Let’s go,” Clare said.

     Jack was done fueling the van when they left the store with their goods. They all got inside and pulled back onto the road.

     “Go that way toward Bloomingdale,” Willis said, pounding a pack of cigarettes against his hand.

     With supplies replenished, they drove on to Sarah’s home by Great Bear Lake.

     “That’s my drive on the left,” Willis said.

     Jack slowed down and turned onto the drive that led a quarter mile into the woods.

     “You have quite the hideout here,” Jack said, pleased. “The zombies probably don’t know it’s here.”

     They pulled up to the two-story colonial. Jack turned the car around, pointing down the drive in case they had to make a hasty get-a-way. They sat in the van for a moment scanning the environment making sure the coast was clear. The only thing moving was a squirrel that was jumping through the trees. Willis felt a sense of sadness as he remembered having to leave Jibber many miles away.

     They got out and went to the side door.

     “It’s locked,” Jack said, wiggling the doorknob. “Got a key, Willis?”

     Willis lifted a St. Francis lawn statue next to the porch and retrieved the spare key.

     “You’re weapon Willis, you’re not at the ready,” Clare said.

     Willis repositioned his 30-30 while handing Jack the key. Jack cautiously opened the door. “I think the house is clear.”

     “I’ll check outside,” Tony said, walking to the back of the house.

     They walked inside the side entrance and into the mudroom next to the kitchen. Hard wood floors and oak cabinets drew the eye away from the dirty dishes on the counter.

Jack opened the refrigerator and laughed. “Your mom drinks this cheap beer?”

     “Yeah, I guess,” Willis said, walking to the bathroom.

     Jack grabbed a beer and began his tour of the Sarah’s home.

     Directly to the back of the kitchen was a room Sarah was using for an office. An old kitchen table served as her desk with a computer and lots of papers on scattered on the table top. Shelves with books and piles of paper on the couch also served as a table rather than a seating area. A dresser was used as storage and another place to pile bills and whatever else came in the mail.

     “Is your mom writing a book?” Jack asked as Willis came out of the bathroom that was nestled between the kitchen and office.

     Willis held his 30 – 30 at his side and walked to look at the notebook Jack was holding.

     “I think that’s just notes, she types on the computer,” Willis said, pointing to the laptop.

     The bookcase held Tony Robbins CDs and books on Web design and programming. Nursing and writing magazines lay on the bottom shelf. Jack was getting a good glimpse into Sarah’s life. A video camera and 35mm lay top of an old player piano that served as yet another table top.

     Across from the kitchen was the basement. Jack turned the light on and walked down the steps to an unfinished walkout. “Everything looks intact,” he said to Willis who had followed him down.

     They walked back up to the main floor. The dining room table served as yet another holding place for things, but the kids had obviously taken control of it. A baseball and bat lay on top, along with some empty candy wrappers. The living room was next to the front door and the stairs that led to the upper floor. Jack went upstairs. Another bathroom was at the head of the stairs. A bedroom to the left had pages ripped from magazines taped to the walls.

     “Is this your room?” Jack asked.

     Willis nodded and plopped onto his bed with the gun at his side. “I never thought I’d ever be lying in my bed with a gun beside me,” he laughed.

     The upstairs laundry also served as storage with boxes, books, clothes, and old computers littering the floor.

     Georgie’s room was next. More candy wrappers lay around. “Now I know who the candy culprit is,” Jack said.

     Last room at the end of the hall was Sarah’s. Jack smiled as he walked inside. A canopy bed on the far side of the room faced the TV on top of a dresser. More papers and clothes lay around. A glass and dirty plate lay next to the bed. He walked to the unmade bed. Looking it over he imagined making love to Sarah.

     Just then his cell phone rang.

     “The cell phones are back up, at least temporarily,” Sarah said. “How are you guys doing? Where are you at?”

     “It smells nice here?” Jack said.

     “Smells nice where?”

     “Well,” he began. “It’s a place I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better.”

     “What are you talking about?” Sarah asked. “Get to the point because we may lose service at any moment.”

     “I’m in your bedroom.”

     Sarah paused. “You’re at my house? In my room?”

     “When this adventure is over that we’re on, we’ll need to start another adventure,” Jack said.

     Sarah paused again. That warm feeling was filling her body. She knew exactly what he meant and to tell the truth she wouldn’t mind if they did a little exploring together in that room. “We’ll talk about that later, how’s Willis?” Sarah said, changing the subject.

     “He’s fine. I think he fell asleep already,” Jack said.

     “What about the spiders? I thought you were following them,” Sarah said. “You didn’t follow them to my house did you?”

     “We think they went to the Palisades Nuclear Power plant,” Jack said. “Since it’s dark, we’re exhausted, and we don’t have an exact plan yet, we decided to stay here until we get a plan hatched.”

     “What would they be doing there?”

     “We haven’t figured that part out yet,” Jack said. “Has the Professor or Max found anything new yet?’

     “Well actually they did find something and since you mention nuclear power, it may have something to do with that,” Sarah said.

     “What’d they find?”

     “We’re seeing other craft enter the atmosphere and since you mentioned a nuclear power plant, that’s where they all seem to be heading. There are reactors across America, with four being here in Michigan. They’re also in Europe, Russia, Japan and other places I’m sure,” Sarah said.

     “Maybe we’re starting to get somewhere,” Jack said. “At least we’re finding clues.”

    “I’ll let the Professor and Max know you spiders are at Palisades.”

     “Okay, call me when you find out anything new. Right now we need to rest and see what are next move is. I’ll call you when I know what we’re doing.”

     “Great, I’ll call you with anything new that I find out,” Sarah said. “If Willis is awake I’ll talk to him.”

     “Okay, I’ll get him,” Jack said, pausing. “I think I’ll sleep in your bed.”

     Sarah was unsure how to respond. The thought of Jack in her bed was exciting to say the least, but she didn’t want to sound too eager. “Be good.”

     Without hesitation Jack said, “Oh don’t worry, I’ll be good. I’m very, very good.”

     Jack gave Willis the phone and went downstairs. Tony and Clare were seated at the dining room table looking over the map.

     “Have you come up with anything?” Jack asked, looking over their shoulders at the map of Van Buren County.

     Tony pointed to a spot along Lake Michigan. Here’s Palisades,” he said. “It’s a secure facility, fenced, monitored, and not to mention the possibility of an elite Viper team with assault weapons. I think we need to scout it first before we enter.”

     “Maybe they’re all zombies,” Clare said. “If that’s the case it should be fairly easy to go in.”

     “I want to know what the aliens want with the plant,” Jack said. “We need to get close and observe.”

     “I don’t know how we could do anything else,” Clare said. “They have to have superior weapons, after all they’re flying around in space ships, something we haven’t quite accomplished.”

     “I suggest we get some rest and then check the place out in the morning,” Tony said. “I’d like to say I had a plan, but I don’t.”

     “I just spoke with Sarah and she said other alien ships seemed to be locating at other nuclear plants,” Jack said. “So they definitely want something to do with nuclear power.”

     “Well, there’s uranium or plutonium that they could want, maybe they need to power their ships or maybe they’re going shut down the plants, or maybe that want to allow to reactors to get supercritical and discharge radiation and destroy us,” Care said.

     “Destroying us makes no sense,” Tony said. “Because they could’ve done that already. They’ve already made most of us into zombies. And they’re not shutting down the plants because we still have electricity. They haven’t let a meltdown begin.”

     “Another big question is why aren’t we zombies and why are we ‘almost’ being led to the aliens by the spiders?” Jack asked.

     “They want something from us,” Tony said.

     “And we’re doing exactly what they want,” Jack said.

     They all looked at each other. Jack called Sarah and filled her in.

CHAPTER 22 — Normal for a While

     Sarah filled the Professor and Max in on her discussions with Jack.

     “I’ve got more bad news,” Max said. “According these measurements there’s less oxygen in our atmosphere, not a lot, but enough to let more radiation into the atmosphere. It could have something to do with the red sky and those particles, which are now going away.”

     “I think they’re terraforming the Earth,” the Professor said. “That makes sense because they are setting themselves up at nuclear power plants. Their species must thrive on higher radiation. It also explains why the red dust never affected us, it was used for terraforming.”

     “Martian red,” Georgie yelled over as Clare shuffled the cards. “It was the color of Mars.”

     Sarah glanced out the observatory window into the night sky; a faint hint of pink halo circled the moon. It was beginning to make sense. “So, does anyone have an idea where we go from here?”

     “We need to stop these bastards, for one,” Max said.

CHAPTER 23 — The Plan

     Jack woke with a smile in Sarah’s bed, how he wished she was at his side. He rolled over; the scent of her pillow was warming. He looked around the room and wondered what she did in the room, by herself. What did she think, plan, and wish. The hardness he felt needed released. He imagined lying with Sarah straddling his member and his hands upon her breasts, he was enjoying every minute. How she’d bend to kiss him as he thrust…………

     “Jack,” Clare said through the bedroom door. “We need to head out soon.”

     Jack moaned. “Yeah, alright.” A cold shower would have to do.

     After showering in the upstairs bathroom he went downstairs where Tony and Clare were already dressed with their arms at their side.

     Jack poured a cup of coffee. “What’s the plan?”

     Tony smoothed out the map and pointed to a spot next to Palisades.    “I’ll park here and you and Willis can take the beach to check out Palisades. Clare and I will take this side; I think there’s a hill there.”

     “What about security fences?” Jack asked. “How are we getting around that?”

     Willis walked into the room with a bowl of cereal in one hand and his short-rifle in the other. “I’m getting used to this, except for when the cold barrel touches my skin when I’m trying to sleep.” He sat down at the table. “I know how to get around a security fence.”

     Jack laughed. “You do?”

     “Sure, all you have to do get drape a rug over the top, get something to stand on, and then you can climb over without getting electrocuted.”

     “Hmm, that might work,” Jack said. “How’d you think of that?”

     “The movie Fight Club,” Willis said. “I’ll find us what we need.”

     “It might work,” Tony said.

     Jack raised an eyebrow. “Do you need some target lessons with that cold 30-30?”

     “Yeah.”

     “I’ll show him when we’re done here,” Tony said.

     “Is there anything besides aliens that we’re looking for?” Jack said.

     “Hell if I know,” Tony said. “But there are probably snipers if they haven’t been turned into zombies.”

     “How dangerous do you think this is going to be,” Jack asked. “I’m not worried about me, just Willis.”

     “I think it’s going to be very dangerous,” Clare said, walking out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. “But what can we do? We’re talking about our survival, the survival of Earth.”

     “What do we do once we get in?” Jack asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

     “Before for we even cross the perimeter fence we’ll see if we can spot any snipers and where the aliens are locating themselves. We will use our phones text messaging to communicate, so make sure they’re charged.”

     “Do you have a cell phone, Willis?” Jack asked.

     “I left it at dad’s,” he said, pouring another bowl of cereal. “You can charge your phone in the office.”

     Jack handed Willis his phone. “Go charge it, we’re leaving soon.”

     The atmosphere was light as they made plans and laughed at things like Jack getting on Willis about smoking and Clare telling Tony that he had better take a shower so that the aliens couldn’t smell them coming. For a while that morning, things seemed manageable, or at least tolerable.

     Tony pushed his chair away from the table. “Come on Willis, we’d better get some target practice in before we leave.”

     Jack’s cell phone rang as Willis and Tony walked outside, it was Father Mitch.

     “Jack, this is Father Mitch.”

     “Hi, Father, what’s up?”

     “I just wanted to see how everyone’s going and to let you know that I’m praying for you.”

     “We’re okay here, Father, Tony’s giving Willis some target lessons and then we’re going to stake out Palisades.”

     ”Sarah and Georgie are okay here,” Father said.  “If you need me to help in any way, just let me know.”

     “I will Father,” Jack said. “Just keep the prayers coming this way.”

     Jack hung up and smiled at Clare. “Well I’m going to take a shower.”

     Willis and Tony were walking in as Jack got out of the bathroom.

     “I’m ready to kick some alien but,” Willis said, excited.

     “Not so fast,” Jack said. “We need to make sure they’re not going to kick our buts first.”

CHAPTER 24 — Palisades

     They packed up their gear and put it in the van. A tough makeshift vigilante group, for sure. Tony was in the driver’s seat as they headed toward their target on Lake Michigan. They drove through South Haven, a ghost town. No people bustling along the sidewalks. Colored flags waved along store fronts. They continued through town to the peer and lighthouse.

     “Maybe we should park here,” Clare said. “Just in case something happens and we have to find the van, we can just follow the lighthouse beacon.”

     “You think we’re going to be out here till dark?” Jack laughed.

     “I hope not,” Clare said, handing Jack a rug and light plastic stepstool. “But let’s keep in communication by text messaging and make sure your phones are on silent.

     The four walked along the shoreline toward the steam rising from the nuclear power plant a couple miles away. As they got close, Tony and Clare went into the woods to scale a hill while Jack and Willis stayed along the water’s edge.

     Jack pulled out a small pair of binoculars from his jacket and scanned Palisades. “I don’t see any movement. I think we’re safe along the beach until we get a little closer. Look through your scope.”

     Willis raised his 30-30 short rifle and looked through the scope. “All I see are trees and steam.”

     They continued walking along the shore, guns in hand until they got close to the plant.

     “We’d better get out of sight. I think if we climb that hill we’ll have a good vantage point inside the plant,” Jack said, pointing to a sandy hill covered with brush.

     They climbed up the sand dune, crouching when they got to the top. They looked through their scopes and saw them.

     “Oh my god,” Willis said. “They look like gray people with weird eyes.”

     Jack zoomed in close. “It’s almost as if they’re half human and half alien.”

     “Look to the right, back in that building,” Willis said. “Looks like human bodies wrapped in something.”

     “What the hell’s going on?” Jack lowered his weapon. “It’s almost like they they’ve bred with us and are storing the bodies.”

     “I think they did,” Willis said. “They’re half-breeds.”

     Jack pulled out his phone and sent Tony a text, “Are you in position?”

     “We are and we’re seeing the aliens,” Tony texted back.

     “Willis and I think they’re half-breeds, what do they look like to you?”

     “I think you’re right because we’re down here by a warehouse and they have humans encapsulated. I think Clare and I are going to try to get inside to get a closer look.”

     “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Jack texted back.

     “What choice do we have?”

     Jack paused. There wasn’t much of a choice. What had to be done, had to be done. “What do you want me to do?”

     “You can come in closer while Willis covers you. Do you see the white building with the flat roof and a large garage type door?”

     “Yep,” Jack texted.

     “Let’s just get close enough to see what’s on the inside. It looks like bodies to me. We’ll come from the east, you come from the west.”

     “I’ll need to find the best place to cross the fence,” Jack said, scanning the length of the six foot high security fence.

     “You may be able to come in from the lake side,” Clare said. “We were able to climb over on the north. Good news is that the place isn’t fully staffed.”

     “What about that Viper team you were talking about? I’m not up to being shot today,” Jack said.

     “I’ve seen no sign of them.”

     “Where’s Tony?”

     “He’s getting close; I’ll catch-up with him when I’m done talking to you.”

     “What if someone see’s something dangerous, or is in trouble, do we have a signal?”

     “Call on the phone,” Clare said. “I gotta go. Are you in?”

     “Sure.”

     Jack looked at Willis. “You read that?”

     “Yeah, I’ll cover for you, but I want to go with you,” Willis said.

     “Your mom would kill me if anything happened to you,” Jack said, laughing. “I’d rather take my chances with the aliens.”

     Willis chuckled and looked through his scope.

     Jack set out along the sand dune toward the intake pipes along the beach. Indeed the place was mostly deserted except for a few half-breeds, but fortunately there was no sign of a Viper team. But then Jack thought, why would he see them, they’re an elite force that is skilled at stealth. He looked through his binoculars to see if he could find a safe path to the building that Clare wanted to meet at. If he followed the large pipes he could make it. He found a spot next to the pipes where the fence was compromised. Jack draped the rug over the top, tied a rope to the stepstool and then positioned it so that he could easily climb over. Once over he pulled the stool over the top so that he could go back the same way he came in.

     He crawled next to the pipes for a ways and stopped to assess the area. Through his binoculars he was able to see Willis’s head. “God, I hope he knows enough to stay out of sight.” He looked ahead and saw a couple half-breeds next to the building that Clare wanted him to head toward. They then walked around a corner and out of sight.

     Jack made it close. Where were Tony and Clare? He ran around the side of a metallic building. He cautiously glanced around the corner. Movement caught his eye. It was Clare. She signaled for him to join them.

     Jack ran up to them, behind the white building.

     Tony said in quiet voice. “We need to go around front; I think that’s our only entrance.”

     “Shit, you’re kidding,” Jack said.

     Tony looked around the corner, between the building and what appeared to be the main building. He saw no one and motioned for Clare and Jack to follow. They quietly moved between the buildings.

     Suddenly Tony held his hand up for them to stop. Two half-breeds walked ahead but didn’t seem to see them. They slowly inched their way up to front.

     “I don’t know where they went,” Tony whispered. “They could be inside or they could’ve walked on.”

     “We’ve come too far to turn around,” Clare whispered.

     Jack gave a nod of ‘let’s continue.’

     They quickly rounded the corner of the building and went inside with weapons drawn. They walked up to the body sized pink cocoons that were attached to metal rods lying horizontal.

     Clare gently touched one of them and tore a small spot at the head. “Oh my god,” she gasped. “It’s a person.”

     Jack looked close. “She’s alive, barely.”

     “What the hell is this,” Tony said. “They turn some into zombies and others they put into these cocoons.”

     Just then they heard the two half-breeds approaching. The three hid behind a stack of cocoons. The half-breeds entered the building with a human that hadn’t been zombie-ized nor cocooned. One of the half-breeds attempted to speak in English; broken English with clicks.

     “Yes, I’ll find her. But what about these?” The uninfected human asked, pointing to the cocoons.

     “I don’t want these, I want her.”

     “Yes, I understand. I’ll find her.” The man said, bowed, and then left the building hastily.

     The two half-breeds spoke.

     “Phase two breeding will be more enjoyable than phase one,” one half-breed said, laughing.

     “People are protecting her,” the second said.

     “Not for long. She has the matching genes to make the prince,” the fist said. “It’ll be easy to get her even though her implant isn’t working properly. Her body has done a good job at rejecting it but I’ll be able to pick up on her vibrations. I’m looking forward to enjoying her with this body.”

     “She may not tolerate too much radiation,” the second said.

     “Her body has been slowly conditioned to tolerate it on previous encounters,” the first said.

     The second looked at the cocoons. “I’ll take one of these.”

     “Wait, the other shipment coming in,” said the first one.

     Jack gave Tony a questioning puzzled look while they watched a semi-truck pull in next to the building. A couple human people got out of the truck and opened the trailer doors. The humans pulled out stretchers of sleeping people. The half-breeds looked them over.

     “She’s not here,” the first said. “Store them.”

     The humans pushed them inside the building and into a tube that looked like an MRI, one at a time. They came out encased in a pink cocoon attached to a pole. They were then stacked with the other bodies.

     The half-breeds left the building. One stopped and looked up at the sand dune where Willis was.

     “Oh, shit,” Jack said. “I hope they didn’t see Willis.”

     The half-breeds then continued on their way.

     “I think we need to get out of here for now,” Clare said.

     Tony and Clare followed Jack as he exited the same way he came in. They gathered the rug and stool and ran up the sand as Willis was coming down the dune to meet them.

     “So what happened?” Willis asked.

     “We’ll talk about it on the way to the observatory,” Jack said.

     They followed the beach back to the lighthouse where they had parked. They quickly got into the van and headed back through the still deserted town.

     Willis could wait no longer. “So what’d they do with those dead bodies?”

     “They weren’t dead,” Clare said. “They were like sleeping, unconscious, just out of it. They then stored them in a cocoon.”

     “Why?” Willis asked.

     “I’m not sure but I think they’re breeding with them,” Clare said.

     “That’s sketchy,” Willis said, laughing.

     “That one really wanted a specific female. I think his human half was making him horny,” Tony said.

     “He wanted to enjoy his half-breed body,” Jack laughed.

     “I wonder who the female is that he wants,” Clare said.

     “I don’t know, but they’re intent on finding her,” Tony said.

CHAPTER 25 — Virus

     They pulled into the observatory parking lot, grabbed their gear, and walked to the building.

     Jack dialed Sarah’s cell phone. “We’re outside; you’ll need to let us in.”

     “I’ll be right there,” Sarah said, and then hung up. “They’re here, I’m going to let them in,” she said to the others.

     “I’ll go with you,” Father Mitch said, scurrying down the stairs to the front door.

     “Hi Father,” Jack said. “How’d things go here?”

     “No problems, other than I think the Professor is coming down with the flu.”

     “No shit,” Jack said.

     “Are you okay?” Sarah said to Willis, giving him a hug around the rifle he held in his hand.

     “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

     They walked upstairs. The Professor sat next to Max at the computer.

     “I thought you were sick,” Jack said.

     “I am, but I can still do this,” the Professor said writing on a pad.

     Clare filled them in on what they had seen at the Palisades.

     “We’ve been in touch with other vigilante groups like us,” the Professor said, looking at Jack. His forehead wet with sweat. “It seems the aliens have set up shop at all the nuclear power plants around the world. Between that and the terraforming they’re able to get the extra radiation they need.”

     “What we saw were definite half-breeds and they seemed to be tolerating the environment fine,” Clare said.

     “We need a way to shut down the radiation,” Jack said. “Hopefully that will shut down the aliens.”

     “Damn it!” Max said, slamming his mouse down.

     “What?” Jack asked.

     “I had the Splicer in my sight but it shot me down before I could escape,” Max leaned back in his chair.

     “Why do you play that damn game?” the Professor said. “You’re supposed to be working.”

     “I need a break every once in a while,” Max said. “This game kept me sane while I was alone here, you know.”

     Everyone laughed.

     “How can we possibly shut down all the nuclear power plants?” Jack asked. “They would all have to be taken off line at the same time.”

     “Fuck!” Max yelled out.

     “Watch you language Max, there’s kids here,” the Professor said.

     “I can’t help it,” Max said. “I was trying to upload a virus to the monster and the monster shot me down again.”

     “That’s it,” the Professor said.

     “What’s it?” Max said. “I can’t get the virus uploaded….”

     “Not that,” the Professor said. “Well, it’s similar to that but there was a nuclear power plant in Georgia that was recently forced into an emergency shutdown for forty-eight hours after software was installed on a single computer.”

     “Cyber warfare,” Sarah said.

The Professor nodded. “All we’d have to do is have each group hit each power plant with a virus at the same time and they’ll shut down.”

     “Where are we going to get a computer virus?” Jack asked.

     The Professor looked at Max. “Max can do it.”

     Max raised his eyebrows. “Maybe I could. I could base it off the one I have going on Planet Death Star. It could work.”

     “How long will it take you?” Tony asked.

     “Well, I already have the base for it. I’ll need to do some research on the power plant computer systems, but I think by tonight I’ll have something you can use.”

     “Do it,” the Professor said. “Now you have real monsters to shut down.”

     “I hate to play the devil’s advocate,” Jack said. “But even if we shut down all the power plants, they’ll just get them up and running again and what have we gained?”

     “We’ll need to hit them with something else while they’re down,” Tony said.

     “Another virus,” Sarah said.

     “I can’t keep writing computer viruses,” Max said. “They’ll fix the vulnerability after the first and it probably will be next to impossible to break through their firewall.”

     “Not that kind of virus,” Sarah said. “The flu virus. The Professor has the flu and probably some of us in this room have been infected with it and will probably come down with it soon. We could expose the aliens. It’ll be like when the Indians contracted small pox from the settlers because they had no antibodies to it.”

     “The small pox vaccine is deadlier than influenza,” Max said. “But I think that it’s in a secure lab in Marietta, Pennsylvania. I don’t think we could get access to it, let alone distribute it to all the groups.”

     “Small pox would kill us to!” Clare protested.

     “Unless you’re older like me and had the small pox vaccine as a child,” Max said. “But you’re right, all you younger people would probably get infected with it.”

     “Influenza can be deadly, people die from it every year,” Sarah said. “Like I said, the half-breeds probably don’t have the antibodies to fight it and besides, it’s flu season and I’ll bet there’s someone in the other groups that has the flu now, like the Professor.”

     “That just might work,” the Professor said. “I’ll get on the horn with the other groups and let them know that we’ll be sending them a cyber virus and for them to see if they can get some biological virus, like the influenza, within vicinity of the aliens during the shutdown.”

     “Ouch,” Sarah said, feeling the inside of her arm.

     “What’s wrong?” Jack asked, looking at her arm.

     “My arm just got really hot right here,” she pointed to a red spot on inside of her upper arm.

     “That is hot,” Jack said, feeling it. “I feel something hard inside. Do you know what this is?”

     Sarah pressed on the spot, gently. “No I don’t.”

     “Not again,” Max said, rising from his chair. “Those damned spiders are trying to get in the front door.”

     “They were friendly last time they were here,” Willis said. “They kept me and Georgie safe from the zombies.”

     There was a crash in the lobby as the spiders broke through the barricaded door.

     “Quick in here,” Clare said as she ran to the conference room.

     Sarah held her arm; the heat was unbearable. The spiders quickly surrounded her. They latched onto her arms and legs.

     Jack lunged at the spiders but they had Sarah in the air out of the building before anyone could do anything. They had guns pulled but could not fire for fear of hitting Sarah. They ran outside as they whisked her away. Georgie was crying and Willis was agitated.

     “We gotta go after them,” Willis said, tensed, agitated.

     “Calm down, Willis,” Jack said. “We’ll find your mom.”

     Tony looked at Jack. “Is she the female the half-breeds were talking about? That thing could’ve been an implant they were pinging to try and find her. Remember they said that the implant had stopped working on the female. Maybe they sent out some type of strong waves to activate it which made it hot and noticeable.”

     Jack was now becoming agitated. “If that’s true they’ll be mating with her.”

     “They probably took her to the power plant,” Clare said.

     The Professor coughed then said, “I just spoke with a couple groups and they agree with our plan. They’ll pass the word and await our virus to be sent to them.”

“They wanted Sarah,” Jack said, angry. “We gotta go get her.”

     “Wait until Max gets the virus working,” the Professor said coughing, reaching for a tissue. “Then you can launch the virus at the same time you get Sarah. There’s no sense going there without it. The other groups are waiting for the virus and time to launch it.”

     “He’s right, Jack,” Tony said. “We should wait.”

     “It won’t be long,” Max said. “The virus was already made; I just have to modify it for the power plants.”

CHAPTER 26 — Rausuca

     The throbbing in her arm had stopped by time Sarah reached Palisades. The spiders set her down carefully in the middle of a circle of half-breeds and humans. She was half in tears as she rubbed her arms from the clamping of the spiders. She looked around; the group was staring at her. Some of the half-breeds were talking; she could barely make out what they were saying.

     The first half-breed approached her and held out his hand. In broken English it said, “My name is Rausuca, welcome.”

     She looked at his hand; it was the same hand she’d seen extended to her as a young adult when she was awoken in the middle of the night by a flash of light and a being dressed in a white robe floated to the side of her bed and extended his hand. She remembers not making out any facial features of the being, its face was fuzzy, but she placed her hand in its and that’s all she remembered. She had told her parents about it the next morning but they obviously thought it was a dream. She looked at his eyes. Human yet larger. Its mouth was human, yet smaller. The skin was gray. Oddly enough she felt a familiarity with this being.

“Why am I here?”

     “You are my guest,” Rausuca said, taking her hand and guiding her to follow him.

     Sarah felt conflicting feelings. She was afraid and angry that she’d been kidnapped, yet she felt safe with Rausuca. She let him guide her, not knowing what to do.

     They walked inside the main complex to a room where Rausuca closed the door behind them. The ambient light of the room was calming; a table of food to one side with candles, a couple chairs, and a bed with a canopy was in the far corner. It was as if a romantic evening had been pulled out of her head, but this wasn’t Jack, this was a creature.

     Rausuca poured two drinks, and gave one to Sarah. “Drink.”

     Sarah felt a compulsion to obey. She swallowed the sweet drink, similar to red wine, yet better. A warmth overcame over her.

     “Why are you doing this?” Sarah asked. She took another sip without thinking about it.

     Rausuca came close to her. “I am the leader of Carenderlaa. We have come to join your people. We are peaceful and seek unity.”

     Part of Sarah knew this couldn’t be true, look at the zombies, the takeover; yet another part of her was buying it. “Why do you have me here?”

     “Finish your drink and I will tell you.”

     Sarah did as she was told. A feeling better than anything she’d felt before was overtaking her senses, it felt good.

     “Are you hungry?” Rausuca pointed to the food on the table.

     “I’m not hungry, but that drink is…” Sarah paused.

     Rausuca smiled. “Would you like more? I’ll pour you some more.”

     Sarah knew it was wrong, she knew he was going to do something with her, yet she felt a strong compulsion to drink the drink again.

     Rausuca poured more into her glass. Sarah sipped again as did Rausuca.

     “Come over here with me,” Rausuca walked to the bed.

     “You haven’t answered my question,” Sarah said, following. “Why do you have me here?”

     Rausuca ran his fingers through her hair and looked over her body. “As the first generation of unity with you species I have a duty to produce an heir. This body of mine is a hybrid of my species and needs to mate with a human female. That is you. You were chosen.”

     Mate? This thing wanted to have sex with her? Sarah couldn’t fight the feelings of excitement that rushed through her and the disgust of her basic human instinct. “You want to have sex with me?”

     “Finish this drink,” Rausuca said, running his long fingers along her arms and torso. “I like the feelings from the human genes. I think I’ll like the mating.”

     Sarah did as told and finished the drink. She was drunk with pleasure. “I don’t think I should do this.”

     “It’s already been set,” Rausuca said. He then touched his lips on hers.

     Sarah let out a soft moan, almost beyond her control. She didn’t want to stop. She didn’t want him to stop. His hand migrated to her chest; he massaged her breast and felt her hard nipple. She let him begin to undress her. His mouth found its way to her nipple.

     “I love the human body,” Rausuca said, bringing his lips to hers. “Lay down on the bed.”

     Sarah did as told while Rausuca took his clothes off.

     “I can’t do this,” Sarah said, pulling away.

     “It’s okay,” Rausuca said. “I want to give you pleasure. Both our species depend on this. You will save your species if you do this.”

     The drink had left Sarah unable to fight, even unwilling to counter his moves. He lay down next to her and began caressing her. His fingers and mouth found areas that brought intense enjoyment. A feeling like she’d never felt before came over her. She didn’t want him to stop. He then climbed on top of her placed himself inside her. Sarah wondered how this creature knew exactly what to do.

CHAPTER 27 — The Plan Is Set

     “It’s done,” Max said, sitting back in his chair, lighting a cigarette. “I’ve already emailed it to some of the other groups who will then forward it on. I burned two CDs for you.” He handed one to Clare and one to Jack. “Here it is.”      

“Let’s launch it in three hours,” Tony said. “Let the others know.”

     “Will do,” Max said.

“I’ve also found a map of the Palisades complex and I think this is the most likely place for you to find a computer terminal to load the virus.” The Professor pointed to a building not far from where they had seen the cocoons.

     “Where do you think we’ll find Sarah?” Jack asked.

     “It’s hard to say, but this building could be used as living quarters,” Max said.

     “Okay, let’s hit the road,” Jack said, heading toward the stairs.

     ”I’m going with you this time,” Father Mitch said.

     Tony handed Father a handgun.   

     “I’m going too,” the Professor said. “We need to get this virus circulating among them.”

     “Are you well enough to travel?” Clare asked.

     “Hell no,” the Professor said, coughing up sputum. “I feel like shit, but I’m the vehicle for this virus so I have to go and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you are contagious but just haven’t started showing symptoms.”

     “I’m going, too,” Georgie said.

     “No way, Georgie,” Max said. “You and Dawn are holding down the fort here with me. Max said lighting yet another cigarette. “This whole thing is turning me into a chain smoker.”

     They laughed.

     Tony did a quick weapons check.

     “Here’s a holster for that gun of yours,” Tony said, handing Father a shoulder holster that he quickly placed under his suit coat.

     “You look pretty tough, Father,” Willis said, eyeing the old man who was slightly hunched over from age.

     “Thank you, lad,” Father said, straightening his spine with pride. “Let’s go kick some zombie butt.”

     “Take care you guys,” Jack said, as the six left down the steps of the observatory.

     “Don’t worry about us,” Max said, looking over to Georgie and Dawn. “It’s you guys that are getting into the thick of things.”

CHAPTER 28 — Finding Sarah

     It was dusk as they approached Palisades. Tony parked in the same place as before.

     “We’ll enter the same way as we did before,” Tony said, turning the van off. He opened a map of the complex that Max had printed out for them. “I think it’s best if we split into two groups. Clare, the Professor and I will be together. Father you go with Jack and Willis.”

     “Make sure you cough and breathe on them, everbody,” the Professor said.

     “I don’t think I want to get that close,” Jack said.

     “Maybe you could kiss a female half-breed,” Willis said, laughing.

     “I don’t think so,” Jack said. “But if duty calls I’ll do what’s necessary.” He smiled.

     Tony pointed to the map. “We’ll focus on the computer to launch the virus. Jack you and your group will go here to retrieve Sarah and launch your virus. We’ll meet up on down from the plants outlet where Jack’s group enters.”

     “Everyone should be launching their viruses around ten, so we have a little over an hour,” Clare said.  

     “Palisades seems to be operating with reduced armed security guards because we were able to get in last time without being detected but that doesn’t mean we’ll get that lucky this time around, so stay on guard,” Tony said.” Any questions.”

     “Yeah,” Jack said, turning toward Father. “Will you bless us?”

     “Not a problem my son,” Father said.

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle;

be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:

and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits

who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen

     Father raised his hand to the sign of the cross. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

     They left the van. The group walked together for a ways and then split up. Lake Michigan was calm; the waves gently washed the sandy beach. Father walked with Jack and Willis. They went to the top of the sand dune to first observe the facility before entering by the outlet pipes.

     Jack looked through his binoculars at the building with the cocoons. “Looks like they’re packing more cocoons into storage.”

     “Which building is mom in?” Willis asked, looking through the scope of his 30-30.

     “Probably the one to the left of the cocoons,” Jack said. “Now’s a good time to try to enter it while they’re busy packing those people away.”

     “We’d better go then,” Father said.

     The three went down the dune to the beach where they had crossed the security fence before.

     “I’ll cross first, and then Father toss me your jacket so it doesn’t get caught in the wiring at the top of the fence.”

     “This might be a challenge for me,” Father said taking off his jacket. “I’m not as tall as you boys and that stepstool doesn’t add much height.”

     “We’ll help you over,” Jack said. “Only the top of the fence where the rug is is electrified.”

     Father climbed onto the stool and reached over the rug. Willis pushed him up.

     “Stand on my shoulders,” Willis said.

     Jack broke his fall on the other side.

     “Are you okay, Father?”

     “Yeah, I’m fine; but how are we going to get back over?”

     “Willis will pull the stool over with the rope.”

     “Ooops,” Willis said as he landed on the other side. “I forgot the rope.”

     Jack looked at the stool on the other side of the fence. “We should be okay, we can

get over the fence where Tony and Clare came in.”

     “Or run like hell down the driveway,” Willis laughed.

     Jack looked at Willis. “Let’s go find your mom.”

     The darkness was growing but it was difficult to stay hidden in shadows as the outdoor lights illuminated the areas around the buildings. A storm was rolling in over Lake Michigan; distance claps of thunder were heard over the waves slapping against the shoreline. The steam rising from the mechanical draft cooling towers glowed as it silently reached skyward. The containment dome loomed above as they quickly crossed the paved driveway to the building where they assumed Sarah to be.

     Jack tried to open a side door but it was locked. Jack motioned for Father and Willis to be still while he cautiously peeked into a window; he saw only darkness. He tried to open the window but it was locked.

     “How are we getting in,” Willis whispered to Jack.

     “I’m not sure, keep your eyes open.”

     “We could shoot out the lock,” Father said. “My gun has a silencer.”

     Jack smiled. “You dog, good idea; but let’s make sure no one’s around.”

     Jack went to the corner of the building and looked toward the main entrance. A couple humans were smoking cigarettes and discussing something that Jack couldn’t make out. What he did make out were their automatic rifles.

     Jack went back to Father and Willis.

     “There’s two people guarding the main entrance with ak47s so that way in is definitely out.”

     “Shall I shoot it?” Father asked.

     “I think we need a distraction,” Jack said. “They are probably going to hear it even though the main entrance down further.”

     “I could set one of the car horns off,” Willis said, pointing to the long parking lot that was next to the building. “I’ll sneak up to a car in the back and set the alarm off by bumping into the car.”

     “What if it doesn’t have a car alarm?” Father asked.

     “I’ll just break in and set the horn off,” Willis said.

     “And how do you know how to do this?” Father asked.

     “Don’t ask,” Willis replied.

     “The distraction has to be something that won’t alert them to intruders and rather just something natural,” Jack said.

     “Like what?” Willis asked.

     “The car alarm could work,” Father said. “But I don’t think breaking into a car will, that’s just too obvious.”

     “There are security cameras,” Jack said.

     “They haven’t seen us,” Willis emphasized.

     “He has a point,” Father said.

     “I’m sure the cameras are working but there just isn’t enough staff to man them,” Jack said, looking around.

     “Where are the cameras?” Willis asked.

     Jack looked around. “I’m not sure, but there might be one up on that pole.”

     “Let’s just shoot it out,” Willis said.

     “We need silence,” Jack said.

     “But Father has a silencer,” Willis said.

     “Enough of this,” Father said pointing his gun at the lock. “Stand back.”

     After a flash of lightning Father pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the lock as the ping echoed off the buildings. Jack looked around the corner; the two men outside didn’t seem to notice.

     “Shit, Father,” Jack said. “You timed that with the thunder.”

     Father smiled. “Not bad, eh?”

     Jack looked at his watch, it was nine-thirty, half an hour to get Sarah and find the computer to launch the virus. Slowly he pulled the door open. The room was dark and quiet, except for a small light that lit the floor near the door and a red exit sign on the far wall. Tables with chairs were lined up around the room. As they slowly walked deeper into it they noticed a cafeteria with a stainless steel front and trays and silverware to the side.

     “Where’s mom?” Willis whispered.

     “We need to find sleeping rooms,” Jack said.

     They walked quietly through the cafeteria to the main hallway. Jack went to the stairwell.

     “The rooms they sleep in are probably on an upper level,” Jack said, opening the stairwell door.

     They walked slowly up the stairs to the second floor of the complex. Jack looked through the small window in the door. He saw a half-breed walk from a room half way down the hall on the right. He paused to see if anyone else exited the room; no one did.

     Jack turned. “Be alert, I just saw an alien leave a room.”

     They nodded in agreement and followed Jack into the hallway, quietly closing the stairwell door. Jack gently turned the first door knob, it was locked. He walked to the next room and it too was locked. They approached the room the half-breed had left. Jack mouthed and motioned to them that this was the room that the half-breed had left. Father and Willis took raised their weapons as Jack put his hand on the knob, it turned. He slowly pushed the door open.

     Candles were barely flickering as their flames were burning low. In the far corner was the bed, the bed Sarah was in.

     Jack motioned for Willis and Father to stand guard at the door while he approached the bed. Sarah was still, her eyes closed. He noticed drinks on the bedside table and that her shoulders were bare as they peaked through the top of the sheets. He noticed the form of her breast and her breathing that slowly heaved them up and down.

     His hunch was right as he looked under the sheets, she had no clothes on. He knew she had been violated and he hated them for it. The soft curves of her body had to be ignored as he got her clothes from the chair beside the bed. He nudged her shoulder.

     “Sarah,” Jack said softly. “Sarah, wake up.”

     “Someone’s coming,” Father said with a loud whisper.

CHAPTER 29 — Confrontation

     They quickly scattered to various areas around the room. 

     The first half-breed entered the room and walked over to Sarah who was now beginning to stir. Her eyes were still closed as the half-breed reached under the blanket and rubbed her lower abdomen with a paste he obtained from a canister he held. He then left the room.

     “What the hell was that about?” Willis asked, rising from behind a chair in a darkened corner.

     “I was wondering the same thing,” Father said.

     Jack saw Sarah’s clothes on the floor next to the bed. He picked them up and nudged Sarah again. “Sarah, it’s Jack. Wake up and get dressed.”

     Sarah groggily opened her eyes. “What?’

     “Quick, get dressed we have to get out of here.” He put her clothes on the bed next to her.

     Sarah rubbed her eyes. “Jack, what’s going on? Where am I?”

     Father and Willis turned their gaze to the window as Jack pulled the blanket down and began forcing her shirt on. “Get dressed now.”

     Sarah dressed while Jack guarded the door. He occasionally glanced over at Sarah as she dressed.

     “Do you have to keep looking at me?” Sara said.

     Jack smiled. “I didn’t undress you.”

     Sarah pulled her pants up. “What’s this stuff?” She said feeling her abdomen.

     “We’ll talk about this later, hurry up.” Jack said.

     “Can we look?” Willis asked.

     Jack looked over at Sarah who was now dressed and slightly off balance. “Yeah.”

     Father and Willis walked over to Sarah.   

     “Jack, it’s almost ten. Do you think Tony and Clare got in to run the virus?” Father asked, holding Sarah steady.

     Jack looked at his phone. “There’s no message.” He placed the phone back into his pocket. “Willis, text ‘em and see where they’re at.”

     Jack grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Let’s see if we can find a computer.”

     “Message sent,” Willis said.

     The group silently made their way down the hallway to the stairwell opposite where they had come in. They descended the stairs to an exterior door.  Jack looked out the door’s window to what appeared to be the main complex across the yard next to the reactor.

     “Do you see anyone, Jack?” Father asked.

     “Damn, there are half-breeds hanging around where we have to go.”

     “Could a computer in this building be used?” Willis asked.

     “I don’t know where one is,” Jack said.

     Just they loud cry came from upstairs where they had been.

     “Shit, that’s that bastard alien,” Jack said. “We gotta get outta here, fast!”

     “Let’s just go for it,” Willis said.

     “We’re gonna have to Jack,” Father said. “We’re down to the last minute and that alien will be on us in a few seconds.”

     Jack gave a worried look. “Willis, watch your mom. Let’s go.”

     They opened the door, two half-breeds stood at the other end of the building that they were heading for. Jack knew they’d be seen. They ran across the yard to the door of the main complex and went in. They entered a room that did indeed house computers.

     “Here,” Willis said, sitting down at a computer. “Where’s the disk?”

     Jack handed Willis the disk, he quickly put it into the CD-ROM tray. The virus began to auto run as the clock hit ten.

     Jack and Father held aim at the half-breeds at the other end of the room who were talking between themselves and staying put.

     “That one half-breed from the other building is running this way,” Father said looking out the window.

     “Is it infecting the computer,” Jack asked Willis.

     “I think so, it’s running,” Willis said.

     The half-breed reached the door and entered. Father held sight on the other aliens while Jack focused on the one that had assaulted Sarah.

     Jack glared at the half-breed who returned the eye contact. “Stay right there, you bastard.”

     The half-breed looked confused. “My name’s Rausuca, I mean you no harm…Jack.”

     Jack frowned. “You lying sack of shit. You’ve invaded our planet, turned us into zombies, and” looking over to Sarah, “you raped us.” Jack kept the gun pointed straight toward Rausuca’s head.

“How do you know Jack’s name?” Father asked holding aim at the aliens in the back who were just standing there watching.

     “We know a lot about the people of this planet.” Rausuca looked at Sarah who was sitting on the edge of a table holding her head. “We are here to improve things, something the people of your planet can’t seem to manage.”

     “I could kill you right now,” Jack said, with an antsy trigger finger.

     “You don’t want to do that.” Rausuca said, turning back to Jack. “I am ruler of this region and I need to produce an heir who will be supreme commander. If any harm comes to me all of you will be destroyed, even Sarah.”

     Sarah was slowly regaining her senses. She looked at Rausuca and Jack. She was finally realizing what had happened to her. She was about to speak when the lights of the facility started to flicker and then all power went out.

     Rausuca began speaking in broken click. The other two aliens drew weapons and began walking toward them.

     “Jack, let’s get out of here,” Father said, with a shaky voice.

     Rausuca swiftly grabbed Jack’s gun with one hand and clenched his neck with the other. “It is quite a powerful human feeling to have this dominance over you. And as I savor this moment, Jack, I can tell you that the human feelings of mating with Sarah were quite pleasurable. Do you want me to tell you all about it? I could tell you how she enjoyed every moment, as did I.”

     Sarah lunged at Rausuca just as Tony and Clare shot the aliens coming toward them. They ran up to Jack with aim on Rausuca. Tony had his bowie knife unclipped for easy access.

     A commotion outside was heard as the computers died and an alarm began to sound indicating the reactor was offline into emergency shutdown mode.

     With the muzzle of Tony’s gun at Rausuca’s temple, he release his grip. “You think you’re so clever shutting down the computers but that won’t stop us.”

     Just then the Professor came up to Rausuca, only inches from his face. “You’ve almost destroyed the human race, I find that appalling. You could’ve approached us on a friendly note and we could learn from each other. But right now, I want nothing to do with your kind…take this.”   The Professor inhaled and let out a large moist cough, spewing aerosoled/droplet sputum into the face of Rausuca.

     Rausuca looked surprised as he backed away. “What have you done, you embosal?”

     The Professor smiled. “I just exposed you to the flu, a virus that I’m sure you have no antibodies to fight. Sarah’s contagious too, so anyone who’s come into contact with us will get sick, and die, I hope.”

     Tony tone was demanding. “All the power plants of the world that you bastards are at are now infected so I suggest you call your cohorts and leave this planet because there’s more viruses where that one came from.”

     Just then another half-breed came running in yelling in broken clicks. “Rausuca, something’s wrong the plants powered down and….” his voice trailed off as he stopped.

     “These humans think they’re so clever powering down the reactors, but we’ll get them back on line. They even think that exposing us to a virus will kill us. We’ve been to this planet many times and have never been hurt by your viruses,” Rausuca said with a confident smile.

     “But not half-breeds,” Sarah said, coughing. “You’re human half will get sick //or other way around? need rational explanation and who knows how this will affect your alien half. You’re certainly immunocompromised and are likely to die. “

     “You’re not as smart as you think you,” Jack said. “You decided to invade during the beginning of one of the worst outbreaks of influenza since 1918 //swine flu when it killed millions. Some of you should be starting show symptoms since you’ve been here a day or two already.”***check story timeline

     For the first time Rausuca seemed concerned.

     “I hate to mention this,” Father said. “But what exactly are we supposed to do with them now?”

     Jack pointed his gun at Rausuca’s crotch. “I think we should put an end to Rausuca’s fun.”

     For the first time Rausuca coughed.//already? “Don’t be hasty, Jack. I think we can work out a deal.”

     “What did you have in mind?”

     Rausuca looked at the dead half-breeds spread out on the floor. “Let us live and we will leave your planet.”

     “How do I know you’re going to do this?”

     “Let me talk to my people and we’ll then transport to the ships.”

     “What about the terraforming?” Sarah asked.

     “We’ll halt all terraforming.”

     “I don’t trust him,” Jack said.

     “I don’t either,” Tony said.

 Rausuca looked at the other half-breed and in a matter of seconds disappeared.

     “Where’d they go?” Willis asked.

     “I think they transported to their ship,” Sarah said.

     They ran outside to see it empty.

     “I can’t believe it,” Care said, happily. “We actually did it

     They celebrated quickly. Jack gave Willis a high five. He then went to close to Sarah. “We did it.” he said softly.

     “Yes we did,” she said softly back.

     Jack felt her cheek then gave her the passionate kiss she had been waiting for.

     “Okay you two, get a room,” Tony laughed.

     “Let’s check on the cocoons,” Clare said.

     They ran to the building housing the cotton candy cocoons. Sarah went up to one peered in through the veil to a female who was beginning to stir. Sarah began to tear away at the web as the female opened her eyes. “Don’t be afraid, we’re here to help.”

     The group freed the victims, all prime breeding stock. Tony instructed them to get vehicles and head to South Haven Hospital where he thought some doctors and nurses were holding out.

     Just then Tony’s phone rang. “It’s Max.”

     He spoke for a minute then hung up smiling.

     “Well, tell us what he said,” Father said, annoyed.

     “Max said that he’s been getting calls from the other groups and their reporting alien retreats.”

“What do we do about the computer virus?” Jack said. “I mean the nuclear power plants aren’t going to melt down and we all die of radiation poisoning.”

     “Max said he designed the virus to put the plants in emergency shutdown so they should be okay. There’s no one to run them anyway.”

     “What about the regular humans who were helping the aliens?” Clare asked. “First of all where are they?”

     “Maybe they were beamed up, too.” Willis said.

     “I doubt it,” the Professor said. “They may be contagious with the flu so I doubt they would take them with them. So let’s stay alert because I’m sure they want us dead.”

     Just then a shot grazed Tony’s arm.

     “I guess that answers the question,” Jack said, as they ran for cover.

     Willis fired his gun nailing a human illuminated by the pink moon.

     “Hey, good shot kid,” Jack said.

     “What’s that coming up the drive?” Sarah pointed.

     “Oh my god, it’s zombies,” Clare said.

     “I think we should get back to our vehicles and get back to Max and kids.

     “I’m with you on that,” Father said.

CHAPTER 30 — New Beginning

     They arrived at the observatory where all was well. Sarah ran up to Georgie and gave him a big hug.

     “I just got off the horn with a couple of groups,” Max said, lighting a cigarette and handing one to Willis with outstretched hand. “They’re reporting the zombies are dropping dead in their tracks.”

     “Thank god,” Clare said. “One less thing to worry about.”

     “Did they say anything about the humans that were helping the aliens?” Jack asked.

     “They said many were shot dead, but not all, so they’re still a threat,” Max said.

     “Hey!” Willis yelled, from the lobby door. “It’s Jibber! She’s alive and she found us.”

            Jibber ran inside with her tail wagging so hard she could hardly keep her balance.

     “It’s a new beginning,” Father said.

     “The Earth was cleansed and it’s our job to do it right this time,” Clare said.

     Max laughed. “That is so corny, Clare.”

     Jack smiled at Sarah who smiled back. “I guess it’s a duty of ours to repopulate the Earth.”

     The Professor groaned. “Jack, get a room.”

*** LAST SCENE OF TRILIOGY BOOK ONE ***

     Sarah is pregnant.

The End         

Red Sky by Connie Myres is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.conniemyres.com/.

I’m waiting on an agent to respond to my latest submission. If they are not interested, I’m going to post the entire manuscript of RED SKY on this site. I will be asking for an editor to edit it. In exchange for editing RED SKY I will put their name in the credits of the e-book and give them a share of any profits (If there are any…). 

The agent still has a little time to get back to me. If it does come back as a rejection, anyone who wants to edit it can send their resume/references to me by using the Contact form. 

I know RED SKY needs editing so I can’t just convert it and send it to Amazon, Kindle, Apple, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else.

If no one wants to edit it, at least RED SKY will be on the Web for people to enjoy rather than sitting in a dark drawer.

Red Sky was submitted to Eat Your Serial a while back. It is in the queue to be reviewed. We’ll see what happens. I’m hoping for the best

I’ve decided not to submit Red Sky to agents or traditional publishers because even if the manuscript is accepted it won’t be out for a long time. Red Sky is a doomsday type book and would relate well to the end of the world date of December 21, 2012. 

For that reason I’m getting Red Sky ready to send to the online publisher, Eat Your Serial. They need a synopsis and sample chapters. Here’s what they say:

Eat Your Serial is a brand new website featuring up and coming writers and their stories in all genres, both fiction and nonfiction.   The idea is simple -  Monday through Friday there will be five unique stories.  Come back the following week, and you get a new chapter, and so on and so forth.  All stories can be read on mobile devices (and coming soon to your e-reader).  Also, through our commenting system we encourage all readers to engage with the stories and their authors.

I chose Eat Your Serial because writers are assigned an editor. And while they only help with grammar, copy, and scheduling, it is nice to have another set of eyes look at the manuscript. 

If Eat Your Serial does accept Red Sky, you can read it for free on their site. There’s also the option to purchase the ebook. They apparently are working on book sales and mobile subscriptions. 

Red Sky Title Page

I printed out my novel Red Sky! It is so cool to actually hold the hard-copy in my hands!

Today was one of those writing days that when I sat down to write the first thing that I thought of was, “What am I going to make for supper?” Good advice is to push on through and write no matter what. Guess I’ll take today off

I have about 25 pages left to edit for this draft then I will have to decide what I want to do with this book. I was thinking of self-publishing but I may send it to an agent instead.