Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (11 page)

“What are the odds?” Zack wondered out loud.

“Should we knock?” Ed asked.

Zack shrugged. “Might as well.” He didn’t want to get
excited over the possibility his old friend might have survived the attack, but
if anyone could. Zack knocked on the door and held his breath. From inside they
heard a rustling noise, something crashed to the ground and a string of curse
words let loose.

Zack banged on the door. “Ray, open up. It’s Zack. Zack
Londergan.” Inside, a shotgun opened and closed. Zack motioned for Luke and Ed
to stand to the side.

“Ray put that damn shotgun down and open the door.
It’s your old buddy Zack.”

After several seconds of silence, the cover over the
peephole slid open and a black pupil peered out. “Zack?”

“Yeah Ray.” Zack removed his face mask. “See. It’s
me.”

“How do I know you ain’t one of them alien things in
disguise?”

“Would an alien know you have a tattoo of a purple
fairy on your left bicep?”

“Maybe.”

“Would an alien know you have that tattoo because you
lost a bet when you were in the Army?”

“How the hell do I know what an alien knows?”

“Damn Ray. Open the door. I’m freezin’ my balls off
out here.”

“How’d you get here?” Ray demanded, still not
convinced.

“I borrowed a plane. You can see it for yourself. It’s
parked under the trees at the end of the landing strip.”

 “You crazy Irishman.” The peep hole slammed shut and
a series of locks clicked and slid open. The door opened revealing the man
behind the voice, a slim white haired, dark skinned ancient man.

“Well come on in before the alien demons feel the heat
and come lookin’ for a meal.” Ray waved them inside, slamming the door and sliding
all the locks back in place. “Go on, go stand by the fire.”

The fire was a welcome sight. Ed and Luke removed
their outer gear and stood close to the toasty blaze.

“Sit boy. Sit.” Ray waved Zack to a chair near the
fire.

“Can’t stay long Ray. Gotta get back before night.”
Zack sat on the edge of the chair.

“What’s your hurry?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Who’re your friends?” Ray waved his hand at Ed and
Luke.

“Yeah, sorry man, where are my manners? Edward McGrath
and Luke Taylor,” Zack said, “this is Ray Longhorne. My Wyoming connection and
close friend.”

Both Ed and Luke took turns shaking Ray’s hand.
Despite his frail appearance he had a strong grip.

“What brings you to the wilds of Wyomin’?”

“We’re looking for a warehouse or several warehouses
that might have people inside. You wouldn’t happen to know of any nearby would
ya?” Zack asked.

Ray stared at Zack for a long time. His eyes closed
and he began to rock back and forth. They thought he might have fallen asleep
standing up, but his eyes popped open. “They aren’t bein’ kept in no warehouses.
More like concentration camps. But you don’t want to go near those places. That’s
where death resides.”

“Whatta ya mean like concentration camps?” Zack asked.

“Like back during the war boy. Don’t you read your
history books?”

“You mean like the German camps.”

“No boy. Like the Japanese camps right here on
American soil. The Krauts weren’t the only heartless bastards during the war.”

“What are you talking about?” Luke asked.

“After the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor. The gov’ment
decided all Japs in the great United States were a hazard to the nation. They
rounded ‘em up like cattle and locked ‘em up behind barbed wire fences. They
called ‘em internment camps, but they’s concentration camps yassir. In fact,
and I only deliver the facts, there was one right here in Wyomin’.”

This was blowing Luke’s mind. US concentration camps
weren’t covered in his school books. In
fact
, if he were to have a long conversation
with Ray about the country’s history, he’d learn a whole lot more about things Mrs.
Glover didn’t cover during his sophomore history class.

“Is that really true?” Luke asked Ed.

Ed nodded.

“Course it’s true son. What you callin me? A liar?”

“Take it easy Ray. Luke’s from Louisiana. He doesn’t
know any better.” Zack said.

“Very funny asshole.” Luke replied, not amused.

“So what are we dealin’ with Ray?”

“Like I said they’s like camps, but these are more
sophisticated. No barracks, but cinder block buildings, like a sanitarium.
Inside, everything’s white, reminds you of pictures of heaven, but it ain’t
heaven, no sir.  No angels, but lots of demons.”   

“So you’ve seen these camps?” Ed interrupted.

“Yeah I’ve seen ‘em. Had a short stay in one,” Ray replied,
snickering. “Them beins’ didn’t know who they was messin’ with.”

“What happened?” Luke asked. “I mean how’d you get
away from them?”

“I got strange blood son. They stuck all kinds of
tubes and junk in me, but ain’t none of it worked. I waited until they was gone
and unhooked all them contraptions and then I walked out the front doors.” Ray
cackled and pretended to spit. “I was trapped for near a week, but got out.”

“Were there other...other people?” Ed couldn’t bring
himself to ask if he’d seen any children.

“Oh yeah. The place was packed full. White tables were
lined up in a row with people layin’ on ‘em all hooked up lookin’ like octopuses.
I ain’t seen nothin like it. Not even durin’ the war.”

Now which war Ray referred to was uncertain, since he
looked to be one hundred years old if not older, but his age didn’t matter.
That he’d been captured by the aliens and survived was all they were interested
in hearing.

“Was it the Sundogs that took you?” Zack asked.

“Don’t know nothin’ about no Sundogs. Know them aliens
are the damn creepiest folk I ever dealt with.”

“The Adita,” Ed said.

“Names don’t mean nothin’ to me boy. Never mind that.
It was them soulless black eyed beins’. They visit the houses, but it’s the
winged demons that fetch folk and guard the place. The aliens come in and took
blood from folks. I’m no doctor or scientist, but it appeared, to my simple
mind, they were running tests on the blood. Every so often the winged demons
would take bodies away and bring new ones in.”

Zack glanced at his watch. It was almost two o’clock.
“How far are the camps?”

“The closest one is thirty miles as the crow flies.”

“How many if the crow walks?”

“Don’t know why a crow would walk when he could fly,
or in your case, drive just as easy.” Ray chuckled at his wit, but sobered when
he saw the grim look on Zack’s face. “You could get there usin’ one of them all
tear rain type vehicles. Take you maybe an hour or so. But don’t know why you
want to bother.”

“Because those are human beings in there and the Adita
are bleeding them dry. We can’t leave them there to die,” Luke replied in an
elevated condemning tone.

“You think I didn’t try to save em? Is that what you
think son?”

“No sir.” Luke looked embarrassed.

“I tried to save em.” Ray declared, beating on his
chest. “The first one, a young man about your age, died before I could get him
back to the cabin. The second one, were a middle aged woman. I carried her out
over my shoulder, but she came to and started screamin’. Them winged demons
come swooping in like lightnin’ out of the sky. I only escaped because they
were too preoccupied tearing her to pieces to notice an old man. I didn’t try
no more after that.”

“So you’re saying we can’t save anyone?”

“I’m not saying that at all. All I’m sayin were I had
no success doin so.” Ray threw another log on the fire causing a few embers to
pop out onto the floor. He extinguished the embers with the toe of his boot.
“I’ll tell you the way, but yer on yer own gettin there.”

“Thanks Ray,” Zack replied, patting the old man on the
back.

“Don’t thank me none for showin’ you the way to yer
death.” He gave Zack a hard stare. “I’ll fix us somethin’ to eat.”

Zack checked his watch. “Shouldn’t we be goin?”

“Ain’t goin today. Gonna have to wait ‘til the suns
rise. You get caught by the night there ain’t gonna be no mornin’ for you.”

Zack, Ed and Luke shared a worried glance. They’d told
Madison they wouldn’t be gone longer than a day or two if it could be helped. 
After the crash landing, getting back to the bunker at all was more of a
concern than when it might actually happen, but still further delaying their
pursuits only served to add to the apprehension felt.

Resolved to make the best of their situation and
knowing Ray was right, Zack offered to help with dinner, while Luke and Ed
volunteered their wood chopping services. The latter being a welcomed respite
for Ray, who dreaded the task more than dying. At least in death his old body would
be eased of its aches and pains.

Zack awoke before daybreak, unable to sleep. His
restlessness was as much due to the looming task ahead of him as the dying fire
which allowed the cold to creep in all around. Zack set a couple of logs in the
embers and stirred them around. Sleep clung to his mind, encouraged by the
warmth creeping out from the revived fire. Zack shook it off. Life was a bitch,
he thought for no particular reason other than it was truer now, in this fucked
up world, than in the fucked up world he’d once known. Running the streets of
Boston with the old crew almost appealed to him, almost and only if certain
conditions were met. One of those being ole Bobby Londergan would have to remain
worm food.

A pocket of moisture fizzed and an ember popped out of
the fireplace landing near Zack’s foot. He pushed it back into the fire with
the poker. Soon blue and orange tongues danced about the logs as embers turned
to flames. Before long the room was toasty again and thoughts of Boston faded away.
Zack entertained crawling back into his sleeping bag for another hour, but knew
he wouldn’t wake up in an hour. They had to get an early start if they had any
hope of getting home before nightfall. A hope he didn’t hold tight. And even less
so the hope they would be saving anyone that day. Heartache was all they were
inviting, heartache with the chance of death. Not a forecast for the meek.

“Cup a coffee?” Ray asked from the doorway of the
kitchen, keeping his voice low.

Zack nodded and stepped over the snoozing bodies of
his friends, relieved they were able to sleep despite the world falling down
upon them.

In the kitchen two steaming cups of coffee sat on the
small table. Zack took a seat opposite Ray and sipped the warm brew. A wood stove
kept the small kitchen comfortable.  Ray sipped his coffee. His hands were
covered with waves of wrinkles, revealing as much about his age as his full
head of white hair. They were an unlikely pair born in worlds far apart, yet,
despite their cultural differences, common life lessons bridged the gap and a
lasting friendship had been formed.

“How’s the diabetes?”

Ray wagged a finger and shook his head. “Funny thing
about it bein’ was after escapin’ them alien bastards, my sugar fits stopped
comin.’ But I ain’t grateful to em. No sir. They weren’t considerin’ my well
bein’ when they stuck me like a pin cushion.”

“Did they inject you with something?”

“I reckon so. Somethin’ right potent to the rest of
those poor folks, but made me sleepy is all. Felt like when you stuff yer self
too full on Thanksgivin’.” Ray peered at Zack from over the rim of his cup.
“You sure ‘bout this thing yer gonna do? Kinda like temptin’ fate ain’t it?”

Zack gave a short laugh and shook his head. “They’re
my friends. I can’t let em go alone.” 

“Don’t go to that camp boy.” Ray set his cup down.
“There be things you don’t want to see. Things you can’t remove from your mind.
Them horrors that want to come callin on you in the middle of the night.” Ray’s
voice trailed off with his gaze.

“Ed needs to know if his kid is in one of those
warehouses.”

Ray shook his head. “Ain’t no chillren’ is them death buildings.
Ain’t no chillren’.”

“None?” Ed stood in the doorway. “You said no
children?”

Ray turned to look at Ed. “You heard clear.”

“Are...are you sure?” Ed couldn’t believe and didn’t
want to believe Ray’s statement was true.

“Sorry son. Only adults hooked up lookin’ like human
octopuses. No chillren’. I couldn’t a left no kiddies behind. They’d been
better off goin’ to see the almighty, than bein’ drained of life by them
soulless beins.”   

The weight of this revelation was too much for Ed to
shoulder, to bear, to comprehend. He shrank an inch or two and would have
fallen had the door jamb not been there to support his weight. Ray’s words were
paralyzing. Memories of the initial days after the attack bombarded Ed with
emotions that up until that very second he’d kept under tight wraps. The room
wavered out of view. He grabbed the door jamb, his knuckles turned white. From
far off Ed heard his name being called, but he didn’t want to come back. He
wanted to succumb to madness, to the mistress of the insane. Let her take him
deep into her lair of murky existence where he’d be protected from pain. Pain,
the insistent bully who’d held him captive since that first snow flake fell. Pain
that waited around every corner to sucker punch him with a load of grief so
heavy he’d never recover. 

“Ed!” Zack grasped Ed’s arm. “It’s alright man.”

 Ed shook his head, trying to clear his mind. The room
did one more wobble and wave before regaining its edges. “I’m ok. I’m ok.”

Zack helped Ed to the table and poured him a cup of
coffee. Ed grasped the cup, but didn’t trust himself to bring it up to his
lips. The mistress wailed for him to come to her, while the bully rejoiced with
threatening fists waving in the air. 

“Ed, man, there are more camps all over the country.
You can’t give up because the first one doesn’t pan out.”

Zack’s words struck a chord with Ed, hitting him hard
where he needed it most. He looked up at Zack, lucidity returned. “You’re
right. You’re absolutely right. It’s just... I wanted it to be this one...” Ed
couldn’t finish.

“We’ll find him. We’ll search every damn camp. And
we’ll find Ryan,” Zack promised, not knowing why he did so knowing he didn’t
believe it himself, but something in Ed’s expression, something so desperate
and sad, had scared him into lying.

Ray coughed, but held his tongue. Some folks were
better off believing lies than trying to face the harshness of the truth.
They’d spend an entire lifetime avoiding the truth, some going to great
lengths, others doing so without realizing the intent of their actions. For Ray
the truth was always best, telling it and hearing it. He’d never been one to
judge a person by how they approached living and wasn’t going to start now.
That death was the obvious outcome of their quest didn’t play a hand in this.
Death, as is in life, was not his to decide.

Refocused now, Ed picked up his coffee without shaking
the liquid over the brim and took a sip. He took another sip and then another.
This repeated action soothed his nerves and a sudden craving struck him for a
bagel smothered in thick cream cheese that oozed to and over the edges. He
refrained from asking their host if he had such a thing. He felt Zack’s eyes
watching him, waiting for the fissure in his sanity to crack wide open.

Zack was watching Ed, but not because he worried about
Ed falling off the edge. Zack had seen desperation like this only one other
time in his life. A time he didn’t want to think about right then. Drudging up
that memory brought with it the old man. Zack almost chuckled. It would almost
be worth it for Bobby Londergan to be alive today, so that Zack could have the
pleasure of killing him, as he’d planned to do only days before someone beat
him to it.  Zack shook away the past and turned his attention to the task at
hand.

“Is Luke still sleeping?”

Ed gave him a blank stare. His mind searched and
remembered who Luke was and why they were in the cabin in the middle of the
woods. “Yeah. I think so. I’ll go wake him.” He swallowed the last of his
coffee and shoved back his chair.

After he left, Ray turned to Zack. “His boy has most
likely passed on. You know that don’t ya?”

“I know.”

“And you can’t help them there folks neither. They’s
been hooked up to those tubes and machines for longer than I consider to be the
humane thing. Course we ain’t dealin’ with beins that are humane in nature now
are we?” Ray continued on not expecting an answer. “Them folks was barely alive
when I tried rescuin’ ‘em. No tellin’ what shape they’s in now.”

“Ed’s gonna have to figure this one out for himself.
But I’m not letting him go it alone,” Zack replied. “You really think there’s
no hope?”

Ray reached inside his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette.
He wet the end and placed it in his mouth, but didn’t light it. He’d given up
the habit years ago, yet still enjoyed the taste and smell of the tobacco. “How
long we been knowin’ each other?”

“Five, six years. Why?”

“Have you ever known me to present things in a better
light than what was shinin? To paint somethin’ rose pink when it were really
shit brown?”

Zack shook his head. “You’re the most honest person I
ever met.” And this was the true. Ray had a heart bigger than the state of
Texas, but he’d never tell you a lie in order to avoid an uncomfortable truth.
He’d given Zack more words of wisdom and sound advice than all the shrinks in
the world had managed. Ray convinced him to get out of the pot business, to
quit being prideful, to stop wasting the talents he had been blessed with and
most important to do something that would make his mom proud.

“You never got the chance to tell her did you?” Ray
asked.

“Nope.” Zack turned away as if this action alone could
prevent him from thinking about his mom and lost opportunities. While Zack
silently battled his ghosts, a stray thought wandered in, one he’d never
entertained before this very moment.

“Sometimes decidin’ the better of two bad things is
almost more than a person can handle,” Ray commented. “If you decide for the
betterment of the other person, rather than yer own self, you can’t never make
the wrong choice.”

“I hear ya old man,” Zack replied. For once he was
glad Colin was afraid to fly and hadn’t wanted to join the party. If by the
slimmest chances of fate Zack did find their mom plugged up to the alien’s
machines, he didn’t want to fight with his brother over what they should do.
The answer was clear. He wouldn’t hem and haw over it. If the time came he
would pull the plug.

Zack gave Ray a pat on the back. “You got any of them
all terrain vehicles stashed on the property?”

“Does a bear shit in the woods son?” Ray snorted. “Get
your coat and I’ll show you what I got.”

Zack checked in on Luke and Ed before grabbing his
coat and following Ray out the door. They walked down a hidden path to an old
metal building. Ray pulled the door open revealing three brand new ATVs.

“Sweet,” Zack whistled. “Where’d you get em?”

“Don’t worry none about things that ain’t none of yer
biznax.”

“Same ole Ray.”

***

An hour later the guys were loaded and ready to go.
Zack was on one ATV, while Ed and Luke road on a second. Ray had wanted them to
take all three, but Zack refused to leave him without a means of
transportation. Before departing the guys chopped enough wood to keep the house
heated for months to come, probably years since Ray would use it like a miser
spends money. 

It was nine o’clock before they were on their way. If
all went well they would arrive at the camp by ten, if all went better than
well they would still be alive at ten-o-one. A lot was riding on all things
going well, but they didn’t think about this. In fact they didn’t think about
much other than the path in front of them.

As they neared the place where the camp was supposed
to be located, Zack held up his hand for Luke to stop. A hundred yards ahead
the trees thinned and gave way to a clearing. Nothing they saw gave an
indication of what was in that clearing. The only way to find out was to keep
going. Zack motioned for Luke to proceed slow and easy. If Austin had been
along he could have filled in some of the missing pieces, eliminated some of
the fear of the unknown, but not all. Knowing what evil waited didn’t take away
the trepidation of that evil and what it might be capable of doing. 

While Austin had met the devil a few times over and
Zack thought he’d been born the son of Satan, Ed and Luke were choir boys who
believed good eventually triumphed over bad. Facing something of this magnitude
was a hell of way to graduate into the realms of evil. Zack only hoped if
things went south that he wouldn’t be left standing exposed, that Ed and Luke
would have his back.

 They drove at a turtle’s pace into the clearing. Across
the way they saw a double barbed wire fence stretching in front of the woods. Two
gates capped with double rows of concertina wire formed an entrance. Through
those gates they could see a several large gray block buildings. Zack motioned
for Luke to follow him. They drove around the clearing and back to the opening
where they’d entered. The ATVS were parked facing down the path, back the way
they came. Zack wanted to be damn sure if they had to escape they would have a
better than slim chance.

Once the engines were cut off, the place turned silent
as death. The crunching of snow underfoot was magnified by the heavy silence.
Although full knowledge of the alien’s powers was unknown, they had no
misguided notion on sneaking in unseen, or unheard, yet here they were hoping
to do so. Ray was right, Zack thought, they were on a death mission.

A faded red, white and blue metal sign hung on the
gates warning trespassers this was US Government property and no unauthorized
personnel were allowed past this point. Zack ignored the sign and, using the
wire cutters Ray gave him, cut an opening for them to climb through. They
continued on towards the first building. No sirens went off. No guards rushed
out waving automatic weapons, yelling for them to drop to the ground or be
shot.  Seeing someone in camouflage would have been a welcomed sight
considering the alternative.