Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (6 page)

He gazed out across the sea, back the way he came.
Despite the frigidness the water remained free of icebergs. Several hundred
yards off shore, the white mist hung over the water like a thick curtain. However,
on the island, visibility was clear and the temperature, according to his
watch, was five degrees. He walked along the shore. The wind blew gustily and
at times pushed him sideways. He glanced over at the suns, which at three
o’clock in the afternoon should have been on the other side of the island. 
Nothing about any of this made sense.

Behind him a door slammed. The sound was carried by the
wind to where he stood. Kyle whipped around, hands up ready to fight. Realizing
no threat was imminent, his hands drifted down to his side, not relaxed, but
poised to spring forward at any sign of movement. A door slammed again. His
fists clenched and then eased open as he recognized the culprit. The wind was
playing tricks on his weary mind, poking fun at his imagination. No one was here.
No humans, he added. This came as an afterthought, a connection to the sounds
he dreamt of during the night.

After he’d lost contact with his family, Kyle thought
he had experienced loneliness in the truest sense. But now, here on the island,
with its crushing arms wrapping around him, squeezing his breath away, he felt
a sense of isolation that threatened to upend his sanity. This feeling, coupled
with the dead bodies, invited panic to join the party. Standing with his back
to the shore, Kyle felt removed from his body and mind. Logic fought against
the darkness of solitude, against the unknown, but was losing ground fast.  A
voice whispered his name. His head snapped up, turning in all directions. “Who’s
there?” he yelled out, but the wind grabbed his voice and carried it away. A powerful
gust of wind rolled off the sea, up the rocky beach and pushed Kyle from
behind. Stumbling forward, he reached out for balance, but couldn’t catch
himself before falling onto the rocks. The jolt was enough to tilt the fight in
favor of logic. As if someone had slapped him or threw cold water in his face,
Kyle snapped out of his trance, squashing his fears by refocusing on.  Another
night on the island now seemed like a bad idea, but it was too late to start
the second leg of his journey. He knew he could make Small Diomede Island by
dusk, but the effort outweighed the purpose. Squaring his shoulders and taking
in a deep breath, he steeled his resolve.

“One night won’t be the death of me.” He laughed out
loud, amused by his choice of words. “Better not be,” he replied out loud,
finding the sound of his voice helped drown out his nagging fears. An
understanding for why crazy people talked to themselves dawned on him.
Chuckling, Kyle walked back to the building where he’d slept the previous
night. As he approached, the door slammed against the railing and despite his
resolve he jumped back. His reaction was followed by a string of curse words.
Anger served as good a weapon against fear as anything. Once back inside, he
went into the kitchen and closed the door. If he was going to be stuck here for
the next sixteen hours he was at least going to be warm. The room was small
enough to make cozy with a few minor improvisations.

Rolled towels were placed at the base of the door to
block the draft. A search through the pantry and drawers turned up heavy duty
aluminum foil. Using this, he covered the small window with a double layer.
Duct tape helped hold the foil in place. Next, perhaps to have something to do,
Kyle foiled the doorway as well, covering every inch so that not a shard of
light could be seen. Once this was complete, he took a quick shower and dressed
in some of the clothes he’d found, trying to not think about the previous owner
as he put them on. With his gear stored in the corner of the kitchen and the
mattress laid out in the middle, he felt ready for the night. Night time by his
watch was approaching soon and with this trepidation tagged along. He didn’t
know why the dark should disturb him, other than maybe human nature dictated to
fear that which makes us feel vulnerable.

Looking around at his handy work, Kyle crossed his
arms over his chest and smiled with satisfaction. Silly he knew, but it was all
a ruse to occupy his mind, the same way a parent distracted an upset child with
candy or a toy.  Kyle’s eyes came to settle on the aluminum foil box and he was
reminded of the movie,
Signs
.

“What the hell,” he said and got busy making a hat out
of aluminum foil.

With hat in place, Kyle turned his attention to the
issue of heat.  The oven was powered by propane, safe to use indoors, and if he
kept the temperature on low might get him through the night. He turned the knob
to one hundred. When the temperature hit the mark he opened the door halfway
allowing the heat to flow out. He frowned. Of course the heat was going to
rise. Foil came to the rescue once again as a he fashioned a hood above the
oven door to direct the heat downwards. The only thing missing now was a TV to
fall asleep to.

Remembering he’d seen a stack of books being used as a
makeshift night stand, Kyle returned to the bedroom and retrieved the entire
collection. Sitting on the mattress he sorted through the books. All were in
Russian, a language he only knew enough of to get in trouble. On the bottom of
the pile he found the only book written in English. He laughed out loud.

“War and Peace. Go figure.” He flipped the pages to
the first chapter. “I’ve always wanted to read you,” he told the book. “But
you’re so wordy. Not that wordy is a bad thing and you’re pretty good at the
words,” he explained to the pages crammed with description. “But my attention
span is short and usually preoccupied with things that don’t involve many words
at all. If ya know what I mean.” He winked at the book. “Short sentences worked
best for me. Like, ‘Of course I love you’ or “I’ve never met anyone like you,” that
one was popular.” He chuckled at his wit and began reading. Two chapters in and
the book slipped from Kyle’s hands.

Sometime later Kyle awoke with a start. The warmth in
the room let him know the tank still had gas. Outside the wind was silent. He
listened to the nothingness. A floor board creaked on the other side of the
kitchen door, causing every single hair to rise on his body. Each and every
nerve wound up tight ready to spring, but not a muscle twitched.  Holding his
breath, Kyle waited for verification that he was still alone.

A loud scuffling sound verified he was not. Grunting
confirmed the visitor was a living thing. He imagined maybe a wild animal had
entered the building, perhaps smelling the food he’d cooked earlier. From his
recollection he hadn’t seen any signs of animals on the island, but what else
could be making those noises? A human wouldn’t make those sort of noises. A
thud against the door almost shocked a curse word from his mouth. Kyle
slithered off the mattress over to a drawer where the knives were kept. Very
easy he inched the drawer open and pulled out a knife. With his back against
the cupboards he sat directly across from the door, waiting. He absently reached
up and straightened the aluminum hat from sitting crooked on his head.

On the other side of the door his visitor continued to
cause a ruckus. Chairs were shoved across the floor, followed by a loud crash
and glass breaking. Kyle imagined the boat picture was no longer on the wall or
in one piece. Then movement ceased, save for the sound of toenails clicking
across the tile and stopping in front of the kitchen door. Kyle’s eyes grew
wide. His hand gripped the knife till his knuckles turned white. An incredible
screech from outside the building rattled the window. Kyle braced for attack.
The visitor outside his door answered back with an equally deafening screech,
all the more so because it was only a few feet away. Several seconds went by
before a second screech from outside responded and Kyle heard his visitor leave
the building.

An hour lapsed before Kyle dared to move and only then
out of absolute necessity. The screeching had shattered the window and a shard
of glass now penetrated the foil. Frigid air flowed freely into the kitchen. He
removed the glass shard and quickly patched the hole before climbing under the
mound of quilts. Sleep came in spurts the remainder of the night with every
little sound shocking him back to consciousness. When his watch alarm alerted
him that it was morning Kyle couldn’t move fast enough.

Inspection of the outer room revealed what he already
knew. The picture lay shattered and broken on the ground; chairs were overturned
and misplaced. The front door had been torn from its hinges. On the floor, left
behind in the frozen blood stains was the imprint of a large claw like foot.
From this he gathered the maker of the print was some sort of animal. A big
heavy animal. Kyle stared at that print for a long time having only an inkling
of an idea of how lucky he was to be alive.

Madison and Zack could have told him.

Kyle wasted no more time wondering about his visitor.
He had a long swim ahead and was anxious to get going. This feeling of urgency
stayed with him the entire day, which mercifully turned out to be uneventful.
The sea remained calm during the crossing, allowing him to make excellent time.
Once ashore he didn’t wait for the welcoming committee or take in the sights. Having
no idea if those things from the island would come after him, he decided to
follow the exact steps he took the night before. Entering the first building
with an open door, Kyle quickly looked around. A Terry’s Wilderness Room sign
perched above the fireplace in what turned out to be a diner or restaurant of
sorts. They would have foil and foil was a must have. He went into the kitchen,
snooped about for provisions before his eyes came to rest on the open freezer
door. What little light remained reflected off the aluminum clad door of the
freezer. As the reflection of light grew dimmer an idea grew brighter in his
mind. “I’ll sleep in the freezer,” Kyle announced to the room, nodding his head
thinking this made complete sense. An hour later, camped out in the freezer
wearing an aluminum hat, Kyle finished eating cold chili from a can. He was
beyond worrying about looking or feeling stupid. In the matter of survival he
would put on a pink tutu and dance in the street if it meant saving his life;
if by doing so meant the things from the island couldn’t find him.

The night went without interruption, allowing Kyle
much needed rest. The next day he set out to search the town of Deadbear,
population one hundred fifteen. A number he knew would be closer to zero, if
not zero.

Luke sat at the side of Austin’s bed staring at the
man who was his savior and friend. Three weeks had gone by and the feeling of
helplessness was devastating. Austin had given and done so much for Luke, yet
here he sat doing nothing, except sitting; even the chair holding him up served
more of a purpose. Luke glanced at the heart monitor, still going strong. The
captain would survive this. He had to survive. “Don’t die man. We need you,”
Luke said. “I need you,” he added, his voice a mere whisper. He wasn’t ashamed
of how he felt about Austin. How do you repay someone who saves your life on
multiple occasions? Luke knew of one way, of one thing he would do should
Austin not wake up. He was going to hunt Eve down and when he found her he
would kill her.

How he would do this hadn’t presented itself to him,
but Zack could figure that part out. It didn’t cross Luke’s mind that Zack
might not be as hell bent on revenge. When it came to matters concerning the
captain, Luke’s opinions were one sided. An enemy of Austin’s was his as well.
Could be the Pope, could be the devil; Luke would side against them all the
same if they were not on Austin’s side.

Austin’s body twitched and a moan escaped his lips.
Every so often he mumbled something unintelligible. Luke thought he’d said
Roxanne on more than one occasion, but could never be certain. Austin still
wore his wedding ring. He’d never spoken of what had happened to his wife. Not
to him or Ed, and Luke didn’t think he would have shared this with anyone else,
if not them. Although, he suspected Zack knew a few things that maybe no one
else did. Things Austin confided in him for reasons that didn’t matter to Luke.
All that mattered right now was Zack figuring out what was wrong.

The door to Austin’s room opened and German bounded in
ahead of Madison. The dog had taken up post outside Austin’s room and left only
when nature called. Colin had taken to feeding him there as well, since he
refused to go to the diner where his dog dish was usually kept.

“Any change?” Madison walked over to Luke.

“No. Same today as yesterday.” Luke swallowed hard,
choking back the lump in his throat.

“Zack’s doing more tests today. Maybe he’ll find
something.” Madison rubbed Luke’s shoulders. They’d been through so much
together, she thought of Luke as family. Him, Ed and, and darn it to hell
anyway, Austin as well.

“We need a real doctor.”

“Zack’s pretty smart. He’ll figure it out. I know he
will,” Madison said this with more conviction than she believed. And her doubt
wasn’t because she didn’t have confidence in Zack, he was a genius for heaven’s
sakes, but they had no idea what they were dealing with. She wondered more than
once if maybe they shouldn’t be near Austin at all, if maybe he was contagious
and should be quarantined. This suggestion wasn’t well received when she
broached the topic with Luke, so she stopped asking, but didn’t stop wondering.
Madison pulled a chair next to Luke’s and sat down. She wanted to tell Luke
about what’d happened when she went to see Austin, but no matter how she worded
the scene over in her head everything sounded like craziness. Luke wouldn’t
want to hear that she thought Austin had changed, that something was seriously
wrong.

“Tell me about Bliss,” Madison said, deciding it best
to keep her doubts to herself for now.

“It was beautiful,” Luke replied. “Like a tropical
island.”

“Warm and sunny?”

“Very.”

Madison sighed. She missed the sun, the beach, her
mom. She missed hearing her mom nagging at her. For the longest time she had
been able to conjure up her mother’s voice. After the initial drop, when
Madison had feared she was the only human left alive, her mother’s voice kept
her going, kept her from losing her mind. She hadn’t heard much from her of
late.

“Memories fade,” Madison said out loud not meaning to
do so.

“What?”

“Nothing. Um...never mind. So tropical and what else?”
she asked. 

“Weird creatures, like dinosaurs, and giant birds with
huge colorful feathers. It was crazy, like Alice in Wonderland crazy.”

“What about the temple? And the Adita? What were they
like?”

Luke glanced at Madison, his lips pressed tightly
together. “Have you ever watched a lion stalk its prey?

Madison nodded. “Not up close, but you know on TV.”

“My dad took me to Africa when I was ten. Most kids go
to Disney World, I went to Africa. Anyway, we were riding across this open plain
when the guide stopped and pointed. Fifty feet from where we’d stopped a pride
was lying in the shade under a tree.  It was the lions and their cubs. My dad
let me use his binoculars and I remember looking into the lion’s eyes. I knew
she was looking right at me and was going to eat me. My dad thought it was
hilarious, but I had nightmares for months.”

Luke turned from Austin and lowered his voice. “The
Adita remind me of the lions.”

“Like animals?”

“Yeah, kind of, but highly intelligent,” Luke replied.
“And I don’t think we’ve seen the last of ‘em. I think they’re getting ready
for something bigger and probably a whole lot worse for us.”

“What makes you think that?”

 Before Luke could answer the overhead lights began to
flash. Madison and Luke shared a look of trepidation. Who could be approaching
the bunker? Other survivors seemed unlikely and, even more so, that they would
know how to find the bunker. Luke and Madison rushed out of the room. They were
joined along the way by Colin and Charlie. By the time they reached the command
center twelve of the fourteen bunker occupants had crowded into the room. 

“Where’s Zack?” Ed asked.

Zack burst into the room. “I’m here.”

The group parted allowing him to reach the computer
controlling the cameras. On the screen they watched a vehicle turn off the
highway onto the road leading to the ranch house. They held their breath when
the vehicle drove on to the barn and parked outside the big door. Inside the
cab were two people. Zack closed in on the driver, but as always a ski mask was
in place making recognition or identification impossible.

The driver’s door opened and the driver stepped out.

“A woman,” Madison noted.

“How do you know?” Ed stared at the person, wrapped
head to toe in winter gear, revealing nothing.

“The feet.” Madison pointed. “Too small for a man.”

Ed followed her finger to the figure’s boot clad feet
and nodded, although he couldn’t say one way or the other if the feet were too
small for a man, he knew Madison had good instincts about people, so her
assessment was good enough for him.

The woman walked up to the door and pounded on it with
a gloved fist. After a moment she looked up at the hidden camera and waved. A
wave saying come out, not hello or is anyone in there. This person knew people
were waiting inside and knew those people were watching.

“What the...” Ed muttered.

“Is everyone here?” Zack asked.

“Everyone,” Madison replied after a quick count.

“Then who the hell is that?” Zack asked, but was gone
from the room before anyone had time to think, let alone answer.

The group watched in silence. Finding survivors was as
exhilarating as it was frightening. As the current status of the group stood,
they had peace and harmony, but harmony amongst men was a precarious state. One
bad seed could turn their haven upside down. And though no one would say so out
loud, Austin’s illness weighed heavy on everyone’s sense of security.

Outside the woman waited. She no longer waved at the
camera which Madison thought odd, like she knew Zack was on his way. Madison
watched her, but she stood so absolutely still she appeared frozen in place.
The passenger chose that precise moment to exit the vehicle drawing everyone’s
attention in that direction. By the size, Madison guessed it was another woman.
Following behind her a smaller figure jumped out, one they hadn’t been able to
see.

“Oh shit. That’s a kid,” Ed said.

“I didn’t think any were left,” Luke commented and
instantly regretted saying it out loud. “Sorry Ed. I didn’t...I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Ed replied, although Luke’s words stung
like hell, he knew the intention wasn’t malicious. Besides, Ed was a bit in
shock himself. No children survivors had been found, not that they were aware, and
other than the nightmare in Lamar, they hadn’t seen bodies of children dropped
from the sky or found elsewhere. So having one show up now was pretty
astounding.

***

The barn door slid open and Zack stepped out rifle in
position.  “Can I help you?” Zack chose his words carefully, all the while
scanning the horizon for an ambush. No one came out of the woods.

“I’m looking for Austin Reynolds,” the woman responded
in a soft voice he almost couldn’t hear. In the bunker’s infirmary Austin
stirred and German’s hair rose on his back.

The woman’s response caught Zack’s full attention, as
well as those listening inside. “I don’t know an Austin Reynolds.”

“Please Mr. Londergan.”

Zack lowered his rifle. “How do you know my name?”

“Eve told me I could find my husband here. Here in
your bunker.”

“Your husband?”

“Yes. I’m Roxanne, his wife.”

“His wife. I thought you were...he said you were...”

“Dead. Yes, I know. Eve had no choice. Her father made
her lie to him.”

“Can I see your face?” Zack was beyond baffled, but
hadn’t completely lost his senses.

The woman removed her headgear to reveal her face.

“Oh shit,” Zack said upon seeing it was Roxanne or at
least she looked like the woman in Roth’s pictures.

Inside the command center everyone, especially Madison
who was intimately familiar with Roxanne’s face, watched in awe. The entire
Roxanne business had been off limits. No one dared ask or even talk about her
amongst themselves. Yet here she was at the bunker in the flesh. So focused on
her being alive, they had all forgotten about the other woman and the child who
stood waiting by the vehicle.

Zack ushered the women and child into the barn.
Roxanne waited for the child to come before she followed Zack inside. The doors
slid closed.

Inside the command center, they all turned their
attention to the screens showing the inside of the barn. They watched until the
group descended into the floor.

“I thought she was dead,” Colin commented.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Ed replied.   

Luke shrugged his shoulders in confusion. He’d been in
the temple and heard Agra say Roxanne was dead. Austin had said she was dead.
Luke didn’t like this. Those blood sucking aliens couldn’t be trusted. He
didn’t trust them. They had no way of knowing what their agenda might be, but
Luke was certain their plans wouldn’t favor the human race. The bloodsuckers needed
Austin and what better way to do so than by using his wife as bait. If she was
his wife at all.

Within a few minutes Zack called on the radio asking
everyone to meet him in the recreation room. That he didn’t bring the visitors to
the command center told Luke Zack had doubts as well. This comforted Luke to
some extent knowing he wasn’t the only one suspicious. A glimpse of Madison’s
furrowed brow told him she wasn’t convinced either.

Inside the recreation room, Zack helped the second
woman remove her coat while Roxanne knelt at the child’s side doing the same.
She did not look up when the bunker’s residents piled into the room. Charlie
and Colin were the first through the door. Jeremy helped Anne, who was ready to
give birth to twins any day now. Grace, the other pregnant girl from Roth’s
program, followed them in. Zoe, the youngest at thirteen, came in with sisters
Sue and Jane. Luke followed behind with Barbara. They stood back allowing the
new comers space, trying not to stare and make them uncomfortable. Roxanne
seemed very much at ease, as did the boy. Madison entered, followed by Ed, and
at the precise moment when Roxanne turned the boy around.

Madison’s jaw dropped open. She’d know those eyes
anywhere. “His son,” she whispered, but how was that possible? Roxanne looked
up, meeting Madison’s astounded gaze with one that was slightly less than cool.
Madison dropped her eyes to Roxanne’s neck. Her mole was there as it should be.

Ed had stopped behind everyone and couldn’t see the
two women or the boy. The group moved forward to introduce themselves and Ed
moved with the flow. When Luke stepped to the side to allow Ed passage the
world suddenly floated away from him. All sounds ceased and he felt himself
falling. From far away a familiar voice called his name. Time slowed to a halt
and then, like a speeding train, rushed back crashing into him at full speed.

The second woman, a pretty blond with bright green
eyes, walked towards him. “Edward?”

Ed found his voice. “Jenny? Jenny. It’s you. It’s
really you.” And with that Ed’s legs faltered beneath him. Luke was standing
close enough to catch him before he hit the floor.