

Fallen

J. Dursky

This is a work of fiction. Some of the names, characters, and places are based in reality but I have received written permission from all parties.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form without written permission from the Author, J. Dursky.

Cover design by J. Dursky

Models J. Dursky and Ayla Crosby

Photography by Michaela Dursky

Copyright © 2015 J. Dursky

Library of Congress Control Number 1-2511393974

ISBN- 10: 1500189111

ISBN-13: 978-1500189112

This book is based on an actual dream that I had. I usually do not remember my dreams in much detail, but this one really stuck with me. So much in fact, I was telling friends and family about it nearly six months after I had it. A good friend who is a published author himself told me I should write it down. I had never written before and wasn't even sure where to start. This friend was so supportive and inspirational that I had to give it a try.

Thanks for all your help Brian Darr, it has not gone unappreciated.

As long as I can remember I've had a recurring dream. It doesn't happen every night or even every month but it is always the same. There are times I realize it's a dream when it happens, sometimes I swear I'm awake. It seems so real. Tonight, it ends the same way it always does.

I wake up terrified, jolting from a dead sleep, sitting straight out of bed. I am covered in sweat but it can't be more than 60 degrees with the window open all night. Why does this seem to happen on nights I need rest the most? Why can't I see how it ends?

This all began four years ago, before the world changed. If I would have known then, what I know now, I may have been able to stop it just after it started. The thing that bothers me the most is that I didn't figure it out soon enough. I had the ability to prevent all of this from happening then, but I didn't know I had it, and more importantly, I didn't know how to use it.

Chapter 1

Friday Morning

I sit up in bed, rub my eyes, and run my hands over my buzz cut to remove the sweat from my head. My hair still stands on my neck. Not that anyone would notice, it's so blonde it is almost invisible. I glance at my phone to see the time, there are only three minutes left before my alarm is supposed to go off to wake me for school. I crawl out of bed and head to the kitchen. My dad has already beaten me to the toaster. I have to wait my turn.

I see the same breakfast I have before every football game, at least the ingredients to make it. He is making two waffles with butter, peanut butter, and syrup with a glass of milk. I am not a superstitious person. I just prefer having the same meal before sporting events because I know what keeps me full longest and is high in protein. My dad waits, knife in hand, ready to butter whatever is about to pop up and burn his fingers due to his impatience. I have that gene too. I have a lot of his genes now that I think about it. We are a lot alike. He was also very athletic. Back then he viewed sports as fun. I view them as a job... as a future.

He is built like I am, only in a smaller package. He wears the same old grey sweatpants he has had my whole life. I have never been a fan, I prefer something more comfortable like the baggy red gym shorts I wear. He is five feet, six inches tall and about 170 pounds. He has broad shoulders and a slim midsection. He does not work out on a regular basis like he used to, but still has chiseled features. I'm about 35% larger than he is with the same frame. I'm just a hair under six feet tall and just shy of 200 pounds.

Ever since I was introduced to organized competition in junior high sports I have been consumed by them. Not only participating in them but watching them and knowing the history of each. I consider myself a natural athlete. I pick up on things very quickly. I'd like to say it is the joy of competition, but in my book, nothing is better than winning. It is not about the fans, the fame, or the glory. It is about being in the moment, when everything is on the line and everyone looks to you to do the impossible. I work out after practice, eat right, get proper rest, and never stray from my routine. With a lifestyle like this, I am bound to get a scholarship to pay for college. Since the first football practice in seventh grade, that is all I have ever wanted to do: College sports with the possibility of going professional.

"Ready for tonight?" My dad asks. "Are you nervous?"

"A little, no more than normal." I respond.

"You'll kick ass, as usual."

"It's not the game or the team I'm nervous about. It's the scouts."

"I'll see if I can get a seat close to them to hear what they're saying about you." He smiles at me.

I laugh. As routine as this man is, I know there is no way he would give up the seat he always sits in, not even for something like that. He is a creature of habit as most of us are. He sits in the same seat at every home game, in the top row, all the way to the left side. The only thing that has changed recently is the people who sit by him.

As the toaster pops up he throws two waffles on a plate, smiles, hands it to me, and says, "You'll be fine. Good luck."

I take my plate, grab the glass of milk from the counter, and walk into the living room to eat my breakfast. I pull my food and drink close to me on a TV tray and turn on the TV. I typically watch some music video channel to try to quench my love of music. I hit the numbers on the remote to get to the channel I want without looking up. I lean down to take my first bite and hear the channel come on, but it is mostly static. I look up and it appears just how it sounds, fuzzy and choppy. This early in the morning, I don't let much bother me. I just finish my breakfast and ignore the fact the TV isn't working. I walk to my room to get dressed. I throw on a white t-shirt before putting on my jersey, it helps cut down on the abrasiveness of the worn nylon. I finish off the outfit with blue jeans and running shoes. I finish getting ready by brushing my teeth, jumping in my truck, and I drive to school.

I am always one of the first to school. I show up early for a few reasons. First, to get a good parking spot close to the locker room so I don't have to carry my football gear through the school. Second, to complete any last minute homework I didn't do the night before. And third, which is the most important, to see my girlfriend, Lila.

She is not the most beautiful girl in school. She may not be the smartest, most athletic, most popular, or anything specific that makes her stick out of a crowd. But she is mine, and I love everything about her.

I call her my unicorn. The thing that no one thinks actually exists, something that is unachievable, a myth. I never thought I would meet anyone like her, not to mention actually be with someone like her.

"Good morning Sweetness!" She says smiling. "Hold this!"

I look down to see her holding her empty hand out to me. I grab it and interlock my fingers with hers. Most people usually hand you something when they say "hold this," it is a flirty inside joke we have. She is so cute. All she wants is for me to hold her hand. I can't help but smile when I kiss her.

Another thing I love about game day is seeing Lila in my jersey. It is not necessarily seeing her in it. It's in knowing she takes pride wearing it in front of everyone.

"Hey baby, how are you? How did you sleep?" I ask.

"Not bad. Would have been better if you would have come over last night." she said.

"Yeah, so your mom wakes me up at midnight just to kick me out again?"

"Well she's not an idiot. She knows what would happen if you stayed the night. She knows we do, she just doesn't want me to make the same mistake she did, you know that. Anyway, how did you sleep? Did you have that dream again?"

I take a deep breath and nod yes.

"I wish you didn't have nightmares like that, especially the night before a game." She says as she kisses my cheek and pulls my arm. Walking across the cafeteria floor to our regular table, I get a whiff of her. I love the way she smells, and it isn't her perfume.

I don't like to worry her but I tell her I had it again. I have told her about the dream before, never in detail though. I always tell her it's hard to remember, even though that's a lie. I don't want to scare her. She clinches onto my arm and pulls me over to a table where a few of her friends are sitting to show me something. It's a giant white sign with blue letters. The sign says "I love Five." It is written in her handwriting which is sloppy enough to be a drunken doctor's signature, written on wet paper during an earthquake.

I laugh, "You are adorable, baby. I love you too."

Calling me "Five" caught on during my freshman year. Most of my friends, family, and even teachers have called me that since I got the jersey number. It is not just my number, however. It comes up often in my life, like the name of the highway I live on. A few others usually call me by my last name, Dursky.

Standing next to the table, Lila's friend Nicole has a chocolate bar and offers us each a piece.

"Ugh, gross." Lila says with a look on her face as if she just tasted something sour.

"You don't like chocolate?" Nicole asks.

"Where have you been her whole life? Everyone knows we don't like chocolate, and on top of that, she is allergic." I jump in to answer for Lila.

Most of our friends and family thinks we are strange for not liking chocolate. They look at us like we are not human half the time, when we decline specific desserts. Others think it makes us soul mates. Seems like a silly reason to me. It takes more than a dislike of chocolate to bring two people together. It is so much more than that. If having things in common makes two people soul mates, then maybe it is because we are both left handed, our birthdays are three days apart, or maybe it is because of our love for music. I could go on forever, especially about how much we love music.

The door on the other end of the cafeteria bursts open. Darr runs inside with newspapers in his hand. He wears his jersey, the same as the entire football team does today. He is probably the only one who does not tuck his jersey into his blue jeans. It kind of looks like he is wearing a jersey for a dress since he is so small.

The year before Lila and I started dating, Darr and I were driving to go snowboarding. On the radio they were talking about the local University's basketball team. That night they were playing a game against the best team in the country and had to beat them to make it to the National Tournament. One of the commentators mentioned how it was a rivalry game and referred to the opposing team as our "unicorn." He said the team we are playing always seems to find a way to beat us. It could even be our best year and one of their worst. There is just something about the rivalry that makes it impossible to get the win. He went on to define how to overcome this adversity but my mind went to using his analogy for Lila being my unicorn. It was not exactly the same. She is not some mythical beast, but I never thought at any point, I could ever have her. I explained to Darr how I felt and now with this reference he finally understood. I could see a change in him that went from a typical friend making fun of me for wanting to be with her, to now knowing what she means to me.

"Did you see this?" he asked me.

"See what?" I ask, looking over my left shoulder.

"The rankings!" He says half yelling. He is always enthusiastic about statistics and analyzing them. He tells all of the players about their individual stats, how they rank in the state, anyone who is close to setting any sort of record, and the team's stats.

I spin in the bench seat and face him. I can't tell if he is happy about this news or mad.

"No, what do they say?" I ask him.

"They jumped us. With both of us having a bye week last week! That's not fair!" He exclaims.

"Let me see it." I say.

The newspaper has a box in the lower right hand corner of the front page. Across the top it says "Iowa State Football Rankings - Class 1A."

As I look down the list I remember being number two last week. Did we drop a spot? Did we only get leap frogged? I start reading the list. We are number three.

1. Elk Horn

2. Melcher-Dallas

3. Twin Cedars

4. Moravia

5. Adair-Casey

Should I be mad that our rival, the team we must beat tonight to qualify for state, is now ranked higher than us? To be honest I prefer the idea of being the underdog. I think it will make the team play much harder, rather than having the constant confidence of being the higher ranked team.

Number two, three, and four are all from our district. Moravia has beaten us both making our records 9-1, but they had to play two games without their running back and lost both of those games. Elk Horn has not lost a football game in three years. All I can think about right now is "this game first." There are still a lot of variables when it comes to who we would play in the first round of state anyway.

With teammates, friends, and my history teacher peaking over my shoulder and staring from the other side of the table, the bell rings. This signals three minutes before first period begins. Lila grabs my head with both hands and kisses me. I love the feeling of her soft skin on my cheeks and ears when she does this.

I walk into my English class and am greeted by the teacher, Mrs. Flutterback. She has always been one of my favorite teachers. She was an athlete in her day as well. She even gives me a hard time for being the school record holder in high jump and long jump compared to me only being the long jump record holder. I take full advantage of this when I write my papers. If I write something about sports I typically get a pretty good grade.

Things have been a little awkward with her lately though. She is also a part time bartender and waitress at a local steakhouse. She does well at both jobs. I assume she makes a lot in tip money as well, she is very attractive.

The last time I went to eat at the restaurant I saw her bartending. I was with a few friends and Lila. I ordered an appetizer of chips and queso. It is typically a thick, creamy dip but this time it was fairly runny. I took a typical scoop of cheese but the chip had an odd shape to it and I dripped queso onto my hand. I switch my chip to my other hand to lick the cheese off my fingers. I do this without even thinking anything of it. The cheese had dripped between my index finger and the next one over, down into the webbing. With my palm facing me, I licked the cheese. As I focus my eyes through my fingers I see her, Mrs. Flutterback. She makes eye contact with me and immediately looked away. At this point I realized what I was doing. I was making a very sexual, symbolic hand gesture while looking in her general direction. I was immediately embarrassed. I told my friends and they could not stop laughing. I am usually a confident person who does not get embarrassed. I am comfortable with who I am and what I do.

I still have not said anything to her about it. I kind of hope it just goes away. I could apologize and tell her the story but I can never find any time to say something. Lila thinks she either didn't see it how I did, or she has heard the true story by now and I should just ignore it. She is always more conservative than I am anyway.

There are not very many classes on my schedule this year. I took most of my college preparation courses and required credits my junior year. First period I have English 3, second period is Study Hall, and periods three and four are combined into one long foods class. It is not Home Economics, which involves sewing and things of that nature. This class teaches me my way around the kitchen, proper measurements, how to maintain heat and timing of many dishes at once.

This is a class that Lila really appreciates, especially when I have homework. After those classes I have work release. I go to the local window and door factory for three hours a day and get college credit for it. It's a pretty good deal, I have a half day of school, a half day of work, and make $10 per hour. Fridays during football season, my boss does not make me come into work. He said if my teacher ever showed up to check on me, he would cover for me and say I had to run an errand to another factory. Today after all my classes I will go home and get a nap to try to compensate for the lack of sleep last night.

Chapter 2

After all my classes are done for the day I head home to relax for a little bit. I am about halfway home, listening to my favorite country station, and spacing off like I typically do when I drive the same six mile trip each day. In my rear view mirror I see flashing lights but it is not a cop. It is too far away to see what it is, but I can tell it's big. It's as big as my truck, maybe bigger. In the distance it looks black, very wide, and tall. As it gets a little closer I can make out its shape. It is an Iowa National Guard truck, a giant military vehicle that is camouflaged and has an arched ragtop over the bed. It is just like the ones you see in movies. I know we have a National Guard base in the nearest town but I've never seen one on the road except for the 4th of July parade we have every year when they typically move much slower.

I run scenarios through my head trying to figure out why it's out on the highway and where it's going. The hazard lights and headlights flashing, and most importantly, it's going incredibly fast. As the vehicle approaches, I notice it is not the only one. There are multiple trucks. I know I need to pull over to get out of the way, but the shoulders on this highway are very narrow, not more than 12 to 18 inches.

The truck comes right up to my bumper and starts honking its horn. It's hard to get a clear look at the driver, but he looks panicked in my mirror. The highway is mostly a no passing zone and I can only pull off at the next gravel road. I can't imagine what the hell can be so important that he needs around me this badly. I speed up. Since I can't pull over far enough to let them go around, I will do what I can to get out of the way. My truck is new and it is a V8. I've always wanted a good excuse to see what Venom can do. I can outrun these giant military vehicles.

I press the accelerator. The transmission downshifts, the engine roars, the tachometer approaches red, and I feel the strength of the wind coming through the cab of my truck. The force presses me back into my seat. I pull away from them like I expected but not for long. They speed up as well and before I know, it they are on my tail again. How can a vehicle that large keep up with a pickup that is only two years old?

There is only one curve from here to my driveway. It is not a sharp turn; it is a long, banked curve that can be taken at 60 miles per hour or more. As I reach the corner I am driving well over 100 and the trucks are still right behind me. Less than a mile after the curve is my driveway. It is on the left from this direction. I hope there is no oncoming traffic. My plan is to go into the left lane to let them pass without slowing them down or possibly being rear ended from slowing in their path.

As I get closer I see a car coming toward me. I can beat it to my driveway. My palms sweat, my heart pounds, and I want this to be over! I swerve into the left lane and stomp on my brakes. The oncoming car flashes its headlights and honks its horn. It feels like time slows down. I can see clearly. I have heard about things like this. Occasionally in extreme panic situations it feels like you are in slow motion so you can calculate your best option. I see the trucks going by me on the right, the car coming straight at me. I hear my tires screaming the pain they feel against the blacktop. I taste the gum in my mouth I used to cover my breath right after lunch. I smell the fresh cut alfalfa from the field my driveway runs through. I know by hitting the brakes to the point of sliding, it takes my ability to steer.

I am aware of how I am positioned physically. My hands are at ten and two on the steering wheel, my left foot presses as hard on the floorboard as my right does on the brake pedal. I know what to do. I know what will happen as I get to the gravel drive. My truck will want to go straight on the gravel instead of turning like I want it, which would put me at an awkward angle straight at the light pole and a group of trees in the ditch. I will need to react immediately upon switching from blacktop to gravel. As I make the turn I slide directly at the pole as I predicted. Stopping is not an option, I need a contingency plan, and I know what it is going to be.

I have prepared for things similar to this by purposely sliding my vehicles on ice to know how to react and the limits of the vehicle. I need to accelerate to launch the truck forward past the pole. There is nothing behind it but an open alfalfa field, nothing to hit, nothing to worry about besides coming to a stop. That is exactly what I do. The trucks pass. The oncoming car has smoke coming off of the tires just like mine. I crank the wheel to the left and gun it. I turn the corner, the truck start to slide on the gravel as I predicted. I counter steer to keep control. I make it into the drive but still have momentum. I am clear of the trees and light pole so I slam the brakes and slide to a stop.

When the smoke clears, literally, the trucks have gone past, the driver of the car is yelling profanities out his passenger window, and I have come to a complete stop in the field. That was strange. I try to relax by taking deep breaths and laying my head back on the headrest of my seat. I run through so many "why" questions in my head, almost expecting my brain to produce an answer that it does not have. I need to get to the house and check the local news or internet so see if there is something going on.

I walk to the house after parking my truck. I first hear, and then see police cars pass. They are not going the same way as the National Guard trucks. I can only see through a small opening in the trees that stand tall on both sides of the creek running through the property. They are moving so fast I can't count them, there are at least five, at most, nine or ten.

When I get in the house it is quiet. The windows are still open and the ceiling fans are on. It is not usually this warm in October in southern Iowa. You would never hear me complain about it though, it has snowed this early in recent years.

I grab the remote for the TV and hit the power button. I am not sure if it is still acting up like this morning so I walk to my get my laptop off of the kitchen counter. If I cannot find anything on TV, I can look it up online. I sit on the couch and power up my laptop. The TV is a solid black screen except in the center of the screen is a grey/blue box. In the box it says "No satellite signal." Well this sucks. If the satellite is out, there is no TV or internet. When it comes to rural Iowa and the perks of living here: ultra-low crime rate, good educational systems, and peace and quiet... Satellite internet is not one of them.

Times like this I wish I had a smart phone. I asked for one for my birthday. I text my step mom to see if she knows anything. She is still at work and she will have internet access to know what is going on.

My text reads, "Hey can you check the news and see wtf is going on around here?"

I get a reply that says "?"

I type back, "I was almost run off the road by military trucks then saw a bunch of cops going the way they just came!"

"OMG R U OK?" she sends.

I respond "yeah I'm fine, have you seen anything weird on the news?"

A minute later I get a text from her that says, "I have been in training this afternoon. Can you water my orchid? I forgot."

"Sure, I am going to lay down quick, if you find something let me know." I reply knowing good and well I will not remember to water her plant.

I sit on the couch for a second. I think about what I just went through. My curiosity has the best of me, but right now, I want a nap.

Chapter 3

I lie on the couch and try to take a nap. I have glimpses of the trucks in my mind crossed with images of how I expect tonight's game to go. I try to concentrate on the game but find myself trying to piece together the puzzle of everything that happened earlier. Before I know it, I'm asleep. As I rest, I feel safe and secure. I have an alarm set on my phone, I am alone so no one will disturb me, and I don't think I will reach a REM cycle soon enough to dream. I am wrong. I am dreaming, I can tell. It is the same dream, again. This is weird. I have never had it on consecutive days, not to mention during a short nap in the afternoon.

I look around. I know this is a dream, at least, I think it is. I can even wake myself from it sometimes. Or at least that's how I remember it. It has never been this detailed though. I smell something that reminds me of burnt rubber and cinnamon. Things seem more real than usual. This isn't a memory I have suppressed from a traumatic event in my childhood. It's possibly something my mind conjured up from all the movies I have watched.

Either way I find myself lying on a table, or maybe it's a bed. It is completely flat with no padding. I have a pillow or something similar propping my head up a little, I can't see it. It's hard to see anything because it is so bright in here. But as always, I am unsure where "here" is.

The room is bright white. It looks like a hospital room. I don't know hospital rooms well. I have always been very healthy. I have never broken a bone, needed surgery, or even rolled an ankle. I am making the connection from what I have seen on TV or patients I've visited. I can look around but I cannot move. It is probably sleep paralysis. I am glad for that since I have always been a sleepwalker.

On the right hand side, by my head, I can see what resembles a heart monitor. On my left is a stainless steel tray but I cannot see what is on it. The room seems round, with large picture windows on both sides and even a second level of them. It seems odd for a room to be round instead of square. I blink a couple times to see if it's actually like that, or if it's just my perception.

There is a door directly past my feet with yet another picture window on the second level directly over the door. I cannot look up, it is still too bright. Those aren't the only lights in the room. It looks like there are lights coming up from the floor, on the edges of the windows, and all around me. I remember this dream, what usually happens next is a doctor walks in carrying a clipboard.

Wait, this time is different. Two people walk in. Neither of them holds a clipboard. Why is this dream different? I am not afraid, I have had this dream probably 50 times before and it only becomes scary at the end when I cannot see, only feel what happens. Each time, my body jolts like I have been electrified.

The dark contrast of the people versus how bright the room is makes it hard to see any detail of them. They wear dark clothes that appear to be deep grey or black. They also wear dark goggles and surgical masks. What kind of a hospital has anything but white or blue? I have never seen black, even in my dream. They have always been white clothes.

One of them approaches each side of me. The one on my right looks like he is typing on something next to the heart monitor, it must be another machine behind it I cannot see. He does not type down like on a keyboard, he types like it is on a vertical touch screen. The other one slides the rolling tray out of the way on my left and pulls something into my view above me.

It is hard to describe. It looks large and rectangular, stainless steel on the edges, and it's electronic. I can see different colored lights inside the box. Now that I stare at it, it moves like the human arm as if the shoulder was attached to the wall. It reminds me of the light they use at the dentist's office, only bigger. I almost laugh, are they planning on cleaning my teeth in my sleep?

I feel like I am awake in this dream, as if I can get up at any moment. But I want to see how it ends. I need to see this. I have never experienced everything so vividly in previous dreams so I want to continue on. The machine on my left is pulled down to my chest. It is large enough to cover me shoulder to shoulder and neck to waist. It touches my torso. It is cold but not heavy. The arm holds most of the weight.

Once it is in place there is a flash of light on the wall behind me. It is not the same as all the other lights. It almost looks like a projector showing a slideshow on the wall. These are darker lights; blues, greens, and greys. The doctors look up at it. The rest of the lights go dim and I can now see into all of the picture windows.

They are full of doctors. I want to know why they are all watching this. I am not sick; I rarely even catch a cold. I cannot make out anyone specifically. They are only silhouettes.

The doctor on my right turns with his back to the screen. He gestures like he is giving a lecture to a college class but I cannot tell if he is saying anything. Is this an x-ray? Why would they be looking at someone who is so healthy and active? Maybe that is the reason they are doing this. Not because there is something wrong, but because there is nothing wrong.

I turn my head to the right to get a better look at the heart monitor and the doctor stops his gesturing and focuses on me. He signals the doctor on the left. I try to turn my head but it feels like I am in slow motion. I am still looking at the doctor on my right and he nods to the doctor on the left. I am now much farther than I have ever been in this dream. It has always been so hard to remember the details, but not this time.

I feel a pinch in my left arm. It feels as if I just got stung by something. The sting scares me enough to make me twitch. I have to see what that was so I force my head left. I can turn my head a little faster now. With this machine on my chest I cannot see my arm. What was that? My arm feels like fire. It also feels like ice at the same time. It tingles, like putting your tongue on a nine volt battery.

I can feel it start spreading slowly up my arm. I recognize this feeling. It is the electric feeling that sits me up out of bed. I'm starting not to like this anymore. The farther it spreads, the more intense the pain and the faster it moves through me. I don't want to see how this dream ends anymore! I just want out! I want to wake up! I try to move and concentrate on waking myself. I thrust my shoulders back and forth, but I cannot move under this box.

The electricity spreads across my chest and back, like a wave passing through my entire body. I tense up. This explains why I jerk awake sweating when I have this dream. Out of the corner of my eye I see the doctor on the right gesturing more frequently, as if he is excited. It seems as if he is trying to prove a point to all the other doctors. The wave of electricity has now passed all the way through me. It hurts so bad that I scream! It startles the doctor. He spins around and starts typing or pressing buttons on the machine behind the heart monitor. He seems frantic, like he is trying to shut it off. I cannot take the pain anymore. I need this machine off of me now. I need to wake up. From my left I see something come into view. They are putting something over my face. I let out another painful scream as lightning strikes outside my living room window and I sit up on my couch.

I say to myself. "What the fuck?"

Chapter 4

I sit on the couch and try to gather my thoughts. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and the back of my neck. My shirt is soaked with sweat, a cold sweat. I'm freezing. I can still feel the tingle in my hands and feet. It is not painful like in the dream. It's pins and needles like they fell asleep. I notice the storm outside. I don't remember them saying anything about a thunderstorm on the weather. I hope it passes before the game starts. I check my phone for the time. Either way I am not going back to sleep! My phone shows 5:24PM. That can't be right because I have to be on the field at six. I wipe my eyes to check it again. My alarm didn't go off at 4:30 like it was supposed to! I was only going to nap for 45 minutes. I check it again.

"Fuck!" I say out loud as I jump from the couch and run to the door.

Since it's only six miles to school from my house and it is all highway, it only takes six minutes to drive there. When I reach the end of my driveway I have pictures in my head of the last time I was here. The sets of black parallel lines are extremely noticeable on the road. The smell of burnt rubber is still in the air. I am in a hurry to get to the locker room but all I can think about is the dream, and the events from earlier. I don't understand what the hell is going on today. I do not need distractions like this. I have to concentrate on the game that starts in an hour and a half.

I park my truck as close to the locker room as I can. The opposing team gets to dress in the varsity girl's locker room which is next to the mine. I walk down the sidewalk to the locker room door when I hear someone yell my name.

"Dursky!"

I look up to see who it is.

"Glad you could join us. I'd hate to win tonight without you." The voice says.

I look in to the crowd of white football jerseys. It was someone from the other team. A few of them are outside getting ankles and wrists taped before warm ups. A player steps through the small crowd. It is Mike Farrell. He's been my opponent in every sport since we were kids. We also have a few extended cousins in common, not a perk of being from a rural country area.

He is a giant compared to me and looks like a grown man. He has a full beard and a clear height and weight advantage. With his size, comes strength I will never have, no matter how much I lift weights. He has always had a grudge against me I don't understand. We are probably evenly matched for number of wins and losses over our lifetime, but he still talks to me like he has something to prove.

I want to respond but do not know what to say. He's probably just trying to get in my head anyway. I walk past without acknowledging him.

When I get into the locker room, it's busy. There's a stench of sweaty football pads, athletes foot, and icy hot. I love it. I want to talk to someone about the incident on the road earlier. I want to tell someone about my dream. Everyone is in their own world getting prepared for the game. I need to focus. My future may depend on this game. I need all of them to concentrate as well. I decide to keep it to myself for the time being.

The thunderstorm has passed so the sound of thunder is replaced with heavy rock music blaring from a stereo inside the locker room. Most of my teammates are in uniform without the helmet and shoulder pads on yet. Everyone knows I like space while getting ready so no one talks to me. I get dressed and start on my way out of the locker room and head to the field to warm up.

Our uniforms are royal blue with white accents. I have one of my dad's old jerseys at home. Back then the school colors had red in them as an accent color. It was very patriotic. To honor my dad, his friends, and everyone who went to school here during that time period, I wear my own red clothing added to the uniform. I have long red socks, a red belt, and red armbands. Everyone teases that I look like a football version of Spiderman, even the opposing teams and fans. I like the added pressure, it makes me perform better. Lila says she likes it because she is able to find me in a pile of football players on the field at any given moment. I also think she likes it because she is the only fan wearing red accents and it makes her easier to spot from the end zone when I score. I am usually humble when I score a touchdown, all I do is point to my biggest fan, Lila.

As I walk to the field I see Lila. She looks beautiful. She's an amazing girlfriend. Yes we have had our fair share of fights and mistakes, but each time we learn something new about each other and grow stronger. This is not one of those opposites attract deals. We don't have everything in common. We are a perfect blend of comfort, similarities, smart ass banter, and flirty nervousness. Even after almost a year of being together she still has the ability to make me nervous and take my breath away.

I look at her and feel this way now. Her presence has a way of making everything fade away. She stands at the fence, right next to the gate I pass through to reach the field. This is the same place she stands before each game. She waits here to see me one more time. Then she goes to the bleachers with her best friend, my little sister, Ayla, to watch the game. She lights up and smiles when she sees me. She glows. I love how she looks in the travel version of the jersey I'm wearing. It's a white jersey with a big red 5 on the front and back. It's a custom jersey I made for her to help me find her in the crowd. It's large on her so she ties it in the back, which exposes her midriff. I have butterflies as I approach her. The jersey has our mascot spelled out on the front in blue: "Sabers" and my last name reaches from shoulder to shoulder on her back: "DURSKY." She has her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail, held in place with a blue and white ribbon. She has red paint on her face. On her left cheek it is simple, just the number 5. On her right is a detailed picture of our mascot, crossed saber swords. The rest of her outfit is flattering to her figure as well. She wears short jean shorts and her favorite cowboy boots. I still don't understand why she chose me, I feel very lucky. As far as I can tell, she could have anyone she wants, but she chose me.

"Whooooooooo!" She howls while clapping, and my sister joins in when she notices.

I smile at her. I love having someone who is always there for me through the thick and thin. Not to take anything away from my parents and how much they support me. She chooses to do this. They are sort of obligated. I have never stopped to say anything to her while entering the field. I have never stopped to talk to anyone before a game, so she seems surprised when I walk to her and not the gate. I kiss her.

"I love you." I say.

"You guys are so freakin' cute!" Ayla says while looking down at her cell phone.

"Thanks Seester." I reply without breaking eye contact with Lila.

"Good luck tonight." Ayla says.

I hear her but do not acknowledge what she said. I look into Lila's beautiful green eyes. She smiles again, and so do I.

"Ask your mom if I can stay over tonight." I tell her.

"I will ask as soon as she gets here." She replies.

"Wait for me after the game if she says no and I can't come over."

"Don't I always wait for you?" She exclaims with a flirty sass.

I grab her hand and kiss her lips one more time before I go onto the field.

As I walk away I hear Ayla say to Lila "I am sooo planning your bachelorette party as soon as he proposes."

With a faint reply I hear Lila say "No strippers!"

I hear them burst into laughter. They've been best friends longer than we've been dating. Lila is one year younger than me, Ayla is two years younger. They have always had the same bus route and got to know each other.

Looking over from my seat on the field in the captain's row I see Lila and Ayla run over to the bleachers and sit with my dad and stepmom. They are also accompanied with Lila's mom. I feel relaxed. This place on the field while I stretch is sort of my comfort zone. I love the sound of rock music blaring from the press box, the smell of popcorn, and the feel of the grass.

I watch as Lila runs up the stairs to get to her seat. As she turns to walk down the row I see her pass several men in distinct colors. I get a knot in my stomach as I realize who they are, college football scouts!

Chapter 5

Sitting on the 40 yard line, on the end closest to the home team bleachers, I am stretching my hamstrings when the music stops and the announcer comes on the loud speaker.

"Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just received official word from the Des Moines Register, this game contains 11 of the 22 First Team All-State football players. There are several second team winners and honorable mentions as well, but since we are running short on time I will try to get through this before the game starts. The visiting team, the Melcher-Dallas Saints have five of the first team all-state players. As I say your name and read the newspaper description, please make your way to the midfield line so we can honor your milestone achievement.

First is the only player from the offensive side of the ball. #12, CJ Pace, this 5'10", 235 pound pocket passing quarterback has thrown for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions on the season.

He is accompanied by four all-state team members on the defense. #32 Jeremiah Crosby is a 5'10", 170 pound sophomore. This lock down cornerback earned his place with 72 tackles and 6 interceptions so far this season.

#50 Travis "T-Walk" Walker is 5'10" and 300 pounds of pure defense at his defensive tackle position. He is third in the district with 138 tackles and 19 sacks.

#69 Mike Farrell is the kamikaze pilot of the defensive line at defensive end. 6'4", 250 pounds with a 4.6 second 40 meter time, he crushes plays before they start and keeps quarterbacks from wearing white socks, if you know what I mean...

Lastly we have #61 Dillan Navin at middle linebacker. This kid is a machine when it comes to stopping the running game. He is 6'1" and 260 pounds. He leads the district with 161 tackles and has recorded 14 sacks. The Melcher-Dallas First Team All-State! Give them a round of applause!"

The crowd applauds the athletes.

The announcer gets a little louder "And now to reveal the six All-State athletes from YOUR TWIN CEDARS SABERS!"

The crowd screams!

"No surprise that the Wildman himself would make first team, #14 Josh Ford, who is two time all-state football and pitcher in baseball has made it as the quarterback again! This 5'9", 175 pound all around quarterback is as dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm. No doubt in anyone's mind after this record setting season finishing first in the state with 2,381 yards passing, 38 touchdowns, and 548 yards rushing with 11 touchdowns, and only one interception on the year, he was a clear choice for first team!

#33 Fullback, Adam Curry, 5'9" tall and 185 pounds may seem small for his position but has made his mark by not only opening holes big enough to drive a semi through, but having 66 carries for 528 yards and nine touchdowns, first in all categories among fullbacks.

Offensive Tackle and occasional tight end #69 Brenton Milledge is 6'2" tall and 230 pounds of pure "you're not going anywhere near my quarterback!" Linemen typically don't have the statistics to put them clearly above their opponents. Not only did Milledge not allow a sack all year, he snatched up four fumble recoveries and returned one for a touchdown. He has also caught four passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

#9 Brian Darr, the slipperiest fish in the pond. Most of us know him as Darrfish. Men this small typically cannot play the position he does. Usually being too small means getting injured, but that is not the case for our Darrfish. He earned that nickname from being so small and incredibly difficult to tackle. Standing 5'7" tall and 140 pounds soaking wet. Based off his size, speed, and agility, it seems to be impossible for most teams to tackle him. Every time they get their hands on him he slips right through like trying to catch a fish bare handed.

The last two All-State positions are sort of hard to explain. Especially since this has never happened before. We have someone who has earned first team all-state on offense and defense both! He is not new to being chosen as all-state, like Ford, he is a multi-sport all-state athlete. Previously he has been a state qualifier in track and field for multiple events with his most recent accomplishment being the state champion in the long jump in last year's state track and field meet. This individual leads all receiving categories for the state with 1,904 yards on 37 receptions and 23 touchdowns. He also has 205 yards rushing on 13 attempts with four touchdowns. Not to mention two passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball he has recorded 3 sacks, 111 tackles, and 13 interceptions earning his place in history by becoming all-state as a six foot, 197 pound wide receiver and cornerback, you know him by the number on his jersey, the first all-state iron man, Number Five, Joey Dursky!"

With all 10 athletes at midfield the crowd cheers from both sides of the field.

I look around. I am filled with adrenaline and energy! I have prepared for this since I was 12 years old. Everything that happened this morning is gone. The dream has faded from my mind. Even the announcement has gone in one ear and out the other. My dad told me once, if you are good at something, people will tell you. You have no need to tell anyone how good you are. It helps to keep me humble.

The two teams move to opposite ends. We both stand shoulder to shoulder on opposite goal lines for the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. My mind is set on only what is in front of me, the game. I feel my fingers and toes start to tingle. The same tingle I had when I woke up from my dream this afternoon. I don't let it faze me. I often have physical reactions to nervousness or adrenaline. Hell, Ford has thrown up before every single sporting event since we were kids.

As the song ends and the crowd roars both teams make their way to the sidelines. Coach gathers everyone in a circle to choose the play to run on the kickoff return. As he is calling the play the mild tingle I was feeling once before has grown more intense. The feeling is rising up from my fingers and toes to my elbows and knees. Lightning sparks in the west. Is there seriously another storm coming? I don't want the storm to come. I think the weather is perfect how it is now. The sun is setting behind the storm clouds, I can't smell the popcorn from my location, and it's replaced with the smell of fresh rain on the grass from earlier today. The lights of the stadium are almost at full power. A second lightning bolt crashes to earth. This one is even closer than the first. I feel the wind pick up. I hear the roar of thunder. This isn't good. They don't cancel games for rain but they will if there is lightning within 11 miles.

The school is surrounded by corn fields on three sides. The fourth side of the property is a medium sized patch of trees maybe 15 square acres or so. This means the highest objects in a 20 mile radius are the light poles on the football field.

Lightning strikes for a third time. This one is very close! It is so close the announcer tells the football teams to go to the locker room and for the fans to wait in their cars. We will post pone the kickoff until the storm passes. As soon as he finishes his sentence the rain starts coming down. It comes over us like a tsunami wave. It is one giant black wall hitting all of us at once. The fans shriek as they try to cover themselves and get to the parking lot.

I have always loved thunderstorms. In fact I wrote a love song to Lila entitled Thunderstorm. I jog toward the locker room but can't help but notice I still have the tingling feeling. The hair on my neck stands up, as do the ones on my arms. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Something is not right. The highway to get to the school is just around the corner from the locker room. As soon as I get to the door to enter the locker room, I hear sirens. It is not a tornado siren. It sounds like police vehicles but the wind is blowing so hard I can't tell for sure. Instead of entering the locker room, I step around the corner... I see a line of police cars, trucks, and even a few under cover vehicles all heading the same way.

I feel pounding in my head, ringing in my ears, all I see is darkness, and my back is cold. I hear noises that sounds like people talking underwater. I open my eyes and see a crowd of people standing over me. I am lying on the locker room floor.

"What happened?" I ask.

Chapter 6

My coach is the first person I recognize. He has a confused and concerned look on his face overtop of me. I see a woman with a name tag on my left. She is very pretty and looks familiar. Her name tag says Sabrina Hogan in bold block letters. I know her, she is a paramedic.

"Try not to move." Coach says. "Are you ok?"

I look around. I am next to one of the benches close to my locker. I am surrounded by coaches, paramedics, and some of my teammates. I see Ford and Curry. They are in street clothes.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"We still don't know." Sabrina tells me. "No one saw what happened to you."

"Saw what?" I ask as I try to sit up.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Coach says.

They help me sit up. All my muscles are sore. I ask again, "Someone want to tell me why I am lying on the floor of the locker room?"

Coach and Sabrina look at one another. Without breaking eye contact, coach says. "We think you may have been struck by lightning."

Sabrina raises her eyebrows and shrugs her shoulders. "You should have some sort of burn marks on you but I couldn't find any."

"What!?" I ask. When I raise my voice I feel a pain go through my body.

"And the game has been pushed back to next Friday due to lightning taking out one of the light poles on the field."

Coach stands from my side and tells the players in the locker room, "looks like he is going to be ok. Go on and head home you guys."

I wipe my eyes and try to stand. My muscles ache. I do a self-assessment. Other than the feeling of two day old lactic acid in my entire body, I am uninjured.

Sabrina performs the typical checks an EMT would do. She checks my heart rate, blood pressure, reflexes in my knee, and looks into my eyes with a light. Everything checks out. She can't find anything wrong with me.

"Maybe you didn't actually get hit by the lightning. It could have just been close enough to knock you unconscious. I suggest you go to the hospital just to be safe and you shouldn't drive." Sabrina tells me.

"Ok, I will have Lila take me." I respond, thinking to myself there is no way in hell I am going to make my parents pay a medical bill when she just told me she cannot find anything wrong with me.

I get dressed and walk to my truck. The parking lot is almost empty. There are a couple vehicles spaced out down to the end of the parking lot, and two that are side by side, parked just past the corner of the building. The vehicles are my truck and Lila's car. Even our vehicles look like they belong together. My truck is black with chrome accents. It has an effects kit on the sides that resemble the tattoos I have on my right arm and left leg. They are just flowing shapes that fit the panels they are placed on. I got the tattoos first. The truck having the kit already on it was mere coincidence. I did not have any tattoos until my 18th birthday and when I went to get them I thought, go big or go home. My parents made me a deal that if I qualified for state in all four events in track and field, they would take me to get a tattoo before I turn 18.

I qualified my sophomore year in high jump, long jump, 400 meter hurdles, and I ran the first leg of the 4x100 meter relay for our team. They held up their end of the deal about letting me get a tattoo, but still made me wait until my birthday of my junior year. I am the oldest one in my class. I started school a year late. The only medical procedure I have ever needed was getting tubes put in my ears. I don't know too much about it, only that it needed to be done. Whatever it was, it hindered me from starting school when I was supposed to.

I ended up spending my entire birthday in the tattoo parlor getting tattooed by two guys who were more ink than skin. One tattooed my lower left leg, from my knee down to my ankle. The other worked on my right arm. It is more than a full sleeve. I call it my front right quarter panel to anyone that asks. It is the best way to describe a full sleeve that expands to my chest and back. Both tattoos are black. I just like the contrast of black ink on white, heavily freckled skin. Even from a distance you can see what mine are.

Her car is clearly a girl's car. She drives a sporty looking black car that smells amazing on the inside. It is always very clean and has nice chrome rims.

I see her through the windshield. I could not normally see into her car in the dark but I see the light from her cell phone glowing on her face. There is someone standing at her driver's side door. I can't tell who it is from here. I can hear them talking but can't make out what they are saying. When I am a few feet away I can see it is Darr.

"What's up Darrfish?" I ask in a playful voice.

"Oh, hey, I was just telling Lila about your shocking personality. I think instead of Spiderman we should call you Electro." He says.

"Spiderman's enemy? No way!"

Lila jumps out of her car, almost hitting Darr with her door. She doesn't say anything. She just wraps her arms around my torso. I stand there for a few seconds just holding her. Nothing else in this moment seems to matter. I could do this for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy, and if I asked her, she would say two lifetimes. I hold her in my arms. I can smell her hair. Even after it is rained on, it still smells good. She is nearly the same height as me. I love how we feel in each other's arms. She rests her chin on the corner of my shoulder and neck as I lean my head against hers. She leans back and looks up to say something and I kiss her.

"Well that answers my question, if you are ok or not." She says with a smile, yet concerned look. "But seriously, how are you feeling? What do you remember?"

"I feel fine, kinda sore I guess." I reply. "But I don't remember anything."

I search my memory for the last thing I saw, heard, or felt.

"The last thing I remember is looking around the corner of the school to see the cops go by." I say. "Have you heard anything about what they were doing? Or the military trucks headed into town today?"

"Yeah, Ayla told me she heard there was some sort of accident down at the depot. Something about a National Guard train car tipping over. I don't think anyone got hurt."

"Can I come over for a while before weekend curfew kicks in?"

"Yeah, come over, mom said you can stay."

"Well, let's go. Darrfish, I'm out Bro. You lifting tomorrow?" I ask as I walk around Lila's car.

"Yeah, I'll be there."

I nod at his answer.

"Ready to go Babe?" I ask Lila.

She doesn't say anything. I think she can see on my face that something is bothering me. She rolls up onto her tip toes and kisses me.

"I will meet you at my house. Oh, text your parents, I don't think they've heard anything but if they do, I'm sure they would freak." She says as she turns to get in her car.

I get in my truck and follow her out of the parking lot. I press the AM/FM button on my radio to listen to some music. It doesn't make a sound so I turn up the volume. I hear the melody of my favorite country song. It's hard to make out though. It's laced with static. I press the CD button instead. I have the same band in my CD player, I can still listen to it regardless.

I roll my window down. Its dark now, the storm as passed once again, and it's the perfect temperature.

Once we both get to her house we go to her room. It smells just like her car and has the soft hum of a fan running in the corner. We can be in there together but the rules of the house are to have the door open and at least one light on. My muscles ache as I sit on the corner of her bed. They hurt more now than they did in the locker room. She changes clothes in her bathroom. I am still wearing grey gym shorts and a black and red Spiderman t-shirt. She comes out of the bathroom in her pajamas. This is when I think she looks her best. She wears soft little shorts and a tight white tank top. I love how it hugs her skin and shows her curves.

With her school spirit makeup removed, and hair down, she walks straight over to me. I put my hands on her hips as she stands at the corner of her bed. As she leans into my hands I wrap my arms around her lower back and rest my head against her chest.

She wraps her arms around head and neck. She kisses the top of my head and says "You really scared me tonight. I have thought about losing you before and I'd be lost without you."

"Baby, I'm not going anywhere. Nothing could keep me from you, not even being struck by lightning." I tell her with a smile as I try to ease her worry.

"It's just, I have always pictured our lives together, growing old, and holding hands in rocking chairs on the porch." She says with seriousness in her voice.

"I know, I do that every day. You know you're the reason I wake up excited to go to school right?" I say smiling again.

She gives me that "I know" smile back and pulls me back into her warm body.

"Hey baby..." She starts. "You know what I'd like right now?"

"Umm... I can think of a few things I think we'd both like right now!" I say with a big grin.

"Can you play my song? It would really mean a lot to me. The first time you played it, you didn't let me know beforehand it was about me. Remember how I made you play it four times in a row when I found out? You became my hero once I learned the truth and you made me believe in soul mates." She says.

"I don't have my guitar in my truck babe, I'm sorry. Or else I would." I tell her.

She leans back and looks at me. Her eyes light up, she smiles and her eyes go to the space between her wall and bed.

I look over and see the edge of what looks like a black guitar case. She steps back so I can go see. I pull the case up from the floor and set it on the bed. I am in awe. Did she really buy me a guitar? I pop the case open and inside is a brand new Taylor Acoustic-Electric Grand Auditorium cutaway guitar. My eyes open wide! It is a dark brown guitar, the wood grains are very defined, and I have told her I wanted this since the first time she heard me play guitar. She smiles knowing how badly I have wanted this guitar.

"I was going to give it to you tomorrow for your birthday, but after tonight I just want to hear you sing my song and not have to wait until tomorrow to give this to you." She says softly.

"I am speechless baby. Thank you."

I grab it from the case and sit on the edge of the bed. It feels cool in my hands. I pluck the E string. It is out of tune. Lila doesn't know how to play so she couldn't have done it for me. It has a built in tuner so I turn it on and pluck the string again.

I tune the remainder of the strings, this guitar sounds amazing, it feels amazing, and it gives me butterflies that she would do something so thoughtful. As if I didn't love everything about her anyway, she never ceases to amaze me. She is the type of girl who doesn't want material things. Granted, she won't say no to them. But if you wanted to see her when she is at her peak of beauty mixed with pure joy, give her something of sentimental value.

On our six month anniversary I gave her a picture frame that houses four smaller pictures. One of the pictures is of a stage with a band on it from the very top row of an arena. It was taken by me, from about the eight o'clock position of the arena. Diagonal from that picture in the frame is the concert ticket. The other two frames house pictures of us we took while we were waiting for the concert to start. It was the first concert we saw together on her birthday last year. It was her favorite country band. She melted when she saw I made it for her.

I clear my throat and strum a couple chords. It is an honest story about how nervous and excited I am when I am around her, yet how lonely I am when we're apart. I have written a lot of songs over the years, most come out too personal for me to ever play for anyone. This one happens to be exactly how I feel about her, masked in something we both love. I play her song, Thunderstorm.

If you would like to hear this song please visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MntHMXO524M

Or

Search Youtube.com for Dursky Thunderstorm

I hate the hot summer days when it's too bright to see

Then it starts to cloud up and you can finally breathe

You can feel the wind change you smell the rain in the air

And I love it every time when you come near

And the closer you get makes me wanna hide

Underneath the covers somewhere inside

Then the lightning strikes and everything gets warm

When you're with me it has the same effect

And you make the hairs stand on the back of my neck

I can feel you in my heart just like a thunderstorm

I get so nervous; I'm so scared I'll fail

But I'm fallin' for you just like a piece of hail

I'm so excited, I can't predict a thing

The way you flash and bang is perfect in the rain

And the closer you get makes me wanna hide

Underneath the covers somewhere inside

Then the lightning strikes and everything gets warm

When you're with me it has the same effect

And you make the hairs stand on the back of my neck

I can feel you in my heart just like a thunderstorm

You're gone away and I discover

All The knocked down trees and great big mud puddles

When you are around me I am scared half to death

But when you are gone away it's like I can't take a breath

And the closer you get makes me wanna hide

Underneath the covers somewhere inside

Then the lightning strikes and everything gets warm

When you're with me it has the same effect

And you make the hairs stand on the back of my neck

I can feel you in my heart just like a thunderstorm

When I finish playing I have a rush of adrenaline crossed with butterflies in my stomach. I have joked with her before that the butterflies in my stomach have faded away, only because they were eaten by pterodactyls. The guitar is awesome, I don't deserve this. And that doesn't even compare to the woman in my life. What did I ever do so right to have someone this perfect for me? I don't need to question it. I just need to never take it for granted. I never plan to.

I look at her and she has tears in her eyes. I know it means a lot to her. I wrote this song for her two years before we started dating. The first time I played it for her she liked it. She thought it was a well written song but didn't realize it was about her until I showed her the email I sent to myself as a sort of copyright.

"Your mom really said I could stay? Is your dad ok with it too?" I ask.

"Dad is out of town, back in Vegas to visit my brother, and mom said its fine as long as you sleep on the couch."

Her mom is not naïve. She knows how long we have been together. She assumes we have been intimate. Now that I think about it, right before my dad had "The Speech" with me, he had talked to Lila's mom after a football game. They were this age once and understand first love.

I remove my socks and climb into her bed. She joins me under the covers, cuddles up next to me, and lays her head on my chest. I love this position. I love how we fit together no matter how we lay. She rolls away a little and clicks her lamp off.

"Shhhh... Don't tell mom." She smiles as she kisses me.

Before I know it, it's nearly morning and I never left her bed. Shit! We are going to be in trouble.

"Baby..." I say softly to wake her.

"What?" She replies without opening her eyes.

"Its morning, I have to get home."

"Ok..." She says with a deep breath. She does not seem to be concerned that we broke one of her mom's rules.

"Call me when you are done with your errands. I should be done working out by then, I want to see you." I climb out of her bed.

"Ok, Happy Birthday baby, I love you." She says smiling at me with one eye open.

"Thanks! I'll see you later." I close her door behind me and leave.

Chapter 7

Saturday Morning

I make it home before the sun rises. I lay back down to get a little more sleep before my day begins. I wake to the sound of my alarm. It's 8:00 AM.

I didn't have any dreams last night. No dreams I can remember anyway, that's a relief. Saturday typically begins with meeting Ayla for a run on the bike trail between our houses. We are half brother and sister, having the same mom but different dads. She lives with her dad, I live with mine and my stepmom. Our mom was good at getting pregnant but not the best at raising kids.

When I sit up I am still very sore. I can feel it everywhere, in my calves and forearms especially. A good long run should work a lot of the lactic acid out of my muscles. I get dressed for my workout. I prefer loose fitting clothes when I do anything physical. I grab a grey T-shirt with red and white letters from a slow pitch softball team I play on in the summer. I cut into a tank top, a pair of black gym shorts, my running shoes, and sunglasses.

I step outside. It is warm, sunny, and there is a light breeze. It feels more like early September than late October. This is perfect work out weather to me.

The place we meet to run, from an overhead view, resembles a peace sign without the circle. The vertical line of the peace sign has my house at the top and her house at the bottom. The path to the left heads towards the school. The path to the right goes past the depot. I jog to our meeting place and she drives. When I get there I am usually winded, this makes us pretty evenly matched and she can keep up during our workout.

I get to our meeting place and her car is already there. She is usually outside stretching her legs when she gets here first. There is a small parking lot next to the intersection of the paths. It is marked by telephone poles lying in the grass. Just behind that is a two room building, a restroom, with running water and a drinking fountain on the outside. I walk up to take a drink. I glance back at Ayla's car and see her driver's side door is open. I don't see her in the car or anywhere in the area. I bet she is in the bathroom.

I hear a scream from just inside the tree line behind the restroom. "Aaaah! Get away from me you son of a bitch!"

I run through the trees toward the voice. I hear the voice again screaming. "I said get away!"

It's Ayla, but I don't see her. She is so far from the path, off in the trees. Who is she screaming at? I see her behind a tree kicking her right leg at something on the ground with her hands on her hips.

"Ayla!" I yell as I run up to her. "What the hell are you doing?"

As I get to her, I see what she is screaming about. Between the trees, in a little patch of grass, I see it. I grab a stick off the ground to hit it. She needs her big brother to save her.

"Kill it!" She yells.

"It's not even poisonous." I tell her as I put the stick between her and her foe. "It's just a Rat Snake."

"I don't care! I hate snakes!"

I tap the snake with the stick to prompt it to slither away. I can see why she would be scared of the snake if it surprised her. They are not the friendliest creatures in the woods. This one was about five feet long and solid black. I look back at Ayla and she is tying the draw string on her athletic shorts. She dresses like she is prepared for the work out. She wears her running shoes, blue shorts, sleeveless T-shirt that says something about volleyball on it, and she has her long blonde hair up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face while running.

We walk back to the intersection of all the paths. "Which way do you wanna go?" I ask.

"I want to run by the school to see the light pole that got struck, oh my god! I completely forgot, are you ok? What happened last night? Oh, and happy birthday!" She says.

She always talks fast and throws out a lot of information at once. One of the few things I pick on her about. She is also the kind of person who has to include a compliment with each negative thing she says about someone.

"Thanks, and I'm still not sure, I don't remember anything. And I want to run by the depot. I heard about the accident, I want to see it." I tell her.

"Let's go check it out!" She replies.

"What the hell were you doing out in the timber?" I ask, with raised eyebrows.

"The bathrooms were locked and I had to pee."

"So bad you couldn't close your car door?"

"What? No, I closed it. Are you messing with me or was it really open?"

"Yeah, it's still open, I didn't close it."

We walk back to the parking lot to inspect her car. The door is closed. Maybe the wind blew it shut, or maybe someone else on the trail closed it for her.

"Sooo, brother, are you confused about the difference between an open and closed car door? Cause that looks closed to me." She says sarcastically.

"Smartass!" I say as I try to burn her with my eyes. "Let's go."

We start down the trail. It's paved, six or seven feet wide, and has a white line down the middle to separate people going in opposite directions. Most of it runs through the woods with the exception of a few bridges that open it up to only water on both sides. It contains a few hills, a good number of turns, but for the most part it is pretty straight forward and easy to run. As we approach the first bridge on the trail I am reminded of a time we were chased by a goose.

We were on an easy run early in the spring and came across a woman pushing a stroller towards us. I still don't know what she said for sure as we ran past her but it was something about turning around. When we reached the bridge we found out what she meant. There was a mother goose in the middle of the bridge with three baby geese.

Ayla got the bright idea to approach the goose to try to scare her to the end of the bridge so we could pass, much like I did with the snake. When Ayla was about ten feet away from her, she stopped, clapped her hands, and started yelling at the bird. The goose spun around to her, started hissing, honking, and flapping her wings with her chest out. They had a standoff. I stood back to see how this played out. I have dealt with an over protective goose before. I was excited to see this because I knew I would remember this moment forever. Ayla stomped on the wooden planks that the bridge is constructed from and clapped her hands again.

The goose charged! Ayla screamed and ran toward me. The goose was faster than she looked. She caught up behind Ayla, but a little off to the side. She hissed and tried to bite her. Ayla screamed and jumped. She tried to run faster but the goose bumped her legs and kept slowing her down. I was laughing hysterically from the end of the bridge. The goose was so persistent she somehow tripped Ayla and started biting her legs. I thought I better actually help her at this point. A goose bite hurts, but without fangs it typically doesn't pierce the skin, just leaves welts and bruises. I ran up and got the attention of the goose. She was distracted just long enough for Ayla to get up and run away.

The thought makes me laugh out loud. Ayla gives me a confused look.

"I wonder if we will come across your little friend today..." I say jokingly.

"Shut up!" She says between breaths.

"She is probably waiting for you at the end of the bridge!" I tell her. When we get to the end of the bridge I say, "Oh shit, here she comes! HONK!" I do my best goose impression and pinch her triceps. Ayla shrieks and swings her arm forward away from me, then tries to punch me. I laugh and so does she.

We get close to the depot and it seems quiet. That is strange for a place that crashes steel box cars into one another 24 hours a day. The entire property is surrounded by a chain link fence with barbed wire at the top but that is nothing new. It has always been high security since some guys went drinking on top of a few of the train cars a few years ago. One of them got hurt, they all got charged with trespassing. Since then they have added all sorts of security measures. Even the employees are required to wear badges with pictures. It seems a little overkill to me. I look and listen closely. There is no wind and I don't even hear birds. The silence and lack of movement is eerie.

Chapter 8

I don't see any movement. I don't think Ayla sees any either. I am sure she would point it out if she did. She is not shy about pointing out the obvious. We walk along the fence to see if there is anything strange going on inside. Maybe they shut it down from the accident. I don't know how one train car tipping over could shut an entire corporation down for the day.

"Let's split up, we can both go half way around the property, then head back, which will cover more ground. As exciting as this is, I have better things to do today." I say with a playful tone.

"Yeah, me too. I want some breakfast! I am starving!" She replies. "I'll go this way and stay on the path."

"Just go to the edge of the first pond and then come back whether you see anything or not. I'm going up the hill to maybe climb a tree and get a look at the entire property."

I head west, to find a good view point. I keep checking inside the fence as I travel around the property. My curiosity has the best of me. I hope I see the accident that I heard about. I wonder if there are any National Guard trucks here. I don't see anything yet. There is still an eerie quiet. It makes me a little uneasy. I approach the bottom of the hill and see a good path. I'll use this as an extra workout. I sprint up the hill, juking trees and dodging branches. I do everything in my power to avoid running my face through spider webs that may run between branches. Running into a web face first seems to be scarier than the actual spider itself. I have done it before while looking for Morel mushrooms in the spring. When it happens, it scares me so much I instantly turn into some screaming, 11 year old, light footed, ninja, Girl Scout, spider slayer and sprint away peeling the web off of my face as quickly as possible. I make it to the top of the hill without a single spider web catastrophe.

Now I need to find a good tree to climb. The leaves have been changing colors for quite some time now, but not all of them are on the ground. I cannot just look through the trees. I need to climb a big one to see over or through the rest of the trees to see if there was anything that even happened here. There is a giant Oak tree that will give me a good vantage point but there are no branches low enough to grab. The lowest one is even too high to jump to straight off the ground and reach. I think if I can run at the tree and kick off of it, I can reach the branch. I back up as far as I can, still having a straight line to the tree. I run at it, jump off the ground with my left leg, kick and thrust myself upward with my right and reach for the branch. I grab it. Now, to start climbing. I have always been very good at climbing trees. I navigate through the maze of branches and make my way as close to the top as I can. If I get too high it may not support my weight. The final branch I stand on is very thick but I put my foot as close to the base portion of the tree as I can. A "Y" or a fork are the strongest point of any live tree.

I have a view of the entire property from here. I see Ayla over by the pond straight across from me. I scan the area to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. This isn't easy. I have never looked at it from this angle. There are containers, train cars, buildings with pipes running between rooftops, silos, and things of that nature. I look over the property like I am reading a really good book. I pay close attention to every detail, intensely scanning top to bottom from my angle, and left to right. I look over the entire area. I don't notice anything out of the ordinary, other than no noise or movement at all. Then I see something. There is movement. I am so far away it is hard to see. It looks like a person walking. It is not Ayla, I can still see the defined colors of her white t-shirt, blue shorts, and blonde hair. She is walking around the pond. I wonder if she can see them from her angle. Whoever it is wears darker clothes than Ayla and me. They do not walk like someone who is working. They do not walk like they are on patrol or looking for something. They are just walking. I see Ayla stop. The dark figure turns its shoulders toward her. It starts running toward the fence, towards Ayla. She turns and runs the other way, back to where we split up. I have to get to her, NOW!

I climb down the tree as fast as I can. Climbing down is not as easy as climbing up. I get down to the first branch I climbed up and jump out. As I impact the ground I roll forward to lessen the impact on my ankles and knees. I run down the hill, as fast as I can. I can no longer see the depot from here. I am not looking anyway, only concentrating on navigating through the trees as quickly as possible. Whatever is going on right now, there is a giant security fence between them, and Ayla is fast. She shouldn't have any trouble getting away.

When I get around the fence to where I thought Ayla would be, she is not there. I'm breathing too hard to stop and listen. My heart beat throbs in my ears. My lungs burn for more oxygen. I yell her name, and look around. I still don't see her. I think of what I would have done if I were her. I run down the path, she probably ran to her car. It is over a mile away from here but it is the safest thing in the area. I am not running at full speed. I feel the need to look around and listen. If she is still in the area I do not want to get all the way to the car, only to come back.

Not more than 400 meters down the trail I stop. I see her. She is off the trail in the woods. I don't know what she is doing. She is sneaking forward, looking at the ground, like she is trying to catch something. It seems like she is trying some sort of a stealth attack on something. She lunges forward and disappears behind the brush that is between knee and waist high to her. I see her pop back up and take off at a full sprint running parallel to the path.

"Ayla!" I yell at her.

She immediately shifts her attention from whatever she's doing, to me. She is close enough to me that I know it's her, yet far enough I cannot see any detail on her. She steps behind a tree, as if she is hiding from me.

"Ayla, what are you doing?" I plead to her.

I know she can hear me from this distance. She peaks around the tree, we make eye contact, and she tucks back behind the tree again. She seems afraid. I am so confused.

"Hey, this isn't funny. What are you doing? What happened with the person who ran at you? What were you chasing in the weeds?"

She doesn't reply, she doesn't make a sound. Something isn't right here. I get goose bumps. I walk into the woods to get a little closer and see if I can figure this out. Walking through the trees I look around a little but never take my eyes off the tree for more than a few seconds at a time. I am less than ten feet from the tree, I am not silent, and I know she can hear me coming. The leaves on the ground crunch under my running shoes, the plants whoosh against my legs as I walk through them. The tree is wide enough for her to stand behind without being seen but I see her crouch behind it. This exposes her knees and the top of her head. She has to be playing some sort of stupid game, I don't know why else she would hide from me.

I take one more, slow step toward her and as the leaves crunch under me, she reacts! She rockets out of her crouched position and lunges at me. I jump backward as she screams and rushes at me with her hands out. I swat at her hands as they reach for me. I walk backward, not letting her out of my sight. She doesn't look like her anymore. I mean, I know it's her but she looks completely different. Her nose crinkles, her lips curl up, and it looks like a snarl. She stops and tilts her head back and breathes in through her nose. Is she smelling me?

She looks angry, her eyes are bloodshot, and she hisses. She snaps her jaw at me. I feel like I have become her new prey. I should have let her chase whatever she was after in the weeds. She lunges at me and I cannot back up fast enough. She moves like a rabid dog jumping up onto my chest and knocking me down. I struggle to defend myself. I want her off of me but I do not want to hurt her. I don't understand why she is acting like this. She has her right hand on my left arm, fingers wrapped around my biceps. Her left hand is on my chest. I feel her fingernails pierce my skin. I let out a yell. I can feel her weight shift and I use that to my advantage. I have a flood of even more adrenaline than was already present in my system. I have my right hand on her ribs, my left is bent at 90 degrees with my forearm pressed against her throat. She leans down wanting to bite my neck, pressing her full body weight from her throat, onto my arm. This position allows me to shove her with my right arm and roll to my left, pressing my heels into the ground for leverage. With her small frame and the extra surge of energy I have running through me, I shove her into the air and she hits the ground rolling backwards.

I climb to my feet. I want to say something to her. I want to ask her so many questions. I don't know what to say so I turn and run in the direction of the trail. She starts to chase me. I picture her face as I run from her. She seemed so angry. Her eyes were more bloodshot than I have ever seen eyes look, almost completely red without a hint of white in them, and the scream did not sound like her voice. I run at almost full speed to get away from her. It has always been very easy for me to outrun her. She is fast for a girl but then again, I am fast for a guy. I am full of adrenaline, running through the trees very quickly. I don't hear anything but my own breath and heartbeat again. There's no way she kept up with me. I should be far enough from her to attempt to look back to see if she is still chasing me.

I slow for a second to peak over my shoulder and she is still right there. She screams at me again. It is a low, rough scream. It almost sounds like a growl. She claws at my shoulder and pulls at my shirt. She is desperate to get me to stop, but I think she would try to hurt me if I did.

I get back to the path and with a hard step I pivot and turn right, a move I am familiar with from football games. Ayla is not prepared for the sudden direction change and she's thrown off balance and stumbles into the ditch on the opposite side of the trail. I heard her fall in the weeds so I turn to look. As I do, I see a man in an all-black outfit behind us on the path. He is covered from head to toe. No portion of his athletic frame has skin showing. He looks more equipment than man. He wears a black helmet, goggles, a face mask like a pilot, and backpack with a communication radio attached to one of the straps, Kevlar vest, elbow pads, padded gloves, knee pads, long pants tucked into big black boots. Oh, and the most important thing, an assault rifle, aimed at me.

Chapter 9

With a semi-automatic weapon pointed at my chest, I see Ayla. There is a noise coming from the man's radio. It sounds like half voices, half static. I am unable to make out what is said. It must have been directed to him because he answers the call.

"Affirmative, one Fallen, one unconfirmed."

Ayla shifts her attention away from me and to the man. I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I need to get Ayla's attention back so he does not kill her. Would he kill her? Would he kill me?

Before I can do anything Ayla charges the man, screaming. It happens like Deja vu. Only this time is from a different point of view. It's like she doesn't know he is some sort of military. It's like she does not see his gun. I step forward to do something, I don't have time to think it through. He pulls the rifle up to his shoulder and with no verbal warning, he fires.

I see Ayla's head go back, her scream is silenced, and her body falls limp to the pavement. I can't believe what I just saw. My mind goes blank. I don't know what to do. I look at Ayla's body on the ground. I feel overwhelmed with fear, sadness, and rage. I can tell I am going to explode. Still looking at Ayla, I notice the man turn his gun to me. I cannot hold it in, I am panicking. I scream. "Ayla!" I charge the man without thinking. It seems like he doesn't notice me moving towards him. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion, just like the near car accident yesterday.

I hear a squeal, it sounds like feedback through an amplifier. It is coming from his radio. It sounds like it is malfunctioning. He covers his right ear and turns his head as if it is extremely painful being that close. I take two more steps and swing my fist at him. I don't know where he is vulnerable with all of his armor and pads so I want to hit him somewhere it still has a chance of hurting him.

When I was a kid my dad showed me a weak spot on all humans, the Xiphoid Process. He explained to me it is a place that even a small boy could hit a grown man to win a fight. It is a small, triangular shaped piece of cartilage that is located right at the intersection of your Sternum and Ribcage. Even pressing on it lightly is painful. If it breaks it has the ability to puncture or lacerate the diaphragm and/or the liver. This can cause lethal hemorrhaging and instantly stop anyone in their tracks. He instructed me to only use this as a last resort in a fight or if I felt my life was being threatened.

I bend my knees, throw my body weight forward, drop my torso low enough to be almost even with his chest, and strike. The blow hits him directly where I aim. The man lets out a noise, similar to the sound most humans make while throwing up. I can tell it knocks the wind out of him. He groans and stumbles back, but his upper body moves back faster than his legs. He falls to the ground. With the rage and adrenaline running through me, I feel stronger than usual. The man I punched is larger than I am; he is also carrying probably 40 pounds worth of equipment. Hitting him felt good, but only for a second.

I want to hit him again. I don't want to stop hitting him; he needs to be punished for what he has done. I don't know what was wrong with Ayla, but with all the equipment and training he has, he should have been able to defend himself without just shooting her. He didn't need to kill her. She is just a girl. Where did he come from? He is too big to be the man I saw from the tree. What happened to Ayla when that person saw her in the depot station? I'm missing something.

I step towards the man to hit him again. I'm still pumped full of adrenaline. He is no longer groaning. He is not moving, not even his chest. He looks unconscious. Thoughts run through my head of the possibility that I killed him. That isn't possible, I can't hit hard enough to kill a man. Let alone with a Kevlar vest and only one punch. I look back at Ayla. She lies completely motionless on the ground. I hear the man's radio go off.

This time I understand what is said. "Ranger Krier, Report. Did you find the target?"

I walk over to listen closer. "Ranger Krier, do you have a copy? We are sending backup to your location."

I see a rectangular patch sewn on his vest with dark green letters, "Krier." They were trying to communicate with him. Not more than a few seconds later I hear what sound like footsteps on the ground. Someone is coming... It sounds like a lot of them.

I don't know why the thought crosses my mind, but I grab his radio off of him. I turn it off, I may need this later and don't want to waste the battery. I hear the boots against the concrete path getting closer. If they see me I assume they will they kill me. Or maybe capture me. I don't want to stay to find out. On the other hand I don't want to leave Ayla. I can run back to the car and get out of here. I can't. I need answers, and I can't leave Ayla here. I run towards them, towards the bridge, I can hide under it.

The steel beams that hold the bridge in place are rusty. Remnants of red paint still left in a couple places on the rails. The earth underneath the bridge is dirt. It feels cold against my body. Plants only grow where they can get sunlight. My best bet is to get under there, crawl back as close to the path as I can to get completely out of sight. I hope. When I make it into the best location and get into the most comfortable position I can, I hear footsteps hit the bridge. They stomp across and I hear the steps sound less like rhythm and more like popcorn popping. They must see the bodies. I don't bother trying to get a better look. It isn't worth getting caught.

I hear them reach the path and the stomping stops.

I hear one say, "Approach with caution, if they have turned, they are extremely dangerous and you are authorized to use deadly force."

A man replies, his voice muffled by a facemask. "No symptoms General. One deceased, one unconscious."

The clear voice speaks again, "I'm not taking any more chances, get this body back to the base and burn it. And get that body to the infirmary but strap it down. If it wakes up as one of those things, I want Dr. McNeal to examine it."

Chapter 10

The group of military has gone. They have taken the bodies with them. I don't think I can get into the base I heard them mention. I am sure they would have an insane security measure. It is a military base after all. The main reason is because I have no idea where it is located. I wait until a few minutes after I cannot hear footsteps or voices before I move from my position. I climb out from under the bridge and run back to Ayla's car.

I know where she hides the key to her car while we run. It is in a little magnetic box up under her front bumper. I reach under the car and grab the box. I pull the key out and place the box back under the bumper. I sit in her car and put the key in the ignition. Where do I go? What do I tell the first person I see? Should I drive to the police station? I feel wetness on my cheek, I start to cry. I have spent my whole life protecting her from the world, and now I've failed her when she needed me most. Why did I have to go there today? Why did I ask her to split up? I start to blame myself, and cry harder.

I can't stay here. If they happened to see me earlier they may be searching for me. I start the car and start moving. I need to find Lila. I need to tell her what happened. Together we can figure out what to do. I drive in the direction of her house. To get there I have to go past the high school. It is not far from the depot, less than two miles as the crow flies. I wish I had my cell phone on me so I could call Lila. I hope she is home. The clock in Ayla's car does not work. I don't know what time it is. It feels like it has been hours, I am sure Lila and her mom are done grocery shopping by now.

I try to think about Lila to get my mind off of Ayla. It isn't enough. I need a distraction so I turn on the radio. I don't know the stations programmed onto the presets of her stereo. I press number one. I don't hear anything coming from the speakers. I raise the volume. Still nothing. Does the stereo in the piece of crap even work? I press number two. Nothing. I press three, four, and five. I hear static. The speakers work. Why don't the first four have static? I would think there should be some sort of sound.

I look up from the stereo as I am approaching the school and when I focus my eyes on the road, I see a quick flash of something rolling up the hood into the windshield. I feel the jolt of the impact, hear the crunch of the metal on the front of the car and crack of the windshield, and see blood. I hit something.

I stop the car, I can't see through the cracks and the red smears on the windshield. I get out of the car to see what it was. Was it a deer? A dog is too small to come over the front of the car. First of all, which way did it go? Did it slide back off the front or did it roll all the way over the back of the car? I check the back first. Suddenly I get a flash of Ayla in my mind. What started as a nonchalant inspection has quickly turned to a high alert search. I don't have anything to defend myself if it is something unexpected.

There is not much in the car I could use. I see a backpack. It looks like it has some weight in it. I can tell it's a couple books by the corners poking into the fabric. I grab it off of the seat through the rear driver's side window that is down. I hold it by the little loop at the top up by my chin and clip the radio inside a mesh pocket on the side of the backpack. I face my knuckles towards my face, letting the weight of the bag rest on my forearm, this way if something is there I can use it as a shield. I can also swing it as a weapon if I need to create some distance. I get to the rear of the car. Walking very quietly and slowly, I make it all the way to the trunk. I don't see anything. I look at the car. There is no blood or marks on the trunk lid. It must be at the front of the car.

I continue around the car in a circle. As I am on the passenger's side, still back by the trunk, I hear a girl scream from by the school. I turn to look and I see a pretty looking athletic girl running from a muscular red headed boy in gym shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. I look closer. That looks like Milledge. What is he doing? He is not that fast, he is a lineman. The girl is slender and tall, with long red hair, and should be able to out run him. He seems way faster than normal.

I have played sports with him my whole life. He is not big by lineman standards, he is actually quite slim compared to most, but he is very muscular and strong as an ox. Has he become whatever Ayla became? The girl runs into a clearing and I get a better look, Lila!

Chapter 11

The school is made up mostly of brick. It is only one story but is very long stretching east to west. It's a combination of the Junior High and High School. The elementary is across the parking lot. The school is so small there is no middle school. In fact, I did not know what a middle school was until I was about 15 years old.

Before I can get a word out to yell at her, she runs into the front door of the school. Milledge is closing in behind her. I don't even need to think about it. I throw the backpack on and cinch down the straps so I can run without it bouncing on my back. My legs feel heavy for a second. I don't know if it is from the supposed lightning strike, the morning run, the climb up the hill and the tree, or the events that happened right after, but they feel like logs.

This is no time to become weak. I have to get to Lila. I cannot let her suffer the same fate as Ayla. The more I run the better my legs feel. Before I know it the feeling is gone and I'm moving very fast. It has now become a mind over matter situation. To get to her, I don't want, I need, to run fast. I feel my heart rate increase, my breaths shorten, and I am there before I know it.

I get to the front door of the school and see blood. The entrance of the school is made up two sets of double doors you open from the middle. There is only about six or eight feet between the sets of doors, clearly designed to stop the cold Iowa wind from entering the building during the winter. All four doors are made of one large piece of glass each, except the right ones no longer have solid panes. Around the edges from waist height and down, there is blood. On the inside of the door is a solid metal bar sitting horizontally across the frame, this is used to open the door from that direction. My best guess is that Lila made it inside, closed the door behind her, and Milledge broke through the glass. He must have ducked under the metal bar and cut himself on the way in.

What is Lila doing at the school? I thought she was with her mom grocery shopping. I get inside the school and try to figure out which way she went. It does me no good to run full speed if I run the wrong direction. The first area I reach after passing both sets of doors is an intersection. Forward would take me into the gymnasium. To the left is the cafeteria with a short hallway which contains only the art and music rooms. To my right is the main area of the school. All other classrooms are down this one hallway.

The lights are off. It is the weekend after all. It is not completely dark though either. The sun is out, so any room with windows will be easy to navigate. I try to follow the blood on the floor. He is bleeding badly. Well, someone is...

I see the blood trail go to the left, into the cafeteria. There is just enough light in the room to see the outline of most of the things in the room. The largest portion of the light in the room is sunlight from the hallway in front of me. The rest of the light comes from the two pop machines and one vending machine in the corner to my right. Together they all sing in harmony with their low hums, so it keeps the room from being too quiet. I feel uneasy when it is too quiet. I hate silence. The only other noise I hear is the light squeak of my shoes. It makes a sound like I have just come inside from rainy weather. However it is not raining. It squeaks from the blood on the floor I had to walk through.

I enter the room to look around. I see the blood trail coming in but it is so dark I lose it around the corner. The cafeteria has four ways out. The doorway I am currently standing in, straight across from this door is another door and the hallway leading to the art room at the end, three o'clock from my position is a set of double doors that swing inward to the gymnasium. At about the 1:30 mark from my position is a grey steel exit door that leads directly outside to the parking lot. That is the door I enter every morning when I get to school and the same door I exit when I leave.

I try to think like Lila. If I were being chased, which way would I run? I think logically because I know she would too. I would run from the front door to the exit door in the cafeteria. It makes sense to try to lose someone in the shadows and get back outside where there is more space.

I think for a second. If I walk to the exit door, I can open it to let more light in, and see if the blood trail is at the door. I start to walk across the room but stop about one third of the way. If she lost him in here, he may still be here. I stop and listen again. I listen for signs of movement, breathing, dripping, or sign of life in the room. Only the hum of the vending machines fills the room with sound.

I slowly make my way across the room. The only light in this corner is the red exit sign. It is too dark to see anything, I need to rely on other senses. The only sense that benefits me in this situation is hearing. One step at a time, I listen carefully. Not only do I listen for an immediate danger, but I listen for any signs of Lila. I take a few more steps. The door has never felt so far away when I walk this way to leave school every day.

Arms outstretched, my eyes open wide as if it will help me see in the dark, I reach the door. It feels cool on my skin. I slide my hands down to the horizontal bar. I feel something wet, blood probably. I open the door, I see blood all over. It is on the ground, the door, and the walls next to the exit.

Before I can step out, I see someone by the corner of the building. Actually, it looks like there are several people. They are too far away to recognize, but they wear outfits similar to the one I saw Milledge wearing. Then it hits me. The football team is here. We were supposed to meet at noon to lift weights. The whole team does not show up every Saturday. It is usually just the seniors and a few juniors or anyone who wants to go above and beyond to become a better athlete. It is not required by the coach. We do it on our own. I push the door open a little farther to see if I can tell who it is out in the parking lot. The door makes a loud high pitched creaking noise. They turn toward the sound. It looks like Ford, Curry, and Travis Delaney. They start moving towards me, first as a walk, then a run.

I bet Lila thought I would be at the weight room, which is why she is here. If she ran through the cafeteria and out this exit, she would have a clear shot outside to make it to the weight room. But if they are all acting like that, like Ayla was, it is only a matter of time before Lila is too.

I know my three teammates are running straight at the door I am standing behind so I pull on it until it clicks. It's a security door. It cannot be opened from the outside if it is shut without a key.

Chapter 12

I go into the hallway by the art room. It is nice to have more light. I feel a little safer. I take a deep breath to evaluate my plan and right when I feel relaxed I hear a loud bang! They must have reached the door I just closed. I hear pounding, scratching, and odd vocals. They are not talking. It almost sounds like they are fighting over the right to the door. I am perfectly happy with them staying right outside that door while I look for Lila.

Walking into the sunlight I feel warm and energized. I cannot be careless. I still don't know where Lila or Milledge are located. I can still hear the three pounding outside the door but this doesn't mean I can make as much noise as I want. I walk to the end of the hall to exit the building. The horizontal bars on the doors that release the latch to open the door are chained together. I typically don't enter the school itself on the weekends. Is this door always chained shut when there is no school? Regardless, it seems odd. It already latches shut and takes a key from the outside. Why does it need to be chained and padlocked?

I have to turn back. I have to get past three fine-tuned athletes scratching, clawing, and pounding at the door to get inside, in the dark. I'd rather not have to backtrack, but it's my only option. The noise at the door stops, I stand at the line on the floor where the light stops and the darkness starts. I let my imagination get the best of me and take off running. I forget about the blood on my shoes and the puddle on the floor. As I turn to exit the front door I slip. I hit the floor hard and slide another 15 feet down the hall. I hear a scream as I get next to the front door. It sounds far away. It is probably from the back side of the building, the weight room; it's a woman's scream, Lila!

I run around the building to the main entrance to the weight room and see something even more strange. There are four guys, teenagers, all extremely athletic, and they are fighting. They have very odd behavior. They yell at each other, but not in English. They are not speaking any language. They just yell and scream like the loudest one wins. The yelling quickly turns into a physical altercation. It is four of my teammates, Ford, Curry, Delaney, and Milledge. Each of them is a different height, weight, and strength. They start to fight one another.

This is unbelievable! Milledge is covered in blood. It looks like he is bleeding from his arms, legs, and even his head. They don't fight like boxers or mixed martial artists. They fight like wild animals. They puff up to look big to one another, claw for each other's necks, and snap their jaws like they want to bite one another.

They face one another and pace around a little. They are all watching each other like they are patiently waiting to attack. Before I finish the thought in my head Curry lunges at Ford. The collision knocks them both down and Delaney jumps on top of them. Milledge uses this opportunity to attack Delaney. He is easy prey with his back to him. Milledge leans down and bites his neck. I hear a scream. I think they can still feel pain. Milledge pulls his head up and has a bloody piece of flesh in his mouth. Delaney rolls off the pile and stands up to Milledge. He isn't even covering the wound in his neck. Milledge looks like he is chewing. I think I am going to throw up.

Delaney swipes his right arm sideways in front of Milledge as to claw him and I see a spray of red. Delaney has something in his hand that is dripping blood. He is the strongest of the group, I would expect him to win but he is wounded badly. Milledge stumbles and spins toward me as if he is giving up and trying to leave. I see what Delaney did, he ripped out his throat. It is gushing blood and Milledge cannot breathe.

The fight seemed to fatally wound them both. Milledge falls to the ground, and Delaney turns back to Curry and Ford still fighting on the ground but he looks weak. He falls on the gravel parking lot before he can get to them.

Ford and Curry are still going at it. It reminds me of a dog fight. I catch a glimpse of Curry as he rolls once, he has an eyeball hanging out of its socket and appears to be missing an ear. I don't want to watch this anymore. It's sickening. These are my best friends!

If they are all out here, maybe Lila made it back inside. I use this distraction to try to get into the weight room while they are busy with each other. I will just stay along the wall and go into the front door. The door is propped open, like usual, since there is no air conditioner in the weight room. I can hear music playing as well. Whatever happened to these guys, happened after they started lifting. So far, I have only seen these four. I have no idea how many teammates came to lift today.

I get into the weight room and I don't see anyone. At least I don't need to be quiet in here with the music blaring. I check the bathrooms. She is not in there. I check behind every machine that she may be able to hide behind. I don't see her anywhere. There is only one more place I can think to check. Under the desk in the corner. It's where Coach usually sits to plan our practices and create new football plays. I walk over there and peek around the corner. Before I can get too close Darr pops out from behind, holding an empty curling bar in both hands. He swings it at me and I duck under it!

"Whoa! Darr! It's me!"

"Where are they? What are they?"

"They are outside fighting each other. I don't know what they are. They're acting very strange."

"No shit! Milledge tried to kill me but got distracted by something and took off in another direction."

"I saw him chasing Lila. Have you seen her? Who is here today?"

"Just me, Ford, Milledge, Curry, and Delaney. And no, I haven't seen her."

"Where the fuck did she go?" I ask myself out loud.

I want to tell him about Ayla. Being my best friend he has always loved her as a sister too. Maybe that is something he doesn't need to know about. It will be as hard on him as it is me.

"Get home, stay low, I will find Lila and we will meet at your house to try to figure this out."

"Ok."

We walk to the door to go back outside. Before I can step outside I am face to face with Ford. He is calm, like he is tired. His clothes are frayed and ripped in places, he is dirty, and covered in blood.

He has his head down like he is inspecting his shoes. He leans into the threshold of the doorway with most of his weight. He is not breathing hard. Even as a great athlete I would expect him to be breathless from fighting. Behind him I see the other three lying in the gravel parking lot. They are motionless, bleeding, and do not appear to be alive. I prepare for him to attack me. I take a slow step back. He looks exhausted from the fight.

I see him sniff, either because his nose bleeding or he is smelling me like Ayla did. He looks up and sees me. His expression goes from calm to rage in a split second! He reaches for me, his upper body moving toward me quicker than his lower body. He has an injury on the leg he tried to step forward with and his knee seems to buckle. His body falls to the floor and his head bounces off the rubber mat that covers the room. His body seems to be completely worn down like the soreness I typically feel the morning after a game. I know he would kill me if he could, I assume he can if he is proportionally stronger than Ayla was when she was in the same state, but I still do not want to hurt him. I jump over him to get out the door. He rolls over from the face down position and lets out a long, slow, groan as he reaches for me. I feel sorry for him. He is one of my best friends and I would never wish this on anyone.

Before I even have a chance to look around I see a car leaving the parking lot. It's Lila's car!

Chapter 13

I make my way back to Ayla's car. It's still parked on the highway where I left it. I see blood on the ground in front of the car. It's a large pool like something laid there and bled for quite some time only to get up and walk into the field across the street. The strange thing is, the bloody footprints look human.

I throw the backpack into the passenger's seat and get in the car. With the blood and cracks on the windshield, I can hardly see at all through it. I use the windshield washer fluid to wipe the blood off. I can see better now that the blood is gone, but it still has the cracks.

"Don't freak out." A little voice from the back seat says.

It makes me jump. I am already on edge with everything that is going on, and now someone is in the back seat of Ayla's car talking to me.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" I ask.

"I'm sorry, I got in the car when I saw it sitting by the trails. I needed to hide and the bathrooms were locked." He says.

"You needed to hide from who?" I ask. That makes sense why I saw the car door open and Ayla didn't.

"The men who took my parents and sister, and the Fallen in the woods." He says.

There's that term again. "Fallen." I need answers and he may have them. It is funny to think with everything that is going on around me, my best shot at learning what this is, comes from a little boy. I put the car in drive and turn around in the school parking lot. I still need to get to Lila. I need to protect her, I need to tell her about Ayla.

"Come sit up front. What's your name?" He looks like any other boy. He wears jeans and a t-shirt with a super hero on the front. He is probably 11 or 12, dirty blonde hair, and seems calm considering what is going on.

"Jensen."

"What do you know about what is happening around here?" I ask.

"I don't know. I am not from here. I have been staying in an army base. My parents took me and my sister there about a week ago because of the nightmares I've been having..."

"Nightmares, what kind of nightmares?" I ask interrupting him.

"I don't remember, my mom and dad tell me that I sleep walk a lot, I talk and scream in my sleep, and I wake up outside sometimes. So, they took me to see a doctor." He tells me.

"They took you to a doctor on an army base?" I ask.

"Yeah, Dr. McNeal. She is a doctor on the military base that specializes in brain waves."

"They took your parents? I'm confused."

"They said they just wanted to run some tests on me and my sister and I can see them when the tests are done. They said it would only take a day. It has been way longer than that. I kept asking to see them, but they won't let me. They said they took my mom and dad to a different base so they didn't interrupt the tests."

"So that's why you ran away?"

"Yeah, my sister came to me in my room yesterday and said I needed to go get help. She is older than me but she can't walk and hasn't been able to since her accident. My sister said if one of us could get help it would have to be me."

"How did you get out of the base?" I ask.

"Through a ventilation shaft in the building and a little hole at the top of the barbed wire fence. I snuck out last night."

As he is explaining this to me, we pull up to a stop sign at a T-intersection. There has been a car accident. There are several cars either in the ditch or sideways in the road. Upside down in the field I see a military truck. It looks like the same type of truck that chased me down the highway yesterday. Given the circumstances I would probably just drive past to get to Lila, but of all the cars on the side of the road, her car is one of them.

"Stay in the car, lock the doors, and only open the doors for me, I need your help later." I tell him as I get out of the car.

A few steps from the car and I hear them lock behind me. I run to Lila's car. She isn't in there. I look around, no blood, no damage to her car, where is she? I hear people talking behind me. They are at the military truck but they must be on the other side. I run over and step around the overturned vehicle. It is Lila; she is pulling a man out of the windshield of the truck. I rush over to help.

"Lila!"

"Baby! Oh my god!" She says as she turns from a man on the ground and puts her arms around me. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I tried to call you but couldn't get through!"

"We need to get somewhere safe, we can't be out here like this." I tell her.

"He's right." Says the military man as he finishes crawling out of the truck.

He climbs out of the truck from a hole where the windshield used to be and stands. He wears a military outfit but does not look like a soldier. He is about my height, scrawny, with medium black hair, and glasses. The patch on his chest says Dr. Hunter. He stands to face us and when he does, he has a look of absolute shock on his face.

"It's you!" He exclaims.

"Me?" I ask feeling very confused.

"Yes! You're the one from the video!" He replies.

"What video?" Lila asks looking confused, turning from him to me.

I shrug my shoulders and shake my head with a confused look on my face as well.

"The Ranger that found you on the trail, you and your sister, was it? He had a video camera on his helmet."

I look at Lila, I feel like she will see the fear in my eyes. She doesn't know about her best friend yet. I need her to know but I do not want to break the news. I get a knot in my stomach, I feel light headed and dizzy.

Dr. Hunter continues what he is saying, looking at me. "We have watched that video many times over the last few hours and we still can't explain what you did."

"What I did? What about what that Special Forces asshole did to my sister!?" I step towards him yelling.

He steps back and puts his hands up like he didn't do anything wrong. He looks afraid of me.

"After the gun was fired, the video turns to static for a second. When it comes back on, it shows you, extremely blurry, running at the camera and striking the ranger. Now, that part can be chalked up to a technological glitch, but the damage done to the soldier cannot be explained." He says.

"He said on the radio, she was Fallen. What does that mean?" I ask.

"What are you two talking about?" Lila asks me.

I look at Lila. I don't know how to say it, I want to tell her about Ayla. What does he mean it can't be explained? All I did was punch him in the chest. I take a deep breath to try to explain everything to her, but before I can say anything we hear a noise coming from the opposite end of the overturned vehicle. It sounds like a groan and heavy breathing. We all turn to look at the same time. It is a soldier, probably from this truck we stand next to, and he has that same look. He is Fallen.

Chapter 14

Dr. Hunter yells. "Run!"

We all three turn to run as the soldier notices us. He is fast, like the others I've encountered. We run back to the road, towards Ayla's car. I see the boy, still in the passenger's seat. I tell them to run to the car so we have some sort of plan. The Doctor and Lila cannot run as fast as I can. They cannot run as fast as the soldier chasing us. I can't let them get caught, I need them both. I slow down to let them pass me. The boy steps out of the car to warn us.

"Behind you!" He yells.

I think the Doctor can tell I am slowing to protect them both and as he passes me he runs next to Lila and tells her, "Don't look at him!"

That is smart, looking back will only slow her down. I look over my shoulder and see him gaining on us. He is fast enough and close enough, I have to give them time to get in the car. I try to distract him by changing directions slightly. I want to use the cars sitting around as defense and cover. If I can get him to follow me, hide for a second, then get to the car, I may be able to get away without fighting.

My change in direction does not deter the soldier. I yell at him, he does not even peek in my direction. He still chases Lila and the Doctor. I lost ground by changing directions and now I am in last place in the race to the car. I have to catch him!

I feel a surge of adrenaline. My hands and feet have that tingling feeling again, and I sprint. Stress, fear, and adrenaline seem to trigger something in me that makes me feel like everything is in slow motion. I catch him in no time but what should I do when I reach him? He is dressed like the one that shot Ayla. I do not think there is a weak spot from behind. I do the only thing I can think of on short notice. I jump in the air to kick him in the spine.

As all four of us approach the car, Lila, the boy, and the Doctor are on the passenger's side. The Fallen and I are still running towards the driver's side when I kick him. I put all of my speed and weight into the dead center of his back. I feel his body under my heel as I thrust my leg out with every ounce of strength I have. He rockets forward into the front quarter panel of the car. The force of the impact puts a man-sized dent in the car and the tires screech a little from moving sideways on the pavement. He falls to the ground. He lies motionless, but he is breathing.

I reach down to grab his radio as I catch my breath. This soldier does not carry an assault rifle like the one from earlier but he has a pistol in a holster on his side. I grab that as well. I do not want to be caught defenseless again. I clip the radio on the elastic band of my shorts.

Lila runs to my side of the vehicle and wraps her arms around my torso and I return the gesture. I hold her to my chest. Should I tell her about Ayla? Should I just enjoy the moment and not ruin it? She pulls back from me a little so she can see my face.

"Why weren't you at the school to work out?" She asks me.

"I was, I just came a little late. I umm..."

"What is going on around here?" She starts to cry. "They killed my mom."

"What? Oh my god baby! I'm so sorry." I tell her.

"We were at the grocery store." She tells me through her tears. "We had just finished checking out and were pushing the cart to the car. Everyone in the parking lot was running in all directions and screaming. We didn't know what was happening. We tried to get to the car to leave and a woman grabbed her and bit her arm."

"I didn't know what to do, I was scared. I ran to the car. I wanted to get the car and drive it to her so she could get in, I couldn't get back fast enough. They were all around her by the time I got there." She cries harder.

"It's like they were fighting over her. They were pulling her in all directions, I couldn't watch. They pulled her apart and ate her." She buries her head into my chest and sobs.

"I am so sorry babe. And I don't mean to add to it but I need to tell you about Ayla." I start.

I have tear in my eyes, not only from the story she just told me, but from what I am about to say. "Ayla is gone. She became one of them and was shot by a soldier. She attacked me on our run by the depot, she almost killed me. She seemed really strong and incredibly fast when I tried to get away from her. I don't know what is happening but..."

"It is the Myocyte." The Doctor interrupts me.

"What?" I ask.

"As most people know, we do not use 100% of our brain, or 100% of our muscle fibers, known in the scientific community as Myocytes. We can, and do on occasion use them all but they are usually times of extreme fear." He tells us.

"So, these things are super strong?" I ask.

"Yes and no. We don't use all our muscle fibers in a particular muscle at once because they get damaged when we use them. If the muscle becomes weak, it hinders the ability to continue using the muscle, making it difficult for our human survival. At times it is possible to use all the muscle fibers at once but only possible for very short instances as it requires lots of energy which is stored in the muscle. The muscle will often break down after the action where it may not be possible for the muscle to be used for several weeks or even months. It's a subconscious effect and is not possible for a person to do it consciously." He explains.

"How can they do it then?" I ask.

"They can typically only do it shortly after they become Fallen. But it is based off of how athletic they are to begin with. A person with a higher body mass index would burn through the muscle fibers more quickly than a thin person. So, the more energy that is expended, the weaker they become."

"That makes sense on why Ford couldn't attack me, he fought off three others just like him." I turn to Lila. "And that explains why Milledge couldn't catch you."

"How did you know that? Were you there?" She asks.

"Yes, I showed up as you ran in the front of the building and I was in the weight room as you drove away."

"I was looking for your truck, I didn't see you."

"I had Ayla's car." I say.

We all turn when we hear a groan. There are more Fallen around here. We need to go.

"Get in the car! We are going to my house to try to figure this out, besides it will be dark soon." I tell the boy, the Doctor, and Lila.

I expect Dr. Hunter to object to going anywhere but back to the base he is from, but he does not. This makes me question his motives. Does he want to help? Does he want to capture me? Is there something I have not contemplated yet? Regardless, he has answers.

Chapter 15

In the car, driving to my house, no one says anything. In fact, they all seem to be in shock. Not the type of shock from witnessing a death, an accident, or even seeing an amazing sports play. They have a look that is the type of shock like they saw a ghost.

"What?" I ask the Doctor sitting in the passenger's seat.

"I get it now." Doctor Hunter says. "I thought it was the camera messing up before. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it."

I look back at Lila who sits behind him. I'm confused. She leans forward from her seat to put her head up front. I see Jensen out of the corner of my eye, he seems afraid. I don't blame him. There are a lot of crazy things going on right now.

"Yeah, how the fuck did you do that?" She asks me.

"Do what? Kick someone in the back? I was in Tae Kwon Do when I was a kid..." I start to explain.

"No, how did you move that fast?"

"I don't know, adrenaline?" I tell them. "I didn't feel any faster, actually, I felt slower."

"Enough of the adrenaline rush I had, what's going on around here Dr. Hunter? What are they? What do they want?" I demand.

"We still don't know. What we do know is that it does not affect everyone the same way. Some people it does not affect at all, obviously. When it affects someone it seems to overload their brain which causes them to lose all higher brain function. This makes them revert to their most basic instincts. Essentially, they become wild animals. But, it is not a virus. It is not transferred by touch, cuts, bites or even the air. It is not biological or chemical. We don't have a name for it so we named it after the closest thing we know of in the scientific community... Our best guess is that it travels through the nervous system. We call it Pandiculation. It is a reflex consisting of the simultaneous inhalation of air and the stretching of the eardrums and diaphragm, followed by an exhalation of breath."

"What does that even mean?" Lila asks him.

He continues his explanation. "It is still hard for us to try to understand. Do you know what the most contagious thing on the planet is?"

"A cold?" Lila answers from the back seat.

"It's not an illness of any kind, but it is contagious." The Doctor answers. "In a study published recently, of those exposed to it, 29% caught it and then repeated the action."

He looks at all three of us like he expects one of us to have the answer. He looks back and forth between us. Jensen refuses to make eye contact with him. He just sits there with his hands folded in his lap. I wonder if they have met before. I look at the Doctor and lower my eyebrows at him, I don't want a riddle, I want an answer.

"A yawn?" Lila answers in the form of a question.

"Exactly!" The Doctor says.

"I don't get it." I say.

"To be honest, neither do we." The Doctor says.

"We have not been able to study them for very long but what we think we know is, when the brain overloads, the eyes absorb light from the visible spectrum and somehow refracts it in a way to convert it to a different form of electromagnetic radiation." He pauses and looks at each of us.

He continues, "The eyes change the light, then reproduce the light. How the eye usually works is, they detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptor cells in conscious vision connect light to movement. In higher organisms the eye is a complex optical system which collects light from the surrounding environment, regulates its intensity through a diaphragm), focuses) it through an adjustable assembly of lenses) to form an image, converts this image into a set of electrical signals, and transmits these signals to the brain through complex neural pathways that connect the eye via the optic nerve to the visual cortex and other areas of the brain.

Only, whatever is going on now, this process, isn't visible to us. It comes out as extra-long wave lengths such as infrared or extra short wave lengths like ultraviolet."

"Wait, was that even English? So let me get this straight, they lose who they are and want to kill everyone like they are some kind of a Zom..." I start.

"Fallen." He interrupts. "We refer to them as Fallen."

"Okay, so, when one of these FALLEN," I glare at him. "Looks at you, you turn into one?" I ask.

"Not necessarily." He says. "Again, it is like a yawn. You don't ALWAYS yawn when you see someone do it. It has nothing to do with how smart you are or what you are doing at the time. All we know is, it's very contagious! 99% of those who look, become Fallen. Well that is my best guess anyway. I assumed it was 100% until recently."

I think back, had I looked Ayla in the eye? I did, I saw how bloodshot they were. I saw that in both her and Ford. I must be one of the few it does not affect. Or possibly a delayed reaction. Since I have already looked twice I am curious if it will happen if I look a third or fourth time. I don't want to take any chances, I will not look them in the eyes.

We pull into my driveway and park the car. The Doctor pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and pokes the screen a few times.

"I wish we had a signal. The storm that passed last night seems to be circling the earth. I think it is messing with the earth's atmosphere. We have never seen anything like it. It does not follow the normal jet stream and is larger than anything I have ever come across. It may have something to do with the unusual heat for this time of year as well, but that is not my department." He says.

I give him a look. I can tell he knows more than he is letting on. And I am not sure if I trust him.

Chapter 16

We all get out of the car. I tuck the gun into the back of my athletic shorts and grab the other radio off of the backpack. I am not afraid of guns. I am actually quite comfortable with them. Growing up in Iowa I have had plenty of opportunity to hunt animals and familiarize myself with many different weapons. I have never had the type of gun the soldier was carrying but I am sure I could still take it apart, clean it, and put it back together without a manual.

I see the Doctor looking at the radios. I don't think he wants me to have them. We start walking to the house. The driveway by the house looks like a cross from above. The left side of the shape is the sidewalk, the right side is where I parked the car and the top section is where my truck is parked. The house is positioned in the lower left corner and the garage is in the upper right corner of the cross. Lila rushes to me and latches onto my arm. She walks as close to me as humanly possible. She puts her head on my shoulder, but only for a second.

All four of us meet at the porch as we enter the house. With Lila on my right and the other two trailing behind, Lila turns and look over her shoulder to Jensen.

"What's your name?" Lila asks him.

This makes me realize we have not all been formally introduced. I let them continue.

"Jensen." He replies.

"I'm Lila." She tells him. "How old are you?"

"Twelve, how old are you?"

"I'm sorry babe, I totally forgot with everything that's happening, happy Birthday!" She says to me and then answers Jensen. "I'm eighteen. He's nineteen." She tilts her head towards me.

"Well not yet." I say. "Today is my Birthday. Hers isn't until Tuesday."

"Close enough." Lila says. "I wish my dad was here."

"Me too. I wonder where mine are too. I bet they are still at work."

We all walk into the house.

"So, Dr. Hunter, what do we have to defend ourselves? Sunglasses?"

"Actually, the frequency of the waves being transmitted from eye to eye cannot be filtered by standard polarized sunglasses."

"There goes that idea. Looks like I won't be the hero after all."

I walk to my room to get something for Lila. It is a picture she gave to me. I have a feeling she will want it more. It is a picture of her and her mom. She forces a smile when I hand it to her.

I speak to the Doctor "We will stay here for the night and make a plan in the morning."

"Great, I don't want to be out in the dark. Especially with Fallen being so close. Besides my base is under quarantine and they may shoot us if we approach without proper identification."

We get into the basement of the house. I tell them about our immediate plan. The basement is concrete walls on three sides and a row of eight feet high by four feet wide windows on the other. It's a walk out basement that is buried in a hill. That gives us security on three sides and an ability to see threats coming from the fourth. The windows are triple paned, nearly unbreakable, and has very secure locks. I should know, I work at the factory that produces them, and my job is to test their strength from impact.

In the basement there are several shelves of food, water, batteries, hand tools, weapons and ammunition. My dad is extra cautious about things like this. It started with Y2K then all the predictions about the winter solstice of 2012. The basement contains everything we would need to survive for a good length of time, if we ever choose to wait something like this out. I instruct Lila, Dr. Hunter, and Jensen to prepare certain things such as sleeping arrangements, putting new batteries into the radios and lamps, loading weapons, and making dinner.

"They have not come this far west yet, but having the extra security is a great feature here. I never would have expected this sort of resourcefulness from a family that would probably never need it in an area like this." Dr. Hunter tells me.

"We will all sleep better knowing we're fairly secure in here. And it looks like we do need it. Don't we?"

"I'm pretty sure we have something more effective at keeping us alive than our newly found fort and these weapons." He says with a confident tone as I walk up the stairs.

Walking to my truck I think of everything that has happened today, the things I've seen, and the new people I've met. For some reason I feel like I'm in the center of this. I wonder where else this is happening. I'm not sure of what I'll have to do to keep Lila and myself alive but I'll do anything. Right now I'll do what I can to make sure we survive until morning.

I park my truck in the garage and start to prepare it for an emergency getaway. I walk back and forth from the house to the garage with things we will need if we have to leave the area. Halfway down the sidewalk on my fifth or sixth trip I hear a voice behind me. It is Jensen, asking me if he can help with whatever I'm doing. I waive my hand, beckoning him to catch up. I am loading the truck with everything we will need if we have to get out of here in a hurry.

My truck has an extra fuel tank in the back that holds 150 gallons. My dad helped me hook it up to where I can flip a switch on my console and it will pump fuel from the extra tank into the stock gas tank to keep it full. I think there is about a half a tank so we could probably drive 1,000 miles without stopping. If we drive that far, we will need enough food, water, and protection to get us there.

I keep thinking about what the Doctor said to me as I walked up the stairs. "Something more effective?" Was that some snide remark about the weapons in the basement? Regardless, I wonder what the hell he meant by it.

I enter the garage for what I hope will be the final trip with Jensen right behind me.

"I heard them talking." He tells me.

"Who?"

"The last trip in the house I heard them from the top of the stairs. The Doctor said one of us had to go with him, that he thinks testing may give the answer to stop all of this."

"He didn't say which one?"

"I missed the beginning of the conversation. He said some General will be looking for him if he doesn't come back. He said it's safer if he leaves, but he wants to take the one he needs to study."

"Great, so the military will be looking for him! He must be pretty important for them to look for him specifically. I'll talk to him when the house is secure."

"I think it's you." Jensen tells me sternly.

"Why do you think that?"

"I saw what you did. Are you an alien?" He asks with curious eyes.

I wonder if he is serious for a moment, then I laugh. He is just a kid after all. "No, I am not an alien, I am not a mutant, and I am not a super hero like the guy on your shirt." I tap him on his chest with the back of my fingers. "I had an adrenaline rush. That is how I kicked him so hard." I explain.

"Do you think I can do that?" He asks me.

"I think anyone can, when they are afraid of losing someone they love."

"Do you think I might be able to do that to get my sister back?" He asks with sad eyes.

"I don't know, but I will do whatever it takes to help you." I tell him.

He smiles at me with a look of appreciation and amazement. He sees me as some sort of hero, and for a second, I feel like one. It makes me feel a sense of loyalty to this kid, knowing he looks up to me like this.

When I get into the house I immediately start working on boarding up a few of the doors and windows. It's almost dark anyway, I work at it until it is too dark to see the nails go in. We still have electricity, but I don't feel safe turning the lights on and attracting attention to the house from anyone who may see it.

Lila comes up stairs with a flashlight and a bowl of soup with a spoon in it. She sits on the nearest piece of furniture while I work on securing the window. It's the couch I took a nap on before yesterday's game. Seeing her on it reminds me of the last time I was in this room. I have all but forgotten about the dream I had among everything else that has happened.

"What do you think about Jensen?" She asks me as I sit down and take the bowl from her hand. The spoon clanks against the rim of the glass bowl during our exchange.

"Cool kid." I tell her. "He thinks I am some kind of hero."

"He may not be that far off." She says. "Dr. Hunter thinks along those lines as well."

She is in different clothes than earlier. She showered when it was still light in the house. She has clothes in the bottom drawer of my dresser. It's not a full wardrobe. It's bits and pieces from each time she left something. It gives me a good feeling inside when I remind her of the things she leaves here and refuses to take home. They are like little souvenirs of our relationship. She has a drawer for me at her house as well.

"What's the plan?" She asks me.

"You know the plan, I already told you."

"I mean long term. The food and water are only going to last for so long. Then what?"

"Well I was hoping to get more information out of the Doctor."

"I think you should go with him tomorrow. To the base I mean."

"Okay, we can leave in the morning, but I want to talk to him about it first." I say with concern.

"I have already talked to him. The base is under quarantine. He thinks he can talk them into letting one additional person on the base. Not two." Her eyes drop to the floor.

"I know what you're going to say to me." She says. "You're going to tell me there has to be another way, or you can talk him into taking me, or some other reason not to leave me here. But the fact is, one person can stay here far longer the two, three, or four."

I shake my head no. I don't like the idea of leaving her. I need to protect her.

She finishes her thought. "I will stay here, this is the safest place. The Doctor thinks you may be the key to finding a cure and I agree with him."

I hate how logical this sounds. I try to find a flaw in her proposal. I know it's a good idea, but my judgment is clouded. All I want is to be with her. I weigh my options. I can stay with her. We could survive for quite some time together and see what happens. On the other hand, I can go, possibly find a cure, fix all of this, and spend a lifetime together. I still hate the idea of leaving her for even a minute, not to mention that it could be considerably longer.

I look her in the eyes. Her face is lit by the glow of the flashlight shining on the carpet. I hope she can see how much I love her, and why I am concerned about leaving.

"I wonder where my parents are..." I say.

"With all this zombie shit hitting the fan, they could be just about anywhere."

I laugh a little. "Zombie shit? Haha, do zombies have the capability to shit?"

She takes a deep breath and stares at me. "Dumb!" She changes the subject. "Do you know where your parents are? Do you think Dr. Hunter knows more than he is telling us?"

"I don't know, I still need to be convinced this is for the greater good. I don't want to leave you."

I finish my soup and send Lila downstairs while I shower. It is not fun only having a flashlight shining on the ceiling while I shower, but it is better than nothing.

It reminds me of the time when we had a really bad ice storm last year. We lost power for three days. It was a pain in the ass but at the same time it was kind of fun. There was no school, no work, and I took the four wheeler to Lila's house and picked her up. Her mom did not care considering we all slept in the living room on air mattresses to stay warm by the fire place. We had to do everything by candle light, even during the day because the clouds were so thick.

My dad, older brother Mike, and I played guitar for entertainment. It was a good bonding experience and I am glad Lila was there to see it. It was her first time seeing all of us play together. That day we had to take everything out of the refrigerator and set it outside to keep it cold. Anything in a refrigerator is better off freezing than getting too warm. The plumbing still worked but since the electricity was out, there was no hot water. At least we still had a toilet, even if we had to use candle light.

This is a completely different situation. There was no danger in the ice storm.

Chapter 17

I walk down into the basement to be near Lila and to speak with the Doctor. I walk straight to Lila and give her a kiss. There is something that makes me feel relaxed in her presence. The shower was much needed, I feel much better now that I am clean. I am happy to get out of the sweat soaked clothes. I am still wearing clothes that are comfortable as well as grey slip on sandals, yellow gym shorts, and a bright green T-shirt. I turn from holding Lila and face the Doctor.

"Dr. Hunter, can I talk to you?" I ask.

"Sure." He says.

Lila and I part ways. She goes to where she made our bed for the night and Dr. Hunter and I walk to the other side of the basement so we can talk in private.

"How big is this? Is it global?" I ask.

"I have a feeling you are about to ask me a lot of questions I am afraid I don't have the answer to. We're unsure how far it has spread, because we're unsure where it started." He answers.

"There has to be more you can tell me about it."

"I have told you everything I know thus far. I have explained why they are strong, how it spreads, and that it originated somewhere east of here. And to be honest, all the information I have given you so far has been classified. I only told you because I know you can help."

"So you think I may be immune to this or what?"

"Not immune, resistant."

"Is there is a difference?"

"The easiest way to think about the difference is, when someone is immune, they are not affected. You are immune to the effects of magnets. When someone is resistant, they are affected, but they overcome the effects. You are resistant to the wind."

"That makes sense. So you think this has affected me?"

"We need to get back to the base to run some tests. If you hold the key to all of humanity being able to survive this, you are obligated to help, just as I am."

I give him a confused look. "What do you mean like you?"

"Everyone plays a role in this. Some are soldiers. Others are researchers, subjects, or decision makers. No matter who you are we all have a common goal, survival."

I am exhausted from everything that has happened over the last 24 hours. I tell him we can figure out the details in the morning. I walk over to where Lila is already laying down. I lay next to her. She is using a flashlight to read a book. It is a book that I wrote about us. It is about how we met and how we feel about each other. It was a stupid assignment in my English class, but now it gives me butterflies seeing her reading it.

"Hi baby." She says with a half-smile on her face. "Bed time?" She asks.

"Yeah, I am tired." I say.

"I bet you are Sweetness."

We both went through very traumatic events today. I don't want to compare them, but I think hers is worse. I worry about her. I don't want to drive her off so I will save small talk for later.

I don't hesitate. I lower myself on the air mattress she set up earlier. I lay next to her, she is warm, she smells good, and for all I know, this may be the last time I get to do this. I don't want to take it for granted. Every time I lay down beside her she rubs my hair. There isn't much so it feels good on her palms. It also tickles me a little, in a good way. I can feel how much she loves me in her touch. I lose myself in the moment and fall asleep.

Sunday Morning

I wake to the sound of a car door slamming. I hear voices and footsteps approaching the house. A voice comes over a loud speaker.

"Dr. Hunter, if you are in there, please vacate the premises immediately. We are required to transport you back to the base. Failure to comply may result in civilian casualty."

We are all awake now. We look at one another and start getting up. I am putting my shoes on when I see soldiers in the front yard through the window. I walk to the sliding door to let them know not to use force to enter. I open the door and it seems like chaos. Voices all around me are yelling different orders, there are seven or eight guns pointed at me. Dr. Hunter comes out and tells them to lower their weapons. He tells them there are no Fallen here.

A man stands on the deck above and behind us from where we are standing. He is dressed in a camouflage uniform with his pants tucked into his boots. He has red hair and pale skin. He is large and broad. He looks like the type of man who would be in charge.

"Thank you for keeping the good Doctor safe last night, I am General Austad." The man says looking at me. "Bring the boy and come with us Doctor, we have more important things to do today. No need to make this complicated."

"We are coming. Don't hurt anyone. I would like to request all four of us have access to the base." Dr. Hunter tells him.

"Negative. My orders came directly from the President this morning. You and the boy are going back to the base. No more, no less."

Dr. Hunter turns and looks at me. He has a look on his face as if he is trying to tell me something. I tell Lila to stay inside and motion to Jensen to come outside with me.

"I do not object to returning to the base, I have new information and believe we should permit two more to enter the base."

"What part of, no more, no less, did you not understand?"

"He is the one from the video, General!" He says in a stern voice.

"I don't know what video you're talking about. You know I don't care about your little science experiments, I care about completing my orders..."

Jensen and the Doctor walk up the stairs to meet the man on the deck. He turns and walks with them as well as several soldiers. I start to walk up the hill but I'm stopped by four soldiers making a square around me.

"I will get you clearance and send someone for you later this afternoon." Dr. Hunter says as he walks away.

I attempt a small step around the soldier in front of me. He steps as I step. He is blocking me. I make eye contact with him and he gives me a stern look as if to say, "Try something."

I smile.

Chapter 18

I hear the doors of a truck slam and the diesel engine roars. If they drive off I will never know where the base is located. I can't let the military experiment on the boy. I want to help him find his sister, and see if I can find out more about a cure. But I need to get past the four soldiers still standing in the yard.

From this location in the front yard I can see the highway through the trees. I need to watch to see which way they go. They are headed south, going up the hill.

I hear a voice through one of the radios on a soldier. It says, "We have the package mobilized, eliminate all witnesses."

I also hear the word "No" as the order is given. It was Dr. Hunter's voice. I am not exactly sure what we are witnesses of. They must think he told me something he shouldn't have. He told me some of the things we discussed were classified. My thirst of knowledge is now coming back to haunt me.

I hear their guns click. It is the sound of the safety being turned off. They don't know where Lila is located. She has been inside and out of sight this whole time. My heart rate increases. I can feel it in my ears, in my chest, neck, and finger tips. I can feel my pulse in my entire body. If their mission is to now kill Lila and me, I know what I need to do.

They each stand 20 feet or so from me. They wear the same uniform, vest, helmet, camera, and each carry the same assault rifle. I do not have a weapon, armor, or cover of any kind. Something inside me ignites. I feel the same feeling of electricity flowing through my veins. Is it the fear that brings this out of me? Is it the adrenaline? Or is it something else? If I am capable of doing something extraordinary, now is the time.

I have a plan, I can see it. I am unsure why I can see it, but I know it will work. I can feel it. This will be over in three moves and 18 steps. I see each move planned out, like a chess player, I know what it will take to put them in check mate.

I charge the solider at my eleven o'clock. I take three steps toward him. I jump to kick him in the chest and flip backwards off of him. His momentum carries him into the chain link fence that surrounds the yard. I hear him moan. The kick removed all the air from his lungs.

Three more soldiers remain. I hear gunshots. I hear them not only from the explosion of the shell pushing the bullet through the rifled barrel, but I hear them traveling past me through the air. They make a high zinging sound as they pass. I also hear Lila, from inside, saying, "What are you?" I shouldn't be able to hear her from here, especially over the sound of the gunshots.

I spin to see the other three. They move slowly. Not because they are sneaking, because they cannot move as fast as I can. Logically I need to attack the closest one first. This one is seven steps away. He would only be four steps but I have already taken three in the opposite direction. As I take the steps I can feel the earth giving way under my shoes. It does not make me slip or prevent me from having traction, but I feel like I am running on a giant sponge.

I reach the second solider. I want to use him to also remove the third. I run directly to the soldier but slip between him and the next closest to his position. As I get there I bend my knees, lower my hips, shift my weight, and grab him by the arm holes in his Kevlar vest. I use this momentum and leverage to spin and hurl him at the next soldier. I start to embrace my strength. The more conscious I become about it, the more efficient it becomes. The same works for speed it seems.

I watch as he flies through the air. The other two soldiers seem to be frozen in time. The two soldiers collide at an incredible rate of speed. It reminds me of a car crash as I see the impact between human bodies. I hear popping, cracking, breaking, and snapping. They lie motionless where the bottom of the stairs meets the basement wall.

I see Lila looking out the window from inside the basement. I still have one more threat to take care of. I have never been a violent person, but when you intend to hurt me, or more specifically, my girlfriend, you will unleash a monster.

I have no sympathy or mercy for the soldiers ordered to kill us. I charge the fourth and final soldier. I have nothing special planned for him. It will be as simple as the fight I had with the man who killed Ayla. I know my target's weak spot. It takes me eight steps to reach him. He is facing somewhere in the gap between the first two soldiers I attacked. He is spinning but not fast enough. I can see the flairs from the mussel of his rifle. He is firing, not at me, just into open space. As soon as I get to him I strike with my left fist. I aim for the Xiphoid Process again. I make contact in the center of his torso with full force. I feel bones break beneath his vest. He doesn't even get a chance to groan, it feels and sounds like his lungs burst inside his chest from the impact.

I run back to the basement to talk to Lila. "What did you say?"

"What? When? I don't think I said anything." She says. She has that look of shock again.

"I heard you, you said, "What are you?" Were you talking about me?"

"I may have. Did you hear me? From outside?"

"Yes I did, it sounded like you were right next to me."

She hugs me, I think she is crying. "You have to go, I believe him, and you can stop this."

"Not without you!"

"Its fine, you have to go."

"No."

"Babe, listen to me." She grabs my face and looks me in the eyes. "He told me he thinks you are the key. I believe him now."

I make a quick decision. I usually think things through but Lila has a way of making things seem like a better idea than they may actually be.

"Ok, I have an idea. I'm going to leave the bodies in the yard."

"What?"

"Mouse traps." I say.

"I don't get it." She replies.

"Dr. Hunter said they revert to their basic instincts, if any Fallen show up, I would think they will probably feed on the corpses in the yard. So let's leave them there. I mean, hell, I don't know but it seems logical. Right?"

"Ok." She says as she buries her head into my chest and wraps her arms around me.

I don't want to leave under these circumstances but I know I need to go. I tell her to grab the radios off of the soldiers in the yard so I can communicate with her if I need. I will be on channel 55 I tell her.

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I have the same look. She throws her arms around my neck and pulls me close. She kisses my lips, I can feel her tears running down her cheek and covering my nose.

"I will fix this. I will come back to you. Stay here and stay safe. If you have to leave, the truck is ready in the garage. Make sure you call me if you decide to go somewhere." I say as I kiss her again.

I run to the garage. I can't use Ayla's car or my truck, her tires are slashed and the truck has all the survival gear loaded up in the garage. I know the general direction the truck went. I hit the button to open the garage door, grab my sunglasses off the work bench, and start my motorcycle. It is 10 years old but has a lot of new parts. I have customized it myself. My dad and I even painted it ourselves last spring. It is a green metal flake base coat with a bright yellow candy coat over it and a black stripe on the front. It looks green until you see it in the sun, in which it looks yellow. Green and yellow are my favorite colors.

I am out of the garage before the door has completely risen. I get off the gravel drive, onto the blacktop, and hammer it! My motorcycle is not new or top of the line by any means, but I have customized it myself and it will run with the best of them. I retrace the path the trucks chased me down just 24 hours earlier.

I see the truck in the distance, several miles away. I think I'm gaining on them but I can't get too close. I didn't think catching them on the bike would be much of a challenge even though they are not driving the speed limit. They are going quite a bit over in fact. This makes me have to travel at an incredible rate of speed. I have never gone much over 100 miles per hour on my motorcycle before. The speedometer goes to 150 and the needle, is beyond it.

There is not much to look around at in southern Iowa. There are a few houses, barns, farms, small towns, and the occasional store on the side of the highway. I do see a few things that are out of the ordinary. There are cars that are stopped in the highway with no passengers. There are cars in the ditch as well. I have to weave back and forth between the cars. I see smoke in the distance. As I get closer and to higher ground, I see a house on fire. This would typically spark a response vehicle to help. I don't think any help is coming today. I see people walking in the fields. I cannot tell if they are Fallen or not. I need to focus on my mission, not what is going on around me.

I do not know the top speed of the bike, but it has always scared me when I have driven it this fast. I have never done it for more than a few seconds, but even then, I was covered head to toe in protective gear. Right now, I am not. It should scare just about everyone to be in or on a vehicle moving at this speed. This time it feels different. I am not afraid. It does not feel any faster than the speed limit. I don't know if it is the task at hand or the need to help someone. I make the comparison of crashing to all the recent events. I feel confident, this is not as scary as losing my sister and some of my best friends, not knowing where my parents are, or possibly losing Lila. I don't know if it's something inside of me that changed. No matter the reason, I feel as if I can do anything I want without being afraid.

I stay back so they can't see me in the mirrors of the truck. There is nowhere I can hide as I chase him so I have to use distance as camouflage. I still have the pistol on me from when I was putting my shoes on this morning. It is in my elastic waist band and I have my shorts tied tight. I know they have guns as well. I am not sure what to do when they stop. I will have to improvise.

Chapter 19

They pull in the drive at the depot. I knew there was something suspicious about this place. I need to find some sort of cover. I take a route I noticed when I was walking around yesterday. Now I know a little bit more about the area. I try to suppress the memories of what happened to Ayla when we were here. It feels like it has been much longer than it has, but I cannot dwell on it right now. I drive past the gravel where they turned. They went to the main entrance of the depot.

I pull the bike into a farm entrance on the opposite side of the road and run toward the depot through the trees. There is a clearing between the trees and the fence. I stay in the woods until I see what they are doing. They must have some sort of base in one if the buildings. Maybe the whole depot is the base. I can't believe this was under our noses the whole time and no one knew it was here. It makes more sense to me now why they added the security over the last couple years.

They park next to one of the smallest buildings on the property. It looks like it is only there for historical value. It is very small and made of wood. Some of the boards are broken or missing all together. It's taller than it is wide and looks like it has never been repaired. It's so small there can't be more than a few desks or tables in there. I don't know why they would go into that one.

Everyone gets out of the truck and walks toward the building. It is Dr. Hunter, Jensen, the General, and seven soldiers. It looks like Dr. Hunter is yelling at the General. The General just stands there like he is hearing him out, then turns to walk in the building without responding. The Doctor is still pleading his case as he walks away. They open a set of double doors, go inside, and shut the doors behind them. I survey the rest of the grounds. I don't see any patrols. I need to find a way in. If Jensen found a way to get out of there, I should be able to find a way to get in.

It is still before noon. I can tell by the position of the sun, but I do not know how early it is for sure. It is hot today, hotter than yesterday at this time. I cannot wait until the cover of darkness. It is not an option. I don't want to walk all the way around the fence to look for a way inside. The section of fence in front of me is just like the rest. It is chain link, ten feet tall or so with spiral barbed wire on top. Where I stand the barbed wire on top is bent. It's spread apart between the spirals a little. This must be where Jensen escaped. I think I can bend it a little more so I can fit as well.

I climb the fence and land on the gravel inside the perimeter. I bend the fence back in place hoping no one notices it was changed. I look around for the ventilation shaft Jensen told me about. I think I see it. It's on the closest building to the fence I just crossed. I feel a mild tremor in the ground beneath me. The base must be underground. If the vent is large enough I should be able to get inside. The building next to the one they entered is bigger, more modern, cleaner, and appears to be more technological. It has air conditioners on the roof and it seems like my best option.

The building is brick on the corners. The corner closest to me has a pipe running alone the entire corner vertically. The pipe has metal straps bolted across the cylindrical tube, straight into the brick. It looks sturdy enough so I climb it.

The roof is covered in rocks. It has about a 24 inch raised edge for a little cover, plus several air conditioners and air vents. I see a vent large enough I think I can fit, but I've never done anything like this. I wonder if it's as easy as it seems in the movies. I hope it will actually support my body weight. Hopefully I don't go crashing into some military personnel. I have to try, I don't have a whole lot of options. I pull the slotted vent cover off the end and climb in.

From the side it looks like an aluminum lower case "r." I do not know how deep it goes, but assume if it runs along the ceiling inside the building so it cannot drop too far. It seems small. I don't know if I can fit now that I am actually climbing inside. I force myself into the shaft. I picture a fat Santa stuck in a chimney, I do not want that fate. It doesn't seem like a good way to go out. I slide down with my shoulders pressed against both sides. It is rubbing both sides of my body but is bigger than I thought it would be in here. I still have no idea how Jensen could climb up unless he had a rope or some sort of help.

I crawl as slowly and quietly as I can. I don't want any attention. The first vent cover I get to, I pause to look around. I see several tables, desks, computers, and file cabinets. I do not see anyone or hear any voices. I want to find a way down to look around a little. At the end of the tube where it bends to turn a corner, there is a vent cover that is large enough I can climb out. I kick the cover off and drop to the ground.

When I climb down I take a quick look around to make sure there are no people. I don't see any. I notice something strange about this room. There are no windows, doors, or any sign of a way in or out of here. There is no such thing as a room without any exits. I hide the vent cover, it cannot be put back on now that I stripped the screws and have no tools to replace it with. I start snooping around the room.

A thought pops in my head of hidden passages. Something like a spiral staircase hidden behind a bookshelf that can only be revealed by pulling out the correct book. Only there are no bookshelves in this room. The file cabinets are not big enough to hide anything behind them and most are not up against the wall anyway. I notice the pattern on the floor. It is typical office style carpet. It is thin and tough. It has square patterns of dark colors, the type to mask dirt easily.

In the center of the room there is an open space, all of the desks face away, toward the walls. I walk over to the open space and look at the floor. Some of the carpet is cut in places, not matching the pattern. I think there is something under the floor or someone did a really bad job installing this. I drop to my hands and knees. I pick at the frayed edges, and crawl around in a rectangular shape.

I hear a noise below me, I hear voices. There is someone under the floor. There are two people talking to one another and the voices are getting louder. They must be getting close.

I concentrate on the voices. I want to hear what they say. "I will meet you there. I need about 30 minutes to finish my report." A voice says.

Before I can stand, the floor starts to move. The odd shape cuts in the carpet start dropping into the floor. One rectangle at a time about 12 inches wide and four feet long fall at an even pace one at a time. It is making a staircase. I duck behind a desk.

I'm not hidden well but I'm toward the back of the person coming up the stairs. When they reach the top of the stairs and turn, they're looking down at a tablet in their hands. I stand and reveal my position.

"Dr. Hunter."

Chapter 20

"I thought you were dead! How did you get in here?" He asks me with an excited whisper.

"Through the vents..." I start.

"You can't be in here!" He says with startled eyes.

"No shit, that's why I am glad I ran into you first."

"At least in this building Dr. McNeal and I are in charge. So you will be fine as long as the General doesn't recognize you and Dr. McNeal doesn't find out who you are. I will log you as one of my patients."

"Lila and I want you to figure out what is going on with me. After what happened in the yard when you left, I am starting to believe what you have been talking about. I have done things I cannot explain."

"Follow me. I will get you a room. I want you to tell me exactly what happened and how you felt. I can also try to pull the footage off the cameras on the soldiers and evaluate it for additional data."

I follow him down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is a steel door. The Doctor activates it by typing in a numeric password on a key pad. The door slides sideways and opens to a T-intersection. We go down the hall to the left. This is very odd, the hallways are not straight. They are arched to the side. I bet if I followed this hall alone, I would walk in a full circle. It reminds me of a puzzle I had as a kid where I had to roll a ball to the center by tilting it back and forth through a circular maze. The walls are painted white, the ceiling is textured with fluorescent lights spaced out every ten feet or so, and the floor reminds me of a hospital's, with the 12 inch black and white squares cut into the floor. The hall is well lit and very clean. None of the doors have labels. There is just a shape in the center each door about face high to me. I have never seen those sort of shapes. It looks like a combination of Japanese writing and Ancient Hieroglyphics. I wonder if they are letters or words. The shapes seem so strange to me, it would be very easy to get lost in here. Maybe that is the point.

He opens a door on the right side of the hallway. It's the last door before the next intersection. The next one is a four way intersection. I assume all buildings are linked by these halls. We step in the room which looks like a cross between a hospital room, a bedroom, and a waiting room. It is square, unlike the halls. There is a bed, toilet, sink, dresser, lamp, and a few magazines. There are no TVs but there is a camera in one of the corners.

"So you are progressing towards what I thought you were capable of. Now that you are starting to see it for yourself, can you explain what you felt when you were faced with a fight or flight situation?"

"I'm not sure, I felt something in me, I only thought of survival. Of eliminating the threat to Lila. I moved fast. It felt like they were standing still. I hit them unbelievably hard, and I killed them all. And it was easy."

"From what I have learned about you so far, you are not the type of person to kill someone with no remorse. You seemed to take Jensen under your wing fairly quickly."

"I have always been a caring person, I try to put others before myself, most of the time. It never crossed my mind not to kill them, they would have killed me and Lila both, I couldn't let that happen. Even now I have no regrets, I did what I had to do and would do it again in a heartbeat. Especially for Lila."

"So you acted without hesitation?"

"Yeah, I had total confidence in my abilities to keep Lila safe, I saw all of the moves before they happened. I felt like I had all the time in the world. Similar to planning chess moves. I knew how to beat them before they took a single step."

"Interesting... Well it may be a while before I can run any tests or give you any answers."

"I suppose I will be locked in here?"

"You don't need to be hidden from the other doctors, but I don't want anyone seeing what you can do. I have a group of trusted associates, but I also have a few colleagues I don't trust."

"What kind of tests will you do?"

"For starters, a blood test and a CT scan. If there are any anomalies we will specify the tests from there. You may have to wait a few hours but I will try to get started today."

He walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. There isn't much to do in here so I lay on the bed. I'm not tired but find myself lying with my eyes closed. I think of what has happened, I think of Ayla, Jensen, and my parents, but mostly I think about Lila.

"Hello." A voice says.

I sit up in the bed and look to the other side of the room. There is a girl standing against the wall. She looks to be about 15, long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and slender.

"Who are you?" I ask startled.

"I'm Michaela, I don't have much time but I came to warn you." She walks closer to me.

"Warn me about what?"

"Dr. McNeal." She says. "She is not what she seems. As far as I know she doesn't know you're here. Don't trust her."

"Whoa, I don't know what you are talking about." I say.

"Just listen, some of the people in here are not who, or what, you think they are. Most are being truthful. Some are not. I need you to protect my brother because I can't anymore. Use your radio and talk to Lila as soon as you can but what you choose after that is up to you!"

This grabs my attention! How does she know anything about me? How does she know about Lila? And who is her brother?

"If you stay here, you will learn about your powers and Lila will remain safe, but you will need to protect yourself at all times. If you show Dr. McNeal what you can do, she will never let you leave. She will accelerate and amplify your power and attempt to use you as a weapon! I have seen it!" Her tone drops a little. "I know you are here for answers, I know you want to help, I can also see how much you love her. Do not get distracted, you can help the world. Yes, you can still choose to leave. It will take you a little longer to find the answers you seek, but it will come at a great cost to you."

"I don't understand, something happens to Lila if I go to her? Why should I trust you?" I ask her, running my hands from my forehead back to my neck.

"I see your love for each other, I know you want to protect her, and staying is the best way to do that. You have a little time. Think it over. When you are presented with a choice, you cannot ignore it. You can stay, learn more about yourself, and how you can save the world. Yet risk potential personal loss. Or go, save Lila, and possibly lose the chance to save the world. No matter which path you choose, lives will be saved and lives will be lost. Either way, you CAN stop all of this."

The door opens, and so do my eyes. I am lying on the bed. Was I just dreaming?

Chapter 21

Dr. Hunter walks in the room. "Never mind, we'll do the blood test and CT scan now."

"What?" I ask, rubbing my eyes and sitting up in bed.

"The tests, I can get you in right now. We had the next slot open up for the equipment. Hide your sidearm though, and you may not want to bring that radio either. If someone sees it they will take it from you."

I put the gun and radio under the mattress. I'll call Lila as soon as I'm alone again.

"You say all this like you just left the room. What time is it?" I ask.

"You aren't going crazy on me are you? I was only gone for like 45 seconds. It's umm, 10:55 AM." He laughs and checks his watch. "Oh, by the way, there's a storm outside right now and it has apparently knocked out our communication tower, so that radio is useless until they get it fixed. If they can get it fixed. The satellite we use to communicate long range is not receiving signals from the tower any longer. Plus, if you want to keep that thing, you better keep it hidden."

The only part I really listen to is how long he was gone. 45 seconds? It felt a lot longer, but then again, most dreams do. I get up to walk out of the room and I feel a slight headache. I don't get headaches often. I usually only get one or two a year and that is from impacts to my football helmet.

We take a right out of my room, then another right down the hall. We make so many turns I forget the way we came. We end up at a room with only one machine in it. I have never had a CT scan before but I understand how they work. I think about my dream, I get an eerie feeling about this place. Maybe this is the same place I have always dreamt about or a form of Deja Vu.

Dr. Hunter explains to me what I need to do to get the scan. I lie down on the table and it moves my head into a separate compartment.

I hear a voice come over a loud speaker. "Try to lay still."

I close my eyes and try to relax. I think about the recent dream I had and what it could possibly mean. It was so unusual dreaming about something else for a change.

I hear a voice as the machine hums. I cannot tell what they are saying. I try to concentrate and focus on the voices. It sounds like Dr. Hunter, but he is in the other room, behind the one way glass. I also hear the voice of a woman begin speaking.

"Dr. Hunter, nice to see you."

"Alisabeth, I didn't think I would see you here, I thought you were off today." He sounds surprised.

"I came in to see Jensen and Michaela. I heard there were complications. Did you not get the update? She was pronounced dead last night."

"What? No, no one told me! What is McNeal doing to them? This is unbelievable."

"Better get all of your patients either discharged or prepped for travel by Tuesday night."

"What do you mean? I was told I have 30 days to study here."

"Not now, orders just came from the President. If there is no progress by Tuesday, they are shutting us down and removing all Fallen within 500 miles with an air strike at noon. If a cure is found before then they will entertain the idea of cancelling the strike."

He is silent.

"What the hell is that? Look at the screen! Oh my god, they're everywhere!" She has excitement in her voice.

"I've never seen anything like it!" He sounds baffled.

"Who is he and what's inside his head? Has Dr. McNeal done something to him?"

"No, she hasn't. Can I trust you to not say anything about this to anyone until I figure out what is going on with him? If Dr. McNeal..."

"Dr. Hunter, Please." She interrupts. "I have been your assistant for almost four years, I have never betrayed your confidence, and I'm not about to start now. And I know if anyone can decipher this, it is you."

"That means a lot to me. Thank you."

I hear a door open and close. I push myself out of the machine ready to defend myself. The door to my room opens. It's Dr. Hunter.

"Come on, I don't think there is an immediate threat but I want to take every precaution available. I don't have to hide you per say, but I need to hide your results and what you can do. Everyone expects your room to be empty so no one will think anything is out of the ordinary if there is a new patient. Come on." He says as he turns and walks quickly down the hall.

I can't tell if he is taking me the same way or a different one. This place is a maze, I am already lost. He opens the door with his password and tells me to get in. It is the room with my gun and radio.

"Take my watch, if I'm not back in one hour, the code to get out is 159357. It makes an X on the keypad if you forget. When you come out, take a right, two lefts, and a right to find Jensen. He can help you get out if it comes to that. If you leave I will meet you back at your house to discuss your results. If Dr. McNeal finds out what I suspect, you are not safe here. Neither is Jensen."

"What did you find on the CT scan?"

"I don't have time right now..." He turns to try to leave.

I grab his arm to stop him. "I heard you! What did you find? What is in my head?"

"What do you mean you heard me?" He asks.

"I heard you talking to Alisabeth. I heard you say you found something and need to hide it from Dr. McNeal." I tell him firmly.

"What? You heard us talking? The microphone wasn't on."

"No, I heard you talking both ways, to me over the loud speaker, and to your assistant. I had the same thing happen at the house, I heard Lila when I shouldn't have been able to."

"That shouldn't be possible, it's a soundproof room. If you stay I will do some hearing tests as well. Regardless, I have to go. I am removing your data from the hard drive in the server down the hall so it doesn't get into the wrong hands." He says.

The door closes and he is gone. I think I would be better off helping him, not trapped in a room. I'm sure what he did was for a good reason. I'm starting to think he's on my side.

I get the radio out to talk to Lila. I remember what he told me about the tower being down but I need to try to talk to her.

I press the side button on the radio, it makes a static noise when I talk into the speaker. "Baby, are you there?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm here. Are you ok? Did you find Jensen?" She says.

Surprisingly the radio works. Did Dr. Hunter lie to me about the signal?

"Yeah, I am at the base. Jensen is here and I am going to go talk to him soon."

"Have you figured anything else out yet?"

"They said they saw something on my CT scan, like there is something in my head."

"Something in your head? Really? Do you know what it is?"

"No, I don't have much more info than that."

"Do you think it has something to do with your dreams? Like a military experiment or something?"

This makes me think for a second. They are just dreams, aren't they?

"If that's what it is, you need to stay and figure this out."

"Actually I had a dream or had a hallucination or something I need to tell you about. This girl told me not to come for you. That actually makes me want to be there even more."

"Babe, seriously? I didn't have time to tell you but I had a dream just like that last night."

"You had a dream? You never remember your dreams! What was it?" I ask.

"This girl was standing at the foot of our bed and told me I needed to go find Darr. It was very unsettling."

"What did she look like?" I ask.

"I don't know, skinny, blonde, a few years younger than me I suppose. She told me if I could find him and then get to you, Jensen, and Dr. Hunter, we can all survive this."

"Did she say her name? Was it Michaela?" I ask.

"Yeah! That was her name! Wait, it's the same girl? And she told me something else."

"What?"

"She said she needs you to save her brother, Jensen."

"Brother? He told me she was in a wheel chair. I saw her standing."

I feel a vibration in the floor. The radio is silent. Lila doesn't reply, only static. Did she hear my last sentence? I ask if she can hear me a few times and don't receive an answer.

A good length of time passes, I refuse to look at the watch. I set an alarm on it just after he left. I find watching the clock makes time move more slowly. There are a lot of things on my mind. The things sitting on the forefront of my thoughts are, wondering what they found on the CT scan. It's hard to believe there is something in my brain. Dr. Hunter's assistant said something about Michaela being dead, didn't she? What did Michaela mean about a choice?

Chapter 22

The alarm goes off on the watch. I try Lila on the radio again, silence. I walk to the door to exit and recall the code. He said it makes an X on the keypad. I press the keys, 159357 and the door slides open. When the doctor told me to take a right, two lefts, and a right, did he mean the first right is immediately out of the door? It has to be. I follow the instructions and get to a hallway with rooms with windows. They are about waist to head high and probably five feet long. They must be one way mirrors because as I walk by and look inside, no one turns to look at me, unless somehow I'm invisible, which I doubt. The idea nearly makes me chuckle.

I walk past a room on the right and see a familiar yet unwelcome face, Mike Farrell. He is wearing a Melcher football t-shirt. I would love to play our football game now that I have this strength and speed. I could teach Mike a thing or two. He's reading at a desk in the room. What is he doing here? He can stay locked in that room for all I care. Mike has always been such a dick. I remember his tone just before the football game and it makes my blood boil. His teammates even despise him. One of them, Jeremiah, told me he pinned him down in the locker room after a game for dropping an interception and choked him to the point of needing medical attention. They even won the game. What I hate most about him is, he saw my stepmom grocery shopping one day and rammed his cart into hers, making it seem like an accident, but it hurt her wrist and it needed surgery. For him to not only hold a grudge against me but to take out his aggression on my stepmother by hurting her is why I hate him. She told me he smiled when he saw her in pain. I just walk past his room.

Halfway down the hall I look to the left and into one of the windows. I see Jensen. He is sitting in front of a TV playing video games. There is a numeric key pad on the outside. I type in the code. A red light flashes and makes an annoying buzzing sound. It must not be the same code for all of the rooms. I tap on the glass. Jensen doesn't flinch. This room must be sound proof as well. It reminds me of the sound proof room when I heard Dr. Hunter.

I close my eyes and focus on my ears. I hear ringing. It is faint at first, and then it gets louder. As it gets louder it starts to break up. I hear gaps in the noises, pulses, voices, and music. I can hear clearly into the room. I can hear the game he's playing. I knew this would be possible but it still freaks me out a little. If I can hear in the room, can I get him to hear me? It seems impossible but it's worth a try.

"Jensen." I say softly.

I hear silence. I open my eyes and see him inside. He presses the pause button and is looking toward the door. He looks confused, as I would in this situation.

"Can you hear me Jensen?" I ask.

"Yes, I can." He replies with a confused look on his face.

"Can you open the door?"

He gets up off the floor and rushes to the door.

"Yes, my sister told me the code if I ever needed it."

I hear the beeps as he presses the numbers. The door slides open and he looks up at me.

"I knew it was you! How did you do that?" He asks me.

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

"I've never met anyone else who can do that."

"Anyone else?"

"Yeah, my sister, Michaela. She can talk to me inside my head. I haven't heard from her yet today. She usually tells me what is happening to her."

Since he is fine, the complications Alisabeth was talking about must be Michaela. Is she dead? I remember Alisabeth saying Dr. McNeal's patient died this morning.

"This may seem like a strange question but, has your sister ever said anything about seeing the future or what is about to happen?"

"No, not to me, why? Did she talk to you?"

"Yes, she did. She told me about a decision I would have to make. Do you know anything about it?"

"No." He says as he shakes his head.

Suddenly I hear my radio crackle. I unclip it from my pocket and hold it up by my ear.

"Baby, can you hear me?" I hear through the static.

"Yes, I can. I am here." I respond.

"They are here! A bunch of them are eating the bodies in the yard!"

"Stay down. Stay quiet, I am on my way!" I yell with seriousness in my voice.

"No, don't come! I had to shoot a few of them to get to the truck and I'm already going down the driveway to find Darr like the girl told me. I trust Michaela. There's no time. I have to leave here now!"

"Just wait, I can be there in less than an hour!" I say desperately.

"NO! I'm leaving, I know not to look in their eyes, I got out of the school just fine, and I can protect myself! Stay there and fix this. That is how you can save me, by saving everyone!"

With increasing static on the radio, I think I make out her final response. She said something about not being there, Darr hiding, and she loves me.

I wish I heard it all. I wish I could tell her I love her too. I'm not sure what to do.

Before I can hit the radio button again to try to speak to Lila, a voice comes over the loud speaker. It is a woman's voice.

"Mr. Dursky, please stay where you are. My name is Dr. McNeal and I would like to speak with you. It has come to my attention you may be able to help us out of this, debacle. Please, remain where you are."

I look up at the ceiling a few yards in front of me and see a camera. I hadn't noticed them before. They must have been watching me the whole time.

I know if I stay she may try all the things Michaela warned me about, and Lila will be ok. But I am starting to learn about my abilities and don't think they can keep me against my will. On the other hand, what if she's wrong? I have this urge to go protect Lila. Can that really be worse in the long run? She is the love of my life and I'm stronger with her than I could ever be on my own.

This must be the choice Michaela warned me about. When broken down to one word for each path, my choices seem to be, Power or Love.

I look at Jensen, he looks up at me, and he asks, "What are you going to do?"

Thank you so much for reading Fallen.

I encourage you to leave a review at

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25866429-fallen

### Now that you have finished Fallen you may choose between Love and Power. Please read the back of each before making your decision. You do not have to read them in a specific order, the choice is yours!

Special Thanks!

Beta Readers:

Brian Darr, Tami Retzlaff, Linsay Jackson, Brittany Backus, Bonnie Stalzer, Gina Horkey Davis, Liz Strassman, and Ayla Crosby. (Who only read until "her character died")

Creative Input/Editing

Brian Darr, Tami Retzlaff

One Final Thanks

The last thank you goes to Mike Farrell. Not everyone is awesome enough to let me make them the villain in a story. He really isn't a bad guy, I just needed a badass for a villain. Thanks for letting me use your name and likeness.

