Chapter 3
They were driving down the roads, Zeke with a cigarette in his hand, and Rayne with her legs pulled beneath her.
"What the hell is goin' on?" Stan asked.
"Let's see if anyone's talking," he said, reaching down. He turned on the radio, flipping through the stations. Nothing but the fuzzy darkness Rayne hated hearing. She looked up.
"Who the hell are these guys?" she asked. Zeke looked up at the police barricade.
"Fuckin' shit," Zeke said, flicked his cigarette out the window, and skidded down the next road.
He drove until he reached a white house, pulled far back into the driveway, and shut off the car. They all got out, following him inside.
"Where's your mom and dad?" Casey asked as they walked into a small, lab- like room.
"Europe.I think," Zeke replied.
"Wow.this is some serious shit," Stan mumbled, looking at the beakers and dissection trays and test tubes, and other scientific things on the table. Mary Beth, while keeping her hand off the tube, ran it down the side. Then came upon the caffeine pills on the table.
"Uh-hah.this is your big secret? Caffeine pills?" she asked in her southern drawl. Zeke took the towel he held, and tossed it over the boxes.
"You didn't see that."
"Now what do we do, the police not being an option?" Delilah asked.
"I can call my dad, he'd know what to do." Stan said.
"Is he even your dad anymore?" Casey asked. Stan shrugged. Then he laid his eyes on the gun. Casey looked down at it too, confused. Zeke looked up.
"It's called a gun, man."
Zeke started doing experimental work on the creature organism Casey brought. Rayne couldn't help but watch the adorable little white mouse in the cage beside Zeke.
"What is it?" Casey asked.
"We're gonna find out," Zeke said, picking up the organism with tiny tongs.
"Hey, come here Oscar, come here buddy," Zeke said to the white mouse. He dropped it inside the cage. Oscar turned away from it, placing his little feet on the bars of the cage. Zeke took an eyedropper, got some water, and placed some on the creature. Oscar turned around, sniffing at it. Rayne jerked her head back when the little red rope things shot out and grabbed him, and they watched as it inserted itself into Oscar's ear. Zeke sighed, and Rayne raised her eyebrow.
"Now what?" Casey asked. Zeke reached his hand inside the cage.
"Sorry buddy." He snapped Oscar's neck, killing him. Rayne couldn't watch.
Oscar lay on the dissection tray, pinned down, so his skin wouldn't cover his organs. Zeke took the tongs, and pried the creature from Oscar. He placed it under the microscope, and looked at it.
"See, it's a parasite. It attaches itself to a host, and then it controls it." Zeke reached over and picked up a scalpel.
"It's incomplete," he said, cutting it open.
"What do you mean?" Stokes asked. Stan looked over at her.
"It can survive on it's own but its really part of a greater organism. Look, it has the ability to replicate but it needs a host. Something moist. See what it did to Oscar's insides? Dried him out." he said, placing a napkin over Oscar.
"Isn't a human body composed mainly of water?" Stan asked.
"Their using us, drying us out," Stokes said.
"Like Mrs. Brummel, right?"
"I overheard the coach. Her body was too old, she didn't take," Casey said.
"See, this partially explains what happens to Furlong.the drug's diuretic.it dries it out.kills it."
"Their using us as hosts, turning us into mindless slaves they can control." Zeke looked at Stokely.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"Hph, she doesn't. She's a tricky sci-fi freak." Delilah stated.
"Who's been right so far," Rayne pointed out.
"So how do we stop it?" Mary Beth asked.
"Yea, Stokely. This is your area." Casey said.
"Well, in theory, they're all connected.if we kill the master, we get 'em all."
"In theory," Delilah pointed.
"What happens to everybody else? The ones who get taken over, do they just die?" Stan asked, walking over.
"No, no they don't, they would become human again.but that is in theory." she said.
"So, if we found the leader, and killed it, we beat it." Casey said.
"What the hell are we talking about, I say let's get the hell outta town," Delilah said.
"And go where? Don't you see, if we don't stop it, it'll spread. It took the high school in a day and a half.give it a week, we'll never out run it," Rayne stated.
"We have to fight," Casey said.
"Fight what? We don't even know who's alien, and who's not. What if one of us was an alien right now, how would we know?" Stan asked.
"He's right. I mean, how do I know your really Casey?"
"How do I know your really you?"
"In Body Snatchers the humans became emotionless. They completely lost their identities."
"*Sigh* But the coach had emotion. I mean, he's usually a real hot head but he's different somehow.it was odd."
"Like a star quarterback who mysteriously quits the team?" Delilah asked. Stan moved back across the room.
"What're you doing, Delilah?"
"I'm just pointing out your slightly odd behavior of the last couple of days."
"I'm not an alien, I'm discontent." he said.
"That's another big word for you." Rayne slammed her hands over her ears, unable to listen to them bickering. She lifted her eyes, and saw their lips move.
"I'm incognito."
"We just have to trust each other," Stokes said. Rayne dropped her hands to her knees, and sighed.
"And I'm supposed to trust you? Tell me something, Ms. Lesbian, since when did you start liking boys?" Delilah asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I see the way you look at Stan." Rayne rolled her eyes.
"She's not a lesbian, it was a hoax."
"Really? And what about you, Ms. Atlanta.it's just convenient that you showed up the second these things started happening. What're you doing in Ohio anyway?"
"It's not my fault."
"Hey, shut up," Zeke said, standing up. Delilah turned and looked at him.
"She's gotta point, Zeke," Casey said.
"Yea, Zeke, professor. You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff.I mean, no offense, but your not exactly known for your academic achievements."
"Neither are you, man." he replied. Rayne couldn't take it.
"Casey, when did you become Sigourney Weaver?" Delilah asked. Rayne stood up.
"Stop it, this is getting us no where," she said. They looked at her, and she dropped back onto the couch.
Zeke reached over, and picked up a tray full of Scat pens.
"Gotta solution.We know this outs them, right? Take a hit."
"No way, man. I don't do drugs." Stan said, sitting beside Rayne.
"Unless you're an alien you got nothing to worry about," she said, lifting her eyes and looking at him.
"She's right," Casey said, walking over. "This is the only way to know for sure."
"Yea, come on, man.Look, we all do it. Casey," he said, holding out a pen.
"Wait, why me first?"
"It was your birthright, man, just take it." Casey hesitated, so Rayne stood up.
"Gimme the damn pen," she said. Zeke nodded.
"That's the spirit." She plucked off the cap, pushed in one side of her nose, placed the pen up to the other, and snorted a little bit. Then she handed it back to Zeke, and slid down to the ground.
"You alright?" She nodded. He handed it to Casey, who snorted down most of the rest.
"Easy, boy." Rayne, her hearing getting fuzzy, quit listening, but started to laugh with Casey. Stan grabbed a gun and pointed at them
"What the hell is wrong with you two?"
"There's nothing wrong man, they're tweakin', let 'em freakin' tweak!" Zeke exclaimed. Rayne started laughing again. She realized that her hearing was coming back around when only Delilah and Mary Beth remained. He held out a pen to Delilah.
"No.her first."
"I'm allergic," MB said.
"Yea, and I'm Portuguese.who cares.." Delilah said.
"You both take it." Zeke held out two pens to each girl. MB pushed it down.
"Zeke, you know I can't," she stated. He held it back out.
"You have to take it." he said. She and Delilah took the pens, and held them up to their noses. MB snorted at the same time as Delilah, but Delilah dropped the pen and turned, her arms covering her face, her glasses hitting the floor, and her head hitting the shelf behind her. Stan suddenly quit laughing.
"Del?" he asked, standing up. He walked over, and grabbed her arm. She spun around, and looked at him: something was crawling under her skin. She stood up and shoved him away, over the couch and onto the floor. Zeke spun to grab the gun.it was gone. He lifted his eyes to see Casey pointing it at him.
"Shoot her.shoot her in the head, Casey." Casey turned, aiming the gun at Delilah. She held up her hands.
"Stan.I don't know what's happening."
"Shoot her, Casey, she's really one of them man," Zeke said.
"There's no where to go, we're everywhere." Casey couldn't pull the trigger.
"I'll fuckin' shoot her," Stokes said, grabbing the gun. She began pulling the trigger, missing Delilah every time. Delilah swung over, knocking everything off the table, and breaking it, and ran out the door. They followed, Stokes still firing. Delilah ran to a car, the school's Driver's Ed car, hopped in, and took off.
They were driving down the roads, Zeke with a cigarette in his hand, and Rayne with her legs pulled beneath her.
"What the hell is goin' on?" Stan asked.
"Let's see if anyone's talking," he said, reaching down. He turned on the radio, flipping through the stations. Nothing but the fuzzy darkness Rayne hated hearing. She looked up.
"Who the hell are these guys?" she asked. Zeke looked up at the police barricade.
"Fuckin' shit," Zeke said, flicked his cigarette out the window, and skidded down the next road.
He drove until he reached a white house, pulled far back into the driveway, and shut off the car. They all got out, following him inside.
"Where's your mom and dad?" Casey asked as they walked into a small, lab- like room.
"Europe.I think," Zeke replied.
"Wow.this is some serious shit," Stan mumbled, looking at the beakers and dissection trays and test tubes, and other scientific things on the table. Mary Beth, while keeping her hand off the tube, ran it down the side. Then came upon the caffeine pills on the table.
"Uh-hah.this is your big secret? Caffeine pills?" she asked in her southern drawl. Zeke took the towel he held, and tossed it over the boxes.
"You didn't see that."
"Now what do we do, the police not being an option?" Delilah asked.
"I can call my dad, he'd know what to do." Stan said.
"Is he even your dad anymore?" Casey asked. Stan shrugged. Then he laid his eyes on the gun. Casey looked down at it too, confused. Zeke looked up.
"It's called a gun, man."
Zeke started doing experimental work on the creature organism Casey brought. Rayne couldn't help but watch the adorable little white mouse in the cage beside Zeke.
"What is it?" Casey asked.
"We're gonna find out," Zeke said, picking up the organism with tiny tongs.
"Hey, come here Oscar, come here buddy," Zeke said to the white mouse. He dropped it inside the cage. Oscar turned away from it, placing his little feet on the bars of the cage. Zeke took an eyedropper, got some water, and placed some on the creature. Oscar turned around, sniffing at it. Rayne jerked her head back when the little red rope things shot out and grabbed him, and they watched as it inserted itself into Oscar's ear. Zeke sighed, and Rayne raised her eyebrow.
"Now what?" Casey asked. Zeke reached his hand inside the cage.
"Sorry buddy." He snapped Oscar's neck, killing him. Rayne couldn't watch.
Oscar lay on the dissection tray, pinned down, so his skin wouldn't cover his organs. Zeke took the tongs, and pried the creature from Oscar. He placed it under the microscope, and looked at it.
"See, it's a parasite. It attaches itself to a host, and then it controls it." Zeke reached over and picked up a scalpel.
"It's incomplete," he said, cutting it open.
"What do you mean?" Stokes asked. Stan looked over at her.
"It can survive on it's own but its really part of a greater organism. Look, it has the ability to replicate but it needs a host. Something moist. See what it did to Oscar's insides? Dried him out." he said, placing a napkin over Oscar.
"Isn't a human body composed mainly of water?" Stan asked.
"Their using us, drying us out," Stokes said.
"Like Mrs. Brummel, right?"
"I overheard the coach. Her body was too old, she didn't take," Casey said.
"See, this partially explains what happens to Furlong.the drug's diuretic.it dries it out.kills it."
"Their using us as hosts, turning us into mindless slaves they can control." Zeke looked at Stokely.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"Hph, she doesn't. She's a tricky sci-fi freak." Delilah stated.
"Who's been right so far," Rayne pointed out.
"So how do we stop it?" Mary Beth asked.
"Yea, Stokely. This is your area." Casey said.
"Well, in theory, they're all connected.if we kill the master, we get 'em all."
"In theory," Delilah pointed.
"What happens to everybody else? The ones who get taken over, do they just die?" Stan asked, walking over.
"No, no they don't, they would become human again.but that is in theory." she said.
"So, if we found the leader, and killed it, we beat it." Casey said.
"What the hell are we talking about, I say let's get the hell outta town," Delilah said.
"And go where? Don't you see, if we don't stop it, it'll spread. It took the high school in a day and a half.give it a week, we'll never out run it," Rayne stated.
"We have to fight," Casey said.
"Fight what? We don't even know who's alien, and who's not. What if one of us was an alien right now, how would we know?" Stan asked.
"He's right. I mean, how do I know your really Casey?"
"How do I know your really you?"
"In Body Snatchers the humans became emotionless. They completely lost their identities."
"*Sigh* But the coach had emotion. I mean, he's usually a real hot head but he's different somehow.it was odd."
"Like a star quarterback who mysteriously quits the team?" Delilah asked. Stan moved back across the room.
"What're you doing, Delilah?"
"I'm just pointing out your slightly odd behavior of the last couple of days."
"I'm not an alien, I'm discontent." he said.
"That's another big word for you." Rayne slammed her hands over her ears, unable to listen to them bickering. She lifted her eyes, and saw their lips move.
"I'm incognito."
"We just have to trust each other," Stokes said. Rayne dropped her hands to her knees, and sighed.
"And I'm supposed to trust you? Tell me something, Ms. Lesbian, since when did you start liking boys?" Delilah asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I see the way you look at Stan." Rayne rolled her eyes.
"She's not a lesbian, it was a hoax."
"Really? And what about you, Ms. Atlanta.it's just convenient that you showed up the second these things started happening. What're you doing in Ohio anyway?"
"It's not my fault."
"Hey, shut up," Zeke said, standing up. Delilah turned and looked at him.
"She's gotta point, Zeke," Casey said.
"Yea, Zeke, professor. You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff.I mean, no offense, but your not exactly known for your academic achievements."
"Neither are you, man." he replied. Rayne couldn't take it.
"Casey, when did you become Sigourney Weaver?" Delilah asked. Rayne stood up.
"Stop it, this is getting us no where," she said. They looked at her, and she dropped back onto the couch.
Zeke reached over, and picked up a tray full of Scat pens.
"Gotta solution.We know this outs them, right? Take a hit."
"No way, man. I don't do drugs." Stan said, sitting beside Rayne.
"Unless you're an alien you got nothing to worry about," she said, lifting her eyes and looking at him.
"She's right," Casey said, walking over. "This is the only way to know for sure."
"Yea, come on, man.Look, we all do it. Casey," he said, holding out a pen.
"Wait, why me first?"
"It was your birthright, man, just take it." Casey hesitated, so Rayne stood up.
"Gimme the damn pen," she said. Zeke nodded.
"That's the spirit." She plucked off the cap, pushed in one side of her nose, placed the pen up to the other, and snorted a little bit. Then she handed it back to Zeke, and slid down to the ground.
"You alright?" She nodded. He handed it to Casey, who snorted down most of the rest.
"Easy, boy." Rayne, her hearing getting fuzzy, quit listening, but started to laugh with Casey. Stan grabbed a gun and pointed at them
"What the hell is wrong with you two?"
"There's nothing wrong man, they're tweakin', let 'em freakin' tweak!" Zeke exclaimed. Rayne started laughing again. She realized that her hearing was coming back around when only Delilah and Mary Beth remained. He held out a pen to Delilah.
"No.her first."
"I'm allergic," MB said.
"Yea, and I'm Portuguese.who cares.." Delilah said.
"You both take it." Zeke held out two pens to each girl. MB pushed it down.
"Zeke, you know I can't," she stated. He held it back out.
"You have to take it." he said. She and Delilah took the pens, and held them up to their noses. MB snorted at the same time as Delilah, but Delilah dropped the pen and turned, her arms covering her face, her glasses hitting the floor, and her head hitting the shelf behind her. Stan suddenly quit laughing.
"Del?" he asked, standing up. He walked over, and grabbed her arm. She spun around, and looked at him: something was crawling under her skin. She stood up and shoved him away, over the couch and onto the floor. Zeke spun to grab the gun.it was gone. He lifted his eyes to see Casey pointing it at him.
"Shoot her.shoot her in the head, Casey." Casey turned, aiming the gun at Delilah. She held up her hands.
"Stan.I don't know what's happening."
"Shoot her, Casey, she's really one of them man," Zeke said.
"There's no where to go, we're everywhere." Casey couldn't pull the trigger.
"I'll fuckin' shoot her," Stokes said, grabbing the gun. She began pulling the trigger, missing Delilah every time. Delilah swung over, knocking everything off the table, and breaking it, and ran out the door. They followed, Stokes still firing. Delilah ran to a car, the school's Driver's Ed car, hopped in, and took off.
