Chapter 8
"Fuck!" Zeke slammed his hands down on the steering wheel.
"It's happening again," Stan shook his head.
"Must've happened while we were away," Casey mused.
I frowned. "But it wasn't so obvious at school this time." My heart was still beating far too rapidly after what had happened. I was so glad they'd been close by. Any slower and... I didn't want to think about it.
"Maybe it's just started," said Delilah, staring out the window at the pouring rain.
"What I want to know is how," Casey continued. "I saw the mother alien die. She completely dried up..."
We were turning into Stokely's street. But halfway down the street, we caught sight of a figure running along the sidewalk in the rain. It was Stokely, and it looked like she'd been crying. We pulled up.
"They got my dad," she swiped a hand across her nose, "they got my whole fucking family."
"Shh... its ok," Stan put his arms around her and guided her into the car.
Reaching over me, Zeke snapped opened the glove compartment. Inside were several scat pens and a gun. He grabbed the lot and turned to us.
"Sniff this." He held out the pens.
We stared at him.
"Man, not this again." Stan groaned.
"You and Delilah don't do Bio. You two didn't go on the field trip. We ain't goin' anywhere till you take it."
Letting out a breath, Stan took two pens. He passed one to Delilah. We watched them carefully as they unscrewed the top, Zeke's gun aimed and ready.
Together, they inhaled deeply.
We waited.
Nothing happened.
"There, satisfied?" Stan handed the empty pens back to Zeke.
"Alright, now the rest of you." Zeke pressed a pen each into Casey's, Stokely's, and my hand.
The three of us sniffed. Again, nothing.
Stan grabbed the gun off Zeke. "Now your turn."
Shrugging, Zeke put a pen to his nose and sniffed.
"Now that you've established we're all human, can you step on it before the real aliens come after us?" Delilah urged. She glanced nervously out the window.
Zeke put the car into gear and we pulled away from the kerb.
"Where are we going now?" asked Stokely. Her head was down and she was pinching the bridge of her nose against the effects of the drug.
"My family's got a cabin up in the mountains. We go there every summer. We could go there," Stan suggested.
"No, we have to stay and fight." Casey argued. He leaned forward in his seat. "We did it last time and it worked. If we go now, we'll never outrun it."
"But that's cos we knew it was one of the faculty," countered Stan. "This time, the entire town's been infected even before the teachers..."
I agreed. "Yeah, it could be anyone this time."
"I say we crash at Stan's cabin. We can synth more scat there, ready our supplies, get back on top of the situation. We can figure out what to do from there." Zeke said.
There was silence. No one else seemed to have a better plan.
Stan nodded. "Let's do it."
***
So how was that so far? Feel free to be as honest as you want. Looking forward to lots of feedback to point me in the right direction - If I'm on the wrong track, I'll scrap it and start on plan B, no probs. But if not, I'll be happy to continue!
"Fuck!" Zeke slammed his hands down on the steering wheel.
"It's happening again," Stan shook his head.
"Must've happened while we were away," Casey mused.
I frowned. "But it wasn't so obvious at school this time." My heart was still beating far too rapidly after what had happened. I was so glad they'd been close by. Any slower and... I didn't want to think about it.
"Maybe it's just started," said Delilah, staring out the window at the pouring rain.
"What I want to know is how," Casey continued. "I saw the mother alien die. She completely dried up..."
We were turning into Stokely's street. But halfway down the street, we caught sight of a figure running along the sidewalk in the rain. It was Stokely, and it looked like she'd been crying. We pulled up.
"They got my dad," she swiped a hand across her nose, "they got my whole fucking family."
"Shh... its ok," Stan put his arms around her and guided her into the car.
Reaching over me, Zeke snapped opened the glove compartment. Inside were several scat pens and a gun. He grabbed the lot and turned to us.
"Sniff this." He held out the pens.
We stared at him.
"Man, not this again." Stan groaned.
"You and Delilah don't do Bio. You two didn't go on the field trip. We ain't goin' anywhere till you take it."
Letting out a breath, Stan took two pens. He passed one to Delilah. We watched them carefully as they unscrewed the top, Zeke's gun aimed and ready.
Together, they inhaled deeply.
We waited.
Nothing happened.
"There, satisfied?" Stan handed the empty pens back to Zeke.
"Alright, now the rest of you." Zeke pressed a pen each into Casey's, Stokely's, and my hand.
The three of us sniffed. Again, nothing.
Stan grabbed the gun off Zeke. "Now your turn."
Shrugging, Zeke put a pen to his nose and sniffed.
"Now that you've established we're all human, can you step on it before the real aliens come after us?" Delilah urged. She glanced nervously out the window.
Zeke put the car into gear and we pulled away from the kerb.
"Where are we going now?" asked Stokely. Her head was down and she was pinching the bridge of her nose against the effects of the drug.
"My family's got a cabin up in the mountains. We go there every summer. We could go there," Stan suggested.
"No, we have to stay and fight." Casey argued. He leaned forward in his seat. "We did it last time and it worked. If we go now, we'll never outrun it."
"But that's cos we knew it was one of the faculty," countered Stan. "This time, the entire town's been infected even before the teachers..."
I agreed. "Yeah, it could be anyone this time."
"I say we crash at Stan's cabin. We can synth more scat there, ready our supplies, get back on top of the situation. We can figure out what to do from there." Zeke said.
There was silence. No one else seemed to have a better plan.
Stan nodded. "Let's do it."
***
So how was that so far? Feel free to be as honest as you want. Looking forward to lots of feedback to point me in the right direction - If I'm on the wrong track, I'll scrap it and start on plan B, no probs. But if not, I'll be happy to continue!