ACT II

CHAPTER 12: CONTACT

September 3, 1993

Harlan was reflecting on the quiet days he and Anthony shared. Things between them softened greatly. In between modest raids of local farmhouses and points of interest, the two began tearing through any books they could find. Novels, manuals, survival guides, harlequin romances, anything with ink to paper.

After their wounds healed to a more bearable state, Anthony convinced Harlan to join his exercise routine. "Stretching only goes so far," he'd say. And now, on this fine Friday, the two had nothing better to do than lay in the grass and stare at the clouds.

"I swear to god, that was totally a plane!" Anthony interrupted the peace, pointing to a fluffy white cloud.

Harlan peered into the sky before tearing up some grass and throwing it onto Anthony. "Maybe it was a UFO, didn't you watch the Omega Department?"

"Maybe it was military."

"It could be, I hear them sometimes."

"Hear who?" Anthony sat up.

"The military. That radio set picks up all kinds of frequencies, and sometimes I hear a human being in all that static."

Anthony made a face. "So you've been talking to the military this entire time and didn't think to tell me?" Harlan's turn to make a face.

"No, Tone, I'm not talking to them, there's some sort of bleed between the-" Harlan stood up, beckoning his partner to follow. "C'mon."

Upstairs in the home's back office, Anthony found a mess of components scattered across the desk around a large box with a dial. Harlan brushed some aside and flicked a switch, filling the room with static.

"I stole this from down the block, they don't need it any more." Harlan spun the dial up and down the spectrum for emphasis. Anthony put his hands on Harlan's shoulders and watched over his head. "I never know where they'll pop up next but they're out there. They're definitely out there."

"What do they say?"

Harlan spun around in the chair and put his feet on the desk, steepling his fingers. "Garbled jargon, sectors and uplinks and stuff. It's not a robot like the weather, it's a real guy out there."

"Does he sound hot?"

Harlan laughed. "If he did I wouldn't have told you."

Anthony laughed and pulled Harlan's head into a loose hug. "Next time you hear him, come get me."

"Oh, you know the code?"

"Sort of," Anthony leaned against the wall, "I've covered wars, you know."

"Like, Kuwait?"

"Yeah, from shield to storm, a whole six months in hell on earth."

"What was that like?"

"Imagine no bars, no beer, the air smells like smoke constantly, and the only guys around are so deep in the closet they shit mothballs."

"Did you shoot anyone?"

Anthony frowned. "You don't just ask someone about that."

"Then let's pretend I asked something else." Harlan got out of his chair and grabbed Anthony by the hand, leading him out of the office and into the bedroom. Neither of them heard three words pierce through the static.

Air activity detected.

After the festivities, Harlan and Anthony lay sprawled out on the sweat-soaked bed.

"You're nasty, that was nasty," Anthony was out of breath, "Where'd you learn that?"

"London, I studied abroad." Harlan gently scratched the back of his partner's head.

"You studied a broad named London?" Harlan yanked a lock of Anthony's hair and laughed.

"Gross, man, gross."

wuppa wuppa wuppa wuppa

"Hey, there are some things you just can't get from another guy."

wuppawuppawuppawuppawuppa

"Oh I'm sure, I-"

wuppawuppaWUPPAWUPPAWUPPAWUPPA

"What the fuck is that?" Harlan shot straight up, the oxytocin in his brain replaced with cortisol. The sound was so loud Anthony had to cover his ears.

"HELICOPTER!" Anthony shouted.

"WHAT?" Harlan couldn't hear him. The curtains were blown inside by the chopper as it circled the house like a hungry lion. The two threw on whatever clothes they could find and ran into the back yard, waving their arms wildly.

The helicopter's side door opened and a man decked out in flight gear waved his arms back. He kept pointing towards town.

"WHAT? WHAT?" Harlan knew screaming at the helicopter wasn't going to work, but what else could he do? Just then, an idea fell out of the sky and conked him on the head. "ANTHONY, STAY HERE!"

"WHAT? WHY?"

"TRUST ME!" Harlan shouted as he bolted upstairs and into his radio room, furiously spinning the HAM radio's dial listening for any human voice. It was a total crapshoot and he knew it, but what the hell were they trying to say?

Before he found his answer, Anthony ran into the room out of breath.

"They saw," he heaved, "they're coming."

"Who?" Harlan knew the answer.

"Deadheads, hundreds, thousands." Anthony sounded like he was about to puke. Harlan held his breath.

"We can hide, lay low, let them pass b-"

"They're at the wall."

"They're at the fucking wall?!"

"Yeah. Go. NOW." Without another word, Harlan grabbed his bugout bag and met Anthony in the backyard. The chopper was gone, but a fresh danger presented itself. Neither man could see through the chain link fence between them and the fire station, it was wall to wall with the dead. All of them were wearing orange jumpsuits. "We gotta hop the side fence, main street."

"Is it safe?"

"Nope, I thought it would be a nice place to die!"

"Tony for fuck's sake-"

"YES yes yes it's safe, let's fucking go!"

With a huff, Harlan and Anthony tumbled over into town right as their defenses were breached. Harlan stood for a second, he just lost everything he couldn't carry on his back. He was quite literally yanked from his thoughts by Anthony, who grabbed his arm and ran north. They passed the burnt down church, looted shops, rotting corpses, when they heard a voice.

"HEY!" They looked at each other, then around, then back at each other. "OVER HERE!" Down the road they spied three figures, one with a rifle waving at them, and a woman holding the hand of a child. The two glanced at each other before turning heel and sprinting over.

The trio were being chased by the horde as well, crashing over the town like a technicolor tidal wave. Harlan took a moment to collect himself, his jaw hit the floor when he recognized the younger woman.

"Hilda?!"

"Ye-" she paused, "Harley?"

He felt tears sprung from the corner of his eyes as he hugged his big sister.

"Harley, oh my god." Hilda started crying too as she clasped her brother.

"Hey," the other woman spoke, "We need to go, now." Harlan pulled away and looked her way.

"Mrs. Carr?!"

"That was a lifetime ago," she spat, "let's haul ass." Without another word, the quintet disappeared into the woods.