Delusional Page 29

  Almost instantly he bounded forward. I stood up and ran to the next crate over and ripped a piece of orange tape off it. Then, I glanced at Ethan, and saw the most gruesome sight my eyes had ever had the misfortune to see.

  Ethan snuck up behind the guard and with one smooth cut of the knife the man’s entire head was severed from his neck, and it splattered on the pavement with blood disgorging out of its neck, eyes, ears, and mouth. His body, fell in a lifeless thud to the ground, and I watched in horror, as the head continued to flop around for a few seconds, before the energy inside of it fizzled out.

  I was too in shock, and too horrified to do much of anything, but just stand there in the middle of the airstrip paralyzed. I stared at Ethan’s face as he ran back towards me, that showed no sorrow, but just the look of sheer tenacity.

  “Let’s get going!” He screamed, and I could sense the anxiety in his tone. He practically leapt into the wooden crate, and held the lid of it open, screaming for me to come in. I looked up at the machine above, and its claw that came down and scooped up the crate next to ours and put it in the back of a large aircraft that was filled with them. Our crate was now the only one left, and my body didn’t start to move until the claw of the machine started to open and move to pick up the crate Ethan was in.

  Crap! I scrambled hastily to the crate and grabbed onto Ethan who pulled me in and slammed the top shut, just before the claw came swooping down and picked it up. Ethan and I were both thrown wildly to one side of the crate, and I felt a sharp pain in my arm from hitting against the wood. With every movement of the machine, Ethan and I were tossed around inside the darkness. Finally, the makeshift carnival ride ended, and there was a loud bang beneath us that vibrated through my body.

  Seconds later the door of the aircraft shut, and I could feel it begin to take off into the night sky. I put a hand against my chest and felt the rapid beat of my heart. We did it! A surge of excitement rushed through me, and I squeezed Ethan’s hand with joy.

  I could feel his once tense body loosen up and hear him inhale sharply.

  “Ethan, we’re going to Area 51!” I sat up on the hard wood beneath us. “We’re going to get our lives back!” I wrapped my arms around him, the ecstatic feeling rushing through me almost too much to contain. I had managed to push back the horrid vision and only focused on the excitement shooting through me.

  Ethan, however, didn’t hug me back. I glanced at his unmoving eyes and into the shock locked inside of them and began to feel his body tremble with horror.

  “Don’t worry, you did what you had to do.” I said, holding his hand.

  Despite the anxiety, the anger, the trauma, and everything else bundled inside me, I felt strong. I looked at the darkness, and for once, I finally saw light.

  Chapter 24

  The darkness and wood surrounded us, and with every second they seemed to grow closer. I could feel their weight pressing down on my body and threatening to suffocate me. Both our bodies were practically intertwined. The space inside the wooden crate was no bigger than five by five feet, but even so I could feel the oxygen being sucked from the air. My legs rose up and down with the gentle swells of Ethan’s chest, and I could almost hear the heavy pulse of his heart beating.

  “Natalie,” His voice was airy, and I could feel his body shift. “I killed that man. I killed him.” His body shook ever so slightly with each of his words, and I could see the horror in his eyes even in the blackness.

  There was an immense silence that lasted for what felt like hours, as my mind flashed back to the image of the severed head flopping around with blood spewing out of it uncontrollably. The tears trickled from my eyes in a slow stream, but the rest of my body stood frozen still. Don’t think about it! I jerked my head, trying to shake the images out of my mind. You can’t let yourself go there, not now.

  “You had to do it.” I placed an arm on his shoulder, and spoke with a calm, steady voice. “It was the only way. There was no other option.”

  His crying soon subsided, and his body tightened up as he began to process what I said. I saw his mouth open as if to speak, but nothing came out besides a deep cough that sounded like something died inside him. I could hear him pull the cover off the knife in his pocket, and without another word, he began to cut into the wood.

  Within seconds it seemed, he a cut a large hole into the side of the crate and he climbed out and sighed. “Here.” He grabbed my hand and helped pull me out of the cramped quarters.

  The darkness that once enveloped us vanished and, in its place, the low lights on the ceiling glowed vibrantly, despite the black floors, walls, and ceiling that surrounded it. My eyes grew wide at the sight of the dozens of crates lining the floor of the aircraft, that held an army of lethal robots.

  “Ah.” My lungs expanded slowly, as the hot air was expelled from my body. For the longest time, I stared up at Ethan’s eyes wishing I could dissolve into their warmth.

  This is it. I glanced at the blue shirt that Ethan was wearing over his bullet proof suit and felt a pang in my heart. We either die together today, or we live finally getting to know the truth about our lives.

  Ethan grazed his hand over my cheek, and we both leaned in and let our lips connect. The anger and fear fermented in my heart. Yet, the surge of endorphins that coursed through my veins at the touch of his lips, and the warmth of his body, gave the hope and drive inside me new life.

  Our lips separated, and I could feel the energy between us slowly dissipate. Yet the fire inside me was reignited into a new voracious hunger for my life. I need it back. I exhaled and let my hands slide down Ethan’s stomach and onto the sides of his waist. I looked up at the hurt, sorrow, and anger locked up in his eyes, and couldn’t help but wonder whether another world of pain was locked away in our memories, waiting to be unleashed onto us. Maybe Danielle is keeping our memories from us for good reason. Maybe it’s a good thing that our lives are lost.

  The smoke from the flames inside me fogged up my thoughts, and I felt myself get entangled in the lust that practically glowed off Ethan. I leaned in, and another burst of energy coursed through my veins, as his lips connected with mine in one beautiful sweeping motion.

  I closed my eyes and let the emotions wash over me. I immersed myself into the joyous sensation of his hands gliding over my body, and his lips pressing up against mine until my body felt numb to everything, except the touch of Ethan.

  I felt him pull back ever so slightly, and suddenly the warmth of his lips, and comfort of his touch left me. I stared at him startled and could feel the anxiety ebb out of him in a long sigh. His eyes finally met mine, and I could hear the tension in his voice.

  “Is this really happening?” He looked around at the crates, and at the rack of weapons hanging on the far wall like it was all somehow a figment of his imagination.

  “Yes.” I smiled. I couldn’t help but let the nervous excitement bubble out of me. “This is it.” I stepped in even closer and grabbed both his hands. “This our chance, to make everything better.”

  “Yeah,” He looked at the wall behind me with a fearful yet determined look in his eyes. “It’s finally here.”

  At that we both sat down and sighed. It was hard to explain the frankly sickening combination of thoughts swirling through my head that ranged from dire, fearful screams, to determined war cries, but by the end I somehow managed to push all the fear and anxiety to the side, and I let the fire inside me emanate throughout my body.

  We can do this. I glanced at Ethan, letting the blackness calm me until everything fell apart.

  It happened so suddenly that it almost knocked me over, but there was a low bang that rumbled through the frame of the aircraft and shook my bones as the aircraft touched down on land. Area 51.

  I shook the visions of people screaming, bullets, and death out my mind, and instantly stood up. My arms and legs began to tremble with nervous tension. The door of the aircraft remained closed, and for a second everything was ominously still. Then, the do
or lowered and with it the sounds of the gun fire and pounding of the helicopters landing rushed in.

  “Let’s go.” I looked at Ethan whose eyes were frozen still and could feel the determination overcoming the fear and sorrow inside him.

  He got up in one quick motion and began to sprint towards the back of the aircraft. “Let’s do this.” He grabbed two pistols, and extra ammo off the rack of weapons at the back of the aircraft.

  He handed one to me as I pulled up the map of the compound on my ICL. “How are we going to not die?”

  I looked at the dozens of soldiers running past the door of the aircraft, and instantly realized that the second we stepped foot off the aircraft, we would be entering a war zone. I had to swallow the anxiety-filled scream that threatened to rupture from my throat, and keep my hands tightly clenched around the pistol to keep them from shaking.

  “We’re going to have to meet up with the group of soldiers heading down towards the mind control computer.” I heard the click of him loading his pistol. “Let’s go now.”

  I looked at him for an extra boost of confidence, and I positioned one hand on the grip of the gun and let the other graze over the Universal Access Driver in my pocket before an army of soldiers began to rush into the aircraft. With every step, the bags of ammunition tied to their black bullet proof vests jingled, and my eyes froze with horror at the sight of the slick, black machine guns aimed at the both of us.

  “Stop! Stop!” Ethan yelled, throwing his hands up in the air, and letting his gun fall to the ground.

  Despite Ethan’s surrender I continued to point the pistol straight ahead, my trembling fingers hovering over the trigger readying to fire. The rapid beat of my heart pumped adrenaline throughout my body, and I suddenly felt more powerful than ever.

  Their footsteps pounded against the metal ramp of the aircraft, and I could see a few of the men’s eyes narrowing on us as if to fire, but then my eyes met the blue, eyes of a younger man and everything seemed to stop.

  “Hey!” He screamed and held out a hand to signal the men to cease fire. “They’re one of us. That’s Natalie and Ethan.”

  I lowered my gun and stared at the men with wide eyes. They were all young and had short buzzed haircuts to match their ripped figures. For a second everything was still, it felt like a quiet, autumn night, but then I realized it was just the calm before the storm.

  Seemingly all at once the men began to talk. “How did they get here?” One of them shouted, a look of shock and dismay across his face.

  “They shouldn’t be here!” Another screamed and pointed at us.

  “Oh my god.” There was a collective gasp from the men, who stared dumbfounded at us, and about five of them began to rush towards us. I stiffened my arm and pulled back, as a soldier with a barely visible blonde stubble atop his head grabbed me.

  “Stop.” The man’s brown eyes narrowed at me, and I could feel the heaviness in his tone. “You have to stick with us. You must trust us. Or else you’ll die.”

  I felt my legs surge forward into a run, as we dashed by the crates and out into the base of the aircraft where the group of soldiers stood with their guns raised.

  “I’m reporting this to Danielle.” One of the soldiers yelled, the anxiety audible in his voice. “She will not like this.”

  “Just shut up, Tommy.” The man who still had his hand around my arm snapped back. “We all know why they are here. And we can’t just send them back. They’re coming with us. So, c’mon, before the government blows up this damn place, get the robots out!”

  “I can’t just—”

  “No one gives a damn!” The man bellowed above the gunfire. I looked out at the bright moonlight that shined down, illuminating the carnage ensuing on the cement outside. A round of government soldiers stormed out from the hangar and began firing bullets at the dozens of Retributioner soldiers that were beginning to invade the hangar behind the army of robots. “Just unlock the freaking crates so that we can get out of here and take over the mind control program!”

  I pulled away from the man’s grip and glanced passively at the indignation burning in his eyes. What does he mean take over? My eyes darted to the crates that all at once were opened by metal claws attached to the ceiling. I thought Danielle wanted to destroy it for good, so that no one could ever use it again.

  My bones rattled with the shockwaves of the massive explosion. I turned towards the open hangar, with dozens of fighter jets spanning the massive building, and watched in horror as a black cloud of smoke enveloped the hundred-foot-tall opening into it. Seconds later a thick fire appeared from the black endless mass of smoke, and underneath it piles of metal robots, and dismembered human bodies were visible in the flames. I had to suppress the tears from streaming down my face, and the pure revulsion that began to bubble up from my stomach.

  “Step back!” I heard a scream echo in my ears, and felt Ethan pull me back as the dozens of robots began to emerge from the crates and roll out into the battlefield. They were all about four feet tall, but they had the quick, agile movements of humans, and were equipped with the nearly impenetrable metallic armor. Positioned in the chest of their bodies were openings that bullets began to fly out of, directed at the oncoming wave of government soldiers.

  “Let’s go! Let’s go!” A man yelled as the last row of robots ran down the ramp. My body instinctively sprinted forward, the adrenaline and determination beginning to take over me. There was about a dozen of us who began to sprint adjacent to the army of robots powering ahead. The sounds of the succession of bullets banging off the metal armor of the robots ringed sharply in my ears.

  “We gotta get past the wall of smoke!” Someone screamed panicked. We all stopped running and stood behind the cover of one of the large aircraft, but I could still hear explosions and gunfire in the distance.

  “Follow me!” The only woman in the group hollered and held her machine gun up raring to fire. “There’s an opening in the smoke just up there!”

  I clenched my jaw and sped back up into a run. Now, out of the cover of the aircraft the true devastation that had taken place outside was visible. Dozens, and I really do mean dozens, of bodies laid on the pavement lifelessly engulfed in pools of blood with bits of metal surrounding them. Danielle’s fleet of aircraft surrounded the opening into Area 51 in a horseshoe formation, and the fire that roared up from the pile of scorched bodies lit up the entire night sky. The vague outline of soldiers was visible in the darkness, but the bullets that were flying in our direction traveled through the night silently.

  With every step, the wall of smoke seemed to tower higher and higher up ahead. C’mon. I suppressed the burning sensation in my legs and gritted my teeth. Every gunshot caused my heart to skip a beat, and it caused a stray thought in the back of my mind to wonder if it would connect. There was a loud bang, and I looked over to see three robots blow up simultaneously into a ball of flames.

  I tried to shake the horror out of my mind, but with the sound of another gunshot, I watched as the bullet connected with the head of a man running just in front of me. I felt a scream roar out of me, and I had to hurdle over his dead body, that was beginning to ooze blood madly from his skull.

  Run! I held one arm over the side of my head and winced a bit at the impact of a bullet connecting with my waist and ricocheting off the vest onto the cement below. Not my head. Not my head. My legs continued to dash forward as the small opening in the blanket of smoke became visible.

  Boom! There was another thunderous roar that shook the ground beneath me and caused my mind to spin with every seismic wave. My inner ear instantly screamed with pain, and I could feel my entire brain go numb. I looked over at the plethora of destruction, fire, and death that ensued from the explosion of the missile connecting with another troop of robots.

  The massive metal frame that held up the hangar loomed above us, and the thick blackness of the smoke smothered my vision and infested my lungs as we ran through the fiery vapor. The incessant echoes of
the bullets stopped for the slightest second while running through the middle of the smoke. I could feel the black, charred metal being sucked into my lungs, and the heavy, acidic air sinking into my eyeballs. I imagined the sensation of running through the wall of smoke for those short seconds was much like traveling through a storm cloud, except the vapor in the clouds did not cause my lungs to shrivel, and throat to burn.

  “Let’s go! Split up!” I heard a sharp cry from the front, and after only a few more steps the smoke enveloping me suddenly subsided, and in front of us, the sheer size of the compound became visible. The hangar was about a hundred yards wide, and it’s massive, gray, metal walls extended as far as the eye could see. Lining the gray cement floors were dozens of aircraft, ranging from small tear drop shaped vehicles, to large bombers with multiple stories.

  In the middle, I could see a massive open-air elevator leading deeper into the compound, and exiting the large circular elevator were hundreds of government soldiers.

  Shit! I instantly ducked behind the wheels of a fighter jet as a hailstorm of bullets unleashed upon us. I could feel the forceful tug of Ethan grabbing my arm and pulling me his way.

  “We have to go now!” He was already running, and he had to practically drag my body along with him. He glanced back hastily and fired a round of bullets over his shoulders. “They’re coming in on us from three sides, there’s only one way left to go!”

  I followed his lead and sprinted behind the cover of the row of aircraft that lined the side of the hangar. “Where is everybody else?” I hollered above the gunfire and screams all around.

  “We all split up! If we stayed in one big group, they would kill us all in a second. This way it will be harder for them to get to us!” Sweat dripped down Ethan’s skin, and behind the confidence and determination in his tone, the fear and shock bled through.

  I glanced quickly at my ICL and realized where Ethan was headed. There was one ladder that lead to the bottom of the compound positioned in the far-right corner of the hangar; we just had to make it there alive.