Chương 12: Ch12: Go!
'Why did the axolotl cross the road? To escape the fires of hell.' All around me I could hear laughter; Claire's laughter. My mind was spinning; a unique mixture of anger and fear, with just a hint of a migraine. I knew I had to keep walking, just keep going, and don't look back.
'Yes, that's it. Don't look back.' Maybe the forest wouldn't be burning, maybe I could make it back to the safety of the hotel.
My legs ached, but I could see the massive hotel signage with the vacancy portion lit up in the glow of morning. The beacon of hope was just past a Walmart and two gas stations. Would I even get there before the entire town went up in flames?
The soft feeling of scratching fingernails brought me back to reality. My baby clung to me. Alexa's hands pinched through my sweaty shirt with unnatural strength. It was like she could feel my arms growing weaker. "Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you." I shifted the baby in my arms. I needed to keep moving, even if my lungs hurt, even if my vision was becoming blurry. 'I swear to God, I'd rather die than lose you.'
Alexa seemed to be gumming on my shirt trying to breastfeed through the fabric. "I'm so sorry, you must be exhausted." My heart was pounding in my chest. "I'll get you something to eat as soon as I can." It was all I could do not to cry. This wasn't just about me. Why did I have to bring a baby? 'Vice's baby; you brought Vice's daughter to him. Why?'
I knew what I had done, and how fucking ridiculous it was, but before I could contemplate more, my baby suddenly went limp, tilting her head towards the sky.
"Ga," she squealed with glee.
"What?" A crackle of thunder cut the otherwise clear sky.
"Ga!" she repeated, lifting her little hand as a passenger jet fell from the sky.
I sat in a fetal position, bracing myself for the impact, and the inevitable aftershocks. The crash itself wasn't right in front of me, but the pieces were coming down the road in my direction, propelled by the force of the crash. I knew that planes could crumble, leaving metal chunks (and body parts) for miles.
Pieces of debris flew by my face. First was a rock, then a small chunk of metal, followed by an open suitcase. My mind instructed me to flinch in pain, but I felt nothing. Not even the wind has any tactile effect on my skin. It was as if I was in a protective bubble. 'How? Why?'
I allowed myself to calm, rocking Alexa in my arms. Soon it all felt like a VR game, I was safe, none of this is real. I shifted Alexa, allowing me a view of her face. Somehow, I knew, the baby held all the answers. "Did you say the word 'God'?"
She smiled, nodding ever so slightly as if she understood. "Ga!"
I attempted to stand when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. At first, it felt like a bee sting; a tensing of the muscles, followed by an odd coldness as the air touched my blood.
"Vice's father started the whole thing." Claire was standing behind me. Her voice was audible but muffled. "He called himself a prophet, a saint."
What does that have to do with anything? "I'm not fighting you, Claire!" I shouted, unsure if she could even hear me outside of my protective bubble.
"Oh, I know." She took a step closer, pressing her lips to my ear. "Trust me, I know." With one quick motion, she twisted the blade that was now firmly inside my lung. "And believe me, I'm ever so grateful."
With each breath, I could taste the steel, the gore. My lung was filling with blood. I'd watched enough movies to know, the moment she pulled the knife out I would fall forward and slowly choke to death on my own bodily fluids. (If I was lucky, it would just be blood and not a mixture of vomit.) And yet that was not happening. I looked down at Alexa. her chubby little face was stuck in an aggressive scowl. If I wasn't about to die, I would have been tempted to take a picture to show Henry. "Your grandpa was right. You're something special."
Alexa grunted, looking like she was about to cry (or possibly poop.) Her focus was so strong, there was a moment of intensity when I could practically feel the raw energy of her rage. She focused her breath and spoke, "Ga!"
The blade moved out of my chest, floating around before reappearing in my hand. The pain was gone and I could breathe again. I was meant to kill Claire because that was what my baby wanted. I was completely ready to turn around and engage her, when two arms gripped me, throwing me into the tall grass. "What the fuck!"
Knocked free of my safety bubble, I could feel the blood filling my lung. "Shit!" I was more pissed off than anything; I could've taken her, now I was going to die off the side of the highway. "Motherfucking bullshit!"
Alexa was crying. I knew I had to get back up.
"You cursed demon! How dare you!" her words were not meant for me. There was an opponent somewhere behind her, approaching fast. Soon, Claire was fighting a tall muscular figure clad entirely in black. The pair exchanged blows, traveling further and further away.
At least that was one glimmer of light; I could die in peace and quiet now. I sat down on the road, attempting to breathe.
A car rushed by. I could hear children screaming, crying, but their cries were not for me. 'Why would they be? The world doesn't revolve around you. No one is going to save you. You'll be lucky if the local police find your body.'
Something was thrown out of an open window. The small metallic red object made a clicking sound as it bounced down the road. It was clearly made of lightweight plastic, like a free item from a fast-food chains' kid's meal or perhaps a box of breakfast cereal. "Is that a Pokémon?" It had to be. I couldn't remember all the cheap toys Pokémon had released over the years. For all, I knew this could be a brand-new figure for the recent anniversary celebration. The very thought of it made me want to move closer.
Not wanting to drop Alexa, I held her close with one arm while dragging myself with the other, until I was directly over the toy. It was a Charmander. The cute little red lizard with the painted-on smile. It was my old name, my true spirit animal. I had no free hand to pick it up, but perhaps I wasn't meant to. The broken toy had its arms up in a cheering pose. The figure was pointing the way to safety. 'Yes, that has to be it.'
I turned my head, looking in the direction of the forest. I could get up, I could run, maybe I could make it to a hospital, maybe not. If I was to die, I would make it a point to place Alexa someplace safe. I started to crawl, one step after another until I felt a pair of hands grip my throat. 'This is bad.'
If my attacker was Claire, that meant whoever she was fighting had lost. She was too powerful; I was going to die. "Please don't hurt my baby."
"Your baby?" The voice was female. It clearly wasn't Claire, but the sound was distorted as if she was speaking through a very old radio signal. (While at the same time, being right behind me.) Before I could scream, the hands moved to my mouth. "Don't worry, Charli, you are not meant to die here."
My body was frozen as the darkness filled my vision. I awoke inside of an airplane, collapsed on the red-carpeted floor. I forced myself to my feet, but the world seemed out of focus, slightly pixelated. All around me people were talking, their mouths and hands moving but instead of voices, I heard radio static. The crackly sounds faded in and out. I could distinguish voices; men, women, and children. I wanted to look down at my clothing; was I really here or was I a character in someone else's story? And then the plane fell out of the sky.
First, we lost gravity. I was flung towards the ceiling. Crossing my hands over my chest, I realized I no longer held Alexa in my arms. 'This is a dream,' I recited over and over. 'Don't panic, you're going to wake up.'
I could feel the impact. The plane landed nose first, shattering into pieces. Bodies flew in every direction. This was followed by a rush of fire. I was still alive. I could feel the heat; fire blistering my skin. There was pain; so much pain. 'Oh God, so much pain.' Why wasn't I dead? I could see the dead bodies, missing limbs, faces frozen in screams of pure terror.
'Please God. I want to die.'
"Ga!" There was a squeak. Was Alexa here? I needed to move, but I couldn't. There was a weight on my chest.
"Ga?" The sound was closer. "Ha! Mama."
"What?" I awoke with Alexa in my arms, she was laughing. I was in a normal bed, my bed. I was back in Canada. "How?" My heart was racing. What if this was a dream? What if I was still falling?
"How about a thank you?" A familiar voice said with a giggle.
I wasn't alone. I turned to see Alicia sitting cross-legged on my bed. Her long elegant, black waves were pulled back, in a high ponytail. She was wearing a plain black sports bra paired with metallic silver boxer shorts as if she had just come from a yoga class. "How did you get here? And why are you dressed like Ariana Grande?"
"I think you mean, how did WE get here," she said, playing with her ponytail like the aforementioned pop star.
I noticed she was bouncing the baby on her lap. "Ok, we can start with a thank you." I knew better than to reach for the baby. The moment was beautiful, sweet, and it belonged to her. "Thank you for saving me," I paused, pursing my lips. "And your daughter."
"You are very welcome," she said while posing like a model for no real reason. "And yes, Ariana Grande was who I was going for." She seemed so proud of her newfound power.
"Since I got the right answer, perhaps I can get some information."
"Like what?" Alicia bounced around, repositioning the baby in her arms.
"Was this a dream?"
Alicia tilted her head like a confused doll. "Was what a dream?"
I was at a loss as to how to rephrase the question. "Did a plane go down? We can start with that."
Alicia nodded. She pushed her tongue to the inside of her cheek. "I know it was a little harsh, but it was what needed to be done."
I had so many questions. I was grateful that Alicia seemed to be at least somewhat ashamed. Now I needed to ask a question that would act as a guarantee to make me feel better. "Where's your father?"
She rolled her eyes, holding the baby like a marionette. "Well, I don't know about you, but my father is dead."
"You know that's not true." That came out a little angrier and more accusatory than I intended.
For the first time, Alicia's smile faded. "Are you serious?"
"Um, yeah," she said in a condescending mean-girl tone. "The rich sugar daddy watching over you is not my father."
"Why would you say that?
"He does not fully support my dreams."
"Of world domination?"
She just shrugged. "I have big dreams, some, of which may come off as offensive to certain individuals."
I had to admit her answer was more than reasonable, given the circumstances. "Are you taking the baby?" I asked, attempting to hide a tinge of fear.
"You couldn't stop me," Alicia replied rather casually. "But don't worry, I want you to have her. I've seen how devoted you are; not everyone would be willing to use their body as a shield, some would just hurl an innocent baby to save their own ass."
Thanks, I guess. "You've been watching me?"
"Yeah, of course. I'm never going to be out of sight."
"Ok." I sat up, realizing I was wearing just an oversized t-shirt. "I can live with that." Did she take my clothes? "I mean, Alexa is your baby. You have a right to see her whenever."
"She is our baby," Alicia replied, placing flirtatious emphasis on the word 'our.'
"You mean, you and Vice?"
Alicia shook her head, smiling like a model posing for a photo shoot. "Vice is no longer on this earth, as his spirit has ascended, leaving a trail of his power." Alicia's eyes did not blink even once. "I will use that trail to guide me."
"To what end?"
Alicia giggled, placing the baby in my arms. Apparently, I had passed her test. she crawled closer to me, but before I could say anything, she kissed me on the lips. This was not just a brief kiss. No, this was a long, passionate moment that left me frozen in an expression of awe and confusion. "I aim to resolve the greatest true-crime mystery of all time." Alicia kissed my neck, whispering in my ear, "The highway of tears."
"Resolve?" What did that even mean? Even if she had demonic superpowers, what did she plan on doing that would resolve the dozens of homicides that made up the Canadian murder capital? "You plan on resolving the highway of tears?"
"Yes, that's what I said."
The name referred to an area of Canada known for many, many deaths of first nation, native people. The majority of the cases were allowed to go cold simply because of the fact that natives (like Alicia herself) were treated as second-class citizens. I could understand why she would be interested in pursuing such a task, but I only imagine what she had in store.
Alicia looked at me with a pouty lower lip. "Are you really saying you don't want to have sex?" she asked in a baby-doll voice.
"I'm sorry, what? Are you getting turned on by Canada's history of unsolved murder?"
Alicia smiled. She leaned back, finally taking the hint. "I have big plans. When this is all over, I will go down in history."
For what? "Are you saying a passenger plane didn't crash in upstate New York?"
Alicia sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. "That wasn't me."
"Then who was it; Vice, Claire?
"That," she theatrically paused for dramatic effect. "That was an act of God."
"An act of God?" That made no sense.
"Are you an echo-cave?" Alicia said with an air of sarcasm. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes, as if engaging in meditation. She was moaning, giggling.
"What? Can we just start over please?" I imagined she was visualizing the glory of her vision of God.
"Of course," she said with a smile. "Yes, Charli, I am speaking of the one true God, a force we cannot hope to best, equal, or even fully understand but rest assured the passengers on that plane gave their lives willingly."
Her choice of words induced a gurgle of nausea. "I seriously doubt that."
"Doubt all you want, just know in the end it's only HE who matters."
'Oh, holy fuck. This is not going to end well.' I wanted her to leave, even if that meant I had to play along. "Let's say I believe you. What should I be doing?"
Alicia shrugged. "Keep your eyes on the news reports and," she paused for a moment, deeply considering her next words. "Please try to stay out of my way."
"Will do." I gave my best, sincere smile, but in my heart, I knew something terrible was about to happen.
Alicia stood up, stretching her back. She walked towards the door, not bothering to put on any more clothing than she currently wore. "I will be using my newfound gifts, my rightful place in the animal kingdom, to avenge my people." With that, she finally shut the door and left.
"Well, ok then." Holding my baby in one arm, I went to my laptop to see what answers I could find. Was there a crash? Was anyone actually dead? And what about the high-security mental hospital? I fully expected to find no evidence of the past few months, leading me to question my sanity. Thankfully, that was not the case.
I got all the answers I could, via the surface web. (No matter how curious I was, I was not about to allow my only laptop to be infected by the dark web.) According to an article on Yahoo News, an Alaska Airlines passenger jet crashed over upstate New York. Upon investigation of the radar, evidence was found that supported the theory that the billion-dollar jet simply dropped out of the sky. This was despite being fully fueled and operational.
"American and Canadian investigating authorities suspected human error. Yeah, that makes sense." I nervously shook my leg, bouncing Alexa in my arms. "However, investigations are still ongoing."
Alexa giggled, followed by a fart.
"Does someone need to be changed?" I hugged her little body, kissing her cheek. I was ready to stand up and go to the changing table when the current tab auto-reloaded.
It was a news article with a live feed of the hospital; long story short, it was still standing, but there was no mention of a certain tattoo artist getting attacked by a tall redhead. Now I was not entirely convinced that I had accidentally accessed the dark web, but I yanked the cord just in case. 'That was dumb, you idiot. Wi-Fi is not connected to your power cord.'
I walked to the nearby window, letting Alexa look out at the clear autumn day. It was beautiful, peaceful, but knowing what I knew, it felt wrong. Heaven and Hell were at war and I was at home in my underwear. 'Was I meant to stand by and watch?'
That concept did make sense, on some level. Sane people don't run headfirst into a burning building. Especially not when they're holding a baby. Plus, after the dust settles, someone has to be alive to tell the story. Right?
'That could be me.'
It would be me. At least that's what I could tell myself to relive the guilt over being an NPC in my own story. That moment didn't last long.
I heard a ping coming from the direction of my unplugged laptop. I rattled off a list of profanity in my head, but it was too late to actually turn the power off. I glanced at the screen, to see a glowing green text box with bright yellow font. This wasn't Facebook messenger or even Yahoo. Perhaps this was an ancient AOL text prompt. In red was a username made from asterisks. 'Hello? Can you hear me?'
I typed a generic reply, 'Yeah, hi, who is this?'
My pulse raced and time seemed to stand still. No reply. Was there ever going to be a reply?
*Ping*
'Oh, thank God.' My positive mood was short-lived.
'Is anyone there? I see you on my radar.'
Already terrified, my hands were trembling too hard to type. Somehow, I moved my cursor to the text area to type a reply. 'Hi. Who is this?' My letters were in black, flicking for a moment before a reply appeared.
'Get away from the window.'
I dropped to the floor, looking around. I was scared but more than that I was confused. There were quite a few windows to choose from. My vision darted around. In a matter of seconds, sunlight became more terrifying than any horror movie. 'Not the kitchen, not the living room.' Holding Alexa to my chest, I crawled as flat as I could. We made it to the bedroom. This was relatively safe, with only a single small window that looked over an alleyway.
I almost stood up when I saw a beam of light. 'Nope!'
With a single quick motion, I slipped into the windowless closet, shutting the door with my foot. 'Much better.'
I leaned against the back wall, comforted by a layer of hanging fabric. I could feel the soft polyester blend of a dress brush against my cheek. It felt so soothing. I yanked the item down; it could probably prove useful in calming the baby, or myself. I sat in the darkness for what felt like hours, rocking back and forth on my legs, until my feet started to fall asleep.
Alexa whimpered. Her warm tears kissed my skin as she cuddled close.
"Are you hungry little one?" I asked in a whisper.
Alexa whimpered even harder, starting to sob.
I figured I could give her my nipple to keep her quiet; skin to skin contact, maternal comfort, and all that.
Without my phone or laptop, I had no way to know when it was safe to emerge from hiding, but staying put was not a viable permanent long-term solution. I needed to be brave; I needed a weapon. I moved my hand, sweeping through the wall of clothes.
What did I even have on the floor of my closet? I reached around in the darkness until I felt a force grab my wrist. Before I could scream, the figure made its presence known.
A hand made of clothing covered my mouth. It held itself there for only a few seconds, after which I knew to stop struggling.
'She's trying to destroy me.' The voice was a male presence; a spirit speaking directly into my mind.
I took a breath. 'Inhale, exhale.' Focusing my mind. 'Vice? Is that you?'
Vice spoke with a true sadness; the broken heart of a husband and father who had been robbed of everything he held dear. 'She never wanted me. I know that now.'
I knew he was speaking of Claire. There was no appropriate reply to his anguish. He had lived his life in her honor, only to realize he'd place his faith in a false God.
'I wish I knew that before I allowed her to take our daughter's life.'
'Did you find Annaleigh?' Vice's connection to his daughter seemed to be the last time he was mentally stable; it was possible they managed to reconnect in a place beyond the evils of this world.
'Find?'
'In the afterlife, I mean?'
Vice took a little too long to answer, but I chalked it up to him being a disembodied soul. 'I like to think she's at peace, but Annaleigh's not the one I can save.'
'From Claire?'
'She wants the baby dead; she believes the folklore.'
'The folklore?' This was some Michael Myers crap; the idea that one bloodline needed to be completely erased to end a paranormal curse.
'Legend has it, the child of a demon and a whore will bring about the end of times. Pretty fucked up if you ask me.'
'So true.' When I shifted Alexa in my arms, the voice suddenly went silent. Was that the last I'd see of Vice? I knew better than to think that. Part of me kind of missed him.
Outside the door, I could hear footsteps, followed by low, melodic chanting. "Vice, is that you?" No, it couldn't be. Unless I, too, was actually dead.
I slipped my hand into a shoe. It had a thick rubber sole, so I assumed I could use it as a shield if necessary (although I doubt it would save me from a bullet.) After slowly scooting myself to the door, I felt confident enough to take a glimpse outside.
There was silence. From the small crack, I could see there was nothing broken or damaged (in the immediate area.) As I opened the door further, the outcome was like nothing I'd expected to find. "Hello?"
I emerged to the sight of Henry, and a crowd of other modified individuals kneeling before me. There were faces I recognized and others I did not.
"This isn't happening." It can't be happening. There was no logical way for all of these people to be in my apartment, I would have noticed. I would have heard or seen something. No, I was in the closet.
The people were of all trades, ages, and ethnicities. As their mouths opened, all I could hear was a humming sound. This had to be a dream; a really weird, psychedelic dream.
From outside the window, I could hear a bombardment of sound, something akin to a thunderstorm contained entirely around my apartment. A hail of (what I assumed were) bullets rained down, but the humming caused the solid projectiles to stop just short of my window. Instead, blood splattered like a water balloon.
"Okay, this is all just a dream." I must have taken some sleeping meds, cough medicine, or both. Yeah, that was it. I was going to wake up in the hotel, not even having visited Vice yet. All I had to was wake up. 'WAKE UP!'
I frantically looked around for Henry. This took me a second since instead of bowing like the rest, he was standing directly behind me. And I only figured that out when his lips touched my neck. "Charlotte."
"Henry, what's happening?"
"What do you want to happen?" He placed his arm to my waist, moving around me like a snake. His final pose was down on one knee, reaching for my hand.
"I don't know." My mind went frozen, like a computer program crashing mid-save. What in the holy hell was happening?
As he kissed my fingers, his eyes rose, to meet mine. "Just know I have faith in you."
"Faith?" Was that another way of saying he had my back; he would make sure I survived this? Maybe he was my guardian angel?
He smiled, lowering his head as he laughed. "I'm already dead, there's no place for me to go. Even knowing the path my daughter has taken, I have no dog left in the fight."
I tried my best not to flinch, but his words made me feel strange. This was not the same Henry I'd been working with. 'Or maybe it was?' Taking a step to the side, I suddenly felt a rush of cold.
A young blonde girl stood up. She was angelic, pale, like a doll, but dressed like a typical college student. She wore an oversize blue letter jacket, a t-shirt, and jeans. "This is a place between worlds; a place where all answers lay waiting to be found."
"I don't understand."
"Every mystery has a reasonable explanation."
"A what?" I asked with a giggle. I'd watched enough true crime to know that wasn't remotely true.
Her expression remained unchanged. "You can think what you want; live and die to your beliefs, your human version of faith." She tilted her head, blinking her eyes. Her body started to fade, disappearing into a cloud of television static. "Just remember, it was not long ago when the most brilliant souls on this planet believed in magic."
Once again, I laughed nervously, hoping to God I did not offend the ghost. "So, what do I do, then?"
The girl slowly reached out her hand. When her arm was at a ninety-degree angle, she dropped a digitized flower at my feet. "You were supposed to catch that," she muttered as it floated down elegantly, carried by an unseen breeze.
As it floated closer, the flower took on the likeness of a typical dandelion. A stronger breeze entered the room, shooting like a bullet from a gun. This caused the snow-like petals to blow in all directions. It was actually kind of pretty. That was when I finally heard the screams.
Every sound that had been muted onboard the passenger plane was now surrounding me. Every death, every soul, their cries echoed through the particles; begging for their lives, begging for God's mercy.
"Ok, thanks," I blurted out quickly. The girl had vanished, but the rest of the crowd remained. The choice was mine; did I want to attempt to save hundreds of innocent lives or did I want to protect my daughter? Somehow Alicia or Henry (or both) were going to take control of one or more airplanes, sending them crashing to the ground in tribute to the unsolved murders of the Highway of Tears. At least that's what I assumed. For all I knew, I could be completely wrong.
Alexa looked at me with a giggle. "Ga?"
Aww, my precious little antichrist. "I love you too, my baby."
Whatever I chose to do, it was painfully clear, I would not be waking up anytime soon.
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