After Earth

Chapter 6: Invasion

          You could tell everyone was going through a different phase of the same kind of bullshit. For the next few days after the dinner party, we all pretty much kept to ourselves, and no one wanted to even instigate me for being a horrible person. It was odd, so odd that even Agitit had to ask if I knew what was going on. I wished I did, but it seemed like I was the only one that didn't change because of the medicine. It was strange that I didn't, but then again, Agitit was sure even my normalcy was a side effect. The only person out of this whole endeavor who let me know if she was doing fine was Nashi. That was all I needed.
         Agitit told me about the infected, and I suspected it was planted when he told me. It was probably Orgeti, but that was just my anger brewing. Yes, it wouldn't have surprised me if it was. I made sure to write everything I could about everyone's symptoms, the infected, the exercises, and I wrote other things unrelated. It wasn't as bad as I suspected it all to be, though I couldn't help but feel sorry for those going through what I didn't. Except Orgeti. He could suffer and die, and I wouldn't attend his funeral. But maybe that was a bit extreme.
        Today, we didn't have to go in to the facility, but I wanted to. Just before Nashi could wake, I left her serving of breakfast in the microwave, and I started walking to the large, skyscraper-like building that touched the cloudy sky. The whole place was darkened by the lack of sun, the cookie-cutter houses all mere silhouettes of each other, and yet I walked on. If I stared long enough, I could imagine infected monsters hiding within, but it was all in my imagination. My eyes darted back in front of me, where the entrance was. It had a few lights on, but it was early morning when no one was awake. They didn't have to be if we weren't coming in.
          "Tayas!"
          I turned and spotted Nolam with his heavy coat on. I... didn't really feel the cold at all.
            "What are you doing here?" he asked me, fingers tightened around his files in his hands.
           I shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."
          "You can't be here, but I guess I can let you in."
           He let me in and led me up to his office where he sat his files down and turned on a projector. He told me that I could just stay until I got bored enough to go home, so I sat in a chair and watched him do whatever he was doing. He seemed to be analyzing skin samples, though none of them were labeled with our names. I watched for some time before picking away at the black in my hands. It hadn't tried to go away or even spread, and it barely made me feel any different than I did. Maybe it should have.
         "Hey, Nolam," I piped up.
          His eyes were deep into the projection, trying to figure out what he could. "Yes?"
         "How's Acki? Do you know?"
         I missed him as the days went on. I was starting to forget his face. 
        "He should be fine," Nolam answered without looking up. "I could let him know you're asking."
        "No. No, I just wanted to know." I stood up from the chair. "I'm going to the track if that's all right."
        "Be careful."
        Not an eye on me. I walked downstairs to the empty track where not a soul was in sight. The lights were off, the only visible light coming from the large windows on the right. They showed a nice view of the houses, but after that it was just empty. I thought about running around a few times, but I didn't. I thought about moping about the absence of Acki, but I didn't. There was something inside that felt absent from me, the same boring empty feeling I had when I was surrounded by grey walls and knowing I was close to death. I stared upwards. Everything did feel so plain right now.
        Until it didn't. I wasn't sure how I heard it from my position, but it was a scream through the window and beyond. Except it was almost like a grunt. I turned to the houses, but I saw no one out there or anyone crying for help.
        "Hey, Tayas!"
         I jumped and screamed, and I nearly back-handed Nolam as he came in with some piece of god awful paper. A single sheet.
        "Good news!" he exclaimed, ignorant to my emotions. "I just got this fax in!"
         A fax? The century old technology only third-world countries would use? I shook away the fear. "What?"
         He handed it to me. The fax. The paper felt like wax, the color yellowed by probably age. It was a wonder how this even managed to get printed.

Tucson Federal Correctional Facility
8901 S Wilmot Rd,
Tucson, AZ 85756
FROM: General Arbelin Karsk

         It has come to my attention that Tayas Votipae has shown eager efforts to make himself useful to the United States Aloven Space Research Facility. On that note, I would like to congratulate Tayas Votipae by allowing his son, Acki Votipae, to visit him tomorrow on November 30th, 2067. If this pleases Doctor Agitit Nolam, I would also attempt to accompany the boy to attain progress on the Attas Project.

         I took it in, but it felt oddly hollow. Why? I handed the paper back to him, and I crossed my arms like I was frustrated, but it was the exact opposite of that. Something was wrong, and it wasn't that Acki was suddenly coming to visit.
        "I have to get home," I sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."
        He waved, and I walked to the front door without looking or waving back. I just kept thinking something was wrong, even with the exciting new information that Acki was coming. Oh my god, Acki was coming here to see me, to be with me. Why wasn't I happy about it? Suddenly, I heard another scream, and then there was the sound of shattered glass. I started running back to my house, stopping short as I saw the most horrific thing to lay on the pavement. A dead body.
        "Ashlit!"
        In a flash, I saw Olman restrain Ashlit who didn't even seem human. Her body was bulged, and I was certain I was seeing sharp pointed teeth. I leaned down to her husband who was no longer clinging to life, and I touched his wound with my unstained hand. I could feel the blood going through my pores, and there were red spots appearing on my palm. I pulled away before it managed to get worse. Ashlit kicked Olman right between his legs, and she panted like a dog coming at a slow pace towards me. No, towards her husband.
         "Ashlit," I started. "Ashlit, listen to me, okay?" She paused to look at me. "I heard you scream." On her neck were bruises, and her shirt was tattered. "I heard you scream, and I should've came running to help you, but I didn't."
         Her eyes were wild. "He hurt me."
         I nodded. "We know that, Ashlit. We know that now."
         "I had to."
          "No." I closed my eyes. "But I know the feeling. Give me your hand."
          She held out a shaky hand, only for it to stop short at a sound. A loud, banging sound that took the air by storm as it hit Ashlit right in the head. Her body collapsed right next to her husband's, their blood pooling into each other. I sat there in shock at the scene, trying to find something else to focus on. I couldn't. She was just... alive.
          Someone held out a hand to me, and I grabbed it only to be pulled upwards into an embrace. It was Nashi. She had a pistol in her hand.
          "I won't lose someone close again," she mumbled into my shoulder.