Invasion

16

10:30 A.M.

Beau was sitting in front of a group of TV monitors that he’d had installed in the library. The heavy velvet drapes were drawn across the arched windows to make viewing easier. Veronica stood behind him and massaged his shoulders.

Beau’s fingers lightly danced across the control panel and the monitors all came to life. He raised the sound on the top one on the left. It was NBC covering a news conference by the Presidential Press Secretary, Arnold Lerstein.

“There is no need to panic. That is the word from both the President and the Surgeon General, Dr. Alice Lyons. The flu has definitely reached epidemic proportions, but it is a brief illness with no negative side effects. In fact, most people report increased vigor after the illness. Only those people with chronic illness should... ”

Beau switched the sound to the next monitor. The interviewee was obviously British. He was saying: “... over the British Isles. If you or someone you love begins to show symptoms, do not panic. Bed rest, tea, and attention to the fever is recommended.”

Beau switched from one monitor to another in rapid succession. The message was similar whether in Russian, Chinese, or Spanish, or any of the other forty-some-odd languages represented.

“That’s all reassuring,” Beau commented. “The infestation is proceeding as planned.”

Veronica nodded and continued her massage.

Beau switched to the monitor for the camcorder at the front gate of the institute. It was a wide-angle shot that included a gang of approximately fifty protesters attempting to heckle the augmented group of young guards. A number of the institute’s dogs were in the background.

“My wife is in there,” a protester yelled. “I demand to see her. You’ve no right to keep her.”

The smiles on the gatekeepers remained fixed.

“My two sons,” another protester screamed. “They’re in there. I know it! I want to talk with them. I want to make sure they are okay.”

At the same time this group was yelling and screaming, there was a steady stream of calm, smiling people entering through the gate. These were all infected people who’d been summoned for service at the institute, and they were wordlessly recognized by the gatekeepers.

The fact that some people were being allowed entrance without question further inflamed the protesters. They had been ignored since their arrival. Without warning they stormed the gate en masse.

A melee erupted with a lot of yelling and shoving. Even a few fists were thrown. But it was the dogs who quickly determined the outcome. They came charging in from the periphery and attacked. Their vicious snarling and tearing at the legs of the protesters quickly eroded the group’s collectively inspired courage. The protesters fell back.

Beau switched off the monitors. He bent his head over onto his chest so Veronica could get at the muscles at the base of his neck. He’d only had one hour of sleep instead of the two he needed.

“You should be pleased,” she said. “Everything is going so well.”

“I am,” Beau responded. Then he changed the subject: “Is Alexander Dalton in the ballroom? Did you see him when you went down there?”

“The answer is yes to both questions,” Veronica said. “It’s as you wish. He would never contravene your order.”

“Then I should go to the ballroom,” Beau said. He straightened his neck and stood. A short whistle brought King instantly to his feet. Together they descended the central stairs.

The level of activity in the vast room had increased. Many more workers were involved than the previous day. The support beams of the ceiling were now totally exposed, as were the studs of the walls. The huge chandeliers as well as the massive decorative corniches were all gone. The enormous arched windows were almost completely sealed over. In the center of the room a complicated electronic structure was rising. It was being constructed with all the pirated parts from the observatory, various electronic concerns, and the nearby university physics department.

Observing all the coordinated activity for such great purpose brought a particularly broad smile to Beau’s lips. He couldn’t help recalling that the room had once been used for something as frivolous as dancing.

Alexander saw Beau standing at the ballroom’s entrance and joined him immediately. “Looks good, wouldn’t you say?”

“It looks tremendous,” Beau said.

“I’ve got some other good news,” Alexander said. “We’re effecting immediate closure of most of the highest polluting factories around the Great Lakes. This should be completed within the week.”

“What about Eastern Europe?” Beau asked. “They are the ones that have been troubling me the most.”

“Same situation,” Alexander said. “Particularly Romania. They’ll be closed this week.”

“Excellent,” Beau said.

Randy Nite saw Beau speaking with Alexander and hastened over.

“What do you think?” Randy said, while proudly eyeing the emerging central structure.

“It’s coming along well,” Beau said. “But I’d appreciate a little more speed.”

“I’ll need more help then,” Randy said.

“Whatever you need,” Beau said. “We must be ready for the Arrival.”

Randy flashed a smile of appreciation before rushing back to his project.

Beau turned to Alexander. “What about Cassy Winthrope?” he asked. There was a sudden edge to his voice.

“She’s not been accounted for as yet,” Alexander said.

“How can that be?” Beau asked.

“It is a mystery,” Alexander said. “The police and the university officials have been exemplarily cooperative. She’ll turn up. Maybe even at the gate on her own accord. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

Beau lashed out with his right hand, seizing Alexander’s forearm in a powerful grip that immediately cut off circulation to Alexander’s hand.

Shocked by this overtly hostile gesture, Alexander looked down at the hand that was holding him. It wasn’t a human hand. The fingers were long and wrapped around Alexander like minature boa constrictors.

“This request of mine to find this girl is not an idle whim,” Beau said. He regarded Alexander with eyes that were almost all pupil. “I want the girl now.”

Alexander raised his eyes to meet Beau’s. He knew enough not to struggle.

“We shall make it a top priority,” Alexander said.

Jesse had cut pine boughs in the nearby forest, and after parking the van alongside the shed, had covered it with the branches. From the outside the cabin looked completely deserted save for the wisps of smoke rising from the stone chimney.

In marked contrast to the placid exterior, the interior had been transformed into a crowded workstation. Taking up a lion’s share of floor space was the makeshift biological laboratory.

Nancy was in charge in that arena with Sheila working closely with her. Everyone suspected that Nancy was redirecting her powerful grief over Eugene’s death to the task of finding a way to stop the alien virus. She was a woman possessed.

Pitt was busy with a PC. He was attempting to do more accurate modeling with information that had become available on the TV. The media had finally picked up the story about the black discs, but not in regard to the flu epidemic. The stories were presented more as a way to stimulate the public’s interest in going out and finding them.

Jesse recognized that his input was more in logistics, particularly the practical aspects such as food and keeping the fire going. Presently he was busy putting the finishing touches on one of his specialties: chili.

Cassy and Jonathan were sitting at the communal eating table with the laptop. To Jonathan’s delight there’d been a distinct role reversal: now he was the teacher. Also to Jonathan’s delight, Cassy had on one of her thin cotton dresses. Since it was apparent she had no bra, Jonathan found it excruciatingly difficult to concentrate.

“So what do I do?” Cassy asked.

“What?” Jonathan asked as if waking up from sleep.

“Am I boring you?” Cassy asked.

“No,” Jonathan said hastily.

“I’m asking if I change these last three letters in the URL?” Cassy said. She was intent on the LCD screen and oblivious to the effect the physical aspects of her femininity were having on Jonathan. She’d just come in from a swim and her nipples were sticking out like marbles.

“Right... uh, yeah,” Jonathan said. “Dot G O V. Then... ”

“Then backslash, 6 0 6, capital R, small g, backslash,” Cassy said. “Then I hit Enter.”

Cassy looked up at Jonathan and noticed he was blushing.

“Is there something the matter?” Cassy asked.

“Nope,” Jonathan said.

“Well, then should I do it?” Cassy asked.

Jonathan nodded, and Cassy hit Enter. Almost simultaneously the printer activated and began spewing out printed pages.

“Voilà,” Jonathan said. “We’re into our mailbox without anybody being able to trace us.”

Cassy smiled and gave Jonathan a friendly poke. “You are one fine teacher.”

Jonathan blushed anew and averted his eyes. He busied himself by getting the pages out of the printer. Cassy got up and moved over to Pitt.

“Soup’s on in three minutes,” Jesse called out. No one responded. “I know, I know,” he added. “Everybody’s too busy, but you gotta eat. It will be on the table for whomever is interested.”

Cassy rested her hands on Pitt’s shoulders and looked at his computer screen. He had another pie graph, and now the red was larger than the blue.

“Is this where you think we stand now?” Cassy asked.

Pitt reached up and grasped one of Cassy’s hands and gave it a squeeze. “Afraid so,” he said. “If the data I got from the TV is reasonable or even if it is low, the projections suggest that sixty-eight percent of the world’s population is now infected.”

Jonathan tapped Nancy on the back. “Sorry to bother you, Mom,” he said. “Here’s the latest off the Web.”

“Anything from the group up in Winnipeg about the protein amino-acid sequence?” Sheila asked.

“Yeah,” Jonathan said. He shuffled the pages and pulled out the one from Winnipeg. He handed it to Sheila who stopped what she was doing to read it.

“I’ve also connected with a new group in Trondhiem, Norway,” Jonathan said. “They’re working in a hidden lab beneath the gym in the local university.”

“Did you send them our original data?” Nancy asked.

“Yup,” Jonathan said. “Just like with the others.”

“Hey, they’ve made some progress,” Sheila said. “We now have the entire amino acid sequence of the protein. That means we can start making our own.”

“Here’s what the Norway people sent,” Jonathan said. He started to hand the sheet to Nancy, but Sheila reached over and took it instead. She read it rapidly, then crumpled it. “We’ve already determined all that,” she said. “What a waste of time.”

“They’ve been working in total isolation,” Cassy said in their defense, having heard Sheila’s remark.

“Anything from the group in France?” Pitt asked.

“A lot,” Jonathan said. He separated the French pages from the rest and handed them to Pitt. “Seems that the infestation is still progressing slower there than anyplace else.”

“Must be the red wine,” Sheila said with a laugh.

“That might be an important point,” Nancy said. “If it continues and is not just a random blip on the bell curve and if we can figure out why, it might be useful.”

“Here’s the bad news,” Jonathan said, holding up a sheet of paper. “People with diabetes, hemophilia, cancer, you name it, are dying in record numbers all over the world.”

“It’s as if the virus is consciously cleaning the gene pool,” Sheila said.

Jesse carried the pot of chili to the table and told Pitt to move the PC. As he waited to put the food down he asked Jonathan how many research centers he was in touch with around the world the previous day.

“A hundred and six,” Jonathan said.

“And how many today?” Jesse asked.

“Ninety-three,” Jonathan said.

“Wow!” Jesse said, putting down the chili. He headed back to the kitchen for dishes and flatware. “That’s rapid attrition.”

“Well, three of them might still have been okay,” Jonathan said. “But they were asking too many questions about who we are and where we are so I cut them off.”

“As the saying goes, ‘Better to be safe than sorry,’” Pitt said.

“It’s still rapid attrition,” Jesse said.

“What about the man calling himself Dr. M?” Sheila asked. “Anything from him?”

“A bunch of stuff,” Jonathan said.

“Who’s Dr. M?” Jesse asked.

“He was the first to respond to our letter on the Internet,” Cassy explained. “He responded in the first hour. We think he is in Arizona, but we have no idea where.”

“He’s given us a lot of important data,” Nancy said.

“Enough so he’s made me a tad suspicious,” Pitt said.

“Come on, everyone,” Jesse said. “This chili is going to get cold.”

“I’m suspicious of everyone,” Sheila said. She walked over to the table and took her usual seat at the end. “But if someone is coming up with useful info, I’ll take it.”

“As long as contacting him doesn’t jeopardize our location,” Pitt said.

“Obviously that’s a given,” Sheila said condescendingly. She took the pages from Dr. M that Jonathan held out for her. Holding them in front of herself, she started reading while shoveling chili into her mouth with her free hand. She acted like a high-school student cramming for exams.

Everyone else sat down at the table in a more civilized manner and spread napkins on their laps.

“Jesse, you’ve outdone yourself,” Cassy said after her first mouthful.

“Compliments are freely accepted,” Jesse said.

They ate for a few minutes in silence until Nancy cleared her throat. “I hate to bring this up,” she said. “But we’re running out of basic lab supplies. We aren’t going to be able to continue working much longer unless we make another run into the city. I know it is dangerous, but I’m afraid we have little choice.”

“No problem,” Jesse said. “Just make out a list. I’ll manage it somehow. It’s important that you and Sheila keep working. Besides, we need more food.”

“I’ll go too,” Cassy said.

“Not without me you won’t,” Pitt said.

“And me too,” Jonathan said.

“You are staying here,” Nancy said to Jonathan.

“Come on, Mom!” Jonathan said. “I can’t be coddled. I’m as much a part of this as anybody else.”

“If you are going, I’m going too,” Nancy said. “Besides, either I or Sheila should go. We’re the only ones who know what we need.”

“Oh my God!” Sheila said suddenly.

“What’s the matter?” Cassy demanded.

“This Doc M guy,” Sheila said. “Yesterday he asked us what we had on the sedimentation rate for that section of DNA which we knew contained the virus.”

“We sent him our estimate, didn’t we?” Nancy asked.

“I sent exactly what you gave me,” Jonathan said. “Even the part about our centrifuge not being able to reach such an RPM.”

“Well, apparently he has access to one that can,” Sheila said.

“Let me see,” Nancy said to Sheila. She took the page and read it. “My gosh, we’re closer to isolating the virus than we thought.”

“Exactly,” Sheila said. “Isolating the virus is not an antibody or a vaccine, but it is an important step. Maybe the single largest step.”

“What time is it?” Jesse asked.

“Ten-thirty,” Pitt said, holding his watch up to his face to see the dial. It was dark beneath the trees on the bluff overlooking the university campus. Jesse, Pitt, Cassy, Nancy, and Jonathan were sitting in the van. They had arrived a half hour earlier, but Jesse had insisted they wait. He didn’t want anyone going into the medical center until the eleven o’clock shift change. He was counting on the general confusion at that time to facilitate getting what they needed and getting it out of there.

“We’ll start at ten forty-five,” Jesse said.

From their vantage point they could see that a number of the university asphalt parking lots had been dug up. Lights were strung across some of the open areas created and infected people were busy planting vegetables.

“They certainly are well organized,” Jesse said. “Look at the way they work together without any conversation.”

“But where are the cars going to park?” Pitt asked. “That’s taking environmentalism to an extreme.”

“Maybe they intend not to have cars,” Cassy said. “After all, cars are major polluters.”

“They do seem to be cleaning up the city,” Nancy said. “You have to give them credit for that.”

“They’re probably cleaning up the whole planet,” Cassy said. “In a curious way it’s making us look bad. I guess it takes an outsider to appreciate what we’ve always taken for granted.”

“Stop it,” Jesse said. “You’re starting to sound as if you are on their side.”

“It’s almost time,” Pitt said. “Now here’s what I think. Jonathan and I should go into the medical lab in the hospital. I know my way around in there, and Jonathan knows computers. Between the two of us, we’ll be able to decide what we need and carry it.”

“I think I should stay with Jonathan,” Nancy said.

“Mom!” Jonathan moaned. “You have to go to a pharmacy, and you don’t need me there. Pitt needs me.”

“It’s true,” Pitt said.

“Cassy and I will go with Nancy,” Jesse said. “We’ll use the pharmacy in the supermarket, so while she’s getting the drugs she needs, we’ll load up on groceries.”

“All right,” Pitt said. “We’ll meet back here in thirty minutes.”

“Better say forty-five,” Jesse said. “We got a little farther to walk.”

“Okay,” Pitt said. “It’s time. Let’s go!”

They climbed out of the van. Nancy gave Jonathan a quick hug. Pitt grabbed Cassy’s arm.

“Be careful,” Pitt said.

“You too,” Cassy said.

“Remember, everybody,” Jonathan said. “Put a big shit-eating grin on your face and hold it. It’s what all of them do.”

“Jonathan!” Nancy admonished.

They were about to move off when Cassy grabbed Pitt’s arm. When he turned, she gave him a kiss on the lips. Then Cassy ran after Nancy and Jesse while Pitt caught up with Jonathan. They all moved off into the night.

The picture was one of Cassy taken six months previously. It had been shot in an alpinelike meadow with wildflowers forming a natural bed. Cassy was lying down with her thick hair splayed out around her head like a dark halo. She was impishly smiling at the camera.

Beau’s wrinkled, rubberlike hand reached out. The long snakelike fingers wrapped around the framed photo and lifted it and drew it closer to his eyes. Their inherent glow served to illuminate the picture so Beau could more clearly make out Cassy’s features. He was sitting in the upstairs library with the lights off. Even the bank of monitors was off. The only light was an anemic moonbeam that slanted through the windows.

Beau became aware that someone had entered the room behind him.

“Can I turn on the light?” Alexander asked.

“If you must,” Beau said.

Illumination filled the room. Beau’s eyes narrowed.

“Is there something wrong, Beau?” Alexander asked before he saw the photo in Beau’s hands.

Beau didn’t answer.

“If you don’t mind me saying,” Alexander said, “you shouldn’t be obsessing on an individual like this. It is not our way. It is against the collective good.”

“I’ve tried to resist,” Beau admitted. “But I can’t help it.”

Beau slammed the framed photo face down on the table. The glass shattered.

“As my DNA replicates it is supposed to supplant the human DNA, yet the wiring in my brain continues to evoke these human emotions.”

“I’ve felt something of what you speak,” Alexander admitted. “But my former mate had a genetic flaw, and she did not pass the awakening stage. I suppose that made it easier.”

“This emotionalism is a frightful weakness,” Beau admitted. “Our kind has never come up against a species with such interpersonal bonds. There is no precedent to guide me.”

Beau’s snakelike fingers inserted themselves beneath the broken picture frame. A shard of glass cut him and his finger emitted a green foam.

“You’ve injured yourself,” Alexander said.

“It’s nothing,” Beau protested. He lifted the broken frame and gazed at the image. “I must know where she is. We have to infect her. Once it’s done, then I will be satisfied.”

“The word is out,” Alexander insisted. “As soon as she is spotted we will be informed.”

“She must be in hiding,” Beau lamented. “It’s driving me mad. I can’t concentrate.”

“About the Gateway... ” Alexander began but Beau cut him off.

“I need you to find Cassy Winthrope,” Beau said. “Don’t talk to me about the Gateway!”

“My God! Look at this place!” Jesse said.

They were standing in the parking lot in front of Jefferson’s Supermarket. There were a few abandoned cars with their doors ajar as if the occupants had suddenly run for their lives.

Several of the huge plate-glass windows fronting the store were broken and the shattered glass was scattered about the sidewalk. The interior was illuminated only with night lights, but it was adequate to see that the store had been partially looted.

“What happened?” Cassy questioned. It looked like a scene from a third-world country locked in a civil war.

“I can’t imagine,” Nancy commented.

“Perhaps the few uninfected people panicked,” Jesse said. “Maybe law enforcement as we knew it no longer exists.”

“What should we do?” Cassy asked.

“What we came here for,” Jesse said. “Hell, this makes it easier. I thought I was going to have to break into the place.”

The group moved forward tentatively and looked into the store through one of the broken floor-to-ceiling windows. It was eerily quiet.

“It’s a mess, but it doesn’t look like much of the merchandise has been taken,” Nancy said. “It appears that whoever did this was mostly interested in the cash registers.”

From where they were standing they could see that the cash drawers on all the registers were open.

“Stupid people!” Jesse commented. “If civil authority breaks down, paper money is going to be worth only what it’s printed on.”

Jesse took one last look around the empty parking lot. He didn’t see a soul. “I wonder why there is no one around here?” he asked. “They all seem to be walking around the rest of the city. But let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s do it.”

They stepped through the broken window and headed up the central aisle toward the pharmacy, which was located in the back. The walking was difficult in the half light since the floor was covered with scattered cans, bottles, and boxes of food stuff that had been knocked from the shelves.

The pharmacy section was divided from the rest of the store by a wire mesh grate that rolled out of the ceiling and locked to the floor. Whoever had ransacked the grocery section had also been into the pharmacy. A rough hole was cut in the grate with a pair of chain cutters that were still on the floor.

Jesse held the jagged edges of the hole apart so Nancy could squeeze through. She quickly reconnoitered behind the pharmacy desk.

“What’s it look like?” Jesse asked from outside the grate.

“The narcotics are gone,” Nancy said, “but that’s no problem. The antiviral drugs are here and so are the antibiotics. Give me about ten minutes and I’ll have what I need.”

Jesse turned to Cassy. “Let’s you and I get those provisions,” he said.

Cassy and Jesse went back to the front of the store and got bags. Then they started down the appropriate aisles. Cassy selected the items while Jesse played porter.

They were in the middle of the pasta section when Jesse slipped on fluid spilled from a broken bottle. The fluid had made the vinyl floor as slippery as ice.

Cassy managed to grab his arm to help keep him upright. Even after he regained his balance, his feet continued to slide around, forcing him to walk with his legs wide apart. It was like a comedy routine.

Cassy bent over and looked at the bottle. “No wonder,” she said. “It’s olive oil. So be careful!”

“Careful is my middle name,” Jesse said. “How do you think I lasted thirty years as a cop?” He smiled and shook his head. “Funny, I’d been hoping for one big last hurrah before retiring. But I got to tell you, this episode is a lot more than I bargained for.”

“It’s a lot more than any of us bargained for,” Cassy added.

They rounded the corner and entered the aisle with all the cereals. Cassy had to push through an enormous pile of boxes which included some large cardboard containers. All all at once she sucked in her breath as if shocked. Jesse was at her side in an instant.

“What’s the matter?” he demanded.

Cassy pointed. In the middle of what had been a crude hut constructed from the boxes was the cherubic face of a young boy. He was no more than five years old. His skin was smudged and his clothing disheveled.

“Good Lord!” Jesse blurted out. “What’s he doing in here?”

Cassy instinctively bent down to pick the child up. Jesse grabbed her arm.

“Hold on,” Jesse said. “We don’t know anything about him.”

Cassy made a motion to free her arm, but Jesse held firm.

“He’s only a child,” Cassy said. “He’s terrified.”

“But we don’t know... ” Jesse began.

“We can’t just leave him here,” Cassy said.

Reluctantly Jesse let go of Cassy’s arm. Cassy bent over and extracted the child from his house of cereal boxes. The boy instinctively clung to Cassy, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“What’s your name?” Cassy asked the child while gently patting his back. She was surprised by the strength with which he held her.

Cassy and Jesse exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing: How was this unexpected event going to impact their already desperate situation?

“Come on, now,” Cassy said to the child. “Everything is going to be okay. You’re safe, but we need to know your name so we can talk to you.”

Slowly the child leaned back.

Cassy smiled warmly at the boy and was about to reassure him again when she noticed the child was smiling as if ecstatic. And even more shocking were his eyes. His pupils were enormous, and they glowed as if illuminated from within.

Feeling an instinctive wave of revulsion Cassy bent over to put the child down. She tried to maintain hold of his arm, but he was unexpectedly strong and twisted from her grip and scurried away toward the front of the store.

“Hey!” Jesse called out. “Come back here!” Jesse started after the boy.

“He’s infected,” Cassy yelled.

“I know,” Jesse said. “That’s why I don’t want him to get away.”

Running down the aisle in the half light was not easy for Jesse. The soles of his shoes still had traces of olive oil, making traction difficult. On top of that were all the cans, bottles, and boxes of scattered merchandise.

The boy seemed to have no problem navigating the obstacles and reached the front of the store well before Jesse. Positioning himself before one of the broken windows, he raised his chubby hand and opened his fingers. A black disc immediately levitated off his palm and disappeared out into the night.

Jesse reached the boy out of breath from all the slipping and sliding he’d been doing. He was also limping slightly from a bruise on his hip. He’d taken a fall near one of the cash registers and had collided with a can of tomato soup.

“Okay, son,” Jesse said, trying to catch his breath as he turned the boy around. “What’s the story. Why are you in here?”

Sporting the same exaggerated smile the child gazed up into Jesse’s face. He didn’t say a word.

“Come on, boy,” Jesse said. “I’m not asking much.”

Cassy came up behind Jesse and looked over his shoulder.

“What did he do?” she asked.

“Nothing as far as I can tell,” Jesse said. “He just ran up here and stopped. But I wish he’d wipe that smile off his face. I feel like he’s mocking us.”

Both Cassy and Jesse saw the headlights at the same moment. A vehicle had turned into the supermarket’s parking lot and was coming toward them.

“Oh no!” Jesse said. “Just what we didn’t want: company.”

It was immediately apparent that the vehicle was coming at a high rate of speed. Both Cassy and Jesse instinctively took several steps backward. A screech of tires against the asphalt heralded the car’s sudden halt directly in front of the store. The high beams flooded the interior with blinding light. Both Cassy and Jesse held up their hands to shield their eyes. The child ran toward the light and disappeared in its glare.

“Get Nancy and get out the back of the store!” Jesse forcibly whispered.

“What about you?” Cassy asked.

“I’ll keep them company,” Jesse said. “If I’m not back at the rendezvous location in fifteen minutes, leave without me. I’ll find another vehicle to get back.”

“Are you sure?” Cassy questioned. She did not like the idea of leaving without Jesse.

“Of course I’m sure,” Jesse snapped. “Now get!”

Cassy’s eyes had adjusted enough so that she could just make out indistinct figures climbing down from either side of the vehicle. The headlights’ intensity still precluded seeing any details.

Cassy turned and fled back into the depths of the store. Halfway up the aisle, she turned momentarily to see Jesse stepping out through the broken window, heading directly into the blinding light.

Cassy ran as best she could and purposefully collided with the grate separating the pharmacy section from the market. Gripping it with her hands she noisily shook it and called out for Nancy. Nancy’s head popped up from behind the pharmacy desk. Nancy immediately saw the light coming from the front of the store.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

Cassy was breathless. “Trouble,” she said. “We got to get out of here.”

“Okay,” Nancy said. “I’ve got everything anyway.” She came from behind the counter and tried to push through the hole in the mesh. The cut ends of the wires had other ideas, and she was snagged.

“Here, take this,” Nancy said, handing her sack of drugs to Cassy. Using both hands she tried to extract herself. She found it was not easy.

The light coming from the front of the store was suddenly dramatically augmented. At the same time a whooshing sound commenced and rapidly increased. When it reached earsplitting levels it cut off with such suddenness that its concussive effect knocked some teetering merchandise off shelving.

“Oh no!” Nancy moaned.

“What?” Cassy demanded.

“That was the sound when Eugene was consumed,” Nancy said. “Where’s Jesse?”

“Come on!” Cassy yelled. “We have to get out of here.”

She put down the parcel Nancy had given her and tried to pull back the edges of the wire mesh. Flashlight beams began sweeping around the inside of the store.

“Go!” Nancy cried. “Take the package and run!”

“Not without you,” Cassy said, struggling with the stiff wire.

“All right,” Nancy said. “You hold this side, and I’ll push the other.” Working together they were at last able to free Nancy.

Nancy grabbed the bag of drugs and together they began to run along the back of the store. They didn’t have a specific destination. They were merely counting on the store having a back entrance. Instead all they found was an interminable frozen food bin.

Reaching the far corner, they turned into the first aisle and headed forward. They thought that by running along the periphery of the building they’d eventually find a door. But they didn’t get far. Ahead a shadowy group of people rounded the corner. Most were carrying flashlights.

A simultaneous whimper of fear escaped from both Cassy’s and Nancy’s lips. What made the group particularly frightening was their eyes. They glowed in the dim light of the store like distant galaxies in a night sky.

Cassy and Nancy simultaneously reversed directions only to be confronted by a second group coming from behind. Huddling together they waited as the two groups closed in on them. When the people were close enough for the women to see their features, it was obvious they were equally divided between male and female, elderly and young. What they had in common was their glowing eyes and their plastic smiles.

For a few moments nothing happened except the infected people completely surrounded the women and pressed in on them. Cassy and Nancy were back to back with their hands clasped over their mouths. Nancy had dropped her bag of drugs.

Terrified at being touched, Cassy screamed when one of the infected people suddenly lunged for her and grabbed her wrist.

“Cassy Winthrope, I presume,” the man said with a short laugh. “This is indeed a pleasure. You have been missed.”

Pitt drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of Jesse’s van. Jonathan fidgeted in the passenger seat. Both were anxious.

“How long has it been now?” Jonathan asked.

“They are twenty-five minutes late,” Pitt said.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Pitt said. “If anybody was going to have trouble I thought it would have been us.”

“As long as we kept smiling, nobody seemed to care what the hell we did,” Jonathan said.

“Stay here!” Pitt said suddenly. “I got to check on that supermarket. If I’m not back here in fifteen minutes, drive back to the cabin.”

“But how will you get back?” Jonathan whined.

“There’s plenty of deserted vehicles around,” Pitt said. “That won’t be the problem.”

“But... ”

“Just do it,” Pitt snapped. He climbed out of the van and quickly descended the bluff. He emerged from the trees on a deserted street and set out toward the supermarket. He estimated he had about six blocks before he’d have to turn for the final block.

Ahead an individual came out of a building and turned in Pitt’s direction. Pitt could see his eyes glowing. Suppressing an urge to flee Pitt coaxed his face into a broad smile just as he and Jonathan had done in the medical center. Having already smiled so much his facial muscles were sore.

Pitt found it was nerve-racking to walk directly at the changed person. He had to concentrate not only on the smile but also in keeping his eyes directly ahead. He and Jonathan had learned the hard way that any eye contact was viewed suspiciously.

The man passed without incident, and Pitt breathed a sigh of relief. What a way to live, he mused sadly. How long could they survive this cat and mouse game?

Pitt rounded the corner and approached the supermarket. The first thing he saw was a group of cars parked directly in front of the store. What worried him was the fact that their lights were on. As he got closer he could hear their engines were running as well.

Reaching the edge of the parking lot, Pitt saw a tight group of people emerge from the store and begin to climb into the cars. Soon the sound of slamming car doors reached him.

Pitt dashed ahead and ducked into the shadowy doorway of a building at the edge of the entrance to the supermarket’s parking lot. Almost immediately the cars began moving and turned in his direction. As they gathered speed they formed into a single line. Pitt pressed himself back into his hiding place as the lights of the leading car swept across the front of him.

Moments later the first of the six cars passed within twenty feet of Pitt. It hesitated momentarily before turning out into the street, giving Pitt a fleeting look at the smiling faces of infected occupants.

Each car in turn passed. As the last car hesitated, Pitt caught his breath. A shiver of abject horror passed down his spine. Seated in the backseat was Cassy!

Unable to restrain himself and without considering the consequences, Pitt took a step forward as if he’d planned on racing to the car and yanking open the door. The low-level ambient light washed over him, and at that moment Cassy glanced in his direction.

For the briefest fraction of a second their eyes met. Pitt urged himself forward, but Cassy shook her head and the moment passed. The car lurched forward and quickly accelerated off into the night.

Pitt staggered back against the darkened door. He was furious with himself for not having done anything. Yet deep down he knew it would have been hopeless. All he could see when he closed his eyes was the image of Cassy’s face framed in the car window.