Charlie to the Rescue

Jeffy, who had not been hiding after all, screamed. We told him to get into the computer room. He sprinted up the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. Bram and I peered outside.

We kept the sound of our movement as muffled as possible. Diva was silent. She knew not to alert the big beast outside. Bram pulled me behind the couch away from view.

"The dome isn't working. The generators are shutting down," he warned. "We're going to have to leave soon." I nodded in resignation. He glanced outside again. "Who is it outside? Do you know who that Noir is?" he questioned.

"You're asking me?"

"Is that someone you've seen before or not? I think you have."

"Yes, at the lab. Either two Noirs fused somehow or perhaps someone wished to be that big?" I suggested. Bram thought about it for a second.

"Son of a bitch," he said exhaling. "You're right. That must be D'Arby. He always wanted to be 'big and powerful.' I guess he got his wish."

"But I thought Noirs didn't get enhancements."

"Perhaps it's an outlier or I was mistaken. I've been wrong, lately about so much."

"But wait, you're saying the virus takes these things literally?" I asked with incredulity. "If you ask, you get it?"

"Apparently so."

"What should we do?"

"I want to find out what Jeffy's parents have in their secret shed."

"Agreed. We need to get back to the Carlisle's, if for no other reason than to reunite them."

We heard the bellowing growl again. It was closer than before. Bram motioned for me but suddenly D'Arby ran headfirst into the picture window. I let out an uncontrollable scream.

We raised the M4s and began shooting at D'Arby. We fired into him repeatedly, though it didn't make much of a difference other than to annoy him. I continued unloading into him, but Bram signaled for me to stop. I was panting as the adrenaline ran through me.

"He's too strong," Bram whispered.

D'Arby backed up to get a running start and plowed into our house again. More glass shattered and the entrance was clear for him to enter. I could hear Jeffy whimpering.

Bram pulled me backward toward our front door. Jeffy came running downstairs and joined us. Diva was attracted to where the sound was coming from. When she saw D'Arby she let out a low growl.

Through the now broken window, Diva had found the person I had deprived her of attacking before. I must have been imagining it, but I thought I saw a smile cross that dog's face. From the couch she drove through the window onto D'Arby and began furiously biting him around the neck area. He tried pulling her off, but her jaw was strong, and she was too … pissed off.

I could tell Bram was nervous about Diva getting hurt. Though Diva was able to get some good bites in, D'Arby gave one final shake, and Diva was launched out of sight.

I watched as Bram's horror turned into vengeance and he ran toward D'Arby.

"Bram! What the fuck are you doing?" I screamed but he hurtled himself toward the monstrous Noir. D'Arby reached to catch him mid-air but Bram vanished. D'Arby was confused and his large, deformed head stared back and forth.

"Hey, fucker," Bram said. D'Arby turned all the way around to see Bram behind him. "Come and get me." Bram raced off with D'Arby following on four legs. I watched as several Noirs followed them.

"Jeffy? Come close to me, buddy," I said. Jeffy came closer, wiping his face of his tears. "Bram did that so we can leave, Jeffy. Do you think you can sprint with me to your house? I need you to stay with me."

"I'll wish for it!"

We stepped out of the house, minding the glass and splintered wood. I had to duck out of the way of the swinging body outside. I didn't dare confirm whether it was Mark. It would break my heart. As soon as the debris was out of our way, we raced to Jeffy's house.

Suddenly, I felt a whoosh of wind and then Jeffy disappeared. Continuing my hustle toward the Carlisle's, I looked back and forth trying to find him. I put the goggles on and scanned the area for Noirs. Had one magically taken Jeffy from me?

Up ahead, the Carlisle's house was coming into view. I pulled the goggles off. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see three people waving to me at Jeffy's house. The most animated was … Jeffy.

"What the fuck?" I said to nobody in particular. I sprinted with one final burst of energy then arrived, panting, and bent over. Charlie, Wendy, and Jeffy, all ushered me to come in. Just as I was about to enter, I heard nearly silent sounds of machinery whirring up. I could see a large metal contraption on the Carlisle's roof. I scanned the field and saw a silent laser focusing on Noirs as they chased us. Cries of pain echoed against the houses as they evaporated.

"Come on!" Charlie urged. I did as I was told, watching him slam their dome button on. Once everyone was safe inside, we were surrounded by the safety shield.

I sat on the floor still trying to catch my breath. Jeffy came over and helped me up. I stood with his help, and he pulled me into the kitchen.

"Look what we have here!" Jeffy gave me some juice.

"Oh, thank you Jeffy," I said, trying to hold back tears at such a kind gesture. I took some and drank the sweet artificial grape liquid. "By the way Jeffy, how'd you get here before me?"

"It's my wish. The thing I wanted. It asked me and I told it."

"Asked you?"

"Yeah, the voice--"

"I'm so glad to see you're okay!" Wendy said ecstatically, hugging Jeffy tightly. Charlie came in and held onto both his wife and his boy. He glanced at me and then out the window in their front door.

"Where's Bram?"

"He," I paused. "Well, let's just say he distracted the big one."

"D'Arby," Charlie confirmed with a firm blink. When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at me.

"So, you know about D'Arby?" I asked. Charlie nodded.

"And you know about … Bram?" he asked.

"What about him? That he's sick?"

"Yes."

"Well, he WAS sick, but not anymore."

"No?"

"Yeah, we gave him an injection," I said.

Charlie stared at me with a pleased expression on his face. Wendy came over to me and hugged me tightly, wiping tears from her face.

"Thank you for bringing Jeffy back! Where was he?" she shuddered, staring at me. I saw her cigarettes on the table. I snatched them and handed her the pack. She laughed and hugged me again.

"Your little guy came to us--" I began.

"Jeffy!!" A glorious scream of welcome erupted from Darla's voice. She ran over to her brother squeezing him so tightly that he grunted, the air leaving his lungs. I thought he was upset but then he held his sister back just as tightly.

"Brotherly love!" he yelled, and she squealed. Charlie and Wendy urgently silenced them. Wendy then turned to me, expectantly.

"He came running to us and we let him in," I elaborated.

"Any … bites or scratches?" Charlie asked in a whisper.

"Yes, in the back of his neck. But we gave him a shot and now he can run miles within seconds, apparently," I said with a quiet chuckle. Charlie looked at me, then Jeffy, then me again.

"He's fine?"

"I think more than that," I said. Jeffy was on the floor playing with Darla. I turned my attention back to Charlie. "So, about the laser," I said. Charlie smiled at me.

"Yeah, it's just something I've been working on lately."

"Does it work like the goggles do?"

"Exactly. Did Bram give you your pair?"

"Yes, he did." I found it strange that Bram talked about me so much to other people. Before, it seemed mean for some reason. Now I saw it as nice. He thought about me when we were apart.

"We all got suits too. He designed them," Charlie said. I smiled about that.

"I heard from Jeffy that you've got a pretty cool shed," I said. Charlie smiled. "Anything else that can help us, you think?"

Outside, we heard scratching against the dome. The group of us moved to their backyard window. What we first thought could be a Noir was Diva. She barked and Wendy rushed to shut the dome off. Not far behind her was Bram.

They both ran toward the house. Charlie let them inside. While the dome was off, the laser zapped a few more Noirs. Once Diva and Bram came through the door, I was so grateful they were alive.

I hugged Bram tightly. He kissed my cheek and then we parted.

"What happened to you?" I asked tearfully. I glanced down at Diva. She was her normal happy self with a few cuts but nothing too bad.