Yesterday's Gone: Season One

feel. His head was in pain and he felt like the contents of his stomach might spill out at any moment.
    The man-boy spoke. “It’s not just me. You guys all feel that, right? Like something really, really bad’s about to happen.”
    Mary turned to the old man. “Still think the bleakers aren’t much of a threat?”
    The old man shook his head. “My theory just expired.”  
    “What changed?” The dangerous one’s mouth was open, but the man-boy made the words first.
    “I don’t have a foggy,” Will answered. “But something definitely has. Their power is growing, and so are their numbers. We all feel it. What I don’t like is the tone.”
    Perhaps the humans aren’t as deaf to such things as they seemed.
    “The tone?” Desmond said.
    “Yeah,” the old man nodded, “the tone. It’s different. I always felt like they were waiting, but now I feel like they know what they’re waiting for . Like they were lost. But now they’re found.”
    “Amazing grace,” Desmond said with a sigh.
    “Will’s right,” Mary said. “I feel it too.”
    The dangerous one looked helpless. He turned to John .  
    “What do you think?”
    Thanks for giving a shit about my opinion when there’s no right answer.  
    It never mattered before. Why bother to ask now?
    I think we should stay a little longer and see what happens. Please excuse me; I need to use the restroom.
    You know best. We should probably stay, but if you think we should go, I’m right there behind you.  
    “I think we should stay a little longer and see what happens. Please excuse me; I need to use the restroom.”
    Everyone stared at John , mouths open as he turned and headed for his room.  
    John went into the room, closed the door, then into the bathroom where he plugged the tub and filled it with water.  
    He peeled the clothes from the shell then stepped into the bath, letting water flood the shell’s face as John went underwater.
    Finally.  
    The water was cool against its skin. The shell was over-heating. John was over-taxing its available memory. The water soothed John , cooled the body several degrees, clearing his mind long enough to let him see his next move with clarity. John sat up in the tub.
    It would stay, and foster its growing strength as long as possible. After all, they were coming for him , and if It lingered long enough, It would have the planet to command.
    Cancers were born from a single putrid cell, but soon enough, they seeped into every crevice of the system. John smiled. It would be fun, doing what It had been born to do.  

    * * * *

TEAGAN

    Oct 17
    morning
    Winding, Georgia

    Teagan screamed as Ed fell to the ground, clutching at the darts still loosely dangling from his flesh.
    “What the hell?” Jade screamed.
    Ed moaned, trying to crawl toward the group.
    Another dart flew through the window and hit the wall. Ken shouted, “Get down!”  
    He dropped to the floor, crawled to Ed, who was now motionless, and felt for a pulse. “He’s alive,” Ken said, clutching a rag over the bloody wound on his left shoulder where he’d been bit.
    Jade ran hunched to the table where Ed had set his pistols, then took one for herself and slid the other to Ken.
    “You know how to use one of these?” Jade asked Teagan, who shook her head. Jade crawled to her father, pulled the darts from his chest, then threw them to the ground.
    “I shot two of those alien-looking things, not bad for a beginner.” Ken said in a loud whisper as he crawled beside Jade and tried to peer outside without getting shot through the window.
    “Who’s shooting at us?” Teagan asked, hands over her suddenly kicking baby.
    “Well, not the aliens,” Ken said.
    Teagan thought of the dream — the men in the helicopter coming for her baby. Maybe this was them. Her heart raced as she mentally scoured the room for a hiding place. But the room was too small with nowhere to hide.  
    “Come out with your hands up,” a loudspeaker’s voice blurted outside.
    Ken, Jade, and Teagan exchanged confused glances.  
    “This has to be because of my dad,” Jade said to the others. “Who’s out there?!” she shouted out the window.
    A firm voice: “We won’t ask again. Come out now, hands in the air. Or we will move in with force.”
    Ken strained to peer out the window then ducked back down, “Men in black uniforms, black vans. They look official.”
    Jade and Teagan exchanged glances then looked down at Ed, still out cold.
    “This has to be