Yesterday's Gone: Season Three (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER)

risked his life to save her. The sad, but sweet boy who she passed notes with just one night before. Now he was dead, his body motionless, lying on the floor.
    Callie jumped as a deafening hum belched from the globe.
    She looked up and saw the light’s brightness grow even more intense, surging from dim to bright to blinding white, as if it were somehow aware of her. The hum grew louder, beckoning her toward the globe.
    “Come. Open it,” a voice whispered in her mind. Not her internal thoughts, but an external thought, from someone — something — else.
    Callie looked over.
    Did it just talk to me?
    “Yes. Come. Open me. I will save you all.”
    Callie inched toward the globe.
    No, no, wait for Boricio and Luca. Wait.
    “No, Callie. You. Come. Open me.”
    Callie stepped closer and looked down at the vial, glowing bright white, so bright she couldn’t see its shape through the light. It was as if someone had just flicked on a million watts in the room. The light was so bright, and so beautiful despite its intensity, Callie nearly missed the darkness gathering form beside her — the Darkness pouring from Charlie and up toward her.
    “Let me in,” the Darkness whispered in her head.
    Callie turned to turn and run, but couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot as It crept closer. The smokey entrails slithered around her, bringing Its icy slaughter.
    “Let me in,” It repeated, snaking toward her mouth as It spread her lips wide.
    Callie cried out, but her throat made no sound and her feet refused to move.
    Her eyes found Charlie’s corpse on the floor and her heart shattered again.
    I love you.
    The gun trembled in her hand and she lifted it fast, before she could change her mind. As the Darkness rushed inside her throat, drowning her with its form, it began to sift through her memories, tossing them everywhere in an attempt to keep her from doing what she had to do.
    Callie saw her mom.
    “Hi, Baby,” her mother said. “Don’t do that, okay? Put the gun down, Callie.”
    Tears streamed down Callie’s cheeks. She chewed the salt from her lip as she felt the Darkness burrow deeper into her mind.
    Callie said, “Sorry, Mommy,” then pulled the trigger.

    * * * *

CHAPTER 13 — Boricio Wolfe Part 2

    Black Island, New York
    April 2012
    SIX MONTHS AFTER THE EVENT…

    The aliens had all retreated, leaving Team Boricio free to make their final trek to Will’s house. They were 100 feet or so from the front porch when two gunshots raged, one right after the other.
    The team froze, trading glances in the black as icy rain began to fall and the wind began to rattle the trees.
    “Callie!” Boricio screamed.
    The wind’s howl accompanied his anguished cry, or maybe mocked it.
    The group slowly approached the house, guns drawn with the last of the ammunition from the trucks. Boricio and Pirate Boricio ran point as Mary, Paola, Will, and Luca followed. Bringing up the rear were Ryan and Sullivan.
    Boricio looked up at the house, wondering who shot who, and waiting for someone, either Charlie or Callie to step into view in the brightly lit second-story window.
    Another gunshot.
    Both Boricios ran toward the house as Ryan screamed, “They’re coming!”
    “Who?” Boricio said, spinning around.
    As he turned, he saw a horde of aliens breaking through the tree line — too many to count.
    “Jesus, how many more of these motherfuckers are there?” he said as two of the aliens raced ahead of the others, running on all fours as fast as Cheetahs, roaring toward Sullivan and Ryan.
    Ryan leaned down and raced toward one of the creatures. The two collided in midair, then rolled to the ground in a blur of black and blood. Sullivan fired his M-16 at the second alien as it bore down on him. His shots hit, but didn’t stop the alien as it barreled forward.
    Boricio leveled his pistol and fired three shots in rapid fire succession, sending the alien into an eternity of quiet.
    Mary took aim at Ryan and the alien as they tumbled, clawing and tearing at one another. She couldn’t get a clear shot, so she instead fired at the closest aliens. Sullivan fired into the horde again, taking a couple more down before he had to stop and reload a clip.
    Boricio looked back toward the house and saw Pirate Boricio standing at the back porch of the house, his gun aimed into the horde. He didn’t fire, but yelled, “Come on, Luca!” instead. “We’ve gotta get to the vial.”
    Will and Luca stumbled forward with Mary and Paola