Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

stepped away, quickly, letting out a deep sigh, then maneuvered behind Ed.
    Ed’s shotgun roared again, striking the man in the chest and sending him to the ground.
    Brent screamed in shock, “What the hell?!”
    “We’ve got one more,” Ed said, then pivoted and yelled down the stairwell, “Better run; you’re on your own!”
    The lower door slammed shut. Ed raced down the stairs, hit the first floor, and saw the woman running across the parking lot toward the truck they’d come in.
    Ed sprinted outside. The woman slid into the driver’s seat of the pickup, fired the engine, and hit the gas. Instead of fleeing, she came at him.  
    He raised the shotgun and fired twice. The first round shattered the window; the second shattered the woman. Blood painted the inside of the cab as the truck veered and slammed into a car to Ed’s right. The woman’s body crashed into the horn. Ed moved quickly to shove the woman aside before the horn alerted every alien within earshot to the open buffet at the Holiday Inn. The horn now silent, Ed turned back to the hotel’s entrance, where Brent was standing with eyes wide open, staring past Ed into the distance.
    Ed turned around to see a half dozen aliens across the parking lot, near one of the banks, now gathering together and running toward the hotel.
    Ed started back to the truck.
    “No,” Brent said, “What about the kid?”
    “Fuck!” Ed said, slamming on his brakes. He turned on his heels and raced back inside the hotel.
    “Go! Go! Go!” Ed said, racing up the stairs, hoping like hell the aliens would lose track of him and give up. Brent was winded by the fifth floor. Ed passed him, saying, “Hurry up! I’m not waiting for you!”
    They made it to the seventh floor, and went to the end of the hall where they’d told the kid to wait. “Go get him,” Ed said, “I’m gonna get some ammo.”
    A few seconds later, before Ed even reached their room, Brent called out, “He’s not in here!”
    Shit!
    Ed knew then what he was about to find in their room, though the realization wouldn’t lessen the sting. He opened the door, spent a half-second looking inside, then left. He marched down the hallway back to Brent, anger fueling his every step.   “The kid took our shit.”
    As if on cue, the sound of more glass breaking erupted downstairs.
    The aliens were coming.

    * * * *

MARY OLSON: PART 2

    After dinner, Mary pulled Desmond to the side. “We have to go.” Her eyes were bolted on his, and her fingers dug into his arm.
    “As soon as we can,” he said. “But nothing has changed. We have to stick with what we all agreed.” They had agreed. John’s eyes and ears were all over them. They’d wait and talk things over when they had more time alone.   But right now, rash action would get them killed.  
    They should be able to leave whenever they wanted; it wasn’t as though they were prisoners. But you never knew how far crazy would go to preserve itself, and The Sanctuary had crazy on discount.  
    “What do we have to lose?” Mary said. “What are they going to do? Stop us at the gate? We’re not prisoners. We don’t even have to take the vehicle we came in. We can leave on foot; we’ll find another car in no time. It’s dangerous here, Desmond. I can feel it.”
    Desmond started to make an argument about the end of winter, and the snowstorm that felt like it was coming. But he didn’t get more than a sentence deep before one of The Sanctuary’s residents, Estelle, broke the conversation.  
    “Sister Mary,” she said, “The Prophet would like to see you. He’s at the church construction site. He said he needs you as soon as possible, but not to inconvenience you. Finish what you’re doing and join him as soon as you can.” Estelle smiled, then curtsied and left.  
    Desmond raised his eyebrows. “What do you think that’s all about?”
    Mary shook her head. “I’ve no idea. But if I had to bet, I’d say John ratted us out.”
    “I’m coming with you.”
    “No,” Mary said. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Just be aware, and I’ll catch you up as soon as I can.”
    “I don’t like it,” Desmond insisted. “The Prophet could do something horrible to you and I wouldn't be able to stop him. I won’t even know what’s going on.”
    Mary said, “I’m not Rebecca, or Sarah. If The Prophet tries something, anything at all, believe me, everyone in The Sanctuary is gonna know. I’ll take that old man out quicker than