Emily 8 (4/2/2016)

 *Sirens*, the metal door closes, trapping these six people together in the corner office of a ten story building. A plane looking caucasian possibly of French descent man, short brown hair, nothing special about him sits at a desk beside a taller man, four others are there two women, two men. The plain looking man is deep in thought.

  He speaks, "Becky...this...is everyone you could find?"

  "Yeah, Peter," says Becky, "everyone, with the radios down...and both Bob and Hector...Lost...it looks like just about everyone scattered during the storm, anyone else not....taken."

   The other woman shouts, "How we do we know they're lost?"

   "They brought two Trojans in," says Becky, "one of which I personally saw with my own two fucking eyes fight hand to hand with that fucking snake bitch! That's how I fucking know! and you know what....fuck Bob and Hector! Fucking rapist assholes is all they were..."

   "Shut your fucking mouth," says one of the two men sitting beside them while Peter and the tall man stand at the end of the table, "Hector was my friend he wouldn't...."

   "But he'd watch," says Peter coldly, "watch,"

   He tosses a strange device in the air that turns into a monitor.

  "What the fuck is that," says the second of the two men.

  "alien technology," says Peter, "told you people I wasn't from the same Earth as you...don't remember the aliens...Grunaga...maybe Ju-el...it doesn't matter. I have each of the bases under surveilance. It wasn't just about not dragging about large radio equipment."

   The monitor shows the scene in Bob's radio room...hear everything too.

   "What the fuck..." says the man, "wait...Greg was a Trojan? He didn't have a fucking mark on him!"

   "Not a Trojan," says the tall man known as Robert, "Greg was a doll....its...something else these demons can do to us...turn us into their playthings, it picked up on the same trick the Trojan critters had with the zombies...looks to me like Greg, Bob, and Hector all snapped at the same time with this...branding revelation..."

  "Sure," says Becky, "make fucking excuses, but I know why so many ran away from Hector's bases..."

  "You need to shut the fuck up," growls the man from before.

  "Or what Bill," says Becky, "you going to rape me like your buddy...Hector!"

  *GUN SHOT*, the source being Peter's gun.

  "I don't want to waste anymore ammo," says Peter, "its just as we told you all before, we are up against powerful enemies, holding us captive here, experimenting on us for their own twisted purposes. Immitating Hell....its just completly fucked up. Human conciousnesses inside these weird...bodies for them to toy with. It is a war and if we don't learn to cooperate...if we don't stick together...they win."

   "They've already won man," says the second of the two men.

   "don't snap Rick," says Bill, "I'm about ready to myself...but...please take down that monitor sir."

  "Of course," says Peter bringing down the image, freeze framed on the scene of the one they call Sky Alpha flying out of the building.

  "It did it," says Rick, "they control the weather, they destroy buildings and put them back in big flashes, doors that go anywhere...monsters everywhere...this city...isn't safe...but its the safest place there is...three blocks away...mothman....twelve blocks away...suburbs...death traps everywhere...hospital...death trap...clown train...death trap...country side...monsters...forests...monsters...that town....worst monsters...what are we even doing!"

   He stands up and yells, "What are we even doing?! Look at us! Six fucking people! It took out the radios....they're using...monsters that look just like us now....but...are as strong as the other Alphas....Human form Alphas..."

  Peter nods his head, "That's a good word for them...Human Form Alphas...good job Rick...we have a name for our new enemy..."

  Peter's tone is oddly soothing, "Know the enemy, they didn't want us banding together...they didn't want us talking...its all psychological. They want us alone...for whatever their twisted experiments are...they want us to not trust each other, they keep bringing in new arrivals...we find them...we recruit them. I've said for ages now we need to stop forcing people to stay...it puts us in danger...they run...and now this new threat...it looks like us...it can act like us...and it knows us...if they can do this to us...they can see our memories when they capture us. If someone doesn't want to join...don't force them...if they run then they know where are bases are...however...our first course of action...we...you take these."

   He hands them small devices, "it took some effort on mine and Robert's part to build these out of the junk they have here that is made to immitate junk from Earth...was going to hand them out to the commanders. Each of you take two...all I have is twelve. Find who you can, get at least one other person to take one and go find others...no doubt some loners are still out there. These aliens...these Apex Demons and their Alpha pets...they...they want to take their toys away...well we got our own."

   ******

   A night spent in a gas station shop's back room, a Safe Room, a far cry from the comfort of the apartment. The next day Vicky and Emily continue their exploration, the neighborhood, the sub-urb is larger than it looked from the city.

   "Woah," says Emily as they come upon a post office, there is a statue on the roof, a massive dragon statue.

   As they walk past they start to hear heavy breathing, followed by their collar markings glowing. From above a very loud and yet somehow noble voice says, "My apologies madams,"

  They look up to see the dragon looking down at them, a similar glow around its neck. The massive head dips, despite its stone apperance it is indeed flexible, a short bow. Emily and Vicky nod back as they quickly, but not too quickly walk on by.

  "Is it just me," says Vicky, "or does everything but us have hidden markings?"

  "Well not everything is...a pet," says Emily, "not that...has anything to do with...that..."

  "Yeah..." says Vicky, "I wander if they also have to worry about the critters and such..."

  "Yes," comes the dragon statue turning to look at them, "the pigeons are especially annoying madams."

  Emily smiles and nearly cries.

  "Emily?" asks Vicky.

  "We just met a dragon," whispers Emily, "and it didn't try to eat us..I am...I really wish I could post this."

   As they bow again and continue down the road, spotting a large super-store chain....to which Emily cracks the joke, "They have locations everywhere...even in Hell.."

  "Ya'know," says Vicky, "I saw a Star Bucks back in the city...but seriously..this place...and coffee...that can't be a good mix."

   "Its a shame," says Vicky as they tredge across the parking lot, which seem so much larger without any cars and having been on foot the whole time, "that you can't post about any of this, being able to use computers...e-mail...chat...would have made communications so much easier...better than the radios."

   Emily pauses as the approach the front doors, "the computers work."

  "What?" asks Vicky.

  "Yeah," says Emily, "the Mistress has one...I used it my first night...even got on facebook...social...site, did they have it back in two thousand four? Any way, yeah...pretty sure my family and friends think I'm dead given how they reacted..."

  "Hold on," says Vicky, "you...made contact with Earth...your...mine...maybe...Earth...with a computer?"

   "Yeah," says Emily.

  "why didn't you bring this up before?"

  Emily feels her forehead, "I don't think she liked that I did that...pretty sure I got banned from facebook...if not the computer entirely..."

  "Hmm," says Vicky, "it might have just been her computer...but we never tried them...the office building computers were always intranet computers...half of which were alarms or booby trapped in some way...we made a rule to avoid them...or trash them when we saw them...I wander."

   ******