Exodus (4 page)

“Can I help you?” the man asked with a devilish grin on his face.

Mikey stared down at him, his look unwavering.  He narrowed his eyelids into a sneer and clenched his jaw.  Three minutes passed and then Mikey finally cracked a smile and spoke.

“Are you gonna let us in or what Mr. Clark?”

“I’ve told you before there is no Mr. Clark here,” the man still stared back at Mikey without a trace of humor.

“Ugh, Fullerton can we come in?”

The man chuckled and stepped to the side.  He patted Mikey on the back as he passed and shook Steve’s hand.  As Mit started to walk in he stopped him with an enthusiastic look on his face.

“Mit!  I think I cracked it.  You won’t believe the algorithm they were using.”

Mit grinned from ear to ear and followed Fullerton inside.

A lot of things had changed since the days when they snuck into the Clark’s house to find evidence of a murder.  What was a once creepy old two story had become something like a second home.  The Clarks were more like relatives now than an oddity to be watched.

Two years ago Anthony’s Uncle Frank had brought them back to the North Shore town with stories of how they’d run away from home.  The town was stunned to learn of the loss of three teenagers and the rest of the details seemed to fall through the cracks.

Mit and Mikey tried to convince everyone of the truth, but their stories were attributed to traumatic stress.  When Steve was found alive it only fueled the town’s theory that the boys had run away and succumbed to the elements.

Eventually they started telling people what they wanted to hear.  Their parents, the therapists even kids at school were put at ease to learn that they’d made the whole thing up.  It seemed like everyone was started to heal, everyone except Mr. Clarks son.

A few months after they returned he stopped them on their way home from school.  He explained to them how his father had known about the existence of Anthony’s species for some time and had made it his life’s work to study them.  He told them he believed their story and would do everything in his power to help them find their friend.

They were shocked to learn that the town had been a hot bed for mysterious disappearances over the last twenty years.  Unnamed government agencies were embedded so deeply into the infrastructure that they were able to snuff out rumors of anything bizarre before the town got wind.  Mr. Clark had proof on it all.  His house was packed with files on everything from the first abduction to everyone in the town he suspected was working with the government.

Since then Mr. Clark and the boys had been working together.  They told him everything they could remember from their journey and he had started to piece things together.  He’d narrowed down where Anthony might be and every day they seemed to be getting closer.

As they made their way into the house the smell of baked goods overwhelmed them.  Smiling, Mrs. Clark emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of cookies.  She handed a cookie to Mikey and one to Mit, then looked at Steve and grinned.

“I know you’ve become some kind of health nut, but I won’t let you get away without tasting my custard pie.”

“Of course Mrs. Clark, I made sure I saved room,” Steve said and blushed.

He walked over to her and gave her a big hug.  Grinning she put a cookie in his hand and winked.

“Just in case,” she whispered.

Mr. Clark grinned at his mother and hurried them past the kitchen to a door that looked like it led into the actual staircase.  It was odd that with all their sneaking in and out of that house they’d never noticed the door before.  It was sitting there plain as day, a white door embedded right in the middle of the ugly green wallpaper that covered almost the entire house.

Mr. Clark opened the door and they all stepped into what most people would assume was a broom closet.  Inside there was a wooden landing with a tiny light swinging overhead.  Mr. Clark reached up and pulled a silver chain and a dim glow echoed into the air.  You could see a dusty staircase winding into the darkness below.

“Don’t keep them long, Fullerton,” Mrs. Clark called after them.

He nodded back at her and closed the door.  One by one they headed down the rickety steps, disappearing into the shadows.

As they made it to the bottom floor Mr. Clark walked to the wall and flipped a switch.  Overhead lights buzzed as they flickered on revealing an expansive lab.  It ran the length of the house and was divided into rooms.

One section had a row of computers and flashing monitors.  It looked like a government cryptography lab.  Thick yellow wires ran across the floor connecting to cabinets stuffed with devices that blinked like Christmas lights.

The other side seemed like a cross between a doctor’s office and a mad scientist’s laboratory.   There was an assortment of chemicals and flasks filled with glowing liquids in one corner.  On the other side sat operating tables and carts with surgical tools.

“Is that it?” Mit smiled pointing at one of the monitors that had a string of numbers running across it.

“Sure is,” Mr. Clark replied.

He walked over to the computer and jabbed at the keyboard.  The numbers disappeared and a map of the United States popped up.  Scattered across the map were more than twenty blinking red dots.

“You see, this is what the original search looked like, but once I figured out the algorithm,” he tapped a few more keys.  “This is what I found.”

Most of the red dots vanished leaving only five that were focused around the Wyoming area.  Mikey looked on and smiled.

“Well that definitely narrows it down.  What’s next?”

“We’re dead in the water now until we get some more info,” Mr. Clark sighed.

Steve scratched his head as he looked on.  He shrugged his shoulders then stared at the ground.  Mr. Clark put his hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve done more than enough Steve.  None of this is your fault.  We wouldn’t be this far without you.”

Steve let out a deep breath then turned around and headed for the stairs.  “I think I’ll try that pie now.”

Mr. Clark stared after him.  Mikey sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes.

“He’s been like that lately.  So what’s next?”

“What’s this?” Mit shouted, holding up a manila folder with a red x stamped on it.

Mr. Clark chuckled.  “I’m glad you found that.  It’s something my father was working on.”

He walked over to Mit and took the folder from him.  Laying it open on the table he removed the papers inside and spread them out.

“So you have whatever Anthony is over here,” he pointed at a page marked over in red.  It looked official, like a government document and in the top it read classification:  unknown.

“And over here, you have…well you have something else.”

Mit edged closer and stared at the paper.  “What’s a spectral?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.  I’m not even sure if my father knew.  I found this last week and have been trying to make sense of it.  Whatever they are my father didn’t think they were too pleasant.”

“So your father, he knew.  He knew about all of this,” Mit stuttered.

Mr. Clark closed the folder and smiled.  “I guess it’s time I really do some digging into my father’s things.  You have to understand Mit.  My father was a very secretive man, everything he ever worked on was heavily coded and just deciphering it could take years.”

Mit’s head sunk as he stared at the floor.  Slumping his shoulders he staggered to a chair in the corner and collapsed.  Mr. Clark shook his head.

“Don’t get discouraged.  The good news is, my father knew something and all his work is here,” Mr. Clark patted Mit on the back.

“Anyway, you boys head on home.  We’ll pick this up tomorrow.  Keep an eye out though and be safe.”

Mikey stared out of his bedroom window down onto the street below.  For the last hour he’d been watching a green and yellow moving truck being unloaded.  The diesel engine idled loudly while half of the truck hung into the road, puffing gray smoke into the air.  Every other minute a very thin, fair skinned lady would lug a box or two out of the back and disappear into the house.

There was something odd about her Mikey thought.  She moved swiftly, but calculated, almost like a robot.  Every time she grabbed a box, she scanned from side to side before she headed back in.  She meticulously traced her own footsteps like an invisible line was pulling her on a tack.

If her strange behavior hadn’t made her stand out, her looks certainly would have.  She could’ve stepped out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog.  She wore a form fitting black pencil skirt that moved like it was a second skin.  Her white blouse fit snug against her torso, the short sleeves exposing arms that were certainly capable of more than office work.  Her hair was as blonde as Mikey’s and was twisted and pinned up.  Her heels, which should’ve clicked loudly against the pavement were silent, each step muffled as if someone had turned the volume down.

She definitely looked like a normal enough woman, albeit exceptionally hot by Mikey’s calculation.  But everything else about her was wrong.  Her demeanor, her movements, even the way her gorgeous eyes scanned the neighboring streets.

Mikey grabbed a surfboard and slung it onto his bed as he moved closer to the window.  He glared at the woman trying to will the top button of her shirt undone.  When that failed he tried to look inside the house, but all the blinds had been drawn shut.

An older man had gone inside earlier carrying a black briefcase and a laptop.  Mikey had tried to get a better look at him, but he’d gone right inside without stopping.  Since then Mikey hadn’t seen him.  Now he was drawn to watching the woman, unsure if it was because of her stunning legs or how strange she was acting.

The house across the street from him had been vacant for years.  Ever since the man that owned it had died on his rocking chair.  It wasn’t even on the market for sale anymore.  And now someone was moving in.

As Mikey watched her zip in and out of the house he faintly remembered Mr. Clark’s speech to them the other day.  “
Just keep an eye out for things that seem out of place
,” he said.  Since then Mikey had been giving everyone a second look.  This actually seemed like something worth keeping an eye on though.

Without thinking, he reached across his nightstand and grabbed his cell phone.
 
GET OVER HER
E
.  He typed a quick message and sent it out, then tossed his phone back onto the table.

Pressing his face against the window, Mikey stared back out onto the street as a white van came to a stop beside the moving truck.  The lady looked up and sneered at the driver.  She put her hands on her hips and tapped her shoe angrily.

The dingy, white van looked like something a painter would drive.  It even had a ladder attached to the top, but instead of windows there was silver mesh wiring running across the sides.  The tires were almost identical to the ones on Steve’s Camaro and the loud dual exhaust spat a thin stream of smoke into the air.

The door slowly swung open and a giant of a man stepped out.  He looked like a gorilla with a human face.  His enormous arms were covered in a thick, dark, brown fur.  His hands looked like baseball gloves and his feet seemed to slowly sink into the asphalt the longer he stood in place.

He wore a blue baseball cap pulled down to his eyes and a gray t-shirt that was probably a triple XL, but was still tearing at the seams.  Attached to the belt loop of his khakis pants was a massive key ring and on the other side a shiny black pistol.

The man nodded at the lady and walked towards the back of the van.  She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed another box.  As she turned away the man scanned the streets nervously, he looked passed Mikey’s house, his eyes lingering for a moment.  Sucking his teeth he spit onto the road then turned back around and swung the doors open.

There was a sudden bang and Mikey whipped around as Mit and Steve clamored through the bedroom door.

“Okay, where’s the fire?”  Steve said in annoyed voice.

Mikey stepped away from the window and smirked.  He pointed back over his shoulder then sat on the bed.  “Mr. Clark said to keep an eye out.  They looked weird enough.”

Mit glanced out of the window and bit his lower lip.  He squinted, straining his eyes to read the logo that was stamped across the side of the white van.  Taking a step back he gasped and threw his hand over his mouth.

“When did they show up?” he asked and turned to Mikey with a look of fear on his face.

“Maybe an hour ago, why?”

“They’re with LSK Labs,” Mit said the name as if it was cursed.  “This can’t be happening.  That’s too much of a coincidence.  I gotta call Clark.  We’ve gotta get in there.”

Mit ranted on while Steve and Mikey stared at him in confusion.  He started saying things about Q-jobs and batch transmissions as he paced back and forth.  After five minutes of talking to himself, Mit finally looked up and noticed the blank looks on their faces.

“You guys do know what I’m talking about, right?”

“No clue,” Mikey mumbled.

“Do you ever listen?  LSK Labs doesn’t ring a bell?  Mr. Clark was just telling us about them.”

Mikey and Steve looked at each other, then shrugged their shoulders in unison.  Mit rolled his eyes and sighed.

“This is bad,” he mumbled as he turned and looked back out of the window.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  Without looking down, he thumbed the familiar numbers and took a deep breath.  After several rings he put the phone back in his pocket.

“No answer.  I’ll be back.  Mikey keep an eye on them, call me if anything else happens.”

Mit stormed out of the room before anyone could say a word.  Mikey looked at Steve who smirked back at him.  Mit had always been level-headed; he never got excited, never worked up.  Now he had practically sprinted out of the room jabbering about secret labs.

“What was that about?”  Steve asked as he walked over to the window and stared out.

Mikey didn’t say anything.  He sat down on the edge of his bed and closed his eyes.  Suddenly the door burst back open and Mit charged in still ranting, but now he was on the phone.

“Yes I’m sure!  I’m staring at it Mr. Clark.  Well can’t you get back tonight?  Yes, yes I promise we’ll stay here.”  Mit flipped the phone closed and sat down next to Mikey.

“What did he say?”  Steve looked away from the window. 

“Well, he said he thought LSK Labs were involved, but he had no proof.  And how they’d never operated within the city limits.  You know Nickie’s dad works there, well her stepdad or whatever.”  Mit rubbed his face and sighed.

“I don’t get it.”  Mikey mumbled.

  “You’ve got a satellite office being set up right next door.”  Mit grumbled.

Mikey looked at him like he was speaking a language he’d never heard.  He glanced over to Steve who seemed just as clueless as he was.  He shook his head and sat up.  “A satellite office… for what?”

“I don’t know, for freaky experiments, for torture, for whatever they wanted Anthony for.  The bottom line is those people down there have to know where Anthony is.  You don’t really think it’s a coincidence that they’ve moved into a house right across the street from you?  We’ve gotta go in.”  Mit was now standing up moving his hands as he spoke.

Steve turned back towards the window and looked out.  There was an apelike man pulling cases out of the back of the van.  Long, shiny aluminum cases, with LSK etched on the front in red and different element symbols in blue.

“What do you think those are for?”  Steve asked.

Mit walked towards the window and peered out.  He squinted his eyes trying to focus.

“Can’t be anything good.”  Mit finally spat.  “Help me with this.”  He unlocked the top latch on the window as Steve did the same on his side.  With a grunt he pushed the window open and the warm breeze of springtime flooded the room.  Immediately the voices down on the street carried through the window.

“Take those and leave them by the front office.  Vorcick will need the instructions as well.  We can’t afford to be sloppy with this Hanson.  The holders may now know of your mess up with the girl, but it’s not too late you know.”  The woman’s voice seemed amplified across the empty street.

Hanson nodded and slung one of the long cases over his back, stumbling towards the front door.  With a heavy sigh he sat the case down and reached for the handle.  Before he could turn it the door swung open and tall slender man walked out.

Hanson immediately straightened up and backed away from the door.  “Dr. Norton, I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Of course you didn’t.”  Dr. Norton snapped and glanced down at the aluminum case.  “Be quick about it.”  He flicked his hand and he strode past Hanson. 

“We need to get in there.”  Mit mumbled.  “There’s something going on.”

“Didn’t Mr. Clark say to wait?”  Mikey asked as he stepped next to them.

“Since when has that stopped you?”  Steve smiled back at him.

“That guy’s been inside the whole time.  I think he’s the boss.”  Mikey pointed.

Dr. Norton slowly walked away from the house and surveyed the streets.  He was as tall as the other man, but where he seemed massive and solid; this man looked slender, but not quite delicate.  He reminded Mikey of the old school basketball players his dad always talked about.  He wore a button up shirt and a tie and although he was older he definitely looked like someone who meant business.

The man stopped at the back of the truck and shook his head.  With gritted teeth, he pounded his fist into his hand and stomped.

“Hanson!  Hanson get over here!”  He shouted, disdain dripping from every word.

Hanson dropped the case he was carrying and quickly ran to Dr. Norton’s side.  From the look on his face, Mikey could tell he was apologizing.  If it was possible for a man that large to look sheepish, he certainly did.

Dr. Norton looked at him with disgust.  He pointed at the van and then mumbled something.

“Clean it up!”  He shouted as he stormed off.

Hanson began to fumble with something in the back of the truck.  As he moved a case to the side a brown tarp slid down and a hand dangled out for just a second before he covered it up.

Mikey jumped back from the window, his hand covering his mouth.  Mit did the same, but Steve edged closer.

“It’s not Anthony.”  Steve calmly said.  “It was a girl’s hand.”

Steve watched as Hanson moved the remaining cases into the house and locked the door.  Standing on the porch he twiddled his enormous thumbs and grinded his teeth.  He spit a wad of tobacco out and lumbered down the steps into the street.

Hanson slammed the doors shut on the van and walked around to the front.  He motioned for Dr. Norton, but he’d already jumped into the truck with the other lady.  Without looking back, they pulled away leaving Hanson fuming.  He angrily crammed his enormous frame into the van and sped off after them.

‘Now is as good a time as any.”  Steve said, still looking out of the window after them.

Mit grinned, but Mikey just sneered at him.

“And how do you plan to get in?”

“That ogre left a window open.”  Steve shot back.  “Look, if we ever want to get any answers, now is the time.  What the hell have we been doing for the last two years?”

“He’s right.  I say we go.”  Mit headed towards the door.

Mikey hesitated for a minute and then followed.  “Okay, but just remember I said this was a bad idea.”

Steve smiled and followed them out of the room.  They stopped on the front porch, eagerly staring across the street.  The sun was slowly disappearing into the horizon casting an orange glow over the roof of the house.

“Alright guys.  Let’s hurry up.”  Mit grinned and then quickly dashed across the street.

Mikey shook his head at Steve and then reluctantly followed.  One after the other they slowly walked up the steps onto the wrap around porch and stopped by the front door.  A polished, wooden fan spun idly above them.  It was an obvious recent addition since the rest of the house was covered in webs and dust.

The front door was also new, made of a deep mahogany wood with a circular opaque window in the middle.  On the right side of the door there was a small square window that was left open.  A pink and blue curtain blew lightly in the wind, flapping in and out of the window.

“It’s your plan Mit; you’re climbing through the window.”  Mikey pushed him forward.

Mit smirked and rolled his eyes.  Glaring back at them he slowly clamored through the open window and fell to the floor with a bang.  A few moments later the brass handle on the door jingled and it swung open.