A Small Gray Dot

I looked back at Harlow and raised an eyebrow but he didn’t seem to notice he’d wet his pants. “You’re not dying, Harlow. Now, who took the girl and how long ago?”

He groaned again. “Mr. Henderson sent Ken Talbert to git ‘er an’ Slim went with ‘em ‘bout forty-five minutes ago.”

So, that sack of shit was up and moving. Should’ve put a bullet in that kneecap. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

“Was she conscious when they left?”

He babbled, “Yeah, well, she passed out before we brung ‘er here an’ she was coming ‘round but she said ‘er head hurt so Ken gave ‘er two pills an’ said it was aspirin but it wasn’t because in a few minutes she acted like she was gonna pass out agin.”

Passed out? No, the asshole had cold-cocked her. I started to shoot him again but I restrained myself. For the time being. No telling what Talbert had given her but I had to believe it wasn’t anything that might kill her. Henderson needed her alive. Still, we needed to get moving.

Duncan came back in. “The house is empty, Tenn.”

Percy said, “What is Bedlow? He sure as hell can’t be human!”

I looked over at the alien. I half-way thought he might seal off his throat and wake up, but he was still dead. I guess he couldn’t heal a gash that big. Especially since he’d leaked out a lot of the stinking gore. He looked sort of deflated, too, and his skin had turned gray. Definitely dead.

“No. He wasn’t human, Percy, and his boss isn’t human. None of those people in the living quarters at Semptor are human, either. They’re all aliens and they’re here to finish what started seven and a half years ago. They want our world.”

Lem, his eyes showing white all around, said, “Gawddam! They th’ ones what brought th’ Event, ain’t they! I knew it! Them motherfuckers killed just about everybody!”

Not exactly accurate but I didn’t correct him. It was close enough.

Percy, his voice filled with outrage, said, “Son of a bitch!”

Duncan was staring at me. He said, “How do you know, Tenn?”

“I’ll tell you all about it, Duncan. But first I have to go get Morgan.”

Harlow, practically in tears, moaned, “What about me? Don’t leave me here with no goddam alien! What if he ain’t really dead?”

I glanced at Bedlow again, who had deflated even further. “He’s dead,” I said. I looked at Harlow’s arm. The bullet hit him in the right forearm and the bleeding had already stopped. I shot him with the 9mm. He should’ve been glad I hadn’t used the .45 – or the .357. In that case, he wouldn’t have an arm. And would be in the process of bleeding to death.

“Let’s get him to his feet. Get his handcuffs Duncan.”

Gripping their rifles tightly, Percy and Lem followed us out. I don’t think they wanted to be alone with Bedlow’s body. I didn’t blame them.

We handcuffed Harlow to the sink elbow in the powder room, and turned to leave. He immediately began hollering that we were leaving him to die because that alien was going to come back to life and eat him.

“Then you need to be very, very quiet so he won’t hear you in here, don’t you?” said Duncan as we started out the powder room door.

Harlow, eyes popping, promptly snapped his mouth shut. As I closed the door, I shook my head at the pissy idiot sitting there on the floor. I probably should’ve shot him with the .357.

I studied my impromptu partners. “Okay. I’m going down to Semptor to get my client’s sister. After seeing that… alien… in there, and knowing there are others, I’ll understand if you don’t want to go with me, but I could use your help.”

“You don’t think they woulda killed her, do you?” asked Lem a worry frown bunched between his eyebrows.

I shook my head. “No. they want something from her sister. Killing her wouldn’t serve that purpose.” I pulled out my knife and reloaded it into its spring holder up my sleeve. Then I stuck the 9mm back into its slot in my boot. I studied the men.

They looked at each other. Then they all nodded. “We’re going with you, Tenn,” said Duncan. “I don’t know what the hell’s going on, but we can’t let you go in there by yourself.”

I was touched. And grateful. “Okay. Let’s go.”

I checked my watch. Two forty-five. Time was moving along at a fast clip.

Many of my tracking jobs involved my having to come up with on the spot solutions. While this case was proving to be more complicated than usual, the situation was familiar. A plan began forming and as we went back down the hall, I swung into Bedlow’s room.

“Why’re you stopping here?” asked Percy.

“I need Bedlow’s car keys. I don’t believe he would’ve slept with them in his pocket so they’re probably in here somewhere,” I said scanning the room past the raised bed. I hoped he hadn’t had them on him. I definitely didn’t want to go back and search his pockets though I would if necessary.