A Small Gray Dot

He looked contrite. “Um, Mr. Henderson sent me to the drug store to pick them up. They’re one of them new sleeping pills.” He reached in a pocket and brought out a bottle. “He said they’re harmless, that they’d just make her sleepy. But then she about passed out. When we got her down there, he said she had to be conscious so she could talk to her sister and he had me give her one of these other pills to bring her around.” He pulled another bottle. “One of these. She got a little better but started throwing up. Then she got groggy again and he told me and Slim to stay with her until she came around.”

Dr. Bennett took the bottles from him. He read the labels and shook his head, frowning. He pointed to the first bottle. “This is not a sleeping pill. It’s gamma hydroxybutyrate.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Back in the nineteen-nineties, when I was a teenager, they called it “liquid ecstasy”. They’ve tinkered with it since then, to make it safer, but it’s still a horrid drug. There’s a warning on here not to mix it with alcohol and Morgan had two stiff drinks before she left here.”

Well, I never did drugs – except alcohol – but I’d heard of ecstasy. It had a bad reputation.

He shook his head again. “It was causing so many problems that a concerted effort was put forth to create an easily administered antidote because it proved impossible to keep it out of the hands of people who abused it. Right before the Event several methods were developed. I know what will counteract it and this other drug wasn’t the thing to give her.”

He turned to me. “Take her upstairs to her room, Tennessee. I have something that will act as an antidote and it’s simple but it’ll take a while to work.” He left and I heard him going down the hall. He wasn’t a medical doctor so I hoped he knew what he was talking about.

I picked her up. “Everyone take a seat and stay here until I get back.”

Lem already had Harlow’s .45 out and was holding it on the two. Percy had the rifle but it was awkward to hold on someone in close quarters. I fumbled my jacket open and handed him the little .25 I’d taken from Talbert.

“Here. Take this. It won’t hurt them much if you have to shoot them. If you want to hurt them, let Lem use the .45.”

I left them staring silently at each other and headed up the stairs. I settled her onto the bed as comfortably as I could and removed her boots. In a few minutes, the doctor came in. He was carrying what appeared to be two spice bottles. Spice? I didn’t ask.

“I need to get back downstairs, Doctor. I’ve got to figure out what to do with those two blockheads down there, and I’ve got to call Madison.”

He nodded. “Go on, son. I’ll take care of Morgan.”

I started to leave when I thought of the boy. “Hey, where’s Terry?”

He smiled fondly. “Poor little fellow was tuckered. I put him in a bedroom. He’s all right.”

Relieved he hadn’t let the boy go back out alone, I went down stairs.

As I stepped into the silent livingroom, Talbert looked up, his eyes guarded, and said, “The doc called you “Tennessee”. You wouldn’t be Tennessee Murray would you?”

“Yes.” I regarded the two idiots. I didn’t want to have to keep a constant eye on them but I wasn’t letting them go, either. The aliens may have duped them about their agenda but even so, they had agreed to the kidnapping of an innocent young woman.

Slim said his eye stretching, “Gawddam! I heard of you! You that tracker what always finds your man.”

Apparently, Talbert had heard of me, too. He said, “Um, hey, listen man, um, I didn’t know ‘bout them aliens or I never woulda got involved in all this and I wouldna hit you back there. I didn’t see the ugly blood ‘til after that, then me and Slim, well, we knew it wasn’t right. That’s why when we got y’all to the lounge, we made the rest of them put down their guns.” He gave a sick smile.

I just stared at him. None of that made a rat’s ass worth of difference to me.

When I said nothing, he dropped the smile and asked, “Uh, where’s Mr. Bedlow? And Abe?”

“Bedlow was one of them and he’s dead. Harlow’s in a safe place.” Pissy, but safe. “Now, I need to decide what to do with you two.”

“Oh, we ain’t gonna do nothing, Mr. Murray!” said Slim, with a cheesy grin. “We sho ain’t going back down to the Semptor with them UFO aliens. We jist wanna leave.”

I stared at them. Did they really think I’d be dumb enough to let them go? I shook my head. “You’re not leaving.” I heard the doctor coming down.

He came in, and to my questioning look, said “She will awaken in a few hours. She’ll have a bad headache but otherwise, she’ll be fine.” He turned to Talbert, frowning. “No thanks to you. What you gave her could have very well killed her, you know.”

The fool had the nerve to look aghast. “But… but… Mr. Henderson said—”