《The Chaos Killer》 Confrontation Kayla Miller wearily leaned back in her chair as she started her break. She took a bottle of hydrocodone from her purse and dry-swallowed one of the little blue pills. She had hurt her knee last week, and it was giving her hell¡ªespecially since she had been on her feet all morning. Normally, she would have chased the pill with a shot of whiskey, but she still had a couple of hours to go before her shift ended. She couldn¡¯t afford to get drunk right now. Sam, the owner of McClain¡¯s Bar & Grill, wouldn¡¯t tolerate that. ¡°Does Sam know you¡¯re on drugs?¡± came a smartass voice. Startled, Kayla whipped around. ¡°What?¡± Her coworker, Grace White, stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Grace was at least 50 years old but looked like she was way over 60. Deep frown lines marred her face, and her mouth puckered in scorn. She had been working here a lot longer than Kayla, and she did not appreciate what she considered the girl¡¯s lackadaisical manner. In fact, she hated the younger girl so much that she had rifled through Kayla¡¯s purse earlier that day and found the bottle. ¡°That¡¯s the trouble with you kids,¡± she sneered. ¡°You¡¯re all doing drugs and you don¡¯t want to work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on break,¡± Kayla retorted, ¡°and I¡¯m taking naproxen.¡± Grace nodded. ¡°Sure you are,¡± she said sarcastically. She pointed at the pill bottle in her coworker¡¯s hand. ¡°Because Tylenol comes in prescription bottles.¡± Kayla clutched the bottle tightly. She cursed her carelessness. ¡°Tylenol isn¡¯t naproxen, and it¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°I¡¯m making it my business,¡± Grace replied. ¡°Everyone knows you¡¯re an addict. What¡¯s your poison, Kayla? Meth? I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t afford heroin.¡± ¡°Go to hell,¡± the other woman sighed, trying her best not to take the bait. But Grace wasn¡¯t done. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just tell Sam what I saw. He¡¯ll do a mandatory drug test on you and you¡¯ll be out of here.¡± Kayla sat up straight, her temper rising. She really needed to keep this job. ¡°Stop it, Grace. Today is not the day to screw with me.¡± The older lady smirked. ¡°What are you going to do? I have seniority here and I¡¯m tired of your attitude.¡± Kayla closed her eyes again. Today was the fourth anniversary of Emma and Jazmine¡¯s deaths. Pictures of the blood and gore flickered across her mind. She had lost her two best friends¡ªher only friends¡ªthat awful day. A year later, she had lost her brother Andy to suicide. Alcohol kept those images away most of the time, but not now. Not today. ¡°Why did your parents name you Grace?¡± Kayla mused. Now it was the other woman¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why did your parents name you Grace?¡± Kayla repeated. ¡°Because you sure don¡¯t seem to have any.¡± ¡°You little witch!¡± Grace took a step forward, her fists clenched. The door burst open, and Sam scowled at the two women. ¡°Do you two plan to work today, or are you having a tea party back here?¡± Grace immediately pointed at Kayla, making good on her threat. ¡°She¡¯s doing drugs! I just saw her take some pills. Look, she¡¯s still holding the bottle.¡± Sam looked at Kayla and held out his hand. She gave him the pill bottle without complaint. ¡°Hydrocodone,¡± Sam nodded. He glanced over at Grace. ¡°She has a prescription for this. She told me about it on Monday. That¡¯s why she¡¯s serving this week instead of bartending.¡± Grace glared at Kayla, infuriated that her ploy had failed. ¡°She¡¯s a liar! She told me she was taking naproxen.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kayla answered, ¡°I told you that because it¡¯s none of your damn business.¡± Sam returned the bottle to Kayla and jerked his thumb toward the door. ¡°Back to work, ladies, and no more of this crap. This is a restaurant, not a playground.¡± He returned to the dining area with an embarrassed Grace and an angry Kayla in tow. The women ignored each other for the rest of the day. Outside, a thunderstorm began to brew.
Addison, Mississippi, had undergone many changes over the past century. It was originally a large city - full of wonderful architecture, numerous amenities, and many thriving businesses. Since the 60s, however, white flight had robbed Addison of that wealth. After all, the jobs went where the money went and the money went to the suburbs. That left Addison mostly to poor white people and a mix of people of color. The buildings weren¡¯t exactly crumbling, but they weren¡¯t well-maintained either. The city had gotten a grant from the federal government to clean up Main Street, but it wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to bring people back. Now that the good jobs had disappeared and crime had gone up, Addison had gained a sinister reputation. Maybe that¡¯s why Kayla moved here from Wickham. She felt like she could relate. Addison had more job opportunities than that one-horse town, but Kayla¡¯s real goal was to escape her family¡¯s bad reputation and the memories of her friends¡¯ untimely deaths. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Adjusting the phone on the tripod, she prepared for her next shoot. Working at McClain¡¯s barely covered her rent and car payment, but at least she could take her meals there. With groceries at an all-time high, Kayla was glad her boss allowed it. Underneath his gruff exterior, Sam had a good heart. The girl put her foot near a small bowl of lotion. She rubbed the cream on her heel first, slowly moving towards her wiggling toes. As she parted her big toe and second toe, she seductively slipped her finger between them. Back and forth, between each set of toes, went the lotion. She made the stupid ¡°sexy noises¡± that her viewers liked¡ªthe gasps and moans that suggested she was enjoying herself. Kayla definitely did not enjoy it. She never imagined she¡¯d have a foot-fetish following, but she had to pay for her whiskey somehow. At least she wasn¡¯t prostituting, she told herself. A few minutes later, she turned off the camera and grabbed a towel to clean her feet. After making some small edits to the video, she uploaded it to the website. Hopefully, some extra money would come rolling in. Lightning flashed outside. Kayla thought back to the day¡¯s event with Grace. She despised that smug, withered little woman¡¯s attempts to get her fired. The only way Grace could feel good about herself was to tear down everyone else. She was sort of like Kayla¡¯s dad. Her dad¡­ She thought back to that night, four years ago, when she came home and found her father¡¯s body in the bathtub. She neither knew nor cared why he had eaten his gun. Her dad was a monster, and she was glad he was gone. She hadn¡¯t shed one tear over him. At least he had the decency to kill himself in the shower so the cleanup would be easy. Thoughts of the blood again reminded Kayla of Emma and Jazmine. There was no getting over the loss of her two dearest friends. She had tried to move on, but their ghosts kept haunting her. The girl blamed herself for their deaths. If Kayla hadn¡¯t hit Cody too hard with the pool noodle, Emma wouldn¡¯t have gotten infected. If she hadn¡¯t given Jazmine a gun - if Kayla hadn¡¯t frozen at the crucial moment - her friend wouldn¡¯t have been shot. Any way she looked at it, everything was her fault. Then there was the creature that had spoken to her through Emma. It took control of her friend after the near-drowning at the lake and killed several people at the diner where she had worked - including Jazmine¡¯s sister, Tess. It made zombie slaves of about 150 more people. Kayla shuddered to think of how many more would have died if she and Jazmine hadn¡¯t confronted the being in Emma¡¯s body. The inhuman being, she remembered. Could it be true that the same creature had taken control of her great-grandfather back in ¡¯53? Why had it chosen Wickham and why had it chosen her family and friends? Those questions were still unanswered. However, the worst part was that she couldn¡¯t tell anyone the truth about that summer. Nobody would have believed her. Armed with a jug of Canadian Mist whiskey (yes, a jug - she couldn¡¯t afford anything better), she opened her laptop and started scrolling through her social media sites. She was deep in her cups when she heard a chat app beep. Rubbing her tired eyes, she tried to focus on the words. Emmajoy03: Hello, Kayla. Kayla sat straight up, jarred by the unwelcome intrusion. Someone was playing around and on the anniversary of Emma¡¯s death, no less. She sighed as she typed out a reply. kkkayla4u: not funny, go away Emmajoy03: No. kkkayla4u: fine then ill block ur ass She clicked the block button and closed the app¡¯s window. Even after four years, some people still played cruel tricks on her. The app opened again on its own. Emmajoy03: That won¡¯t work, Kayla. The girl blinked. How had this person gotten around the block function? Come to that, how had they gotten access to Emma¡¯s account? kkkayla4u: reported Emmajoy03: Who cares? That¡¯s an interesting username, kkkayla. Makes your daddy proud? kkkayla4u: my father is dead as im sure you no Emmajoy03: Let¡¯s see what Jazmine thinks about it. kkkayla4u: leave me alone jaz_fury_2018: Why would you use a name like that, Kayla? I thought we were friends. Kayla fumed. How dare this person use her friends¡¯ accounts to harass her! She promptly blocked both accounts and logged out again. The app reopened. jaz_fury_2018: You were never really my friend, were you, Kayla? I died because of you and you ran straight into the arms of the Klan. kkkayla4u: i did not Emmajoy03: Let¡¯s ask your dad if he approves of your name. Another account joined the conversation. catlkr4242: So you finally got your head screwed on straight. About damn time. kkkayla4u: ur not my dad, he cant type for shit catlkr4242: Apparently, neither can you. Did you manage to graduate? I only ask because you blew my brains out in September. kkkayla4u: my fathers death was a suicide catlkr4242: Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night, little girl? kkkayla4u: ur all dead catlkr4242: Yes, because of you. kkkayla4u: go away!!! Emmajoy03: If you had been as smart as I was, you would have figured out another way. Instead, you got us all killed. ¡°No!¡± Kayla screamed, startling herself awake. She looked at the laptop. There was no chat box. It had only been a dream. Puzzled, the girl wondered why she would have a username like kkkayla4u. Despite the Millers¡¯ reputation as white supremacists, she had no interest in that stuff. It must have been a creation of her exhausted mind. Sleeping away the rest of the night sounded like a good idea. Perhaps she would feel better in the morning. She turned over on her side and fell asleep. The laptop hummed as the chat box opened again. catlkr4242: Night night, little girl. I¡¯m watching you. The video light came on and a blank, black screen opened up. Had Kayla been awake, she would have seen no one on the other side. But someone on the other side saw her. Abstention The heat was sweltering as Kayla walked the two blocks to the liquor store. She rarely had a Saturday off, and she planned to spend the entire day drinking. She fingered the gun in its holster on her right hip, just under her jacket. There was no way she¡¯d ever walk around Addison without it. She pushed the door open and saw an employee that she didn¡¯t recognize. She slowly moved her left hand to her pocket and showed the guy her enhanced concealed carry permit. ¡°You ever use that thing?¡± he asked. She smiled sweetly at him, ¡°Yep, had to kill my last boyfriend.¡± The employee stared at her wide-eyed as she walked to the back of the store. She had never killed anyone. She bought the gun for protection after her last boyfriend threatened to kill her. Choosing another jug of Canadian Mist, she stepped up to the counter and said, ¡°Give me one of those strawberry delta 8 cartridges.¡± The guy rang her up and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean any offense, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°None taken,¡± Kayla replied. She took her bag and started walking back to the apartment. She made it to the parking lot when a strange man approached her and said, ¡°We¡¯re having a party in 20B if you want to come. Plenty of weed.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± she said bluntly, holding up the bag. ¡°I¡¯m about to have my own party.¡± The man shrugged, ¡°Suit yourself.¡± He walked off toward that row of apartments.
Kayla reached her door and unlocked it. She hurried inside and quickly locked the door¡¯s deadbolt. Her knee was aching from the walk, so she took another hydrocodone. A few minutes later, she sat down with her vape in one hand and her drink in the other. She opened her laptop and started scrolling through her social media again. Just as it had happened in her dream last night, a beep sounded and the chat app opened on its own. hope: Kayla? The girl sighed. She wasn¡¯t asleep this time, and she didn¡¯t know anyone named Hope. Would these pranksters ever stop? She typed a reply, using her real handle¡ªnot the stupid one from the dream. kamillr2020: who r u? hope: Hope Hamilton kamillr2020: i dont know u hope: I know. I¡¯m here to help. kamillr2020: thx but i dont need any help hope: Actually, you do. The thing that killed Emma is coming for you. kamillr2020: how do u know abt that? hope: Someone told me. Do you remember what Emma whispered to you as she was dying? Kayla frowned and thought back to that awful day, to her friend struggling to speak. The two words floated to the top of her mind. kamillr2020: crawling chaos Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. hope: Do you know what that means? She never understood why Emma spoke the strange phrase. Kayla had googled it, but she recalled little what she had read. That was in 2020¡ªabout 650 whiskey bottles ago. kamillr2020: no hope: Try to remember. kamillr2020: something abt a scifi character hope: Nyarlathotep kamillr2020: i guess hope: He was a character created by H.P. Lovecraft. kamillr2020: yeah i dont read much and that story was way too hard to understand hope: That¡¯s ok. What you need to know is that there¡¯s a kernel of truth in that story. kamillr2020: r u trying to tell me that stuff is real? hope: The creature that killed Emma is the basis for that character. kamillr2020: ur insane hope: No, I¡¯m not and neither are you. Lovecraft was one of the few humans who was attuned to these beings. Most people who pick up their communications die instantly or go insane. Since Lovecraft could channel that energy into writing, he survived into adulthood. The same goes for John of Patmos, who wrote the Book of Revelation. kamillr2020: wait u said beings? plural?? hope: There are many of them, and I don¡¯t have the time or the permission to tell you any details. kamillr2020: permission from who? hope: It doesn¡¯t matter. Write this down: Dr. Patricia Reed 3124 Providence Blvd Addison, MS (601) 555-2436 kamillr2020: whos that? hope: Someone who can help. Ask her about Dr. James Baker. Ask her about her taped interview with Fannie Wilson. kamillr2020: srsly? why should i believe any of this? hope: What happened in Wickham is just a taste of what that creature can do. It¡¯s got its eye fixed on you, Kayla. When it¡¯s done with you, it will turn its gaze on the rest of this planet. You are all nothing to it except playthings. kamillr2020: why me? hope: Because its first contact was Charley Miller, your great-grandfather. It intends for its last contact to be you. It appreciates that kind of symmetry. kamillr2020: i dont understand hope: That¡¯s the problem. The ¡°Crawling Chaos¡± cannot be fully understood by humans. kamillr2020: why does it want to kill everyone? hope: Because it can. It enjoys watching people suffer. kamillr2020: what am i supposed to do about this? i can barely take care of myself hope: I have a gift to give you. Put your hand on the screen. Before she realized what she was doing, Kayla put her hand on the laptop¡¯s screen. Energy surged through her body, seeking her brain and scrambling it completely. Her body tensed as if she were being electrocuted. She tried to cry out, but her breath wouldn¡¯t come. As the ¡°electricity¡± vanished, she sank back into her chair. hope: You are no longer addicted to alcohol. I also healed your knee, so you no longer need the drugs. You will not even want them. Finally, I put a question deep inside your mind. When the time comes, you will remember that question and you will ask it. The screen disappeared. Kayla just sat there and stared blankly for a few minutes. What the hell had just happened? Revelation Kayla walked through the double doors and into the suite of doctors¡¯ offices. She took the elevator to the second floor and walked down the hallway to door 12A. She paused for a second, then opened the door to Dr. Patricia Reed¡¯s office. Papers, file folders, and boxes cluttered the room. A woman came around the corner, her arms full of books. Kayla stepped forward and helped her put the books into an empty box. ¡°Thanks,¡± the lady smiled. ¡°You must be Kayla.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the girl nodded. ¡°You¡¯re Dr. Reed?¡± The older woman nodded as she swept an unruly blonde lock of hair out of her face. ¡°I am indeed. Please call me Patricia.¡± ¡°Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,¡± Kayla said. Patricia opened her mini-fridge and pulled out a couple of Coke Zeroes. She offered one to Kayla and sat down in a nearby chair. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse the mess. I¡¯m about to retire, so I got a head start on cleaning out this office.¡± Kayla took a sip of the drink. It had been a long time since she had drunk a soda with no alcohol in it. It was truly delicious. ¡°How long have you been a psychiatrist?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Patricia replied, ¡°I started my first job in 1987, so I guess it¡¯s been about 37 years.¡± The girl chuckled, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine doing the same thing for 37 years.¡± The doctor laughed. ¡°When you love what you¡¯re doing, time flies by. You said you wanted to talk about the Baker case.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kayla answered. ¡°I was told that you could help me understand some things that happened back in Wickham.¡± Patricia said, ¡°Dr. Baker died in 1965, so the HIPAA rules don¡¯t apply.¡± She nodded to a small box. ¡°I pulled his files after you called.¡± ¡°HIPAA?¡± Kayla asked. ¡°Privacy laws,¡± Patricia explained. ¡°May I ask why you are interested in this case?¡± The girl paused, then said, ¡°Charley Miller was my great-grandfather.¡± Patricia stared at Kayla, her eyes wide. ¡°Your great-grandfather?¡± ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Kayla replied bitterly. ¡°What can you tell me about him?¡± She could swear that the doctor¡¯s hands were shaking. ¡°He was admitted to Wickham Hospital in 1952, diagnosis: catatonic schizophrenia. After a few months, he got well and was discharged. He died in a lightning strike a week later.¡± Patricia recalled. Kayla frowned, ¡°What is catatonic schizophrenia?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Patricia responded, ¡°we don¡¯t consider catatonia to be a subset of schizophrenia anymore. It can present in several ways and for many reasons. In this case, Mr. Miller could not move or speak.¡± ¡°Any idea why it happened?¡± Patricia shook her head, ¡°You won¡¯t believe me.¡± The girl held Patricia¡¯s gaze. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll believe you because nothing you¡¯ve seen compares to what I have seen.¡± The doctor¡¯s eyes widened again, but this time in alarm, ¡°You¡¯ve seen that¡ªthing?¡± ¡°It killed my best friend, Emma, along with several other people a few years back.¡± ¡°The mass murder at the diner in Wickham?¡± Patricia breathed, remembering seeing something about it on the news. Kayla nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Patricia shuddered. ¡°So it did come back¡­¡± ¡°I need to know everything,¡± Kayla said. The doctor looked at her quizzically. ¡°How did you find out about me?¡± ¡°An acquaintance¡ªHope Hamilton¡ªgave me your name and details.¡± Patricia frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone by that name.¡± ¡°Neither do I.¡± Dr. Reed bit back her fear and focused on the girl. She looked to be in her early 20s, but her eyes held shadows that suggested she had seen more in those brief years than most people see in their lifetimes. ¡°Let¡¯s start at the beginning. I¡¯m going to show you the photographs of the two patients who had catatonia.¡± She pulled an old black-and-white photo from a folder. ¡°This is Charley Miller. I¡¯ve already explained his diagnosis.¡± Kayla looked at the picture of her great-grandfather. He was a thin man with big ears and a sharp nose. She was glad that she inherited neither. His eyes stared blankly at something above the camera and his mouth hung open. ¡°This is James Baker,¡± Patricia continued, pulling out another photo. This man was young, maybe a little older than Kayla. He would have been quite handsome had he not had the same strange gaze and the slack-jawed look. ¡°Jim was assigned to Miller¡¯s case. He believed he could teach your great-grandfather how to speak again.¡± Kayla thought out loud, ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°In 1952, no,¡± Patricia replied. ¡°There are some medications and therapies that are beneficial these days. I had some success with Jim using pictures and hand gestures. You must understand that their cases were unique.¡± Kayla asked, ¡°Dr. Baker had catatonia too?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Patricia responded, now fidgeting with a paperclip on the folder. ¡°Just before Miller was discharged, Jim came down with the same malady.¡± ¡°Contagious?¡± the girl wondered, thinking back to Emma and the strange orange dust. ¡°No,¡± Patricia responded matter-of-factly. ¡°Miller came to us with an empty mind. He stole the letters of the alphabet and their sounds from Dr. Baker¡¯s mind. When he had absorbed everything, Miller was suddenly ¡®cured¡¯ and got discharged. Dr. Baker, however, lost his ability to speak or write.¡± Kayla struggled with the implications of Dr. Reed¡¯s story. ¡°How did my great-grandfather do that?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t, Kayla. It was the entity that was inside him.¡± ¡°The one that was in Emma,¡± the girl realized. ¡°Did my great-grandfather breathe orange dust at people?¡± Perplexed, Patricia asked, ¡°No, why?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Never mind,¡± Kayla shrugged. ¡°Please, go on.¡± The doctor took a cassette tape from the box. ¡°This is a tape of my interview with Dr. Baker¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Fannie Wilson. You should listen to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a tape recorder,¡± Kayla grinned. ¡°Do they even make those anymore?¡± Patricia pulled a tape player from the box and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re in luck.¡± She handed the machine to Kayla and gestured at her desk. ¡°I need to finish packing my office. Please feel free to listen to it here.¡± After Patricia left, Kayla put the tape in the recorder and pressed play.
The girl sat back and considered the odd conversation she had just listened to. If she hadn¡¯t witnessed the awful events of 2020, she would have thought that all these people were insane. It was such a tragedy that Dr. Baker had been ¡°erased;¡± and his fianc¨¦e, Fannie Wilson, lost her one true love. It was also a tragedy that the creature murdered Emma and Jazmine. The entity only knew how to kill and steal. She understood why Fannie had thought it was a demon. Kayla thought about Hope¡¯s words and realized that the being, this ¡°crawling chaos,¡± was only beginning to make trouble. ¡°I see you¡¯re finished,¡± Patricia said, sitting down on the couch again. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say,¡± Kayla shrugged. ¡°The whole thing is just so sad.¡± Patricia nodded, ¡°Yes, and the murders four summers ago are even more so.¡± ¡°Fannie Wilson said she believed this thing was a demon,¡± the girl continued. ¡°It told me it was an alien.¡± ¡°You spoke to it?!¡± the doctor gasped, her right hand moving to her throat. Kayla replied, ¡°It spoke to me.¡± Patricia grabbed a pen and a pad of paper from the nearby desk. ¡°I must know everything!¡± ¡°It laughed about killing my great-grandfather. It said it was experimenting on the town.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Patricia looked at Kayla in disbelief. Kayla retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough? I lost both of my best friends that day!¡± Patricia immediately put her hand on Kayla¡¯s and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kayla. I didn¡¯t mean to make light of it. It¡¯s just that Dr. Baker told me it was an alien too.¡± ¡°I thought he couldn¡¯t speak,¡± the girl said. ¡°I gave him a newspaper, and he started screaming. He was pointing to a picture of a UFO,¡± Patricia recalled. Kayla thought back to her strange online conversation. ¡°Hope told me that the alien was coming for me and then it would destroy everyone else.¡± The doctor recoiled in horror. ¡°It¡¯s coming back? For everyone?¡± Kayla nodded, her face sympathetic. She knew well the fear that was coursing through Dr. Reed¡¯s body. ¡°She also told me that there are many of these creatures.¡± ¡°Oh, my God!¡± Patricia whispered. ¡°Are they all this hostile?¡± The girl shrugged. ¡°No idea. All I know is that I¡¯m the one who must stop this¡ªalien.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Patricia asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Kayla shrugged, ¡°but you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about.¡± Patricia grimaced, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t helped very much. I only confirmed what you already knew.¡± ¡°At least I understand what happened to my great-grandfather a little better,¡± Kayla smiled sadly. Dr. Reed put the folders and tape player into the box. She handed the box to Kayla and said, ¡°Take these. You might find some clues that I missed. Nobody will mind, I guess, since all Dr. Baker¡¯s people are dead.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Kayla said, gratefully accepting the box. ¡°I guess I need to get home and start studying this stuff.¡± She made for the door, but turned around and asked, ¡°Do you know what the term ¡®crawling chaos¡¯ means?¡± Patricia looked at her quizzically, ¡°No, why?¡± Kayla sighed, ¡°Because those were my friend Emma¡¯s dying words.¡±
Several hours later, Kayla sat in her apartment, surrounded by papers. She had gone through all the documents and chosen the relevant ones. No matter how many times she read them, however, she couldn¡¯t understand how everything fit together. The story was a lot like her life¡ªchaotic and disjointed. She had no idea what to do. Suddenly, the now familiar chat box opened of its own accord. Emmajoy03: Having fun? kamillr2020: its u isnt it? Emmajoy03: Me? kamillr2020: the alien jaz_fury_2018: You¡¯re going insane. You know that, right? kamillr2020: no im not catlkr4242: Sure you are, little girl. jaz_fury_2018: All this talk about aliens and demons¡­ Emmajoy03: ¡­has made you quite¡­ catlkr4242: ¡­insane kamillr2020: wut do u want from me? catlkr4242: I want to get into your genes. jaz_fury_2018: I see what you did there, you perverted old man. Emmajoy03: Hey, Jazmine, could you come over here and pull this bullet out of my chest? jaz_fury_2018: I can¡¯t. I¡¯m too busy picking brain matter out of my hair. kamillr2020: u might as well stop bc i no ur all the same person A pause, then a new name appeared. crawlingchaos: Better? kamillr2020: wut do u want from me?? crawlingchaos: I need to hitch a ride. kamillr2020: wut u need to do is eat shit and die crawlingchaos: Do you kiss your poor departed mother with that¡­erm¡­mouth? kamillr2020: fck off crawlingchaos: Oh, I would but I¡¯ve just started enjoying myself. kamillr2020: wut r u? crawlingchaos: Have you ever heard of dark matter? kamillr2020: no crawlingchaos: It is the real universe. Not this backward little 5% sandbox of what you call ¡°ordinary¡± matter. kamillr2020: i dont no wut u mean crawlingchaos: I answer your question and you¡¯re too dumb to understand it. Typical. kamillr2020: wut does ur name mean? crawlingchaos: It means that Lovecraft had a talent for turning his nightmares into stories. Nothing more. I just happen to like it. kamillr2020: then why did hope tell me to remember ur name? Seconds passed with no response. Kayla wondered if the thing was gone. She didn¡¯t understand what it had said about the universe but she knew its intentions. Perhaps she needed to be more accommodating to get better answers. Then came the response: crawlingchaos: Who is Hope? kamillr2020: u dont no? crawlingchaos: No, tell me. kamillr2020: i dont no either. crawlingchaos: It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s get this show on the road. Put your hand on the screen. Horrified, Kayla watched her right hand move toward the laptop of its own volition. She instinctively knew that touching the screen would allow the alien entry into her body. She could not let that happen. She grasped her right arm with her left hand and pulled as hard as she could. ¡°No!¡± she yelled, straining against the alien¡¯s command. ¡°I will not!¡± She jerked back as she broke the connection. How had she done that? crawlingchaos: You¡¯re stronger than I thought. Stronger than your great-grandfather. kamillr2020: wut did u do to him? crawlingchaos: I fried him with the lightning bolt I used to return home. But, before I did, I left a tiny piece of myself inside your grandfather, Charley¡¯s son, bound to his DNA. kamillr2020: how? crawlingchaos: You would find the details distasteful. Let¡¯s just say it involved a sloppy kiss from dear ol¡¯ dad. kamillr2020: i want to no the details crawlingchaos: Charley slobbered that DNA into his son¡¯s (your grandfather¡¯s) mouth. Your grandfather then passed that DNA to his son (your father). Then your father passed that DNA to Andy and you. kamillr2020: ur sick crawlingchaos: Not as sick as your child-molesting ancestors. Kayla didn¡¯t reply. She knew from experience how disgusting the Miller men were. crawlingchaos: From father to son, from son to daughter. kamillr2020: u passed it on to me? crawlingchaos: Yes, and that¡¯s I want it to be you who opens the door for the next phase. kamillr2020: next phase of wut? crawlingchaos: Fun. kamillr2020: i get it now. u want to possess me like u did Emma so u can kill everyone crawlingchaos: Ding, ding. Give that girl a prize! kamillr2020: ur out of luck bc as soon as i close this laptop im going to kill myself. then u wont be able to hurt anyone ever again crawlingchaos: You won¡¯t kill yourself. kamillr2020: why not? crawlingchaos: You¡¯re pregnant. kamillr2020: wut??? crawlingchaos: Does Sam know? What will he do when he finds out, I wonder? kamillr2020: ur lying crawlingchaos: Go take a test. I¡¯ll wait. Kayla slammed the laptop shut and threw her mouse across the room. It had to be a lie¡­had to be. Sam was the only person she¡¯d slept with since she left her boyfriend, and it had only been the one time. A pregnancy test would tell her for sure. She grabbed her keys and headed for the drugstore.
An hour later, Kayla stared worriedly at the white stick. It seemed like the test was taking forever. All she cared about seeing was that single line that represented no pregnancy. She rocked back and forth in her chair, trying in vain to soothe her frazzled nerves. This couldn¡¯t be happening. She had taken Plan B. The dreaded plus sign appeared. She was indeed pregnant. Perturbation Kayla got to the diner 15 minutes before her shift started. She briskly walked to the back, ignoring the greetings from her fellow servers. She entered Sam¡¯s office without knocking. ¡°Morning, Kayla,¡± Sam smiled. ¡°You¡¯re here early.¡± ¡°We need to talk,¡± the girl said flatly. Sam motioned for her to shut the door, then directed her to an empty chair. ¡°If this is about Grace¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about her, Sam. I¡¯m pregnant.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sam asked, completely stunned. Kayla whispered, ¡°It¡¯s yours. I haven¡¯t been with anyone else.¡± He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. He liked Kayla, but he hadn¡¯t planned to get this involved with her. He wasn¡¯t ready to be a father. ¡°I thought you were using protection,¡± he frowned, puzzled. She shrugged. ¡°I did. I guess it just...failed.¡± Kayla¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. Sam sighed heavily and tried to take it all in. His mind raced in a thousand directions as he grappled with the idea of having a kid: custody issues, court appearances, and child support. He should have been more proactive. Why had he put the burden of contraception on her alone? He was usually more responsible than that. ¡°Would you consider an abortion?¡± he asked. The girl angrily snapped, ¡°No! It¡¯s out of the question.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Sam continued. ¡°I said no!¡± Kayla shouted, jumping to her feet. Sam put his hands up in a helpless manner. ¡°Ok, ok,¡± he said, trying to mollify her. ¡°I was just asking.¡± She sat back down and stared into his deep brown eyes. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± He could have told her to get lost¡ªthat the kid wasn¡¯t his. He could have paid her off so she wouldn¡¯t sue for child support. He could have fired her and told her to get the hell out of his bar. He could have done many things, but Sam was, at his core, a decent man. He smiled at her and said, ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out together.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Later that night, Kayla sat on her bed and listened to the tape of Dr. Reed¡¯s interview with Fannie Wilson. She couldn¡¯t find anything new of substance except Charley Miller¡¯s strange parting words: Would that the stars were now right, that we might see an end to this low reign of man. The Priest Who Became a God sits in silence now; but when He awakens, your miserable kind will be no more. She didn¡¯t understand what the cryptic words meant, but now she had two new questions she could ask if the alien, this ¡°crawling chaos¡± returned. She didn¡¯t have to wait long before the chat box opened. crawlingchaos: Satisfied? kamillr2020: with wut? crawlingchaos: Your text abbreviations and misspellings are so annoying! Are you satisfied that I told you the truth about your pregnancy? kamillr2020: yes im satisfied crawlingchaos: Good, now we can move on to the business at hand. kamillr2020: wait i have a couple of questions crawlingchaos: Why should I answer your questions? You are too ignorant to understand anything. kamillr2020: then it wont hurt u to answer crawlingchaos: Fine, ask. kamillr2020: wut does the stars were now right mean? crawlingchaos: Where did you hear that? kamillr2020: does it mean the position of the stars like a constellation? crawlingchaos: No, it refers to the number of ¡°pulses¡± a neutron star creates as it rotates. It is how we keep time when we are here. kamillr2020: who is the Priest Who Became a God? crawlingchaos: Kulull?, who your kind has mythologized as ¡°Cthulhu.¡± Even Kulull? is not its true name and form. That¡¯s simply what the early Mesopotamians called it. kamillr2020: ur right i dont understand any of that crawlingchaos: If you let me in, I¡¯ll teach you all this and more. You will be the most intelligent person on the planet. No one will be your equal. kamillr2020: u will make me kill ppl crawlingchaos: Not all of them. That is for Kulull? to do and it will happen many centuries from now. I will give you the life you want with Sam and the baby. You can have all that if you just open the door. kamillr2020: i dont want a baby and i dont want anything to do with you! crawlingchaos: I think of you as a daughter, Kayla, and I tried to play nice. But this ridiculous texting ends now. Electricity shot from the laptop and into Kayla¡¯s eyes. An explosion rocked her mind. In every cell, the alien part of her DNA, inherited from her father and his father before him, hummed with power. She couldn¡¯t think through the unbearable pain and had no chance of resisting. The crawling chaos had learned a lot through Dr. James Baker and Charley Miller. It had learned even more from Emma Morgan. Now it completely understood human biology. Now it was completely in control. Kayla, or rather the alien within her, smiled. Deception Kayla woke up in the parking lot of Wickham Grocery. She remembered the shock of the electricity and was surprised that she didn¡¯t have a raging headache. Gingerly, she climbed to her feet, wondering if this could be real. ¡°Hello again, Kayla,¡± came a voice from behind her. Twirling around, she saw a strange man. He had ebony skin but Caucasian features. He wore simple, dark clothes and a flowing black trench coat. ¡°I patterned this after Nyarlathotep. Do you like it?¡± The girl frowned. ¡°No, I don¡¯t like it. How did I get here?¡± ¡°Is it because I¡¯m black?¡± he wondered, ignoring her question. Kayla growled, ¡°I am so tired of people assuming that I¡¯m racist! Am I ever going to shake my family¡¯s bad reputation?¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± he replied. ¡°I just picked this form because I like Lovecraft¡¯s character so much. After all, it¡¯s kind of based on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about Lovecraft. I don¡¯t even want to hear his name again. Leave me alone!¡± she snapped. The man smirked and cocked his head to one side. ¡°Do you really want me to leave you alone here? Forever?¡± ¡°No,¡± Kayla admitted. ¡°I¡¯m just tired of all this¡ªdrama.¡± ¡°People these days have no respect for the classics,¡± the entity sighed. ¡°How about this?¡± In the blink of an eye, the alien changed its form into that of Donald Trump. ¡°Better?¡± Kayla gaped. ¡°Dear God, no!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± the Trump clone asked, accordion hands moving back and forth. ¡°I had a lot of fun putting Trump¡¯s words in Emma¡¯s mouth. Where do you think all those ridiculous phrases came from?¡± The girl squeezed her eyes shut. This had to be hell. ¡°Please, just pick someone who isn¡¯t so damn creepy.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± it answered. Another blink and it transformed into Emma Morgan, Kayla¡¯s old friend. ¡°How about this?¡± Kayla raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re torturing me.¡± The Emma clone threw up its hands in frustration. ¡°This is the last time. You¡¯re stuck with this form or you are alone for eternity. You choose.¡± It snapped its fingers and became Dr. James Baker. ¡°You thought this guy was handsome. Take it or leave it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Kayla whispered. ¡°Good. Call me Jim,¡± he offered. ¡°We are here at Wickham Grocery, of course, on the day that Emma and Jazmine died.¡± ¡°Why?¡± the girl asked, tears in her eyes. Jim smiled. ¡°Because you are going to spend the rest of your life here reliving the events that got them both killed.¡± Kayla sank down on the pavement and put her head in her hands. ¡°Please, I can¡¯t¡ªplease don¡¯t make me do this.¡± ¡°Sorry, doll,¡± Jim grinned, using Dr. Baker¡¯s pet name for Fannie. ¡°This is what you get for fighting me. It could have been so nice. I could have given you everything you ever wanted. But no, you had to be a bitch.¡± The girl looked at him with hate in her eyes. ¡°I know what I did wrong now. I know what to do and what not to do.¡± ¡°So?¡± Jim asked, puzzled. ¡°So this bitch is going to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± Kayla retorted. ¡°I will save my friends!¡± Jim laughed at the idea. ¡°Go ahead. It won¡¯t work. No matter how many times you try, all roads lead to the same destination.¡± Kayla reached deep inside herself to find the courage she had lacked on that fateful day. The entity was a liar. This time, she would not give Jazmine a gun. This time, she would be the one to shoot Emma. She looked at Jim again, her eyes narrowing hatefully. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Grace smiled in satisfaction as she noticed Kayla was an hour late for her shift. One of the other servers had mentioned that Sam was wondering where Kayla was. That meant she hadn¡¯t called in. Grace was going to make the younger girl pay. She walked into Sam¡¯s office and struck a worried tone. ¡°Did Kayla call in? I haven¡¯t seen her today.¡± ¡°No,¡± Sam replied. ¡°I¡¯m worried about her. It¡¯s not like her to be a no-call no-show.¡± ¡°Have you tried to call her?¡± Grace wondered aloud, as if she cared. Sam nodded. ¡°Many times. Nobody¡¯s picking up.¡± He got up from his desk and took his car keys from a ring. ¡°I¡¯m going to swing by her apartment and make sure everything¡¯s ok. Can you look after the place for me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Grace smiled. That was exactly what she wanted. ¡°Thanks,¡± Sam replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few.¡± As Sam left, Grace¡¯s smile turned sinister. No doubt Kayla was at home drunk or high. When Sam saw what Kayla really was, he would fire the witch. McClain¡¯s would be better off without her.
The thing inside Kayla opened the apartment door on the third knock. Sam was standing there with a worried expression on his face. ¡°Kayla?¡± he frowned. She smiled, ¡°Hi, Sam.¡± He was surprised to see her in such a cheerful mood. Kayla rarely missed work¡ªeven after the accident that injured her knee, she only missed one day. She must have gotten the schedule mixed up. ¡°You were supposed to work the morning shift today,¡± he said. ¡°I thought you might be sick. I tried to call.¡± Kayla took him by the arm and led him inside. ¡°Sorry about that, Sam. I had more important things to do today.¡± He looked at her closely. She seemed to be healthy, and she obviously wasn¡¯t under the influence. What was going on? ¡°I was just worried that it had something to do with the¡­¡± ¡°The pregnancy?¡± she interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m not going to sue you for child support.¡± Sam blinked. Of all the things he expected her to say, that was not one of them. ¡°Kayla,¡± he said softly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She moved over to the loveseat and sat down. Still smiling, she invitingly patted the seat next to her. He sat down and awaited her reply. ¡°I really want to thank you, Sam,¡± Kayla murmured. Sam was confused. ¡°Thank me for what?¡± ¡°Your DNA,¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s always good to have new material.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Kayla chuckled, ¡°Of course not! You humans are so slow and stupid. I¡¯m referring to your DNA, which is now a part of this baby.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sam asked, his brow furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense.¡± The girl continued as if he¡¯d said nothing. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder that your race has achieved as much as it has. I had low expectations.¡± Sam nodded, his mind made up. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you to the hospital.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve played this little game before: man sees girl, man tries to take girl to the hospital, girl destroys man.¡± Sam closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t figure out what she was saying. Had she just threatened him? ¡°Kayla, I think you¡¯re having some kind of mental breakdown. Please, let¡¯s get you checked out by a doctor. If you don¡¯t want to go to a hospital, I¡¯ll take you to a clinic instead.¡± Kayla grinned. ¡°You sound just like Cody.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Cody?¡± Sam asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Sam,¡± she shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just d¨¦j¨¤ vu. You¡¯re the one who needs a doctor.¡± He felt something hit his chest and looked down in shock to see a knife sticking out of his heart. Kayla wasn¡¯t smiling now. Her face contorted in a mix of hatred and humor. He gasped in immense pain as she twisted the knife back and forth. ¡°Why?¡± he managed to say between labored breaths. ¡°Because I can,¡± the Crawling Chaos sighed. ¡°Will you people never learn?¡±
The alien squeezed some Visine into Kayla¡¯s eyes so it would appear that she¡¯d been crying. She walked into McClain¡¯s and went straight to Grace White. ¡°Grace, can I talk to you?¡± the girl asked breathlessly. The older woman looked at Kayla and noted the tears. ¡°What about?¡± Kayla sniffled. ¡°Sam fired me. Please, can we talk?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Grace smiled with great satisfaction. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office.¡± She waved over another employee and shouted, ¡°Hey, Julie, take over for me.¡± They walked into the office. Grace sat in Sam¡¯s seat while Kayla leaned against the door. Grace didn¡¯t see the girl turn the lock. ¡°What happened?¡± Grace asked. She was looking forward to every juicy detail. Kayla pretended to be upset. ¡°Sam came to my apartment and demanded to know why I didn¡¯t come to work. He didn¡¯t even give me a chance to explain.¡± ¡°Why did you skip out?¡± Grace accused. ¡°Too drunk? Too high?¡± The girl shrugged. ¡°I just got the schedule mixed up. That¡¯s all.¡± Grace sat back in the chair and smirked at the distraught girl. Finally, Sam realized just how useless Kayla was. She savored the moment and was surprised when Kayla said, ¡°I know I¡¯ve been a real pain, and I¡¯ve mistreated you. Please, can I hug you before I go? So there will be no hard feelings?¡± Kayla didn¡¯t wait for an answer. She sprang forward and took Grace into her arms, hugging her tightly. The older woman had no time to react as Kayla grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back. The other hand seized Grace¡¯s chin and forced her mouth open. It was time for another Plan B. Kayla gave Grace a deep, wet kiss. Resolution The real Kayla groaned in frustration as her latest attempt to save her friends failed. How many times had she tried to change what happened? A thousand? A million? No matter what she did, the outcome was the same. She took care not to swing her pool noodle at Cody. Jaz accidentally hit Cody instead, causing Emma to fall into the lake. She never suggested they play chicken. Emma stumbled and fell into the lake. She never even went to the lake that day. Emma went with Jaz and still fell into the lake. She shot Emma before Jazmine could. Jazmine¡¯s hand shook so violently that she dropped her gun. It went off and shot Jaz in the lung. She didn¡¯t give Jazmine a gun. While Kayla was driving them to the grocery store, they hit a bump and Kayla¡¯s gun went off, shooting Jaz in the heart. Slowly, Kayla realized that nothing she did or didn¡¯t do would make a difference. She was trapped in this perpetual hell of trying and failing. Perhaps that was the problem. Perhaps she shouldn¡¯t try to change history. Instead, she should accept it. Emma and Jazmine were gone, and it wasn¡¯t her fault. It was the alien¡¯s fault. She put the gun to her temple and fired.
¡°Why did you do that?¡± the alien cried out. Kayla realized she was back in her body, but not in full control of it. She willed herself to stay passive, hoping that the thing would not try to force her back into that hell. She wondered why she was standing in the employee parking lot at McClain¡¯s. How long had she been there? Maybe time worked differently in her mind. It had certainly felt like forever in there. ¡°You never had enough courage to save your friends, much less commit suicide,¡± it continued in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re a coward.¡± ¡°I suppose I was,¡± the girl admitted. ¡°I always hid my cowardice behind a tough exterior. But I¡¯m not afraid anymore.¡± The entity replied, ¡°Sam and Grace won¡¯t be bothering you again. I took care of them for you¡ªjust like I took care of your father.¡± ¡°You killed them all?¡± Kayla asked. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The alien gave a mental shrug. ¡°I killed your dad and Sam, but I didn¡¯t kill Grace. I just gave her a taste of my power.¡± It gave the equivalent of a giggle as if it had made a joke. Kayla sighed, ¡°It never ends with you, does it? You keep going on and on, hurting people for kicks.¡± ¡°True,¡± it replied, ¡°but look at this as a gift. You don¡¯t have to deal with Sam¡¯s paternity issues or Grace¡¯s attempts to get you fired.¡± The girl bit back furiously, ¡°Those were my problems to deal with¡ªnot yours!¡± ¡°You are an ungrateful bitch,¡± it spat. ¡°I come here from another universe, and burn up a tremendous amount of energy to walk in your world. I choose your family as my bloodline. I offer you knowledge and power, yet you fight me at every turn. And for what? Because I killed a few worthless humans?¡± Kayla frowned angrily. ¡°They weren¡¯t worthless. They were my friends.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± the alien shrugged again. ¡°You¡¯re all worthless. You are just Sims to me. You can no more stop me than a Sim could turn off the computer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Kayla admitted sadly. A thought floated through her mind¡ªa question put there for exactly this time and place. ¡°Tell me this,¡± she smiled knowingly. ¡°What will you do now that you know the Insanti were right?¡± The being froze and Kayla could feel its fear and dread, far greater than anything she had ever felt. ¡°How do you know about them?¡± it whispered fearfully. The girl ignored the question and continued. ¡°Tell me, what will you do when the Endless Night comes to devour you?¡± The alien thrashed inside her. ¡°How could we know the priests, the Insanti, were right? We thought the Night was just a myth.¡± As the entity recoiled in horror, Kayla wrestled control of her body away from it and walked toward the street. ¡°What are you doing?¡± it wailed. The girl smiled and said nothing. ¡°No, you can¡¯t! What about the baby?¡± It tried to regain control of Kayla¡¯s body but her will was iron. ¡°I¡¯m not your vessel anymore and I won¡¯t let you destroy any more lives,¡± she said resolutely. The alien mind desperately flailed. ¡°No! Please, you don¡¯t understand¡ªyou can¡¯t imagine what¡¯s waiting out there beyond this universe. You can¡¯t interfere with our mission!¡± ¡°Watch me.¡± She stepped into oncoming traffic.
Nobody knew for sure why Kayla Miller committed suicide by walking into a busy four-lane highway during the lunch rush. Some people assumed she felt guilty about murdering her boss. Most people never gave it a second thought. After all, Kayla was just one person among the 150,000 people who lived in Addison. Once her story left the newspapers, only one person remembered or cared: Dr. Patricia Reed. The Crawling Chaos was defeated, its host DNA spread all over the road in smears here and chunks there. It was trapped in the girl¡¯s deteriorating, dead cells, unable to reproduce or move. With the last of the Miller line gone, it had no recourse. It would have to start all over again among the strange dark matter it now called home. Or would it? Pollution Grace walked out of the restaurant¡¯s back door and got into her car. She didn¡¯t really understand what she was doing or why she was doing it. All she knew for sure was that she must obey the strange impulses going through her mind. The woman wiped her mouth for the hundredth time, trying to brush away Kayla¡¯s saliva, but succeeding only in irritating her lips. She drove across town to the lake that was the source of Cox County¡¯s drinking water. She walked to the 20-foot-high chain-link fence that surrounded the lake to keep unwanted people out. Carefully, she touched one of the metal links. A zap hurt her finger. She frowned at her burned digit, wondering how she would get inside. She glanced up at the top of the fence and spied a video camera. She had little time before someone spotted her. First, Grace needed to kill the current. She found the power box that supplied the fence¡¯s electricity, secured with only a simple padlock. She walked back to her car to get a hammer. She put her fingers between the shackles and pulled them away from the body of the lock. Then she hit the weak point repeatedly, often slipping and hitting her fingers instead. About a minute later, the lock broke and Grace opened the panel door. She shut off the fence¡¯s electricity, then went to work on the main gate¡¯s padlock. Just as before, she broke the lock. Her fingers were bloody and broken, but she took no notice. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She reached the lake and fell on her knees on the bank. Bending over, she spat a huge glob of saliva into the water. Streams of alien DNA entered the lake and searched for new hosts¡ªbacteria, this time. These creatures weren¡¯t perfect but, like the amoeba, they were simple and had the benefit of numbers. They could easily be changed to get past the water treatment plant¡¯s chemical and filtration systems. Grace smiled, her work done. She got back into her car, ignoring the scorching heat. She didn¡¯t bother rolling down the windows or turning on the air conditioning. When the police arrived over an hour later, the woman was quite dead.