Sybil started the car and drove off the end of the road. The ground was packed hard enough so she didn’t worry about getting stuck. However, she still drove carefully.
As they got closer, Sybil began to feel a strong wave of nausea.
“You’re feeling it now, aren’t you?”
“Like I’m sick to my stomach. I feel exhausted too.”
Earl touched her arm in sympathy. “That’s both your life and personal energy slowly being sucked out. We never got a good scientific explanation, just the guess we were somehow being drained of life.
Ever since that first explosion, I’ve been tired all the time. When we’re 'not here’, I can’t say that I feel it then. Like just before you walked into the garage, I had no awareness of anything. But when I came alive, I knew that someone was nearby. I’m tired now. I’m always tired.
To tell the truth, I welcome the time when I’m ‘not-here’ because I don’t have the nightmares. Jeez ma... uh, Sybil I'm just going on here! How do you feel?”
Though she wasn't certain Sybil replied, “I can make it. I really want to reach the tower. What’s in there? Has anyone checked?” asked Sybil.
“There’s an unexploded implosion-type bomb that was supposed to be detonated in another test since the tower was still intact. But every time they tried, something prevented them from setting off the explosion. Eventually, they forgot about it and moved off to other parts of the base,” Earl said as they arrived at the tower.
Sybil shut off the engine and got out of the car. Immediately after standing up, she doubled over in pain! Earl jumped out and ran around to help her. Attempting to fend off his well meaning intentions she waved Earl off and told him, "Give me a minute... while I get used to the sensations."
Looking to Earl Sybil asked, "How do you feel 'old man'?" Earl replied, “I’m kind of used to it. Everyone who’s trapped here is used to being miserable. Can you make it ma’am?”
“You're calling me 'Ma'am' again. Yeah, I can make it. I need to see what this tower’s about.”
Earl led her around to the stairs up to the first level walkway and waited. “You don't look so good. You sure you're okay?” he asked.
“About the same. Let’s keep going before I puke!” she said, drawing laughter from Earl.
“Sorry, I supposed you talk like everyone else in this time, but it’s not what I expect from a lady. No harm done,” he quickly said, seeing the look on her face.
“Yeah, well let’s keep going. I want to see what’s inside that damn box up there,” Sybil said, moving toward the ladder.
“Are you sure, ma’am. I don’t want you to fall, there’s no way to get a doctor out here if you get hurt.”
“You...what’s the phrase? You...tend to your knitting. I’m fine,” she said, starting up the ladder.
They climbed in silence. Sybil stopped a little over half way to catch her breath, estimating that the top was around ten stories off the ground.
Upon reaching the top, Sybil waited while Earl climbed next to her and opened the door into the shack perched at the top of the tower. When they got inside it was dark, the only light available came in through the door.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, turned on the flashlight app after seeing she still had no signal even at this height. With the harsh blue-white lED light, Sybil began to inspect the device perched against the wall.
“I know this device!” she said excitedly. “This is an implosion bomb, somewhere between twenty and forty Kilotons. So no one knew why it never detonated? We got in here pretty easy, if you ignore constantly wanting to throw up.”
“I have no clue. What did you mean you studied about this bomb? I thought everything here is Top Secret?”
While pulling off an inspection panel near the head of the device Sybil replied, “Not any more Earl. More than sixty years has passed. I’m a nuclear scientists and a teacher. This is an example of the work early in the development of Atomic Weapons. Suddenly cocking her head to the side she inquired, "What’s that noise?”
Earl went to the door and looked out. Off in the distance he could see dozens of people making their way toward the tower.
“It’s trouble, ma’am.”
“You said the first detonation brought whatever is sucking the life out of everyone here, then there were no more explosions here, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“I wonder what are the chances that setting off another explosion would blow up whatever it is, or at least send it back?”
“Lady, I have no idea! Damned if I know how to make this thing explode. It had all manner of failsafes,” Earl said, hooking his thumb toward the bomb. “Hell, after all this time, is it even possible to set it off?”
Sybil folded her arms and knitted her brows as she thought hard on the problem. “Weapon’s grade Uranium 235 has a half-life of 700 million years. Unless whatever’s causing all the havoc around here is also siphoning off the energy from the bomb, the fissionables should be fine. What I can’t tell is whether or not the trigger is still good...well that and if there’s any power to set off the trigger mechanism,” she said as she poked around the bomb’s innards.”
Earl went back to the door to look back toward the fake town and saw that the number of people coming toward them was swelling.
“Ma’am, there’s a lot more of them, and they’re getting closer!” he reported.
“Are they running? How much time do you think we have before they get here?”
“I’m not sure, so far they look like they’re just walking.”
“Here,” she said, tossing her keys to him. “Go get the tool kit out of the trunk of the car. Take the battery out as well and bring them back up here. The hood opens from inside down by the brake pedal. Toss the stuff out of my bag in the back seat and put the battery in there, it’ll make it easier to get back up here.”
“Lady, I can see that you’re hell-bent on setting this beast off, but how are you planning to get away before it explodes? Anything you do, someone out there can undo,” Earl said, thinking the worst.
“You just let me worry about that, now skedaddle!”
As he backed out the door and started his descent down the ladder Earl said under his breath, “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” Climbing down the tall tower, Earl figured they had about half an hour before the crowd arrived.
Reaching the ground, it took him more than a minute to figure out how to open the trunk of Sybil’s car after he found that the ignition key wouldn’t fit! In a panic of fumbling with the remote device, Earl finally hit the right button on the key chain fob and heard the trunk open. He grabbed the small tool case, then had a much easier time opening the hood.
Looking inside the engine compartment, Earl was struck at how much machinery was crammed into it and had absolutely no idea what everything did! The only familiar components were the spark plugs and various belts. He quickly took the cables off the battery and dumped it on the ground. He then emptied Sybil’s carry-all and put the car’s battery inside. Abruptly, Earl went back to the trunk and grabbed the jumper cables, just in case.
While Earl was off getting the car battery, Sybil busily traced wires against what she remembered from her early studies. By the time Earl returned, puffing from the unaccustomed exercise, Sybil was fairly certain she had identified the trigger circuit.
“I brought jumper cables and this,” he said, holding out a bottle of water to Sybil who took it gratefully, unscrewed the cap and drank deep. She handed it back to Earl, nodding toward him to go ahead and take a drink.
“I’m good. What do you think? Can you set it off?”
Turning off the light on her phone, Sybil sat just inside the door to rest. Earl sat down across from her and waited.
After a couple of moments passed Sybil wearily stated, “Yeah. I’m pretty sure I can get it to explode, but I have no idea how to set up a timer someone else can’t futz with. How long do we have before we have company?”
Looking out the door, Earl said, “Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. That enough time?”
“Yeah. With the battery, I can do it in a couple of minutes. The battery should have enough power to fire the detonator. What I’m worried about is what’s going to happen to all those people out there? Maybe if they went back outside the blast radius they might just be set free,” she said.
“Ma’am, you really shouldn’t be worrying about us; we’re mostly dead anyway. Besides, they aren’t going to let you set off this bomb if they get here.”
“How do you know...?” Sybil's question was cut off as the interior of the dark box began to light up with the same golden glow she'd seen the night before. As the glow intensified, a feeling of dread washed over her with palpable heat. The brutal nausea forced the water from her stomach in an acid filled spew which burnt her mouth!
Out of the blue, Earl was paralyzed and his head hit the floor with a thump as he tipped over. Then just as abrupt, he sat up as if lifted by a giant hand.
“What are you trying to do, child?” Earl asked in a detached voice.
Summoning all her strength, Sybil focused her eyes and said through gritted teeth,” Who are you?”
The voice replied, amusement clearly heard, “No one to be trifled with, young lady. Although it has been some time since anyone tried to defy my will. Who do you think you are to try to interfere with me?”
“Let Earl go and we can talk...I think.” Sybil was in excruciating pain, trying to keep it together and not give into the pain.
“You lack the ability to communicate with me any other way, my dear. By the way, how do you feel? Every minute that passes takes years off of your life… that is, unless you embrace me. Then, you may virtually live forever long as I gather more people into my essence. For all practical purposes, I am a God to your kind.”
“That’s no life at all! I saw what happens to people here when no one is around. You’re sucking the life out of them, aren’t you?”
“In a matter of speaking. But the more there are, the less I sip from each of their vessels. This young man has already lived much longer than most of his contemporaries and he has many, many years of life left. Is that not an attractive prospect to you, my dear?”
Sybil's stomach heaved again in excruciating pain. “Wouldn’t you like an end to the pain, it must be most unpleasant. Now why don’t you and this nice young man climb down from here and join the others?”
“Not likely!” Sybil gasped trying to pull herself toward the bag containing the battery. “Where did you come from? Who are you?” she said, trying for a momentary distraction from whatever was trying to kill her.
“I have no name. There is only what I am. I am the Trynaught,” said the entity using Earl as a puppet.
“How did you come here? We have no record of your kind ever visiting Earth before. How did you find us?” Sybil asked through clenched teeth.
“I did not find you. You found me. You knocked on my door when your people disrupted the dimensional continuum with that first nuclear explosion. It was you who announced your presence with the introduction of the destructive power of the atom. The shockwaves travel forever through adjacent dimensions. Civilizations which use Nuclear Power for destructive purposes are always ripe for feeding.
Fortunately for you, I was within range of that first explosion. The small opening you created allowed me to squeeze through into your dimension. Though it was easy to find you, it cost me much of my own energy to pass into and stay in this dimension. Though I drink life’s energy from your kind, I bestow near-everlasting life. With the unchecked billions of people on your planet, I will exploit this feeding ground for many an age before I have to find another. But enough about me. You...must end this folly for it serves no purpose.”
Sybil’s pain became blinding, her vision reduced to a mere pinhole in size, as she completely focused on pulling herself over to the battery.
Earl went slack and once more tipped over hard as he was released by the entity. He could barely move for he was far weaker than the newly arrived woman. With every ounce of energy left in his body, Earl lifted his head to look out the door at the approaching hoard.
“Hurry! They...will...be...here...in...no...time,” he gasped, then collapsed.
Sybil finally made it to the bag and uncovered the top of the battery. It took everything she had to pull out the jumper cables. She rested for a few moments and then set about attaching them to the terminals.
Earl managed to straighten out his body so he could painfully roll over toward Sybil.
“Leave...it...I’ll...get...the...cables...” he said through clenched teeth.
Sybil dragged herself over to the exposed panel of the bomb, grabbing the edge of the casing she tried to pull herself up. She had to stop as her stomach heaved again, but there was nothing left to come up. She gulped the hot air as she gathered her fading strength and tried once again to pull herself up.
She managed to get one foot under her as the glow intensified. The air Sybil breathed felt like fire going in and out of her lungs. Her retching now was continuous.
With the other end of the cables in one hand, Sybil screamed mightily as she started to pull herself up with the other. Meanwhile, the haggard pair could feel the tower vibrate when the first of the crowd began to climb the ladder.
“Hurry,” Earl cried out as the vibrations grew from the others swarming up the structure like a plague of insects! He reached out and pulled the door shut plunging the room back into darkness. However with no way of securing it from the inside, Earl knew even through his pain the effort was pointless.
Sybil could hear the sound of feet climbing the metal ladder as she redoubled her effort to stand up. Unable to see exactly what she was doing, she tried to reach for her phone to light the way but it fell from her pocket. Now in addition to the nausea and pain, Sybil felt sudden crushing despair. With her strength all but gone barring a miracle, there was no way she would be able to detonate the bomb. She openly blubbered as the first of the reanimated townspeople wrenched open the door.
The first person through was an older man wearing a dusty labcoat who looked at her and shook his head. Adjusting old horn-rimmed glasses, he quickly inspected her handiwork and laughed.
“So this was your plan?” he said. “Do you know how many people have attempted exactly what you’re trying to do? What's your name Missy?”
Despite the haze caused by her weakening body, anger gave Sybil the strength to spit at her tormentor. “What difference does it make? Go on...kill me! Make me a storefront dummy just like the rest of you. What you have here is no life. It’s nothing at all!”
“You’re right. I doubt any of us would argue the point,” the man said, taking a closer look at the open inspection hatch. “You’re a very clever girl. How did you know what to do?” he asked.
“Nuclear physics is my chosen occupation.”
“Very clever indeed,” he said as he snatched the jumper cables from her hand, sneering.
The man looked at the fading pair blankly. He then clamped on the cable onto the edge of the casing and plunged the other inside the inspection hatch! “I’m so very sorry....”
In the microsecond before her retinas burned out, within the brilliant flash of light Sybil saw the Trynaught’s infinite shape of a flaming copper and golden oval encircling two smaller circles. In the following microsecond there was no light, no sound, nothing. She floated in darkness, weightless and unfeeling.
Suddenly, there was a sharp knocking sound which jolted Sybil into opening her eyes!
Hearing the knocking again, she saw she was in the driver’s seat of her car and it was full daylight outside her window! Outside the window a Nevada Highway Patrolman impatiently tapped the window with a flashlight.
Dazed, Sybil pushed the switch to roll down the window but it wouldn’t budge. After a moment of clumsy fumblining she opened the door.
The Patrolman held the door open, watching for traffic, and asked, “Are you all right, ma’am?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure. Where am I?”
“Have you been drinking ma’am? I’ll have to ask you to step outside of the car and move to the shoulder by my car.”
Sybil released her seatbelt and exited the car, stepping into the space between the two. The Patrolman gave the interior of her car the once-over checking for any opened alcohol containers. When he joined her he asked, “Are you feeling all right. Do you need medical assistance?”
“I don’t think so. I was driving from Vegas to Reno last night and I must have pulled over to rest. I was just a little confused when you woke me up,” she replied.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have... What the fuck?” he exclaimed as a brilliant explosion of light shone brightly to the east.
“Get down!” he said, pulling her into the ditch along the shoulder. He activated his radio and yelled, “This is 21-Baker. There has been a...hold on,” he began as he peeked over the top of the ditch. “Oh shit! There has been a nuclear detonation in the Tonapah Reserve! Someone get on the horn and see if there’s been an accident or an unscheduled detonation over there.” When he released the transmit key, the reply was full of static.
An instant later, the sound of the explosion reached them. Mere seconds after that, shockwave arrived.
“HQ, we need HazMat out here! Have them bring radiation equipment. I have no idea what’s going on out here, and close 95, north and south until someone determines the area’s clean!” Once he received the reply from headquarters the Patrolman asked, “Ma’am, you okay?”
Shaken Syblil replied, “I’m fine. Shouldn’t we be getting somewhere where they can check us for contamination?” As the Patrolman led her from their refuge, Sybil kept in mind to keep silent. Any claims about her whereabouts the night before would land her in the looney bin!
“To save time, You can drive your own car if you’ll follow me. Can I trust you not to make me chase you all over the state?” he said, smiling. “You don’t seem like you’ve been drinking.”
“That would be fine,” she said, turning and looking at the huge mushroom cloud rising up over the horizon.
The duo walked to the driver’s side of her car and the patrolman opened the door. When she was buckled in, Sybil turned the key; nothing happened. There was no clicking of the solenoid and the dashboard lights didn’t even light up.
Waving to her the patrolman offered, “Open the hood and let me take a look.” Sybil pulled the release under the dash and he opened the hood.
“You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” he exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Lady, I’d give my left nut to know how the hell you got all the way out here... with no battery!”
The End
© 2014 Dreaded Enterprises Unlimited, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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