The Doomsday Strand

Chapter Six

It was a struggle to get Lillian to the car. Carrying her through the forest at night was an intense experience for Jack. He had no clue where he was or where he was going, and if he was alone, he was sure he would get lost. But he was with Hunter, and Hunter knew exactly where they were heading. After some time stumbling around in the dark, they finally started to hear booming music coming from the party.

"Oh, thank God." Jack sighed. "Hang in there baby, we're almost there."

Lillian had no way of answering. She was out cold, her breathing quick and faint. The huge bloodstain on her shirt was only a fraction of the amount she had coughed up earlier, and Jack was very worried that she wouldn't make it.

The party was still going hard when Hunter and Jack reached the parking area. There were a couple of college students spread out on the grass, all fated to wake up with terrible hangovers on the next day. Those who were still conscious didn't bat an eye at the two men putting an unconscious woman into the backseat of an orange Mustang. It was every man for himself when taking care of drunk friends.

With Lillian safe in the backseat and Jack in the passenger seat,  Hunter started the engine and zoomed out into the mountain road that he had taken to the secluded party.

"The nearest hospital is 26 minutes away." Jack said while checking routes on his phone.

"We're not going to the hospital." Hunter said, keeping his eyes glued to the road.

"What are you talking about? She's dying! She needs help!"

"They won't know what to do with her. I know a guy who will."

"You aren't taking her in for experiments, are you?"

"No. I'm taking you both in."

"What?? No! You can have me, but you can't have her. Turn this fucking thing around and get her to a hospital!"

Jack grabbed the wheel in an act of blind desperation and yanked it sideways, nearly sending the car flying off the road. Hunter held on tight to the wheel and kept it was straight as he could under Jack's wheel.

"Let go of the damn wheel!" Hunter shouted.

"Only if you turn us around and take her to the hospital!"

"I'm warning you, let go."

"No!"

Hunter grabbed his revolver, which he had tucked into jeans, and smacked the butt of it into the back of Jack's head. Jack and fell back into his seat without a sound. 

"You better not die on me." Hunter muttered to himself.

The Agency demanded that any target suspect of being infected with an alien pathogen had to be delivered to one of many designated medical officers. Luckily for Hunter, he knew one such agent that lived in a house some twenty minutes up the mountain road. Hunter didn't know him personally, but knew of his existence due to location briefing.

A rusty old gate appeared like a phantom on the right side of the road, one of many that popped up every couple minutes. There was nothing special about this one, save for the old lamp post that stood right beside it. It was a cheap lamp post, one that that could be bought at any local land scape store. What drew Hunter's eye to it was the flashing light bulb that looked like it would go out any minute. 

The light flashed in a code that Hunter knew very well. He studied the length of each flash carefully, taking note of the pause between every few flashes. After a minute observing the light, he was able to put together the message in Morse. The message was this: I am something that people celebrate or resist. I change people's thoughts and lives. I am obvious to some people, but to others, I am a mystery. What am I?