Chapter 98: [15] Close Encounters of the Bus Kind 15 [From Beyond Arc]

Close Encounters of the Bus Kind

[15]

Nadia urgently embraced Erin and did her best to block her line of sight, despite not being tall enough.

“I’m here.“ She wanted to add some reassuring sentiment that things would be okay, but she couldn’t guarantee that and it felt like a trite bandage. Instead, she just squeezed Erin until she looked down at her. Fear glazed her vision as she whispered to Nadia, “So is IT…”

“What’s going on back there?“ Evangeline adjusted her purse and sighed.

Turning from Erin, Nadia bit her lip and took a breath before explaining, “Ever since what happened with the bus and the light, we’ve been seeing unusual things. Something creepy in the fog that night, a huge black dog, red eyes, men in black, and a bunch of other things.”

Gina exuberantly took notes on her phone. “You gotta tell me more! How big of a Grim are we talking about, did the dog have red eyes as well, and was it hostile? Did it vanish into smoke or simply disappear? Also, did the Man in Black have human skin, and did his clothes seem in any way synthetic or fake? Did he try to use amnestics on you?"

Erin wobbled and frowned, but she answered about the Grim-like entity with notes of uncertainty about whether it was just a large, strange dog while emphasizing the creepiness of the situation. In turn, Nadia dramatized the fact that the man who claimed to represent the Air Force didn’t show any identification and that didn’t seem to bother her or her family. Gina explained that the "amnestics" thing was a reference to stuff she read online and simply meant if he used anything to try to erase her memory, to which Nadia noted that she didn't think so. She stressed that his clothes were weird but couldn’t discern whether they were fake and clarified that his skin didn’t appear uncanny. Instead, she pointed out his weird digressions about the Mandela Effect, how spooked he was when coming into contact with her, and the alarming incident of no one being able to remember her older half-sisters.

To this, Luna chimed in, “I remembered İdil and Iris, even though mom and auntie didn’t.”

Gina tapped a finger to her lips before pointing and declaring, “I’m calling it right now, this kid has superpowers.” Luna looked at her, with a few calm blinks, but didn’t say anything.

Evangeline touched her forehead and said, “Are we being serious right now? I know something happened with our bus driver and Coach, but nothing happened to me and, honestly, I agreed to go with Gina with the hope that things wouldn’t be super crazy. Just shopping, not thinking, and just letting it all go. If you need to talk, that’s cool, that’s great, but I would like to do stuff here, on planet Earth.” Nadia felt a snap flash of annoyance at Eva, but it was tempered by the trembling in Eva’s hands and the uncertain darting of her eyes. Gina sighed and puffed a long breath without making eye contact with Eva.

Odessa clapped her hands together and responded, “We don’t have to limit ourselves. Yesterday was totally crazy, and I know we’re all still trying to process everything, but we’re here as friends and just keeping things calm and collected and cheerful, right? No worries. Nothing strange. Not even the weird stuff. It’s fine. Come on, now! Shopping therapy and talking it out!” She clapped her hands again, like before a match. The effect was subdued but, some way or another, the tension started to ease.

They drifted as a group but clung together with Gina and Odessa lingering close while Eva forged ahead on her own and Erin, Nadia, and Luna remained in the back. Nadia didn’t hold Luna‘s hand the whole time, and she didn’t seem to need it, but they kept right next to one another.

The cornucopia of commerce drifted by Nadia with glass and metal façades. Paul always criticized the endless array of nail spas scattered across desert strip malls like the old joke of a Starbucks inside of a Starbucks, but the one here didn’t look too bad and at least got her scrutinizing her simple but clean nails. Most of the stores sounded more like college classes, English estates, and random women’s names.

The most difficult obstacle was the mental impasse that such locations represented. This wasn’t for her. Those weren’t clothes she could possibly wear or look good in. She had to remind herself that things changed but all the unconscious decades were difficult to slough off.

Another problem was she looked in her closet and found a reasonable spectrum of options. Paul was always a pragmatic shopper. Comfortable, cheap, useful, and durable. Now what was she supposed to focus on? A pair low rise dark wash cargo jeans looked nice, and she felt the allure of their skinny variant. But her usual sensibilities still felt disgusted at the distressed ones with holes. She wasn’t a punk.

Luna brushed the material of some outfits but still clung nearby. Nadia liked the long-neck cropped tanks on sale and considered one of the five-dollar T-shirts, but they represented a wild smattering of pop culture and boyfriend appreciation. Nothing hinting at a girlfriend, even of the friendship variety. Although, Nadia wasn’t sure if she would have the confidence to wear something so bold out in public.

It felt so complicated, even though nothing much had changed. She was in love with the girl she crushed on as a teen boy. The fact that alien doohickeys, laser waves, and probes had turned her into a Turkish, teenage girl should’ve been just a random bit of fine print rather than a screaming note of social anxiety. Ultimately, she didn’t get anything, even though she did go through the experience of trying on some stuff.

Venturing back outside, Nadia glanced over in Erin‘s direction to see her suddenly sprint off. She called after her, but she didn’t respond. When she turned to check on Luna, she discovered that the kid had also broken into a run after Erin. No way she was leaving them alone to wherever they were headed, so she hustled after. The other girls would just have to keep up or meet up with them later.

The first turn was a little confusing and worried Nadia about rushing past the other shoppers, but they soon came to an empty space, rather like an alleyway, stretching to the side entrance of the abandoned Sears. Up ahead, Erin yanked on a door, and it actually opened for her. She flung it wide and darted inside. Luna was close enough to catch the rickety thing before it shut again, and Nadia shoved her way inside too.

The interior light was dim and subdued with just a few fluorescent bulbs working. Nadia recognized the pale tile style and simple support beams. Gray carpet looked perfectly fine in some patches and ripped up to the cement in other spots. A harsh band of recessed lighting flanked the side wall and the other doors appeared to be covered with paper and cardboard. An escalator broke the surreal, moody monotony. Erin coughed and covered her face with her hand. The air felt jagged and hostile, like she was rubbing her lungs across the equivalent of invisible, broken glass. Shielding her face preemptively and catching her breath, Nadia asked, “Why… did you run?” Luna lingered close but to the side.

Turning around in a slow circle, Erin brushed her sweaty hair back and collected her breath before answering, “I saw it again. The monster. It looked like it was going to jump into a crowd, but then it i-it actually looked like it saw me, and then it ran this way. I lost sight of it. Dammit.”

Their hearts rattled around a bit when the door swung open again to reveal the other girls out of breath. Odessa approached first and asked if “Coach” was alright. Gina had her phone out and immediately asked whether there were aliens again. Eva clung to the door to keep it open but looked over with concern. Erin reiterated her monster sighting for the others, kindling Gina’s exuberance. In attempting to describe it, the best she could do was like a dirty trash bag covered in slime and sludge flailing around like it was about to tear apart.

*WHAM*

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Everyone turned to look at the doors as Eva winced and groaned, responding, “Something shoved it. Frick, that stings!” The door she had been holding open was now shut. Trying it again, the latch bar refused to budge. The other doors were similarly sealed. She looked ready to try kicking the glass out when a voice cut through the silence.

“Greetings everyone and welcome to Sears! Why it’s a pleasure to have you here! Is there anything I can help you with? Sears has everything!”

Erin took a step back from the strange woman who suddenly appeared in front of her. She seemed slightly older than Erin used to be. She had on a green tartan dress with a pale blue collared shirt and an employee badge above her pocket. Her smile was warm, exuberant, and deeply unsettling.

“Where did you come from? Let us out!” Eva demanded. The air almost seemed to wiggle with Eva‘s words as Nadia felt a sudden rush of claustrophobia. Erin quickly looked between the strange new woman and Eva, inquiring, “You can see her?” Eva gulped and gave a small, quick nod. Odessa nervously nodded along with Gina, who had her mouth open and her phone dangling in her grip. Nadia saw her too. Stretching her sight without needing to squint, Erin caught that the woman’s employee badge read “LIZ”.

“I work here, you Silly Billy. And you just got here. Won’t you allow me the privilege of informing you of our amazing Sears deals and opportunities? Good life, great price. And I think your lives could use a little of the Sears touch. Our hot deals on appliances and the latest in ladies' fashion are not to be ignored!”

Walking over to her left, “Liz“ pantomimed the air, as if she was showing something off. “This polyester number is available in a wide array of comfortable and attractive sizes. Perfect for the gal who needs to putter around the house but doesn’t want to look like a slob when doing it. It comes with matching gloves. Now, they may not be Chanel silk but, for the price, I can’t tell the difference. You save a bunch of money for your man while looking fabulous!”

Eva slowly stepped closer, without getting too close to Liz, and muttered, “What the flip is going on?” Odessa offered up, “Ghost trapped in the 60s?” Gina let out a faint gasp and included her own thoughts, “A real ghost? Not like an energy pattern worn into this place? Does that means she died… In a Sears? That’s so sad.”

Liz acted like she didn’t hear those comments and sidestepped over to another display that none of the girls could actually see to continue her pitch. Nadia didn’t know what to think, but she carefully worked her way over to Erin with the hopes of grabbing her hand and leading her away from whatever paranormal craziness was happening and out an accessible emergency door. Simultaneously, she wanted to go for Luna’s hand, so she didn’t lose her either.

For a little more than a moment, all the girls were distracted from Liz and didn’t look back until the unusual employee chirped up, “Oh my goodness, we’re really busy today! Seven people, which must be a new record. Just joking, but it’s a pleasure to have you. Now how can I help, ma’am?”

A new figure, another woman, now stood relatively close to Liz, but there was something desperately wrong with her. Her eyes were too wide and her smile empty and beaming, like a mannequin brought to life. Silvery hair lay across her head.

“Confused good doggo is salty puppo of wild yak vibe can’t interest you in my favorite color of bread and margarine. That’s what the bureaucracy says about a nail dropper. Obedient gazelle with a chicken dropper zip. I can’t even bolt my extinction!”

There wasn’t enough space in the building for them to steer clear of the new entity. Its voice sounded even more uncanny than its appearance, as though someone had recorded over an old cassette and the original sound didn’t belong to a human but rather an old cat mimicking one. Memories of countless podcasts recounting encounters with skinwalkers bubbled to the surface for Nadia, and she didn’t want to have anything to do with whatever the hell was going on.

Liz just laughed. “Oh, my word! What language is that? Parlez-vous français? Sprecken sie Deutsch? Carlos is around here somewhere, and he speaks a little bit of Spanish… hable Español… but I’m afraid… I’m afraid I’m afraid I’m afraid I’m afraid I’m afraid I’m afraid oh no I’m afraid oh no oh no oh no… oh…help…”

They all could feel something cold and slimy slip through the air. Descending through the bright but time-worn ceiling was a monster. The uncanny figure to the side slumped over like a deflated balloon but also wriggled on a line attached to the dark entity. Like an anglerfish, Nadia thought.

Tendrils of blackness wrapped around Liz and pulled her into an orifice with spinning, glinting teeth. There was no blood. She was ripped to gossamer, floating jellyfish fragments that were hungrily sucked down. When finished with her, it roared with a leg-quaking rumble. Faces and teeth, like tortured beasts barely restrained by a thin trash bag, roiled and twisted against its cancerous surface.

It didn’t need to be said, but Luna whispered in her sister’s ear, “Run… you all have to run.” The other girls got the message as they darted away from the horrific creature slipping along the ceiling and sought out some corridor with an easier exit or a weapon. The employee service door was locked. Eva furiously kicked but only had enough strength to slightly bow it.

The creature howled again and tore up several of the cream-toned floor tiles. Its anemone tangle of limbs flung a single ceramic projectile at Erin‘s head. Nadia‘s heart throbbed with terror as her vision desperately narrowed to a single point of fear. She held Luna‘s hand, but she needed to save the girl she loved. Time was desperately slow in that moment but inexorable. She flung her body, but it wasn’t enough.

Erin brought her hand up to shield her eyes. The instant before the shard of tile was about to strike her, it froze inches before contact, hovering unnaturally in the air. Erin looked on, speechless, with her hand up. With an uncertain flick of her wrist, the shard tumbled and crumbled away in the same direction her hand motioned. Erin recalled how the lamp tumbled over last night when she got intimately excited, then the refrigerator door shut without her touching it, and she had a dream that she couldn’t be certain was a dream… and slayed a monster.

She squeezed her hands into fists and glared at this new monster. “Leave us alone…or you’ll regret it.”

[I have a question at the end of the chapter again to help with suggestions for where the story should go. I'm actually not that far ahead this time and I am wide open for possibilities for this particular story. Feel free to add an idea which doesn't show up in the options. Also, if you see any random typos or uncapitalized starts of sentences, please pass them along. I have to cut down on my editing due to release speed and my programs don't seem to be catching lowercase sentences. Thank you for reading!]

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