asked. "What the fuck is going on here?"
Noble shook his head again and the thoughts that were probing his brain faded a bit. "Is there another way out of this place?" Noble asked. "I have to get to my car."
"What about me?" Eveline asked.
Noble had no idea what to do about Eveline. The thought had not entered his mind. He wasn't even supposed to be heading for Washington until tomorrow morning. Was he supposed to bring her home?
"OK," Noble said, "you can come with me. I'll get you set up in a hotel for tonight."
"Am I supposed to live in a hotel indefinitely?" Eveline asked.
"I don't know, Eveline, I'm making this up as I go along. This isn't exactly like part of the Homeland Security handbook. I have to get to Washington and get some answers. Once I have those, I'll call you and let you know what I've found out. In the meantime, you need to go to work and get back home, or to the hotel room, and lock the door and don't answer it for anyone or anything."
"Why can't they just come through the door?" Eveline asked. “Or why not just manifest here in the room?
"One thing at a time," Noble replied. "First, get us out of here. Then we can start trying to answer questions about the insane."
Eveline nodded and grabbed Noble's hand. A second later they hurtled through the dining room and then the kitchen. Eveline grabbed the basement door and flung it open. Noble felt shoved down the stairs, nearly falling down the carpeted steps, until he came to rest against a cement wall. There was tile under his feet and when he looked to the right there was an entertainment center, television, table, carpeting. Just to the right of the basement den was another door leading into the backyard.
"To the right!" Eveline called.
"Noble!" A voice called from upstairs. It was a chorus of voices. The children. "Noble, you've been running for most of your life. Time to stop. Join us. Join the void!"
Noble didn't hesitate for another second. He ran to the right, dashed over the carpeted area, around the sofa, jumping over the coffee table, and across the basement. He found the doorknob after a few seconds of frantic flailing. He turned the knob and the door resisted. He pulled again, and the door jiggled in the frame, but didn't open.
"Hang on!" Eveline called.
She skidded to a halt next to him, unlocked a deadbolt and pulled a chain away from the door frame. Then she yanked the door open and pushed him through.
There was a short flight of steps that led up into the yard. There were no children standing at the top of the stairs or in front of them. Noble ran up the steps, grabbing Eveline's hand as he went. Both of them bolted up the stairs and into the backyard. Noble hooked hard to the right and to the driveway. At the back door there were at least 12 of the black-eyed children staring at the door. As Noble and Eveline ran past them, they turned as one.
"Noble!" They called. "Noble, come with us. Let us touch you and take you into the void!"
He could feel that pull in his mind again. He could just so easily walk over there and let those kids touch him. He had no idea what would happen then, but he felt that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. No pain, just nothing. He would get absorbed into the blackness behind their eyes and vanish. Charles Whitlock had vanished. It made sense, really, when you thought about it. No more questions. No more confusion.
"Noble! What are you doing?" Eveline screamed and yanked Noble's left arm.
Noble shook his head yet again and then he slapped himself across the right side of his face.
"Thanks," he said.
The kids were not moving particularly fast. It was as if whatever was controlling them was having trouble controlling so many at once. They turned at a snail's pace, stumbling a bit as they swung away from the back door and tried to shift their focus to Eveline and Noble. Noble was reminded of zombies in a George Romero film.
"Zombie children," Noble muttered, "just what I need."
Eveline and Noble ran
Noble shook his head again and the thoughts that were probing his brain faded a bit. "Is there another way out of this place?" Noble asked. "I have to get to my car."
"What about me?" Eveline asked.
Noble had no idea what to do about Eveline. The thought had not entered his mind. He wasn't even supposed to be heading for Washington until tomorrow morning. Was he supposed to bring her home?
"OK," Noble said, "you can come with me. I'll get you set up in a hotel for tonight."
"Am I supposed to live in a hotel indefinitely?" Eveline asked.
"I don't know, Eveline, I'm making this up as I go along. This isn't exactly like part of the Homeland Security handbook. I have to get to Washington and get some answers. Once I have those, I'll call you and let you know what I've found out. In the meantime, you need to go to work and get back home, or to the hotel room, and lock the door and don't answer it for anyone or anything."
"Why can't they just come through the door?" Eveline asked. “Or why not just manifest here in the room?
"One thing at a time," Noble replied. "First, get us out of here. Then we can start trying to answer questions about the insane."
Eveline nodded and grabbed Noble's hand. A second later they hurtled through the dining room and then the kitchen. Eveline grabbed the basement door and flung it open. Noble felt shoved down the stairs, nearly falling down the carpeted steps, until he came to rest against a cement wall. There was tile under his feet and when he looked to the right there was an entertainment center, television, table, carpeting. Just to the right of the basement den was another door leading into the backyard.
"To the right!" Eveline called.
"Noble!" A voice called from upstairs. It was a chorus of voices. The children. "Noble, you've been running for most of your life. Time to stop. Join us. Join the void!"
Noble didn't hesitate for another second. He ran to the right, dashed over the carpeted area, around the sofa, jumping over the coffee table, and across the basement. He found the doorknob after a few seconds of frantic flailing. He turned the knob and the door resisted. He pulled again, and the door jiggled in the frame, but didn't open.
"Hang on!" Eveline called.
She skidded to a halt next to him, unlocked a deadbolt and pulled a chain away from the door frame. Then she yanked the door open and pushed him through.
There was a short flight of steps that led up into the yard. There were no children standing at the top of the stairs or in front of them. Noble ran up the steps, grabbing Eveline's hand as he went. Both of them bolted up the stairs and into the backyard. Noble hooked hard to the right and to the driveway. At the back door there were at least 12 of the black-eyed children staring at the door. As Noble and Eveline ran past them, they turned as one.
"Noble!" They called. "Noble, come with us. Let us touch you and take you into the void!"
He could feel that pull in his mind again. He could just so easily walk over there and let those kids touch him. He had no idea what would happen then, but he felt that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. No pain, just nothing. He would get absorbed into the blackness behind their eyes and vanish. Charles Whitlock had vanished. It made sense, really, when you thought about it. No more questions. No more confusion.
"Noble! What are you doing?" Eveline screamed and yanked Noble's left arm.
Noble shook his head yet again and then he slapped himself across the right side of his face.
"Thanks," he said.
The kids were not moving particularly fast. It was as if whatever was controlling them was having trouble controlling so many at once. They turned at a snail's pace, stumbling a bit as they swung away from the back door and tried to shift their focus to Eveline and Noble. Noble was reminded of zombies in a George Romero film.
"Zombie children," Noble muttered, "just what I need."
Eveline and Noble ran
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