CHAPTER FIVE
Avery turns door knob to the front door and then let’s go of it thinking that maybe he should exit the same way that he had entered when he first came there. He decides to lock the front door so that no one else can walk in that easily. Avery turns around and heads back to the living room window that he closed the blinds to when he came through. When he opens the blinds he realizes that it is night time and that the parking lot that the window faces is very desolate and quiet.
Slowly he slides the window open and crawls on back through to the outside behind the bushes that block the window view to a slight point. As he crawls through the window he looks down to take a step and sees a vision of water below which halts his step a second, although there is nothing even there but the sod grass below his feet around the bushes. Looking down he imagines the past scene which still tends to haunt him still. When he takes his descending step downward he feels like a creature diving for the plunge. The point of view to his imagination is a dive like he’s ready to go on with the hunt for some prey to find the catch of the day so to speak.
When he steps out from the window sill he nearly falls like a person walking up a stairs thinking that there isn’t a step ahead of him who nearly stumbles a bit ready to fall flat. Nevertheless he staggers his body back to a maintained balance and turns around to close the window. While staring in to the glass of the window like it were some sort of mirror he sees an image come to life as if it were Brook alive walking out of the pond towards him saying something that he can’t even seem to muster. Her cell phone is also in her hand as she tosses it away behind her in the mirage of the pond that isn’t even really there.
Anyhow he closes the window very tightly shut and turns around to head away from the apartment complex. When walking away from there he sees a couple approaching with their dog that lunges forward at him pulling the chain tighter nearly tipping over the owner. Avery continues to walk faster directly passed them without giving too much attention to them like they weren’t even there so to say. However the dog pulls on the leash trying to make his way nearer to him without giving in to his owner’s repelling pull back, “Now, now. Get back here!”
Quickly without hasting another flick of a moment Avery starts to walk faster and faster which turns in to a jogging run away from the apartment complex. Soon he makes his way around the corner of the parking lot and down the street towards another alley way that sheds him a little bit of shelter from the devastating chance of bad luck from the traumatizing area. He heads down the alley way and takes a look back making sure that the coast is clear and turns around to pass on through the neighborhood once again. Some time goes on by as he passes through many neighborhoods and subdivisions trying to escape any clutches that may take ahold of him.
Regardless of the fact that he is just merely passing from end to end of the block Avery realizes that it is too late in the night to head off to any of the public libraries that aren’t even nearby in the city. While keeping up the fast pace, Avery takes a quick turn in to a trail that follows along a canal passage. He walks along the path for a moment of time before stopping to rest along the side in a ditch that drops off next to the fences of some backyards to the houses stretched along the way.
He scudders his way down alongside a gulley that tapers its way besides the brick fence wall. Taking a deep breath Avery sits down and leans back against the brick fence wall and stares off in to the mere distance. After a few more minutes he begins to doze off and closes one of his eyes, although the other one seems to stay open a bit. Then the other eye closes and opens again slowly with a newly formed eyelid covering his eye as if he were some kind of reptile or maybe even something even more profound like that of an estranged cold-blooded vertebrate aquatic creature.
A moment later a breeze picks up which doesn’t really appear to bother him, nevertheless he cuddles himself briskly for a long desired rest. The trail is quiet with nobody walking or riding back and forth like usually, although some currents ripple within the shortened distance between him and the canal that is separated by time and space.
More time passes before a hand reaches out from the canal followed by another. The hands are scaly and wrinkled like they have been in the water for a long amount of duration. Then all of a sudden a head pops up along with a deranged face that is freckled all over like it was maimed or disoriented by some sort of appearance of death. Then a body pulls up from the canal and stands there staring in his direction with water dripping and running down all around the shelled ground that lies below.
A deep breath ripples like it has been waiting for the appropriate moment to make its presence known to him for some kind of unknown reason or other. Finally a foot is stepped forward shadowed by the other with a spongy like light sound coming forth in to the vibrating air between the two of them. The unknown entity continues to move closer to Avery as his protective shield covering his eye comes in to focus. At this time his other eye opens slightly while some footsteps are heard and imagined by him as a host to some ghostly encounter or maybe even something far greater in reality.
He gleams his face and eyes away from the darkened area and tries to make a distinction of what he might be witnessing. While trying to make a connection a voice shrills out and moves closer to him foot by foot, “I wanted to be very special to you and now you are gone.”
The image of his lost friend fades away slowly and turns with a turn of the head saying, “Come to me and make amends!”
Hurriedly the image of Brook leaps and runs towards the canal edge and dives in like it were something meant to soothe his inner feelings somehow. Finally a loud and nerve racking splash is heard that ripples a spine tingling sensation over him like it were some sort of scary scenario from a thrilling movie with a twist of fate bringing love back in to his seduced life that now has no offerings from being a victim of bad haste in some way or fashion.
Slowly he looks out in to the closed arena and stands to his feet and walks out to the edge of the canal. When he reaches the top of the mound he sees some wet footprints that scatter back and forth along with set tracks of hand prints that cling to the edge like it were a real twist of reality. He looks and glares off in to the flowing current that only has light swells and waves bouncing back and forth from the sides of the cement.
Looking off in to the distance he sees a face poke out from a ways away that seems to spit water out from the mouth before saying, “I’m here for you!”
He continues to stare but the face sinks below the surface and some hands come up like the victim of a drowning trying to keep afloat before fallen under the surface. For another second he keeps his eyesight staring directly at the object until another image comes to the surface that appears to be the other female Christine who as well perished along with Brook. However this image doesn’t act like the other spitting image. This entity is floating face down with a current carrying it away slowly with no prevail.
At that point something hits him on the back of the head which throws him in to the water face first. Before he realizes what has happened a water ski lands besides the canal with some footsteps moving besides to make a fast dive. At first he just floats there motionless and unable to breathe. Once another minute goes on by he takes a breath filling his lunges with water. Immediately he gasps and chokes for another breath before flapping his arms to keep him afloat. Just then another image reappears and pulls him under the current. He fights and tugs for air while trying to get away but can’t. Next two more entities pulls and grab taking him completely under the current.
However it doesn’t seem to bother him because his lungs have adapted to the evolutionary change to his new environment. Splashes wrinkle and tug while he fights for a dash of freedom. Voices are heard below the water surface that he can barely understand. Only bubbles come from the mouths of those taking away his last and only salvation that he has left to offering this dangerous world of his. He keeps on mustering a bout when suddenly he scampers away for a brief stoke before something else takes ahold of his ankle pulling him back. More sounds and voices are heard though he paddles himself to safety. After another continuation of the underworld Avery awakes lying against the brick fence and sits up taking a deepened breath.
He leans back again before exhaling, “Oh, man!”
Quickly he stands back up and walks to the edge of the canal seeing what he saw in his dream. Nevertheless this time he steps back and looks behind himself to make sure that the coast is clear and that there are no surprises to take him by surprise.
At that time a noise is heard approaching fast with a peddling like tread. A couple of bikers pass by catching his attention when one side of a handle bar nearly tramples him over and down for the count. Avery hurriedly gets back up to his feet and heads back to the resting of his salvation against the brick fence. A few moments pass until he starts to shuts his eyes once again to resume his rest for the night. Lucky he feels now that all has hopefully passed and that the dream hasn’t wet his clothes, especially considering the fact that he is thinking about making a trip to the Public Library in the late morning.
In his mind the possibility of heading to the library at the University where his father once had taken him before would be a great idea. The only problem is the fact that only the Law Library on the lower level is open twenty four hours. Nevertheless he closes his eyes again and thinks about that and what had just happened earlier.
Contemplating the whole entire scenario over and over again he tries to fathom what really just happened in his nightmare. The idea of it all forms in to a premise of questions that he must ask himself until he finds an answer that suits his need to deal with it all. He even wonders if more visions of the paranormal state will continue to flow. Why are these images haunting him lately? Is he a victim of friendly victims? Are his past friends now his enemy? Are they blaming him for their deaths even though he had no control over the situation? Will they remain in his presence to bring him pain and agony? Are they out for his gloom and doom because he led them to their bad fate at hand? Should he just ignore all of the fathoms which keep pulling him six feet under and take it all with a grain of salt?
These questions and many more keep popping up in his rational philosophical thought processes. Trying to shutter and push them away is so hard now that he feels like he truly is the one to blame. Deep inside and in heart he is so sorry and grievous for losing not only his true friends that took him so many years to gain trust and confide in, but he also endures the pains of agony over losing his family. Now he is so afraid to return home and face the consequences that are mistakenly at hand in the present time that he feels like it is his time to move on in to the lonely unknown world of loneliness.
Furthermore he has decided to try and take it easy and not take things for granted. To him where there is a will there is a way to move on and muster the fight trying to get his life back in order once again for good. Conversely he knows that it won’t be so easy to achieve know that he has an imbalance with his physical natures which are constantly changing at a rate that is unknown to him.
Moments pass on by as he converses these facts back and forth through his scheming little brain which is shrinking like that of a fish as a metaphor to actuality. After a while he falls back to a resting point and falls asleep for a number of hours.
Eventually the sun starts to rise and many birds and come to life. Many ducks fly overhead and land their way inside the canal that sits up the mound before him. More and more fly over making the area come back to life which begins to awaken him to the point where he can’t seem to stay asleep any longer. Now he decides to wake up and head away from the canal area before any more time passes by. He decides to make his way over to the Public Library while the early morning hours are still young.
Slowly he walks along the paved trail that runs besides the canal until arriving at the road the crosses over heading in an east and west direction. Having no time for patience Avery tries to walk as fast as he possibly can to be one of the first people to make his way to the Public Library.
About two hours goes on by before Avery arrives at the Public Library. When he woke up and left the canal area it was about seven o’clock in the morning and when he gets to the Public Library the time is around nine o’clock in the morning. The Public Library opens at nine thirty in the morning during the weekdays. When Avery makes his way out front of the Public Library there are people waiting outside already for it to open. He is fairly sweaty from the long walk that he had to tread to get there as fast as he possibly could trying to get there as early as he could so that he could enter with a crowd. For some strange reason he feels like staying away from everyone by sitting off to the side by a chain link fence that sets to the side of the Public Library separating it from a parking lot.
Everybody tends to be preoccupied talking to each other about different things keeping their attention away from him. However he looks to the side of the building where there are some magazine and newspaper racks noticing a few older homeless looking bums who happen to be drinking leaning against the side. One of them looks at him with a weird glare and turns to the other person sitting next to him whispering something. Avery looks for a second and then he looks away trying to ignore the response the best that he can without stirring up anything.
Looking the other way back to the others waiting around the front of the Public Library Avery over hears one of the bums talk a little bit louder saying, “I doubt he has any spare change!”
About this time the Public Library opens and everyone sitting and standing in front of the Public Library starts to head inside. Immediately Avery stands to his feet and heads to the front of the Public Library quickly trying to enter with some of the other to keep unnoticed. Entering the through the front doors he passes up a Security Guard who happens to be directing someone who is asking where the children’s library is located within the building.
Without any further hesitation Avery heads passed the information desk trying to remain unseen and unobserved by anyone who may be looking at his entrance. He continues walking in a little ways further and sees the customer service checkout desk which is bare at the time with nobody checking out any books as of yet.
Moving his eyes further ahead Avery walks over to the computers that are set up for book and information searches. There are a few other people sitting there at other computers searching for their desired book searches. When Avery sits down he sees a piece of paper and some pencils for writing down the call numbers to locate the proper shelf for their location.
At first he is confused as to what to look up in his book search. He clicks the mouse and many options pop up to his computer screen view. One of the options is the main library menu. He clicks on it and a quick library search opens up with the subject, title, and author highlighted within some text boxes. Knowing that he doesn’t have any authors name or any book titles in mind he clicks on the subject text box opening up a search bar.
The first word he types in is Avaris Fish Species and clicks on the search text box. Some listings pop up that are in alphabetical order, but none of them are what he happens to be looking for. In fact, none of the selections are even close to what he wants in his book search. The only things that come up are avitaminosis and other vitamins along with Avon book searches. Then he clicks back in the search bar and types in Tropical Fish Species and clicks the search text box. The only things that come up are Tropical Fruit, Tropical Medicines, and of course Tropical Plants along with a few other selections that aren’t of the search he wants to look up for his research. So far it seems like there is nothing out there relating to what he wants to find out about and he starts to get angry for a moment or two before thinking of something else to look up to find some facts.
Next he takes out the word species on his subject book search so that only Tropical Fish is in the search bar and clicks the search text box. The topic of Tropical Fish opens up with many book titles so he clicks on it to view what Tropical Fish book are on hand. Some books come up and he scrolls through them slowly. One of them is “All about Tropical Fish” which he passes up and reads the next title reading, “Everything you want to know about cichlids” which sounds interesting but doesn’t help him with his problem at hand. However he thinks to himself how it would be nice to have a chick with some lids of the same evolutionary change, although there aren’t any that he can think about at hand know that Brook and Christine are dead of course.
Nevertheless he continues with his book search thinking about what else to look up. He sits there restless for a moment or two contemplating about what titles to look up. While pondering it over, he scrolls through some of the other books. One of the books is called, “Collecting Tropical Fish” that seems like another waste of time.
Lastly he decides to look up a strange listing that comes to mind. He types in the search bar “Extinct animals” and some more selections come up from different countries. One of the titles of books reads, “Extinct and vanished animals” that sounds like something to go with at this point. Quickly he gives up searching any further and writes the call number down on the piece of paper with the pencil.
He closes the library main menu and gets up from the computer desk and heads to the library book shelves to find the book. After walking through a few of the shelves he finds the aisle with the call number written on the side of the book shelf and heads down the aisle searching for the book. A few moments go on by and he finds the book according to the call number. There are of course other books in that area listed with similar call numbers. He looks through the books and picks a few good ones to take back to one of the library desks to look through searching for an answer to his exploration.
Another short number of seconds go by and a book falls from the book shelf behind him about ten feet away. He turns and looks but nobody is there besides him looking around the fallen book. He walks over with a few books in hand and picks the fallen book up. On the cover are some space images along with some space creatures that peak his interest.
Getting desperate he looks to the other aisle through the book shelves seeing nobody around again. Then he feels that he should take the books and head back to a table to have a quick study of them. He turns and sees a figure standing at the end of the aisle within the bookshelves. It looks familiar to him but he can’t seem to put an eye on it as of yet.
Anyhow he starts to head towards the end of the book shelves when the figure turns dropping a few books walking towards him. She appears to be very distraught and stained with a sense of rigamortis about her face. It’s hard for him to identify her from her state of death that she has seemed to endure. Before approaching too closely the figure stops and blocks his way while looking up at him with closed eyes saying, “This is a dead end. You need to go back and save them!”
He stops just in front of her when all of a sudden she disappears and nothing is there except for a few books lying on the floor between the two book cases. He picks them up as well and continues to head from the book cases and sits at a table to sit down and browse through the books. The first book he looks through is the one that he picked up before picking up the other books that Christine’s appearance had dropped before he left the book cases.
Flipping over the pages he sees some images of some tropical fish that aren’t what he is really looking for at this time. He scrolls through as fast as he can feeling that maybe he is wasting his time. Then suddenly he closes that book and opens another that he picked up off of the floor. He flips through some pages and sees some images of Mars Creatures. Most of them seem to be from a Science Fiction Group or list that is unknown. While looking over some more pages he sees some pictures of some Mars dust mites that are small green like bugs with lots of legs. The picture shows them hovering over some space debris that resembles an asteroid.
A couple of pages over and some images of space avaris come in to plain view. There is a picture of some Science Fiction creatures that takes hold of his interest. One of the pictures shows a blue space avaris although there isn’t a name for the species. Then he sees a picture of a red space avaris that has no name for the creature as well.
He keeps up his search through the book which just turns to some other space images of galaxies and constellations that lead to nowhere for him. Next he turns to some of the Tropical Fish books that he had chosen and flips passed them as fast as he can with no triumph. A few more minutes fly on by until he pitches his way through all of the books finding nothing of the liking to the trace of luck with the search.
Soon he gives up and looks back at the book from the floor that he picked up taking another browse at the blue and red space avaris that Christine perhaps must have thrown before him. Afterwards he closes the book and heads back to the book shelf and walks between the book cases to put the books back. He finds the proper place of the books that he searched and found the call numbers for. On the other hand the other books give him a bit more difficulty finding where they were placed on the book shelf considering that there are no call numbers. Taking another look at the books binding he realizes it’s no use and places the books back on the shelf next to a book end marker.
Turning he walks away the way he entered when he first came in between the book cases. Looking up he sees Christine again as an apparition standing blocking his way. She stands there holding a book that she closes and sets back on the shelf. She turns to Avery and says, “It’s too late, you’re one of them. You are part of an evolutionary change. The pictures were part of a similar species from space. It’s the only way I could show you what you really are now. You must go back and spawn the creation mutation.”
Avery can only stare and watch her replying, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Then suddenly Christine fades away and a Security Guard is standing behind where she was standing asking, “Can I help you?”
Avery turns his head away stating, “No, they don’t have the book I’m looking for!”
The Security Guard turns his body a bit leaving enough room for Avery to walk past him beyond the book shelves. Avery walks past him and continues to walk away like he’s leaving the Public Library. The Security Guard watches and follows him out towards the front entrance. Luckily Avery had the cap and sunglasses on while he was searching the Public Library information. Avery walks out the front entrance and then the Security Guard gets on a radio and calls to someone. Avery turns back and notices the actions of the Security Guard giving him away. After Avery rounds the corner he runs and heads down the street as fast as he possibly can without bringing any more attention to himself.
Making a few bends and turns through some small blocks Avery approaches a canal system and makes his way down the side road made of dirt. Just when he turns a police vehicle comes up from behind with the lights on and no siren. The Police Officer gets out and says, “Stop!”
Avery turns around a little and looks for a second or two. Then all of a sudden he dashes towards the canal and dives in with back pack and all. The Police Officer runs over to the edge of the canal bank looking, although Avery has gone under water. At first the Police Officer sees some bubbles float to the surface until another couple of moments go by and everything on the surface seems to disappear. He walks along the canal for a few yards while calling on the radio but there is no sign of him anywhere. The Police Officer heads back to his Police Car and drives along the canal bank to the next intersection with no further signs of life from Avery. On the radio the Police Officer dispatches, “Need back up at the Project Canal, I have a perpetrator on the run in the canal!”
The dispatcher replies, “Is that what you call it?”
The Police Officer answers back on the radio dispatch really quick saying, “Okay, a swim!”
The radio dispatcher verifies the story, “And what was he stopped for?”
The Police Officer explains why he stopped him a little further saying to the radio dispatcher, “There was a report from the Public Library about a strange looking individual that was sort of pale wearing a hat and sunglasses trying to hide his identity. His face was puffy with tight rounded lips and his forehead was abnormal. The report also indicated that his head was square and he had web like hands which frightened few people.”
The radio dispatcher decides to send back up to the Project Canal location, “Back up is on the way. There was also a report about a patient escaping from the city hospital yesterday that was hurt. The sightings may be linked. Hold your position along the canal bank until back up arrives.”
The Police Officer wonders more about the alleged patient from the city hospital asking, “This individual had a back pack when he dove in.”
The radio dispatcher makes another comment to the Police Officer dispatching, “he may be armed and dangerous. Keep your distance.”
The Police Officer looks to the Project Canal with no signs of the individual telling the radio dispatcher, “He still hasn’t come to the surface yet!”
The radio dispatcher informs the Police Officer, “There is an emergency response team on the way. I’ll also dispatch an extraction team to the location.”
The Police Officer confirms the order from the radio dispatcher replying, “Ten-four!”
CHAPTER SIX
The scientists are at the pond with the area completely blocked off. Dr. Waters have a specimen in an aquarium which he and Dr. Kill Pond are studying. A third scientist named Dr. X approaches wondering what the species happens to be asking, “So what do we have here?”
Then Dr. Waters picks up a fossilized bone skeleton of the ancient species while answering vastly, “According to the sample sea species specimen, we have a species belonging to the kingdom of anamalia, class a-varin, avarin, group a-vari, avari, and name a-varis, avaris, but better known as “avaris,” that is similar to the word avarice which dictionary definition means rich! (Basically if you cross out the bird with a deck of cards which would implicate being rich, then the species would be better known as avarice.”)
Next Dr. Kill Pond takes a closer look at the specimen pondering, “Does it have any symmetry?”
Afterwards Dr. Waters retorts back saying, “Symmetry the species has none, except for the fact that it has an intersected spine if you want to be thorough with the matter. However it’s not like a Cephalopod or Brachiopod which has a spiral symmetry. Let’s not mistake the fact that its scientific name is derived from the fact that they are A-Varis or in other words a virus that must be exterminated. The name mustn’t be confused with the Aves bird species.”
Then Dr. X gets ready to turn ready to do the rough duties of killing them all of course simplifying, “Are we going to do an extraction, or kill the mothers?”
Following Dr. Kill Pond answers back, “We are going to have to kill them, what other choices do we have?”
Finally Dr. Waters explains the matter to the other scientists informing them both, “They are a mutated form of avaris species unlike the space avaris we encountered from the Voyager Mission pictures that were classified as Top Secret discovered along with the dust mites that clung to the spacecraft when it returned. This species is somehow a mutation of the algae’s we studied which changed from the pig fat levees that leaked in to the shores on the east coast. So we have to kill them. Their stings are very lethal and deadly. In fact we all have a few sting marks from them just by observing them very closely.”
Dr. Kill Pond looks at her hand from when she touched the glass of the tank rattling, “Yes, that is a fact. I have a couple on both of my hands just from touching the tank glass. It seems they can sting from a nearby distance.”
Dr. X looks at his arms seeing a few red marks on both as well as Dr. Waters and Dr. Kill Pond. Looking at his hands too he shrills, “I even have some on the back of my hands also.”
Dr. Kill Pond takes a hand mirror out to look at her face because it seems that the hammerhead avarice (Avaris) is stinging them all as they speak. Noticing one on her nose and under her left eye she shrieks, “On no, I even have one on my nose and under my eye.”
Dr. Waters looks to himself in the reflection from the glass of the tank realizing that a few more have appeared on his neck. Quickly he becomes agitated saying, “I think it’s time to pull the plug.”
Dr. X pushes a button with his right hand that is connected to a voltage surge that electrocutes the hammerhead avaris inquiring, “Don’t you mean add the plug?”
Dr. Kill Pond pulls the mirror away from her face with an angry look answering, “If that’s what you call it?”
A moment later, Dr. Waters and Dr. Kill Pond jump back with a few more stings just before the hammerhead avaris swims and sways around fanatically trying to dodge the electricity before finally floating to the top of the tank. Dr. X continues to hold on to the button for a moment longer before letting go. After another moment Dr. X steps back a foot or so staring at the tank with something on his mind.
Then Dr. Waters turns all of the way around looking out to the pond wondering what they should do to remove the hammerhead avaris commanding, “Set the surges and let’s get to work!”
Then Dr. X picks up a radio and calls to other scientists commanding, “Set the surges and light up the waters.”
At that moment a few other scientists exit their command post and head to different spots on the pond with surges to try electrocuting the hammerhead avaris to removing them for the pond before the extraction.
Then we turn to the scene with Avery swimming in the Project canal to the outskirts of the city limits to reach his furthest destination point as close as he can come to the pond. Reaching another Project Canal restricted drop Avery stops and swims to the side to find a stairwell to exit the waterway without having to climb his way out.
The Project Canal is pretty deep at the point he is at and the cement walls are even steeper. The water level is about five feet down from the top of the crest. Avery sees a stairwell about thirty feet further in the direction that he is heading and swims over towards it to climb out. When he makes his way out he stops and starts to cough up some water from his lungs from the long duration of the swim. He stands there for a minute while leaning over after dropping his back pack to the ground. Mouths full of water come from out of his lungs which are still adjusting from the evolutionary change that he has encountered.
While still coughing he thinks about he has swam his way so far without even having to come up for a breath. He pulls his shirt away from his chest looking for some further changes to his body and finds none. Then he places his hands on his neck and finds nothing different of the sort around that area as well. After thinking it over for another second or two he realizes how his nose really hurts pretty bad and the back of the brain kind of like when you get some water in your nose.
He places his hand on his nose and rubs it around until he feels how it has been running slightly. Obviously he hasn’t adjusted completely all of the way as of yet. Anyhow he blows his nose clear and looks to his back pack with watery eyes and then tries to look at where he is at. The area is pretty unknown to him about now. He really isn’t sure where he is at. Nevertheless he looks to some mountains off in the far distance realizing that he has still a far distance to travel.
He starts walking still fairly drenched from the long swim he had encountered. Staring straight ahead he looks off in to the distance and sees some cars on a highway passing by. He isn’t sure what road or highway that is that he is looking and gazing off to, although he’s pretty sure he still has a long ways to go. Luckily his lungs are adjusted to the aquatic life in the water and the other life of his within the environment of the air.
Anyways he keeps on the mustering walk towards the highway trying to make his way in the direction of the pond that is still many miles away. He looks back to the Project Canal wishing there was another canal that went in the direction he is heading to his destination. Then he turns back the other way shrugging his back pack which is still dripping water to his shoulder.
After a while he makes his way to the highway that is still heavily traveled upon. He stops and hides behind some trees and brush that sets a little ways from the highway. A few cars and other vehicles cross and scatter by in both directions. For a minute or two he waits until the coast is clear for him to cross and stay unseen. He doesn’t want to arouse any unwanted negative attention to himself at this time because he just wants to make his way back to the scene of the incident without any trouble.
He steps across another few fields before returning to Green Highway at the spot he was when he first flagged the first emergency responders. He crosses the highway and makes his way over to the dirt road leading to the pond a little ways ahead. Continuing on for another hundred yards he sees some vehicles parked around the pond with the area blocked off completely. He decides to stop heading that way and hides behind some nearby bushes a ways back. Keeping out of sight he tries to get the best view possible without drawing any unwanted attention again. However he’s curious to find out what has happened since he has been gone. To him they are still there trying to deal with a problem of perhaps trying to rid the waters of the pond from the evolutionary creatures.
Thinking alone briefly, Avery says out loud, “Looks like they’re still here! I need to try and get closer so I can see what they are doing here still. They’ve been her for days. I’m sure they are still looking for me so I have to keep out of sight because I don’t want any trouble. If they see me they will come after me again and chase me down but I don’t want that to happen again.”
Quickly he scurries his way over to another set of bushes that are closer to a few trees over towards the rear of the pond. He scoots down as low as he can leaning his head out from behind the tree scoping out the mere scene saying, “They have lots of vehicles out there kind of blocking the view. I need to try and get closer somehow.”
At the scene about fifty or so yards off the scientists are ready to electrocute the pond after a bad scene happened from trying to catch one alive. Lying on a stretcher is one scientist who was attacked by one without any actual physical contact with him. It seems that many red sting marks have appeared rapidly unlike ever before. Laying there motionless it seems like he had some sort of frenzy attack of large purple wasps or something like a killer bee attack. However these avaris stings are far more lethal because they take at least five years to heal. The skin becomes red from the venom which neurologically kills the skin with a numbness and total loss of feeling around the area.
While lying there immobile and unable to move Dr. Kill Pond says to one of the other agents lying there in the stretcher, “Look at you, lying there like you can’t take it!”
Dr. X pulls the trigger of an Electric Taser of 50,000 volts. While zapping a few jolts Dr. X says, “Electrocute the sons of bitches.”
Dr. Waters walks back outside from the control tent with a nine millimeter lifting it up towards the pond. As quick as he raises it, five rounds are dislodged from the clip through the chamber splashing in to the pond one after another as quick as he can pull the trigger. Then he takes a six shot dislodging another with some anger yelling, “Die mothers!”
Avery hears the gunshots from afar getting anxious to move in closer but hesitates responding, “What’s that all about? What’s it hunting season or something?”
Dr. Kill Pond becomes fiercely agitated right off the club commanding, “Put that gun away! What are you crazy? We don’t want any unwanted attention!”
Dr. Waters puts the gun down with a slow response while saying, “I have sting marks all over. Just fry the darn things!”
Dr. Kill Pond takes the affirmative approach to the matter as calculated by affirming, “We will go ahead as planned and try our new highly developed ich toxin with rotenone.”
Dr. Waters replies quickly correlating, “You mean the ichthyocthereol?”
Dr. Kill Pond comes back quickly with a superior line telling him, “Yes, what other choice do we have? We must inject the pond with the fungal toxins immediately and render this pond useless for six months.”
Meanwhile Avery has been making his way a little closer without being seen commenting lightly, “I don’t see anyone maybe I should get a little closer.”
He runs ahead again over to the side of the where some bushes are thicketed. Quickly he ducks down and tries to get the best view without being noticed. While looking out from the far end of the pond Avery sees the scientist standing about where his car was parked when he first came that day.
He notices a few tanks sitting next to the shore of the pond right where he had dragged his friend Ski to shore after the initial attack. There are at least four of them sitting next to the pond. Wondering what they are Avery says to himself, “I wonder what those canisters are for, looks like they are up to something!”
At about that time Dr. Kill Pond exits the science lab that has been set up for the occasion. She looks to two other scientists who are waiting for the go ahead. Firmly Dr. Kill Pond informs the two scientists, “Ready to contaminate the pond and exterminate them all.”
One of the scientists Dr. Walker walks over towards the tanks that have hoses fastened to the side leading to the pond. The scientist asks, “How many do you want to administer?”
Dr. Kill Pond replies boldly, “All of it, every last drop!”
The second accompanying scientists Dr. Rivers declare, “We’ll have to close the whole pond down due to contamination!”
Dr. Kill Pond gives another order, “I don’t care, and then close the darn pond for crying out loud!”
Then Dr. Rivers brings a fact to mind right as he places his hand upon the valve to open the draining hose, “What about the other tributaries, they’ll be contaminated too?”
Dr. Kill Pond becomes more furious and agitated saying, “Then closes all of the ponds for all I care. Just empty it all will you?”
Finally Dr. Rivers opens the valve while Dr. Walkers places his hand on the other valve on the other tank and opens it full blast. Right then Dr. Walker says, “Take that you mutable aliens!”
Dr. Rivers starts to talk logically adding, “Come on, they aren’t a mutation; they are an evolved fish that tend to dominate their entire habitat to the verge of extinction to everything in their path except for algae.”
Dr. Walker brings only the mere facts to mind shrilling, “That’s because they are a mutation from the algae!”
Dr. Rivers has his own theories in mind considering the classification of the species tallying, “They have no proof to that. They are a species that has become a part of the evolutionary processes of our planet.”
Dr. Walker thinks about some of the stings he has received since he has come to this pond quibbling, “Well, either way, they are dangerous having a nasty sting to them. And I hope they don’t evolve onto land by growing legs.”
Dr. Rivers thinks about the specimens they have caught uttering, “That’s not going to happen in our lifetime. Anyhow look on the bright side; we have a few specimens to study. What else do we need?”
Right then, Avery’s overhears what they’ve said barley like his ears have become even keener than before. Thinking what to do Avery says to himself, “Looks like they’re contaminating the lake with some sort of poison of some kind!”
Now Avery decides to get out of there thinking about other ponds and water outlets leading to the ponds separated by thickets of algae. Ready to get a move on Avery says, “What about the other ponds that are connected by watercourses?”
Immediately Avery gets ready to turn saying, “Time to get out of here!”
Avery turns and walks a few steps before hearing a snapping noise behind him, “Crick.” Then a voice murmurs from besides him, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Avery turns seeing a scientist like figure dressed and plated out with a protective suit designed for hazardous waste and contamination clean-ups. In his hand is some type of stun gun that he has never seen before. Looks a lot bigger than anything he’s seen in the past. Of course he has never been stung or zapped by one neither. Recognizing him the scientist says on the PA system built in to his protective gear, “Caught him, west side of the pond!”
Dr. Kill Pond replies back on the PA system informing, “Bring him back!”
Then Avery feels something press against his back and another command, “Turn around!”
Avery turns around looking at the scientist standing there in his protective gear. He keeps his hands up while looking straight at him while another voice carries on saying, “This way!”
Avery starts to step towards him in the direction of the command center. Once he gets a few steps closer to the scientist Avery turns and pushes him while smacking him on the leg. Quickly Avery turns and jumps in to the pond while the scientist falls back on rear while resting down on his knees. Avery splashes in and swims away from the west side of the pond. Immediately the scientist gets back on his feet while dispatching a message back declaring, “He escaped and jumped in to the pond!”
Dr. Kill Pond’s voice overwhelms the matter because she replies, “Let him go!”
The scientist comes back with another report telling Dr. Kill Pond, “He’s swimming out towards the middle of the pond.”
Dr. Kill Pond asks the scientist a question seeking more information on how he appeared when he saw him asking, “How did he look?”
The scientist replies, “He looked different, like he may be undergoing some sort of mutation.”
Dr. Kill Pond thinks for a second before giving another command advising, “He may be infected by the incident. Search the rear of the pond and see if you can catch sight of him.”
The scientist affirms the action by saying, “Ten-four!”
The scientist starts to head towards the rear side of the pond at a steady pace. Meanwhile Avery swims out towards the middle of the pond and then back to the rear by another tributary leading to another adjacent pond through a stretch of trees. He swims as fast as he possibly can trying to make his way out of the pond before the contamination affects the pond with their highly developed toxin.
Once Avery makes his way to the other tributary, he pushes his way through the walls of algae separating the two. The channel is deep filled with mass accumulations of algae that has grown in over the years. About that time the scientist arrives to the rear of the pond missing sight of Avery. He turns and head towards the channel as Avery slips past and disappears in to the thickened algae covering the top of the channel. Avery continues swimming underneath camouflaging himself to make a full escape.
The scientist calls back on the PA system to Dr. Kill Pond reporting, “No sign of him, he could be anywhere!”
Dr. Kill Pond commands him to keep looking, “Keep looking while we induce the toxins! I’ll send you some back-up.”
The scientist quickly replies saying, “Ten-four!”
Dr. Kill Pond looks at another two scientists commanding, “Back him up and check the rear of the pond. We don’t want him to get away.”
Meanwhile Avery is making his way through the tributary which is connected to another pond a few hundred yards away. He enters an area in the tributary where there are lilies and sphagnum mosses over grown giving him some camouflage from intruders.
After another moment the scientists gather together in search for Avery who they think may be on the run somewhere at the very rear of the pond. One of the scientists asks the other, “Any sight of him?”
The other scientist answers, “No, let’s try our infra-red and search the swamp heading to the other pond!”
The first scientist declares, “There’s a few swamps connected together. He could hide in any one of them.”
The other scientist says, “Let’s just search as far as the other pond because we don’t want to get too far away from base camp.”
At this point Avery has swum a little further entering the other pond while the other scientists are still a ways back behind him. Swimming in to the middle of the other pond which has sort of a different ecosystem Avery says to him, “That was close. Now they know I’m around so I better keep out of sight. I shouldn’t have moved in so close to their camp. That one I trampled is heading back this way. Maybe I should wait and set a trap if he comes this way unless they send more back-up with him.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Moments later the first scientist stops ready to grab something from a supply kit he has fastened to his suit to carry instrumental gear. Looking quietly towards the pond he says, “Let me try my infra-red goggles. They work excellent on these critters. Then we can try to catch him!”
The other scientist thinks for a moment while the first scientist puts on his night vision goggles on suggesting, “Why don’t we just wait for him when he comes back?”
The first scientist starts to answer back with an assurance, “He’s isn’t coming back. We have to go after him! He’s inflicted with the virus somehow and may be mutating slowly in to one of them somehow!”
The other scientist replies with a sense of fear even though he had never laid eyes on the infected Avery anyways saying, “Well, we can’t just go out there swimming for him. What are you out of your mind?”
At about that time the first scientist has his infra-red goggles on looking out to the pond which is separate from the other pond by a narrow passage filled with moss and algae growing thickly from the bottom. Quickly the first scientist scrambles, “Wait! I see a large red object fading in and out from the far end of the other side.”
“Inside or outside of the pond,” the other scientist asks with an overwhelming curiosity.
The first scientist retorts back with an unnerving response, “Underneath the water……. I think!”
“What’s it doing? How far out?” The other scientist asks getting a feeling of unease.
The first scientist tries to calm his eagerness by eluding, “Wait!”
“He’s moving!” The first scientist declares.
The other scientist asks again, “Which way?”
The first scientist responds without any further hesitation as the large red image illuminating the image of a form moving towards them in a swaying motion, “This way. He’s heading right towards us!”
The other scientist replies back slightly breathless, “How far out?”
“Wait! He stopped!” The first scientist says while watching closely to the distraught waters of the pond that wave little rippling sounds.
“Can you see him still with the night scopes?” The other scientist asks with a sense of fear coming over him while he stares off in to the pond.
“He’s right there underneath the water about seven feet,” the first scientist discloses softly without mustering much of a distraught sounding voice.
The other scientist queries with much concern, “How is he staying under the water without coming up for any air?”
Of course this is the first paranormal activity within his career so he has a tendency to be cautious. The first scientist answers his question by saying, “He has mutated and developed a way of adapting to this environment in a scientific construct.”
The other scientist adds to the tense conversation, “So what are you saying, he has grown gills?”
The first scientist replies again telling the other, “Maybe, I didn’t get a real good look at him. As soon as he turned around he pushed me and dove in to the pond.”
The other scientist makes another comment shrilling, “Do you think he can hear us?”
The first scientist answers back saying, “I doubt it. The pond is probably at least eight to ten feet deep right there I would think.”
The other scientist asks, “Can you still see him?”
The first scientist replies again, “He’s just floating in there!”
The other scientist thinks for a moment staring off in to the pond eluding, “How we going to catch him?”
The first scientist asks the other scientist, “Do you have your Electric Taser with you?”
The other scientist quells, “You want to electrocute him as soon as he comes out?”
The first scientist suggests, “If he exits we have no other choice!”
The other scientist thinks for another moment saying, “It doesn’t look like he’s going to come out unless we provoke him somehow!”
“Well, if he does I hope he knows what a circumcision is because I’m going to jolt his nuts off,” the first scientist says with a bit of a sarcastic attitude towards the whole scenario.
“We’re going to have to provoke him somehow!” The other scientist says while pondering it over for a second or so.
The first scientist comes with an idea to throw something in the water to make a rippling disturbance. Bringing this to the other scientist’s attention he prompts, “Throw something in the water and distract him.”
The other scientist replies, “Throw what, I don’t have anything to throw. There aren’t any rocks around, how about I try to jolt the water with the Electric Taser.”
“I doubt that will do anything, he’s too far out.” The first scientist jargons with a sense of doubt to driving Avery out that way.
“Well, let me try anyway. What choice do we really have without anything to throw at him at this point?” The other scientist responds while kneeling down to try.
Quickly he kneels down next to the pond and places his Electric Taser towards the water slightly. Once he has placed it close enough he looks to the first scientist saying, “Ready! One, two, three,” he counts which ends in the repulse of his hand ready to make the initiative. Immediately he squeezes his hand and lets out a ripping jolt the sparks the water next to his hand.
Without hesitation and any warning Avery lunges at him faster than a fish snatching a piece of bait fastened to a hook. The first scientist sees the infra-red image moves exceptionally fast when he declares, “Watch it!”
The other scientist steps back while pulling his hand and the Electric Taser way from the water of the pond. The first scientist says, “He just lunged at you!”
Just then a wave of water pushes closer to where the scientist was kneeling down to jolt the water. The other scientist stands up and says, “That was close. It seems like he just swam by and turned maybe.”
The first scientist keeps his steady eye on the subject known as Avaris Man for a moment. Then all of a sudden, his infra-red goes dark. Quickly he declares, “I lost him!”
The other scientist is still kneeling there with a sense of fear looking, “You lost him?”
The first scientist adds, “Everything went dark, and he just blended in or took off, perhaps.”
The other scientist gets nervous and starts to stand up slowly, “I wonder where he’s at?”
The first scientist comes back in to focus with Avaris Man asserting, “Wait, he’s back!”
The other scientist nearly standing to his feet says, “Where?”
The first scientist pronounces, “He’s right there!”
Without warning a surge of water rises as a hand reaches out and grabs the other scientist by the ankle pulling him in to the pond. Quickly he falls to his back and is dragged in and under the pond as the first scientist panics pulling his night vision away from his face. The first scientist lets the night shades go and they fall down to the ground. He reaches for the radio to call back to the headquarter station prompting, “Man down, man down!”
Dr. Kill Pond is watching a computer monitor with a radio next to it. She turns to the other scientist who have just arrived commanding, “Go fetch that son of a bitch!”
Meanwhile the first scientist has turned his lantern flashlight on. He points it towards the water looking for signs or traces of his friend without that night vision gear getting in his way. He shifts the lantern flashlight from side to side seeing no signs. There’s nothing but sight ripples in the pond water except for a few schools of Avaris that have swam over from the disturbance. The scientist remains calm for a second as he hears some Air Boat motors kicking over in the distance.
He turns towards the camp and then turns back the other way after hearing the crick of a small branch right next to him. He shifts the lantern flashlight the other way and there is Avaris Man standing there right before him. The first scientist drops the light and everything goes dark as the light bounces to the ground. Then all of a sudden a whipping sound is heard along with another loud splash as the light bounces around a few more frames like a strobe light over the scene.
Immediately, Avaris Man remains under the water just when the Air Boats arrive to see both scientists floating on the water with Avaris swimming around both dead floating corpses. Another Air Boat speeds by which has some radar, sonar, and infra-red approaches. The Air Boat zooms in on his location like a fishing boat with a harpoon twirling in circles around a fixed location upon the pond. The Air Boat continues spinning around in circles while one of the scientists tries to throw out a cast net.
Fast like a fish catching a hook a hand reaches out of the water grabbing onto the casting net. Rapidly the net is pulled under with the casting scientist falling in right behind the casting net once he had initially stepped off his balance. Hurriedly Avaris Man takes him under and jolts him one good one. Just then the Air Boat continues in another round and slows down to a stop as the Air Boat driver grabs a shot gun and takes quick aim in to the net still partially floating there on the water.
Back at the side of the pond watching from the other end with binoculars Dr. Kill Pond declares, “Oh dear, looks like we have a mess on our hands!”
Then all of a sudden there is a pause while the Air Boat driver stands there waiting to take another pop shot. Then again a hand reaches out and grabs the end of the barrel pulling both the shotgun and driver under the water. The Air Boat starts speeding up turning right in to the other Air Boat knocking the driver in to the pond.
Immediately the other boat stops as he scrambles and climbs back aboard with a slipping hand. After a struggle he makes his way half way back onto the Air Boat as a stinging sensation rips at his gear. Luckily he made it out without any facial or hands scars, although the Avaris have been disturbed and are swarming around the dead bodies by now.
Once he gets aboard he resumes to the rescue by looking for the dispatch radio. By now Avaris man has decided to leave the area through the other water tributaries leading their way to other ponds. The scientist finds the dispatch radio to make a call back to the base camp saying, “Headquarters, he escaped!”
Dr. Kill Pond gets on the dispatch radio, “I know, you idiot! We have to reorganize an extraction team. Regroup and come back to base.”
The scientist replies back exhaustedly, “Ten-four!”
Avaris Man has entered another pond and has come to shore to rest for a moment. He crawls upon shore and lays there for a second pondering, “That’ll teach them all to mess with me!”
He lays back and rests for a while with the sounds of crashing and banging still ringing in his ears, although it’s starting to fade in and out now. Lying there like a leach on a shore, Avaris Man passes out for a little while. Then again it seems that maybe he has drifted in to a sort of dream of where this hallucination of his turning life could mystically end up. Nonetheless more time passes while he lies there in a sort of motionless state until the sounds of a vehicle approaching off in the far or near distance. The roaring engine sounds become louder and louder until they rev down and stop.
Avaris Man quickly sits up piercing his head up over the grass strands that line the edge of the connecting pond tributaries. The headlights gleam over the pond and then shut off as a few people jump from what appears to be the back of a pick-up truck. Next both driver and passenger doors opens as three more individuals jump out and head towards the pond. The sounds of splashing are heard from the other side of the connecting pond offshoots.
Immediately Avaris Man slithers his way back in to the pond for a closer look bringing him back in to the prowling waters. He makes his way fatly and quietly to the other end of the pond. Meanwhile the patrons are enjoying themselves swimming a ways in the pond just in front of where they parked. One of the swimmers is a female named Carrie who is splashing water at her friend Lisa who is swimming a few feet away. She continues splashing and wallowing water at her repeatedly. Then she turns from her friend commanding, “Cut it out for a second!”
That moment Carrie is pulled under the water of the pond in a flash of a second notice which leaves her breathless and helpless. Avaris Man jolts her right side with a swiping hit leaving her floating underneath the water. Her friend catches her cool thinking now that she has stopped for her preciousness, nevertheless when she turns her friend isn’t there. There are only the remnants of bubbles surfacing the top of the pond.
Lisa turns completely looking for her through the bubbles that continue to burst upon the top uppermost part of the surface. Paddling in confusion she utters aloud to the others, “Where’s Carrie?”
One of the other guys named Jay swimming next to them answers, “I thought she was right there?”
Another swimming friend named Mike comments, “She was right next to you last!”
Lisa replies, “She was just right there splashing water at me. Then I turned away and back and she was gone, but there were bubbles coming up.”
Jay has a comment to make despite the relevance of the matter toting, “It’s probably one of her gags. You know she used to be on the High School Swim Team and stuff. She’s probably down there holding her breath or swam over to shore to flank us and freak us out!”
Mike adds another statement adding, “She’s down there swimming to the other side of the pond to scare us all!”
Lisa gets pre-disturbed a bit thinking he’s out of his freaking mind is all that’s the matter. Anyhow she answers back saying, “Yeah right, she’s probably drowning or something!”
Jay retorts, “So, what do you want me to do about it?”
Lisa wants to see if she’s drowning anyhow commanding, “Just swim down there where the bubbles are and see if she’s down there is all, alright?”
Mike thinks she’s preposterous, “That sounds ridiculous!”
Jay becomes very alarmed and as well agitated to her ordering him around saying, “Fine, whatever!”
Jay swims over to where she was at commenting, “I don’t see any bubbles now!”
Mike gets back to his own point, “That’s because she swam to the other side I bet!”
Lisa gets responsive telling him, “Just swim down right there and see if she’s alright!”
Jay gets angry and worried at the same time balking, “Okay, hold on a minute!”
Jay takes a breath and swims under the surface of the water right where she supposedly was when she was last seen. He swims under holding his breath waving his hands around back and forth while swimming deeper and deeper in the pond. More time goes by as he continues the feeling in the dark and foggy depths of the pond. Then suddenly he feels something that feels like a hand grabs him by the shorts. He stops and feels his hand thoroughly in the area. At first he feels nothing and then all of sudden he feels a hand that feels sort of like a female which makes him panic right away thinking that it’s her. He pulls her hand while he gasps the last reserve of his breath to where he’s going to have to take in water if he doesn’t rise to the surface quickly. But then for some reason she doesn’t seem to budge like something was holding her back.
Next in a flash something slithers passed him brushes up against his rib cage in a hard thumping knock which throws him the other direction down even deeper. Immediately he loses his breath and is succumbed for just like all of the others who cross in his path or those who path he crosses.
At the surface Carrie’s friend Lisa is waiting for the both of them and getting no sign from her male friend Jay. Nonetheless there are the sounds of bubbles barely coming to the surface and stop. Another moment passes as they diminish in to nothing as she describes, “What’s taking him so long?”
Mike has no idea what to expect now. It seems they both have been down under the water to long. Being unsure of what to think Mike says, “I don’t know, what happened?”
Lisa thinks that this doesn’t make very much sense and that something is up because the both of them are under the water drowning or maybe there’s a under current maybe. Starting to freak out a bit she balks, “Something had to of happened to them. The water is just to still.”
Mike listens with a keen ear to the matter, “It’s too quiet and I don’t hear anything.”
Lisa thinks that maybe they should both get out of the pond just in case there’s trouble in there with them proclaiming, “Maybe we should get out of the pond and wait!”
Mike is confused as to what to wait for with them both waiting outside of the pond while Carrie and Jay are somewhere inside the pond drowning or playing a prank. Mike admits to her that that sounds stupid saying, “And do what, sit there and wait for them to sneak up on us from behind. They must have planned this before we even arrived here I bet!”
Lisa wants to get out of the pond anyhow and not take a chance, “I’m getting out anyways, and I don’t like this.”
Mike thinks about how Jay has the keys to his truck with him anyhow and that they are merely stuck there gabbling, “Well, we’re stuck here until they quit messing around or gagging us. They probably swam to the other side to get laid and they’re watching us laughing.”
Lisa starts swimming out of the pond faster yelling, “I’m getting out now!”
Lisa continues paddling her way to the muddy shore to where she can finally feel her feet and start to stand up. Mike starts to make another comment uttering, “At least they could give us a………….”
Then all of a sudden Mike’s sentence cuts off and only a gasping sound is heard by Lisa which sounds like a regurgitated gulp for air. Lisa then turns back suddenly to notice just another swallowing effect of air. It is then followed by a slight undertow of bubbles bursting out and disappearing away.
Lisa steps back towards where he was last at in the pond when she saw him saying, “Mike, where are you?”
Lisa takes another step in to the pond while splashing her hands sideways calling, “Mike, are you there?”
At that time a hand pierces out from the pond just barely splashing the surface of the pond and then submerges once again really fast like. Lisa steps back with fear calling out again although this time even more frantically than the previous time shrilling, “Mike, are you alright?”
Momentarily another thrust of water pushes up and the rest remains all but silent. Lisa turns and tries to walk as fast as she can out of the thickened mud of the pond. She continues to make her way out further towards the shore. Immediately she starts to panic and then glances back again scrambling up, “Where did he go, what just happened? Oh God, where is everyone?”
Lisa looks out to the pond holding her stomach with both of her arms wrapped around herself like she were cold and scared saying, “There’s got to be someone else out there with them. They didn’t just all disappear by themselves.”
At that moment she begins to step backwards watching the pond. After several more steps Lisa back right in to the front end of Jay’s pick-up truck. She leans against the bumper and starts to slide around towards the passenger side’s passenger door. She opens the passenger side door and stares at the pond through the passenger door window. After another quick glance out to the pond she gets inside the truck and closes the passenger door of the pick-up truck.
While sitting inside she struggles around searching for anything of help inside the cab of the pick-up truck. She finds a cell phone and opens it up to where it lights up. A sound is heard near the hood of the truck. She looks but doesn’t see anything there. Quickly she reaches her hand over towards the steering column and feels her hand around for the front headlights. When she finds the blinker switch she pulls the lever back clicking the headlights on but nothing happens. Straightaway she realizes that she needs the key to the truck to turn the headlights on. Pulling her hand back she feels a flashlight on a console below the dashboard. She takes it and shines it towards the front of the pick-up truck while closing up the cell phone.
A grim image of a deranged figure is standing there at a distance in the pond. She keeps the light shining forth on the image of a figure and continues to stare sighing, “What the hell is that?”
She keeps the flashlight on the pond through the windshield aimed at the deranged figure lurking there in the midst of her missing friends. Shining the light forth she says to herself, “Who or what the hell is that standing over there? That doesn’t look like Jay or Mike. Looks more like the Creature from the Black Lagoon or something? I’ve never seen anything this strange before, it’s just standing there staring or something.”
She pulls the light away from the pond for a moment shining away from the abnormal figure lurking off out in the mere distance. Quickly she aims the flashlight around the cab of the pick-up truck looking for something to protect herself with from whatever is stalking her from the waters. Looking around the cab she finds a flathead screwdriver that is pretty long and thick enough to do some damage. Next to it she finds a pair of pliers that she can fit in the back pocket of her cut off shorts she’s wearing for this swimming trip. Lastly she puts the pliers in her back pocket and starts to search around the cab of the pick-up truck some more.
Next she shines the flashlight back at the console of the pick-up finding nothing. She moves the flashlight over discovering the glove box that she had forgotten as a last resort. Hurriedly she opens it while shining the flashlight with the right hand. Once she opens it she feels around searching for anything else she can find for her own personal protection. Still eyeing the glove box she finds a folded pocket knife with a four inch blade in it. She quickly takes it and holds it in her hand with the flashlight as she finishes up the briskly search of protective items for security. Scared and tense she closes the glove box and looks back out the windshield towards the pond.
She shines the flashlight through the windshield once again lighting up the pond. Focusing in that direction she notices that the strange character is no longer standing there out in the pond. Immediately she becomes even more frightened shining the fight all over the edge of the pond wondering where the unknown being has vanished to. Frightened what do to because everything has happened so fast to where time and the trouble of things has slipped through her fingers so to speak.
Thinking what to do with time lapsing by and having the unknowing sensation of her friends and their whereabouts Lisa opens the phone again to try and make an emergency call. She dials the emergency number 911 and the phone dials but cuts out after two rings. Obviously the batteries are low from her using it as a flashlight or maybe they were just dead from before or Jay never paid his phone bill. Either way she feels she is completely screwed although the light still works on the phone anyhow.
She turns it off beside the point considering she has the flashlight. Freaking out even more so now that she can’t call for help, she says softly, “Just great his phone doesn’t even work. They’re all out there somewhere attacked by some crazy looking fellow and I’m in here with a dead cell phone, a flashlight, screwdriver, pair of pliers, and a four-inch pocket knife.”
Becoming very intensely nervous and as well feeling defenseless over the unanticipated circumstance Lisa implores, “I’m going to have to make a run for it and get some help. Good thing I swam with my shoes on this time because I wouldn’t want to have to walk back down there to get them.”
“There could be a few strangers out there and it’s just a matter of time before they come here. So I better just take off and start running my rear off towards the road. Then just run as fast as I can down the road until someone drives by and wave them down with the flashlight and catch a ride hopefully,” she says with a desperate tone of voice.
Quickly she prepares herself by grouping everything she has in her hands in an organized fashion in order to make a quick darting run for the road to get out of there. Ready to dart out of the passenger door of the pick-up truck Lisa places her hand on the knob to the door lock of the pick-up truck. She lifts the knob up to unlock the passenger side door and then turns the door handle and cracks the passenger door knob upwards opening the passenger door. Just then the door flings open and a hand grabs her and she is thrown out of the cab with hard whipping welt of a sting and thrown to the ground. Completely unconscious Avaris Man grabs her by the feet and drags her body back to the pond as she wakes up barley before being dragged back in to the water and drowned to her retched death.
Just then another image catches Avaris Man’s eye from the pond. The image seems to be that of Christine who seems to be just staring back at him. He turns and there is Brook who attacks him causing him to let go of his grip of Lisa who is partial dragged in to the pond barely. Avaris Man makes his way back to the pond and swims away. Once in the water Ski pulls him by the feet trying to pull him further under the pond depths. Avaris Man fights and makes his way back to the surface where Christine grabs him by the arm pulling and tugging him. Avaris Man tugs away as she starts to scold him about his deeds lip syncing, “What have you done, leave her alone? Look at yourself you are a mutable organism adaptable to becoming a danger to others and your loved ones.”
Pushing away from the perils of Christine’s angry and haunting ghost, Avaris Man makes a final shove and then he escapes back in to the distant waters of the pond and leaves the scene. As he swims farther and farther away Brook, Ski, and Christine gather together staring in his direction as they all fade out submerging themselves in to the depths of the pond waters.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Immediately Lisa wakes from a slight black out that has struck her all so suddenly. She scatters side to side with a rampant sway as she lifts her head from out of the shallow edge of the pond and pulls herself all of the way to shore. Then quickly she tries to stammer onto her hands and knees crawling away barely as she hears the sounds of splashing right behind. Taking a brief glance back at the darkened pond waters, Lisa slowly scampers back to her feet and makes a run for it while falling back down here and there onto her hands. Each time she pushes and pulls herself back up to her feet again gaining more ground to her safety. Finally making it far enough away to feel that comfort zone where she feels she can escape the tragic circumstances.
Once she makes her way back besides the truck, Lisa stops and takes one last look back before turning to run for help. So far she has no other means of getting away from there, other than her own two feet. Nevertheless, she has no other choice considering that her friends are missing and that she has nearly been trampled over by some unknown entity. Though she realizes whatever it was it was no ordinary man by the looks of what quick flashing images whiplashed passed her eyes. And she knows that she has a good eye and knows what she saw, although she can’t really explain it in to words to herself. By this time she is nearly out of breath already and can do nothing more than try and make it to a phone or find someone nearby who can help.
Running as far away and as fast as she possibly can without stopping for another gleam or stare back in that direction, Lisa says to herself, “Whatever or whoever that was it didn’t look totally human. Looked like a cross between a seaman and a sea monster or something!”
Continuing to run as fast as she can to make her way to the frontage road which runs in to the main highway she repeats, “I haven’t seen anything like that since I watched any Sci-Fi shows whenever the last time that was. It’s better if I just make it to the strip mall up Green Highway a ways down outside of town.”
Making her way further passed the frontage road as a car passes by off in the distance she says out loud again, “Forget the Sci-Fi shows that was real like nothing I’ll ever forget. Some freak out there in the ponds like some sort of lure.”
Meanwhile back at the command post Dr. Kill Pond loads a special gun she has had developed for this special occasion. With the gun loaded and ready to go she sets it on the table next to a bunch of others ready as well. Looking to a few other scientists that have arrived recently she says, “Here’s an ichthyocthereol gun to get the job done right!”
One of the other scientists named Mark takes it and says, “No problem, I have a little something for him myself!”
The scientist Mark pulls out a can of pepper spray with some twist of something to special to add replying, “A can of pepper spray mixed with mace usually does the trick also!”
Dr. Kill Pond becomes a little bit sarcastic saying, “However, just find him and dispose of him!”
The scientist Mark thinks about how she hasn’t really done much retorting, “That’s easy for you to say, you aren’t going out after it like we are going to have to!”
Dr. Kill Pond takes the remark as a bit of witted sarcasm replying, “Well, if you all don’t do your job right, then I guess I will have to go out there and deal with it myself, now what do you think about that?”
Then the scientist Mark stops and stares a moment with a dumb founded look on his face while turning around looking at the responses of the other crew members in the room. Turning back Dr. Kill Pond asks, “Do you need a baby sitter? Why don’t I have Dr. Waters go with two of you, and make sure you don’t screw up this time?”
The scientist Mark thinks about that for a second adding, “We weren’t the screw ups that let him go in the first place!”
Dr. Kill Pond takes a deep breath before shrilling, “I know that, and that’s why I’m sending Dr. Waters along with two of you, he has a knack for these sorts of discrepancies! The other two will help with the cleanup. Gear up in wet suits and get to it. Salvage what you can out there.”
Dr. Waters thinks about what to do while arming himself with an array of the arsenal that they have available asking, “How are we going to track him down?”
Dr. Kill Pond gets a very serious look on her face while commanding, “I guess you will have to go on foot and be extra careful this time until we have more air boats on hand!”
The scientist Mark takes some infra-red goggles from the table saying, “We’re going to need more infra-red than this there are four of us!”
Dr. Kill Pond relates to his desire need for more equipment, although they don’t have it right now saying, “Well, that’s all we have right now until more supplies arrive and we weren’t prepared to make an immediate response with a rescue.”
Dr. X approaches from the side after monitoring the computer graphs of the toxic levels of the pond waters adding, “We didn’t expect any outside disturbances like this either, and we don’t want anyone like the local authorities knowing anything about any loose patient managing to return her to expose the media!”
Dr. Kill Pond thinks about how he has changed and transformed in to a mutable mutation saying, “Somehow he has been affected and changed by the attack. The venom has changed his state of being in to an altered state of physical consciousness and we would like to keep this pond drained of any information leaking out. In the meantime we will try and do what we can to overcome the situation.”
Dr. Waters adds a slight notion to mind exhilarating, “And for some reason he has come back to the ponds to adapt with his changing conformity of will, which he nonetheless has any power over.”
Dr. Kill Pond contemplates the fact that it is only a matter of time before he undergoes a complete transformation and becomes adapted to the new environment and surroundings expressing, “Eventually he will undergo a complete transformation and then he will adapt to his surroundings and this will make it harder to catch in a sense of speaking.”
Dr. X decides that it is rather time for them to get a move on balking, “We shouldn’t waste too much time waiting around leaving any survivors and allowing him get too far away!”
Dr. Waters decides to motivate the four other scientists saying, “I think we ought to get going while we still have a chance to locate his whereabouts out in the pond waterways.”
The other scientist Mark picks up a flashlight saying, “Ready, let’s go get that sucker!”
Another scientist with an eagerness to get on the move declares, “I’m ready to get on the move.”
The three of them leave ready to presume the search for Avery and his known transformation in to Avaris Man. The other two leave to make their way in to the other room of the command post to change. Once they change in to wet suits they can start with the clean up after the catastrophe that has just previously happened when Avaris Man was confronted. The first scientist to enter the room turns to the other saying, “So what’s your name?”
The scientist entering from behind him replies, “Tip!”
The first scientist entering the room laughs replying, “Tip, what kind of name is that, the tip of what?”
The second scientist answers back saying, “The tip of my fist and that dude’s face!”
“Well, my name is Dart by the way, is that really your name or we’re you just cracking a joke?” Dart says to him expecting another name in return as he picks a wet suit and lays it on a table in the center of the room..
“No, my name is Mike, I was just blowing a little steam having to go out there and rescue any wounded,” Mike answers back momentarily.
Dart thinks about it for a moment shrilling back, “I wouldn’t worry about it, let’s just investigate the area and search for any survivors and then turn back.”
Mike thinks about the induced toxins in the pond asking, “Are you sure these suits will protect us from the contaminations?”
Dart has worked with the kinds of situations to a point to where he feels fairly confident right now answering, “I wouldn’t worry about it, the suits should protect us, plus the ichthyocthereol toxins only hurts fish. The toxin or in other words disease hasn’t adapted to our bodies to attach itself as a host.”
Mike hopes that he is right about all of this because he isn’t so sure that this is a good idea. Anyhow reassuring himself Mike questions Dart, “Are you sure you’re right? I hope you are right because I don’t want to come out of there looking like a fungus or something!”
Dart laughs while finishing the fitting in to his wet suit along with Mike informing him, “If something were to happen, it would be no worse than the mumps!”
Mike retorts with a sense of fear still holding him back in a way saying, Oh that’s just great!”
Dart reassures Mike once again like it were a joke, although on the other hand diseases like Mad Cow disease have developed and adapted to humans as a type of chicken pox or measles epidemic. Giving Mike a lasting scare Dart blurs, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen and I doubt we’ll even run in to any trouble out there at all. It’s a swim in the gym!”
Dart is ready to go putting his snorkel in place around his head gear. He picks up another and hands it to Mike commanding, “Let’s move out and recon the area!”
Mike follows outside of the command post heading out to the shore of the pond adding, “Do we look like an army or something!”
Dart takes a first step in to the pond water about to put his snorkel in his mouth answering, “I’m just a little anxious, most of the time a scientist’s life is boring and now there’s a chance to make a discovery of evolutionary change at work, and not to mention how we are killing them in their natural habitat.”
Making their way further in to the pond with a slow entrance Mike asks, “Where did they evolve from?”
Immediately Dart holds his snorkel before heading off replying, “They’re a kind of fish that has evolved over millions and millions of years through an algae mutation. They attack everything in its path becoming the dominating species of their environment killing off all forms of life and feeding off the growth of the waterways.”
Taking a hold of his snorkel as well, Mike answers back saying, “And you’re sure they are all dead by now?”
Adding one last comment Dart says, “Not yet, though they are probably infected with the virus from the toxin. You’ll know they are dead when they start floating to the top!”
As Dart places the snorkel in his mouth ready to take the swim to the other side of the pond, Mike retorts, “Sounds like the catch of the day!”
Going back to the other group of scientists, they are making their way out to the water tributary leading from the pond to other ponds stretching along the area. Down a ways the area starts to turn in to a marshy type of swamp that has many trees and shrubs shrewd with vegetation spawning its way to the surface. Anyhow Dr. Waters uses his heat sensory equipment by aiming it out upon the pond trying to get an image in the form of infra-red. Waving it across slowly, Dr. Waters says to the others, “It looks like there’s no sign of anything, let’s go a little further to the crash site and see if there are any survivors on land we can aid.”
Scott one of the helping scientists says while aiming his flashlight around, “Do you think anyone is alright, because I don’t see anything out there!”
Charles another scientist adds to the conversation proclaiming, “I don’t see anything either!”
Scott aims his flashlight while walking a little ways further noticing some broken reed along the shore of the pond. He pulls his flashlight back noticing some dragging marks that look like hands pulling back against the dirt with fingernails impressions shown through. Quickly he informs the others shrilling, “Look, there’s some tracks leading out in to the pond passed those broken reeds!”
Dr. Waters shines his flashlight immediately to take a look. He sees the drag marks leading away to the pond passed the broken reeds. Quickly he discloses, “It must have been an attack!”
Scott realizes that the scientists were most defiantly attacked informing the others, “It looks like he attacked the scientists and dragged them in to the water!”
Dr. Waters completely agrees with Scott saying, “I think you’re right! He must have dragged them in to the pond and drowned them obviously. We should be more careful!”
Charles thinks that they have run in to a problem with this situation driveling, “It looks like he has adapted to the new environment somehow and it also looks like the toxins may have no effect on him.”
Dr. Waters thinks about it for a moment before gibbering, “Unless he has left the pond and has entered the other water tributaries in to the marshes over there a ways.”
Scott thinks that they are taking a risk going by themselves if the toxins haven’t taken an effect on him by now mentioning, “Maybe we should wait for more help to arrive. It seems that he may be a little hard to catch contemplating the circumstances.”
Dr. Waters knows that they have more personnel common in due time, although for now they have to do what they can to stop him before he gets too far away and adapts more. Bringing this to mind Dr. Waters says to the other scientists, “Well, we can let him get too far away otherwise we will have more problems than this.”
Dr. Waters walks a little further towards the pond noticing the air boat crashed along the shore of the pond saying, “It looks like the air boat has crashed in to the shore.”
Scott walks just behind Dr. Waters as he approaches the air boat closer looking for the driver and passenger who were there saying, “Looks like there’s no one there.”
Dr. Waters contemplates the situation for another moment uttering, “Looks like he may have attacked them as well dragging them in.”
Right at that moment the wet suit divers come to the surface just behind the air boat while Dr. Waters shines his flashlight on them asking, “Any signs of anything?”
Quickly Dart pulls his snorkel from his mouth for a breath replying, “No signs of anything. I haven’t noticed any signs of anyone. In other words it’s pretty quiet. Where are the driver and passenger?”
Dr. Waters informs them both articulating, “There are no signs of them. They must have been attacked and dragged in to the pond. It looks like there are no survivors. Let’s all regroup back to base and gear up more heavily to recoup the situation before it gets too out of hand. We don’t need any more accidents on our hands than this right now.”
Dart agrees that maybe their best bets are to attack him from on land than rather attacking him in the water where he has adapted to the environment at an alarming rate. Making this a fact Dart implies, “I think we should try and catch him on land somehow!”
Dr. Waters agrees, although he feels they should perhaps wait and discuss this ordeal later. Thinking about how things have happened fast these last few days and have just flashed on by Dr. Waters answers back saying, “We’ll decide that when we return back to the command post and discuss our options!”
Scott thinks about those options for a split second adding, “What options do we have, you said we shouldn’t let him get too far away!”
Dr. Waters looks at the air boat realizing that the situation is far more out of hand than at first seemed imploring, “Yes, I did say that before, but things have become more than we can fathom.”
Thinking about the real meaning of what a fathom is especially when thinking about chemistry conversions Dart scrambles up, “More than we can fathom, a fathom is about six feet under?”
Scott breaks the wet suit divers confidence for a second responding, “Yeah, six feet under your rear!”
Right away, Mike starts to become a little more nervous about swimming in the pond. He feels like a sitting duck waiting for something to creep up from underneath him and pull him down under the water until he loses his breath. Wanting to get out of the pond immediately to avoid contact with this mutated unknown stranger that has presumably escaped his restraints Mike suggests, “All of a sudden it feels spooky in here like we should get out!”
Feeling safer on land Charles makes a wise crack insinuating, “You act like you are going to be attacked by the Creature from the Black Lagoon!”
Dr. Waters puts his knowledge of Geology Science coaching, “Come on, that things from the Devonian Period which was over 360 million years or so ago long before the dinosaurs!”
Turning to the defensive side of the conversation Scott argues, “I know that, what do you think we are all stupid scientists or something. Anyhow you have no idea what this guy looks like and if it’s really the one who was swimming out here in the first place. So far we haven’t seen anything and we have no idea what we are really chasing.”
Dr. Waters decides that they need to turn back to the command center and come up with a more thorough plan than the one they have so far. With anxiousness Dr. Waters commands, “Let’s regroup back at to the command post. The both of you should start swimming back carefully!”
About to put his snorkel back in his mouth ready to take the order Dart scrambles a last gasp for his breath as he is pulled under simultaneously along with Mike who as well gets only the last intake of an exhausted exhale. Instantaneously the both of them are succumbed in to the lower depths of the pond that has been unknown an unaware of its limits. Directly Dr. Waters turns waiting for a reply back without hearing any sounds except for a slight splash that seemed double sounded, although there was nothing there when he spun back around for another glimpse.
Wondering what has just happened; Dr. Waters shines his flashlight back in that direction uttering, “Where did they go?”
The first one to reply between the two other scientists is Scott who says, “I don’t know, they were just right out there and I thought I heard a splash after you said to swim back to the command post! Then I turned to reach for my flashlight but you shined yours and they weren’t there!”
Dr. Waters catches his hand on his radio commenting, “We’re heading back, there’s more activity out here than expected!”
Dr. Kill Pond responds after a moment has passed by answering, “Ten-four!”
Without wasting another moment the three of them have started making their way back to the command post to come up with a better plan. While walking back they all tend to walk within a closer formation with a sense of fear that has so far been very daunting. Dr. Waters becomes a little bit on the shaky side intending, “We’re getting snatched up one at a time!”
Charles is even more nervous realizing, “Seems more like two at a time to me!”
Agreeing completely while turning around walking backwards in a way to scope out the rear to their position, Scott agrees, “Let’s not allow it to become three at a time!”
While starting to turn back in the direction they are headed towards the command post Scott thinks that he has heard a splashing noise directly behind him in the water. Quickly he turns around again looking off in to the far depths of the pond while shining his flashlight out there. In a flash Scott balks, “Did you hear that?”
Looking back while turning slightly Charles replies, “Hear what, and just keep walking we’re almost there!”
Instantaneously the sounds reappear as Scott turns around again shining his flashlight one last time while thinking he has seen something off in the mere distance. Scott blurts again really fast like saying, “Did you hear that, I hear it again?”
Charles turns around immediately repeating over, “I said, I don’t hear anything!”
Suddenly, Dr. Waters turns slightly shining the flashlight right in Scott’s face proclaiming, “No, I don’t hear anything, do you see anything?”
Scott opens his eyes very wide in a way saying, “Not with that flashlight in my face!”
Taking the flashlight right out of his face Dr. Waters says, “Let’s just get inside the command post and work this out!”
Charles looks towards the pond as they approach the rear of the command post looking for the wet suit divers that haven’t returned. Bringing this to the attention of the others Charles asks, “Where are the others, they should have swam in by now?”
Scott continues walking towards the command post tallying, “That’s what I was trying to say that I heard something behind me out in the pond.”
Right off the splish-splash Charles blurts out wildly like a madmen in search of trouble, “You mean he got them too?”
Turning and heading inside the command post Dr. Waters, “Sounds like maybe we should seal off the area before this gets too out of hand!”
Dr. Kill Pond exits from the rear of the command post right before Dr. Waters even reaches the inside saying, “I already did, I can hear everything you’re all saying out there while acting like darn fools!”
Still walking while looking behind his back Scott jibbers, “Well, if everybody wasn’t disappearing so mysteriously!”
Without any further hesitating of a moment Charles says aloud, ‘I’ll rip his face off if I ever catch that son of bitch!”
Realizing that they really haven’t seen anything, but only have heard a bunch of near misses that haven’t amounted to nothing Dr. Kill Pond says, “So far we haven’t seen him up close for nothing, he has never even exposed himself to us!”
Dr. Waters thinks about how he is adapting to a creepy transformation says, “He’s a sneaky little thing!”
Dr. Kill Pond decides to bring everyone back inside prompting to them, “Let’s just head back inside, there’s nothing we can really do at night. We’ll wait until sunrise when we have reinforcements.”
Meanwhile Avaris Man has ventured away from slaying the two wet suit divers who will never show up from their swim out in to the pond. Once to the other side of the pond Avaris Man finds a large double rooted tree leaning high above the pond where he grounds himself and waits with prowling eyes over the pond marshes. Every now and then noises are heard elsewhere where only silence lingers over the waters with no signs of life except for a car approaching in the nearby distance.
Below is a link to "Avaris Man" subpage 3.