Slither - Edward Lee [123]
Just as Nora had said it, a dark spot drew over them, like a cloud moving in front of the sun.
They all looked up.
What they saw appeared inexplicable: a long rectangular dark spot whose covering had turned sky-blue. "It can camouflage itself," Nora said. But running underneath the object was a bright glowing white line. "And that line of light can only be its propulsion system."
Trent and Slydes just stared, dumbfounded.
"It means they're getting ready to leave," Nora added.
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Trent said.
"No, Lieutenant, that's bad, real bad. They've planted some bombs on the island-"
"Bombs? You're shitting me."
"Wish I was. And God knows how powerful they are."
Trent was chewing his lip in confusion. "Where's Loren?"
"He's probably waiting for us at the campsite, to take us to the boat," she told him.
Slydes finally snapped out of his daze. He looked at them both and said very slowly, "What the fuck is going on here?"
"Some really fucked-up shit, Slydes."
The bearded brother looked upward again. "And that thing is-. .
"It's an alien spacecraft," Nora put it bluntly. "And those guys in the black suits and masks are its pilots. We think they created a new species of parasite by genetic manipulation."
"What the fuck for?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe to decimate the human race. The worm grows hundreds of times faster than any other parasite, and it can live on land and sea, and anyone it infects becomes a concealed carrier. They're not doing it just for shits and giggles."
Sunlight moved back across their faces as the macabre object in the sky hovered past.
"Looks like it's going to the control center," Nora figured. "To pick up its crew and their research. Then they'll leave and you can bet your ass those bombs'll go off."
Trent rubbed his face. "Holy shit, l don't know what to do."
"Kill this clown so we can go!" Nora shouted.
"He's my brother!"
"He's infected, Lieutenant. And if you don't kill him, he'll infect you."
Trent and Slydes stared at each other without blinking.
"You're one low-down slimy shit-house rat to even think about killin' your own brother," Slydes said, "I ain't infected, I peed 'em all out! And even if I didn't, once I get back to the mainland, I can go to a doctor and get an antidote or somethin'."
Nora laughed at the bombast. "It's an alien parasite, you asshole! Penicillin won't cut it."
"She's right, Slydes," Trent groaned.
"Our daddy'd be ashamed if he saw you right now, ho-1-din' a .gun on your own brother."
"Our daddy was a thieving cracker scumbag, Slydes," Trent intoned. "Just like you."
Slydes pointed a big finger. "Listen here, little brother. The only person you're gonna be killin' is this skinny smart-mouth bitch. Now quit pointing that gun at me 'foreI shove it up your ass."
Trent didn't lower the gun.
"Kill him," Nora implored. "He's infected. The longer you wait, the more he changes."
Trent's confusion made him cross-eyed. "Then how come we're not infected? We've been on the island longer than him."
"Mosquito repellent, suntan oil, these things on our wrists, who knows?" Nora said.
"And where are all these damn worms? You're making it sound like an epidemic. How come I've only seen a few of them?"
"These worms are obviously spawning," she answered. "And when worms spawn, particularly roundworms and similar species, they tend to nest."
"Where?" Trent demanded.
"Either out in shallower water where the temperature will be higher, or some place on the island's surface-any place that's moist and warm. There have got to be thousands of them on the island now, and the bulk of them are probably nesting. That's why we're not seeing a lot of them. But you've seen the ovathey're all over the place. At least half of those ova contain infantile worms."
"I don't know what to do!" Trent yelled, face reddening.
Nora looked right at him. "You better do something fast, because we probably only have a few more minutes to get out of here."
Trent just kept