Chapter 55

 

Fred woke up from an uneasy sleep. He had dreamed that something was trying to enter his brain and shut down his involuntary responses, which allowed him to breathe and his heart to beat. Automatically, he issued a fierce defense, mustering all the extrasensory powers he could generate. He abruptly woke up from the confines of his lurid dream. It was 5 a.m. 

He edged slowly back into his sedated sleep. He awoke five hours later to the sight of Dr. Factor standing over him, tapping gently on his shoulder. 

“Fred it’s time for you to get out of here and rejoin your wife. It’s been five days since your operation and you have healed well—better than expected. 

“By the way, your clearance has finally come in. Congratulations, you’re now classified top secret –the government’s top level. You can now walk around the compound at will without those omnipresent pesky escorts that I know you hate. You’re officially one of us now.”

 “One of you! That’s great.”

“Yes, we all think so as well.” 

It was obvious that Factor hadn’t picked up on Fred’s contained sarcasm, and for a second he thought the overjoyed doctor was going to try to kiss him out of sheer gratitude. 

Shortly after Dr. Factor left, Dr. Cunningham walked into Fred’s room. 

“You seem to be doing quite well from a psychological perspective,” the doctor said. “Get dressed, and get out of here. We’ll talk later this week.”

Fred got dressed, saying nothing. The hole in his head had been covered with his real skull flap, but he was still heavily bandaged; He presented a bizarre sight to the few CIA employees who were on the grounds this early hour as he strolled back to his unit. 

His eyes remained focused only on the icy path in directly in front of him. He didn’t notice the silvery sky, the bone chilling temperature, or the pallid snow that had blanketed the grounds while he was confined. 

He opened the door to his unit; Maureen was on the couch watching mid-morning TV. She had been notified that he would be coming home today, but she had expected his arrival to be later in the day. When the door opened, she knew immediately it was Fred; she turned around to greet him. Her mood had picked up. Now that Fred is back, things will finally return to semi-normal, she thought.

But what she saw was not Fred, but a person who only retained his basic appearance. His face seemed to have regressed to that of one locked in a primordial period. What stood above her was a snarling and animal-like creature issuing guttural sounds that she had never heard before from either human or animal.

He proceeded slowly and methodically to her couch. His hands were outstretched to her; but she didn’t see an embrace; this monster was going to kill her. She began to shiver uncontrollably.