Getting Home

Part 55

"We have to find a way to break through that," Leigh said, pointing at the front entrance that was covered in the black goo—which had stopped moving, and was still again.

"It's impossible," Sean said, trying to start the cruiser and nervously side-eying the massive tank getting closer and closer. "Nothing works on it—unless you have a recording of yourself singing."

"No, we won't need that," Leigh said, her brow furrowed in concentration. Mud was streaked across on her cheekbones, her skin glinting in the dim morning light as blankly focused. "The dark entity will become pliable."

Sean looked up from the car ignition. "The what?"

She looked at Sean, shrugging. "That's what he calls it."

"What about Ava?"

Leigh's eyes darted back and forth as she looked at nothing. "He doesn't answer when I ask about her."

The super tank finally reached the intersection, running over a small car that was parked on the corner. All of the glass and plastics on the car exploded simultaneously, making a confetti burst of particles that were instantly sucked into the one of the giant metal tank treads.

It stopped.

It shuddered to a standstill, creaking and popping like an old, giant cargo ship on the dock. The turret began to turn, slowly swinging the gigantic main gun cannon towards them. Two large panels on the side of the tri-treads slid open, and two mechanical arms the size of auto factory robot arms unfolded out from the compartment, transforming and configuring themselves into giant braces that reached towards the ground. A massive iron rail gun was attached to each arm; as the barrel of each arm contacted the ground, it fired a massive spike into the hard concrete—KA-CHUNK-KA-CHUNK!

Anchoring the tank to the pavement.

"Oh, shit," Sean said, his eyes wide, furiously turning the key. If that's what that crazy thing needed to do just to prepare to fire—

The cruiser suddenly started.

"Thank God," Sean said, putting it in gear. "Let's get the—"

Leigh's soft, delicate hand suddenly rested on his.

"We have to wait, Sean. He's coming."

The Mall began to rumble and shake—before quickly fading back to calm again.

"What?" Sean said confused. "Who is coming?"

"Henry."

"Henry?" Sean scoffed. "Henry? Who gives a flying fuck about Henry? He's the reason Ava is where she is right now."

"No, Sean—Ava is the reason she is where she is. She wants to be there, Sean."

"You wouldn't understand," Sean said petulantly.

"Oh?"

"No," Sean said, feeling his frustration bubble over and tears come to his eyes. "You know what the last thing my father said to me? He said to take care of Ava. Do you have any idea, Agent, what it's like to fail at the last thing your father wanted? To let him down and disappoint him?"

There was a long silence after she pulled her hand away from where it had still been resting on his.

When she finally spoke, her voice was measured.

"No, I wouldn't understand, Officer," she said. "The only thing my father did was hit me."

Sean fell silent, the shame burning off him.

A low hum started, emanating from the tank. A low warbling began to build, an eerie sound that wavered back and forth. Large noises that sounded like construction machinery began to bang out in the air as the body of the tank began to raise itself up—

Independently of the treads.

Sean suddenly turned to Agent Leigh. "Look, Leigh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you... I trust you." He gave a wry smile. "After all, what choice do I have?"

She smiled back, but quickly looked away, gently nodding her head and biting her lip. "None at all, Officer... but I still forgive you."

Her smile was really quite pretty. "Well, I still wish I had hit him with my car before all of this started," Sean weakly joked. "It might have—"

He stopped, his eyes widening.

"That's it—we'll drive through the wall with this police cruiser. It'll break through, no problem... if what that kid is saying is true."

Leigh was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "That might work... but we can't be in the car—it'll be like hitting a brick wall. Maybe worse."

"Okay. So we just won't be in the car then."

"And how do we do that?"

It was a good question—Sean racked his brain, thinking about everything in the cruiser. The trunk had mostly storage stuff; evidence bags, gloves, police tape, first aid kit, spare wheel and—

Sean stopped.

"That's it," he said, his voice incredulous.

"What's it?" Leigh said.

He didn't answer, quickly reaching down to pop open the trunk before he got out of the car and rushed to the back. The sound from the tank was so much louder out here; a thrumming, pulsating that sounded like a massive locomotive engine building up steam. The loud sound came in long, slow waves:

Chug. Chug. Chug.

And the sound was only speeding up.

"We're running out of time," Agent Leigh, following him around to the back of the car. "The gun is building up a charge—we've got less than three minutes before it fires. What are you looking for?"

Sean threw all the stuff aside, finding the flat piece of carpet that lifted up—

Revealing the spare tire... or more importantly, the spare tire hardware.

"This," Sean said, pulling the long, iron bar used for taking off the lugnuts. "Manual cruise control."

"Why not use real cruise control?"

"We'd have to get the car up to speed first, set it, and then jump out when it's going fast enough... and we're going to have to get it going pretty fast; too dangerous."

The automated voice suddenly blasted from the tank speakers:

"WARNING—YOU ARE ORDERED TO IMMEDIATELY LEAVE THE AREA—YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO COMPLY."

They looked at each other, the fear and panic matching on each face.

"You better tell his ass to hurry up," Sean said.