Harmony

Chapter V �" Harmony

 

„Figured out a way.. To get him out of here..“

Len said uncomfortably looking towards their father and continued shoveling. Owen looked calmly towards them and nodded to Utakata.

 

„S**t.. F*****g knew it..“

Utakata said pleased that he was right, something was definetly wrong there, it felt that way since they first came into town, Len saw something, he knew she did. They had to get rid of Calvin Raposo, their father.

 

„Len.. Listen to me carefully, whatever you saw.. Whatever it was.. Don't think that we won't believe you.. We saw it too.. But, you're right.. We need to get rid of your dad..“

Utakata said quietly to Len.

 

„I know that.. I've already set a trap for him.. The door to our basement.. I've placed a small metal pole inbetween the hinge.. And I've loosened the handle.. So when the door closes.. It'll definetly jam..“

Len said with nervousness.

 

„Is that really necessary..? I mean.. Trapping him down there..?“

Utakata said with an unsure tone and an insecure expression.

 

„What do you think?“

Len asked quickly, she nudged to Owen and he came to them, as well as Sky.

 

„Yeah.. You're right.. This is something else.. I can't.. I can't believe that all this is happening.. Alright.. We'll lure him in there.. And release when we're done assessing this.. Something must be wrong with the townspeople.. I can feel it.. It's never been this of a happy atmosphere.. Hate to say that but that's the truth..“

Utakata said whispering in a circle the four made, their dad took notice of them doing so and approached them, he grabbed Sky by the shoulders. He was startled.

 

„Ahh!!“

 

„Hey.. Hey now calm down.. Hehe, sorry for startling you young man.. And what are you kids up to eh?“

Calvin Raposo asked with an unnatural wide smile on his face.

 

„Well.. We're talking abou..“

Sky was interrupted by Len spouting a quick sentence. She grabbed his hand tightly to keep quiet.

 

„The basement roof's broken!“

Len said quickly and looked towards Utakata.

 

„Really? Oh Golly! I better go fix it then!“

Calvin said and went into their house with a fast walk, Len turned around with a blush towards them. Len didn't like to lie, even though she could do it with a straight face, no questions asked. She had an athletic build and was really energetic and tenacious, she got this way over hard work on their farm. Owen however, was always a quiet person, he never really stood out on anything and was only noticable through his sister. He always had mutual respect for Utakata, who is more of a friend to Len, but Sky was his best friend.

 

„THE BASEMENT ROOF'S BROKEN!?“

Utakata said with a loud sigh.

 

„Im sorry! Alright!? I panicked!!“

Len said with frustration.

 

„Ahh.. Yeah.. It's alright.. We're just lucky that he's high as a f****n' plant..“

Utakata said and they nervously followed after their father. They all stood at the door, and heard the basement door close. Owen was peeking to see if it worked.

„Owen.. Is it jammed..?“

Owen didn't respond still carefully looking to see if they succeeded.

 

„Owen..?“

Utakata repeated looking at him.

Owen still looked dazed just staring, Len nudged him and he looked towards her. He quickly turned his sight back on the door which slowly started opening.

 

„S**t!! Len!“

Utakata said, and the two of them swiftly pushed the door back with their shoulders, knocking back their father.

 

„Sky! That chain! Cmon!!“

Len said and he threw a chain at her, she wrapped it around the door locking it tightly shut. Utakata kicked the door back completely jamming it.

 

„Im.. sorry.. dad“

Len said gasping for air.

 

„Len.. Please.. Please.. Tell me.. Why we just did that.. Why we just locked him in there...?“

Utakata said gasping, he sat on the nearby chair next to the table. Their father could be heard calling their names, saying „I love you“ and all sorts of things, which would be best ignored, they thought.

 

„Why..?  I'll tell you why..“

She said, went to the shelves and grabbed a book of the top right corner. She threw it on the table while everyone sat around it. It was titled- „Flower of the silent Abyss“.

 

„What's this.. Len... Why does it say.. Allan P. Roanoke..“

Utakata asked anxiously.

 

„Because he wrote this book..“

Roanoke was a famous important space explorer, his voyages were known throughout the entire world, what he uncovered was something amazing. Life in outer space, he uncovered a plant that grew on a planet nearby to Earth, this plant was later harvested by humanity, Roanoke was never found, and  and it's whereabouts unknown.

 

„See this.. They called it.. Harmony..“

She took out some papers out of an old crate which Utakata and Sky wondered why they never open, it was all the things left from their mother, before she dissapeared. She took out their mother's old field and interests journal. She flipped the pages almost over to the end, there lied the same picture of the specimen, with a more rough draw. She kept pointing the text out with her finger, thinking about how this was copied from some old military file halfway. The other half were personal thoughts written below it. She started reading.

 

„Spatium Flos.. The space flower.. Also known as „Life in the silent abyss..“.. Also known as.. „Harmony“.. Keep in mind.. This is classified information, held on by the military of humankind, and all allies of humankind's cause.. Do not read if not so authorized.. Yadda Yadda.. Roanoke.. Yadda.. Exctracts plant nectar.. Experimentation.. Weaponization.. There.. It's an interesting thing, this little bloom.. All these scientists.. Poking around it, exctracting this and that.. And the conclusion was.. That.. It's totally harmless.. The plant itself that is.. But.. There was something.. About it.. I felt something was a bit peculiar.. When it was determined.. That the thing was a „regular“ plant.. I got one of it as a present, from Nethremayer.. Was really nice of her.. Two days later.. Stanley.. Calvin's best friend.. Came over.. Them two were talking something about politics in the garden.. Then they went for a walk around.. Stanley had trouble walking.. All his life he was lame.. Couldn't walk properly.. Some gene deformity.. Disability.. Whatever is was.. Then.. They walk to the flower I got from the Corps.. And he takes a hard sniff from it.. Says it smelt grandiouse.. Perfect.. Beautiful.. And for the rest of the day..  He was the happiest.. Silliest man.. I've..ever seen..“

Len finished reading, set the book down and took a deep breath, calming herself down. She felt uncomfortable going through things of her mother, it was just reminding herself of their past.

 

„Is that it.. Lena..?“

Sky asked patiently, observing he book.

 

„Yeah.. You understand.. I've seen this.. Owen aswell.. We've seen this before.. In Aven.. When the weapons struck.. Ten years ago.. All the soldiers.. The ones tasked for our escape.. Started laughing.. Uncontrollably.. Throwing up blood laughing until they would suffocate.. I never.. I NEVER WANT TO REMEMBER THAT DAY!! Those f*****g MONSTERS!! THEY JUST BOMB OUR NATION!! DESTROY OUR HOMELAND!! And here..  I am.. Thinking that it's all over.. That it's finished.. And today.. That things just waltzes in here.. Kills the beautiful creature in the lake.. And just GASSES THE WHOLE DAMN TOWN!! Just like that... Everyone was breathing that in.. Well.. Everyone except me and Owen.. And maybe someone else.. We were over there cleaning the farm.. So we were far away.. And we had scarfs over our faces.. But dad.. I.. I don't know.. If it's possible to come back.. From the state of.. Harmony..“

Len said with everyone staring in admiration, Utakata came close to her, he put his hand onto her shoulder.

 

„Im.. Truly sorry.. But we have to get to the bottom of this.. We can't have more of those things coming in here.. Seems like no one remembers it.. They're dazed from that gas weapon.. They haven't died by now.. It's probably a lighter load.. Maybe.. They'll just turn back.. Maybe they didn't want anyone to remember.. I've talked to Ms Zoe already.. She said she didn't blame me for locking Mr Zoe inside their pig stay.. And she's been blaming me for the past week.. Could it be she forgot.. As well as no one even remembers.. It even being here..“

Utakata said sadly, with little determination in his voice, like they've given up. What could they do, they're just fifteen year olds. The silence of sorrow and deep thoughts was shattered by a young boy's loud call.

 

„UTA-SAN! LENNA!!“

Sky stood next to the window with the book in his arms.

 

„Sky? What is it!? What did you find!?“

Utakata said and ran towards him, Sky has found two pages stuck together with some glue, like someone was forcibly trying to stick, hiding something. Utakata separated the pages slowly so it doesn't tear, and continued reading.

 

„I found this kind of strange.. Stanley was never the optimistic type.. He always seemed a bit bland on anything.. And the only cheer-me-up in his life.. Was my only cheer-me-up.. Calvin.. And if you thought this was strange.. Two days later.. On a Monday.. I was hurrying up to catch the Bay Train.. And I saw him.. I saw Stanley.. Outside.. And.. If you're wondering on what he was doing.. He was.. Jogging!“

Utakata finished reading with a sick expression on his face, like the thing he read was some kind of joke. A heavy walking man, barely able to move around on his own, out running.

 

„My God.. That means.. It's more than just a hallucinogen.. More than a laugh gas.. It can alter.. In some way.. It can change your anatomy.. Alter your body.. We've heard about.. War Veterans coming back with torn off legs healed back.. Crippled arms.. Playing catch the next day.. I always thought they were simple rumors.. All this from just sniffing the thing.. Just taking a little.. Then why in the world.. Would they use it as a weapon..“

Len said with insecurity.

 

„Lenna.. Maybe.. Maybe if they just take a little.. You heal.. But if there's too much.. It's not good.. I know this cause.. My mom was a doctor.. One day.. She was talking to my dad.. And she was saying the hospital acquired some new medicine.. Some kind of new drug.. Or something.. That would tell your body to grow.. And heal.. And she was telling him how something horrible happened.. Some person.. A war survivor.. Read their perscription wrong..  He came to take the drug.. And breathed it in one more time that day.. The next day.. He came into the hospital again.. Only.. He was sweating.. Immensely..  And the worst part of it all was.. He had his spine grow in more than normal.. He had a really disturbing appearance.. And then they saw me listening in.. And I had to go to bed.. I think.. I think if you take too much.. Your body starts rapidly growing.. Deforming itself.. Turning you into something.. Inhuman..“

Sky said disturbingly.

 

„Why.. Why is it.. That as soon as we get one step closer to the answer.. All we get, is more f*****g questions..!?“

Utakata said angrily and threw the journal on the ground, it opened at the end, revealing something quite strange.

 

„Are.. Those.. Torn out pages..?“

Sky said gazing at it in disbelief.

Utakata picked it up, and they all looked closer, there was text in the bottom left corner, it was the only thing still visible, on the torn out page.

 

„Uta-san..?“

Sky said disturbingly.

 

„Yes.. Sky..?“

Utakata responded nervously.

 

 

„What... What's a.. Grendel..?“