Chapter 230 B4. 19.3 – Not According to Plan

Uh-oh. I leaned away, doing a little jolt to show surprise. I was hoping Red Hood and Cecilia could be friends someday, especially since Cecilia had shown her skills with technology and know-how navigating the criminal underground. Then, I’d reveal Red Hood was Erind all along, and we’d have a good laugh about it.

But if Cecilia knew Red Hood had eaten her, becoming friends would be impossible. Or maybe not? Cecilia’s odd brain might find it funny. And it wasn’t like she had a choice of allies, with Euphonia after her.

Still, I just wouldn’t allow this PCM member to ruin the story I controlled.

“Really? I heard differently—the BID attacked when Cecilia met Red Hood.” I breathed evenly to calm myself. My lie wasn’t exposed just yet. If I were in my original body, I’d be unfazed; I’d even enjoy the thrill of the situation, which was definitely not thrilling to me right now. “Were you there when it happened?”

“N-no. But Rosaria told us about it,” replied Floppy Arm.

“Where is she?” Cecilia asked from her nook. “We need to talk ask her some questions about Red Hood.”

“Dead,” said Floppy Arms. “She was turning into an Adumbrae, and we killed her while she retained some humanity.”

Cecilia wouldn’t give up. “Do you know any others who’ve witnessed Cecilia’s death?”

“Wha-what? I already told you what happened.”

Cecilia held the man’s legs together and placed her chin on his knees. She looked up at him with eyes so wide they could’ve popped out of her skull. This was the weirdest I’ve seen her, and Floppy Arm thought so, too. He tried to turn away without touching her. He probably thought she was also an Adumbrae.

“I want to talk to eyewitnesses,” said Cecilia.

“I-I don’t know who’s still alive.” Floppy Arm raised his arms, pressing his upper body against the backrest and away from Cecilia. “I swear!”

I reached for his left arm, which wasn’t floppy, and lowered it. “Calm down, man,” I said, starting to absorb his image. I’d find use for it when we’d find the other communes, assuming the BID hadn’t found them first.

Floppy Arm’s image was in my files. But I also sensed something… odd… about him. It wasn’t there before. Or was it because I touched him?

I shook Floppy Arm out of his momentary stupor from absorbing his image. “Did everyone who took Cecilia’s pills turn into Adumbrae?”

“Huh? Uh, I can’t say,” he replied, shaking his head. “Not all. Maybe all, but we just don’t know yet. Some people started to turn after only a couple of days with no pills. Others have gone on for much longer.”

“What about you?” Cecilia asked. “When did you last ingest a pill made by Cecilia?” I’ve succeeded in turning her attention away from Red Hood.

And this was a really interesting topic to a scientific mind. Even I, who unashamedly didn’t have a scientific mind, was interested. To be specific, my original self was very interested. Having an Adumbrae army would be fun, so long as they willingly changed.

“It’s… it’s been a week,” said Floppy Arms, scratching his neck. He was also twitching, as if someone was poking his sides to tickle him. “A week and a half. I-I might turn soon. My mind… It’s not right. Oh, Mother Core! I don’t want to become a monster!”

“Chill with the monster comments,” I said. “You’re in the company of Adumbrae.”

Deen leaned forward to glare at me; she didn’t appreciate my commitment to my role. Also, I really was an Adumbrae. Rather than tell me off, she said in a commanding tone. “Erind, drive faster.” This must be Gabe’s instruction.

We were minutes away from an ugly future, as Floppy Arm would turn into an ugly Adumbrae. We needed to be as far away from the BID as possible.

“Everybody, hang on.” I never expected I’d get the chance to say this overused movie line because I didn’t drive—no opportunity to accelerate. This proved dreams do come true.

I shifted the stick with exaggerated motions and stepped on the gas. But not too much. Though I wanted to zoom down the road, I was still careful not to crash and kill innocent people. My original self would support my choice because of Rule #4.

“What’s the difference between those who turned early and those who didn’t?” Deen asked.  “Is there a trigger for the transformation?”

“Extreme stress,” said Floppy Arms. “Overwhelming fear. Anxiety. Cecilia’s pill weakened our minds, making us susceptible to seeding.”

“But it also prevented seeding,” Cecilia was quick to remind us.

“I need to find more pills!” the man exclaimed. He started to pull his clothes and scratch his body, mildly convulsing in his seat. “No more pills at the commune. People were turning… I-I might turn next!”

You got that right, I thought. The odd vibes he gave off became stronger.

It was like the sensation I detected from Vanessa and Adrian, with some inexplicable differences. Weaker. But more distinct. Was it because Vanessa and Adrian were turned to Adumbrae at Red Island while Floppy Arm was seeded because of Cecilia’s pills? What would a real Adumbrae feel like?

“Pills!” Floppy Arms lunged at the windshield and pounded it with his fists. “I need them! Now!”

Deen was quick to pull him back. She twisted his arms behind him. “Calm down. Where do we find more pills?”

“Most of the supplies were in La Esperanza,” Cecilia muttered, crawling away from Floppy Arm’s kicking legs. Climbing onto the seat, she squeezed herself between the passenger’s side door and Deen. Floppy Arms was on Deen’s other side, next to me.

“I don’t know…” The man seemed to have calmed down. Barely five seconds passed, and he went berserk again. Since he couldn’t move his arms, he doubled his efforts in kicking. “The other communes! They must have pills.”

I shoved his legs away from the gearshift. “Where? San Gabriel Mountains? Anza-Borrego? We were heading to Anza-Borrego next.”

“No! No! Gone. Destroyed! But those at Anza-Borrego escaped before the BID came.”

“Where did they go?” Deen asked.

Floppy Arms froze. “I can’t tell you…”

“You have to,” I said. “We’ll bring you to them, and you’ll have your pills. Or you’re going to become a filthy, filthy Adumbrae. You’ll lose your humanity and—”

“Salton Sea,” he blurted.

“Where’s that?” I hoped it wasn’t a dumb question. Geography wasn’t my strongest subject. Probably one of my weakest; I sometimes interchanged it with geology. California has the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast. No sea here. I also wasn’t satisfied with my research on the differences between oceans and seas.

“About an hour east of Anza-Borrego,” Deen said. “From here… I’d say it’s around two and a half hours.”

“East? There’s a sea inland?” I asked.

“Salton Sea is a lake,” Deen said.

I groaned. “As if bodies of water weren’t already confusing.”

“Decades ago, developers flocked there to build resorts,” said Deen. “It was touted as a luxury getaway. But the resorts were abandoned when the lake continued to rise. Did your fellow members move into one of the abandoned resorts?” she asked Floppy Arm.

“Ye-yes. I…”

“Remember the pills,” I said. “You’ll become a monster if—”

“Desert Mirage,” he said. “That’s the name of the resort. I think. I haven’t been there. If not that, then we can check the other buildings.”

“We’re on a wild goose chase,” I grumbled, resisting wondering aloud about wild geese. Who were they chasing? Or did the expression mean that we were chasing wild geese? Why would I do that? The more stressed I was, the more of my original self’s personality surfaced.

“Get me there!” Floppy Arm shouted. Deen and I jumped at his outburst. He tried to move to my seat and step on the gas. “Fly! Zoom! Vroom, vroom!” His deranged meter rose by the second. I could sense his seeding progress about to spill over.

Deen had pinned his arms behind his back, but he didn’t care. He wildly hooked his legs on anything he could—the gearshift, the curves of the dashboard—and pulled his body to my side.

“You’re breaking your arms!” Deen shouted as she yanked Floppy Man away from me. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Cut that out!” I held the steering wheel with my left hand while shooing Floppy Man’s legs away with my right.

The truck swayed, starting to zigzag. Fortunately, the road was empty, including the opposite lane. No one to crash into, and no one to see the nonsense going on inside.

“I don’t want to become an Adumbrae!” Floppy Man shrieked. His attempts to escape Deen’s hold doubled. That might’ve been the sound of a snapping bone. “I’m not a monster! I’m a human!  That last word turned from a desperate shout to a guttural growl.   

Cecilia chuckled. “This is an unexpected but welcome march of events. We can observe this man’s transformation.”

“We’re not going to let him transform,” Deen said. “Erind, slow down.”

I took my foot off the gas. “Why?”

“You were going too fast,” Deen said. “I sensed that we might crash.”

“Will you kill this man while he is still human?” Cecilia asked.

“Pills, pills, pills,” Floppy Arm started to sing. Clearly, he was no longer listening to us.

“He wouldn’t want to become a monster,” Deen answered. That meant ‘yes’.  

“Let him transform,” Cecilia said, gesturing at Floppy Arms. “We need to learn everything about the effects of my pills. Where can we find this opportunity again? At the next commune? The BID might’ve also found it. And you wouldn’t want to return to La Esperanza, I’d say.”

“We let him Manifest his monstrous form and…?” Deen asked.

“Take a sample,” Cecilia said. “We had planned to capture an Adumbrae from La Esperanza.”

“No, we didn’t.” Deen pushed Floppy Arm to the floor so he could no longer kick. “I was against it. We’ve already gained the information we need from this man. Let’s put him out of his misery.”

What should I say? I didn’t know what the right choice was. We had to kill Floppy Arm. If we left him behind, he’d turn into a monster and attack passing vehicles. More deaths. And I agreed with Deen that Floppy Arm would want to die a human.

“We can learn about seeding from these pills,” Cecilia said. “We don’t need to find Red Island. Perhaps the first step to cure seeding is to learn how it happens.”

Cecilia also made a good point. This wasn’t my original self’s plan, but maybe… I’d change my mind about becoming human again someday.

“Don’t talk as if this isn’t your fault,” Deen said. “Erind, turn left.”

I shifted into a lower gear and carefully rounded the corner. I couldn’t help but enter the other lane. Fortunately, only our truck was on this road that weaved through some hills. Deen’s Guardian Angel led us here for a reason—for a secluded place to kill Floppy Arm. It was on us to decide when.

Deen still hadn’t snapped his neck; she wasn’t really one to wait for our agreement if she thought she was right. This meant she thought Cecilia was right. Just needed some more convincing.

“The BID has found the stashes of these pills,” said Cecilia.

“Are you implying,” Deen said, “we should be ready for the cure in case the BID uses them?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ll find questionable applications for it. BID agents aren’t saints. If not them, some other branch of the government would be interested. Imagine turning the pills into powder and covering enemy cities with clouds of it. What would happen after a week?”

“I’ve seen a movie where another country did that to ours,” I said. “The mass-turning people into monsters thing.”

“And don’t your friends in Project Defiance,” Cecilia sad. “They wanted super soldiers with fake Cores. My pills present another avenue—you know they’ll explore this path.”

“I… Yes.” Deen sighed. “We’ll wait for this man to transform.”

“Not ‘we’,” I said. “I’ll do it. I’ll drop you off here.” I parked the truck under a tree. “Cecilia, what do you need?”

“Cecilia?” Floppy Arm looked up for a moment before continuing to bang his head on the floor. “I’m a human… I’m a human…”

“The brain and parts of the spine, if possible,” Cecilia said. “If you can bring the entire head, I’ll be more delighted.”

“Wait a moment,” Deen said.  

“Get off,” I said, “and walk back to our rented car. We’ll meet up later.”

“I don’t understand,” Deen said. “Why are you doing this?”

“It’s safer if I fight this Adumbrae on my own. I retain my superstrength while in disguise, but I won’t leave any traces. No hair strands, blood, clothing fibers, or whatever for the BID to find.”

Deen furrowed her brows. “We should work together to—”

“You know I’m physically stronger than you,” I said. “I’ll have no problems winning. I’ll get what Cecilia needs and dispose of this man’s monster body. The truck, too. I’ll ditch it far away from the body. If I do my job well, the BID won’t find the body. But if they do, it’s clean.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Cecilia opened the door and hopped out. “We have a long way to walk. We better start.” And she set off without waiting for Deen.

“I can’t leave you with him.” Deen nodded down at Floppy Arm, who was singing about pills while curled up on the floor. His skin was flaking, as if he had an extreme case of psoriasis covering his body.

“You have to be with Cecilia,” I said. “Protect her. Go away while I clean this up.”

“Pills, pills, pills.” Floppy Arm clapped his hands.

“What are you going to do?” Deen asked.

“I’ll turn to Blanchette and eat him,” I said. “It’s the safest way to dispose of his body. As for this truck, I’ll make it look like a carnapping or something. Trucknapping. You trust me, don’t you?” I spoke the magic words.

Deen nodded. “We’ll meet at the gas station before we turned to Alta Street. Be careful.” She touched our foreheads together.

And she was out of the truck.     

For a moment, I was stunned by the physical contact. I shook my head and drove deeper into the hills, driving off-road when I saw enough space between the trees and rocks to pass. Floppy Arm alternately laughed and cried.

Once we were out of sight from the road, covered by the bulk of the hill, I parked the truck and alighted. I went to the passenger’s side and pulled out Floppy Arm, throwing him a dozen feet away.

Then I took off my mask. Erind Hartwell was back.