Chapter 21 - Panic
In Denver, Bob's mother Eileen finally hauled herself out of bed as the morning rays of sunlight drew short. She held a blanket wrapped around her, finally able to keep the chills at bay with a single layer. She hoped by the end of the weekend her fever would break so she would stop feeling like death warmed over every morning.
"Having the flu sucks," she muttered.
She coughed as she trudged through her tiny apartment, the aging furnace rattling as if trying to drown her out. She had little appetite despite the lateness of the morning, but she wanted something hot. She set down her cell phone on the kitchen table before shuffling over to the stove to start a teapot heating.
She glanced out the window. More wet snow had fallen overnight. At least the flu gave her the excuse to stay home from her job as a checker at the local supermarket so she didn't have to drive in the wet and cold.
As Eileen prepared a teacup, she glanced at the cell phone. She had set it to load the 9News website and frowned when she saw the banner of the headline story: Unknown affliction in Lazy Pines worries residents.
Eileen mumbled a curse as she rushed back to the whistling teapot. She poured the tea and carried it to the table, splashing some in her haste. She clicked on the story and swore again when her cheap model phone struggled with the multimedia.
"Goddamn autoplay video," Eileen muttered before snatching up her cell phone and bolting for the living room, her tea forgotten. She started her laptop and drummed her fingers against her arm as the aging machine booted before she could bring up the news article.
A dark-haired reporter was on camera, and behind him were several people with wildly colored hair and eyes. "A strange affliction has affected the residents of Lazy Pines with an odd assortment of symptoms, not the least of which is strangely colored hair and eyes. One would initially think this was nothing more than some fad of hair dye and colored contacts. Nothing could be further from the truth ..."
Eileen frowned as the interviews started. One young woman with bright yellow hair streaked with pale orange and cyan eyes was particularly adamant. "No one will tell us anything! I've been to the urgent care clinic and the hospital several times, and they won't do *BEEP* for me. Look at this!" She whirled around, and the camera panned down and focused on a long, wavy tail emerging from a slot torn in her jeans. "It's a *BEEEP* tail! I tried cutting it off but it grew right back." She grabbed a fistful of head hair. "I can't wash this color out. What is this?!"
Sarah and Harold appeared next.
"The fuck?" Eileen said.
"Almost our whole family is affected," said Sarah. "Our oldest daughter has a tail. She's been very brave about it, but we want to know what's going on."
"When did this start?" the reporter asked.
"About a week ago," said Harold. "When our oldest daughter had odd-colored hair. It always starts with the hair."
"And now you both appear affected as well?" asked the reporter.
"Yes, and our doctor has no idea what it is," said Sarah. "Please, don't get me wrong. Our doctor is very good, and we like him, but if he can't figure this out--" She exchanged a look with Harold. "--well, we don't know what we're going to do just yet."
"All we want is for someone to take this seriously," said Harold. "I've had first hand experience with being told I'm full of it for trying to explain this."
"What has your doctor told you, if anything?" said the reporter.
"Just that this may be related to the flu, but he can't be sure," said Sarah.
Eileen's eyes widened as she remembered her conversation with Bob from a few days ago.
The camera view cut to the reporter. "The idea that the flu could be responsible for this condition is perhaps the more serious concern, not just for the residents of this town, but for those affected by the recent surge in new influenza cases along the Front Range. Yet what concerns some residents more is the persistent rumor of a half-horse man, a victim of this affliction who allegedly has horse-like ears and hooves for feet. Is he just an imaginary bogeyman invented by someone fearing the worst, or does he represent a disturbing future state of this affliction? Until we hear official word, all the residents can do is wait and worry. This is Bruce Donner reporting from Lazy Pines, Colorado."
Eileen snatched up her phone and called her sister's number, but the first three tries ended in a dump to voice mail. On the fourth try, an irritated voice finally snapped, "Eileen, you're the last person I want to talk to right now."
"Well, tough shit," Eileen said. "I just saw you and your ever lovin' hubbie on the news. What the fuck, sis, I have to learn from the news how bad it's gotten? You can't call me yourself?"
"What are you talking about?"
"My son is what I'm talking about," Eileen tried to yell, but her voice broke up into a spasm of coughing.
"You sound awful. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"Yeah, I'm so touched by your concern."
"Bob is fine," said Sarah. "He doesn't have this."
"You mean he doesn't have it yet. Why the hell are you keeping him there? You want to risk him catching this, too?"
"What difference does it make if it's related to the flu?"
"Oh, right, yeah, I'm gonna believe a hick doctor from Nowhereville. How about we get him to a real city with real doctors like, oh, I don't know, Denver!"
"I had considered taking the family to Denver, but I decided it was impractical."
Eileen frowned. "You mean Harold railroaded you into that decision."
"I don't want to deal with you right now. I've got enough problems."
Eileen bit back a retort when she heard the troubled tone of her sister's voice. "All right, look, is there any way you can send Bob to me?"
"Eileen, for just once in your life, be reasonable!"
"What's more reasonable than wanting to care for my own son?"
"How are you going to do that? You barely have enough income to keep yourself going let alone care for a child!"
"I have every right to take him out of there," Eileen said through clenched teeth.
"Yes, you do," said Sarah in a subdued voice. "I'm hoping you won't, but if you insist, you're going to have to come here. I'm not sending Bob away."
"You would if I sicked a fucking lawyer on you."
"Good luck affording that." Sarah hung up.
Eileen barely restrained herself from throwing the cell phone across the room. She paused until she had managed to calm herself.
She looked down at her phone and noted the number of the fellow who had driven her back from Lazy Pines earlier in the week. They had exchanged phone numbers at his insistence, likely because he hoped to score a date with her.
Eileen selected the number and raised the phone to her ear. "Let's see just how badly he wants that date."
Sarah set down the cell phone and covered her eyes with a hand, her other hand balling into a fist for a moment before slowly relaxing.
She wished she had been more civil with her sister. She understood that Eileen was simply expressing a mother's normal concern for her son. Instead, Sarah couldn't see past the image of an irresponsible woman who had no business raising a child.
Sarah lowered her hand and looked at her computer. When the call came in, she had been in the process of uploading an article to her blog concerning the petroglyphs. Usually her site didn't get very much traffic, but at the moment the tag "#lazypines" was rising fast in popularity. She had ignored the initial phone calls simply because she didn't want to be interrupted.
Sarah read over the article one more time. She had made sure not to make any rash or outrageous claims. She had instead stated her initial theory of the Ancestral Puebloans' possible contact with other human civilizations. Only near the end did she state the "interesting coincidence" with what was happening in Lazy Pines.
Sarah finally clicked "Submit." He heart raced; that had only been half her task. She was about to load the website of the FBI when a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Mom?" came Laura's tentative voice.
Sarah turned in her chair. "Come in."
The door opened, and Laura stepped inside. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting. I heard you yelling a bit earlier." Her ears swiveled slightly. "Sorry, I'm really not trying to listen in, it's just these damn ears."
Sarah stood and gave Laura a brief hug. "You don't need to apologize. I was talking to your Aunt Eileen."
"Oh," Laura said in a low voice. "Yeah, enough said."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I ... I need to get out for a bit."
Sarah sighed. "Laura, I know you said before that you don't feel sick but--"
Laura's ears drew back slightly. "But what?"
"I talked to Doctor Conner earlier," said Sarah. "He said they're recommending that we treat this like something communicable and isolate ourselves."
Laura's ears flattened further. "They want us to just stay cooped up in our homes?"
"They don't want to risk this spreading further."
"But everyone in town's already been exposed, and Jenny's been running around town all morning. And you're heading out of town to get groceries."
"Bob is going with me," said Sarah. "I'm going to stay in the car so I don't risk infecting anyone in Silverthorne."
"But I thought I heard they were being affected, too."
"Honey, I'm just trying to do the responsible thing, and ... um ..."
Laura's ears drooped.
Sarah realized her mistake at once. "Sorry, I shouldn't have worded it that way."
"Mom, you said I didn't have to shoulder every responsibility that came along," said Laura in a hesitant voice. "I don't want this one. I just want to be with my friend. I don't want to be alone."
Sarah lifted her gaze to her daughter's ears. "I don't want people seeing you and you getting hurt."
"I'm going to cover my ears with a hat. It's cold out anyway." Laura paused. "Maybe I look weird, but I'm not a freak. Please, don't treat me like one."
Sarah hugged her again. "You're not a freak," she said in a soft voice. "I just won't be here if you have trouble."
"Dad is out keeping tabs on Jenny, and Tina's parents are home," said Laura. "I think we'll be fine."
Sarah drew back as Laura's ears rose and swiveled slightly. "I'm sorry I keep staring at your ears, honey, but they're just so expressive."
Laura smiled faintly. "I always did wear my heart on my sleeve, so I guess this is really no different. So, can I go?"
"Yes, but you'll call your father and let him know exactly where you'll be at all times."
"Thanks, Mom."
Laura glanced at Tina's hair as they walked down the street. "No hair dye?"
"Decided to give it up for lent," said Tina.
Laura rolled her eyes. "Since when did you become religious?"
Tina shrugged. "I thought maybe dyeing my hair was a little insensitive, especially now that my parents have it."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Laura said in a low voice.
"It's fine."
"I hope someone figures this out before they have to deal with stupid pony ears."
Tina glanced at Laura's head. "You have them covered pretty good, but I can still see them twitching."
"Ugh, I know!" Laura thrust a hand under her hat and scratched. "Remind me never to wear wool over these things again, it's making them itch like crazy."
"I gotta admit, you're pretty brave to be in public with those, covered or no."
"It's not bravery. I don't want to be alone right now."
"That's a new one for you," said Tina. "You usually don't mind being out of the limelight."
"It's not that I want attention." Laura paused. "I guess I just really need to be with friends right now."
Tina folded her hands over her heart. "Awww, you like me, you really do!"
Laura managed to crack a smile. "You have to joke about everything, don't you?"
"Beats going insane. By the way, I heard school might be closed Monday."
Laura bit her lip.
"You okay?"
"I just prefer the usual routine," said Laura. "You know what my doctor said? That the state wants us to isolate ourselves and cut ourselves off from everyone."
Tina gave her friend a concerned look. "And that's freaking you out."
"No, it's not," said Laura quickly.
"Yes, it is. Even if you don't go apeshit like some, I can tell."
"I don't know what it was about it that spooked me," said Laura in a low voice. "It's not the idea that this is getting so bad they don't want us spreading it. It's more the idea that we can't even have any emotional support."
"I have to admit," said Tina softly. "This is a side of you I don't think I've seen before. I'm usually just kidding around when I call you straight-laced, but I did sometimes think maybe you should loosen up a bit."
Laura averted her eyes and remained silent.
"Laura, you've got more people wanting to be your friend than I think you realize."
"You mean a lot of guys who want to date me."
Tina smirked. "Well, that too, but that's not what I mean. It's really weird how few friends you have because you're not shy by a long shot. Reserved, maybe, but not shy."
"I had no idea if my family was going to stay in Lazy Pines for very long," said Laura. "What's the point of making friends that I'm just going to have to say goodbye to?"
"Yeah, I guess I can see that," said Tina in a low voice. "At least you have an excuse and ..." She trailed off when she looked on ahead. "Oh, ho! What do we have here?"
Laura turned her gaze forward, and her heart sank.
Ahead was an empty lot at one end of the business section of town. A small crowd had gathered at a corner that faced the intersection, a place which had gained the nickname "Preacher's Corner." The pastor from a small church on the outskirts of town occasionally set up shop there to pontificate to the masses about sin and salvation. As it was sufficiently far from residential areas, the police generally tolerated his presence.
Tina smirked. "I wondered when that big blow-hard would grace us with his presence after all the shit started hitting the fan."
Laura slowed her walk. "Tina, maybe we should go the other way."
"Oh, come on, that'll take us by the clinic, and it's a freaking zoo over there."
"I just don't want you goading the preacher into arguing with you."
Tina fluttered her eyelashes innocently. "And when have I done that?"
Laura narrowed her eyes. "Every. Damn. Time."
"Hey, it's cold out," said Tina. "We could use the hot air."
"No, Tina."
Tina rolled her eyes. "Fine, be a spoil-sport."
Laura's ears suddenly perked up and swiveled.
Tina stared. "Even through the hat, that's kinda weird."
"No, wait, listen!" Laura whispered.
Tina turned an ear towards the crowd, but only when they were closer did she hear a female voice from somewhere in front of the crowd. "--maybe the thing to do is to embrace this change rather than fear it. What if this is simply a means for humanity to advance somehow, to get some better state of being?"
"What the hell?" Tina muttered.
"This could be just the next level of human evolution," the voice cried out. "Possibly some sort of step towards some great enlightenment."
Laura flinched when a male voice from the crowd shouted, "You're fucking crazy, lady!"
"Many like me who have reached this point can no longer eat meat," the woman continued. "I've always thought we should be more at harmony with nature. Could this be one way to achieve that? I can't know for sure, of course, but we should at least consider that possibility!"
As they reached the opposite side of the intersection from the crowd, the man's voice rose again, "You're just a stupid-looking freak!"
"Hey, dude, take it easy," said another.
"Maybe you're right, Laura," said Tina. "We should--"
"No, wait," Laura said softly.
As others in the back of the crowd craned their necks, the woman proclaimed, "Let him call me whatever he wants. Let me show you all what I look like, and you can judge for yourself if I'm a freak."
The woman's head rose above the crowd as she stepped atop a wooden crate. A luxuriant fall of pale yellow hair streaked with white cascaded down her shoulders. A similarly thick wave of hair spilled from a tear in her jeans. Her ears curved from the top of her head and were covered in pale red fur.
"There's more than just you with weird ears," someone grumbled.
"What I'm saying is that this may be some sort of sign," the woman proclaimed. "Only a few days ago, I was partially deaf in my left ear from an untreated infection when I was very young. Not only is my deafness gone, I can hear better than I ever did before. If this is so terrible, why would it do something good?"
"I kinda want to hear this," Laura said.
"Well, all right," Tina said as she led them across the street. "But we bug out at the first hint of trouble."
Sarah tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as brake lights glowed in succession like falling dominoes, a normally five minute trip stretching out beyond a half hour. She finally yanked out her cell phone and thrust it towards Bob. "Here. Find out if there's an accident up ahead, please."
Bob took the phone and called up the Colorado Department of Transportation website. "I'm not finding any reports of accidents, but I-70 is pretty badly backed up near Breckenridge."
"People are thinking of skiing at a time like this?" Sarah muttered.
"I'm not sure that's it," said Bob. "I think it was that 9News article."
The traffic started to move again, only to come to another halt a few moments later. "That article was really low key if you ask me. I don't think it even began to express people's worry."
Bob navigated to the 9News website. "There's a new article titled 'Breaking News: Mysterious affliction spreads.'"
Sarah gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "What does it say?"
Bob opened the article and read it aloud. "Soon after our recent report concerning the strange affliction affecting the residents of Lazy Pines, our newsroom was flooded with calls from people also claiming to be affected. Most of the calls originated from the towns and counties surrounding Lazy Pines, but we have also received reports from residents in Denver, Boulder, and Grand Junction. Our rough estimate of the number of people affected is anywhere from two thousand to thirty-five hundred."
Sarah rested her forehead against the steering wheel. "I should've told someone sooner."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Is there anything else?"
Bob skimmed the rest of the article. "There's a report from Vail of someone running around with hooves for feet that the police discovered was a hoax."
"This is not bad enough, people have to act like idiots on top of it!" Sarah yelled.
"Should I continue reading?" Bob said in a tentative voice.
Sarah nodded quickly. "I'm sorry I shouted. I'm not mad at you."
"I know." Bob dropped his gaze to the article and read aloud again. "Our newsroom is just now receiving frantic reports of people who allegedly awoke this morning to discover they had horse-like ears. This was apparently enough to prompt some unaffected residents in the region to evacuate, leading to heavy traffic congestion along major Colorado roads. The Colorado Department of Health has announced that they are mobilizing to deal with this crisis and have urged people to remain calm."
"That's easy for them to say," Sarah muttered. She let out a relieved sigh as the traffic started moving again. "Finally."
Bob navigated to CNN's website. "It's made national news. 'Unknown illness strikes Colorado' is the top story. You want me to read it?"
"No, honey, that's fine," Sarah said, holding out her hand.
Bob handed the cell phone back. "Aunt Sarah, are you all right?"
Sarah forced a small smile as they reached the outskirts of Silverthorne. "Just feeling a little frazzled, that's all."
"What did you mean when you said you should've told someone sooner?" Bob paused. "Did it have to do with those photos you posted on your website?"
Sarah glanced at him. "How did you know about that?"
"I saw the post on your site before we left the house."
"You were looking at my site?" Sarah said with some surprise.
"Yeah. I mean ... uh ... just in passing."
"Oh."
Bob tried to find another topic of conversation -- or better, just remain quiet -- but conscience nagged at him. "It's a great site. I didn't really know a lot about your theories until I looked at it."
Sarah gave him a tiny smile. "How much of it did you read?"
Bob wondered how much more he should lie. He had already implied that he had taken just a cursory glance at her site when he had been following it religiously for the past year or so. "Um ..."
"It's fine if you think my theories are cracked."
"No, not at all," Bob said quickly. "Yeah, they're unconventional, but that's how science advances."
Sarah nodded, her eyes distant. As she slowed to a stop behind other cars at a red light, she thought back to her earlier argument with Eileen. "Bob, I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me. Are you happy with us?"
Bob hesitated for only a second. "Dad asked me this same thing."
"But you're worried about disappointing him. I thought maybe you wouldn't have the same problem with me."
"I'm fine with living with you all," said Bob. "I just don't know where I fit in sometimes."
Sarah took a deep breath. "Maybe my reasons for asking are selfish, but ... having you come with me today made me realize we might need your help if you're still not affected by this."
"I want to help," Bob said quickly. "So does Tina."
"Tina?"
"Laura's friend."
"I know who she is, honey, I just didn't think you knew her," said Sarah. "You don't tend to associate with Laura or Jenny outside the house."
Bob blushed faintly. "She's just ... nice. A nice person, I mean."
Sarah wished she could go full-on Mom mode and inquire more about this girl who had obviously caught Bob's eye, but she had more practical -- and painful -- matters to consider. "Your mother called. She prefers you don't remain in Lazy Pines so you don't catch this."
Bob's eyes widened. "Is she going to try to take me away?"
"Harry thought maybe you wanted to go back to her."
"Maybe I did, but I can't do it now."
"But if this wasn't happening, would you go back?"
"I really don't know," said Bob. "All I know is, I don't want to right now."
"I know you want to help, and I'm very happy about that, but it doesn't mean--"
"It's not just that," Bob blurted against his better judgment. He remained silent for a stretch of seconds, as if in hope that would somehow make the topic go away, but Sarah gave him an expectant look before turning at the intersection. "I feel like I'm an obligation to her, that she could get on with her life if she didn't have to worry about me."
Sarah was quiet for a long moment. "Eileen claims she's doing what she can to be able to take you back someday."
"But maybe she should stop. It's not doing her any good, and it sure isn't doing me any good." Sounding too harsh to his own ears, Bob added, "It's not that I don't love her. I know she wants the best for me, but maybe she needs to accept that she can't be the one to provide it."
Sarah wanted to agree wholeheartedly with Bob's sentiment, as it had echoed her own: if Eileen had not gotten her act together by now, it was doubtful she ever would. While that belief had not wavered, she wondered if she could have been a little more sympathetic earlier, rather than sounding like she was competing with Eileen as to who could be the better mother. "Thank you, I appreciate your honesty."
Bob nodded, grateful the conversation had ended. If she continued to press him, he would have been forced to reveal what he really felt: that there was someone else other than Eileen whom he would much prefer to call "Mom."
The crowd was packed tightly enough that Laura had little luck finding a place where she could see more than the woman's head above the crowd. Everyone present had at least the colored hair, and a few had progressed to the point of noticeably losing height.
"Over here," said a female voice near one end of the crowd.
A middle-aged woman with yellow and red hair covered by a large hat smiled at Laura. A thick tail of the same two colors spilled from a neatly cut and sewn slot in her jeans. She gestured to an empty space next to her.
Laura nudged Tina, and they jogged over. Laura looked up and smiled. "Thanks."
"Not a problem," the woman said.
"If we're supposed to be suffering from some sort of disease, then why don't we feel sick?" the orator continued. "Does anyone here feel sick? Is anyone dying from this? I'm asking a serious question. Has anyone heard of that?"
A murmur passed through the crowd, but no one challenged her.
"So maybe we're not sick!" the orator declared. "Maybe this isn't some sort of disease after all, but ... but some sort of transcendence!"
"The only one sick around here, lady, is you!"
Laura's ears flattened as her head turned towards the source: a short, stocky man who stood only four feet away. His hair was blue streaked with violet.
A taller man next to him with green hair frowned and poked him in the shoulder. "Hey, I said take it easy."
The shorter man whirled around and shoved the taller man hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back. A third man intervened. "Come on, guys, knock it off!"
"Laura, we better split," said Tina.
"Didn't you hear about Turner?!" the short mad cried, his voice a mix of anger and fear. "Is that what you want, to have hooves like a damn horse?!"
Laura froze, even as Tina grabbed her arm and tugged.
"All right, let's say that rumor is true," the orator said. "I said before that maybe this is all about giving us a closer bond with nature. That could be one way to accomplish that."
"That's just fine and dandy for you, but what about the rest of us? Some of us have children with this! You wanna see them turn into little horses?!"
"Stop being so frightened! What do we really have to lose? Maybe this is a sign that we're too attached to a material form that really doesn't matter in the greater--"
She broke off her oration suddenly and started to duck, but not in time. The rock hurtled at her struck the side of her head just under her ear, opening a gash. She had barely begun to fall when the taller man smashed his fist into the shorter man's face.
"Let's go now!" Tina cried and pushed Laura away.
The shorter man staggered back, blood dripping from a split lip, then rushed forward to grapple with his assailant. He threw the taller man with inhuman strength, sending him crashing into the crowd, toppling people like tenpins.
An elbow smacked into Tina's back, and she sprawled to the ground. Laura cried out in alarm, but before she could get to her fallen friend, the crowd had surged into the gap between them. Laura yelped as she stumbled back, an arm knocking her hat off.
"Tina!" Laura screamed, briefly drowning out the approaching police sirens.
Laura trembled, and her ears flattened. The wall of bodies around her threatened to knock her about like driftwood on a stormy sea. She fought the urge to bolt and tried to thread her way through the press of people. Just as she reached where Tina had fallen, a woman's voice rose. "Laura, I found her! I found your friend!"
Laura came upon the woman with the yellow and red hair, her arm wrapped around Tina's waist. "Tina, are you all right?!"
Tina's face was scratched, and her hair disheveled. She winced as she took a hobbling step forward. "More or less," she muttered.
"We need to get away from here," said the woman.
Tina's face screwed up in pain as she tried to take another step. "Ow! Guys, I'm not going anywhere fast, I think I twisted my ankle."
"Over to this car," said the woman. "She can lean against it."
Laura glanced over to where the world was quickly filling with flashing red and blue lights. "But the police--!"
"--are going to stir things up worse before it gets better," the woman declared. "Let's go!"
They carefully guided Tina away just as the police cars pulled up. Half a dozen officers poured from them and bolted for the crowd.
Laura swallowed hard and looked over her shoulder. "What about the woman who was speaking? She was injured!"
"I think she'll be all right," the woman said. "The guy who hit her got too caught up in the fight to go after her. Here, Tina, do you think you can turn around and lean on the hood?"
Tina nodded as they stepped up to a sedan parked at the curb. "I think so."
The woman smiled. "Lucky you. No pesky tail in the way."
Tina winced as she turned herself around. "Oh, fuck, that hurts." She glanced at Laura. "Laura, where's your hat?"
Laura's eyes widened, and a hand flew up to her head. "Oh, no, I didn't even notice!"
"Calm down, it's okay," said the woman.
"But I don't want someone trying to hurt me, too!" Her ears flattened. "A-and I don't want to look like a freak to everyone."
The woman smiled. "You're not a freak. Not in the least."
Laura slowly smiled, at least until she flinched at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She yanked it out and answered it. "Hello?"
"Laura, where the hell are you?" came Harold's voice. "You were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago."
"Dad, I'm sorry, but, um, something kinda came up," she said, the last part of her statement lost to the tweak of a siren as a paramedic pulled up.
"I didn't get all that, honey, and ... wait, why did I hear a siren?"
Laura sighed in exasperation. "Tina and I stopped at Preacher's Corner, and a fight broke out."
"Fight? Are you all right?!"
"Yes, Dad, I'm fine, but Tina twisted her ankle."
"Where are you?" said Harold. "Are the police there?"
Laura swallowed hard as she looked. Most officers were still wrestling combatants to the ground long enough to cuff them. The stocky one who had started it was taking three officers to hold him down. "They're kinda still busy right now."
"I'd rather we not be this close, to be honest," said the woman.
"But there's an adult here," said Laura. "A nice lady who helped Tina and I get out of this mess."
"Stay with her. I'm coming over now."
"All right. Thanks, Dad."
As she hung up, two paramedics and a police officer rushed over to them. Tina smiled weakly and raised her hand. "I'm the patient. Left ankle hurts like hell."
One of the paramedics examined her foot. "Let's get her over to the van."
The officer turned to them, his eyes lingering on Laura's ears for a few seconds. "Other than the young lady's ankle, are you all right?"
"A little rattled, but okay," said the woman.
"I'm a lot rattled, but I'm okay," said Laura.
The officer focused on Laura. "Where are your parents, miss?"
"My Mom is out of town for a bit but my Dad will be here in a few minutes."
"Officer, being this close to the action is making me a little nervous, and frankly it's loud enough to give me a headache," said the woman. "Mind if we just cross the street?"
"That's fine, ma'am, but don't go too far," said the officer. "We'll need statements from you both."
The paramedics supported Tina on either side as they stepped away from the car. "Tina, would you rather I stayed with you?" Laura asked.
"Laura, I'm fine," said Tina. "I'll call you later. Just worry about yourself."
Laura smiled weakly as she watched the paramedics carry Tina away. In the field some distance from where the crowd had gathered, two more medics tended to the injured orator. "God, what a mess."
"You're not kidding," said the woman. "Here, let's get some distance from this."
Sarah pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store near the north edge of Silverthorne. She ran a hand through her hair before reaching for the shopping list. "Now, Bob, do you remember what I told you about picking the oranges?"
"Weigh them in my hands and pick the ones that feel the heaviest," Bob intoned. "Those are the ones that are likely the juiciest."
"And the tomatoes?"
"Firm, not mushy. Avoid ones that have bruises or splits."
Sarah grilled him on a few more before handing over the list. "Well, you certainly remember that stuff better than Harry does." She reached into her purse and handed him some money. "Thank you for doing this, I appreciate it."
As Bob headed into the store, he glanced around. Many people sported lurid hair. Had it already spread outside of town? He didn't see any obvious tails, but people could be hiding those if they weren't too long.
Bob tried to do his shopping quickly, but the layout of the store was unfamiliar, and he had to hunt for a few items. He let the produce wait until last so he could place them on top of everything else to prevent them from being crushed or bruised. Sarah had a lot of canned goods on the list, far more than she usually bought. He tried not to read too much into the fact that this was the most depleted area of the store.
He reached the fruit section and went about selecting oranges. After sampling two random picks, he put the lesser one back, and a hand grabbed his before he could remove it.
He snatched his hand back and jerked his head to the side. A young woman with straight blond hair pulled her hand back as well, then chuckled. "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was grabbing," she said with a faint southern twang.
Bob nodded and managed a smile. "No worries."
"Did you want that orange?"
"No, you can have it, but I think the ones on this side are better." Bob picked up another set, weighed them in his hand, then handed the heavier one to her.
The woman took the proffered fruit and smiled. "Hey, thanks. I'm in here just to get a snack before hitting the road again. Getting tired of jerky and trail mix." She rolled her eyes. "And to get away from the traffic for a bit."
"Is it pretty bad?"
"Oh, God, yeah. It was smooth sailing through Utah, but soon as we hit Colorado, bam, it was like everyone and his brother was on the road." She glanced at the clock. "I better get going, we got a lot of miles to cover still."
"Can I ask you something before you go?"
The young woman paused, then nodded. "Sure, what is it?"
"Did you hear about the disease that's going around Colorado?"
"Yeah, I heard about it." She glanced around. "Mom didn't think we should stop, but I'm like, do you see anyone who's obviously sick? I mean, jeez, it's just silly-colored hair. Not like it's Ebola or something dangerous, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess," said Bob in a subdued voice.
"I gotta go. Nice talkin' to you."
Bob finished up the rest of his shopping and moved to the checkout lines. He glanced out the window. A Silverthorne police cruiser had pulled up beside Sarah's car, and a police officer was talking to Sarah through the partially open window of her car.
Bob paid for his groceries and helped with the bagging to get it done faster before barreling outside with the shopping cart. As he approached, Sarah glanced at him and pointed as she said something to the officer. The officer glanced at Bob, nodded, then turned and headed back to his car.
"Bob, I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but you're going to have to load up the car," Sarah said in irritation.
"What was all that about?" said Bob.
Sarah frowned. "They wouldn't tell me. They kept asking me what my business was and 'strongly recommended' I remain in the car."
Bob rolled the cart to the back as Sarah popped the trunk. "I think the state is going to start isolating places that have this condition, and they've already given the police a heads-up."
Sarah pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. "Dammit, I would have done a bigger shopping trip if I had known that."
"Do you want me to go back in and--"
"Absolutely not. I've spent far too long away from our family than I wanted. Just load up the car so we can go."
As Bob loaded the car, the police cruiser pulled away. He saw a family sitting in a car a few spaces down, and as he watched, the young woman he had met in the store walked over to it. She smiled and waved. Bob waved back.
As he closed the trunk, he glanced at the car as it pulled away. It had Florida license plates.
As Laura and the woman reached the other side of the street, Laura glanced back and saw that the police were finally getting the situation under control. She shifted her gaze to the paramedic van, where Tina's injured ankle was being treated. "I feel like this is my fault."
"It wasn't," the woman said gently.
"But if I hadn't insisted on stopping to listen, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. I don't know why I wanted to ... well, no, I guess I do."
"You thought maybe you saw a kindred spirit?"
Laura looked up. "I just wanted to understand what's going on, and I thought maybe she did. Until ... well ..."
"Until you realized she was a bit out there."
"Yeah, I guess." Laura looked off into the distance. "But she had a point about not feeling sick. I don't feel sick. What kind of disease does that? I don't want this to be a disease, but ..." She trailed off and swallowed. "Sorry, I only just met you, and I'm pouring my heart out to you."
"Maybe that's what you need to do. After all, I was there listening to her, too."
"Did anything she say make sense to you?"
The woman considered. "Eh, maybe. At this point, any explanation is as good as another."
Laura glanced across the street. The man who had started the fight was finally hauled to his feet, bruised and bloodied, his hands cuffed behind his back. He lowered his head and slumped his shoulders, offering little resistance as he was taken to one of the police cars. "Why did he have to attack her? She didn't deserve that."
The woman placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Try not to be so hard on him. Not everyone is taking this well."
Laura looked back to her. "I'm sorry, I haven't thanked you for helping us."
The woman smiled. "I was glad to do so. After all--"
She removed her hat. Laura's eyes widened as they fell on her pale yellow equine ears.
"--us pony-eared women need to stick together."
Laura stared. "D-did it happen the same way for you? You just woke up with them?"
"Yep. Happened just this morning."
"Same here! God, I wish I could handle this as well as you are."
The woman shrugged. "I'm a go-with-the-flow kinda gal." She grinned and lifted her tail into view. "Besides, red and yellow always did look good on me."
Laura giggled faintly. She was about to speak again when she heard her father's distant voice call out. "Laura?"
Laura looked down the block, where Harold was jogging towards her, Jenny and James in tow. "Over here!" Laura cried, waving her arm.
Harold broke into a run and pulled Laura into a hug. He looked over towards the police and paramedics. "Jesus. Are you all right?"
Laura let out a relaxed sigh. "I'm fine, Dad," she said in a soft voice.
Jenny almost skidded to a halt as her gaze fell on the woman, her eyes flicking to the ears and then to Laura again. She forced her gaze away and looked at the scene across the street. "What's with the war zone?"
Laura reluctantly broke off the embrace. "It's kind of a long story." She gestured towards the woman. "This is the one who helped us get out of this mess, Dad, she ... um ..." She blushed slightly as she turned around. "I feel so silly. I didn't even get your name."
"My name is Sadie Sommers," the woman said with a smile. "But all my friends call me Sunny."
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SHIMMER!!!!!!!
view the title..
someone finally becomes a pony?
"my name is sadie sommers..... but my friends call me sunny" Oh....... shite .....its sunset shimmer......and was the florida woman megan willams?
Laura I know this is a small town but going or associating with this woman feels like a bad idea.
8049854
ok my guess is wrong.
and... damn, the bacon mane ...
Well, hello, 'Sunny'.
This is getting better and better.
I still think the slow run-up to this was worth it. Anyway, things are starting to fall apart and it's very well written. I really like the 'crazy' lady and her talk about evolution and harmony. Miss Sommers approves.
Oh and hello, Florida.
This is getting complicated. Instead of being a perpetrator, Sunset is also a victim of this plague.
Again, each update answers one question, but creates ten more.
Yeah going to go with that the disease has progressed to the point that Sunset has finally come out of hiding.
I know that Bob's Mom cares for him but her attitude just pissed me off. Only being a mother when it's convenient for her. Bah!
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!!!!
Bob's mother... I really hope she isn't planning a kidnapping, or foal napping? (Sorry for the pun)
Also, this is worrying, as we now have Sunny, how long has she been living here? Where has she been?
Also Florida plates? What is the deal with that lady? Is it going to spread to Florida now? or is this something else?
SO many questions, and yet... I feel like none of them are being answered just unfogging but still unclear to see in the mirror. Still, keep up the great work, and enjoy the writing, I love the story so far and I look forward to every single Saturday to read more.
Well... looks like Sunset reveals herself...
8050029 That is literally what I just said to myself, and then I saw this comment. Amazing.
SUNNY?!
8049941
Don't think she's a victim of this, it's more likely she's using a temporary transformation spell on herself to blend in with everyone, and she's still actually a unicorn.
I want to point out something I just thought of:
- We have reason to believe that Sunset Shimmer survived the trip through the portal.
- When Celestia cast damnatio memoriae on Sunset, she believed that Sunset was dead.
- There is evidence (Laura and Jenny with the supercell, and Fred Turner's story) that Celestia's spell is affecting things in the human world.
All these points lead to a question that no one in the narrative is asking:
How did Celestia's spell effect Sunset herself?
SHIMMER! YOU XENOCIDAL BITCH!!!
God Dammit Sunset. I thought it'd be a while before you appeared!
8049939
That is a frightening thought: "Sommers" smiling at the woman believing that their transformation is good thing, thinking "yes, my idea is working. "These people are starting to get it."
In fact, could "Sommers" end up convincing Laura of the same thing, using her friendly personal? This is making me shiver with excitement.
Sunset
Nice to meet you "Sunny", welcome to the plot. How do you like it si far? Are the fruits of tout efforts satisfactory?
8050384
d.justpo.st/media/images/2014/10/aea1155d48548db9fb43ab248da3a8cd.jpg
Sunset Shimmer really picks up on names and using them in a familiar way really fast. Laura and Tina never actually introduced themselves to her but Sunset started using their names as soon as she heard them use them once in passing.
"A lot a boys who want to date me" should be "a lot of boys who want to date me"
Great chappie!
8050271 alternate theory,Sunset is not the one who wants to change everyone, it's her partner.
8050271
Not really convinced Sunset is the ultimate villian. Her actions don't really make sense from the "villian plan" we have seen put forward. She has been on Earth how long now and just now taking action? She seems to be in a human body more or less permanently as it is highly unlikely she could have survived that many years on the planet without being identified as some alien horse on sight which makes me think she just put herself in a position to get the pony plague so she can get back to being a unicorn. She didn't give an endorsement of the lady screaming that the human race was ascending either.
She is definitely an active player in the plot and definitely crucial to everything but her motivations seem really unclear. Why try to transform creatures on an entirely different world that has no contact with Equestria and is very hard to even travel to and from when concerned about Celestia's rule of all in Equestria's homeworld?
8051008
She's probably been around for a good long while and nobody remembers her because Celestia's spell leaked through the portal. Celestia screwed the pooch so hard with that spell that she actually gave Sunset the perfect camouflage to sabotage human-Earth. Then again, spending 20 years being forgotten by everyone you ever meet is...not good for the psyche (relapses of Background Pony...).
8051526
There's a thought. Even if pony religion dropped off the map, there have been several places in this setting where a pony having the right state of mind can let them effuse power or let someone else draw power from them -- the changelings come to mind, or even the Elements themselves. Instead of worship for the sake of it, Sunset's original plan may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy: get so many ponies worshipping Celestia as if she were a deity that it actually supercharges her into one. That said, with a shrine like that, she may have method acted so hard that she kind of drank the punch for real.
Wait. What if the afghani girl is not Sunset.
8051567
Except there isn't the magic flow going in on the Equestrian side and it is flowing out into Equestria instead of into the portal. It is anchored on the human side but things aren't getting through from Equestria.
I'll admit, my first thought was that this is pony!Sunset. But seeing human!Applejack in that grocery store made me re-think that idea. We know now that ponies can have human counterparts. This might be the actual human version of Sunset.
Alternatively, it is pony!Sunset. This point:
Is a good one in favor.
Oh, such a good mystery. I love it!
Give Lauraher damn wings already!
If my guess is.correct then the chick in the store should be AJ, in which case grabbing oranges is bucking hilarious! AJ doesn't get it though.
This...really hits home. As someone who's gone to three different schools in two years, it's hard. My dad said "you can just make new friends" each time we moved, but I don't think many people realize that maybe making new friends isn't the problem. It's leaving them that is.
On a totally different topic: Sunset Shimmer, you sneaky little stoat.
As soon as I saw red and yellow aka bacon hair I knew. Hi Shimmy
Sadie Sommers / sunset shimmer this is to easy I am going to say their is a 70% chance a miss direct.
FUCKIN HELL GODDAMN MOTHER BITCHIN ASS KISSING LORD ALMIGHTY!!!!!
I REALLY HATE SUNSET RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
Well, that's certainly starting to heat up.
8053377
YES!!!!! AND A HORN!!!!! WE agree with thou!!! 100%!!
*snorts in surprise*
SUNSHIT SHIMMER!?
8082941
Same
So first of all, to answer Laura's disease question: HIV. HIV doesn't make you feel sick. Secondly, OH SHIT IT'S SUNSHIT SHIMMER
mememaker.net/static/images/memes/1245642.jpg
I had thought it when Sadie wa sfirst introduced, with the description of yellow and red hair, but the nickname sunny? She totally has something to do with Sunset Shimmer, if she isn't actually her.
8244778
I approve.
Dun dun dunnn
Interesting that "Sunny" wasn't the one doing the oratory.
(*waves*)
Hi, Sunset Shimmer!
8703056
*boop*