"Alignment chapter 6" by Keith Trimm

Chapter 6

The front door of the farmhouse swung open and Aquarius stepped out onto the snow-covered yard with the rifle in his hands. He had passed through the gate into the yellow world to check on the status of the gate.  It had been months since he had been home.  It was quite probable that his father and Samara had been taken many miles from the farm on the other side.  He was freezing cold and hungry and he had spent about an hour in the house regaining his strength for the mission ahead. 

A blanket of white lay untouched between the house and the barn seventy feet away. A gently breeze blew by carrying along snowflakes that twinkled in the bright light from the farmhouse. He needed to focus on his task.

Unlatching the clip from his rifle, Aquarius counted three unspent shells, not enough to do any real damage, but enough to get his point across. The clip was locked into place with a snap as Aquarius took off in a brisk walk towards the barn. Each step he took brought him closer to the gate to the blue reality where he hoped to confront the Weed terrorists.

As he approached the barn door he heard the sudden sound of footsteps in the snow from around the side.  It was a group of three Weeds making a break for the house. He didn’t know if this was new group or the same group who had passed earlier but he could tell by their clothing and demeanor that they were definitely Weeds.  He shouldered his rifle and fire two shots in quick succession.  Two of them fell immediately to the ground.  The other, a woman, continued into the front door of the house barely taking notice of her downed comrades as the gunshots echoed through the hills.           

A light went on in the kitchen window. Aquarius stopped in his tracks and waited for movement. He watched his breath drift like the smoke that rose out of the chimney into the cold night air. For a moment the house was still.

The living room light came on, then went off again. Now that he knew the house was occupied, he had to find a way to get in and clear it out. Ducking down, he took off in a sprint to the house kicking up snow as he went. Panting steam from his lungs, it took only a few seconds to reach the house and hide in the shadow by the side door.

Aquarius leaned towards the door and listened for any sounds coming from inside. He could hear nothing. It was imperative he get back in the house and take it over.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the window next to the door and used the butt of his rifle to break out the glass. With a crash the window broke into pieces and fell to the ground landing in the snow at his feet. Using his gloved hand, he reached in and pulled out the broken glass lodged in the frame, clearing a path for him to enter. With one large shard of glass, he stabbed the screen and sliced it wide enough for him to grasp it and tear a hole in it large enough for him to pass.

The warm air from inside the house poured out of the broken window as he stepped through into the light of the kitchen. Once inside, he scanned the area for any threats and turned off the light. The only thing breaking the darkness, was a light from the living room that crept into the kitchen allowing him to make out his surroundings.

Carefully, with his gun out in front of him, Aquarius lightly stepped across the kitchen to the doorway and stopped cold. Holding his breath, he listened for any sounds coming from the other rooms. He could hear nothing. Then a woman’s voice called out to him.

“Sean?” the woman called.

Aquarius stepped boldly out into the living room and aimed the rifle at the woman’s face. He tried not to spook her. She was standing midway across the room and was an easy target.

“Who are you talking to?” Aquarius asked.

The woman paused and tried to calm him down with her demeanor. She stood motionless with her arms dangling down to her sides. Her hands were cupped with her fingers tucked out of sight. It was an unnatural position for her to be in, but Aquarius did not take immediate notice.

“You are Aquarius, the hunter,” she said.

“My name is Aquarius.” 

“You will fail,” she said spitefully.  “Our plan is in motion, there is nothing you can do to stop us.”          

“We’ll see,” he said as he held the gun tightly to his shoulder never letting her get out of his sights.

“Tell me Aquarius, tell me of your father.” The woman was trying to engage him in conversation while her other companion in the barn made preparations for their suicide mission on the other side. She knew the answer before he did.

He donned a curious look as he pondered her question. She was mocking his father Noah for allowing all this to happen.  He had no answer. He became angry and confused for a moment realizing these Weeds were ruthless and cunning.

“I have no father,” he replied.  He has disgraced me and my family, I want nothing to do with him again.”

“How can that be?” she asked. “You can’t divorce you flesh and blood.”

“I will atone for his mistakes and put everything right again.”

“Why?” she asked. “Who instructed you to do that?”

“I have been receiving messages from the gatemaster. I am sure it will come clear to me later,” Aquarius replied.

The woman slowly raised her left hand and pointed to a portrait on the wall. “Look at that picture,” she said.

Aquarius looked at the picture then back to her. “What about it?” he asked.

“The boy on the right. That is you. That was from a happier time, eh?”

The picture looked familiar to him. He recognized his picture in the portrait. He hadn’t live on the farm for years but his dad still displayed a family portrait.  He knew instinctively that she was trying to distract him again and quickly turned back towards her.  His life and future happiness depended on him completing his mission. He was aware now more than ever he had to do it.

“You are the son of a gatekeeper,” she said. “You are not like the others who pass over. You are special. You are a gatekeeper too!”

A smile crossed Aquarius’s face. “Nothing you say will save you, you must die!” he said raising the gun again. He wondered to himself how this Weed knew so much about the gates and gatekeepers.

“Look at me hunter!” she shouted.  “Join us, help us put an end to all this!”

Aquarius just smiled and stared intently at the woman.  He didn’t know why he hadn’t shot her on sight.  Aquarius leaned into the door jam and took careful aim at the woman’s head. He thought for a moment and let the gun drop a few inches as he looked upon her. “Why didn’t you try to stop me from breaking in to the house?” he asked.

“I needed to distract you. We ran here to draw you away from the gate.”

Aquarius looked around the room. Something did not seem right. He now knew that he had been set up, this was all a diversion. He scanned her again this time he noticed something he didn’t see before. Coming out of her cupped hand was a twisted wire that led into her shirtsleeve. He looked at her hand then back up to her face. He didn’t want to startle her or let on he knew she was hiding something. 

Slowly he backed into the kitchen keeping the rifle on the woman.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “The party’s not over yet.”

“Stay back!” he shouted. “I don’t want you coming anywhere near me!”

She knew then he was onto her. In a flash she ran towards Aquarius making it half way across the room before he shot her in the face. She fell to the floor in a heap. Her right hand opened up revealing a spring loaded trigger device that clicked just before she exploded all over the living room. The woman had a six-inch pipe bomb strapped to her midsection.

With a loud bang, the room was covered with blood, bone and flesh that ricocheted in all directions spraying Aquarius as he fell back onto the linoleum kitchen floor. The light was now out in the living room and Aquarius struggled to find a way to his feet. The blood blinded him and the sound of the blast echoed in his ears.

Finding the kitchen light switch, he flicked it on and the room lit up. The light showed the blood that ran down the side of the door jam and clung to the refrigerator door. He stepped into the dark living room and surveyed the carnage. The scene sickened him.

From behind he heard the creak of a door hinge and his head turned to greet the sound. He knew he was still not alone. He listened again and could hear faint footsteps through the walls creaking on the wood floors. He could not make out what room it was coming from and stepped through the living room to the door that led upstairs.

Leaning in he listened carefully and took a step checking to see if the steps creaked under the strain of his weight. The old wood gave out a groan as he stepped up onto the first step. He knew if he went any further, he would be given away by the sound. He stood still and listened again holding his breath.

More muffled footsteps, then a clicking sound came through the walls. The steps were slow and deliberate, as if they were trying to conceal themselves from him. He pulled the gun in close and remembered that he had used all of his ammunition. It was dark and finding the intruder would be difficult at best.

The sound stopped and he proceeded up another step. This one made less noise than the last and he stepped to the side by the wall to keep the sound as low as possible. Looking up into the dark stairwell, he could make out nothing but a few faint images illuminated by the outside light by the upstairs window.

He took two more steps and stopped again.. Moments later a faint odor of propane found its way to the staircase and he took a deep breath and held it. Now he could hear the sound of something hissing like a snake.  In a panic he stepped back down to the living room and listened intently to the sound of the hissing. It sounded like it was coming from below.

Then a door slammed in the kitchen with a loud bang. Aquarius took off into the kitchen and opened the door to the outside in time to see another  woman running through the snow at full speed towards one of the out buildings. Aquarius raised his gun and fired. Remembering the gun was empty he tossed it aside. Besides, he suddenly realized, firing the gun might have sparked the propane now thick in the house.  “This must be my lucky day,” he quipped to himself. 

He abandoned the woman and ran back inside to see if he could stop the gas leak. This was his home, his great grandfather built it over 100 years ago and he couldn’t let it be destroyed.  Running to the basement, he looked out the window and saw her disappear into the darkness. The hiss was much louder and the rotten egg smell of propane was overwhelming. Aquarius soon found himself becoming dizzy and needing fresh air.

Scanning the iron piping that ran the length of the basement, he could not trace down the source of the hissing, nor did he have any tools to turn valves if needed.  His only hope was to go outside and find a shut off valve on the propane tank outside the farmhouse.

Then he heard it. The sound of the furnace fan warming up. It would just be a few moments before the electric ignition ignited the gas in the furnace setting off the entire house. If he heard clicking it would be the last thing he ever heard.

In a sprint, he dashed up the basement stairs into the kitchen and out the front door. With all the grit he could muster, he ran towards the barn, his progress slowed by the deepening snow, his heavy coveralls and pack boots.  It was as if he were stuck in molasses, but every stride moved him further from the immanent blast.  Then suddenly he felt a tremendous push from the rear followed quickly by the sound of a huge explosion.  He was knocked over face first into the snow-covered gravel of the farmyard by the force of the blast.  Chunks of wood, glass and stone peppered his backside and lay strewn in a pattern around the burning house. 

His face buried in snow, he turned over to see his home in ruins and on fire.   He pounded his fist on the snow-covered ground cursing the woman who had interfered with his mission. The Weeds were more ruthless than even he had imagined.  He knew now his operation was in peril and that his opponents were strong.

The fire from the house rose into the air.  There were no neighbors for miles and he knew the fire would receive no attention from the rural fire department on this world.  He needed a plan to recapture the stone circle in the barn. 

The glow from the fire lit up the barn and all the surrounding buildings, flickering and dancing in the dark of night casting eerie shadows into the fields beyond. The snow turned yellow in the glow of the flames and the smell turned from that of fresh winters night to that of burning wood and plastic.

Aquarius stood and checked himself for injury. Finding none, he headed to the farm truck parked along side the grain bins.  He planned to use the truck as a battering ram to penetrate the barn to battle the Weeds and get access to the gate.  Opening the door to the truck, Aquarius froze as he saw a figure sitting silhouetted in the passenger seat pointing a pistol at him. The stranger spoke out and said, “I’ve been waiting for you.”