Kade rises from the bed and walks toward the monitors. He touches the face of a black robed follower, "Look at this guy's face, he's terrified." He looks back at us on the bed, "Tan, Troy – get over here," he says.
We join him as The Surgeon continues to talk to the mourning, angry crowd. Kade takes my hand, "Don't listen to her, zone her out and study the faces," he says.
Troy joins us, "What are we looking for in their faces?" He asks. Kade takes my hand and guides me along, "The fear. Look at it in her eyes," he says, pointing to the face of a girl, who looks no more than sixteen. Her eyes are stretched wide and her lips are trembling. He points to another guy, he's got an angry look on his face; but it's forced, in his eyes is real terror.
Troy stares at a guy who is about his age, "Yes, I recognize his fear. It was the only emotion I experienced whilst I lived here." He puts his arm around Kade and pulls him in close, "Meeting you people showed me that there were other emotions us humans can feel." He walks back to Kelly, "Love and trust being the most important," he says, giving me a disappointed glance as he passes by.
......
Kade and I continue to look at the crowd and a question pops into my head, "Do you think they're real?" Kade doesn't hesitate, "Oh, they're as real as you and I. And therein lies our strength in this situation."
"What do you mean?"
"We know what we're dealing with now. We can dismiss all the supernatural hokum." He points to one petrified looking guy, "But he can't, he believes in it all. He's been brainwashed, indoctrinated." He stands back and throws out his arms, "just like all the rest of them. They're being controlled by the fear of the unknown. We know the truth, we can fight our fear and beat them – destroy whoever has this oppressive power over them." He grabs me in his embrace: strong and protective, "I'm gonna give you our happy ending, Tan – I promise." His whispered words are finished with a tender nibble on my ear that floods me with warmth and love.
But a sudden smell upsets me: citrusy, spicy, a strong perfume like fragrance that doesn't belong on him. I gently prize him a way, "You smell different," I say. He just stares silently at me – I think I can see hurt in his eyes.
......
As soon as the monitors fade, Kade gets back to business, "Right Tan, you can hold onto me from the front as we fly back." Troy is already picking up Kelly and instructing her, "That's right, wrap your legs around me, put your arms around my neck and hold on tight. I'm going to get you home where you'll be safe and sound," he says, carrying Kelly around the room in a practice run for the flight back.
Kelly is very weak and Troy has to half carry her towards the elevator. We're under no illusions that this trip back is going to be easy. But we're armed with a couple of pistols and we have plenty of Disabling Devices, thanks to Troy.
......
When we re-enter the bedroom we're hit by the whiff of the early stages of human decay, "Yuck – she's beginning to smell as rotten as her soul," says Kade, stepping over her corpse. "We really should lay her out and cover her with a sheet," he says, standing over her. "Yes I agree, let's get her on the bed," says Troy, seating Kelly, safely in an armchair.
The smell makes me think of Kristene decaying in the bathtub – if her decomposition wasn't a curse, what was it? And are home is filled with a group of people who are due to suffer the same fate! I still have many questions that need answers.
"Woah, rigormortis is gonna make this difficult," says Kade, grasping her legs. "Rigor...what?" Asks Troy, grabbing her shoulders. A cute little chuckle escapes from Kade, "It's when the body goes stiff after death. We need to stretch her out, to lift her on the bed." He looks up at Troy, "You need to yank her shoulders, while I yank her legs back. Ready – 1,2,3 – pull!"
