Best Laid Plans

Wrapped in a bedsheet, Brenda ran toward her home, bare feet slapping against frosted asphalt, breath coming out in clouded plumes in the cold morning air. Fear propelled her, numbing her to the icy chill. She didn’t hear the screech of tires as a car pulled out and pulled alongside her.

“Brenda!” called a female voice from the car, yet if Veronica’s mother heard it, she gave no indication, her pace unchanged as she ran down the sidewalk.

Driving further ahead, Darlene turned into a driveway ahead of the woman, stopping on the sidewalk and barring Brenda’s flight.

Getting out of the car, Darlene raised her hands, “Brenda!” she repeated, trying to catch the other woman’s attention.

Wild eyed, Brenda came to a stop, blond hair bedraggled, recognizing Darlene. Suddenly she burst into tears and collapsed to the ground. Circling the car, Darlene crouched down and wrapped an arm around the distraught crying woman. It took a little cajoling, but Anna’s mother was able to get Brenda into the car, heaters blowing warmth through the vent.

“She is the goddess,” mumbled Brenda, seated in the passenger seat of the old Pontiac, rocking back and forth, flesh stippled by goose bumps.

Pulling her safety belt around her, Darlene scoffed, eyeing Brenda and deciding whether or not to slap her. “She is a little girl with a measure of residual power from the goddess. She is a pale imitation of our lady,” Darlene retorted sharply.

“You didn’t see it first hand, what she did, what it feels like to be under her scrutiny,” babbled Brenda, starting to shiver.

“Anna is still Anna, the power she received from Inanna is going to consume her, her flesh is weak,” Darlene explained.

Brenda turned to face her, confused, “What?”

“How to explain this. Think of Anna as one of those little batteries in a TV remote control, AAA, and think of Inanna as a nuclear power plant. I don’t know how Adam was able to prepare Anna to repel the goddess, but whatever, a portion of Inanna’s power still seeped through and came into Anna, overloading that little battery. It is only a matter of time before she melts down, and sooner than later,” stated Darlene trying to get the other woman to understand.

“So Anna will be destroyed?” Brenda asked, sniffling as her nose ran.

Darlene nodded glumly.

“Your daughter,” Brenda mumbled.

Darlene chuckled, “My daughter was nothing more than the vessel and now the vessel is irreparably damaged. My regret is that I failed Inanna,” she answered.

Brenda nodded slowly. “Are we all that is left?” she asked meekly.

“As far as I know, you, me, and Lyle, but he headed into school this morning,” Darlene replied.

“Why would he go there?”

“Appearances sake he said. Personally, I think he needs the anchor of routine amidst the chaos of the situation,” answered Anna’s mother.

“Should we go to the authorities?”

Darlene laughed, “And tell them what? We tried to invoke the spirit of an ancient goddess into the body of my daughter, but something went awry, a man was shot in the head, a bunch of people got shrunken and devoured and now she is pissed. That sound about right?” she asked sarcastically.

“I’m scared,” Brenda said.

“Don’t worry, right now you are safe and time is our ally. I’ve reached out to the other gathering, as per Vera’s instructions. They have groomed a fall back vessel,” she said.

“That means?”

“It means all is not lost. We will try again, Anna was to be the one, but life is full of uncertainty and there needed to be a contingency just in case something went amiss. The other vessel is not as ideal as Anna was, but it will suffice,” Darlene extrapolated.

“But why didn’t we use the other vessel, I mean if we had another alternative, why use Anna knowing Adam had contaminated the vessel, why?” beseeched Brenda.

“Even contaminated, she was a more viable host,” answered Darlene, steering the car around the corner.

“I didn’t think I was going to survive,” mumbled Brenda.

“I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see you emerge from the house this morning. There is a young man lurking in a red car a few houses down watching the house, but I don’t know him. Did Anna mention anything about a boy?” Darlene asked, curious to know who and why the young man had the house under surveillance.

Brenda shook her head. “I didn’t see anyone else,” she stated.

“I saw your daughter go in,” Darlene started, leaving the rest unsaid.

“Anna welcomed her. Veronica pleaded with her to restore me to my former self,” Brenda replied.

Darlene nodded slowly, “That’s her humanity. That will go as the power destroys her and she goes mad,” she stated.

“You don’t want to know what she with Vance, it was inhuman,” stated Brenda. “She put him in her rectum, pushed him in all the way. She made me watch.”

Darlene laughed, “Vance always was a bit of an arrogant asshole,” she chirped, seeing the irony of his fate.

“Where are you taking me?” Brenda asked, realizing they were not headed toward her home.

“Your house has been compromised, we need to connect with the other gathering,” Darlene said.

“What about Rachel and Elijah?” Brenda asked, concerned for the wellbeing of Darlene’s two surviving step-children.

“They were both at Jerry’s mother’s place. I called her earlier to see if the kids could stay a few extra days and she adored the idea. I think the old bat is lonely. Anyway, they should be safe there for the time being,” answered Anna’s mother.

“That’s good. I’m going to need some clothes,” commented Brenda, looking down at her freezing body wrapped in the sheet.

Weighing options, Darlene thought about it a moment then changed her destination, figuring she would risk going to Brenda’s house to allow the other woman to pop in and grab a few necessities before they would go and meet up with other gathering. Arriving at the house they were able to put together a bag and we back on the road within minutes.