Outsiders Among Us

“Dude, I’m telling you. Dawn is never going to find out. You’ve got all of your bases covered.”

“I don’t know man; she seemed pretty suspicious of me hiding the phone.”

“Don’t even worry about it. As soon as you get what you want out of Sheila, you can easily ditch her to give your neglected girl all the love she’s missing. You’re golden man! You’re golden.”

“Yeah but what if Sheila keeps calling. . . “

“Ok you’re boring me now” Leo interrupts as he blasts the car’s stereo.

“Dude what are you. . .?” Jeff starts, but before he could finish his question, a horrified looking person suddenly springs in front of the car. The individual’s face appears to visually express the words, Stop! Help me. Unfortunately, Jeff doesn’t react in time to avoid the hit.

Immediately halting the car, he screams with panic, “Holy crap! Where did that guy come from?”

“I don’t know!” cries Leo with an equal amount of frenzy.

“Oh hell! What if he’s dead?”

“What if he’s not” Leo yells back, “He’ll sue or press charges.”

The paranoid pair step out of the car and see the lifeless body on the ground. Leo touches his pulse and gives the he didn’t make it head shake. “Oh man”, whimpers Jeff. “I just killed a man Leo.”

The distraught driver falls to his knees and covers his face in disbelief. Almost instantly, sirens are heard in the distance as a car speeds to the scene.

“What do we have here?” an authority figure asks as he exits his vehicle.

“Please” cries Jeff, “he just jumped in front of my car!”

“Now calm down son,” the cop comments. “This here’s a criminal and you stopped him. You boys are heroes.”

“What? What kind of criminal?” Jeff asks still hunched over.

“Never you mind that” answers the cop, “Why don’t you boys come on down to town? We’ll get your car washed up real nice. It’ll be our way of thankin’ ya for getting rid of the garbage.”

Jeff and Leo, still completely flustered, concede. They follow the Sheriff to a dated small town, which only seems to consist of dirt roads and houses. The boys are taken aback with the lack of stores or recreational places.

After dropping Jeff’s car off at a local’s home, the authority walks to the boys. “They call me Sheriff Birmingham” he announces, “Since it’s so late, it might do ya’ some good to spend the night. We don’t have a hotel here; but our locals are real kind and we always have a family willing to take in good Samaritans. Hop in, and I’ll give you a ride to a nice home.” Leo and Jeff are not excited to stay in the strange area but somehow are more afraid to decline the invitation.

The nervous duo rest in the back seat as the Sheriff chatters on during the drive. Jeff silently weeps for his involvement in a person’s death. The unpleasant drive finally reaches its end as a house appears on the unpaved road. A family awaits on the porch.

“Ok boys” the Sheriff smiles, “You have here the Singloff Family. They’re the friendliest bunch in Oakalong. Ya guys take care ya hear?”

The family consists of an attractive couple and seven year old boy.

“You boys sure have come a long way” begins the grinning mother, “Please come in, we’re right in the middle of dinner. And please excuse our daughters, they’re a bit shy and won’t be joining us.”

The quiet Jeff and Leo sit awkwardly at the dinner table. They watch as the young boy stares at them. “You’re weird” he says aloud.

“Now that’s enough Hesmin” demands the father. “Don’t mind him, he’s not used to company from the outside”

“We really do appreciate you stopping the criminal” smiles Mrs. Singloff as she hands the visitors their plates.

“Well, if I had to accidentally kill someone, I’m glad it’s a person everyone hated.” Jeff nervously replies.

Immediately after dinner, Jeff and Leo are ushered to their room by the young Hesmin. As they walk through the hall, they pass an open door. Both Jeff and Leo are shocked to find two of the most awe inspiring beautiful young women talking beyond it. The girls notice the stares but quickly look away.

“That’s Genie and Jana” the boy explains “Mom told me to tell you they’re shy.”

“Do they have boyfriends?” asks the not-so-slick Leo.

“No”, answers the seven year old sternly. “Here’s your room.” He says before briskly walking away.

“Hey Jeff” calls Leo, “I dare you to knock on Genie and Jana’s door.”

“I don’t think so” answers the distraught young man. “I don’t feel right about this town. The people here remind me of a horror movie. How did we get talked into staying here again?”

“Well you killed a man; and you were so relieved that they didn’t convict you that you went with whatever they said. Plus, I think you wanted to have a bloodless car since that would make Dawn just a tad nervous.”

“Oh crap I forgot about Dawn. She’s already been suspicious enough about my actions.” realizes Jeff as he pulls out his phone “Oh great the phone has no signal. Let me borrow yours.”

“Sorry bro, mine doesn’t have any either” Leo says looking at his dead phone.

“Let’s just ask the parents here if we can borrow their phone.”

“Hell no!” replies Leo, “It’s your girl. You ask the weirdos yourself.”

“Well, it’s too late to be bothering them anyway” replies the disappointed Jeff, “I guess we’ll have to wait till tomorrow. Dawn is going to hate me.”

“Or a 3rd option” Leo smiles with an idea in his eyes, “We can knock on those girls’ door and ask for a phone. I wouldn’t mind joining you for that!”
Jeff looks at Leo as if he’s giving in, “Fine. I just hope for your sake they’re over eighteen this time.”

The two young men arrive at the now closed door. After a minute of arguing who was going to knock, Leo reluctantly taps on the wood. One of the beauties answers and both men are hypnotized by her uncanny light eyes. Jeff realizes that there’s no way she’s underage because of her amazing figure, and his mind seems to drift off into a fantasy where he’s sliding his fingers in her long dark hair and kissing her voluptuous lips. Leo finally breaks the silence.

“Hi I’m Leo” starts the excited young man. “This is my friend Jeff”. The girl smiles but doesn’t say a word. “So, Jeff was wondering if you guys have a phone we could use. We really need to get in touch with his friend.”

The pretty girl finally speaks, “Our family doesn’t believe in phones. I’m sorry.”

“That’s ok” responds Leo as if what she said wasn’t strange. “So, how old are you guys?”

“I’m 18 and Jana’s 19. “

“Very nice” he replies, “do you girls want any company?”

Genie laughs and replies, “That sounds fun, but maybe tomorrow.”

“Ok don’t forget” Leo waives as she shuts the door.

Once the door is closed, Jeff smacks Leo on the back of the head. “Do you guys want any company?” he mocks. “Man you don’t know how to treat the ladies.”

“Hey I believe I’m the one that got us a date Mr. forgot-how-to-talk.”

“Please” Jeff rolls his eyes as they return to their room, “We aren’t going to have a date. We’re leaving tomorrow morning and I still have to call Dawn.”

“Man, forget about Dawn for a little bit.” urges Leo as he sits on his bed, “These are pure hotties. What more can you want?”

“What I want is to go to bed and forget this night ever happened. Goodnight.”

The following morning, the boys are awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. It was Hesmin. “Mom said you can come down and eat now.” The two boys look at each other with disbelief at the strangeness of the people and head to the breakfast table.

“Good morning boys.” smiles Mrs. Singloff, “It’s just going to be the four of us this morning. My husband’s at work and the girl’s are out.”

“That’s fine” answers Jeff, “We appreciate your hospitality.”

The mother sits a plate in front of both boys and joins them at the table, “I’m afraid I have some bad news. Sheriff Birmingham came by this morning. It looks like your car is having some problems where it won’t start. It’s ok though, he already assigned a mechanic to fix the issue, and it’s all going to be paid by the city. The mechanic says he’ll have it up and running for you by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” Jeff jumps up instinctively looking at Leo, “Oh man what are we going to do?”

“It’s ok” the older woman answers. “Of course you can stay with us another night.”

“Besides” winks Leo, “Now we can get to know some of the people around here.”

Jeff sinks back in his chair with great disappointment. “Is there a working phone around here ma’am”.

“Well” answers the mother, “You can find one in town, but it’s quite a long walk”

“That’s ok; we have nothing else to do all day anyway. We’ll just go for a walk after breakfast.”

Breakfast couldn’t be over sooner. Both Jeff and Leo could feel a major level of discomfort when they’re among the parents. As they try to find a way to town, they follow a dirt road that Mrs. Singloff explained leads to the city. While walking, they notice a creak where Genie and Jana are sitting and talking. The boys stare in their disbelief that such beauty could exist outside of the media.

Before they could head over to talk to them, four angry troublemakers appear. One of them so forcibly shouts, “What are you doing looking at our women?” that it causes Jeff and Leo to jump. “We don’t like your kind around here.” He yells at the frightened duo. He then turns to his three followers, “Let’s teach them a lesson boys”

Leon decides to take off leaving Jeff no choice but to follow. The gang catches up to the fleeing pair, knock both down, and are close to beating them to a pulp. Luckily, Sheriff Birmingham shows up. “Now you boys aren’t trying to pick a fight with the cities heroes are ya?” asks the officer.

“Of course not Sheriff,” lies the leader of the bunch, “we were just helping them get around weren’t we boys?”

When neither Jeff nor Leo answers, the Sheriff responds, “Off ya go lads, this is no place for the town’s heroes. Not much to do this time of year.”

The bikers disappear as fast as they appeared as Jeff asks the Sheriff, “Is there any chance that you can take me to a working phone”

“Sorry boys,” he announces, “Our town is out of phones at the moment. There’s a technical issue that is currently in the need of fixin’.”

The officer’s response doesn’t surprise Jeff and both boys disappointingly decide to head back to the house.”

“I just want to get out of here” Jeff replies to Leo while in the comfort of their room.
“What?” Leo responds in disbelief. “But the girls like us. You’re the biggest player I know. Why are you letting them pass?”

“I don’t feel right about them or this city. Besides I’m nervous what Dawn might be thinking.”

As the boys talk they hear a tapping at the door. Wondering who’d be knocking so late, Jeff is coerced into opening.

“Hi” says Genie. Jeff widens the space between the door to let Leon see who it is. “This is my sister Jana. We were wondering if you’d like to go for a walk with us.”

“Sure” jumps Leo “I’m Leo by the way” he addresses Jana, “I don’t think you’ve met my friend or me.”

“But I’ve wanted to” she coolly replies.

“Well what are waiting for?” smiles Leo, “Let’s go.”

“Let’s just make sure we’re quiet as we head outside” warns Genie, “I don’t want to wake my parents.”

As the group walks, they work at getting `to know each other . Jeff feels more of a connection with Genie while Leo has been trying to keep his conversation solely on Jana. The couples decide to split paths and meet back at the house in an hour.

“I’ve been dying to speak with an outsider.” Says Genie as she and Jeff walk alone.
Jeff, shocked by her response asks, “You guys don’t get away that much. Do you?”

“Well, I’ve never left the city” she replies as if her response were normal. “Let’s sit by the creek and talk”.

“I’m not so sure about that” remarks Jeff, “I didn’t have such a good experience the first time I was around there.”

Genie stops and replies, “That’s too bad. I wanted to see you shirtless and that’s the only private area I can think of.”

“Say what?!” asks Jeff in shock, “You want to see me shirtless?”

“Very much” she smiles, “so can we go?”

“Hell yeah” he smiled rapidly pulling her towards the creek.

“So is it true that you and your sis don’t have boyfriends?” asks Leon as he and Jana search for a quiet spot in the woods.

“Yes,” she answered, we don’t officially date. Our town is a bit different than you’d expect.

“Well that’s good news for me. Let’s rest here” replies the excited young man as they arrive at a nice spot. “So when I kiss you, will I be your first?”

“Not exactly”, she answers with a hint of sadness. “The criminal was my first a few months ago.”

“What! You mean the one we. . . I mean Jeff stopped?”

“Yes, he worked for the city for a while. He always told me that I was amazing.”

“I can’t imagine why not. You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” answers Leo as he moves towards the girl.

“That’s what he said. He liked me at first but then stopped once he got to know me. You outsiders are so weird.”

“Outsiders?” asks Leo.

PART II

Jeff gets closer to Genie and she allows him to act out the fantasy he had when he first saw her. Never in his life did he think he’d kiss such a beauty. Without warning he feels her removing his shirt.

“I like where this is going” he smirks.
Once his shirt is removed, the girl gently pushes Jeff back so she could see his body.

“It’s so creepy” she whispers to herself.

“What do you mean” Jeff asks bewildered, “Am I your first?”

“You sure are” she replies, “This is so thrilling for me.”

“It is for me too”, he says as he attempts to get closer.

“Wait, let’s talk.” She says blocking his advances, “I have so many questions. I’ve always wondered what I would do if I could meet an outsider and now’s my chance.”

“Your chance?” he asks, “To do what?”

“It’s my chance to finally talk about our differences.”

“What do you mean?” He asks impatiently

She begins, “I don’t think you realize that you’ve stumbled onto the chosen land. This is a community that our people have kept pure with only our own kind.”

“What do you mean pure? Do you mean that this place only houses one race?

“It’s not that we’re one race; we’re one species”

The girl’s serious expression takes Jeff aback and motivates him to grab his shirt. “Ok, you’re starting to freak me out.”

“Wait” she quickly replies, “take a look.”

The lovely girl lifts her shirt. Jeff is shocked to see an alligator-like mid-section. Her torso is completely scaly yet flesh colored. The shaken Jeff almost falls and wonders what he was just kissing.

“Ok you have now officially freaked me out. I’m heading back” he says as he puts his shirt back on and begins to walk away.

“Are you seriously leaving? Aren’t you the least bit curious as to what I am? I would think that you’d have tons of questions. I know I do.”

Jeff pauses and then returns to sitting. “What are you guys, aliens or something?” he asks with his guard still very high.

“We’re not the aliens” she replies, “You are.”

Leo attempts to close the gap between him and his dream girl. “I’ve wanted this since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

Jana stops him from nearing and says, “Tell me about the outside. Are you from a big city?”

“Why don’t we have less talk and more action” he replies as he gently pull her toward him. He begins to kiss the pretty girl, but not much later, the same bloodthirsty gang shows up.

“We warned your disgusting kind about touching our women.” shouts the leader angrily with a bat in his hand. “So now you’re going to have to die.”

Leo leaves Jana and begins to run. Great relief fills him as he notices the Sheriff’s car pull up.

“Oh thank you for being here” he shouts gasping for air, “These guys were trying to kill me”

Before the officer could say a word, the four troublemakers crowd and state, “We caught him touching one of the Singloff girls.”

“Is that right?” asks the Sheriff, “Well, looks like we have yet another criminal here fellas. What is it about these outsiders and those girls?”

Leo cannot believe what he’s hearing and is horrified by the Sheriff’s next words, “Boys, it’s time to take out the garbage.” The officer then looks at Leo, “You’ve just lost your living privileges son.”

PART III

“How am I an alien?” asks Jeff, “I was born and raised here my whole life. In fact, all humans are.”

“My species is native to earth.” The young lady explains, “We were born here and have lived here for millions of years. Your species, the humans, inhabited the earth via space craft and took over our planet. At one point in history, a fictional story was made depicting that humans were created on earth. Eventually, the tall tale became truth for your kind.”

“Wow” says Jeff in complete disbelief, “There is so much wrong with your little story. First of all, you’ve never left this city. Have you ever considered that maybe you’ve been told a bunch of lies your entire life? Second, we don’t just go by stories, we use science to figure out how we came to be. How is it that your kind doesn’t have any fossils or anything to back up your story? In fact, how come the people in this city are the only ones that are part of this species?”

“Ok let me answer some questions” Genie jumps in excitedly. “I don’t have to be told anything. I’m always able to see the truth for myself.”

“How is that possible” interrupts Jeff,

“Let me finish” she continues, “We’re very similar; many of the times that your scientists have found strange human fossils that didn’t seem to fit in with human history, they were really ours. Now let me answer your last question with another. Why are you so sure that we’re the only ones left of our species? Just ten minutes ago, you couldn’t even tell we were any different.”

“So you’re saying there are more of you?” Jeff asks starting to doubt his own reality.

“Of course,” she responds, “we’re everywhere. There are even earthlings living among you outsiders within your cities.”

Jeff sits and ponders for a moment. The thought of other people living amongst humans has never really crossed his mind outside of a weird Sci Fi story. He begins to contemplate if the tales Genie has started to tell can actually be truth.

“Now you’re confusing me.” He starts again, “It’s true; I can’t see a difference between us when you’re fully clothed. But how are you able to know that I’m not one of you? In fact, your whole town seems to be able to tell without me having to strip.”

“We can distinguish aliens from other earthlings because you emit a certain sound frequency.” She replies.

“So answer me this; why is it that nobody knows about other humanoids? Why do you keep yourselves a secret?”

“Our whole community knows how you are.” Genie explains, “If we were to let it be known that you’re co-habiting with a different species, you’d start a war with us again. I’m sure you’d even treat us like second class people or test subjects.”

The intrigued Jeff continues with his questions, “What do you mean start a war again? What war are you talking about?”

“You knew about us before and ended up destroying one of our major cities-The City of Atlantis. Your ancestors thought that we only inhabited the great city and thought we were completely destroyed. The truth is we hid our existence in fear. We still live in other big cities now though. We’re the ones that are lost in the background – the quiet ones that never socialize. At least that’s what I’ve seen in our time warps”

“You’re throwing too much at me?” interrupts the confused Jeff, “Are you saying that your people were the inhabitants of Atlantis? And what do you mean by time warps?”

“There’s a time slip in our church where we’re able to go into the past and see how it all came to be. Of course we can’t change history, but we’re able to see everything. If I want to see Atlantis and all the incredible things that were in it, all I’d have to do is use the Time Slip. Although there have been some reports of humans accidentally slipping through time, you guys don’t seem to have the ability to do it when you please.”

Jeff senses countless mixed feelings. He feels somewhat scared yet excited. He remembers hearing about time slips on his favorite show growing up, “Haunting Mysteries”. They’re supposedly places where a person can accidently be thrown back into another time. Shocked by what Genie’s explanation could mean, he asks more questions.

“None of this makes any sense” he continues skeptically, “so this time slip is supposedly how you know we are aliens?

“It is. I’ve seen you guys take over with my own eyes”

“Is there anyway a human can go to the slip of your church and see things with THEIR eyes?” asks the intrigued Jeff.

“Well the easiest answer is no. It’s completely illegal to take a human to our church. Also, I’m not so sure if you guys would be able to easily slip through time.”

“Damn, well I guess I won’t be witnessing my own birth then” Jeff jokes while still trying to comprehend all the newfound information. He decides to change the subject to something more entertaining to himself.

“I want to know how you guys breed.” Jeff continues, “Do you reproduce the way humans do?”

“We only found out about humanistic breeding when you came to the planet.” The girl answers while smiling. “Our ancestors use to only lay and fertilize eggs. Boy did we look a lot different back then. My kind had no hair or soft skin on our faces. At one point, we mutated to where we couldn’t reproduce anymore. Luckily we’re very scientific and intelligent enough to learn to clone, but most of the clones died. In order to beat extinction, we decided to learn more about the outsiders. Our ancestors took every opportunity to kidnap your people, study them, and learn a way to inject us with their DNA. Eventually our genes were spliced enough to allow us to reproduce again-except without eggs. After many centuries, we began to look more and more like humans.”

“If what you’re saying is true” starts Jeff, “then you couldn’t be a pure species. And if you kidnapped the outsiders; that means you aren’t any better than we are.”

“I didn’t say we were a pure species. I meant this neighborhood is purely of our kind. Also, I didn’t say we were perfect. I admit we’ve had our faults, but we’d never kidnap for science today. It’s against our laws.”

Jeff shakes his head in disagreement. He can’t believe what he’s hearing from this strange girl. “Assuming your story is accurate, then you realize that you’re part outsider now don’t you? Taking our DNA has made it so that you’re not even a full earthling anymore.”

“Well we still don’t have all of the powers that you guys have.”

Jeff never considered that different humanoids might have different abilities.

“What powers are you talking about?” Jeff asks confused, “To my knowledge I’m powerless.”

“Sure you have powers. You’re able to store food and water in your body. If you eat poison or inhale a virus, your body is programmed to fight it off. And the coolest power of all is that your body uses pain to tell you that something’s wrong. If we had any of those powers, we’d actually be able to survive without our monthly injections.”

Jeff realizes that Genie has just disclosed many of her people’s weaknesses. However, he also recognizes that he had better learn more about these injections before he can come to any conclusions.

“What do you mean injections?”

“Well, we’re no longer fit enough to survive amongst our surroundings for very long. In order for us to continue existing, we are injected with Outsider DNA. The earthlings in the major cities usually have to import it to us.”

“Once again, you’re feeding me too much information at once.” Jeff replies, “Where do you get this outsider DNA? And do you breed like we do now??”

“The DNA comes from volunteering Outsiders; and we do breed like you now.” The girl smiles as she slides her hand down his arm. “We’ve evolved tremendously because of your DNA.”

“Do you guys have any powers that humans don’t?”

“Not to my knowledge. We can hear the different frequencies and warp through time slips easier. Other than that I’m not so sure.”

Jeff is uncomfortable of the idea of this strange group of people using human DNA for survival.

“I have one more question” Jeff remarks, “What would happen if a human tries to breed with you? Has anyone ever tried that?”

The young woman cheeks grow red again as she answers “Yes, they have tried before, but since we’re a different species, reproduction can’t happen. Besides, it’s illegal for us to attempt to breed. We wouldn’t know how to make the offspring survive and everyone’s afraid that eventually that would obliterate our species entirely.”

“Well I think breeding wouldn’t be that much different than injecting yourself with our superior DNA.” Jeff replies in an arrogant tone, “Besides with all the injections, how do you know that reproducing with humans isn’t possible anymore? If it’s illegal, and nobody does it, how do you know you haven’t evolved to the point where it IS possible?”

“I guess I don’t know” she responds smiling and getting closer to Jeff “It’s too bad it’s illegal because I think it’d be fun for us to try. Don’t you?”

Jeff shrugs disgustingly at the thought of being close to her scaly body.
“Well, it’s getting late” she says disappointed at his lack of response, “Let’s head back. I’ll just have to ask my other questions on the way home.”

As they walk, Jeff is eager to meet back up with his friend and discuss everything that he’s heard. He then realizes that the Leon he knows probably didn’t get much talking done with Jana. He’s interested in seeing Leon’s reaction to Genie’s stories and whether he would believe them.

PART IV

Jeff and Genie return to the Singloff home at the agreed upon time. However as they enter, Genie is unpleasantly surprised to see her parents sitting on two armchairs facing the door. Mr. Singloff first gives his daughter a disappointed stare and then looks towards Jeff, “Your friend left” he announces.

Not believing his own ears, Jeff asks, “Excuse me, why would he leave? How could he have?”

Mrs. Singloff continues, “He was chased by a gang. Sheriff Birmingham thought it would be too dangerous for him to remain here, so he was driven to the nearest town.”

Nervously, Jeff requests that he be excused to his room and walks away without giving the Singloff parents any further eye contact. He notices Genie’s reaction to her parents as he leaves the room. Her apprehension is apparent from her shaking.

“First I kill someone, next my car breaks down, then I hear that I’m an alien, and now my friend gets chased out of town. How much more can I take?” Jeff asks himself as he paces in his room. Unable to sleep, the troubled Jeff feels as if the longer he stays in the community, the more danger he might encounter. After hours of intense burden, he feels secure that the family is asleep and decides that he must knock on the girls’ door once more.

Genie opens the door carefully. Jeff restlessly whispers, “Hey, can I ask your sis about Leo? There’s something I feel uneasy about with the whole situation.”

The beauty appears uncomfortable when she responds, “Jana’s upset and we’re not allowed to talk to you. But I’ll join you in your room to let you know what’s going on.”

“Umm sure” Jeff hesitantly responds.

The two quickly sneak into the guest room. Jeff trembles at the thought of what would happen if her family were to find her there.

“I have some questions” Jeff starts once the door was shut, “They called Leo and me heroes for killing that guy. Why was he a criminal?”

“He was an outsider and was to be used for helping out the community, but got too close to my sister. He was only with her for a little while but then cut her off. It wasn’t until later that they found out and labeled him a criminal.”

“What do you mean he got close? Do you mean he got close in the way you and I did tonight?”

“Yes, but he saw my sister more often. It wasn’t until he attempted to breed with her that he found out what she was and tried to distance himself. After my parents discovered what had happened, they tried very hard to keep us away from all male outsiders.”

“How did everyone find out about him and your sister?” asks Jeff

“She was hurt from his reaction to her and reported him. A warrant was instantly put out.”

“Your parents don’t know what we did tonight do they?” he asks with even more desperation

“No, I told them that I met you along the way outside. They didn’t believe me but can’t prove otherwise.”

“So, if the Sheriff saw Leo with your sister, does he think that Leo is a criminal too?”

“Yes”

“So was Leo’s punishment was being banished then?” Jeff asks.

“No it’s death” she responds quickly.

“You can’t be serious” Jeff loudly whispers as he stands, “We have to go get him!”

“It’s too late Jeff, he’s gone” the girl sadly responds trying to comfort him with her arm.

Jeff angrily pulls away and drops onto the bed, “I don’t believe you”

Genie shakes her head, “I’m sorry but my parents just told me that he is already dead.”

Jeff, still in shocks yells, “And you decided not to tell me this!”

She rebuttals while reminding him to keep quiet with a whisper, “Well that’s what I’m doing right now!”

“Whatever!” He yells back. “I’m out of here!

The frazzled Jeff begins grabbing his items in preparation to leave while Genie constantly pleads for him to calm down and be patient. Ignoring the pretty girl’s wishes, Jeff quickly rushes to the front door. The daybreak sun blinds him for a moment but once his eyes adjust, he is notices that a large crowd is awaiting outside the door.

“Hello son” smiles Sheriff Birmingham, “since you’ve helped us out so much in the past our city’s got a proposition for you. If you work with our scientists, we’ll make you a rich man. How does $10,000 a week sound?”

Jeff is unsettled about being surrounded by so many oddballs, but still manages to say what’s on his mind, “What are you talking about? I want to go home; I’m not interested in working with you after what happened to my friend”

“What do you mean?” asks the surprised sounding Sheriff, “Leo is at our labs right now. He’s working with us as we speak.”

“I’m not interested” Jeff responds, “I know what you all are. They told me everything” Jeff states pointing to the Singloff home.

“Is that right? Well if they told you everything, then they must’ve explained that we need your DNA for our kind to survive. It’s only a blood sample every 3 days. I think that’s worth $10,000 a week. Think about it; you’d be treated like a king. It’s not often that an outsider falls into our lap; and it’s too dangerous for us to leave the security of our village to find a healthy specimen like yourself.”

Genie walks out finally. She appears to know what is being discussed. “Take the money Jeff; you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Well it sounds too good to be true. Are you telling me this isn’t all a hoax” He says looking at her.

“Of course not. I already told you that we’re not evil like our ancestors. Just say yes, then you and I can learn a lot more from each other” He then turns back to the Sheriff, “Just let me call my girlfriend and discuss it with her.”

“I’m sorry son, you can’t just tell anybody about our communi-”

“Wait a minute!” interrupts Genie in a panic, “you have a girlfriend? If you are taken, then why did you-” she pauses as if not to give herself away. “I’m sorry Sheriff Birmingham, he doesn’t qualify for the $10,000 because he’s a criminal.”

“Genie what are you saying?” yells the petrified Jeff, “Please stop! Is this because I mentioned my girlfriend? She and I aren’t even together anymore. She’s my ex. I do want us to get to know each other, just please don’t say another word!”

“If she’s not your girlfriend then why do you want to discuss things with her!” she yells back, “Sheriff this man threw himself at me last night. He forced me to kiss him. He doesn’t qualify for the money”

“Well I’ll be!” laughs the Sheriff, “We’re swimming with criminals! Get him boys.”

The angry townspeople gather around Jeff and grab him. His struggles to fight them off prove fruitless and he is tied up. As they drag him away, he is only drawn to the dark expression in Genie’s eyes and new malicious smile.

After an agonizing journey In which he’s bound and carried by an angry mob, Jeff notices the first modern building he’s seen in the entire village. He’s brought inside and recognizes the inside to be a high tech science lab. Leo is there chained and lying unconscious on a flat table.

“Please Sheriff Birmingham listen to reason” Jeff cries out, “She kissed me first. Why do you think she waited until I mentioned that I had a girlfriend to say that I was a criminal? She is just jealous!”

“Listen here son,” explains the amused Sheriff as they tie Jeff down in the room adjacent to his unconscious friend’s, “When an outsider decides to do THE crime, his punishment is to donate for the rest of his life without freedom or money. Our community is ardently against forcing an innocent outsider to do this, but I knew that once Jana and Genie were of breeding age, that those curious girls were going to get me free specimens. Why do you think I stuck you in the Singloff home?”

Jeff pleads, “Please sir, she started the whole thing!”

“I don’t think you’re understanding me boy” the Sheriff continues, “I don’t care who started it. If a member of the community tells me that you’re a criminal, it gives me the excuse to have another free test subject. Now don’t cry. You’re going to be very useful for our people.” The Sheriff walks away and leaves Jeff alone.
Sometime Later

The dazed Jeff lies on the table. Without a concept of time, he keeps his mind from insanity with constant thoughts. Often he is unable to help but feel envious for the criminal that he killed. Shocked that such a weaker species could have overtaken him, he wishes that he could somehow destroy the DNA trade between the “earthlings” and the volunteer humans. Then these beasts wouldn’t be able to survive even a few months.

He realizes that with the only stimulation he receives, being sustenance through injections and when more DNA is removed, he cannot possibly live this way for much longer. He finds such a thought to be pleasing and wonders if Leo has been lucky fortunate enough to already have passed on. He repeats his last wish constantly in his head, that the petty emotions such as jealousy, insecurity, and hidden evil that these people most likely acquired from human DNA will someday destroy them.