Pomegranate Corner, Rangerville, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 6:05 PM
"Hey, Dylan. I'm glad to see you. You weren't at work today," Molly said, relieved. She'd imagined government agents dragging him away to be questioned.
"hELlo moLLy. I aM gLad tO sEE yOu. I wAs noT At wORk toDaY," Dylan replied, his voice strangely stilted.
"Umm, Dylan... are you OK?" Molly felt suddenly much less relieved.
"umM, mOLly. I Am oK," Dylan's smile moved rapidly beyond creepy into downright frightening.
"helLO MoLly. I aM jeSS. I Am dyLAN's wIFe," Jess said in the same broken manner as Dylan.
"Yeah, I know that," Molly said. "Really guys, what's going on?"
"yEs I kNoW tHAt reALLy nOTHing IS goINg oN," Jess said. "wE woULd lIKe tO cOMe insiDE. wE hAVe sOMeTHinG fOr yoU."
"Right," Molly said. "Say, you guys didn't happen to do a bunch of really strange drugs just now... did you? Please say yes."
"yeS. wE DId nOt dO a bUNch oF sTRanGE drUGs," Dylan stuttered.
"So why are you guys acting like this?" Molly asked.
"oUR eYEs aRe OPen," Jess said. "wE woULd lIKe tO cOMe insiDE. We hAVe sOMeTHinG fOr yoU."
"Sure, let's go inside," Molly said, adding softly to herself, "where there aren't any witnesses to see you scoop out my brain and replace it with a kumquat."
The couple just smiled their frightening smiles and lurched toward the door. It wasn't just their speech, Molly realized. They moved as if... as if they didn't fully understand how their bodies were supposed to work.
When Jess dropped three strange, faintly pulsating, red fruits on the table, Molly froze.
"OK, I was joking about the kumquat," Molly said nervously.
"tHIs iS frUIt," Jess said.
"fRUit iS gOOd," Dylan added.
"YOu shoULd EAt THe fRUIt," they both said in perfect unison.
"Thanks, I already had dinner," Molly lied. "Maybe later. Say, Dylan... what the hell is going on!?"
"yOu wENt To tHe cRAter," Jess smiled uncannily.
"Dylan told you?" Molly glanced at him.
He only smiled vacantly back, offering nothing.
"The Mother kNOws aLL," Jess said.
"dO noT reSIst Her," Dylan added. "eMbRAce The Mother."
"She wiLL bRIng yoU PEace," Jess finished.
"Is... is this Mother in the crater?" Molly asked hesitantly.
"Her Nest iS clOUded iN beaUTy," Dylan started.
"wE dO nOt deSERVE Her," Jess finished.
"Of course," Molly nodded. "We don't, do we? Well, thank you guys for the fruit... and the strangeness. It's been terrifying. I'll see you later."
"JOIn uS," they said in unison.
"I'll sure do that," Molly smiled weakly. "Just let me finish a few things up first."
For a moment, they just sat there staring at her with alien eyes. Then, without another word they lurched down the hall and out the door, like two marionettes controlled by an unskilled puppeteer. Molly couldn't stop herself from thinking the metaphor was terrifyingly apt.
"What the hell?" Molly breathed to her empty house. "I mean... what the hell!?
"The lab," she continued. "Dylan was probably exposed to something at the lab. It must have been when we split up... because it hasn't affected me. I'm fine. Perfectly normal...
"Except I'm talking to myself."
The red 'fruits' seemed to pulse menacingly.
There was sudden hard bang, bang, Bang. Molly jumped, spinning.
That would be someone knocking on door, idiot, Molly thought. She deliberately forced the thought not to escape as words. Someone is knocking on the door. Probably zombie Dylan and Jess come back to eat my brains.
It wasn't.
"Hello, can I help you?" Molly asked the strange man in a black suit.
"Molly Prescott?" the man said.
"Who's asking?" Molly asked worriedly.
"You can call me Mr. Hunt," the Man in Black said. "Have you recently encountered anyone acting in a strange or unusual manner?"
"Define strange?" Molly replied as Mr. Hunt walked past her into the house.
"Has anyone offered any form of fruit?" Mr. Hunt continued undeterred. "Such as raw fruit, a fruit pie, fruit salad or salsa of any kind?"
"Well," Molly said, stunned, looking down at the menacing red fruits on her table.
"I see," Hunt nodded curtly. "I'm afraid I will have to confiscate these. Are there more?"
"No," Molly admitted. "That's it."
"Have you consumed any fruit, pie, salad or salsa recently?" Hunt pressed.
"No," Molly said weakly. "I had a cheese sandwich for lunch."
"Dairy products. Very good," Hunt nodded, briskly collecting the fruit and returning to the front door.
She wasn't remotely surprised when a second Man in Black walked in.
"The perimeter is secure," the newcomer informed his partner.
"Three infection vectors located on the dining table," Hunt said. "Secured. Subject denies exposure."
"Umm, guys," Molly put in. "You want to maybe tell me what's going on here?"
"Nothing is going on here ma'am," Hunt said firmly. "Everything is perfectly normal. Please abstain from eating any fruit..."
"... pie, salad or salsa," Molly finished for him. "Right."
"Have a good day, ma'am," the second Man in Black said, adding quietly to his partner: "Standard surveillance?"
She thought Hunt nodded curtly as they left.
"Right," Molly said to herself. "Nothing is going on. Everything is perfectly normal... in the Twilight Zone!"
Strange plants, a secret lab, wacked-out zombie people, threatening fruit and now Men in Black.
I have got to find out what's going on and what this Project Orchid is.
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