The Forest of Ecstasy Pt. 02

A crowd of PHIGMA scientists and news reporters all broke out into applause, watching as the four brave astronauts descended the ramp to the ground. James beamed with pride, leading the pack as they reached the crowd eagerly snapping photographs of them.

One of the photographers, a young man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, rushed forward, holding out a microphone.

"Captain Baker, what was the mission like? Is Venus safe for colonization?" The boy asked, eyebrows raised as he awaited a response. James cleared his throat, leaning in closer to the mic.

"After the experience that we had, I can tell you all for certain that Venus is absolutely unsafe for anyone. You'll notice we are missing a crew member, Ms. Stiles. She...well, the dangers of Venus proved too much for her; it nearly wiped us all out. I recommend that the United States Military suspend PHIGMA's operation until we can get a better grasp on what we're dealing with here. I repeat, Venus is NOT safe."

Several PHIGMA scientists suddenly stopped clapping. James turned to look back at his weary crew.

"Come along, men. Our work here is accomplished."

***

(Four Weeks Later)

Simon paced back and forth across the carpeting in his apartment, arms behind his back as he tried to keep himself calm. The shag carpeting pressed against his feet with every step, only making him more uneasy. The television to his right continued to blare its message into his apartment, signaling what he'd been fearing since his departure from the planet Venus.

The young Professor stopped walking and turned to face his TV, watching as the normally suave broadcaster of the local news gave his report with his eyes looking as if he'd seen doomsday.

"We're not entirely sure what this virus is, but we do know that it's spread through explicit sexual activity. This thing is national, people, and we're getting reports that it may even be going global. Reports from the islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba are still coming through to our station. Remain indoors, and avoid anyone who seems as if they've come into contact with infected individuals."

An idea suddenly sparked in Simon's head, leading him to rush over to his landline phone. He grabbed the handset and quickly punched in the number his former Captain had given him, clutching the phone to his ear as it rang for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the line connected.

"Captain James Baker, who am I speaking with?" James asked, his calm voice a welcome thought for Simon.

"James, this is Professor...this is Simon. Are you watching the news right now?" Simon asked, breathless. James' voice suddenly took on a much quieter, hushed tone.

"Simon? Yeah, it's on right now, there's some sort of infection. Do you know anything about it?" James replied. Simon could hear yelling voices in the background.

"Captain, I can't say this with all certainty, but I believe we brought whatever this is back with us," Simon said. He heard James sigh on the other end.

"That's nonsense, Professor. The ship was completely sealed and protected from anything that could have come from the planet. Besides, we shut that shit down before we left, didn't we?" James asked.

"All we did was blow up their home base, something tells me this goes much deeper. I'm freaking out here, how am I supposed to live with this?" Simon asked, hearing screaming now coming from the other line.

"Look, Simon, I've got to go. I promise you, this can't have been us. You've got to calm down. If you want to help, try to find a center where you can help them study whatever this is. Be proactive. You need to...hey, back off! Hey! I said..."

Simon cringed as the line suddenly went dead, cutting off all contact to his former Captain. The phone slipped from Simon's trembling fingers, hitting the carpet and smoothing out the tufts made by his feet.

Nearing a panic attack, Simon rushed to his kitchenette and ripped open the fridge door, pulling out a full bottle of whiskey. He ripped it open and leaned back, taking several swallows before he couldn't take anymore. He then slammed it down on the counter, struggling to fix his shallow breaths.

"I...I did this..." he groaned, his mind ablaze. He swiped his hand to the right and sent the bottle of whiskey flying off the table, shattering against the tile floor. He then rushed over to the window, pulling open the blinds to look outside.

In the alleyway behind his apartment, he could see two figures in the distance. One was a man, and the other was a clearly well endowed woman. She appeared to be riding him, holding his head against her chest. As she rode the man, Simon could hear her moans all the way from inside, her cries rising to screams as the man finished. As he did, Simon could only watch in horror as the man trembled in obvious pain before vanishing from sight, leaving just the figure.

The woman turned around and stared up at Simon through his window, puckering up to blow him a kiss. Simon grabbed the blinds and forced them shut, backing away from what he had just seen. There was only one thing on his mind now.

Simon had done it. He'd started The Reckoning.