The next day, JD learned that he would be off the next month with pay as there were still new cases of the new Rubix virus coming about. 


After JD got the call, he was ecstatic. 

“Wooo! Ya boy is off for another month with pay! I mean, I hate that people are sick, but what can ya do?”


“Oh, nice. Well, they’ve canceled Ayvah’s basketball game. I think I’m going to go to the store. If this keeps up, we’ll need some food and stuff for a while. Do you remember what happened last time we got hit by that ice storm? We couldn’t find any food or anything, anywhere,” Lynn said.


“I’m going to take Ayvah out to the woods to shoot some cans and stuff with her paintball gun,” JD said.


“Aww, that’ll be nice. She’ll like that. We played video games all day yesterday. Little shit is getting good. I can’t beat her as much anymore,” Lynn said.


“That’s because you suck, babe,” JD laughed.


“You never complained about that before,” Lynn smirked.


“Fair enough. Tonight would be a good time to make sure you haven’t gotten a little rusty,” JD joked.


“Oh God,” Lynn laughed and rolled her eyes.


 They kissed and headed their separate ways.


JD took Ayvah out to the open land that Lynn’s dad owns. 


He set up cans on top of barrels so he and Ayvah could get some target practice.


Ayvah missed her first couple of shots and began getting frustrated with herself, mostly because she’s been phenomenal at everything she does and isn’t accustomed to not succeeding immediately.


“Relax, superstar. Just control your breathing and line up the can with your ironsight.” JD stood behind his daughter, relaxing her shoulders and giving her advice.


He backed away, and she took a shot. It landed!


“There it is!” JD rejoiced and hyped her up. “Alright, now gon’ head and knock out these other ones.”


She then shot at the other 14 cans JD had set up, hitting everyone right in the middle.


“Damn, my girl’s a natural. Makes me so proud,” JD said in a fake crying voice. He even sniffled.


“Acting is not in your future,” Ayvah said in a sassy tone. She had a funny expression on her face.


Suddenly, they spotted two cars speeding in their direction onto the land. 


“Dad, who’s that?” Ayvah got behind JD.


“I don’t know,” JD stood his ground. Four people, each wearing a different President’s face mask, got out of the cars, holding baseball bats.


“Can I help ya’ll with something?” JD asked as he made sure Ayvah was entirely behind him.


None of them said anything. 


Meanwhile, Lynn returned home and was putting up the groceries and other things she had gotten from the store when she overheard the news on the television.


“In breaking news, an anonymous source is saying that this new virus did NOT kill the President but was instead set up to be assassinated by his wife and the Vice President of the United States. The question on everyone’s mind is this: Is this a vicious rumor, or is this source outing a tragic fact? More on this in a minute.”


“What?! No way! I have to call JD. I wonder if this virus is even real then?” She asked herself as she picked up her phone to call JD. He didn’t answer. She assumed they were both still having fun at the land.


One masked man charged at JD with a bat. JD grabbed the bat mid-swing and headbutted him in the face. Then, JD took the bat and hit the guy in the knee. The guy fell to the ground without making a sound, holding his knee.


The other three guys rushed JD and began hitting him with the bats.


As Ayvah looked on, she went from afraid to angry. Something strange happened. Her vision of the world changed, and she saw four dark spirit-like figures surrounding a white spirit-like figure. She was sure it was the four men and her dad. Everything slowed down for her. She just wanted to protect her father.


She let out a primal scream before charging at them. Instantly, she had laid them all out with a single punch each. Time stopped for her, but for everyone else, it never ceased. When she calmed down, she saw the world in its regular view. JD was hurting, but he was fine. 


“Ayvah?” He struggled to stand. “What the hell? How did–you were glowing, and you like, teleported. Either that or you were going as fast as the speed of light.”


“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just–I wanted to help you. I was scared. I don’t know what happened,” Ayvah said.


JD hugged her. “No, no. Don’t be sorry. This is– I don’t even know. You’re something no man will ever comprehend.”


One man began to stir. JD approached him, grabbed him by his shirt, and pushed him against the car they were riding in.

“Alright, you piece of shit. Who are you, who sent you, and how the hell did you know where to find us?”


The man said nothing.


JD punched him in the face three times.


“Say something you piece of shit,” JD yelled.


JD removed the mask from the person’s face and fell back in shock. It was Tony. Tony’s face was scaly, and his skin was reptile-like. 


“Dad, what’s wrong?” Ayvah.


“Ayvah, get in the car. I’ll be right there. We need to leave,” JD said as he tried pulling himself together.


JD suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. Another one of the men had struck him on the back with a baseball bat. 


“No! Get off of him!” Ayvah cried out.


She heard a gunshot, then another.


“Auntie Lanie?” Ayvah wiped tears from her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly.


“Can’t let you die while I’m around, JD. Then, Lynn would kill me.” Lanie shoots and kills the remaining men, including Tony.


“Auntie Lanie!” Ayvah ran over to give her a big hug.


“Hey, kiddo. You’re not so little anymore, are you?” Lanie hugged her back.


“Thanks. I didn’t know anyone was out here,” JD said. He winced in pain. 


“Yeah, I was out at the cabin. I came out here to let the dogs run around a bit. Heard a lot of noise. Who are these guys?” Lanie asked JD.


“I thought I knew. Now I’m not so sure,” JD replied.


“Eww. What’s wrong with his face? Do they all look like this?” She removed each of their masks and revealed their scale-like skin faces. 


“I want to go home,” Ayvah said.

“Me too. Lanie, could you take her while I care for these guys?” JD asked.


“Sure thing, bro in-law. It’ll be good to see Lynn. Haven’t seen her in a month. What do you want me to tell her, though? She’s going to ask where you are and such,” Lanie asked.


“I’ll call her and brief her on the situation. I think she’ll believe me since she knows we’ve been dealing with a homicidal maniac,” JD said.


Lanie and Ayvah got in Lanie’s car and headed to JD’s House.