by Edward Crae
“Holy shit,” Dan said. “You are the shadow people.”
Lanny cocked his head.
“I get it now,” Dan said. “The comet was meant to force a new line of evolution; one that humans could not survive.”
“In layman’s terms,” Lanny said. “Now go. Go home.”
Chapter Twelve
There was a giant blast in the parking lot that blew back all the dead, disintegrating them into clouds of dust. Though it shook the building, it left it unharmed. Despite this, the blast also wiped out most of the dead in the major part of the horde, leaving the rest of them disoriented.
“What the fuck was that?” Toby shouted as he watched out the peephole. “Something blew up—“
There was the sound of a huge crowd of people, but he could see nothing. The screaming of a little girl was interspersed with the sound of other explosions and what sounded like laser blasts. Still, there was nothing but mist, and the bright blue glow. It was even brighter than the morning sun.
“What the hell is going on out there?” Toni shouted.
“I don’t know, but the dead ones are gone. Let’s get out there!”
Toby took off toward the back entrance, expecting to see Eric and Cliff along the way. Somehow, he knew he find what he really wanted to find; Dan.
“Max!” Dan shouted from beyond the vortex. “Come on!”
“Not until everyone else is through!” Max shouted back.
Dan pulled everyone through that he could, looking up to the sky. Through the dimensions, Dan could see the morning sun, clouds, and even the faint impression of a McDonald’s sign.
He was home. Almost.
“What is this place?” someone shouted.
“I can see the sky!” another yelled.
“Go!” Dan shouted at the top of his lungs.
He saw Jake and Drew helping the others, and it was right then that Dan realized what had been happening to Max might just happen to Drew as well. The guy might start absorbing Drew’s memories. He could have his friend back.
“Drew! Go through!” he shouted.
“He’s going!” Jake replied, pushing Drew all the way through.
After what seemed like forever, the last person stepped through. But Max hesitated.
“Max!” Dan shouted.
Max dropped to his knees, his eyes wide with horror. “Shoot… the gener…rator.”
Dan’s heart stopped at Max toppled forward. There was a large burn mark between his shoulder blades. He had been struck by a laser blast. Dan gritted his teeth in anger, raising the strange rifle and taking aim at what he could see of the nearest generator.
“Do it!” he heard Lanny call out.
He pulled the trigger, blasting the generator into oblivion.
Then, all was quiet.
Dan was standing among a huge crowd of people, all of them dressed in fighting gear or the rags of the desperate. Everyone was staring at the sky, dumbfounded at the blue color, and the sounds of the birds flying overhead. Jake and Drew there, both of them watching the crowd as well.
“Max didn’t make it,” Dan said.
Jake nodded, pursing his lips. “I saw,” he grumbled. “But we saved a lot of people.”
“Rose saved them,” Dan said. “I wonder if she’s…”
“Who the fuck are all these people?” a familiar voice called out.
It was Cliff. He was walking among the folks, looking them over strangely. As he approached, he broke out into laughter.
“What the hell is going on here?” he asked.
Dan chuckled, pointing to Jake and Drew. “We’re back. Plus one, minus another.”
“It was a strange place,” Dan said at the fireside.
The entire crowd was gathered in the lot, sitting around dozens of fires. They were all laughing and talking happily, realizing that they no longer on their own world.
“How did you guys get back?” Toby asked. “And how did you find Drew?”
Dan looked over at Drew, who was enjoying a bottle of local IPA, his favorite.
“It’s a different Drew,” Dan said. “But Max began absorbing the memories of his other self on that world, and I think this Drew is doing the same.
Drew chuckled, licking the foam off of his lips. “Dude, this is the shit!”
“Keep going,” Toni said. “I saw you mother fuckers disappear. I was pissed you didn’t take me with you. I thought you all rode off into the sunset without me.”
“Kind of the opposite of a sunset, chicky,” Jake said.
Dan explained the situation with Rose, and how she was the identical twin of the creature that Maynard had killed. He told them how Max had crossed over by trying to catch her, unlike Maynard, who had chopped the other’s head off. It was a fascinating story for everyone.
Dan left out what Lanny had told him.
“Dan, my man,” Jeff said as he came over. “I’m glad to see you. Glad to see all these people too.”
“Got room for them at your place?”
“Hell yeah, brother,” Jeff said, seemingly beaming with glee. “Plenty of room for everyone.”
“What happened to Frankie?” Jake asked.
“Frankie didn’t make it,” Jeff said sadly. “But he went out doing what he loved best. Absolutely fucking nothing.”
Dan couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Nathan didn’t make it, either,” Jeff continued. “Sorry about that.”
“Well, we’ll manage,” Dan said. “We’re stronger now, especially with all these people. They know how to survive, and seeing all the shit I saw on their world, there’s nothing here that can scare them.”
“Good,” Jeff said. “I’m glad to hear that. Excuse me a second.”
Jeff moved a few cinder blocks around and stacked them up into a little platform. He then banged his knife against the beer bottle in his hand, getting everyone’s attention.
“Listen up, folks,” he began. “I know you’re all bewildered and a little disoriented, I’m guessing, but let me assure you that the sun comes out every day on this lovely little planet of ours. It’s not always as bright and sunny, but it does rise. I know some of you might remember the way it was on your… planet, or whatever…”
“Some us do,” an old man said, smiling. “I missed it.”
“Well there you go,” Jeff said, holding his hand out toward the old man. “Now, let me tell you there is scary shit going on here, but nothing like eternal darkness or weird aliens. Weird monsters sometimes, but no aliens as far as I know. And I can tell as I look out at all of you, that none of you are afraid of shit. You look tough, and we need tough. Down south a few miles there’s a nice community set up. We’re just in the late early stages of building everything, but the four dozen or so of us are doing well trying to build something.”
“Is there room for us? Or are we own our own.”
Jeff smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t have brought it up if I wasn’t gonna invite you. We need you, and it looks like you need us. Of course, if you wanna go out on your own and explore, nobody’s stopping you, but I hope you’ll all consider joining us and helping rebuild the world into something we can all enjoy.”
Dan laughed as everyone nodded and chattered among themselves.
“Then it’s settled!” Jeff yelled. “The world begins anew!”
The folks cheered, some of them even standing up to clap. Jeff jumped down from his bricks and shrugged, a huge smile spread across his face.
“Nice speech, William Wallace,” Jake said. “Now we gotta find some damn busses.”
“There’s a high school down the street a little ways,” Toni said. “They got plenty of busses.”
Dan and Drew sat in the front seat of the big jeep, Jake riding bitch with Royce and Toby. Though he didn’t really mind, he grumbled a bit—something about not being the most popular guy in the car.
Old school Metallica played on the CD player, prompting all of them to bob their heads a bit with the beat. Drew was smiling const
antly as the memories began coming back. Dan had hoped it would happen, and evidently he was right. He wondered how many of the other people who had come through were gathering the memories of their other selves—if any.
It was worth contemplating later.
There was just a nagging feeling in his mind. Though the promise of civilization was somewhat appealing to him, there was just nothing like the freedom of just going wherever you wanted. He was never any good at civilized life. And as he looked at everyone in the car, he got the feeling they felt the same way.
He stopped the car, looking at the long line of busses and cars ahead of them on the road. The others of the group were in the car ahead, and he saw that they had been aware of him stopping.
“What’s up, man?” Drew asked.
Dan sighed, looking at everyone again. “Wanna be cowboys or Stepford people?”
“What you mean, dawg,” Royce asked.
“I don’t wanna go,” Dan replied. “I miss the old shit with Drew and Jake. You know, just poking through shit and doing whatever we want.”
“Hell yeah,” Toby said. “I’m in.”
Royce laughed, and the two of them fist bumped.
“What about you guys?” Dan asked Jake and Drew.
Jake cocked his shotgun. Drew grinned.
“Stellar,” he said.
“What do you mean you’re not going?” Grace asked.
“Look,” Dan began. “It’s just not for us. But I think you all should go. Grace, you’re pregnant. Toni, you’re tired of the road. I know you don’t really want to ride off into any sunset with us.”
Toni snickered, looking up at Jake. “I’m gonna miss you, you fat mother fucker.”
“Fuck you too, bitch,” Jake said, reaching down to hug her.
“Eric, these guys need your farming skills. You can help them become farmers, and teach them how to grow shit. Cliff, they need your skills with a sniper rifle. You’d be the best guard ever.”
Cliff nodded, smiling. “Man, I’ll never forget how you guys saved my ass. If it weren’t for you and Drew, I’d be burnt at the stake, or worse.”
“Grace,” Dan said. “They need your brain, and that other guy’s brain.”
“George,” Grace said. “His name is George, and I think we can work together to make sure everyone keeps using their brains.”
“Alright, guys,” Royce said, reaching out to hug Toni. “You take of yourself, girl.”
“You too, Royce,” Toni said. “And you still need to drop that gangsta shit. You ain’t no G, mother fucker.”
“Right, right,” Royce said. “I’ll remember that.”
Toni hugged Toby. “You take care of Dan and these guys. I know you can do it. You’re one tough little sucker.”
“You take care of yourself, too,” Toby said.
Over the next few minutes, they all said their goodbyes. Dan watched the others get back into the car, feeling his throat tighten up as he saw Cliff’s devil horn hand signal pop out of the driver’s side window. He gave the symbol back, holding it high for all of them to see.
“So, where we going?” Drew asked as the line of vehicles disappeared over the hill.
Dan shook his head, walking back to the Jeep. “Well,” he began. “Let’s find a bigger car so Toby doesn’t have to sit in the middle like some dipshit kid. Next, who knows?”
They all slammed their doors, and Dan started the engine. He looked at everyone, sticking out his bottom lip in a gesture of satisfaction.
“Let’s ride,” he said.
The cowboys were back, this time with a bigger posse.
Epilogue
Lanny collapsed, holding the dead body of Rose in his bony arms. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it, lest he awaken her as a drone. He would not do that. Around him, the ships carrying the Archons settled down to the ground, and their hatches opened. The dark figures of his own kind appeared through the mist, closing in on him as he wept.
“Harvester Eight Two three,” one of them spoke. “Your work here is finished. Your life is forfeit.”
Lanny dropped Rose’s body, standing up to his full height. “I am ready,” he said.
The lead Archon raised his vanquisher, cocking his head to the side as he regarded Lanny’s slumping but erect form.
“You have regrets, Harvester?”
Lanny raised his head, looking at each Archon in turn. He then smiled, thinking of how he had helped the humans escape. He could never help any others, but he knew there were other rebels like him who would get all of the humans they could to safety. His tentacles swirled around him in a jovial gesture.
“None,” he said.
The vanquisher fired with a blinding light and Lanny was no more.
Another figure stepped forward from the mist, his small and squat form otherwise black and glossy like the others. He regarded the lifeless form of his Harvester with curiosity. He had never witnessed one of his own disobeying the rules. Not once in his thousands of years of existence did he ever imagine this would happen.
It was unheard of.
“Such a pity,” the Keeper said, staring up at the ever-growing moon. “This world had such potential.”
