World's End

by D. B. Green

  “It was my emergency escape plan,” I say. “Luther made me keep it, just in case.”

  Dean tilts his head to the side. “Scotland?”

  “Yeah. The governing body, Scottish Freedom, doesn’t discriminate like here. No biometric tracking either. They will help Sun get a new passport so she can take her sister back home.

  I head to the window and press my face to the glass. Nicci’s rusty blue camper van still hides behind the trees at the back of the parking lot. “They’ve not moved yet.”

  Dean joins me at the window.

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” I ask.

  “The night before our wedding. Emma was on her hen night, and I was with Eddie Munro.”

  Eddie.

  Hearing Eddie’s name cuts to the bone. My eyes fill with tears.

  “We were waiting for my best man, Jimmy, then we were all going to join Luther at a sports bar for pre-stag drinks. That’s all… I remember nothing from this… alternate timeline of yours.” He flattens his hair down with both hands. “It’s just too painful to take in. Emma married Jimmy, instead of me. But I should be grateful. At least he was looking out for her.”

  I blink away my tears.

  This is probably not the best time to tell him James Church, his best friend, is a high priority patient four floors above us. The smashed laptop on the floor fizzes and sparks. Thankfully, his treatment location was never made public.

  Dean looks across at his bed. The fake vitals still beep away in the background. “Jimmy seems to be a big deal here. He’s all over the internet.”

  “Yeah, a real champion of the people,” I say. “He was born in this timeline too, like your Emma… and me. James Church did a lot of good here.”

  “Sounds like Jimmy,” Dean whispers, as his gaze falls to the floor. “The online news reports say he was in a coma… like me.”

  “He collapsed after the… wedding ceremony,” I say. Dean flinches. “He’s been in a coma ever since.”

  “So, only Luther and Eddie remember me.”

  Eddie.

  I nod. “The change didn’t affect Eddie or Luther,” I say.

  Dean presses his face to the window. “Are they both waiting down there?”

  I can’t put this off any longer.

  “Eddie’s dead. Executed last month.”

  “Executed.” Dean voice tails off.

  I hope he can see from my watery eyes that I don’t want to talk about Eddie’s death. Thankfully, he reads my eyes well.

  “We met someone else from your timeline too. A young girl called Amber,” I say, wiping away tears. “Her aunt Nicci regained memories of your timeline.”

  Dean’s eyes open wide. “How did she get her memories back?”

  “Amber had a locket,” I say. “Inside was a photo of them together. When they both touched the photo, Nicci remembered everything and reverted to the woman from your timeline… It’s like the photo somehow restored her memories.”

  “Photo,” Dean says, looking eager.

  “We don’t have any other pictures from your timeline,” I say. “Before you ask.”

  Turning back to the window, I focus on the parking lot and leave Dean to his thoughts. I spot Sun Lin running to the South Building. She turns and glances up at the window. “Be safe,” I whisper. She should get on just fine in Scotland. She was forever telling me she loves the accent.

  Accent. Wait a minute… Dean doesn’t have an accent. Luther told me he was born in New Orleans, but moved to England when he was seven. I was expecting a hint of a southern accent, or a rich, regional English one. But there’s nothing in his voice to give away his birthplace. No accent at all.

  “Why is this time different?” Dean says, breaking the silence. “What changed?”

  I turn around and press my hands together. “Eddie called it a nexus point. Both worlds were identical until the Second World War.”

  Dean eyes open wide. “Germany won.”

  “No, Germany still lost. But in this world, before the war ended, the entire British royal family were assassinated. This led to Britain splitting into separate republics after the war.” I pull my hands apart to emphasize the point. “Because there was no royal family, magic wasn’t banished — restricted — here, like in your timeline,” I say. “Whoever abused your Affinity magic wanted this to happen.”

  Dean bends down, grabbing something shiny from the floor. “But I can’t do any magic here.” He shows me the closet door handle. “After reading about Emma, I tried to open a doorway — a Traverse — to her, but nothing happened.”

  He throws the handle onto the bed. “I guess our Affinity magic hasn’t sparked in this world. I can’t do magic without her.” He looks up, giving me a sideways glance, staring at my hair. “Maybe…” His voice tails and he shakes his head, dismissing whatever thought had sprang into his mind.

  “There’s something that stops live magic here. It’s called the Veil. It’s like a force field over the entire county.” I wave my hand in the air. “Remember that Emitter? There’s something similar, but more modern, like a smartwatch. They connect into your veins.” I tap my finger against my ulnar artery. “They’re called Sunbursts. They block the Veil and let you do magic.”

  Dean’s nose scrunches up at the name. “Sunburst… really?” He glances at my hair. “Do you use one?”

  “No, we don’t have access to one.” I run my hands through my dyed, orange highlights. “Eddie said this has a different rapport. ‘Dead magic’ he called it. My hair just warns me about nearby magic, like a radar. It’s not affected by the Veil.”

  Dean leans against the window, tapping his heel against the wall. “Do you still suffer from claustrophobia, in this timeline?” he asks.

  “Yeah, sometimes. How did you know?”

  “I met you, in my timeline, at Disney World in Florida.” He looks straight into my eyes. “You were standing next to me in a lift when it broke down. I didn’t realize it was you at first. Before I could get over the shock, you had an attack.”

  “Disney World,” I say. “What’s that?”

  Dean rubs his forehead. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “No, never heard of it.” I shake my head. “Is this place important?”

  He walks behind me, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “Let me try something,” he says. “When I met you before, you were hyperventilating. I told you to trust me and not panic. Then I did this.”

  He reaches over my shoulders and covers my eyes. His soft hands press against my skin. My whole body trembles, like an earthquake erupting deep inside.

  Dean gasps and pulls away. “Did you feel that?”

  I stagger back, overcome with happiness. Waves of joy wash over me, gaining intensity with every second. I lean against the wall, unable to speak. I’ve got butterflies, but the sensation is a hundred times stronger. Like one giant butterfly sending my stomach into spasms of pleasure.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  Even though I’ve cared for Dean for over a week, it now feels like I’m seeing him for the first time. The white T-shirt hugs the contours of his chiseled chest. A far cry from his emaciated, bedridden body from earlier today.

  He glances at me. His eyes are so intense. They sparkle with Radiance. Vibrant orange Radiance, like dancing fireflies in the night sky. They’re so inviting…

  Suddenly, we’re locked in a tight embrace, our lips pressed together. Time seems to stop moving as we kiss.

  After what feels like hours, we break apart and I stare into his sparkling eyes. His wonderful, magic eyes.

  I lean back as memories explode in my mind — new memories. An elevator… A hotel room…

  More memories flash through my mind, sending my heart racing into high gear. It’s like I’m in two places at the same time.

  I shake away the new memories and lean back. Dean’s arms still wrap around me, holding me tight. Whatever’s pulli
ng us together is too strong. We kiss again and I succumb to this wonderful euphoria.

  Dean pushes me away as more memories flood my mind.

  My aunt… A cartoon mouse… Crowds of people…

  My life in the other timeline. Eddie’s timeline.

  Eddie.

  My head clears. I run my finger over my still tingling lips. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  Eddie.

  My chest suddenly feels so heavy, like my heart has turned to stone.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  I’m so sorry, Eddie.

  My eyes sting as I fight back the tears.

  “Don’t worry… It’s just Affinity,” Dean says, gasping for air. “Somehow, you’re connected to it — to me. I suspected it in Florida.” He points at the mirror on the closet door. “Look.”

  My eyes stare back at me. Not with my normal blue Radiance, but with orange, like his. “I can remember what happened,” I say, wiping my sparkling eyes.

  “You remember?”

  “Yeah, some of it. In the elevator at Disney World, you opened a magic door back to her… my hotel room. I thought I’d just passed out, and you carried me back there. I can remember the confusion. The worry that you saw my magic.”

  Dean’s eyes open wide. “You… she, knew about her magic?” he asks. “When her hair sparked, I knew she was an Enchanter. But I was sure she knew nothing about magic.”

  “Yeah, I did know. But I was so scared of being discovered.”

  Lonely eyes.

  The song lyrics jump into my head, words I shouldn’t know. “Lonely eyes will never see me go. Lonely eyes will never know. Lonely eyes will always be, remembering what you meant to me.”

  Dean’s eyes open wide.

  “The song you sang,” I say. “My song. I remembered the words.”

  The other me seemed so calm. Even standing on the stage in front of all those people, she was always calm. Triple C… Cool, calm, and collected. Triple C. That’s what she called it… What I called it.

  Dean narrows his eyes. “How do you feel?”

  That’s a good question. “Triple C,” I say. “Cool, calm, and collected.”

  Crap.

  I’ve lost track of the time. I turn back to the window and search the parking lot below. Thankfully, I can see Ripley crossing the bridge into the South Building parking lot. Luther hasn’t set off yet.

  “Do you remember anything else?” Dean asks.

  “Just a few images and feelings. It’s a lot to process.”

  I concentrate hard, but the kiss keeps jumping to the front of my mind. How could I kiss Dean like that?

  Eddie.

  Dean taps my arm, dragging my mind back into focus. “Is that Luther?” he says.

  Nicci’s camper van is already at the underground ramp. “Come on, we need to get moving.”

  We head to the elevators, with just the squeak of our shoes breaking the eerie silence. Dean notices the discarded magazine on the ward reception desk. The one with Eddie’s picture on the cover.

  “Magic terrorism,” he says.

  I nod. “That’s what they like to call us. Magic terrorists.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Dean slams his hand against the elevator door. “I presume there’s a plan to put all this right?” he asks. “Luther always has a plan.”

  “Yes, Luther has a plan,” I say, unable to hide a quick smile. “I’ll let him explain when we get out of here.”

  “I’m not gonna like it. Am I?”

  “Nope.” I press the elevator the call button and the door slides open.

  “Will you be okay in there?” Dean nods at the open elevator.

  “Claustrophobia is the least of my problems,” I say, stepping inside. “I’m fine; it’s only a few floors.”

  I swipe the copied ID card through the reader next to the keypad. Thankfully, the underground button illuminates. I press it and the elevator descends.

  I focus on the readout.

  Three… Two… One…

  The elevator jolts to a sudden stop, sending me into Dean’s arms. Butterflies tingle in my stomach.

  “What was that?” he asks, as the door slides open.

  Ignoring the fluttering in my stomach, I jab at the keypad again. Nothing. The doors stay open.

  Crap.

  We’ll have to use the—

  “—stairs,” Dean says, running out of the elevator. I follow him to the main stairwell. The door is wide open.

  “The evacuation procedure unlocks everything.” I pause, remembering the exception in the procedure. “Except access to the underground parking garage.” I swipe the copied ID through the reader, but the door stays locked. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

  Dean eyes open wide. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “I was just about to say that… We’ll have to use the main—”

  “—doors.” Dean finishes my sentence again. “It’s the Affinity,” he says.

  “Does it let you read my mind?”

  “Almost,” he says, trying the handle again. “What about Luther? Will he still be waiting for us?”

  “No, he’s got this magic book that can see everything. It’s been watching me all day.”

  Dean stops still, like a statue. “I forgot about John Munro’s journal,” he says slowly turning around.

  Crap… The kiss.

  Luther has read, in full detail, about everything that has just happened between us, including the kiss. Eddie. My eyes fill with guilty tears again.

  “We need to be careful. Affinity stirs up strong emotions with us,” Dean says. “It did before.” His voice tails off to almost a whisper.

  The kiss.

  “Did we kiss, in the hotel room?” I ask, wiping my eyes. “In your timeline.”

  Dean stares at the floor.

  “What about your fiancée? Did you tell her?”

  “Yeah.” He rubs his jaw. “No choice with Affinity. She knew everything that happened to me.”

  Would Eddie have understood? I couldn’t help it. The attraction was too strong. I had no choice.

  Crap.

  That sounds like a lame excuse.

  Dean walks ahead of me while I stop at the security office door and check the time. Eleven forty-seven. The EMP will fire in thirteen minutes. The bomb squad should be working on the fake bomb.

  Crap.

  I chase after Dean to warn him. He’s stood by the open lobby door. I pull him back and peer around inside the lobby. The transplant case sits on the reception desk. “Looks like they’re not bothered about the fake bomb.”

  Using the abstract sculptures for cover, we head around the edge of the lobby. Keeping tight to the wall, we ease our way to the main doors. I focus through the windows into the parking lot outside. No sign of the camper van.

  Suddenly, Dean pushes me behind the security desk and up against the wall. Over his shoulder, three women walk into view outside the entrance. They stop just outside the main doors. Two are wearing plain black business suits. The other one, dressed in white, stands out like a cloud in a clear blue sky. Her suit seems to pulsate in the bright sunshine.

  Dean holds me tight. “I don’t think these are the bomb squad,” he whispers.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “One-way glass. They can’t see us.”

  Dean relaxes his grip. “Let’s try the stairs again.” He searches under the security desk. “I’ll force the door.”

  “Come on, Luther,” I whisper. “Where are you?”

  I turn around and look past the women, but there’s still no sign of the camper van in the parking lot.

  Then I see it… The three women are wearing Sunbursts.

  Crap.

  The glass in front of me suddenly shakes. “Did you see that?” I point at the window.

  A small tremor erupts on the glass, turning into a ripple that spreads across all the windows, like a pebble dropped into a pond.

  Dean pulls my arm. “We need to mo
ve.” He grabs my hand and pulls me away from the windows. His eyes stay fixed on my hair. “It’s spa—”

  The entrance windows explode before he can finish his sentence. He hugs me tight, turning his back to the explosion, protecting me from the shower of glass.

  “What’s happening?”

  “Magic.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “I can see your hair sparking under the dye.”

  My legs give way and I collapse onto the cold marble floor. Dean falls too. Sharp glass rips through my thin scrubs, scratching at my legs, as he frantically pulls me onto his chest. “Stay on top,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around me.

  A sharp pull tugs at my feet, like someone trying to pull my shoes off. Another tug, stronger this time. It yanks us across the floor, like an invisible rope is pulling us.

  Dean winces in pain as the broken glass cuts into his back. There’s nothing I can do to help. He puts his arm over my head, keeping it down against his chest. I can feel his heart beating fast against my cheek.

  A warm breeze blows across my back and we stop moving. We’re outside the hospital. I roll away from Dean’s chest on to the concrete. The three women look down at me.

  I stand, but an overwhelming pressure keeps me rooted to the spot. It’s like someone pressing down on my head and holding my arms tight behind my back.

  I can’t move. Dean. There’s a trail of blood on the floor… Dean.

  The woman in white walks in front of me, tapping away on her phone. “Take this call, will you, Mel?” She throws the phone to one of her colleagues and then walks behind me.

  She plants a hand on my shoulder. Her brown hair falls against my neck as she presses tight against my back. The smell of perfume is overpowering, like she’s bathed in it.

  “Who are you?!” Dean yells. “What do you want?!”

  My heart flutters at hearing his voice. He’s okay.

  The woman leans in close to my ear. “I can’t have you interfering today,” she whispers, twirling her finger through my hair. She moves my hair to one side and gently strokes my neck. Her breath blows against my skin. I get the strangest feeling she’s going to kiss my neck.