by Tim Marquitz
By sunset he had the frame ready, chipboard panels bracketed together. His hands ached, and he had a deep cut on his wrist where the circular saw went AWOL. They fired up the generator to power enough lights to work by.
A cold wind blew up, laced with rain.
“We’ll inflate the raft,” Alan said.
“What’s she called?” Jane asked.
“What?”
“She’s got to have a name. All boats have names,” Jane said.
“Pandora,” Alan said. He didn’t know why.
“Hope,” Ben said quietly.
“Pandora’s Hope,” Sarah said.
And that was her name.
Every step was critical. If the generator didn’t work, if the raft didn’t inflate, if the lights blew, any one failure and the whole thing failed.
The raft inflated with an explosive gusto that nearly knocked Ben off his feet. He retreated to the shelter of the doorway to the main stairs.
They positioned the raft in the frame and fixed it with about a mile of duct tape. Alan loaded the generator into the center of the raft. The dark tide had reached the doors of the office block. In the fire escape, step after step would be vanishing beneath the rising darkness.
Alan fixed the fluorescent tubes, still in the aluminum cases that housed them in the ceiling. He spliced the cut cables to new plugs and linked them to the generator multi-plug.
The lights in the building had failed during the previous night, but enough moonlight shone for Alan to see how many floors had been engulfed. The dark tide reached to floor five of seven, and kept rising.
“Right. Get in the raft and we’ll fire the main light banks.”
Jane took Sarah’s hand. She looked around. “Where’s Ben?”
Alan spun around. Just the empty windswept roof, no sign of Ben.
He sprinted to the edge. Floor six of seven, and rising.
“Jesus!” Alan ran back to the boat and snatched up flashlight and a shotgun. “Get in the boat. I’ll find him.”
“Alan!”
“Get in!”
He sprinted for the stair door. A tuft of bleached-blonde hair fluttered on the door frame, caught on a nail.
“Oh Christ.”
He yanked the door open and started down the stairs. The beam of his light danced wildly before him.
As he turned the corner he caught a glimpse of someone turning down the next flight. He could hear their feet on the stone, and a muffled yelling.
Alan threw himself down the steps, slamming into the wall at the turn. He fell around the corner, sprawled on the landing, the breath knocked from him. The next flight of steps ended in darkness. And between Alan and the black sea, with Ben over one shoulder, Lucy, running.
He shot without thinking. The blast hit her in the small of the back, just below Ben’s head. Black flesh spattered. She pitched forward and fell into the dark tide. Ben landed on the steps, his feet inches from the blackness.
Alan limped down to his son, still unable to draw breath, and hauled him clear as the dark tide engulfed another step.
He sucked air into his bruised chest, and staggered back, dragging Ben up another three steps. The dark tide rose, still lapping at the boy’s heels.
Alan dropped his shotgun and took Ben under his arm. Agony flared in his ankle as he turned and tried to climb the stairs. Hobbling and cursing he labored on.
Without looking back, Alan knew the tide kept pace with him. He could feel it, smell it, hear its whispers.
Alan broke out into the open. The boat blazed with light. Jane had lit up the main tubes beneath the frame. He took one step forward and the whole roof vanished before him. The dark tide rippled across the fifty yards between him and the boat.
“Alan!”
“Daddy!”
He started to run. Dark fire rose around calves, dwarfing the pain from his twisted ankle. With thirty yards to go the dark tide reached his knees and he almost dropped Ben. His legs burned, and a cold sickness spread through his veins. He heard voices, Jim, Lucy, Fred, a hundred others, yammering in his ears, telling him to stop, to lie down, to let it end.
Another ten yards. The howling he could hear was his own. He carried Ben high on his chest, staggering, wading, the blackness around his waist.
You’ve lived your whole life beneath dark waters.
Let it take you.
Accept it.
Soon no one will remember any other time.
The boat blazed ahead of him, an island of light.
His vision failed. He could see nothing but the light.
He held Ben above his head. One leg moved ahead of the next, the muscles burning, melting, full of ice and broken glass.
The dark rose in the back of his mind. A voice, huge and terrible, told him to push Ben under, to thrust the boy beneath the waves.
He saw the light, distant, at the end of a long dark tunnel.
Put him down, Alan, lay the boy down. The voice filled him, dark and glorious, the voice of every mother, every lover.
He moved on.
Don’t look into the light. Come back to us, Alan. Come back.
Don’t look into the light.
But he did.
He stepped and he reached.
For a moment he saw the boat, lifting clear of the frame.
He felt Ben lifting away, screaming as Jane pulled him up beside her.
Hope floats.
The lights blazed and the raft moved.
“Alan!”
She was going to try to lift him, too.
Grab her. Pull her out. The dark voice rang within him, undeniable.
Four strides carried Alan over the edge of the roof. The last act of his will. He fell fast as a stone and forever claimed him.
~
The Pandora’s Hope rides the gentlest of ocean swells. Occasionally the dark waters slap against her brilliant hull. That and the chug of her generator are the only sounds on a midnight ocean, starlit and calm.
Three sailors steer her on an ancient night. And anything is possible.
About The Authors
Adam Millard is the author of eleven novels and more than a hundred short stories. Probably best known for his post-apocalyptic "DEAD" series, Adam’s work can be found in collections from Angelic Knight Press, May December Publications, Bizarro Press, and many more.
Nick Cato’s fiction has appeared in several anthologies, magazines and websites. He is the author of the novel DON OF THE DEAD as well as the novella THE APOCALYPSE OF PETER. His recent short story collection is ANTIBACTERIAL POPE AND OTHER INCONGRUOUS STORIES. Nick lives in Staten Island, New York with his wife, two kids, and two radical dachshunds, where he writes about classic grindhouse films for the Cinema Knife Fight website. Visit his personal blog at nickcato.blogspot.com.
Stephen McQuiggan ate his brother in the womb. He lives in Northern Ireland, tortured by his sibling’s whispers in his brain.
Gary W. Olson grew up in Michigan and, despite the weather, stuck around, working as a software engineer. His first dark fantasy novel, Brutal Light, was published in December 2011. He takes pride in looking nothing like that picture of him in the post office. His website is at http://www.garywolson.com.
Tom Olbert lives in Cambridge, MA. He writes science fiction and paranormal with a slant towards the dark side. Tom has been published by Eternal Press, Lillibridge Press and most recently Mocha Memoirs Press, in addition to a number of online publications.
Titles to look for on Amazon.com: For lovers of dark vampire fiction: "Unholy Alliance" and "Desert Flower." For lovers of action-packed and offbeat sci-fi: "Meeting", "Flags" and "Venus Loop." And, at Barns and Noble: For lovers of high-octane, wacky, irreverent sci-fi action/adventure: "Long Haul."
For more info on Tom Olbert and his latest projects, check out Tom’s blog at: http://tomolbert.blogspot.com.
Malon Edwards was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, but now lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Much of his speculativ
e fiction features people of color and is set in an alternate or near-future Chicago. He currently serves as a Grants Administrator for the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Older Writers and Gulliver Travel Research Grants, which provides $750 and $800, respectively, for writers of speculative literature.
Carl Barker currently lives on the Scottish Border, where he can often be found skulking round ruined castles in the dead of night. His passing resemblance to the Duke of Wellington has been mentioned on more than one occasion by his friends, but alas thus far he has been unable to raise an army of corpses (it’s a work in progress). His fiction has previously appeared in magazines such as Midnight Street and Dark Horizons, as well as various horror and fantasy anthologies over the last couple of years, and he plans to carry on writing stories as long as there are people out there who want to read them. Those wanting to find out more about his fiction and further upcoming publications can visit www.holeinthepage.co.uk
David Dalglish was born in Florida, but moved to southwest Missouri when he was only four. He grew up on a farm, which severely clashed with his interests in Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Jurassic Park, and X-Men. Since his first hand-written story in the fourth grade reached the 100 page mark, he’s been trying to write enjoyable epic fantasy. With the aid of Amazon and the Kindle, he hopes he’s succeeded.
He also has a lovely wife and a beautiful daughter, both of whom he absolutely adores.
Jake Elliot currently lives in fabulous Las Vegas. He and his wife are guardians over one rather hostile cat by the name of Samson. He is a whirlwind of slashing claws and biting teeth and has inspired most of the combat scenes in Jake’s books. Bearing scars to prove, most people would agree that a little pain is good for his character. Jake Elliot is the author of the fantasy series beginning with The Wrong Way Down.
Lee Mather lives and writes in Manchester, England. He is the author of The Green Man and his works can be found in anthologies such as Corrupts Absolutely? and Inferna and Other Stories. Lee’s writing feeds the monster inside him. Go to www.leemather.org.uk to find out how.
Gord Rollo was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, but now lives in Ontario, Canada, with his wife and three children. His short stories and novella-length work have appeared in many professional publications throughout the genre and he is currently at the end of a four book novel contract with Dorchester Publishing in New York City. His novels include: The Jigsaw Man, Crimson, Strange Magic, and Valley Of The Scarecrow. Besides novels, Gord edited the acclaimed evolutionary horror anthology, Unnatural Selection: A Collection of Darwinian Nightmares. He also co-edited Dreaming of Angels, a horror/fantasy anthology created to increase awareness of Down’s Syndrome. He recently completed his newest book; a science fiction/dark fantasy novel entitled The Translators and can be reached through his website at www.gordqrollo.com or through his agent Lauren Abramo at [email protected]
Georgina Kamsika was born in South Yorkshire, UK, to Anglo Indian immigrant parents and has spent most of her life explaining her English first name, Polish surname and Asian features. She reads widely, everything from E.M. Forester to Chuck Palahnuick and values her vast comics collection. She admits to being a geek and whenever she’s not writing, she loves reading and walking her two dogs in the woods. She remembers being very proud when her story was chosen to be displayed on the wall, even though this was at infant school. Many years later, she began taking her writing seriously and has had numerous short stories published in magazines and the odd anthology. Her début novel The Sulphur Diaries (Legend Press) was released in November of 2011. Find her at www.kamsika.com
Dorian Dawes is the published author of several horror and surreal short stories. With an extensive background in gothic horror and a love for all things macabre, he hopes to bring a fresh perspective into the genre, his own. When not writing, he is reading, collecting decaying and deformed baby dolls and candle-holders, and re-watching his favorite Dario Argento films from the 70’s and 80’s. His website and contact information can be found at www.doriandawes.com
Timothy Baker is a retired firefighter embarking on a new career in writing. Inspired by the likes of Poe, Lovecraft, and King, Timothy has taken up the self-challenge of bringing new monsters to the horror realm, avoiding the tried and true: vampires, werewolves, and zombies. In the eighties he wrote and directed a horror film (Night of the Pig) for a community television station, afterwards producing a popular horror movie host series (Dr. Macabre’s Blood Theater) in which he played the ever failing, undeterred, mad bloody scientist, Dr. Macabre. An Oklahoma native, Timothy now lives on the stark high plains of southeastern Colorado. The Long Death of Day is his first story published.
William Meikle is a Scottish writer with fourteen novels published in the genre press and over 250 short story credits in thirteen countries. His work appears in many professional anthologies. Recent work for Dark Regions Press includes THE CREEPING KELP, SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT, THE INVASION/THE VALLEY, and CARNACK: HEAVEN AND HELL. He lives in a remote corner of Newfoundland with icebergs, whales and bald eagles for company. In the winters he gets warm vicariously through the lives of others in cyberspace, so please check him out at http://www.williammeikle.com
David L. Seymour has been fascinated since his youth with the off the beaten path created by such masters of horror as Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Peter Straub, and has dedicated his life to one of education, though he has dabbled in producing concerts while in college, the Rolling Stones and U2 amongst others, getting trapped in Moscow during the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992, and working as a photojournalist for various local magazines. (Yes, he was born on September 27th , 1969.)
You can visit DL Seymour at www.dlseymour.com or e-mail him at [email protected]
Wayne Ligon has worked as a systems analyst for public service most of his adult life, eschewing the typical laundry list of weird jobs authors seems to accumulate. He lives in Montgomery, Alabama with far too many comics and a very, very old terrier.
TSP Sweeney is a dashingly roguish public servant by day and a roguishly dashing writer of dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror by night. He dwells within the dank confines of his Sydney, Australia abode alongside his wife Sam, their beagle Zac, and their cockatiel Lemmy, and can be found at timsweeney.net or reached on Twitter @TSPSweeney
Stacey Turner lives way out in the country in West Central Illinois with her husband, adult children, one adorable grandson and 6 cats. Most of her time is taken up with running Angelic Knight Press and editing, but she still finds time to review books & interview authors, write a blog about her absolutely ridiculous family, and write fiction. You can find her Author blog at www.staceyturner-authorspot.blogspot.com or follow her on twitter: @Spot_Speaks.
She has been published in several anthologies and online magazines. Her first collection of short stories will be forthcoming in June 2012. When not working she enjoys photographing cemeteries, playing “what if,” and discussing the imminent zombie apocalypse. She does not enjoy scarecrows, creepy dolls, birds (of any sort), snakes, clowns or garden gnomes.
Gene O’Neill has seen 125 of his short stories and novellas published in genre markets, several garnering Nebula or Stoker nominations. His TASTE OF TENDERLOIN won the Stoker for collection in 2009. He has had five novels published, most recently NOT FADE AWAY a 2011 Stoker finalist. Currently he is working on completing a series of bird-titled novellas, and putting the finishing touches on his four-book Cal Wild series—THE BURDEN OF INDIGO will kick off the series from Bad Moon Books, debuting at Killercon 4 in Las Vegas.
Edward M. Erdelac is the guy behind the acclaimed weird western series MERKABAH RIDER from Damnation Books, and BUFF TEA from Texas Review Press. His stories have appeared in several anthologies and magazines, including CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY? (Damnation), WELCOME TO HELL (E-Volve), SLICES OF FLESH (Dark Moon) and DEADCORE (Comet Press). He has also written for Chaosium, Murky Depths, JournalStone, and Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS franchise. A native Hoosier, he was educa
ted in Chicago and now lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and a bona fide slew of kids and cats. Links to his other work and personal ramblings can be explored at http://emerdelac.wordpress.com or on Facebook.
Henry P. Gravelle is the author of the Buddy Sands Cases, Ten Wide, The Sketcher and The Closet of Lucy Pang. He has also penned The Bamboo Heart, Pug, The Fort Providence Watch, The Banshee, Apple Hill, Garrison Creek and Black Knife along with two short story collections, Ollie-Ollie Oxen Free and Epitaph. Film Rights have been optioned for his novellas, Gunner’s Rift, The Igloo Boys, Hobo and Bogieville.
Henry’s stories have appeared in numerous print and Ezine publications. He attended Northeastern University in Boston and currently resides along the south shore of Massachusetts. www.henrygravelle.com
Ryan Lawler is someone who likes being busy, working a full time job whilst trying to find time for completing a Master’s degree, playing competitive tennis, reading the latest fantasy books, romancing his wife, feeding his unhealthy video game addiction, and writing stories. Since he was seventeen, Ryan has been working as an avionics and software engineer in the Australian Defence Force. This job has taken him all over Australia, developing creative solutions to complex problems, and he draws on that creativity for much of his writing.
Ryan is currently living with his wife in Canberra, Australia but that could change at any moment. You can find more about Ryan at http://ryanlawler86.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanL1986
Mark Lawrence is a research scientist, carer for his severely disabled youngest daughter, and author of Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns.
