“Hey, now, I’m here, too.” Ed moved forward.
Danny laughed. “Oh my God, Mom, she is so little.” He kissed her and kissed her again. “You are so tough. You are. I am going to teach you so much. I love you.”
After Danny, Ed held the baby.
It was my intention for that child to feel every ounce of love in that room. Every ounce of strength and hope that people had. She needed to know her family, even if it was for such a short period of time. She needed to feel loved.
I was so grateful, because if God deemed that he would take her, at least she would be in her mother’s arms.
She was passed around to everyone, and each person said their hello, introduced themselves, and conveyed their love before leaving.
When Beck was done holding Hope, he placed her in Alex’s arms.
Alex folded. He clutched that baby to his chest, closed his eyes and held her. “Thank you,” he whispered to the baby. “Thank you so much for coming into my life. Thank you.”
“I’m going to go,” Beck said.
“You don’t have to,” I told him.
“You don’t,” Alex reiterated. “Stay.”
“No. The boys need me. We have a community to straighten up and… we don’t know what’s going to happen. So let this moment be with …” he cleared his throat, “her parents.” He kissed me on the forehead, then after grazing his hand over the baby, Beck left.
In the hours after Beck left, in the time that Alex and I were to be alone, everyone came in. Every single person in the community came into the room to see my daughter. She was a symbol of a lot of things.
She was the first baby conceived and born after the Event. She wasn’t an Ivory Statue baby, and she had no traces of the Sleeper virus in her at all.
She was perfect. Whether she lived or passed, she was a symbol of life.
We had to bottle feed her and it was tricky. She didn’t want to take any formula. She had a hard time with the nipple and I hadn’t produced any milk.
We were reliving those moments with Phoenix and Keller.
Alex had inched as close to the bed as he could, while I held the baby.
“I can’t see us not wanting to talk about this,” I said to Alex. “The more I think about it, the more I believe we changed it. Whatever it was. Javier is still with us.”
“I think so too.” He laid his hand on my face. “I was so scared, Mera. I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Thank you for carrying me.”
“I would die for you. Carrying you is nothing.”
I grabbed his hand and kissed it.
“This isn’t fair, Mera. It’s not fair that this is happening.”
“We have this chance, right now. It’s more than many parents got in this world.” I looked down to the baby and checked her breathing. She huffed but her tiny eyes kept opening as if she were trying to figure out what was going on. It was painful knowing that I probably wouldn’t be holding her in my arms much longer. I was all too familiar with the pain of losing a child, yet it didn’t get easier.
It wasn’t fair, Alex was right. But life as we knew wasn’t fair at all anymore.
“We’re gonna emerge stronger, Alex,” I said. “She’s still with us right now. We have this moment, we have her. I’m not ready to give up yet on her, are you?”
Alex sat on the bed and I inched over a little. In the best way he could, he tried to hold us both. One arm under my head, the other draped over me and the baby.
I felt safe, I felt a sense of peace.
“No. I’m not ready to give up on her,” Alex said and when he did, the baby did this little peep of a whining cry. Alex smiled. “And that was her way of saying she wasn’t giving up yet either.”
FORTY-FOUR – ALEX SANS
Spring came early, and the weather was much nicer. That was what we were waiting for. Or one of the things.
Mera was another one of them. She simply wasn’t well for the longest time.
Shortly after the attack, she got an infection that was so bad we nearly lost her. At first we worried that it was the Sleeper virus. We knew eventually it would stop striking people, we learned that from Ed. Thankfully it wasn’t that. She was better but she still coughed a lot and grew weak easily. We couldn’t wait much longer, we had been lucky fending off Sleeper attacks, however, it was time to go.
After we cleaned up following the attack, because they had done it before, I sent out Sonny and Miles with instructions to find us a new home. I trusted them and believed they would.
Beck stayed back helping us pack up to leave. The entire community was heading out in one big pilgrimage. Once we left Haven, Beck would go back to doing the Reckoning. It was what he had to do. Javier was leaving as well. He was going to the ARC to not only work on the cure, but to give the soldiers the cloaking serum.
We were close to winning the war against the Sleepers. I felt it.
I was grateful that Beck hung back for the six weeks. I needed him around.
Despite what we were told and believed was the inevitable outcome, my daughter defied the odds and survived. With Mera ill, Sonny gone, handling an infant and the boys was a lot of work. Especially since my daughter didn’t sleep.
“She sleeps, Alex,” Beck told me.
“No, I’m pretty sure she lives off of four hours.”
Beck shook his head. “She’s always sleeping.”
“No, Beck, you just bore her.”
We were the oddest match up caring for that child. I was a good father, but Beck had it down. I learned a lot from him, I really did.
Randy was the life size cuddle bear. Many nights, I would grab him and beg him to walk the floor with Hope.
When Mera was strong enough, I was taking a baby vacation. Make no mistake, I loved every minute of my life and held the utmost confidence that it was only going to get better.
Another person that stayed longer than he should have was Ed. He just wanted to know where we were going and that everything was alright.
It took Sonny and Miles nearly three weeks to find us a new home. I was worried. But Sonny did come back. He left Miles behind to watch our new place and start getting it ready.
“Virginia,” Sonny said. “That’s where we’re headed. Found this great old base down there. Good fence, which I will make electric, it’s not far from the ocean. And the best part, Alex… the whole town is Sleeper free.”
Sleeper free, but for how long? We did have Michael, though Sleepers weren’t as much of a concern as they were an annoyance anymore.
The morning of our departure was pretty sad.
Mera cried, for as much as she complained about Haven, she’d made it a home.
We had two busses, four vehicles, and a tractor trailer. There was going to be a lot of starting over, but the growing season was starting, we would be fine.
We loaded up and everyone began their goodbyes to Beck. He looked really sad saying goodbye to the kids.
“I won’t be long, hopefully. These Reckonings will be shorter and shorter.”
I shook his hand then embraced him. “We will be in touch. You know where to find us.”
“I do.”
“It’s time for me to go now too,” Ed stated.
I stood with Mera, Beck, and Danny by the SUV. The babies were inside.
“You have the letters, right?” Ed asked Mera. “This is the first time I am not dying, so I’m pretty excited. Give those letters to Keller when he is sixteen. I also wrote a note.”
“I have them.” She walked to him and kissed him. “Thank you for all you have done. I’ll miss you.”
“Nah, you never get away from me.” Ed smiled. “Danny, I look forward to walking in your footsteps again. I look forward to you bringing this up to me when I return.”
“And I will,” Danny said.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Are you sure we are on a different path?”
Ed chuckled. “I never had a sister. I do now. Beck is doing the Reckoni
ng, so we diverted that. Javier is alive, and I believe he will cure the virus.”
“What about Michael?”
“Michael is the driving force in the future behind the Sleepers. If Javier cures the virus, there will be no more people getting infected. No more Ivory Statue babies. Combined with a successful Reckoning, there will be no more Sleepers for him to lead. So even if he does become the Sandman, he will have no one to control or drive. We did it. I can’t wait to get back and see our world.”
I grabbed him and hugged him. “I hope it is better.”
“How can it not be?” he asked. “I’m going back. Never before did I go back.” Ed took a moment to say his quick goodbyes, then he pulled out the return mechanism.
I’ll always remember that moment. That peaceful smile on Ed’s face and then he was gone. He simply vanished.
There was no more reason to stay. Every goodbye was said, all that could be packed was packed, and the engines were running.
Mera said her farewell to Beck and go into the car.
“Kick ass on the Reckoning, Beck,” I said.
“You have my word, I’ll try,” he replied.
I hated leaving him behind but knew we had to leave. I didn’t want to have to stop for the night. We had enough fuel to get there and Sonny had set up more on our route.
Once inside the car, I looked at Mera. She looked pale. “You alright?”
“Yeah, tired is all. And nervous, Alex. I am so nervous.”
“We all are.”
“Tell me it will be alright. That we’re going to be just fine.”
I clutched her hand, looked to the back seat at the boys and to Danny who held Hope. “We’re all together, Mera. How can it not be fine?”
The convoy began to move. Our new life pilgrimage.
We were leaving so much behind and heading to a new unknown, forging ahead on a different path than life originally laid out for us.
It would be a better life and before long, a Sleeper free life.
EPILOGUE – KELLER
Thirty Years Post Event
I was nervous and unsure when I left the future. A part of me just wanted to stay there. I couldn’t face my life without my brother. According to the letters, he never returned.
It was shortly after four PM, in my time, when I left. One hour after Phoenix never returned.
My time travel trip would bring me back to the exact same time. Phoenix said, according to those theories, he would be there. I prayed in the split second of travel that he was right.
When I came through, I was greeted with the sound of a single person clapping. It could only be one person.
Phoenix.
“You did come back!” I said with a gasp.
“I did.” Phoenix grabbed on to me. “I have been waiting too. I even thought I’d see two of you. Glad that didn’t happen.”
“So it worked?” I asked. “We stopped the events?”
“I haven’t left this room, so I don’t know. I can assure you a lot has changed. Javier never died. We have a sister, the baby was born.”
Hearing that made me smile. “Although we don’t know her as an adult, do we?”
“Probably not.”
“Michael?”
“He was aware, Sonny gave him the mechanism. Brother, I fully believe we are going to emerge from this room into a bright, new, and different world.”
At that second there was a knock on the door.
Only one person knew we were in that room.
My father.
“Come in,” I called out.
“I know what moment this is,” Alex said. “But I need you, Phoenix. Now.”
“What’s going on, Alex?”
I reached out to Phoenix so I could ‘see’ my father.
Alex lowered his head. “I remember this point. You left to change things. I have been dreading this moment. We have a Sleeper attack on the way. A big one, too.”
“What?” Phoenix asked in shock. “How can that be? What about the cure?”
“Every time Javier cured the virus, it mutated and came back,” Alex said.
“But we’re safe, right? We have the cloaking serum,” Phoenix said.
“Sleepers eventually overcame that.”
“Damn it!” Phoenix shouted. “So Michael is still the Sandman?”
Alex exhaled. “I remember you telling me that Michael died.”
“In his sleep,” I clarified.
“Never happened. There was a touch and go time, Michael had pneumonia, but we had Javier. There’s a Sandman alright, it’s not Michael though. Because Michael is still alive.”
“Wait. I cut off its hand. The DNA… shit.” Phoenix stomped. “Javier wasn’t around the first time to test it. It’s not Michael’s DNA.”
“It’s a related DNA, but it’s not Michael. And I need you now. You’re the second best we have.”
“Wait,” Phoenix said. “The second best?”
“Get your ego in check, let’s go Tonto.” Alex instructed. “I’ll fill you boys in on everything later.”
Phoenix squeezed my arm. “I’ll be back.”
“I’m so confused.”
“That makes two of us.”
I listened as my brother and father left my lab, then I felt around for a chair and sat down.
We had done all that we could do. Phoenix was certain we’d emerge from my lab into a different world. It was different, but it wasn’t brighter and it wasn’t free of struggles.
Despite our best efforts to make a change, I realized right then there was something no amount of time travel could ever change and that was destiny.
The Sleepers were our destiny.
About the Author
Jacqueline Druga is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. She is a prolific writer and filmmaker. Her published works include genres of all types, but favors post-apocalypse and apocalypse writing.
Also by Jacqueline Druga
The Flu
The Flu 2: Healing
Sleepers 1
Sleepers 2
Sleepers 3
Sleepers 4
The Violet Letters
Table of Contents
Prologue – Keller
One – Alex Sans
Two – Mera Stevens
Three – Sonny Wilson
Four – Alex Sans
Five – Mera Stevens
Six – Sonny Wilson
Seven – Alex Sans
Eight – Mera Stevens
Intersect – Keller
Nine – Sonny Wilson
Ten – Alex Sans
Eleven – Mera Stevens
Twelve – Sonny Wilson
Thirteen – Alex Sans
Fourteen – Mera Stevens
Fifteen – Sonny Wilson
Sixteen – Alex Sans
Seventeen – Mera Stevens
Eighteen – Sonny Wilson
Nineteen – Alex Sans
Twenty – Mera Stevens
Twenty-One – Sonny Wilson
Twenty-Two – Alex Sans
Twenty-Three – Mera Stevens
Twenty-Four – Sonny Wilson
Twenty-Five – Alex Sans
Twenty-Six – Mera Stevens
Twenty-Seven – Sonny Wilson
Twenty-Eight – Alex Sans
Twenty-Nine – Mera Stevens
Thirty – Sonny Wilson
Thirty-One – Alex Sans
Thirty-Two – Mera Stevens
Thirty-Three – Sonny Wilson
Thirty-Four – Alex Sans
Thirty-Five – Mera Stevens
Thirty-Six – Sonny Wilson
Thirty-Seven – Alex Sans
Thirty-Eight – Mera Stevens
Thirty-Nine – Sonny Wilson
Forty – Alex Sans
Forty-One – Sonny Wilson
Forty-Two – Alex Sans
Forty-Three – Mera Stevens
Forty-Four – Alex Sans
Epilogue – Keller
> About The Author
Sleepers (Book 6) Page 21
