Event Horizon

by Scott McElhaney

  “They just don’t give up. We’ve been here for eighty-five years and they can’t just leave us alone. Don’t they realize that everyone they’re so mad at is already dead and buried?” Warren said, “Could you do me a favor and spread the word? Maybe we should gather at your place.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he replied, taking the paper back from Warren and shoving it in his pocket.

  “Let’s aim for a meeting around dinner time. It’s always easier to discuss bad news over a meal,” Warren added.

  Brennan nodded his agreement. “I just hope we don’t ruin anyone’s appetite.”

  “Yeah,” Warren groaned, “I’m not feeling so hungry anymore.”

  Brennan turned then headed back down the slope while Warren bent down to pick up the hammer. Danny put a hand on his father’s shoulder.

  “Is it Earth again?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah,” he replied, “It’s been what… thirty-five years now.”

  “I thought that no one knew we existed,” Danny said.

  “So did I. The last reconnaissance we did on the Shark Colony pretty much proved that they assumed we were all dead,” he said.

  . . . . .

  Shauna was the last one to arrive. The wagon she towed behind her was overflowing with blankets. It wasn’t until Brennan looked closer that he noticed her infant daughter sunk comfortably in the middle of the heap.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Shauna offered, holding onto the door.

  Ariel rushed over to Shauna and glanced down at the baby sleeping soundly in the wagon. She took a hold of Shauna’s hand and escorted her to the large dining table. Everyone was already getting seated around the table while Doreen and Edna carried out the two large pots of stew and fresh biscuits. A grin lit Ariel’s face when she noticed three bright new chairs that had been pushed up to the table. The community had been bugging Brennan for months to build a larger table. Instead, he apparently decided to build more chairs and just squeeze everyone closer. Brennan caught her gaze and smiled, aware of her thoughts.

  “Yes, I finally got around to building some chairs. Now there’s room for all seventeen of us. And when Shauna’s little girl can sit up, she can use the old highchair I still have in the shed,” Brennan said.

  “I still think we need a bigger table,” Johnny stated, nudging his brother away from him.

  This brought about some laughter from around the table.

  “Hey, it’s still on my list of things to do,” Brennan chuckled, “Now, let’s say the blessing while the food is hot.”

  “Alright, let’s bow our heads,” Warren said as he cleared his throat, “Dear Lord, we thank you for bringing us together again. We thank you for providing for us and we also want to thank you for this food. We pray that you give us wisdom to follow your will as we come together. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Brennan added, “This smells good,”

  Warren grabbed the ladle from the pot of stew and served everyone as they presented their bowls. Doreen passed around the steaming dinner rolls.

  “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight. We have a serious matter to discuss and we need to decide what our options are,” Brennan said, opening up a roll and slathering it with butter, “As most of you already know, I have a satellite relay station here in my home. That’s why I’ve got that ugly dish in my back yard and why I have those huge solar panels on my roof.”

  “And that’s why you have all those awesome computer games that no one else has,” Jared-the-blacksmith said.

  “Hey, duty comes with its privileges,” he said with a grin, “But seriously, I did receive an alarm today that hasn’t sounded in about thirty-five years. A large ship has come out of warp in our system. It left a warp trace signature that was ten times larger than anything on record. This ship is massive, my friends.”

  The fear that he had felt was evident on every face in the room. They looked at him in silence.

  “I haven’t been able to pick it up on the telescope, but I should be able to soon. I just haven’t located it yet,” he said, “My fear is that this ship has the same mission as the Shark. I think it’s best to assume this is the case.”

  “What’s the Shark?” Johnny blurted.

  Danny elbowed him.

  “What? You don’t know what the Shark is either,” Johnny said, “Danny always pretends he’s smart when he’s not.”

  “Yeah? Well, why do you think it’s called the Shark Colony? Huh?” Danny said, punching his brother in the arm.

  Doreen reached over and tugged at Danny’s shirt. She gave him a stern look of warning.

  “We need to tell them everything,” Brennan said, “We can’t afford ignorance in our colony, especially with what may be coming.”

  “Go ahead,” Warren said, “You, Edna, and Rodney are the ones who would remember best.”

  “Would you like to tell it, Rodney?” Brennan asked, nodding to the older man across the table.

  Rodney glanced slowly around the table and then nodded. He started tugging at his gray beard, as he often did when he felt uncomfortable. Rodney was never one for public speaking.

  “I was thirty-one years old when it happened. There were almost eighty of us in the colony back then. I was working in the fields when we got the same alarm you just mentioned. The only difference is, we were excited about it,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “I was part of the second generation born on Ephraim. My grandfather was Drake Morgan.”

  Warren brought a dinner roll up to his mouth, hoping to hide his grin. Brennan covered his own grin with a napkin. Edna shook her head, catching Brennan’s gaze. It had become a hidden joke to see how long before Rodney would mention his grandfather’s name. He wore it like a medal around his neck. He was the last of the living people to remember any of the original settlers, though in truth, Drake Morgan was already dead before Rodney was ever born. The only person he knew of the original settlers was Dawn Bell. She was the great grandmother of Shauna Bell.

  “My brother came running through the fields shouting of an alarm. A ship was on its way. Not everyone was as excited as him. A few months later, we picked it up on the telescope. We discovered a ship that was long, gray and freakishly resembled a shark. This didn’t seem like a good sign,” he said, looking around the room, “About a dozen of us agreed that it was time to leave. We had enough tents and equipment to spare, so we took what we needed to set up a whole new colony. We built a large wagon and loaded up three solar arrays, some electronics, saws, axes, and whatever else we could find to survive on. That included, of course, the spare satellite receiver. It was my wife and I; Warren’s parents; Doreen’s mom who was pregnant at the time; Brennan, Edna and their two daughters; Shauna’s parents; Edwin’s mom; and our son Billy.”

  “How’d you bring all that stuff across the continent?” Danny asked.

  Rodney chuckled. He took a hold of his spoon then nodded at Danny.

  “It wasn’t easy. It took two people to pull that heavy wagon. We just took turns. We left about a month before that ship finally landed. We dragged that wagon for almost a week before we settled in for camp. Doreen’s mom had gone into labor around that time. That little camp was where we stayed during the attack,” he said, sipping a spoonful of broth.

  “But how did you know there was an attack if you were a week away?” Danny asked.

  “The whole continent shook. We heard the rumble of multiple explosions followed by some nasty tremors. I sent Billy to scout it out. He returned two weeks later with the horrible report of total annihilation. The whole colony was ripped apart and our houses had become charred mounds of rubble. He said that those… those monsters had just heaped the bodies into a pile and simply left. He followed their tracks for about a mile to where they set up camp. He counted at least a hundred people who were already in the process of building homes and pretending nothing happened,” he said, attempting to hide the tears that were welling up, “Horrible, horrible people. When Billy return
ed, we picked up camp and moved further away. We didn’t stop until we reached ocean.”

  “So the Shark colony has every reason to believe their attack was a total success.” Warren added, “Maybe this other ship isn’t coming for us.”

  “We can’t count on that, though. It would be safest for all of us to assume the worst,” Doreen said, ladling more stew into her bowl, “What if one of the Sharks found us and requested another strike force from Earth?”

  “No, that’s not the case. There are still probably hundreds of people in that colony. If they found us, they could kill us easy enough. We’re no match for them,” Rodney said, “But we need to have an escape plan ready. I propose the cave that Edwin discovered down by the bay. At least we could all hide out there when the ship arrives and stay for a few weeks following.”

  “That sounds like a very smart plan,” Warren stated, “We have enough time to try to make that cave a bit more comfortable for those few weeks.”

  “Let’s stop all the work on my house,” Edwin said, biting into a dinner roll, “And let’s focus our attention on that cave.”

  “Then it seems we’re all in agreement,” Brennan said, “I’m going to keep working on getting us a visual of the ship.”

  Ephraim Year 85 Week #13

  Ariel closed the bedroom door then lifted the glass housing of the oil lamp on her dresser. She blew out the flame and lowered the glass again.

  “Hurry up and come to bed,” Edwin said, pulling the blanket back, “It’s already getting too chilly.”

  She rushed over to the bed and quickly slid under the covers. She huddled closely to her husband, wrapping her arms around him.

  “We’ve got to get out of this house,” she whispered, “I’m always worried that your mom is going to walk in on us.”

  “We’re married now. We’ve been married for over a month. We’re allowed to do everything that we do,” he said, running his hand lightly across her back.

  “But that doesn’t stop her from popping in. Remember that one time while we were-”

  “Yes, and please don’t bring that up again,” he said, placing a hand over her mouth, “We’re adults, Ariel. I’ve been waiting for you to be mine for much too long. We can’t let my mom get in the way of us.”

  “So I’m yours now? Like a piece of property?” she asked, smiling at him.

  “A very fine looking piece of property, I might add,” he whispered.

  “So that’s how it is?” she asked, arching her eyebrow in the dim light of the setting Ceti.

  “Hey, I’ll trade if you want. I’ll be the property and you can be the owner. We can play whatever you want,” he said.

  “Oh, I see. It’s a game. Well, what if I told you that I want this game to lead to a family? What if I told you I want to be a mommy?” she whispered.

  “I’d probably think about that for a bit. Then after all that thinking, I’d remind you that you’re only nineteen. After that, I’d probably say something like, ‘if you’re sure that you want to be a mommy at this fine young age, well then I’m sure that I want you to be also’,” he said, “Besides, I’m not so opposed to being a daddy if we’re in this together.”

  She giggled, kissing him on the nose, “After my ‘property’ said all that, I’d reply by requesting him to go move the dresser in front of the door. Things might get a little wild in here.”

  He turned and leapt from the bed, running over to the dresser. He pushed it in front of the door then jumped back into bed.

  “Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move so fast in all your life,” she said with a laugh.

  He simply kissed her and drew the blanket over them again.

  . . . . .

  Doreen held the door and called for Johnny again. He was known to spend hours chasing river crabs down by the creek, but even from that distance, he should be able to hear her calling. She finally stepped out into the chilly air, drawing her housecoat around her. The wooden planks of the porch were cold on her bare feet. She marched down onto the grass and searched the yard for any sign of him.

  “Johnny!” she shouted, “It’s time for a bath.”

  Just then, she recognized his silhouette as he advanced through the woods. He was toting three long sticks and his large hunting knife. As he approached, she realized that the sticks he carried were actually sharpened into violent-looking spears.

  “What were you doing?” she asked, yanking the spears from his hand as he started past her.

  “I was making us some weapons, Mom,” he replied, “It would be rude of us to pray to God and do nothing to prepare. We can’t just rely on God to protect us. Sometimes we have to do things ourselves.”

  “We don’t need any weapons,” she said, tossing the sticks onto the woodpile by the house, “And we can rely solely on God. I prefer that.”

  She nudged him through the doorway then quickly closed the door behind them.

  “It’s time for your bath, little man. And after that, we need to have a discussion about relying on God,” she said.

  “The Israelites still fought battles with weapons, Mom. God just helped them,” he stated, heading for the bathroom.

  “We will not be making weapons unless God tells us to. And personally, I don’t think that’s His plan. I’ve been praying about this and I think God wants us to stay put,” she said, grabbing the kettle of hot water, “I don’t even think we should be going to the cave.”

  Johnny started to take off his clothes as he peered down into the washtub full of cool water. His mom followed behind with the steaming kettle. She poured the hot water into the tub.

  “Can you please light the lamp?” he asked, sticking his foot slowly into the cool water.

  “I wouldn’t have to light the lamp if you came when I first called you,” she said, “And you’re lucky the kettle was still hot or the tub would be even colder than it already is.”

  He eased himself into the water while she lit the oil lamp in the corner.

  “Why is Dawn here?” he asked.

  “How did you know she was here?” his mom asked as she turned to leave the bathroom.

  “I saw her come over while I was in the woods. Is she still here?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Edwin and Ariel are still living with her and she’s trying to give them a little privacy,” his mom said, easing the door closed, “Don’t you worry about her.”

  Doreen headed down the hall and into the kitchen where Dawn was still sitting at the table. She looked up at Doreen and smiled.

  “Your boy wants me to leave already?” Dawn asked.

  “He’s just a child who’s always wondering what everyone else is doing. He doesn’t mind you being here and it wouldn’t matter if he did,” she said, sitting down across from Dawn.

  “I should be getting home soon anyway. They’ve had long enough and it’s getting dark out there,” Dawn said.

  “I can’t believe you heard them moving furniture in front of the bedroom door,” Doreen said with a laugh, “I think that would have scared me out of the house, too.”

  “I’ve accidentally stumbled across them… you know… being intimate. I didn’t mean to, and now I feel like I’m hindering their married life. I honestly don’t blame them. I just feel so out of place,” Dawn said, shaking her head forlornly.

  “They just need to be more careful. It is your home,” Doreen said, “Once this spaceship scare passes, their house will get finished. You’ll be on your own once again.”

  Doreen’s eyes went wide, suddenly realizing the words she had just spoken. It was too late to take the words back. She instantly felt horrible. Dawn had mentioned her fear of being alone to Doreen several times. Dawn never had a husband, so without her son Edwin, she had no family to speak of.

  Dawn became pregnant during a one-year separation between Edna and Brennan. Rumor had it that Dawn was the cause of the separation. Brennan stayed with Dawn for almost a year before realizing what he had done to his marriage and to his overall life. H
e repented to Edna and to the Lord at the same time. The Lord forgave him immediately, but it took Edna almost two full years. Edwin, born just two months after Brennan’s repentance, was a permanent reminder of that transgression.

  “I didn’t mean it like you’ll be alone. You’ll still have us and Edwin will still visit often I’m sure,” Doreen sputtered.

  “Don’t worry about it. I knew the time was coming,” she said, “I’m slowly beginning to accept it. I just never thought of myself as an old maid. Here I am only forty-two and I’ll probably be a grandmother very soon.”

  Doreen smiled and reached over to grab a hold of Dawn’s hand. Dawn looked up at her.

  “Don’t you realize what you’re going to have? You’re going to have something that will prevent you from ever being an old maid. As a grandmother, you get to become a wonderful light shining into that baby’s life. Your life is just beginning all over again,” Doreen said.

  “I hope so. Truly I do,” she replied with a smile.

  . . . . .

  His arms felt like they were about to burst open. He could just envision his muscles and tendons snapping suddenly followed by an outpouring of blood. Just a few more meters and he could drop the stack of branches and limbs.

  “You coming, Danny?” his father called from inside the cave.

  He finally dropped the logs on the sandy beach and peered into the mouth of the cave. Night was falling fast, so he could barely make out anything in the darkness of the cave.