Two Weeks of Qadaris

by J. E. Foltin

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE LAST SUPPER

  As the sun rose on day thirteen of the Qadarian ‘invasion’, most of the oil refineries had been destroyed. Picture the spill from the BP disaster of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico times twenty.

  The Qadarians knew that once this stage was complete, they would start their final stage. Reinforcements had been called in days ago.

  Still, those inside the cubes around the world were oblivious to the war. Chloe and the rest started their morning run as usual.

  Communication was restored to several of the major military bases in the United States, albeit primitive telegraph communication. Power was also restored, but not on a permanent basis. It was in spurts of fifteen minutes at a time to conserve what little they had.

  President Sinclair and President-elect Wheeler returned to the White House. They ordered every last plane, tank and other military vehicle into battle. They knew with their fuel running low, they had one last gasp attack left in them and wanted to hit them with everything they had.

  It didn’t matter the quantity of weaponry fired against the aliens. They were still outmatched. The planes could not maneuver as well as the alien crafts. The tanks’ armor was not nearly as strong as the herculium.

  For the first time since the start of the war, however, there were Qadarian casualties. For every Qadarian who was killed, a thousand humans died. It didn’t take long at that rate for the barrage to end.

  As this fight was ending, Tobias addressed the rest of the world.

  “We came to this planet in peace. We see now that it was a futile effort. You humans are a war-like people.

  “We came to save you, but you have made it clear to us that you are not worth saving. We will leave your planet in twenty-four hours. Before we leave, we will destroy all life on Earth.”

  Instantly, chaos ensued all over the planet. Stores were looted. Property was destroyed. Martial law was declared everywhere.

  Well, almost everywhere. The news had yet to reach the cubes, but that would change soon.

  “Good morning all,” Levi addressed the group. “Today will be the last day of study. Tomorrow, we will make our decision.

  “For today, we want to know, if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?”

  “I know what I would do,” Twyla said. “I would track down that prick Gary and chop off his dick so he couldn’t further contaminate the world. If he can’t take responsibility, he shouldn’t have the means to reproduce.”

  That got a laugh from a few of the group.

  “I would try to track down my son Marshall,” Wayne said. “If I’m going to die, I’d want to make amends if for no other reason than to see my only grandchild. I never got to see Caleb, and I just wanted to spend some time with him before I died.”

  “I would max out every credit card I owned,” Barbara said. “I wouldn’t have to pay anything back, and I could die happy and looking good.”

  “I’ve always been an avid reader,” Scott said. “And that’s what I would do on my last day. I would read my favorite book one last time.”

  “I would ask out the most beautiful woman I could find,” Christian said. “If I’m going to die, I want to die with a smile on my face.

  “If she said no, I would ask another. And another, until someone said yes.”

  “Ben and I would take our kids to Disneyworld,” Tracy said. “We always talked about it, but never had the time or money. With neither holding us back, we could finally take the vacation we always wanted to.”

  “Would I still be in jail?” Quincy said. “If I was still in jail, I would probably just kill myself and save myself the trouble. If I was free, I would try to make amends with Veronica’s family to die with a clear conscience.”

  “After spending the day with Maurice,” Neveah said, “I would go on one last night out with the girls on Bourbon Street.”

  “I would call off work and take my family of the Ferris Bueller tour,” Wyatt said. “We would look out from the observation deck of the Willis Tower, go to Chez Quis for lunch as Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago, and go to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Art Institute of Chicago. We would finish the day at Wrigley Field or Comiskey Field or wherever there was a sporting event.”

  “I’ve always wanted to try skydiving,” Chloe said. “The rush of freefalling at hundreds of miles an hour. If I knew it would be my last day, I would do this.”

  “Make sure you do it as a tandem jump if it’s your first time,” Wayne said.

  “I would do my best to save as many lost souls as I could,” Dennis said. “Everyone will one day stand face to face with God, and I hope to have helped many find salvation.”

  “I would take this one last day and just pig out,” Robin said. “If I wasn’t living past the next day, what would it matter how many chemicals and preservatives I put into my temple?”

  “When I married Rhonda, we never had the chance to go on our honeymoon,” Brody said. “If tomorrow were my last day on earth, I would love to take her to Hawaii so we could finally have that honeymoon.”

  “I would love to have just one day as a normal person,” Jessica said. “With my hectic schedule, that’s impossible. I just want to spend one day like everyone else does. And if the paparazzi show their faces, I would love to pick a fight with them.”

  “I would just soak in every last bit of nature,” Michael said. “I would have to see one final sunset and sunrise.”

  “I would treat it as I would every other day,” Akiko said. “I would go to work and do my best to save as many lives as I could, even if I know I would be losing my own in the next twenty-four hours.”

  “I would just take the day and spend it with Patrice,” Marc said. “I want to make as many happy memories with her as I could so she would always remember me when I was gone.

  The rest of the group shared his thought. They also said they would spend their last day with their loved ones.

  Meanwhile, a fleet of about a hundred Qadarian ships was entering the Milky Way. These were not warships. These were tankers meant for siphoning resources from the planet.

  President Sinclair had been in contact with the other heads of state. They knew with the end of humanity just hours away, they had to try one final effort to save our species, even if it meant possibly condemning ourselves.

  The United States, along with Russia, Korea, Iran, and any other country with nuclear capabilities would launch every last missile at the aliens. If this could not stop them, nothing would. If mankind was going to die, it would take out as many Qadarians as it could with it.

  As the time came for dinner, Levi gave the twenty-six the fatal news.

  “We regret to inform you that tomorrow the plague known as the human race will be extinguished from this planet. Because of your cooperation, we are granting you your choice of a last meal. Anything you desire.”

  “Anything?” Christian asked. “In that case, I want a cheesesteak from Pat’s, an order of cheese fries, and a six-pack of Budweiser.”

  Instantly, it appeared in front of him. Seeing this, the rest let their hearts choose.

  “Spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread and a bottle of red wine,” Bella said.

  “I want lobster with some mushroom risotto and a large sweet tea,” Quincy said.

  “Can I have a grilled cheese sandwich, a bowl of tomato soup, and a Pepsi?” Robin asked.

  “I want some New England clam chowder, a couple of biscuits, and a glass of white wine,” Francis said.

  “Some of my mom’s famous crawfish étouffée, rice, French bread, and a glass of pinot noir, with a few beignets for dessert,” Neveah said.

  “A couple pork chops, scalloped potatoes, lemonade, and a heaping slice of my wife’s strawberry rhubarb pie,” Benjamin said.

  “I just want a taco salad and a Coke,” Jessica said.

  “A thick, juicy rib eye steak, cooked medium well, with a baked sweet potato and a Mol
son,” Marc said.

  “I’d like some sushi,” Akiko said. “Some California roll, maybe a little Hawaiian roll, with some wasabi and soy sauce for dipping, and some sake.”

  “I want a cheeseburger with everything, onion rings, and a Yoo-hoo,” Travis said.

  “I love breakfast, so if it’s my last meal, I want breakfast,” Chloe said. “I want a ham steak, three eggs over easy, hash browns, toast with grape jelly, coffee and orange juice.”

  “I would like some grilled venison, acorn squash, posole, and water, with some wojape for dessert,” Michael said.

  “What’s posole?” “What’s wojape?”

  “Posole is a Native American soup made with pork and hominy. Wojape is a berry dessert.”

  “I want a couple of chimichangas with some refried beans and rice, with some sangria to drink,” Luisa said.

  “I would love some Chicago-style deep dish pizza, with Italian sausage, bell peppers and onions, with a couple Samuel Adams beers,” Wyatt said.

  “If it’s the last thing I’m ever going to eat, then I just want a gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream,” Cassidy said.

  “Two lamb chops with some couscous and a side salad,” Dennis said. “Maybe a little wine.”

  “I want some fried catfish, with cornbread, corn on the cob, greens, and a large sweet tea,” Twyla said.

  “Can I have a rack of baby back ribs with some potato salad and a couple Blue Moons?” Wayne asked.

  “I want some escargot, a medallion of filet mignon cooked medium, and two Grey Goose martinis with two olives each,” Barbara said.

  “A few slices of beef brisket with some coleslaw and roasted red potatoes,” Brody said. “And a Dr. Pepper to drink.”

  “I just want a heaping helping of my grandma’s kielbasa and sauerkraut, with some grape Kool-Aid, like when I was a kid,” Tracy said.

  “I want a couple of crab cakes with some fried okra and a Scotch,” Scott said.

  “I just want some liver and onions with a side salad and a cup of coffee,” Helen said.

  One by one, the meals they asked for appeared before them. As they did, Chloe made an additional request.

  “Could we also have an iced yellow cake? Tomorrow is Wyatt’s fortieth birthday.”

  He was embarrassed by the request. He didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Nevertheless, the Qadarians complied.

  One final request was made by Bella.

  “If this is my last day, I wanna party. Can you give us a shitload of alcohol so we can get drunk off our asses?”

  Away from the table appeared several cases of beer, bottles of wine, and other bottles of alcohol.

  As they prepared to eat, the launch codes were entered all over the globe. With the small amount of energy and fuel they had left, they launched every last nuclear missile at the various Qadarian ships around the planet.

  Some of them were destroyed before they could impact, and those that did impact with the alien ships were unable to penetrate their hulls. The final mission was a failure. Earth was doomed.

  Shortly thereafter, the tankers began to enter Earth’s atmosphere. They began to position themselves over the oceans and other major bodies of water.

  As they did, two of the Qadarian battleships left for the polar icecaps. When they reached them, they emitted a beam that began to melt the ice at the North and South Poles, thus creating more water.

  Once the tankers were positioned, they began to siphon the water from the oceans. The people of Earth were helpless to prevent it from happening.

  Especially Howard. He was still imprisoned for his rants. Even in jail, he continued ranting.

  “I told you so. I told you not to trust them, but you didn’t listen to me.”

  The other prisoners tired of hearing his complaints. In fact, they blamed him for everything. If he had kept his mouth shut, the planet could have survived.

  That night, a group of them cornered him in the shower and beat him unmercifully. One of them pulled a shiv on him and stabbed him repeatedly in the back. Blood ran down the drain. He dropped to his knees and died lying face first on the shower floor.

  Inside the cube, the twenty-six sat down to their last dinner. As he always did, Dennis said grace. At the end, Quincy said, “Where is your so-called ‘God’ now? Is it His will to let the human race get wiped out like this?”

  As they talked, Scott asked an interesting question.

  “If you could save just one other person besides yourself, who would it be?”

  “No doubt about it,” Marc said. “I’d have to save Patrice. I couldn’t imagine living without her.”

  “Just one?” Brody asked. “How could I choose between my wife and my children? I suppose if I had to, I’d choose Rhonda.”

  “I’d have to bring my mom Margaret,” Jessica said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without her help.”

  “My eight-year-old granddaughter Charlotte Swain,” Helen said. “She’s my favorite.”

  “Wow. Making me choose between my three kids,” Luisa said. “I guess if I had to, I’d pick my oldest Javier.”

  “I’d bring Noah,” Travis said. “We’ve did everything together, and I’d really like to catch up on everything that’s happened since he moved. Plus, I’d love for him to see that I’m friends with the famous Jessica Schumacher.”

  “I’d save my daughter Olivia,” Benjamin said.

  “Well then, I’d save my son Jamie,” Tracy said.

  “Wait a minute,” Quincy said. “How come they get to save two while the rest of us only get to save one?”

  “Give it a rest,:” Brody said. “We know you’re angry, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “I would have to bring my boyfriend Maurice,” Neveah said. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “I’d bring Vanessa Cutsinger,” Christian said. “She said she wouldn’t go out with me even if I was the last man on earth. Let’s see what she has to say when faced with the limited options.”

  “My husband Yukio,” Akiko said. “He’s not only my husband; he’s also my best friend.”

  “Without question, it would be my mom Rose,” Quincy said. “She stood by my side during my trial when everyone else in my family abandoned me.”

  “While I love my adopted kids,” Dennis said, “I would have to choose my wife Ruth. God is my Father. Jesus is my Savior. She is my life.”

  “After I made peace with my son,” Wayne said, “I would have to save my grandson Caleb. Youth needs to be preserved. Plus, it would give me time to spend with him that I haven’t had since he was born.”

  “My friend Mason Browning,” Barbara said. “He wanted to take me in when I lost everything, but he lived in a one-bedroom apartment and didn’t have the room.”

  “Don’t make me choose between my wife and my daughter,” Wyatt said. “I can’t do it.”

  “You have to,” Scott said.

  “If I absolutely have to choose, then I pick Carol.”

  “I’d pick my older sister Sarah Tompkins,” Twyla said. “She’s raised three kids and would be of great help to me.”

  “I’d save my boyfriend David,” Bella said.

  “I don’t want to choose,” Michael said. “When the Great Spirit calls you home, you can’t say no.”

  “But if you could save someone, who would it be?”

  “I suppose if I had to choose, it would be my dad Daniel.”

  “My wife Alice,” Francis said. “I can’t live without her. I’d rather die than live without her.”

  “I’d have to say my boyfriend Brett,” Robin said. “He’s one of the few people who shares my beliefs on animals.”

  “Me and my best friend Lacey have shared so much together,” Cassidy said. “It would have to be her.”

  “I would save my husband Shawn,” Chloe said.

  “And I would save my muse, my inspiration,” Scott said. “I would save my wife Eleanor.”

  After dinner, they
began to drink. If it was to be their last night alive, they were going to celebrate.

  Well, almost everyone drank. Dennis left the group to return to his bed and pray.

  As he was leaving, he was stopped by Michael.

  “Can you please wait a minute? I have an important question to ask Twyla.” He walked to her and held her hand. “Twyla, I’ve only known you two weeks, but you’ve become very special to me.”

  He dropped to one knee. “If tonight is our last night alive, then nothing would make me happier than to spend it with you as my wife. Will you marry me?”

  She started to cry. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  “Right now?”

  She seemed surprised by this request.

  “After tonight, we won’t have another chance to enter heaven together. Will you marry me right now?”

  “Yes, I will.”

  “Pastor Young, can you marry us? I know we don’t have rings and everything. I just want to say the words to her and hear them from her?”

  “It would be my honor,” Dennis said. He performed a standard ceremony. Afterward, they were Michael and Twyla Clearwater.

  They left to spend their wedding night. If she wasn’t surprised by his on-the-spot proposal, she was shocked when he took off his jumpsuit at their bed.

  After a few drinks, Jessica walked up to Travis.

  “Would you like to come back to my bed and talk?” She grabbed his hand and kissed him on the cheek. He could tell she wasn’t thinking with a clear head.

  “Sure.” He didn’t care. Hand in hand, they walked back to her bed.

  When they got there, she asked him, “Remember about a week ago when you asked to have sex with me?”

  “I remember. I’m sorry I brought that up. It was very inconsiderate of me.”

  “Well, since it’s our last night…” She started to take off her jumpsuit. “Does that offer still stand? Or don’t you think you can handle me?” Her suit fell to the ground.

  This was better than he ever imagined. For a minute, he was speechless.

  “I don’t think I can, but I’d sure like to try.”

  “I wanna see how wild Taz can get.”

  He ripped off his jumpsuit, and they crawled into bed for the night.

  Meanwhile, the consumption of alcohol continued. Before long, Francis and Helen retired for the evening. So, too, did Benjamin and Tracy.

  Being only eighteen, Cassidy had never drunk before tonight. It didn’t take much to make her tipsy. It also made her come to a conclusion.

  She didn’t want to die a virgin. Tonight would be her last chance to have sex, but with whom? The only man her own age was in bed with another woman. Most of the rest were old enough to be her father or grandfather.

  In the end, she was faced with two options. Christian, whom she found repulsive. And Marc, engaged to a woman he would never see again. She made her choice obvious.

  “Marc, I have a huge favor to ask of you. Tonight is our last night on earth, and I don’t want to die a virgin. Would you have sex with me?”

  “I can’t, Cassidy. I’m engaged to Patrice, a woman I love more than life itself.”

  “A woman you’re never going to see again.”

  “Still, there’s a bond between us that I simply cannot break, will not break.”

  Cassidy started to cry. “Please. You’re the only real option I have here.”

  He hesitated to answer. He took her words into consideration. Yes, he would do anything for Patrice. And yes, he was never going to see her again. If he did, she would never know of it.

  “Please!”

  Reluctantly, he agreed. It would be strictly sex, no emotional connection. She ran to him and hugged him. They left for his bed for the deflowering.

  Most of the rest staggered back to their bed, or at least a bed. Quincy and Luisa passed out at the table.

  That evening, President Sinclair and President-elect Wheeler addressed the nation.

  “My fellow Americans. We have tried every effort to put an end to the impending doom our planet faces. And all of our efforts have failed.

  “The world will end tomorrow. We ask that you stay in your homes and spend what little time remaining with those you love.

  “Do not, I repeat, do not succumb to fear. The end is coming, and we are powerless to stop it.

  “I am instituting a state of martial law. Anyone caught in any manner of disorderly conduct will be shot on sight.

  “Good night America. May God have mercy on our souls.”