Ferdie and The Seven: Book three: Fractals

by Larry Buenafe

  I walked for about half an hour, and even though the sun was waning, it was still oppressively hot. Eventually, I slumped down against a Joshua tree.

  I need to go back to what I know is right… creativity, what am I supposed to do with that word? Old Leo brought it up and Gabriella did several times… ok, don’t cry, keep your head straight… I don’t know, I just don’t seem to be that creative ahead of time, but I do ok in the moment… one of the problems is I’m not really devious, I guess that’s why I have trouble anticipating The Master’s moves… I don’t think like him… how are we going to beat them… they definitely have greater numbers than we do… the angels can beat two or three demons each, but if there are twenty of them, they’ll get overwhelmed… I don’t think I can control another supernatural person, although I haven’t tried it… it doesn’t seem likely, I can only look around in their minds as far as I can tell… I guess I could try it on one of our guys and see if I can… we have to get to high ground, have the upper hand that way… at least they won’t be able to sneak up on us then... he might win, they might kill us all… at least we did something, did the best we could… but is it the best we could… the best I could? The ultimate would be to somehow stop them without killing anyone… that just seems totally impossible, though… I’m not perfect, but I’ve tried hard to be a good person… to be nice and kind and help others, even despite my creepy OCD habits and hypervigilance… it’s not enough, though, being good is not sufficient by itself… you have to be good and smart, it takes both, and I’m not smart enough… maybe wise is a better word, I’m pretty smart but I don’t know the things you learn as you grow older, and I don’t guess I ever will… I won’t live that long… Ok, get past the self-doubts, it’s not helping…

  I had been so still and deep in thought that a lizard crawled right up on my pant leg and was sunning itself. My mom would say that’s a small blessing… oh, crap, now I am going to lose it… And I did. I cried for quite a while, actually, while the lizard simply scurried away.

  Eventually I was back to thinking, and suddenly I couldn’t get the concept of fractals out of my mind. Repeating patterns… long, complex, but predictable… the path of least resistance… the most efficient shape to pack in the most surface area… the most seeds… the most petals… the most water, the most fruit, the most cells, the most light… fractals… fractals…

  Then, a flash of inspiration. I have to go talk to Marsh… right now…

  Eventually I marched back into the camp feeling a little bit more… I guess reconciled is the right word. It was now about seven and the sun was definitely heading west for the night. A sliver of moon was rising, and I could hear someone rustling around in the little RV kitchen. It all seems so normal… I wish it could just stay like this, just hanging together, enjoying one another’s company, being a family of sorts… too bad we have impending doom weighing down on us… ok, Ferdie, good thoughts...

  We gathered together in the plastic folding chairs with the plastic folding table just outside the aluminum door to the RV, which was sided with a series of aluminum panels. While the rest of the group chatted quietly, for some reason I was suddenly noticing small details that I hadn’t really cared about before. How the light coming out of the RV’s little kitchen had a yellow tint, while the LED bulb outside the RV door was the tiniest bit blue. How the waning moon threw long, faint shadows in the cooling desert evening. I noticed the sheen of Denise’s long, dark hair, how perfectly it cascaded down, how it was unimaginable to see her any other way. How Aunt Martha laughed so freely, nothing ever held back. The intensity of purpose behind Arnie’s eyes, Ling’s rare combination of strength and innocence. Rafael’s incredible ability to make others feel appreciated and understood. Pasquale’s combination of intelligence and vulnerability. Terry’s resourcefulness and resilience. I noticed how when you put us all together, it made a whole that created a pattern… if we were a flower, the flower would be complete; if we were a seed pod, the pod would be full; together we created our own beautiful fractal.

  Either that, or I was beginning to hallucinate.

  I can’t let these people die. They deserve to live the lives they want, to be happy, fulfilled. If anyone dies, it has to be me.

  “Hey, You’re awful quiet, Ferdie. What’s going on in there?” asked Denise.

  “Oh, nothing much. Just reminiscing, I guess. You know, we’ve been through a lot of stuff in the time we’ve been hanging together.”

  “Yeah... we all have. This may sound funny, but even though we’ve been through some terrible things, lots of them actually… it’s brought us all together in this place at this time for this challenge, and it just seems like that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

  “Man, you said exactly what I was thinking, I just wouldn’t have put it that well. How about the rest of you guys?”

  Arnie leaned forward, his brow furrowed deeply. “I think what we could say is that this is what we were born for, or maybe more accurately, what we were put here for. I have the overwhelming feeling that this has happened before, that we are the next cog in a never ending engine of struggle between good and evil. There is a pattern to it, but it falls to us, our little group, to break the pattern. I suppose that sounds a bit dramatic, but I think it’s true, despite the theatrics.”

  There was not much any of us could say to that, so we sat quietly, listening to the sounds of the desert at night, and I did my best to just appreciate it all. If things don’t work out right, this will be my last chance to appreciate anything, so I want to take it all in, and to remember. Remember… that was Gabriella’s last word to me… she meant something by making that her last word, it wasn’t just something to say, and now I think I know what it was…

  We sat in silence a while longer, and though I wanted the moment to go on forever, one by one my friends rose and shuffled into the RV to wash up a bit and settle in for what would surely be fitful slumber, if any of us were able to sleep at all.

  Chapter Thirty One

  I was gazing out the window of the rear bedroom as the sun came up. Hundreds of small, billowy clouds filled the sky, a sight we hadn’t experienced in all the time we had been in the vast Mojave Desert. I sat up, and another unusual sight greeted me: a coyote, gray and very thin, just outside the window. He noticed me, but didn’t move away. I scooted closer to the window, and he backed up just a bit, but didn’t seem particularly scared.

  I think I’ll go outside and see what that guy is up to… I rose as quietly as I could and tip-toed out the door. He kept his distance but didn’t run away. Either he’s lost his fear of humans, or he’s so hungry and desperate that he just doesn’t care anymore…

  I went into the cupboard in the kitchen, but the only thing I could find quickly was a package of pop tarts. He might like them… better than nothing… While I was inside he had crept closer, but he skittered back as I exited the RV. I cracked open the package and flipped half a pop tart in his direction, and he backed away further, although he was clearly interested. I wonder if coyotes like strawberry filling…

  He edged forward slowly until he was within range of the pop tart half. After a moment of hesitation, he darted forward and nabbed it, quickly retreating fifty yards or so into the desert. He must have enjoyed it, because he came jogging back shortly, and approached even closer than before. I threw the remainder of the treat, and he caught it in his mouth, this time wolfing it down without running away. Suddenly there was a clicking noise behind me, and my coyote friend ran off into the open desert.

  “Did you ever have a dog?” It was Denise, of course.

  “No, my dad always said we would get one someday, but someday never came. How about you?”

  “Oh, sure. We had a beautiful German Shepherd. His name was Murphy; I’m not sure why, it just seemed to fit him. He was a good boy, but a bit hyper.”

  “It feels nice to think about simple things like having a dog to play with, or even a coyote. I think I’ll name him Murphy Junior, if t
hat’s ok with you.”

  She just smiled in reply.

  “Do… do you think we’ll ever have simple days like that again?”

  She rubbed her arms to chase the cool of the cloudy desert morning. “I think, no matter what happens today, all the simple days are a thing of the past for us.”

  “Yeah, I was afraid you’d say that. I think so too, but I was hoping you would talk me out of it.”

  Ling came wandering out of the RV at that moment, and she stood next to Denise. “I saw you to be enjoying giving food to a strange dog. This will be a day of great adventure. First, just as the dog, we should eat.”

  Since the first day I met her, Ling has been taking care of me… thinking about our health and safety, always looking out for others…

  The rest of the group came stumbling out one by one, until everyone was standing or sitting in the cool of the morning. I went in to help as Aunt Martha and Ling whipped up a big pot of oatmeal with raisins.

  We ate quietly, again listening to the sounds of the desert, enjoying the relatively mild conditions due to the cloud cover and early hour. It will get hot enough later on… As we ate, in the distance I could see my coyote friend hiding behind a Joshua tree, and I took it as a good sign. I don’t really believe in things like signs and symbols having some kind of meaning… like zodiac signs, that kind of stuff… on the other hand, at this point it couldn’t hurt…

  The rest of the morning was strange. At different points each of us rose, wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes, and returned, as if we were searching for something that wasn’t there. Finally, it was ten a.m., and I announced, “grab as much water as you can carry, and let’s get ready to move out.”

  Move out… Marsh would make fun of me for that… he’d say, ‘ok, settle down, Rambo’ or something like that…

  In about five minutes, everyone was prepared. Then, I noticed that Aunt Martha, Pasquale, and Terry all had backpacks and were ready to walk out as well. “Hey, I should have said this but I guess I forgot. You guys should just wait here. There won’t be much you can do out there, and it’ll just put you in danger for no good reason.”

  As I spoke, Aunt Martha shook her head emphatically, as did Pasquale and Terry. “Oh, no, you’re not leaving us behind. We’re a part of this just like you all are, and whatever fate is waiting out there for you, waits for us, too. I think we all feel like this is the last stand, and if it is, then we’re going to make the stand with you. I don’t guess I should be speaking for you, Terry, Pasquale, so if you feel different you should say so. I do know this: if you don’t want to go, no one will blame you and no one will judge you. In fact, you could hop in that Tesla model X and get the hell out of here and that would be ok. Believe me, I thought about it, but I’m in all the way, no matter what the outcome.”

  Pasquale had tears in his eyes as he said, “I must go with you. For my grandfather, for my father, for my people. This I must do.” Then he recited something in Italian that sounded like a creed or maybe a prayer of some kind, and although I didn’t understand the words, the sound of them was so magnificent that it made me want to cry. I sufficed with a few head taps instead.

  “Terry, how about you? Do you have your armor?”

  He grinned broadly and unzipped his sweatshirt to reveal… a Megadeth t-shirt. “I don’t know, it just seemed appropriate somehow. Listen, above all I am a scientist. I observe. How could I miss observing the battle for the universe? I submit that I could not. Lead on, captain.”

  We turned as one, and walked due east into the warming Mojave. It would pass warm and be hot before long. We proceeded at a steady pace, Arnie to my left and Denise to my right, Ling just behind me. Pasquale, Aunt Martha, and Terry walked shoulder to shoulder behind Ling, and Rafael brought up the rear, watching our flanks. Flanks… Marsh would make fun of me for that one too… he’s watching our backsides, that’s what he’s doing…

  We progressed east steadily for an hour and a half, and I figured we were about six miles from our camp. We were all getting rather fatigued, and it was time to find a good place to rest. We were in a small depression, but a hundred yards ahead was the spot we were looking for; a small hill with Good Line of sight in all directions.

  “Ok, let’s stop here, take a little rest, and get a little to drink. In fifteen minutes we’re heading for that hill. That’s our spot, where we make our stand.”

  As one, we all turned to look at the hill in the distance, and then each person went about finding a bit of shade in which to pretend to relax.

  Man, Marsh, I hope this works… I’d like to get the chance to hang out again, even if you totally give me crap the whole time…

  The depression we were in had a natural sort of bowl shape, almost round, and maybe seventy meters across. Well, this is it, we better get moving…

  As I turned, I noticed something strange: there was a person, an adult male, standing at the edge of the depression roughly forty meters away from me. I was startled, but he just stood impassively. He appeared short and stout, had long, flowing blond hair and a full beard, and was wearing boots, jeans, and a vest of some kind. Something tells me this is not good…

  “Hey, hey everyone, gather up over here,” I hissed out of the corner of my mouth, while continuing to watch our visitor. The rest of the group had noticed him by now, and they approached me while eyeing him carefully. We ended up in approximately the center of the depression, so we were about thirty five meters from the visitor. Suddenly another person, also an adult male, sauntered up and stood next to the first man. This one was much taller, although also hefty; he had a shiny bald head, a long stringy beard, and was wearing similar clothes.

  This is definitely not good… By now my group was standing near me, and I projected a force field that covered all of us. As we stood transfixed, another person, this time an adult female, stepped up to the edge, her long brown hair flowing mildly in the faint breeze. They began spacing themselves out, about ten meters between each one. Another one strolled up, then another, and another, until they had us completely surrounded, all the way around the natural depression. This isn’t just not good, this is bad…

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Eventually there were thirty two people of various shapes, sizes, colors, and genders surrounding us. They knew what we were doing again… how did they do that… thirty two… I assume they’re all demons, although there could be a couple of angels mixed in… probably not more than two, though… the odds are not looking good… I didn’t know there were that many demons in the world…

  I felt Arnie, to my left, and Denise, to my right, barely containing themselves; they were spoiling for a fight. “Hold tight. Hopefully you’ll get your chance,” I whispered.

  Then I yelled, at the top of my lungs, “So where’s your puppet master? Tell him to come out and face me. We already know he won’t do it, he’s a coward, hiding behind all of you.”

  Some of The Others turned to their neighbors, some chuckled a little, but most remained utterly stoic. Ok, keep your cool… stick to the plan…

  “While we’re waiting, if any of you want a little action, come on down here. Let’s mix it up a little bit.”

  Again, a bit of momentary rabble, but no real reaction.

  As we waited, it occurred to me… these people, whether they’re demons or not, seem almost frightened… they’re working hard to appear indifferent, but I can feel it… they’re scared of the angels, and scared of me… they have us totally outnumbered, there’s no way we could win if a fight broke out… plus they have us surrounded… I bet they saw the YouTube video and were intimidated by it… The Master may have told them stories about us too, and they know that we have killed several of their partners…

  I leaned over to Denise, and whispered, “They’re afraid. Can you sense it?”

  “Oh, yeah. You can almost smell it. One thing, though… it might not be us they fear.”

  Oh, I hadn’t thought of that…

  Arnie turned
and said in my ear, “How long can you keep the force field going?”

  “I’m not sure… maybe an hour or so, but it does wear on me, and makes my head hurt.”

  “Do you think they can see it?”

  “I don’t know, the sun is awful bright out here… they might not know it’s even there.”

  “Why don’t you drop it, then, and just bring it back up when we need it. Save your strength.”

  “You won’t go flying at them if I do, will you?”

  He grinned tightly and hissed, “Now why in the world would you think that?”

  “Look, you have to promise me. We need to wait until the guest of honor gets here so that we’re at full strength.”

  Arnie’s smile remained, but his eyes turned hard. “Thanks for reminding me. Don’t worry, I can wait.”

  I turned to the right; Denise had been listening, and she whispered, “I’m cool. For now.”

  I removed my force field, and if The Others saw it they didn’t let on. “What time is it now?” I breathed to Terry.

  “Twelve p.m., straight up. High noon.”

  And then, right on cue, The Master and Lucky faded in, standing on the west lip of the depression. Whoa, he is big… he’s like a WWE wrestler or something… never seen him in person, so I didn’t know what to expect… with that black hair all slicked back he looks like an undertaker, or maybe a stylish vampire… and what’s with the three-piece suit… this is not a formal occasion… look at Lucky… he’s taller than I thought, too, but really narrow… he looks maybe, I don’t know… middle-eastern? Missing an arm, too, just like Aida said…

  The Master took a step forward, and his voice boomed out as if somehow amplified.

  “Well, well, Ferdie, I don’t like to keep a person waiting, so I have arrived just at noon, the time you appointed for our rendezvous. Oh, but it appears you are in a difficult position. We have gotten the advantage over you one last time, yes? So, Ferdie, before there is any more unpleasantness, let me make you one last offer, and really this must be the last, I simply cannot have my emotions toyed with any longer. Join me, and together we rule the universes. No one could oppose us. You would live like a king; no, like a god, like the god you were meant to be. I will have to kill the rest of your group, of course, I’m afraid that can’t be helped. But I promise you, it will be as quick and as painless as humanly possible. Or inhumanly possible, as the case may be. I’ll overlook all the times you wrecked my plans, defied me, killed my followers; I will consider them minor annoyances, nothing more. Now I’ll give you a moment to consider, but don’t dally. Oh, and I have one other surprise for you. It’s a bit flamboyant, to be sure, but I couldn’t resist.”