Planets Falling

by James G. Scotson

  "Gladly."

  I do the same and the three of us make good time up the remainder of the path.

  As we crest the ridge, our lights are no longer needed. Two lamps glow on the sign outside the lodge. A few of the building's windows burn with cold, artificial light. "Looks as if Gorian's tapped into the power source," Bets says.

  Neither of us is overjoyed.

  Gorian's belly seems to have expanded in the last few hours. "Welcome back ladies. What do you have for me?"

  We unload our sacks to Gorian's mounting joy. The building's warm, with hot air blowing out of holes in the floor. Iggy's sitting in the corner, very still. His skin's slicker than usual. Gorian notices our concerned looks. "Iggy's gone into a torpor - a deep sleep. I wore him out today. We just need to keep him moist and he'll survive. Iggy doesn't need to eat in that condition. However, he's quite worthless to us, except maybe as a footstool."

  Theo appears from the lodge's kitchen. "Hey you two. You seem hearty - what's your secret?"

  Bets and I exchange knowing glances. We'll tell him tomorrow. My bond with the buck is different than that with the magpie. I feel him constantly - the sensation is not one of dominance but of collaboration. He's willing to help us and I am grateful.

  Morning arrives too quickly. Theo wakes me with a shove. I dread the trip, although the buck will help us. I have but to search for a moment with my mind and find the beast in the woods nearby chewing happily on leaves. Gorian and Bets are still sleeping as Theo and I tumble outside. The temperature's dropped since last night. My joints ache in protest.

  The caribou appears out of the woods. Theo grabs his rifle and aims.

  "No," I shout.

  "Amy?" He lowers the weapon, staring in disbelief as the animal walks to me.

  "Add caribou to my list of creatures I can live in." I rub the buck's snout and feel a wave of pleasure. The caribou lowers his head, his considerable antlers nearly whacking me in the face.

  The walk to the shuttle's mercifully short. As we approach the wreckage, the caribou snorts and goes no further. Theo sniffs the air and lowers his rifle. He motions for me to be silent. We crawl through the snow and see a large, furry mass near the entrance of the shuttle. A massive bear roots silently through the underbrush - strange given that it should be sleeping deep in its den. I try to penetrate its mind like I can do so easily with the buck, with no success.

  "Amy, look at its fur. Have you ever seen anything like it?"

  The brown fur seems wet, dripping with thick mucilage. My stomach turns - the animal's dead and its been turned by the alien fog. Apparently, humans are not the only creatures that can be animated by Thresh’s maligned power.

  I whisper, "Theo, its the fog. This is how Thresh found us. She's using dead forest creatures as advanced scouts. The bear probably found the shuttle weeks ago and tipped her off."

  He mouths a profanity and takes aim at the beast. He fires and it turns, apparently unscathed, but very angry. I lower my weapon and we both begin firing rapidly. The animal tries to rush at us, but our volleys are too much. It falls back, torn to twitching shreds by shrapnel. Brown muck stains the snow - no blood.

  "Holy hell," Theo exclaims. "How many you suppose she's got out here?"

  "No telling. I'm guessing very few, given that we've not been attacked before. Still, we need to be careful. We know all too well that the human corpses are on their way."

  The interior of the shuttle's particularly oppressive as the sunlight warms it. I fight to suppress my gags. We gather all the rifles and small arms. Etch seems like a peaceful being, but he made sure to load his shuttle to the gunnels with firepower. We've fashioned saddlebags to the caribou and load him up. With his help, we'll only have one more trip to make. Once we're back in fresh air, Theo breathes deeply. "Do you think the bear's responsible for the stink in there?"

  "Of course. I just realized that Thresh probably had the thing take inventory of all the weapons. I sure hope she isn't smart enough to anticipate all of our actions."

  "We've got to accept the risk." Theo stares at the path and motions me forward, smiling optimistically as usual. "Lasses first."

  The trip up the hill's uneventful. That afternoon, Bets, Theo, the buck, and I complete the final scavenge run in record time and we're done. I never want to see the ravaged shuttle or the dead bear again. We spend the evening warming our frozen feet by the fire. Gorian's working on her computer intently. She shouts in triumph as a gentle hum vibrates the room.

  The thrum coalesces and then we hear an artificial voice. "Hello?"

  Theo leaps. "Gorian, this is wrong. What're you thinking, bringing another one of those things to life?"

  The voice responds. "Gorian, thank you for reviving me. My chronometer tells me that I've been deactivated for more than a thousand years. Is this true?"

  Gorian bites her thumbnail, looking guilty. "Well, yes. I couldn't resist talking with you. Do you know what happened?"

  "My power source became disconnected. I was operational on low power for nearly a century but eventually powered down. This was called Yosemite Resort. My keepers left and never returned."

  Gorian looks at us. "See, this unit's quite harmless. Let's explore whether it has any security options for the lodge."

  "Please call me Sam," the human machine interface responds. "My primary protocol was service and outside communications. I can see that most of my conduits are degraded beyond repair. I do have some rudimentary security systems. I can shutter the windows and detect intruders."

  Theo chimes in. "Um, Sam? Can you still do those things?"

  With a loud clacking throughout the building, all the windows and doorways become encased in metal. "Apparently, I can."

  Gorian rubs her belly. "Sam, please provide me with a list of your functions on my computer here. I'd like to see what kinds of tricks you might still have. Most importantly, can you synthesize vanilla ice cream?"

  "Yes, I still have that capacity."

  "What about nauron food?"

  "What is a nauron?"

  "The slimy critter here in the corner. Here, let me send you the molecular composition of his food."

  Sam's silent for a while. "Yes, I have the capacity to make this material."

  Gorian claps. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get our Iggy back."

  Within a day, we're unsure how we lived without Sam. He's so different than Troll - he only does what we tell him to do and is quite limited. However, he's improved our options and most importantly, revived Iggy. The he-she nauron consumes gallons of green slime, his strength intensifying with every slurp. Gorian, with Sam's help, manages to get warm water running through the pipes. I soak in a bath for an hour, my feet turning to dried grapes.

  Bets seems relaxed if not happier. She's working closely with Gorian and Iggy to set the charges throughout the perimeter. To our joy, Sam's surveillance system functions, with the exception of the south section of the property. Theo's agreed to take the first watch there. Hopefully, we'll be able to repair that section and avoid having to crouch in the cold during all hours.

  Two months pass without a sign of the dead soldiers that Thresh promised us. Gorian's expanded, her small frame horribly unbalanced. With coaching from Iggy, Theo's repaired the damaged security perimeter. Sam tells us when the smallest mouse breaches any part of the grounds. With each day, we're more optimistic that Etch, Grey, and the others will appear in the sky and sweep us away. Hope's a powerful but often misleading concoction, so we're resolved to keep our guard.

  The nights are hard for me. I simply don't want to sleep and face Thresh again. I doubt that Etch would try to contact me again, although I know that my companions desperately want news of the sunken Fuerst. I want to see Fromer the most. His insight into our plight would be most welcome and I'd like to know whether Wenn and father are still well. Strangely, my thoughts of Wenn are fading, although I think about Eliza constantly. I see father most clearly as the young man who used to carry me on his
shoulders. The old man who disappeared that awful night is a ghost to me.

  One evening, I'm wandering the empty, dimly lit corridors of the lodge feeling quite lonely. I've explored every dusty and cobwebbed room of the building and have found no place that gives me solace. I hear someone behind me and swing around.

  "Hi Sprouter."

  "Theo, it's been a while since you've snuck up on me. It seems like years since we had a normal life in the village."

  "Amy, I have a confession. I've been having the worst feelings lately - like we're not gonna make it."

  "What?" I'm genuinely surprised. "This is my bright, optimistic Theo talking here. Why are you so worried?"

  "Bad dreams and feeling, wrong. Mind you, we're ready for those bastards. But it's like that Thresh woman and her horror show has gotten to me, you know?" He puts his hands on my shoulders. They're too warm and my heart's pounding. His eyes are so sad. Before I know it, I'm kissing him hard. He grabs my hair and pushes me back against the wall. I want this with all my being but I know it's wrong. If only I could banish Wenn from my mind. I push away.

  "No, Theo, we can't."

  His face is flushed and hair tangled. "But-"

  "Wenn's your brother - closer than blood. If he's alive, neither of us will be able to forgive ourselves."

  Theo touches my cheek and sulks down the corridor.

  When I return to the main room, the fire's blazing and everyone is bundled up in their bed rolls, including Theo.

  I don't sleep the entire night. Eventually, my companions rise, settling into their routines. Theo awakes cheerful, whistling as he goes outside to gather snow for tea. There's no sign of the troubled boy I saw last night. He glances at me and smiles. "Hi Sprouter." I'm puzzled and slightly annoyed.

  Bets returns mid morning with a turkey, a rare find. We're delighted about augmenting Sam's menu. The food he produces from our waste, tree limbs, and sawdust is edible and nutritious, but not particularly palatable. The food synthesizer lost something while sleeping for centuries. I'm plucking the bird when Sam announces that two rabbits are at the perimeter. "Thanks Sam, no need to tell us anymore."

  "Amy, it is best that I keep watch. Three more rabbits and a fox have arrived. They are as cold as the snow, emitting no body heat."

  "Sam, now you've got my attention."

  I call the others and we peer out the window. There are twenty small animals on the north woodline of the lodge. They're acting like the bear, gimping through the deep snow and leaving trails of brown tracks behind them.

  "Holy shit." Gorian grabs her tablet.

  "You're not planning to set the charges are you?" Bets places her hand over Gorian's screen.

  "Nope. But I'm preparing. If their friends arrive, we need to be ready."

  More animals have gathered, including raccoons, squirrels, and a few wild dogs. The dogs bother me. My gut squirms at the thought of my mauled mother. The dead creatures mill haphazardly about, surrounding the lodge. I swallow hard. "They're scouting out the location. Thresh is on her way."

  I concentrate, searching for my faithful caribou or other woodland creatures willing to take me in. My mind's blank, except at its periphery, where I feel Thresh's familiar, frenetic vibe. If I can sense her, she’s close and may be able to reciprocate. While we watch the animals pace back and forth, I wonder why Thresh can't possess me the way I can occupy her. Perhaps she can and hasn't discovered that talent yet. Gods help us if she does.

  Late afternoon arrives and the shadows grow. The animals are obscured by the dark trees. Gorian tells Sam to hit the lights, and the exterior of the lodge shines, bright as day. The animals are visible once again, seeming unconcerned by the brilliant light. The snow's muddied by their slime.

  Sam declares, "I've detected three human figures with no apparent body heat at the east perimeter." We cringe. Theo and Bets run to the east window and crack it open, rifles extended. Three shots crackle through the air. Sam confirms. "The figures are motionless and have been eliminated."

  "Thanks Sam," Theo says. “I’m headed to the roof to get a full view of the grounds. Those were definitely not live people. You should have seen ‘em when they were hit. They shattered into chunks.”

  “I’ll relieve you in an hour,” Bets says, checking the charge strength of her rifle.

  We spread out, covering the windows at each corner of the building, weapons ready. Hours pass with no sign of more shuffling, frozen people. The warmth of the lodge and the hum of the air through the vents make me groggy. Theo appears from his post. “We should start taking breaks, so we all get some rest. Amy, you’re first to hit the sack.”

  I protest, but not too convincingly. My lack of sleep from the previous night has taken its toll. I crawl into my sack and drift off. I awake in an encampment in the snow. I’m back in Thresh and staring at a group of grubs. Strangely, their legs aren’t sunken in the drifts. Rather, the beasts lumber weightlessly above the white crust. Even in the cold, the smell of decay’s overwhelming. In the distance, beyond the firelight, I hear the murmur of dead voices. I cannot begin to count the number of mouths making those unearthly sounds.

  Thresh is very happy. She’s singing some sort of lullaby about fairies in the woods. Spread before her on a large table is an odd map with curving lines on it. A spot on the map’s circled with ink. I’m assuming that it marks our location. From her elation, I infer the camp’s not far away from the lodge.

  “Come over here.” Thresh motions to a pale, muscular man in an enormous fur coat. He saunters over. She smiles and purrs, “We’re very close darling. Three of my friends told me that they’re holed up in an old dwelling about a day’s journey from here. It’s a shame that those awful people had to kill them.”

  He kneads her shoulders, which feels really good. “Thresh, my sweet, I love you. But do you have to refer to those dead things as if they’re alive?”

  “I’m sorry, Jonah. It’s hard for me to explain. But they really do feel like my children. I can see through their eyes and almost imagine their pain. I’ve always wanted a family. Next to you –“

  “I’m so sorry to upset you. I understand how lonely you were. But you have me now. And Eliza. We won’t leave you.”

  Thresh turns and kisses him. “I’m so lucky to have found you in that town. We really have become a family.”

  He laughs. “Those villagers were so gullible, weren’t they? They thought you were going to save them from the beasts. Instead, you showed them the truth of the dark. If it weren’t for you, I’d have rotted in their prison. And for what? All I tried to do was to preach to them – show them the truth.”

  She hugs him tightly.

  He whispers. “You are the chosen one.”

  I desperately want to gain control over Thresh again and kill her and this awful man Jonah before I lose my grip. However, an invisible boundary leaves me a helpless spectator.

  She rises and heads for the same tent she used when I was her captive. Magarat stands at the opening in the same blue dress. "Ma'm, she's sleeping soundly."

  Thresh coos. "How long?"

  "It was about an hour or so."

  "Oh, I so wanted to tuck her in. We'll be leaving in the morning. You keep her here safe at camp. We'll be gone for about two days and then we can travel to our permanent home in the mountains by the blessed waters. We’ll find such joy there."

  Curiosity flashes across Magarat's face. But she clearly knows not to ask questions. Thresh sets down her scabbard and sword on the table and shuffles quietly to Eliza's cot. My baby's curled up with a blanket clutched in her hands by her face. Her chest slowly rises and falls as she sleeps soundly. My heart strains to control Thresh, force her out into the bonfire in the center of camp. Instead, I feel the soft threads of my daughter's hair through Thresh's fingers. I yearn to gaze at Eliza longer, but Thresh rises and leaves without taking notice of Magarat.

  Thresh walks to another tent. A small oil lamp flickers inside. The sweetly sick smell of decompositio
n's overwhelming. A blowfly passes Thresh's face, which she brushes away. I wonder how a fly can live this time of year and then I see a rotting, matted hulk on the floor. Thresh raises her left hand and the body struggles to rise. It was a woman, perhaps in her late twenties. Thresh grins. "Hello sister." The body writhes as if in pain. "Didn't think that your little sister would find you? Well here I am. You left me to those people. Now I'm going to keep you as my pet. You can watch as I consume everything."

  To my horror, the corpse whispers hoarsely, "No."

  Thresh seems to have harnessed a way to not only animate the body of her victims but their minds as well. She continues. “Step daddy did things to me. You let him. You liked him, didn’t you? You could’ve taken me with you but you were selfish. You bitch.”

  The corpse sister’s hands reach for her bloated face and begin scratching.

  “That’s right sweetheart, give yourself a good grooming.”

  The poor dead woman emits something that sounds like a heartfelt sob.

  My fear and anger build and I feel the same way I did when I created the flash that pushed Thresh away. I leave Thresh and enter something very strange. The world seems incredibly large and chaotic. My vision's sharp but impossible to comprehend, the space around me divided into tiny slivers of vivid, colorful light. I realize that I've entered the damned fly. I dart around the room intoxicated by the ripe smell of Thresh's sister. I want to revel in it.

  My time in the fly's mercifully short as I'm tugged back to the lodge. Bets is shaking me awake. My shift's begun. “Amy, you look like shit. I take it you’ve been traveling again?”

  I grab her wrist with my sweat-slicked hand. "Bets, we have about a day and then hell will be unleashed on us."

  Chapter 57 - Rebirth

  Thresh will be here soon and we're all exhausted and tense. We've taken to practicing our aim on the circus of dead animals circling the lodge. Gorian seems to enjoy the game the most, with a fondness for exploding raccoons. Theo aims for the possum’s tails. Like the human corpses, most of the animals are nearly frozen and rip apart easily. None of us talk about it, but the thought of the grub's immunity to our weapons fire makes us wonder whether we're wasting our time. Gorian assures us that the modern weapons at our disposal are far more lethal than the antiques we lifted from Troll. I wonder then, why our companions at the Fuerst had to flee Thresh so quickly and end up submerged in the brine.