Dead End Stories From the End of the World

by P. S. Power

  It wasn't their fault though, no...

  It was his.

  Rachel had that happen to her too, and then she was beaten to death, unwilling to back down, even as it killed her. The ghost he'd seen had told him that she blamed herself for everything that had happened, but that wasn't true. Not at all.

  Oh, she hadn't loved him, and that had hurt, sending him into an odd place mentally for years, but if he hadn't been so selfish, so self-centered and stupid, then he might have stopped all of it from happening in the first place, like the ghost had said.

  So it was all his responsibility. Every punch they'd taken, every kick. Everything else that was too dark to name. All him. For failing to remember to love. For thinking that his own pain was somehow more important than everyone else.

  It caused tears to come to his eyes, which he hid behind his cup, hoping that whoever spoke next had a less harrowing tale. It turned out that it was a song. Colleen stood, stepping forward, and started singing without accompaniment, her voice loud and true, so that everyone could hear her. It was a wonderful thing, not hushed or restrained, filled with pain and a feeling of lost love.

  The last line trailed off, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, except that the only sound was the roar of the fire. Even the drunks had gone silent. It was a moment of awe.

  "And if you cannot see me, I guess that I'm not there, I wish that you could love me, please let me know you care."

  It wasn't anything he'd ever heard before at all. Something she'd written most likely. Given the words it was about someone close to her, that had loved her sister and not her. The words were specific enough for him to get it though.

  It wasn't about him.

  It was about Derrick Holsom.

  Well, that was a wonderful thing. Then, she was a little drunk, so probably hadn't been considering anything but her own feelings, and pain was always real, even if others didn't want to understand it all the time. It was fine, he decided after a bit. At least she'd gotten to feel love. Maybe it was worth it, even if things didn't work out? Then again, Derrick had slept with a whole lot of women, even while he was married. Probably her too then, if she was making up songs like that about him.

  For a half second he wondered who the creep hadn't had sex with.

  Jake stood up himself, sober and not willing to let Cam's night be ruined by his mood. He focused with his eyes closed, not knowing what he was going to say at all, just hoping it would be right to the moment.

  Then he sang a song himself, letting it rip out from deep within his soul. It was a powerful thing, filled with emotion too, but his words were of pride, and the joy of knowing someone as wonderful as Cam. It just came out, the words all true, not a misstep in the whole thing. It wasn't long, a couple of minutes, but by the end even the people that didn't know the language it was in cheered.

  "Who walks between the winds? Who wanders twixt the storms? You know the name, you know her fame, a thing you can't ignore." It had a nice quick rhythm to it too.

  Then he sat down, hoping that it hadn't sucked too badly. Really it was a horrible plan to perform without practicing first and he just hadn't for that one. Not ever. It did get him a hug from Cam, who ran around the outside of the circle to do it.

  She smelled of alcohol herself and seemed a little sloppy as she did it, but didn't lose herself enough to kiss him again.

  "That was incredible. I have my own song now. Matilde is going to be so jealous. Who walks betwixt the storms..." It was off key, but cute enough that everyone that could hear it chuckled a bit.

  After that some instruments came out and people danced for a while, it was pretty late when everyone started trying to find a bed and Cam, being legal in her society, got more than one offer to share. She picked a likely looking guy that didn't seem that much older than she was, and went off with him readily enough. It meant that he wasn't crashing on her floor, no doubt, so he just kind of curled up near the fire. It was warm enough and he found his jacket to use as a pillow. It wasn't like he was the only one doing that, including a few people that lived in the area.

  Jake got up before the first real light and changed back into this own clothes, noticing that he'd gotten the ones he was wearing all dirty from the ground. A pebble had dug into his cheek somehow, which had to be pried out, and he sort of needed a shave, but no one looked at him too funny when he asked where the shower was. True, most of the people he saw just didn't understand him, but that was fine. A nice girl that looked to be about his own age and had pretty orange eyes with tawny colored hair led him to it without any problem and even got him some soap and a razor.

  "You are one of the people that come... strangers for the ceremony being night last?" She spoke pretty clearly as to each word, but the order was a little awkward and scrambled.

  Still better than he could do in her language. The only word he remembered at the moment was "paka" which he was pretty sure wasn't something nice to say to a kind person helping you out.

  "Yes. Cam is my friend. I'm Jake, what's your name?"

  "Willa, I am called. We talk, after you..." She gestured to the shower instead of naming it.

  Why not though? Maybe she wanted to volunteer for the effort or something.

  "I'd love too. It will just take a bit."

  The woman walked away though, smiling back at him. He wondered if they'd just had a major miscommunication somehow.

  Chapter five

  There was no one waiting for him when he got out of the shower, shaved and refreshed. It would have been great to be in clean clothing, but he'd been dirtier before, so it wasn't some huge deal either. What he needed to do though was to find someone that could help him start moving the devices and people around for making the compound. It was ambitious, but if possible he thought they should have it started that day. Of course everyone he knew that could teleport had gotten fairly drunk the night before, so he doubted that they'd be ready for a long while.

  In that he was wrong.

  All of them, Morris, Morten and Cam, found him not twenty minutes later, looking miserable and sipping at cups of black coffee, but standing on their own feet, bathed and ready for the day.

  "My duty as an adult." Cam muttered, slurping at her beverage just a bit. That got a nod from the other two.

  Apparently that was something they took seriously then?

  "Good. As soon as everyone is able we need to get things going then. Return the people to the House for their own chores and then see if we can beg places for everything else. Um, Morten? Would you do me a favor?" It was kind of a big thing to ask, but the guy was solid and strong enough for it. It also wouldn't hurt that he was Morris's son, most likely. People seemed to act like that was something of a big deal anyway.

  "Of course, Be-Dehist. Anything you need."

  "Could you be in charge of seeing to the spread of this compound? I don't know the best way to do it, but we have guards for it, so people won't have to go alone. Yalla is in charge of that. It's a lot of work, but... you know, it's basically the part where you guys save the whole world." Jake shrugged, hoping the guy wouldn't feel too put out by the idea. It was a huge thing and probably meant a thousand headaches or more in the coming days, weeks and years.

  He smiled instead, and so did Morris. The older man, back in his black work clothes patted his son on the shoulder once.

  "Hah! Practically like being in charge of something even. At this rate you'll be important one day and everything." He looked pretty pleased though, for all the words teased.

  Cam nodded sagely.

  "Yeah. This is huge Morten. Maybe the most important job ever. I should have put in for it, but no one would listen to me yet. Well, our people, but the leaders of the world, they have different ideas about who should be in charge. Now all you have to do is get Tansy to let you sleep with Yalla or something and you'll be all set." She sipped at her cup, grabbed her head and winced.

  "Sorry, that was a joke. Yalla doesn't need you to bribe her that way. Just b
e brave, and she'll work with you, no problem."

  It was a good point. The warrior types tended to view physical bravery as a big deal. More than toughness even. They were all strong and good fighters in their own way, but they'd practically glow if someone they thought of as small or weak did something that took courage. It came in handy from time to time.

  Mort nodded his head though, toward Jake.

  "As you say, so shall it be done, Ba-Dehist. I'll go and roust people for it now. How many should I get?"

  That would depend, of course, but the short answer was easy enough.

  "Everyone that you can Mort. We'll even take kids if they can move others under two minutes or so." Shifting to Morris he tilted his head.

  "Only with guards and to places that are safer already, I don't want them to be at risk, well, not more than we have too. If we send in really good people the first time, we can use those cleared zones as bases of a sort and work outward from relative safety. I hope it will work that way."

  The leader didn't look all that happy about the idea of children going out into the world like that, but he didn't tell Jake to stuff his idea anywhere in particular either, so maybe he'd at least think about it? See for himself if it was safe enough perhaps? Jake knew he was going to go out with the first group to make sure it would work that way. Probably for a while to make certain there were no mistakes and that people didn't take unneeded risks.

  After he explained that the two men nodded for a bit, considering everything.

  Cam just shrugged.

  "So, back to the Linsters, then delivering things all morning?" She gulped the rest of her cup, then playfully tried to hand it off to her leader, who surprised her by taking it, then doing the same with his own, knocking it back in one go.

  Morris just looked into his and shook his head, "that means I'm with Winsor all day. He's still a bit upset with me for having ordered the previous materials taken like I did. Well, a little groveling never killed anyone. Wish me luck?"

  Jake did, and so did the others.

  Cam had him to the Linsters a minute later, right inside their cave complex, everyone else standing by, ready to go already, right next to an assembled silver unit. It was almost militarily sharp looking, except that the bodies were all at ease.

  "Cam, get Dave and his, um, plant, to Valhalla, please?" She had that done in five minutes, but wasn't back immediately.

  He looked at the crew and sighed, since at least three of them looked ready to mutiny at any second, once Dave left.

  "OK. Someone raise your hand." He waited, looking at the three that would probably be trouble, but it was Barb that did it, not anyone else.

  Jake laughed.

  "Off to Nevada then, with the Telepaths. Is that all right? I don't think they can clearly read your mind anyway." A lot of the women from the police compound had that going on. They were just so traumatized that nothing all that clear came out. "Cushy assignment though. Nice people."

  "Cool. That's the old guy with the weird suits?"

  Jake smiled, happy that she was good with it.

  "Lamont, yeah. He's a good person. You'll get guards too though, just in case. A team of others, too. Try to work in shifts. Supplies should start coming in today, or early tomorrow." Or in three weeks, depending on how hard they were to get. Not his area, but they needed to push a little, and be ready.

  He had to go with Cam when she got back, reporting that the visitor center had been changed to the place Dave was working already. They set up a cot at the back of the room so that the boy could be there to guard his machine twenty-four hours a day. He'd insisted, which had apparently made Yalla pretty happy. Duty was a big thing with her.

  Lamont didn't have a clue they were hosting anyone of course, and it took a while to dig the man up, since he was still sleeping. The woman that met with them seemed flustered, but was sharp enough not to argue, clearing a small building for Barb and her crew immediately. People boiled out to help with it, and, to Jake's pleasure, started trying to learn to use the machine.

  Barb explained it all to them, which got her a working crew of eight people to tend it, not the three the other places were going to get. That had to make it all easier. Then, he did say it was a cushy assignment, hadn't he?

  When Lamont got there he was already up on what was happening, and didn't seem upset by it, just looking at the device in wonder.

  "So, this is what's going to save the world? A little metal box. Amazing."

  "It's the people that will save the world, but yeah, we need to protect the boxes too. Barb has a rifle, and can fight, but I'm going to get some warrior types in here too. Is that OK?" It might not have been, Jake new. Not all the groups got along and most kind of hated the "Mind Rapers" as a rule. He'd have to make sure the ones they got in weren't like that, because if they were, Lamont and his people would know about it, and that had to be distracting.

  Insulting too.

  It made Jake kind of glad he couldn't read minds as handy as having a power might have been at times. Too many people probably hated him for that to work.

  They agreed on a party of up to ten warrior types, as long as they could manage without being too disruptive mentally. Not that Jake could really assure that, but he could try.

  Then he got to spend the rest of the day, not just the morning, setting people up and making sure Morris knew where the materials had to go. It took longer than he thought it would, but by six in the evening they had eleven plants ready to go. The guards took longer, getting in at about midnight House time. Then, Cam informed him, she had to sleep or they'd end up inside a mountain or something.

  That pronouncement came just as they got back to her people's place, the hidden valley. It wasn't a coincidence either, since she had her own tent and everything there. She was an adult and kind of wanted to act like it. Having guests over and all.

  The only shock there was that Colleen was inside, as well as another sleeping pad on the floor. The place was well arranged and tidy, but he would have thought she'd have been back to the House already. Maybe trying to work out how to forge things on her own.

  "Hi! Tansy came and got me a bit ago. She seems to think that we're... you know, together. I told her that Vicki and you were, kind of, but she just brought me anyway. I think she's trying to play match-maker." There was a small laugh with the words, but it wasn't meant to be hurtful, just pleased.

  Jake wasn't all that sure how he felt about her now though. On some level he liked her, even loved her, he could feel that. Then, on that level he loved almost everyone. Her song the night before, about Derrick, that had kind of hurt though. It wasn't fair of him, since Jake knew the man had been spewing out pheromones that could addict women, but several people had said that Colleen had loved him, and that sure didn't sound like it at all. The whole thing had been too direct and emotional for that. Hadn't it? It was like Colleen still loved the guy, even though he was dead.

  It wasn't a mistake though, she'd used his name in the song, so it was pretty solidly about him, unless some other guy named Derrick had been married to her sister that Jake didn't know about. That would have been wonderful, as far as he was concerned. Almost anyone would have been better, to tell the truth.

  Even dead, Derrick Holsom was still screwing with his life. Jerk.

  He didn't mention it though, since her feelings were her own and not his business anyway. Not unless she wanted to talk about it, which thankfully she didn't. Instead they just wandered out to a communal meal with Morris and his wife, eating mainly rice, beans and something like seasoned lamb. It was good and filling, especially since they'd missed eating that day somehow. It could happen when you were on the go, but was a bad plan. He really needed to get one of those Technologist food machines so that he could take care of that for himself. If they had them to spare maybe a lot of places would find them useful?

  He decided to see to that the next day, smiling as he ate, using his fingers, since that was what they did here.

>   It was rough, staying like that, because Jake didn't have clean clothing with him, but there was a pile of stuff waiting for him, half of it in workday black, the other all in white shining materials. It was all reversible though, the other side having many bright, almost garish color schemes. That seemed to be the norm here then. Cam pointed to it as he came back.

  "A present from everyone. Morris hasn't told them that you're the Ba-Dehist either. They just know that you spent the day trying to make sure the world gets fixed. Willa got it all together. I think she likes you." Cam grinned at him, a look on her face that was a little sly, but certainly teasing.

  Colleen looked down.

  "No fair, I saw him first." It was said low, almost imperceptibly, but they all were so used to that kind of thing from nearly a year of living with the need, or at least months for the other two, that they all heard it.

  Cam however crossed her arms and stood up, "seriously Colleen? You got up last night and sang a love song to Jake's arch enemy. I doubt that's going to go over very well. OK, you were a bit loopy on drink, but anyone that the Ba-Dehist had to go out of his way to kill personally can't have been that great a guy."

  She looked more than a little pissed about it too, though Jake was surprised she knew the story at all. She explained that part though, without being asked.

  "Sammi told me. After it happened, so too late to stop you, Colleen, but... yeah, so Willa is cute, don't you think Jake?" She looked at him, arms still crossed defensively as if it were some kind of personal issue for her.

  "Sure. Very attractive actually, but I doubt we have time for anything like that. Not soon. We need to make sure everything is running smoothly and then go and find the U.S. Military and get them set up too. Do you think Robert would know where they are?" It made sense, the Bawdri having infiltrated them for a while already.

  They'd have to ask in the morning.

  Colleen didn't seem ready to be done with the previous discussion though, even as Cam sat down, which was a waste of time as far as Jake was concerned. It was already a fact, and didn't need to be talked about. It was going to happen anyway though, since both she and Cam were women. He settled on a brown throw rug to wait, wondering if they could get to sleep soon, instead of going over this stuff?