After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology

by Samantha Ketteman

  “What the hell is going…?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Stop it please!”

  The voices echoed in her head. She tried opening her eyes again. All she saw was a dark shadow.

  The blood had trickled down to her fingertips.

  “Son of a…” yelled the leader’s voice.

  It all went quiet before everything went black.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The air in the room was fresh with lilac and jasmine flowers. Years had passed since those flowers had been seen. Kira tried to open her heavy eyelids and peer around the dimly lit room. She felt her arms and body bandaged in several areas.

  She scanned the room with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows. Max? The door was cracked open and she could hear someone on the other side coming in. A slight knock made her sit up straight. Her body had been recharged, and her wounds had been healed. She no longer felt small stabs of pain from broken bones or cut flesh. She felt alive and ready for answers.

  “Kira?” Max came in with a small box in his hands. “How are you feeling?”

  “Was that you?” she had completely ignored his filler question. He knew she was fine.

  He sighed and sat down on the side of the bed. “Kira, you took a bad hit. It was a set up.”

  “Were you the one who killed all those men?”

  “You never should have gone back there. You almost died. You…”

  Kira slammed the bed with both her hands and shot him a glare. “Was that you?”

  He seemed taken by surprise and looked down. “Yes.”

  “Who are you, and don’t bother lying to me.”

  “Kira I can…”

  “Who the hell are you?” she screamed. Her body was heated with anger. He had mocked her, fooled her, and played her like a game she knew too little about.

  “My name is Max Dawn, and I am Charles’s son.”

  “Blood born?”

  “I told you what concerns you.” He stood up to walk away when she took hold of his hand. She quickly grabbed the lamp on the night stand and smashed the top half on the surface. Max’s eyes widened; he tried to budge, but she dug her nails into his skin, unyielding. She slashed the sharp tip into his arm and stared. It all happened so suddenly. His blood trickled down. A dotted pattern formed on the wooden floor, and she stared in disbelief. She slowly let go of his hand and took a step back.

  The blood was purple.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kira stormed out of the room. She couldn’t believe what an idiot she was for trusting him, but more importantly, she couldn’t believe how angry she felt. She had never felt so much rage before. She didn’t understand what was happening. She shouldn’t be this bothered by anything. Then, all the questions began overpowering her. Why didn’t he just tell me the truth? Why did he lie to me? Did he think I wouldn’t want to know that he was a Jen Two? She was about to reach for the garage door handle when Max blocked her exit. “The hell?” she yelled.

  “Just hear me out!” he begged.

  She stared into his hazel eyes and felt something. What is happening to me? “Get out of my way Max. You had your chance to explain.” She shoved him into the wall. He fell back and jumped again in front of her, blocking her exit.

  “I’m not letting you go anywhere,” he admitted.

  Now I’m pissed off. Kira kneed him in the gut. He blocked with his palms and made an effective punch to her left side. It stung for a second. How can I fully feel it, she wondered. Her systems were up and running, and it should’ve deterred her from any pain.

  She held her side and looked at him. “Didn’t you fully heal me?”

  He placed both his hands up defensively. “I can explain.”

  Suddenly, her heart ached, and she felt a rush of emotions: loss, anger, pain, agony, misery, and loneliness. It all came crashing in like water bursting through floodgates. It poured out of her through only one form. She slowly reached for her cheek. It was wet.

  “What is happening?” She held her face and took a step away from Max. Memories she had never cared for came in flashes. The loss she felt when she was kicked out of the lab. The anger of being forced into a life she never wanted. The agony of every kill she had ever made for her own selfishness. The misery of wiping their blood off her hands as if it were paint. The loneliness of being the only one left, the only Jen One to have survived when she was the weakest of them all. Then, she felt something else. Max lightly wrapped his arms around her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. She had heard apologies over and over, but this was the first time she listened. She slowly looked up at him. Her heart raced underneath her chest, and she had no idea why. Her every nerve pulsated throughout her body like a lightning bolt meeting metal. It felt wrong but so right.

  He smiled. His silly smile she had never thought anything of now made her body feel hot and cold at the same time. Am I sick? Max took hold of her hand and placed it on his heart. She could feel it beating irregularly, faster than it should. “Can you feel it?” he asked quietly.

  A sudden rush of goose bumps hit her. She took back her hand and stepped away from him. “You…” she couldn’t say it but she needed to know if it were true. “You gave me the E chip?”

  Max nodded.

  She choked on the thought.

  “I also upgraded your system. You’re a Jen Two now. You’re like me.” He cornered her against the wall. His closeness made her feel uneasy. She needed to leave, but her body wanted more than anything to stay, and she had no idea why. “It’s all hitting you at once, and it’s overwhelming, I know.” He got closer. “But what are you feeling right now Kira?” This distance between them closed a few more inches. He placed his hand on the wall behind her, and she grew nervous.

  “I…I don’t know,” she replied.

  “Then I’ll show you.” He leaned in until there was no longer any space left in between them. He pressed his lips against hers. It was difficult at first, and her eyes were wide open. She had no idea what to do. And then, like clockwork, she felt her body take over, and her logic fled. She shut her eyes and kissed him back. Their lips softened and moved in sync. He held her by the waist tightly. She slipped her arms around his neck and felt her body burn like an oven. His hands explored her, and she loved it. It was a feeling like no other, complete and utter ecstasy. She never wanted it to stop, and she never wanted him to let go. The next thing she knew, his grip loosened and his lips slowly pulled away from hers. It was as if he had taken the air in the room and thrown it all away. Breathing was difficult, and a sudden breeze slapped her once warm body cold.

  “Did you feel that?” he asked.

  Kira nodded.

  “Did you like it?”

  Kira nodded.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Kira lay down on the bed and watched the ceiling. The vents to the side were circulating the air, and she could see every particle making its way into the room. She had never before felt so relaxed. Sleep was soothing. Shooting was exciting. Dancing was relieving. She thought of Max and felt her face flush.

  Suddenly, he burst into the room with a smile plastered on his face. “I finally finished the antidote!”

  Kira stood up. “You did?”

  “Yeah, I did. That case from the lab was my father’s. He had known of the Company’s ways for months and told me he knew the secret if I could get the box he hid in the lab.”

  “How did he become known as your father?” she asked. She had been dying to know.

  Max rubbed his cheek and sighed. “I was the only Jen Two prototype, and when the Company heard that an advanced prototype with one hundred percent humanity intact was created, they shut the program down and wanted to do the same to me. Charles stopped them and adopted me. He changed my name, my physical appearance, everything, and made it so that only three scientists knew of my existence. The Company never knew.”

  “I always thought Charles was a good guy,” she admitted, and it was only then did Kira realiz
e the Company needed to be stopped. A rage burned in her, deep like the sea, and she had purpose and feelings to follow it. “So how do we get the antidote to the people?”

  Max shot her a sly smirk. He had come up with something he was clearly proud of. “We dump it into the pipe system.”

  Kira’s eyes lit up. “Of course! You put it in the pipes, and everyone will drink it thinking it’s just water.”

  “Exactly,” he whispered. He reached out to her and smiled. “Let’s go save the people from what killed us.”

  She smiled wide like never before and held his hand tightly.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Time passed as it always did, and Kira smiled as she stared down at Briar from the mountaintops outside the gates. They had done it. They had gotten the antidote into the pipes and into the water system. People were already feeling better after the first few sips of what was finally pure water. They healed just like the land was healing. It would take time, but Kira could already see the soil beginning to change.

  The Company had finally lost.

  The people had finally won, taking back what was rightfully theirs: their lives.

  She felt someone weave their fingers into hers, holding tightly. She looked over and saw Max already smiling at her. Her heart beat raced as she leaned in to kiss him gently. He deserved it, and she wanted to anyway. He kissed her back, and they watched the world around them change. For the first time, it was for the better. After years of living in a world that had gone so wrong so long ago, Kira finally felt in her heart that nothing was ever going to be the same. Life was going to go back to the way it should: meaningful and full of beautiful moments. She couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store. While Max gazed at the world, she glanced at him and couldn’t believe that his idea had really worked. He was a genius, her genius.

  He had saved everyone the same way he had saved her.

  She never thought that she could ever learn to love, and she couldn’t imagine her life without it. Love. It was such a perfect thing, perfect and pure.

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  The alarm rang incessantly. Kira’s eyes snapped and she sat up with a start. She was breathing heavily. Something was wrong; very wrong. She reached over and grabbed her ear piece from the night stand. “Link, answer me…” There was no answer.

  Then it hit her: a feeling that started at the pit of her stomach and took over her entire being. She stood up in a rush and tore at her clothes. She ripped her pants off, undid her blouse and stood naked by the bed. The moon’s pale blue light seeping in through the windows gave her no comfort. No warmth. She slowly reached back and touched the nape of her neck. The number was burned into her flesh just as it always had been.

  Years went by without a single thought of what she was capable of. Years went by without a single question as to why the scientists saved her life long ago. She had only seen once. Now, she had seen twice. Her gift and curse was back. She saw what lay after tomorrow, and then she knew what she had to do.

  She had twelve hours to live.

  Looking In

  Cathy Daff Ricketts

  Terminus

  Scott Venus

  I watch as the dust of humanity

  fills the sky, swallowing clouds

  then falls like an ashen rain

  devilish fingers

  to foretell of completion

  this earth now stained with despair

  knowing that time is irrelevant

  there is no longer a sense of purpose

  left to hold onto

  there will never be another dream

  for my heart to pursue

  so I stand among the ashes

  of what remains of life

  believing it to exist as snow

  as I'm carried into tomorrow

  © Scott Anthony Venus

  Falling Through Time

  Emma Michaels & Michael Cross

  Sometimes moments stay with a person no matter how hard they try to shake them or how many times they tell themselves they weren’t real. That shadow in the corner of the mirror when looked at from just the right angle, moments of déjà vu when face to face with a stranger, or sometimes simpler instances that somehow hold more meaning than feels appropriate; almost as though a journey begins and somehow the heart understands what the mind cannot.

  Collin’s moment replayed in his mind constantly. The simplicity was almost as maddening as his obsession with it. He could remember the sound of the waves against the shore and children laughing in the background so clearly he could almost still hear it, even years later. The girl, her gray eyes seeing him in a way he’d never been seen before. She knew him, he was so sure of it at the time. What was worse, he thought for just a moment that he knew her. Everything about her called out to him but before he knew it, she was gone and all that was left was the echoing memory of the grey eyed girl with a seashell in hand.

  He’d wandered for hours afterwards but never found her; he only found the small shell she had held so tenderly. He felt as if he’d lost a moment he could never get back - until he heard stories on the news about time travel. Traveling through time had been possible for many years, but the military and a special police division that prevented events from being altered controlled it. The technology wasn’t new, but the opportunity for public use through a company called ‘Hermes’ was.

  Hermes was the name of the ancient mythical Greek messenger of the gods. In tribute to the ancient god, the news anchor announced that a government-sanctioned organization had been formed. Hermes was created for loved ones to send a message back to just before the moment that special someone was lost forever, so that they could have a chance to say goodbye. Collin knew what he wanted to do. They needed messengers willing to travel through time and the idea of giving so much closure to those who needed it most filled Collin with new purpose. He thought back to that day on the beach. Although he knew he would never be allowed to send a message back, even if he wanted to, he understood regret.

  As an overachiever, it wasn’t difficult for him to find his place in the highly exclusive training program after a few years of hard work and preparation.

  He stood at the doorway to the building. So much had happened; the entire world had changed before his eyes. The riots and activism groups that were so certain Hermes was destroying the timeline had gained international attention through frequent attacks, claiming Hermes would lead to mass destruction. As much as Hermes attempted to ease their concerns, explaining time and time again that they would only send messages and not change the sequence of events, nearly half the world was afraid that the end was near.

  Theorists have said time is not linear, but is made up of infinite paths that branch out like an immense three-dimensional spider web. Navigating the Hermes center was just as confusing to Collin, if not more so. When he entered the building, his papers were immediately checked and rechecked. Once he was cleared, he underwent a never-ending whirlwind of ushering through door after door – each one with its own checkpoint.

  “Is this necessary?” he asked the guard who escorted him.

  The guard shrugged. “This place is built like a fortress,” he explained, “last thing anyone wants is for someone to break in and use the time equipment.”

  “Is that a possibility?” Collin wondered aloud. He looked around at the security cameras and scanners they continued to pass. It seemed unlikely that anyone could manage to pass through a single door, let alone the seemingly endless line of them.

  The guard grunted. “Don’t worry. We watch over you and the other angels carefully.”

  “Angels?”

  “It’s the nickname we give the messengers. You lot are the last ones to see loved ones before they pass; the last ones to share messages with them. Makes sense, ya know? Kind of like guardian angels.”

  Before Collin could further question the guard, he entered a large lecture hall where dozens of new recruits, like him, were waiting. A large display screen in
the center of the room showed the Hermes logo. Collin watched the other recruits and tried to join a group until one of them turned around. Those eyes…

  For a brief moment, he was frozen.

  “I said ‘can I help you’?” she frowned slightly.

  “It’s you...” he whispered softly.

  “I’m sorry but… do I know you?”

  “We met a few years ago on the beach,” he answered breathlessly, “well, we sort of met. Actually, we just saw each other.”

  “Oh.” she mumbled, still frowning. “I don’t really like beaches.”

  “Me either.” He laughed. “What’s your name?”

  “Cassidy Kieran.”

  “I’m Collin Marshall. Hey, you looked so sad that day. What happened?”

  Before she could answer, the display screen flashed and a voice spread throughout the room.

  “Hermes - named after the Greek god. We know that life has moments filled with both joy and sadness. Losing someone special can leave an emotional burden for the rest of your life, especially if you didn’t get the chance to tell that someone how you felt before their passing. You are Hermes reborn. You are the messengers who will help bring closure and make sure those moments are not lost in time. Welcome to Hermes!”

  When the message ended the recruits were split into groups. Collin tried to stay close to the girl he had only just now found again. There was no way he was going to lose sight of her again. She gave him an odd look when he pushed past another recruit to stand by her side.