After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology

by Samantha Ketteman

  “We’re here for research. You can help and then we’ll be gone.” I pleaded.

  “But more would come.”

  He had a point. History showed it. I could not guarantee that what the United Defense would do to the survivors would be in the survivors’ best interest. The situation was no different than the early explorers who first showed curiosity about the native peoples, only to have the government later destroy those same people’s culture. Of course, not all explorers were interested in the native peoples; some were simply interested in the riches they could gain. Perhaps the survivors had reason to fear us.

  Wicasa looked at me. He squinted at my visor. “How is it that I can see your eyes?”

  I blinked. The visor shielding had lightened because a cloud had blocked the sun. “It’s because of the shadow,” I answered.

  The cloud moved on and he sighed. “How swiftly the shadow passes. You have lovely eyes. I wish I could see more of you. Must you wear this ridiculous getup?” He slid a hand down my arm, brushing my respirator.

  My body shivered from the brief contact. Somehow, I missed the touch when his hand dropped to his side. I felt as if part of me had been completed and severed in a mere fifteen seconds.

  He smiled coyly and spoke. “You really want to meet the others, don’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “Then wait here. I will see what I can arrange.” Again he touched my arm and I felt at peace. “I won’t be long in joining you.” He melted away into the tall grass, never leaving a trace of his step.

  I sank to my knees and watched him leave. My body felt empty and I could barely hear DC’s voice over the Com; they must have managed to cancel my override. My eyes felt heavy and I needed to return to the ship, but I had promised to wait for Wicasa’s return and I could see shadow figures coming closer.

  I will finish my report after I have met them.

  

  Admiral Ohanzee pulled the DataCard from the terminal. “That’s where her personal record ends.”

  “Yes, Sir. It was recorded shortly before we found her body,” stated Callahan.

  “You said everything needed to repair the shuttle was outside the hatch the next morning?”

  “Yes, Sir. Complete, unbroken sensors.” Aerd answered. “All with UD identification marks on them.”

  “From the missing shuttles. Even though they couldn’t have been near you.” Ohanzee sighed heavily. “Doctor, what did you find in your autopsy?”

  Kyne Ewert cleared his throat and shuffled his plasi-prints. “Well, Sir, her body was poisoned. Her lungs were burned from prolonged exposure to chemicals and radiation. Similar to what was found in the air of the area.”

  Callahan interjected, “Meaning she must have removed her mask.”

  “Kohana wouldn’t do that!” Solita slammed her fist against the desk. “Plus, her entire conversation was recorded on the headset! How can you explain away the two voices?”

  Master Hobart cleared his throat. “The Archive did a voice scan on the two voices. They both came from Archivist Ohanzee.”

  “That can’t be! One of them was clearly male! I’ve heard the recordings just as everyone else here has. You can’t tell me both voices were Kohana!” Solita choked back a sob.

  DC reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Lita. I agree with you. Master Hobart, what type of scan are you talking about?”

  “A systematic voice scan sorts through the frequency and pitch of a voice and overlays it to a known pattern. Every colony member has a voice print. Certain parts of speech cannot be duplicated unless coming from the same source. Here,” he slid a DataCard into the terminal next to him. A graph appeared on the wall screen. “This is Kohana’s voice scan before she left for Earth. If I overlay that with her voice from the headset recording, accounting for a certain level of stress and emotions, the graphs are equal. Now, if I overlay the second voice from the recording, you see it runs the same line. That cannot be duplicated. Kohana was speaking to herself when she was speaking to Wicasa.”

  “So you’re saying she was crazy?” asked DC.

  “No, I think that by that time, she had already had too much poison in her system and it had altered her thought process. Her removal of her mask, even for a short time, messed up her mind.”

  “So, even you think she removed the filtration unit?” Admiral Ohanzee asked.

  Leigh leaned over and put a hand over the Admiral’s. “She didn’t remove the mask.”

  McLean turned and faced the engineer. “What do you know, Aerd?”

  “Yes, Sergeant, continue.” Admiral Ohanzee pulled his hand away from her touch.

  “When we found her, she had her mask on, and I looked over her equipment before we left and once we returned. It had been tampered with.”

  “How?”

  “The filtration circuit was cut so there was no way for the air filter to work. That would explain the exposure to the harmful air.” Leigh handed the folder with her findings to the Admiral.

  “It doesn’t explain the faulty equipment or the two voices, unless the headset was also faulty.”

  “I already explained the two voices,” Master Hobart whined.

  The Admiral turned to the Archivist. “Hobart, I know you are just as hurt as I am about Kohana’s loss, but please refrain from interrupting unless your opinion is asked for.”

  “Sir, I don’t think that Kohana wrecked the filter or that the set was faulty,” Aerd continued. “It wouldn’t make sense for her to do so. She could have just taken off her mask if she wanted to. Besides, I put a sealant on all the equipment that would tell me if it had been tampered with. The sealant on Kohana’s respirator was the same as the rest, unbroken. I can’t explain how the circuit was sabotaged, but all the equipment worked before we left.” Leigh crossed her arms and sat back.

  “I know. Major Ketya also examined everything before your departure as well. But the question of what happened remains.”

  “Aerd,” Callahan spoke up, “Could prolonged exposure have cut the circuit? Ohanzee did log more outside time than the rest of us.”

  Leigh shook her head. “It would be possible if it wasn’t a clean cut. A slow deterioration of the wires would have left them jagged. This cut looked as if someone took side cutters to it. Clean.”

  “It doesn’t look like a knife could have cut it, does it?” the Admiral asked.

  “How? The casement hadn’t been apart. How could a knife get in?” Leigh asked in frustration.

  “I’m not asking if it was cut by a knife, I asked if it could have been.”

  “It could have been.” Leigh admitted.

  “I wonder,” Admiral Ohanzee whispered.

  “Sir?” Callahan asked.

  Ohanzee folded his hands and looked at the picture of his granddaughter. It had been taken the day of her Mastership. The film hadn’t developed properly and a double exposure showed a ghost figure behind Kohana. Now the Admiral wondered if it hadn’t been a mistake. He shook his head.

  “What was the reported survivor’s name?” he asked softly.

  “Wicasa Hohwakan.” McLean answered.

  Admiral Ohanzee looked at the picture carefully. The shadow figure wasn’t a duplicate of Kohana. It was taller and the long dark hair wasn’t pulled back, it hung loose around the figure’s shoulders. Its features were stronger, prouder than Kohana’s feminine ones. The Admiral sat quietly before saying, “Sage of the Mysterious Voice.”

  “What?” asked Callahan.

  “Every name has a translation- a meaning. Kohana’s was Swift Shadow. Wicasa Hohwakan is Sage of the Mysterious Voice. That’s why I wonder…” his voice trailed off and his eyes reverted to the picture.

  Master Hobart, who was sitting beside the Admiral, followed his gaze. His eyes widened and he mused under his breath. “Perhaps, she found the missing piece of her soul.”

  End of Days

  Jeff Motsinger

  The Mirror

  Cathy Daff Ri
cketts

  You pass me by as if I weren’t here

  You look away, pretending not to see.

  But I’m alive, just like you

  Or at least, I used to be.

  Don’t judge me, I didn’t start this war.

  I am a casualty, tossed aside

  To live off this God-forsaken land

  Cursed and alone, just as prophesized.

  You want me to live in the rubble

  In those miles and miles of what used to be;

  But why should I have to hide away

  Are you really that terrified of me?

  You walk around searching for anything

  To rid you of that helpless feeling inside

  But why not come sit and talk to me

  In the hill hole where I reside.

  I think I finally figured out

  The reason for your hesitation.

  You cannot accept the possibility

  That I just might be your reflection.

  About The Contributors

  Jess Watkins - Jess is an avid reader, writer and chocolate devourer. She runs a book blog called A Book Addict's Bookshelves and co-runs Worlds of Words. She has lived in three different countries and owns an unreasonable number of t-shirts. A Whovian, Browncoat and Sherlockian, Jess loves anything to do with superheroes, Game of Thrones and Joss Whedon.

  H. J. Daly – HJ has always loved stories, and writing became a natural progression to reading. Reading with her own children and then at schools in a hope of capturing the hearts and minds of the young. It wasn’t always about writing though, during her late teens, HJ stepped up her Latin American dancing and travelled Europe.

  Catherine Stovall – Catherine Stovall is the author of many fiction works in the horror, steampunk, paranormal, fantasy, dark fantasy, and YA genres. She is also the editor and a contributor to several anthologies produced by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, Vamptasy Publishing, and Steamworks Ink.

  Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.

  A lover of social media, she encourages her fans to reach out to her through Facebook, her website, and twitter, so they can share in the experience of publishing and creating.

  Toni Lesatz - Toni Lesatz is a wife, mother, author, blogger, gamer and lover of the culinary arts. Her short stories, Ashes to Ashes and Dead World, will be published in fall 2014 in two separate anthologies. She is currently writing her debut dark fantasy novel, which she hopes to have published by spring 2015.

  Toni’s book blog, My Book Addiction, won the utopYA Blog of the Year award in 2014. She enjoys promoting fellow authors, and because of this passion, she has recently taken on the role of Editorial Director for the Book Hub division of Indie-Visible: Literary Justice For All. If she’s not curled up with a book and a cup of coffee, you’ll find her playing with her kids, baking cupcakes, or killing zombies.

  Yasmin Fazli - Yasmin Fazli is an undergraduate college student studying biology to one day fulfill her dream of being a doctor. Little did she know, the small stories she used to write in middle school and high school developed into another dream she couldn't live without. In the beginning of her senior year of high school, the idea of Will of Hope, her first novel, was born. It took on a life of its own, and it turned into something she couldn't put aside. When she finished, she was so in love with the story and how the characters grew that she felt the need to share the happiness it brought with everyone and anyone. Still living the life of a college student, Yasmin works in a research lab, is a part of the Delta Gamma sorority, and fills her life with snowboarding and bouldering.

  Samantha Ketteman – Samantha Ketteman has resided in southern Illinois for 9 years, (though still claims to be an Alabama girl), with her husband and three crazy demon children. She started reading novels at a very young age and decided to write for herself. She is a caffeine addict, insomniac, and generally scatterbrained most of the time. When she's not writing, she's getting lost in her imagination. Novels are an escape from the harsh reality of a cantankerous teenage boy and two drama queen girls.

  She is the author of Aphrodite’s Secret, the first novel in The Forgotten series, as well as the Best-seller Glimpse of Destiny, the first novel in the Xade Daniels Chronicles, and the novella, Avenging Innocence. She has five short stories featured in the Cogs in Time anthology, The Cogs in Time Anthology Volume 2, The Rise of the Goddess anthology, the After Tomorrow anthology, and The Fractured Fairy Tales Anthology, all through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing and Vamptasy Publishing. She is working on the sequels to her releases, as well as new series and anthologies.

  Eada Janes – Eada Janes is a poet, author, and artist. Her works include contributions to anthologies such as Cogs in Time 1, Cogs in Time 2, After Tomorrow, and Les Vaporistes. She lives in St. Louis, Mo and enjoys the world at large.

  Kelly Matsuura - Kelly Matsuura grew up in Victoria, Australia, but has lived most of her adult life in the northern hemisphere. After a year teaching English in China, she moved to Japan where she lived for ten years in Nagoya. Due to her husband’s work, she’s enjoying a few years back in a western country, living in Michigan, USA.

  Kelly has published numerous short stories online, in group anthologies, and in two self-published anthologies. She is the founder and editor of The Insignia Series, a blog and an anthology collection for Asian fantasy fiction. She enjoys writing in various genres: fantasy, literature, young adult, and paranormal romance.

  C. L. McCollum - C. L. McCollum spends her time delving into the wonder of the world. She’s always been drawn to the “How” and the “Why” and the “Is this even possible?” That addiction to wonder has led her to the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy. C. L. is on the Great Agent Hunt for her first novel, but two of her stories are featured in the charity anthology Clichés for a Cause: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (scheduled for release in October 2014). Currently, C. L. is keeping it weird in Austin, TX with the love of her life and their various furry roommates.

  Nicole Daffurn – Nicole Daffurn was born and raised on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and has been an avid reader and writer since she was a small child.

  Nicole’s love for the written word has seen her write many short stories and poems and then eventually moving on to tackle the bigger task of novel writing late in 2011. Nicole enjoys reading and writing a vast range of genre’s including fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, gothic and dystopian. Her main focus is for her stories to appeal to a wide range of people, with her target audience ranging from teenagers to the well-lived older generation.

  Not letting her creative abilities go to waste Nicole also spends her time behind the lens of a camera and enjoys drawing and painting when she isn’t preoccupied with her work and family. There is no end to her creative abilities but writing is, in her own words, her calling in life.

  Emma Michaels - Emma Michaels is a cover artist, blogger, and author of the 'Society of Feathers' series. Growing up, her library card was her best friend and books were her home. Her love of blogging started when she created a book blog in 2009 which gave her the courage to submit her own novels to publishers and the rest, as they say, is history.

  Michael Cross - Author Michael Cross lives in Seattle, WA. This land is prone to lots of rain, fantastic adventures and the occasional flyby dragon. When Cross isn’t working on his next novel, he spends his time reading, modding steampunk inventions or working on his airship with his copilot Chihuahua.

  Cross dreamed of becoming a storyteller back when he was reading stories like “The Odyssey” and legends of Roman soldiers and Arthur. He writes mostly paranormal, fantasy, New Adult and steampunk.

  Sherwin Matthews - Exposed to the limitless potential of th
e imagination early in life by wargaming, fantasy literature and Dungeons & Dragons, Sherwin has been living in fantasy worlds within the confines of his head for most of his life.

  How it is that he has been able to exist this way is of greater mystery than he can conceive, and is thankful that he is politely indulged by those around him, whom likely find great amusement in his extravagances at very least. One day he fears that he’ll have to give up and join the real world.

  Until then, Sherwin lives alone or with several people, travelling along paths that run between entirely different universes at different times during the day. Sadly for him, he’s usually hopelessly lost and looking desperately for directions.

  Nicky Louise - Sunshine, surf and family are the cornerstone of Nicky’s world. Being born and raised on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia gave her the opportunity to chase her dream of photography and later novel writing. She fell in love with fantasy and dystopian and crafted stories with strong men and powerful women. Her debut novel Destinata will be released on October 15, 2014 with several short stories following. Her second novel is set to release November 6 and is being published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. When she is not busy being an author, you will find her walking along the water with her husband or chasing after her two children.

  Madison Stewart - Madison is an avid reader who loves to write in her spare time. She has been writing poetry since she was young and decided to try her hand at fiction. Some of her favorite genres include post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Aside from writing, she enjoys spending time with her fur babies and children. Madison also loves to create and build websites for fun.

  H.L. Houghton - H.L. Houghton remembers sitting on the floor with a little red typewriter, tapping keys and asking her mother for spellings. She was three years old and from that day to this, she has dreamed of writing wonderful things for others to read. With an array of short stories and poetry already published under a pseudonym, H.L thinks it is high time she entertained with her YA/NA stories.