bomb hit an image appeared in my head. I could do nothing but stand and watch as these images flashed by. They were of the tunnel. They came and disappeared and then were replaced with each new explosion. The tunnel images eventually disappeared and the large building with all the little sparkles appeared. When the last bomb hit, somewhere very close, I saw an extended image of a sparkle up close, and a voice shouted in my head.
“Tell them to finish it off. It’s time, we’ve almost got enough.”
I fell back onto the dusty floor. I felt more than what the words said. I felt a meaning, a disturbed destructive pleasure. Along with that came an idea. It was as if I was seeing into the mind of one of the beings responsible. I suddenly knew that they were in fact controlling the people to do such terrible things. They took control of leaders and sent bombs to every part of the world. They took over individuals and made them kill.
I knew right then that the world was going to end unless Valerie and I could somehow change everyone’s minds. But why weren’t we controlled? Why could I see into their minds? It didn’t make any sense. I was chosen for some reason. The only reason I could think of was because I did in fact have some unknown ability that made me resistant. That must have been it. That was the only thing I could think of.
I crawled nervously back to the window. The city was torn apart and several buildings had collapsed. I snuck a peak at the road. Large parts of walls were in the street, blocking most of the way. A car was coming up the road. I recognized it immediately as Valerie’s. The windshield was cracked and there was a dent in the roof but other than that it looked fine. I watched uneasily as she slowly made her way around the obstructions in the road. She was less than a block away when I heard a great rumble from one of the buildings that was hit. A giant slab of stone came crashing down onto the road, right on her car.
11
I launched myself away from the window onto the cold dusty floor. I didn’t see what happened. I couldn’t see it. I didn’t want to see it. That was it. That was everything. Valerie was the only person on my side. For all I knew she was the only person besides me left on the whole planet that wasn’t trying to kill everyone else.
I curled up on the floor and tried not to think about everything going on. I didn’t want to live anymore and yet I didn’t want to die and be a part of some twisted plot. I just wanted to lie there forever and forget and be forgotten about. I didn’t even want to exist.
The buzzing came back. I didn’t move. The bombs fell and exploded all around. One hit the building I was in and I felt one of the walls fall away. I still didn’t move. I had nothing left. I never had anything to start with. My life wasn’t going anywhere. There wasn’t some big moment where everything was going to change and I would be a better person. I was destined to live out my days working at that jewelry store. If anything all this chaos only made things a different sort of bad. What was worse: dying old and alone having never made anything of myself, or dying young with the rest of the world never having a chance to live. At that moment on the floor I couldn’t figure out which was more desirable.
Those horrible planes kept coming and bombs kept dropping. The floor shook and I think I heard pieces of it collapsing down onto the floors below. After a while I couldn’t stand the dark anymore. I opened my eyes to see what was happening. The building was half torn apart. I could see right out into the world. Somehow I was left on the half of the building that had yet to be destroyed. It was going to fall eventually. I got up and walked to the edge of the floor and looked out into the destroyed city. This certainly was something. I would have never guessed the world was going to end this way. I just hoped that I would learn the real reason for everything in the end.
Another plane flew over the city. This one dropped a bomb, but it wasn’t like the ones that had fallen already. This one was much bigger. I realized what it might be right before it hit the ground. There was a bright flash and a huge force. . .
I am speeding through a tunnel. Its walls are a brownish metal but I don’t think it’s really metal. I can’t slow down. I am flying through the tunnel at an incredible speed. It only lasts a few seconds. I tumble into a large building with holes all around where hundreds of other tunnels end. No, it’s not a tunnel, it’s a container. I look around and see that there are thousands upon thousands of little bright sparkles floating with me. They all look so odd. They don’t just float around, they are being controlled. They are controlling themselves. I make my way through the vast group of sparkles. I don’t know what I’m looking for. They seem so familiar. I think I’ve seen them before, but not as sparkles, as people. This is what’s left of them. Their bodies are gone and this is what’s left behind. The sparkles look helpless as they float around. I wonder if they can see me. I wonder if I know any of them. I make it to one of the walls and can see that it is very shiny and is reflecting all the sparkles. I look dead ahead and see one that stands out among the rest. It looks peaceful as it looks back at me.
A great rumble shakes the container. I turn to see the sparkles flicker slightly. They’re scared. They don’t know what’s going on. I don’t either. If we all stick together then we can make it through this.
The center of the ceiling opens up. I push my way among the sparkles and look up. I can see stars. They’re moving. No, they’re not moving, we are. The container is moving. The stars disappear. There’s something blocking them. It’s what we are pointing at. It’s a shadow, no a cloud, no a creature. It only looks like a shadow. Something else appears. It’s another shadow, but it’s a lot closer. It’s looking in at us. It seems so familiar. I’ve seen this shadow before. It looks in on all the sparkles. I can tell that it’s happy. Somehow I can read its thoughts. It moves out of the way and points the container at the other shadow creature. It’s pointed at the creature’s mind. I can tell.
Another great rumble occurs. The walls close in. All the sparkles are smashed together. I’m at the top. I can see the creature we are pointed at. What is going on?
There is a loud bang, louder than anything I have ever heard. All the sparkles are shot out of the container at once. The stars are all around. We pass them so fast. This is far too fast. At this speed we might hurt the other shadow creature. And then I realize the worst truth of all. We are going to hurt the shadow creature. That’s why we were in the container, that’s why the shadow I talked to was collecting us through tunnels only sparkles can pass through. This was the plan all along. I was just a tiny sparkle in the war of another race.
The shadow creature can’t move to get out of the way. We hit it at full force. The darkness disappears, only white remains.
Also by A.S. Morrison
The Last Golden Rose
Poiye
Hardin’s War
Hardin’s Dilemma
Hardin’s Calling
The Little Brown Box
A Translation of Inspiration
Three Very Short Stories
Evening’s with Littleberry and Other Short Stories
A. Candle’s Light
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