by Muga, D. M.
He delved deeper into the archives to find out about his family. Michelle had changed her name and the names of the girls. She moved the girls back to her home state of Illinois. She did go back to work as a nurse at a local hospital and seemed to be back on track by the end of 2024.
From what he gathered on social media references and everything on the SuperNet, she never remarried and as far as he could tell, never dated either. She seemed to be completely devoted to their children, it was apparent through social media posts from her, the girls, and Michelle's parents. Every now and again, he saw pictures of his parents with the girls. He was saddened to find out that his parents passed away in a car accident in 2032. Whereas, they lived long lives, both of them in their late sixties, it still seemed too soon for them.
That same year, Aliyah, having been 22 years old at the time, had just graduated college and was getting very close to her dream of becoming a nurse, like her mother. Also, during that same year, Sydney had graduated from High School and enlisted in the United States Air Force. Alexander recalls being taken aback by that choice of Sydney’s, recalling how much that she wanted to be a scientist when he left her, when she was nine years old.
After further searching into his family’s progress through life without him, in the cold night air of the mountains, Alexander was grief stricken to find out his wife had passed away in 2036 of cancer. It had been caught too late and she had a deteriorating and rough last six months of her life.
Alexander was overcome with anguish, having to put away his iPhone for the rest of that night, with the thoughts of his beloved wife passing away after he had abandoned her.
He had the feeling of being alone in a great abyss, looking out into the darkness of the San Bernardino County Mountains. The world was so quiet now and he was utterly alone, and by his own doing.
She must have felt so helpless and so alone. I'm so very sorry Michelle. You deserved so much more than that.
It was not until his next nights’ watch shift that he had built up the courage to continue his research about his daughters. He had already lost his parents to a car accident and his wife to cancer. Alexander was not sure if he could handle any more tragic ends, especially to his darling little Aliyah and Sydney. Alexander came to find out that they were not young anymore, as he continued his research.
By the time of his wife’s passing, Aliyah was married and had two kids of her own, a son and daughter. Alexander found himself happy at the thought that he had grandchildren, despite the fact that he would never see Trent and Leah. Regardless, Alexander found it comforting that Aliyah thrived, aside from the adversities that she had been forced to face in her life. With the predominant obstacle for her and many others when a war that broke out that was referred to as the Rh Factor War.
Nonetheless, she turned out to be a lifelong nurse. She had a lifetime marriage to her husband, Daniel, passing before her husband at the old age of 84 years old. Whereas, Alexander was sad about her passing, she truly seemed to have had a great life. Her life was very well-rounded, and Alexander’s grandchildren had gone on to do great things and were successful people, leading their own lives and raising their own families.
After he noticed a few social media posts from Aliyah with Sydney in the pictures as an adult, he shifted to research on his youngest daughter. She was slightly more difficult to research. She had not gotten on to social media throughout her entire adult life. However, he did find remnants of her through her sister’s digital footprints on the SuperNet.
He knew that she had joined the Air Force, but it took some digging to find more. It had taken Alexander the rest of his night watch and most of the next day trying to find out more information about his youngest daughter, Sydney Wyatt.
Toward the later afternoon hours, he finally stumbled upon an article about his daughter, Major Sydney Wyatt of the Space Corps of Engineers: Daughter of Alexander Mathis of the SXS Project and the creators of the Blue Hole Radius.
The article was written in 2054. Alexander did the quick math, concluding that his Sydney had been 40 years old when the article was written, making her only a few years younger than he was now. Alexander could barely contain his shock and amazement over what the article explained about his very secretive daughter. Sydney did join the Air Force out of high school. However, after her first enlistment, she was accepted and enlisted to an officer program for a new division of the Air Force, known as the Space Force. After graduating from college with a degree in mechanical engineering, and finishing Basic Officer Training, she was assigned to the Space Corps of Engineers by the age of 27. Over the next fifteen years, she rose in her field and contributed to the foundation and groundwork that catapulted the United States ahead of the rest of the world. By the time of the article, she was a Major in the Space Force, and leading the Space Corps of Engineers aboard the U.S. Orbital Space Force Military Installation Station (OSFMIS).
After finding out why he had so much difficulty finding her on social media, he dug into military records of his daughter. Alexander could not help but feel pride with his youngest daughter. She may not have turned into a scientist, but she was an astronaut and a very important person. He found multiple records on her various awards over the years.
After retiring from the Space Force, several years after the article was written, she moved back to Illinois and lived a quiet life. Alexander found himself saddened to not find any record of her marrying or having children. He did find her death certificate from 2077, when she had passed away due to cancer. She had survived the Rh Factor War of her time, and ended up dying of cancer some years afterward. It was the same cancer that had taken her mother almost five decades previously.
Alexander found himself scrolling through Aliyah’s social media until he found several posts talking about how her sister had passed. The sisters had been talking but weren't necessarily close.
As it turns out, Sydney liked to keep to herself. Alexander could not help but blame that characteristic on himself, having abandoned his daughter at such a young age, when she idolized him. Alexander felt pained with guilt and sorrow, thinking about how accomplished Sydney had been, but how lonely she ended up being.
I could have been there to make sure she was not alone. There is no doubt that my contribution to the Blue Hole Radius and abandoning them resulted in her being alone nearly all of her life.
Many days since that day, he found himself reminiscing on how the lives of his wife and daughters had turned out. He always circled back to the thought of his wife Michelle and daughter Sydney, dying alone and scared. Whereas, Aliyah lived a great and full life and Sydney had an amazing military career, he could not help but miss his two little girls. They were thirteen and nine years old when he had left them… when he had abandoned them.
Alexander looks out to the road and out onto the valley below them as Steven drives along the 18 Highway, turning into Lake Arrowhead. He’s lost in thoughts of his pride of his children and happiness, along with his feelings of guilt, sorrow, and pain.
If only I had known to stop worrying about what could be... and worried more about what I already had.
After a few moments, the Lake Arrowhead Village is within view and Alexander is brought out of his memoires.
Steven pulls into the upper parking lot, with the old Stater Brothers Market, the Post Office, the burnt down California Bank Trust, and various other shops, mostly closed up now, on the upper level of the Village. Alexander looks toward the Post Office to see if it’s set up the same way as back in Crestline. Sure enough, Sheriff Patterson put in three stockades at the Lake Arrowhead Village Marketplace as well.
Steven follows Alexander’s gaze over to the stockades, with a young man and woman in two of the three stockades. “Huh. I wonder what they did...” Steven says aloud.
Alexander gets out of the Blazer. “Not sure… but it certainly must have not been that serious. Or they would have wound up like those two teenagers the other week.”
Steven n
ods as he exits the Blazer. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, Alexander. But I'm damn curious as to what landed them there.”
Alexander shrugs. “I suppose you could ask them.”
Steven nods, shuts his door, and strides over to the two young people in the stockades. Alexander smiles and jogs to catch up to him. “Of course you want to ask them.”
Steven looks over at Alexander. “Why wouldn’t I? I want to know what sort of “crimes” gets you thrown into these things. We all know what happens with rape and murder… but what’s the good Sheriff considering to be small crimes?”
Alexander ponders the question, as they get nearer to the two young people in the stockades.
“Hey! You two! What’d you all do to wind up in those stockades?” Steven shouts out at the two as they get a few feet away from them.
Alexander notices that the young woman, likely in her late teens or early twenties, begins to sob. The young man, roughly the same age, opens his mouth and speaks, straining to see who’s standing in front of them.
“Please just leave us alone. We’ve already been through enough. We didn’t mean any harm. We were just hungry.” The young man pleads.
Alexander looks to the two young people, noticing that they are covered in dirt, drenched, and there are even some small rocks around them.
Had they been out here all night? Had people been throwing rocks at them?
“Calm down son. We aren’t here to hurt you. My friend and I are just curious on what lands you into this sort of punishment.” Steven says.
The young man twists his head to look at Steven and Alexander in the late morning sunlight of the day. Alexander taps Steven’s shoulder and points to the rocks on the ground around the two young people. “I think people were throwing rocks at them earlier, Steven.”
Steven’s face scrunches. “Hmm. Well that’s no good. Where’s the guard that’s supposed to be looking over you two? How long have you two been here?”
“Why all the questions, mister? Please just leave us alone.” The young man replies.
The girl stops sobbing and tries to look up to Steven and Alexander. Alexander notices that her eyes are bloodshot, her face is stricken with tears and dirt, and there’s blood on her lips, with a bruise forming around her left eye.
“Miss, are you alright?” Alexander asks of the young woman.
Steven looks over to the woman. “Well that’s no good, either.” He pulls a rag out of his back pockets and walks toward the young woman. She flinches as Steven gets closer. “Calm down, ma’am. Just trying to wipe off your face.”
The young man comes to life. “Leave her alone old man! Or I swear I’ll!...”
“You’ll what, son?!” Steven snaps at the young man. “Looks to me like you two did something real stupid to land yourself in these here stockades. It also looks to me like the young lady’s face is pretty beaten up. All the while, yours looks less for the wear.”
This shuts up the young man. “It’s not his fault. It’s mine.” The young woman says.
Steven gently wipes the dirt away from the young woman’s eyes and tries to clean off her face. She doesn’t struggle and when he’s done, Alexander can see that the young man is enraged, but knows that he’s trapped.
“My friend here is right. We are not here to hurt you. He was simply curious as to what your crime was. My name’s Alexander, and this is Steven.” Alexander replies.
The young woman tries to force a smile. “My name’s Briana, and this is my boyfriend Christian. You two are the first kind people we have come across within the last day.”
Alexander looks to Briana and then to Christian. “So, you two have been here for a day?”
The young man is still silent, but Briana answers. “I think so… It feels like forever. What day is it?”
“It’s Saturday, young lady.” Steven responds.
The young woman tries to nod, with her head in between the two pieces of wood, her hands in two more holes, trapped between the two pieces of wood.
“Then yes… it’s been about a day. Yesterday we came to the market to try and get some food. We offered to trade work for some food with several of the people in the market. Most of them said they didn’t need any workers right now. One guy suggested that I could work in his bedroom for food.” The young woman explains.
She pauses and Alexander can see the young man, Christian getting angry. “That piece of shit!”
“Calm down Christian. Our day is almost up. Do either one of you know what time it is?” Briana questions.
Alexander looks to his watch. “It’s 10:11 AM, miss.”
Her eyes begin to water. “Okay then. See Christian. It’s almost been a full day. We are almost done here, and we can go back home.”
Steven looks at her. “Young lady. How’d you get that shiner and bloody lip?”
Tears well up in the girl’s eyes, as she answers. “The bloody lip came from the guy in the Supermarket, selling potatoes and pork… the eye came from a couple teenagers throwing rocks earlier this morning. Just after the Deputy that was watching us left.”
“Fucking little assholes!” Christian sneers.
Steven puts his arms across his chest. “So, I think I have a good idea of what happened, but could you tell me in your own words, young lady?”
Briana begins to cry lightly. “After he offered me to work in his bedroom, in a very vulgar way, I spit in his face. He hit me… then Christian tackled him to the ground. The man pulled out a gun, threatening to shoot us. We backed up and he looked scared. He threw a bunch of his potatoes at us and started to yell, thieves.”
Steven’s eyes narrow. “And just like that, they throw you two in here?”
Brianna begins to sob again, and her boyfriend answers. “We tried to explain. But it looked bad. We had no money or anything to trade on us and we have a bunch of potatoes at our feet. So that dipshit Deputy put us in here.”
Alexander replies. “And where’s the Deputy that’s supposed to be watching you?”
“That son of bitch left us here once the sun came up.” Christian sneered. “It was the same one who put us in these fucking stockades. The same one that didn’t believe us. He said he’d be back at noon to let us go and he better not see us in the market again.”
“Oh, did he now?!” Steven begins to laugh, and the two young people go silent, not sure how to react to a man laughing at their story. “Yeah… screw all that noise.”
Steven looks to Alexander. “Alexander. Would you mind looking after these two young folks, and I’ll be back shortly?”
Alexander looks at Steven, not sure what to make of the situation. “Sure, but what are you up to?”
Steven smiles at him. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this horseshit, is what I’m going to do.” Steven looks at the two young people. “Now everything you said here is true, right? Because I will find out.”
Both of their heads nod quickly, even against the strain of the stockades.
“Alright then. You said it was the man selling the potatoes and pork in the old Stater Brothers Market?” Steven questions.
Christian replies. “Yeah, but that was yesterday… he may not be there today.”
Steven smiles. “Oh... it’s Saturday, one of the biggest trading days of the week. He’ll be there.”
Alexander nods to Steven. “Not a problem. I’ll watch over them and wait for you to return. What if the Deputy comes back?”
Steven begins to stride off toward the supermarket. He turns to look at Alexander. “Don’t let that inapt jerkoff give you any crap and get his name while you are at it, too. I'm sure Sheriff Patterson will be interested in one of his Deputies abandoning his post.”
And just like that, Steven is off toward the Supermarket. Alexander smiles and looks back to the two young people. “I would sure hate to be the gentleman selling potatoes and pork, today.”
The young woman stops sobbing entirely. “What’s he going to do?”
Alexander crosse
s his arms. “I’m not entirely sure. But I'm intrigued to find out.”
“What’s it going to matter? We’ll still be hungry and still not allowed to come back to the market.” Christian responds.
Alexander looks at the cold, wet, and dirty young man in front of him. “I understand how the world can seem like it has turned its back on you, young man. Trust me… I understand. Nonetheless, you are still alive, and you still have someone that cares about you.” Alexander looks over to the young woman.
“That’s easy for you to say, when you’re not in one of these fucking things.” Christian replies.
“Christian! Shut up! These nice men are trying to help us. Don’t be such an ass!” Briana snaps at him and Christian shuts his mouth.
“Do you two live close to here?” Alexander questions.
“We live in a rental not too far from here. Before all of this, Christian was a cook and I was a bartender in this very same Village Square.” Briana replies.
Alexander nods. “Ah, I see. Well I'm inclined to think that the rental is no longer a rental and it’s your home to keep these days.”
“Now that you mention it. We haven’t heard anything from the owners. I think they lived over in Palm Springs.” Briana states.
“Then it’s certainly your home now. Palm Springs is outside of the Radius and long gone after 1,410 years.” Alexander replies to the young woman.
“Yeah, so. What good is it… if we can’t eat?” Christian responds.
“Well, young man… you are certainly persistent in being negative. Look at the positives for a moment, would you? You have running water still. Electricity is still up and running, thanks to those workers at Southern California Edison up in the High Desert and just around the corner from here, at the substation.”
The young man stays silent. “Seems to me the only things you need to figure out is what to do for work and you two need to find some food.” Alexander finishes as he hears a shout from near the front entrance of the Supermarket.