The Spire

by Peter F Smith

  He stroked her hair, kissing her gently on the top of her head. “Sweetheart, that’s exactly why it has to be you. You will lead them wisely, until a day when they can lead themselves, and then you’ll step aside. I hope on that day you can find someone to share the rest of eternity with, explore the universe or just go on a hike.” Laughter bubbled up from him as he shifted backward slightly, his hand, speckled in her mother’s blood went to her chin and tipped her head upward. His smile and the love in his eyes was absolutely genuine.

  Her father truly believed that what he had done was for the best for humanity and for her. In doing so he had made her an accomplice the greatest crime in human history. The remains of the dead in the stadium flashed through her mind. Parents huddled over their children in the last moments as they were murdered by her father. Who was he to make the decision that those people should die and yet she should live? They were just as special to their parents as she was to him. He had no right to commit the acts that he did, and there would be no consequence for him except for that which he imposed after his grand plan came to fruition.

  She broke down into tears, wrapping her arms as tightly as she could around his chest. Sobs wracked her body as her fingers laced together behind his back. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, his hand gently patting her back. “I am so sorry I put you through this Maria.”

  “I love you Daddy.”

  “I love you too.”

  She threw herself toward the edge. Her father’s muscles went tense with the realization that they were both falling off the Spire. “Watch out!” he screamed. The gold and pinks of the fading sun washed over them as they tipped over the edge. Her eyes were closed, arms locked behind him. She felt weightless as they began to fall, and she prayed that this feeling of freedom would be her eternal reward for balancing the scales. Her father struggled in her grasp as she took them both to their death. He twisted slightly and as suddenly as it had washed over her, the sensation of falling ceased, and it felt as if her arms were being ripped out of their sockets and the v neck of her shirt dug into her throat. She opened her eyes to see her father plummeting the hundred stories to the ground below. His arms reaching out for her. She watched as his expression shifted from the shock caused by the sudden fall to the realization of what she had done. And then he had gone so far that even with her enhanced vision she couldn’t make him out as he plummeted into the maelstrom below.

  She began to be pulled upward, her perspective shifting until she was able to look up. Tobor, hanging from the side of the building, one hand gripping the edge so tightly its fingers had punched into the steel frame, the other holding in its fist a ball of fabric from the back of her shirt. Slowly, gently, her protector raised her up. The artificial muscles in its other arm flexed more than she had ever seen, and it began to bend its elbow, raising both of them up toward the edge. As they rose upward, she looked to her right and saw Sean hanging from the edge by his one good arm; his fingers looked as if they were about to give out under his own weight.

  Toby, with one arm, managed to curl itself upward so much that it was able to place her, stomach first on the floor of her father’s sanctum. She immediately scrambled on hands and knees over to Sean, latching both of her hands onto his wrist and pulling with all of her might. Without leverage though her knees slipped on the slick tile, slicing the already burned flesh open on the bits of glass strewn over it.

  “Let go or you’ll get pulled over too!” he shouted, all his weight on just two gloved fingers.

  “No!” the word left her in a rage. She had to save him. She had to make up for what her father had done.

  The glass next to her crunched under foot and she looked up to see Toby staring down at both her and Sean, the man it had dropped without a second’s hesitation to save Maria.

  “Save him!” she screamed. Toby fell to a knee, reaching down and grabbing him by the handle located on the back of his armor. He pulled him up and over the edge without any struggle. Maria rolled away from the edge and toward Sean, who now lay on the ground. His chest heaving as he lay in a layer of debris. Her mother crawled over, tears flowing from her eyes as well. All three of them looked up at Toby, the sun setting directly behind him.

  “What may I do for you Miss Patterson?”

  She looked at Sean, the pain etched on his face. She looked at her mother and the grief that permeated hers and then she looked at Tobor. “No more killing, no more pain. Stop it all."

  It turned, looking out over the vast and dark expanse beyond. The flashes of light below began to slow, the sounds of battle began to fade until there was nothing but silence, nothing but peace

  End

  Thank you for reading, The Spire!

  Please leave a review!

  The Patterson Family story continues in the sequel

  Absolution

  To be released Early 2020

  Sign up for my newsletter to know when it drops!

  You can also find information about Absolution and me on my page on Facebook and my Instagram profile at Peter F. Smith - Author

  Also by Peter F. Smith

  Have you read the other book in The Spire universe?

  Click it’s title and pick up your copy….

  Apocalypse Dawn

  Could you protect that which matters the most from the end of the world? Dylan Kamal and Michael Jacobsen are faced with that very challenge.

  Ethos Access!

  Ready for access to the short story Ethos? Follow the instructions on the next page. Just so you know, an email is required to get the book delivered to you, but signing up for my mailing list isn’t. Signing up is the best way to learn about upcoming books and promotions though.

  If you’re on an E Reader then simply click this link.

  Reading the paper back? Then scan the QR Code below or type in the web address.

  https://bookhip.com/DFSQLJ

  Copyright © 2019 by Peter F. Smith

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.