by Sean Platt
Chunks of flesh ripped apart.
Bones were breaking.
His kneecap exploded.
Boricio fell then pulled himself up, doing his best to keep shots from getting inside and hitting the girl.
Boricio wasn’t sure what was holding him together and keeping him alive, but it couldn’t last forever.
Why won’t these fuckers give up? Charlie screamed inside him.
Something had to give.
Outside, Boricio heard what he was waiting for.
They’re heeeeere.
He turned to Paola. “Open the cargo doors!”
“Which ones?”
“All of them!”
A bullet found Boricio’s left eye, half blinding him. The pain was intense, like a dagger through his pupil, screaming into his head.
The sound of heavy machinery and the loud banging of opening cargo doors drew the Guardsmen’s attention away from Boricio and the doorway. They turned, running to join the exodus.
“Boricio!” Paola screamed, leaving the control panel and dropping to his side as he fell into her arms.
Boricio watched the shuttles race toward the bright daylight.
Shit, we didn’t stop them!
But then a smile spread across his face as a beautiful realization dawned on him. They weren’t running into the brightness, but rather into The Light.
Thousands of Light bleakers — the black aliens that Luca had infected now burned with a radiant white-hot light — flooded the exits, slamming into the shuttles and blocking their escape.
The Light tore through the shuttles, alien insect fucks, and Guardsmen like a tsunami of Light.
“You need to go!” Luca said to Paola, blood pouring from his mouth.
“No, I can’t leave you here.”
She tried to lift him, but he was too heavy, and unable to help her.
“Go!” he yelled again. “They’re going to destroy this ship!”
“No!” she cried. “I can’t leave you.”
Boricio looked up into Paola’s crying eyes, and saw something he never thought he’d see again — love and friendship.
But he couldn’t let that love get her killed.
He still had something to do, and couldn’t if she were with him. He had to get Paola to her mother.
“Luca!” Boricio screamed. “Get her out of here!”
And then, in a flash, Paola was gone.
* * * *
Chapter 29 — Mary Olson
“Why do you keep fighting me, Light?” Desmond raised his Dark bladed arm, with Mary stuck to it like a speared fish, and stared into her eyes. “You cannot win. And yet you keep fighting.”
He jerked his arm, slicing deeper into Mary’s guts.
Blood poured through her shirt. Intense pain flooded her body. The pain was dizzying, and she could barely hang on.
She longed to let go, to taste the sweet embrace of an endless abyss.
Come on, Mary, said Callie’s voice. You’ve gotta fight. Gotta fight for your girl.
If she let go, The Darkness would finish her off. And that would be that. Desmond was right: The Darkness was many, The Light were few.
She fought to keep her eyes open, determined not to let the smug fucker win.
Just close them for a second. One sweet second.
No, Will’s voice commanded. We are not done. We will not give in.
A high-pitched scream came from above, followed by the sound of metal tearing.
Mary looked up groggily and saw hundreds, if not thousands, of bright aliens pouring into the room in a wave of what looked like pure light.
Desmond’s eyes widened: now he was outnumbered.
The swarm of brightness gathered around them, though not yet attacking. Desmond looked to Mary, confusion knitting his brow.
Mary, reinforced by hope, felt the tide turning. While she was tempted to act on the years of rage and hate that had been building within her, she then thought of Paola.
Act on love, not hate, a collective voice said within her.
Mary thought not of revenge for all The Darkness had done to her and everyone she loved. She thought of protecting Paola. Of never letting The Darkness anywhere near her daughter again. To do that, she had to end it, once and for all.
Mary looked down to see her hand and arm engulfed in a brilliant-white light. She stretched her fingers, entranced by the beautiful drops of light dancing around her fingers.
She met Desmond’s eyes then looked down at his bladed arm in her gut.
She swung her bright hand down and severed his arm.
Desmond fell back, blood and black liquid jetting from his appendage.
Though he’d been holding her up, Mary didn’t fall when she sliced his arm off. She floated in air, as if lifted by The Light swelling behind her.
She looked back to see the Light bleakers stacked atop one another, hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands.
She could feel them buzzing, awaiting her command.
She ripped his claw from her gut and threw it to the ground where it dispersed into dark swirls.
Desmond met her eyes. “No, Mary, please.”
The voice he used was more like the Desmond she once knew. Tears streamed down his face. Was the real Desmond truly trapped, a hostage in his body? Could he be saved if so, with only the alien killed?
The Light brightened behind her.
“I don’t know what to do,” Mary said, feeling as if she could either send the mountain of Light down on this man and end both him and the alien, or maybe try to remove The Darkness.
“Please, Mary,” he begged again. “Don’t kill me. The Darkness is gone; I swear it.”
She flashed back to holding Paola’s dead body. Seeing her shot in the head. Mary knew she couldn’t take any chances. Could never trust another word from Desmond’s mouth.
She met his eyes and felt two things at once — a genuine sadness for the loss of the man she once loved and relief to finally end the threat that had destroyed the world, and nearly killed her daughter.
“Goodbye,” she said.
And the wave of Light rolled forth, consuming all in its wake.
* * * *
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Washington State
In her dreams, she’d saved Boricio.
In her dreams, she’d made it to the mainland with the others, watching the ship explode on The Island, finally destroying The Darkness. The difference between dreams and reality was that in her dreams she’d found Boricio after The Light teleported him to safety.
In reality, she felt him on the ship as it exploded.
He was gone with The Darkness.
Also gone, from all of their lives, was The Light, which had become such a deep part of them. It had moved on after the ship exploded.
And it was that realization, and that reality, she woke to every morning, feeling slightly empty.
But her bed was never lonely.
Paola slept beside her.
Mary watched her daughter’s eyes roll behind their lids, wondering if she was having more nightmares. They all had them for several months after defeating The Darkness. The kids, including Paola, often woke in the middle of the night, screaming, thinking The Darkness had returned to claim their family.
Which was why Paola slept with her mother, for now.
Mary didn’t mind. She was glad to have her girl back. Glad that they’d been able to build a new community in Washington. It was small, just over one hundred men, women, and children — all people she trusted. Paul and Emily were living among them, their telepathic powers still strong, even if neither Mary nor Paola felt anything extra running through them. Paul and Emily were in charge of ensuring the people in their community, called Hope Springs — Paola’s corny suggestion — were good people.
Every now and then, they heard from Lisa, who was out on the road, doing what she could to help the teams working to rebuild life after the aliens. It wouldn’t b
e easy, but Lisa was up for the fight.
The scent of bacon roused her stomach. Someone was making breakfast, and Mary was famished.
She looked at Paola, wondering how long the girl would stay sleeping. She gently shook her. “Want breakfast?”
Paola made a noise and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head.
“Fine, I’ll eat yours,” Mary joked then got out of bed.
She slipped out of her shorts and into some jeans then headed out of her room, downstairs into the kitchen she shared with Brent, Teagan, the kids, Paul, and Emily. They all lived in the compound’s main house, with fifteen other groups and makeshift families sharing neighboring homes on the ten acres of farm and woodlands.
“Good morning,” Teagan said, getting up from her spot beside Brent and heading toward the stove to get food for Mary. “Is Paola awake yet?”
“No, she was up late last night.” Mary turned to give Ben a look. “Someone kept her up playing Uno until one in the morning!”
Ben giggled.
“One?” Brent asked. “Why were you up so late?”
Ben shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not a kid anymore, Dad. I like staying up on Fridays.”
Brent shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mary. If I knew, I would’ve sent him to bed.”
“It’s okay, Paola loves the kids. And she looks for any excuse to stay up.”
Mary, with a plate of bacon, eggs, and fresh muffins, sat to eat.
Emily poured her a glass of orange juice from the pitcher on the table between them.
“Thank you,” Mary said, smiling.
She was so glad that what started off as a rather rocky relationship — her slitting Emily’s throat, then Paul trying to return the favor — was now so close-knit.
Teagan excused herself from the table without warning, suddenly rushing away.
Mary looked up at Brent. “Is she okay?”
He nodded sheepishly. “Yeah.”
Mary looked at him, sensing his secret.
Emily looked at Brent, a smile spreading across her face. “Oh, my God.”
Brent looked at her, eyes wide as he realized she’d peeked into his brain.
Emily threw her hands over her mouth, realizing she’d messed up. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I swear, I wasn’t prying. It was just coming off you, practically screaming.”
“What?” Ben and Becca asked together, staring at Brent, waiting for an answer.
“What?” Becca repeated.
Brent wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Really, Teagan should tell you.”
Teagan returned to the kitchen. “Tell them what?”
Brent’s lips pursed. “I think we should tell them. The cat’s kinda out of the bag.”
“What?” Teagan asked. “What do you mean, kinda?”
Brent pointed at Emily. “She saw my thoughts.”
“Sorry,” Emily said sheepishly.
“I’m sorry,” Paul echoed then joked, “I’ll be sure to lock her in the dungeon for dinner.”
Teagan took her seat next to Brent and told the kids to come over.
They ran over.
Mary watched, knowing what was going to come, feeling her eyes well up with tears.
“How would you two like a baby brother or sister?”
“What?” Becca looked like she’d been offered a pony.
“What?” Ben seemed less excited, but not upset.
“We’re pregnant,” Teagan said.
“You’re both pregnant? I thought only girls had babies,” Becca said.
Everyone laughed.
“No, just Teagan.”
“YAY! I hope we have a sister!” Becca danced around the table.
“And,” Brent said, “we’re not sure how we’ll do it, what with there not being any judges or preachers or anything these days, but we’d like to get married.”
Emily started crying. “Oh, I’m so happy for you all!”
She went over and hugged Brent and Teagan, then the kids.
Mary went over and hugged them, too. She was happy for them, even though she was thinking of Boricio, and what might have been.
Paola slunk into the kitchen, sleepy eyes, hair a rat’s nest. “What’s everyone going on about?”
Becca yelled out, “My mom is marrying his dad, and we’re gonna have a brother or sister!”
“How long was I sleeping?” Paola joked.
Mary went over to Paola and hugged her. “I love you.”
“What’s that for?” she asked.
“Because I haven’t told you yet today.”
* * * *
EPILOGUE TWO
Six months ago
The Island
Boricio sat on a grassy hill in the distance, watching the mothership’s remains burn in a bright-white fire. The music of bending metal collapsing into itself, organic material withering amid shrieking aliens that had yet to be killed, and those compromised by The Light, all leaving Earth in The Light’s fire: a chaotic melody, music to Boricio’s ears.
His body was still repairing itself, but at least he was no longer dying. Once certain that the aliens were all dead, he’d go find Mary and the others.
Two bright shapes materialized on either side of Boricio. He was about to jump, ready to rumble, when they found familiar forms: Luca, as a kid, and Will.
They sat on the hill, watching the ship burn. Their bodies were half-normal-looking, half light, partially transparent, like illuminated ghosts. For a moment, Boricio wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating.
He sat back down. “Are you all here, or am I seeing shit?”
“We’re here,” Will said, putting a hand on Boricio’s back, “for a little bit longer.”
“Where’s the others? Ed? Charlie, Callie?”
“They had to move on,” Will said.
“Move on? To where?”
“We don’t know what’s next,” Luca said. “Another life on another world. Maybe they come back here. No one can say.”
Boricio felt a bit of The Light inside him, coloring his gaps of knowledge — when the body dies, the soul moves on to another form.
“So, there ain’t no Heaven or Hell? I’ve been Ned Flanders for nothing?”
Will and Luca laughed.
It felt good to hear them.
Boricio had a disturbing thought. “Wait a second, if we all die and come back, are you saying these alien fucks are getting a sequel?”
“Everything comes back, but not always in the same form,” Luca said.
“How the hell did you get so smart, Boy Wonder?”
Luca shrugged.
Boricio tousled the boy’s long hair. “It’s good to see you as a kid again. That old fucker was depressing the hell out of me.” Boricio looked at Will. “No offense, Grandpa.”
“None taken.” Will smiled, his eyes still on the burning ship.
Boricio had what he thought was a damned good idea. “Hey, can’t you all jump in the body of some fuckers here and live inside ‘em? There’s a lotta assholes out there wastin’ the skin they were born in.”
“No,” Will said, “we need to go. I feel The Void calling.”
“Well, fuck, we just got the gang back together, and you’re gonna leave?”
“I’ll miss you,” Luca said.
“I’ll miss you, too, kid. Come here, and give me a fucking hug.”
Boricio hugged the boy, surprised that the ghostly apparition had any substance. It felt like hugging someone under water. Not that Boricio had ever done that.
Strangled someone under water, maybe.
“I’m proud of you,” Will said, coming over and shaking Boricio’s hand.
Boricio wasn’t sure which version of Will this was, the old man on this world or the one on the other who’d adopted the other versions of Boricio and Luca. The Light said it was the one from this world.
The ground began to give way under the ship, causing seismic tremors in the land beneath them.
“Whoa,” Bor
icio said, jumping up, glad to find his knees steady after being healed by The Light.
Will and Luca stood, staring at the ship as it descended into a massive crater, kicking up dirt and rocks all around it.
Boricio saluted the sinking ship. “Sayonara, cocksucker.”
The ground continued to shake, and for a moment, Boricio thought the entire island might go under.
But then, as the last of the ship melted into the ground, everything stopped.
The ship’s dying gasps sputtered out.
Boricio approached the mound for one final look.
A hand appeared, pulling something from the hole. A dark hand belonging to an alien.
“Motherfucker.” Boricio’s fists tightened as he approached the thing fast.
He heard Luca and Will coming up fast behind him.
He reached the mound as the alien pulled itself over the crater’s lip. Boricio saw The Darkness, completely shed of its human form, clinging to life.
The alien looked up at the three of them and hissed, sharp teeth rattling in its wide mouth.
“What does it take to kill you fuckers?” Boricio asked, ready to finish it off with a stomp.
Will put his hand out in front of Boricio. “I don’t think you can kill the last of it.”
Boricio turned to the old man. “What?”
The alien hissed again and reached out a hand, trying to swipe at him, but it wasn’t close enough.
“Looks like it’s dying just fine,” Boricio said.
“Yes, but we can’t allow its soul to escape,” Luca said.
Boricio looked down at the alien and saw it was a bit different from the others. It didn’t have a hundred or so tiny lights under its skin. It had millions, moving fast, like sperm through a busted rubber, swirling in The Darkness.
Will looked at Boricio. “This is all that’s left of The Darkness. If you kill this creature, its soul will escape. It will return and reproduce, not stopping until It’s destroyed this planet and everything on it.”