Days' End

by Scott L Collins

  His eyes drifted over the old bullet holes still scarring the ancient wall around the Zion Gate. The brown stones used to construct the wall had held up remarkably well over the years since it had first been assembled. He looked down at the Star of David built into the road leading into the tunnel. His wandering eyes finally found what they’d been searching for.

  He stared intently at the building in the distance, the powerful gaze of his blue eyes focused only on that ancient monument. Ahead of him, atop Mount Zion, stood the Dormition Church and beside it, on the second floor, the Cenacle. That was the room where his seemingly timeless journey had started, and after waiting what seemed an eternity, this was where he wanted to be for the end. It wasn’t quite as he remembered it, but that had been so long ago. He found it remarkable how the landscape changed over time. Buildings he had believed would stand forever were torn down, although in this case the church had been rebuilt.

  He held his sign loosely, content with the message he was trying to spread, his ego demanding the attention. People in long coats scurried around him, trying desperately to get home or to work before the storm moved in. The day had begun sunny yet brisk, but a severe thunderstorm was expected for later that morning.

  The cold didn’t bother him on this day; he was at peace. Finally, everything he had been waiting for was about to unfold. He absentmindedly ran his right thumb over the scar running from behind his right ear and down across his throat and watched as the clouds he exhaled evaporated into the cold dawn air. He became lost in his memories, drawn backward to that fateful day. An eternity had passed since he had received that wound. It was his last mark of humanity. Everything since then had been a curse. He could hardly believe it was all about to finally end.

  Drawn back to the here and now, he realized that not many people would make eye contact with him. Many would stare at him and then glance down at their shoes the minute he looked back. Strange that they would treat him like a vagrant on the street, rambling on to himself about the end of the world. They didn’t know. They didn’t want to know. They all wanted to think he was crazy, but he knew he was right. He had been planning for so long, saving for so long, wanting for so long. Now all of his hard work would pay off. His perseverance and enormous expense would come to fruition. Now, on this day.

  He didn’t speak. His sign said it all. The end is now.

  December 24, 6:45 AM

  Colorado Springs, CO

  Alastair sat outside her house and waited. He’d gotten up early, dressed warmly, ensured the gun was loaded, and driven to her house. He’d parked a couple of houses down while it was still dark; now he watched and waited. He’d only get one opportunity, and he couldn’t afford to blow it. So he sat and drank his now-tepid coffee, using his laptop to check on the status of Unique as well as checking the side pocket of the case for the jacks. Compulsively, he looked in his wallet again to make sure he’d brought the keycards he’d created. In the event his plans went smoothly, he’d need them by the end of the day. Occasionally he would sink down in his seat to avoid being seen by a passing car, but at this time of morning there were very few.

  Shortly after seven o’clock, the garage door opened and her car pulled out. As she paused to make sure the garage door closed behind her, Alastair started the car and pulled out to follow her. He had difficulties as there was no other traffic for him to hide in. Luckily, Margaret didn’t notice him tailing her and drove slowly to the car service offices to pick up a company car and report to the airport.

  Alastair followed her on her runs in and out of the Colorado Springs Airport for the next five hours. He almost lost her on more than one occasion but was lucky enough to catch her coming out of the small airport.

  December 24, 7:00 AM

  Outside Castle Rock, CO

  They decided to have a light breakfast before reporting to the medical facilities. They sat in the cafeteria near the windows overlooking the grounds. It had snowed the previous night and the countryside was decorated in a beautiful, brilliant white powder as yet undisturbed by human or animal intrusion. Jacqueline looked forward to sharing days like these with her son, bundling up to play in the snow, rushing inside to warm back up with large cups of hot chocolate. Rosy cheeks, runny noses, and years of laughter and fun raced through her mind. She couldn’t have planned a more beautiful day for her new start. She glanced across the table and saw that Nysa, too, was admiring the breathtaking view.

  “What are you thinking?” Jacqueline asked.

  “Just thinking about Alastair. It’s almost time to go home. I was wondering what he’s doing, how he’s doing.” Nysa stopped abruptly and shifted in her seat.

  “And?” Jacqueline prodded.

  “And if he’s waited for me,” Nysa muttered. “He said he’d wait for me no matter how long it took, but I just don’t know. Not for sure, anyway.”

  Jacqueline reached across the small table and took Nysa by the hand. “Of course he’s waiting for you, honey. He’d be crazy not to. I wouldn’t be concerned about him not being there when you get home, I’d be more concerned about him not letting you leave once you get there. The man’s been celibate for almost a year now. You probably won’t be able to leave the bedroom for the first week, at least.”

  Nysa smiled mischievously. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “Oh, you’re horrible,” Jacqueline teased, sitting forward in her chair, picking up her fork, and taking a bite of her scrambled eggs.

  “I can’t help it. He’s great in bed. What can I do?”

  “Sucks to be you,” Jacqueline replied with a grin. “But seriously, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. From what you’ve told me about Alastair, he’d be there if you didn’t get out of here for ten years. And he should wait. You’re a beautiful, intelligent, caring woman. Hell, I’d wait a year for you.”

  “Thanks,” Nysa answered, shifting her gaze back out the window.

  Jacqueline ate a well-balanced meal to make sure she had the strength for the long day that awaited her. After breakfast, they cleared the table and went back to Jacqueline’s room so she could take a quick bath. Sitting in the tub, Jacqueline could feel the baby kicking and rolling around.

  “Apparently he’s excited, too,” Jacqueline told Nysa, tapping on her belly.

  “Is he up and moving around?” asked Nysa as she came into the bathroom and leaned over the tub to try and see some movement.

  “Feels like he’s doing gymnastics in here,” replied Jacqueline.

  “Have you decided on a name for your little gymnast yet?” asked Nysa, pulling a chair in from the bedroom and sitting down.

  Jacqueline looked at Nysa. “Not yet. I’m waiting to see him. I think once I look at him, it’ll just come to me.”

  “Well, if that’s what you want.”

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I thought we’d decided on Engelbert Humperdinck,” Nysa giggled. “It’s got a nice ring to it. I’ve always loved it.”

  “I was going to, but there’s only one Engelbert. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. That’s a big name to try and live up to.”

  “In his ultrasound pictures, he looks like an Engelbert,” Nysa said.

  “I’ll keep it on the table for you,” smirked Jacqueline, “but only because you’ve been there for me.”

  “Thanks,” smiled Nysa, leaning back in her chair.

  “No. Thank you,” replied Jacqueline seriously. “You’ve been to every appointment with me. You were there the night I had my miscarriage, and you’ve listened when I needed someone to talk to. So thank you. Thank you for everything.”

  “It’s been my pleasure hon. Really.” Nysa reached out and grabbed Jacqueline’s hand and they both sat in silence, savoring the moment.

  After a very relaxing soak, Jacqueline got out, dried off, dressed, and began making her final preparations.

  “A bit nervous, are you?” Jacqueline suddenly asked.

  “What makes you s
ay that?” Nysa replied, stopping in her tracks.

  “You’ve been wandering around the room the entire time I’ve been drying off. Actually, you’ve been pacing the room. You OK?”

  “A little nervous, but I’m alright. Sorry. You have enough to think about right now without me making it worse. I’ll try to settle down.”

  “It’s OK, I just would hate for you to wear a path in the floor. Mr. Scario might have plans for this place and I’d hate for him to get upset when he finds a circle worn into his bathroom tile.” Jacqueline giggled and gave Nysa a hug. “You’re doing great. Thank you for being here with me, nervous pacing and all.” Nysa smiled and sat down.

  When Jacqueline had finished her hair and brushed her teeth again, they packed two bags, one for Jacqueline and one for the baby. Mr. Scario had shipped in nearly two hundred outfits from which Jacqueline could choose the “coming home” outfit. The rest were to be sent home with them.

  Nysa looked at her watch and with an eager smile took Jacqueline’s hand. “It’s time to go.”

  December 24, 9:00 AM

  Outside Castle Rock, CO

  Nysa and Jacqueline stepped into the elevator and took it up to the medical facilities. Nysa carried the bags as Jacqueline waddled down the hall to the birthing room.

  The doctor was waiting for them and smiled as they entered. He rose from his chair and walked over to them. “Is everybody ready?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  “I’m a little nervous,” Jacqueline said meekly.

  “You’ll do great,” Nysa reassured her as she set the bags in the corner.

  “Everything will be fine,” replied the doctor. “Please get undressed. There’s a robe on the bed. The nurses will be in shortly to begin preparations.”

  December 24, 10 AM

  Outside Castle Rock, CO

  Jacqueline sat on the bed wearing only her robe and the fetal monitor strapped around her stomach like a funky, hi-tech belt. She had gotten quite a laugh from all in attendance when she had asked for the matching purse. She feigned dismay when they told her they did not. Now she and Nysa sat playing cards until the Prostaglandin E-2 kicked in and softened her cervix enough to allow for the next step of the induction to take place.

  The nurses came and went, watching her vital signs and those of the baby, but for the most part they left Nysa and Jacqueline alone to talk and play games. They were currently caught up in an intense game of slapjack. Nysa found that she was absolutely horrible at the game, but they were having fun and getting a good laugh so they dealt it out a few more times. They took a break when the doctor came in to check the progress of her cervix.

  “Excellent,” said the doctor as he examined Jacqueline’s cervix with a gloved hand. “You’re coming along nicely.” He glanced at the cards on the table as he finished the exam, pushed back from the table, and stood up. “Slapjack, huh? I don’t mean to brag, but I’d crush you both,” he boasted.

  “You leave that nasty latex glove on, and you’re probably right,” replied Nysa, eliciting a round of laughter from the other two. “You take it off, though, and my money’s on Jacqueline.”

  “Let’s get it on,” countered the doctor, removing his gloves and stepping to the sink to wash up. Jacqueline grabbed the cards and began to shuffle.

  “Maybe now I can get some competition,” she joked, winking at Nysa.

  “What can I say?” asked Nysa. “I’m in the presence of a master, and I’m still a young grasshopper.” She gave a small bow. Jacqueline chuckled and dealt the cards as the doctor pulled up a chair next to the bed.

  December 24, 12:00 PM Colorado Springs, CO

  His first decent opportunity presented itself when she took her lunch break. She’d picked up some fast food, parked the car, and sat eating in the driver’s seat. Alastair contemplated getting out of the car, walking over to hers, and climbing into the back seat. The problem was he couldn’t be sure if the doors were unlocked or not. He decided to wait. He couldn’t afford to alert her to his presence until he was sure he’d get what he needed. So he waited, and he followed.

  December 24, 11:10 AM

  Los Angeles, CA

  “SecTech, this is Suzy. May I help you?”

  “Suzy, this is Joseph calling again. I’ve spoken with your technicians and nothing seems to be working. This has to be resolved, and I need it resolved today. I’ve been assured that we will receive the necessary assistance in this matter. It’s my understanding my employer spent quite a bit of money on this system, and that it would be in your company’s best interest to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

  “Of course, sir. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Let me speak with my people and find out what else we can do to get this problem corrected. Do you mind if I call you back in the next hour or two with the status?” Suzy was scribbling furiously while at the same time holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder and using her free hand to IM the members of her team to meet in her office ASAP.

  When she finished the call, her subordinates had all assembled in her office. “Okay, most of you are already working on this project, so I’ll keep it brief. One of our security systems, Unique, seems to have some kind of bug in it. The system is sporadically shutting down for an hour or two at a time. We’ve got to fix it. We’re trying to steal market share in this area, and it won’t do to have one of our best programs on the fritz. I want everyone on this until we get it fixed. Any questions?” she asked, stopping her pacing in the middle of the office and turning back toward the others.

  No one spoke.

  “Very well. Craig, you take the lead on this one. Divide it up however you see fit. I want a status update in an hour. Get to it.”

  Craig, her new lead programmer, was already giving directions as everyone got up and hurried out of the office and back to their cubicles.

  December 24, 12:15 PM

  Outside Castle Rock, CO

  The card game had died down a while ago and a nurse had gone upstairs to retrieve a few movies for Jacqueline and Nysa to watch. While they waited for her to return, the doctor examined Jacqueline’s cervix and checked her and the baby’s vitals. They were both doing quite well. However, she had not responded as much as expected to the first dose of prostaglandin, so a second was administered.

  “I’m going to run down to my room to grab my crossword puzzles. You’ll be okay by yourself for a few minutes, right?” Nysa asked Jacqueline when the doctor was done.

  “Absolutely,” Jacqueline replied. “Hey, can you stop by my room and pick up my book? It’s on the nightstand in my bedroom.”

  “Sure,” Nysa responded as she grabbed Jacqueline’s room key. “Anything else I can get for you?”

  “Nope. My trashy smut novel is just fine. Thanks.”

  “I thought they were called romance novels,” Nysa joked as she headed to the door.

  “I call a spade a spade. See you in a few.”

  “Bye.”

  Nysa walked briskly to the elevator, taking out her key card as she went. When she entered her room she paused. Something seemed different from when she’d left, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She made her way into the bedroom to her dresser, still perplexed by the feeling. She shoved her key in her pocket and grabbed her puzzles. She walked slowly through the rooms looking for something out of place but found the only thing different was her “window,” which had changed to show storm clouds moving slowly across the sky. She chuckled to herself, knowing the image had nothing to do with the weather outside.

  Shrugging off the strange feeling, she exited her room and walked down the hallway, pulling out Jacqueline’s key as she went. She grabbed the book from the nightstand and returned to the elevator, pausing as she entered to take one last look at her door.

  “Oh well,” she muttered, stepping into the elevator and using Jacqueline’s key to return to the medical floor.

  December 24, 12:10 PM

  Los Angeles, CA

  Suzy looked up from he
r computer. “What have you got?”

  Craig settled into a seat opposite her with a grim look on his face. “A whole lotta nothing is what I’ve got. I’ve tried everything I can think of from the basics of rebooting the system to every security patch we have. Nothing. It’s like the system has a mind of its own.”

  Suzy slumped back into her chair. “That’s not what I wanted to hear. I don’t need any more problems, Craig, I need solutions.”

  “If you give me enough time, I can go through the entire code bit by bit and find out what the problem is, but I can’t do that in the next hour. I’ve got everyone working as hard as they can, but I don’t think we can do what they’re asking in the time we’re given.”

  As Craig was about to spew forth even more excuses, the phone rang. Startled, Suzy picked it up on the first ring. “SecTech, this is Suzy. Uh-huh. Okay. Thank you.” She set the phone back into its cradle. “That was Joseph. Apparently the system is back online. What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Craig replied, puzzled. “But it’s probably not the result of anything we’re doing here. As far as I know everyone on the floor is reading code, not making changes. I told them to let me know if they found anything—anything—before they made any changes. I don’t want people fumbling around in the program and making things worse.”

  “Good thinking.” Suzy leaned back in her chair, once again massaging her temples as she tried to come up with a new solution. “I wish Alastair were here. He wrote the damn thing, he might be able to fix it.”