by Greg Ness
There was no telling what would happen tomorrow. If everything went to plan, Bruce and Mikey would quietly save the world and once again be allowed to live a normal life. If they failed, the consequences would be dire. Bruce had thought about going to the police, the FBI… somebody. But no one would believe him. His situation was reminiscent of countless stories he had read. Whenever the main character knew of a big calamity, there was no way to stop it. No one would believe him. The only way to save the world from destruction was to do it yourself.
Bruce gazed at his sleeping wife. Throughout the years, he had taken her for granted. There was no doubt about that. To him, she was always 2nd best. Bruce was in love with Sara Ixley. But at times like these, he didn’t need to look deep to see how much he loved Kristen. Maybe he didn’t realize it until she disappeared for two days. Whether or not it was how he had planned it, life played out this way.
Kristen completed him.
Problem was, she didn’t necessarily know.
Bruce nudged her. “Hey Kristen,” he whispered.
Kristen moaned and spoke indiscernibly. She was sound asleep. Bruce continued, “Kristen, I need to talk to you.” She struggled to wake up. She mumbled, “No… Leave Lisa alone…”
“What did you say?”
Kristen’s eyes delicately opened. She was back from dreamland. “Bruce?”
“What did you just say?”
Kristen shook off the rust of sleep. She was now fully awake and alert. “I guess I was talking in my sleep.”
Bruce smiled. He scooted closer to her, squishing the mattress as he moved. He extended his arm and put his hand to her face, softly rubbing her cheek. “I love you, Kristen.”
Kristen mouthed the words, “I love you.” Bruce gently curled his fingers through hers.
He whispered, “There are some things I have to tell you.”
But where to start? A story like his was as unbelievable as any. He could’ve said that Bigfoot and the Lochness Monster had teamed up with an army of aliens and his story would’ve been just as believable.
“I have a lot to tell you actually. And you might not believe most of it.”
Kristen sat up, suddenly attentive. There was a mix of concern and intrigue that filled her face. “What is it, Bruce?”
“Well... I guess I’ll start back in high school. Me and Stephen decided to go out to a forest, where we heard there was some kind of cult…”
And with that, Bruce began the long task of telling Kristen everything.
Two years earlier, Bruce sat beside a lake. This particular lake was a poignant place for him. It was the same lake he stumbled upon on the day of Sara’s funeral. He sat under the same shade-providing tree, hoping Pocahontas would show up again.
For the first time, he needed to see her.
If anyone knew what was going on, it would be her.
Yesterday, Bruce returned home to find Kristen missing. Fine, he had thought, she was probably out somewhere and would return home soon. Nope. He called her cell phone and the sound of her ringing phone filled the house. She had left it behind. The day ended and he spent the night in bed alone, without a wink of sleep. Earlier today, he struggled to remain focused as he taught his classes. He hoped Kristen would be home when he returned. But still no. He perused his mind constantly. Did she say something about leaving and he didn’t catch it? He simply had no idea.
And he was worried sick.
Maybe Bruce was over-worrying, but if anyone had the right to over-worry, it was him. Tragedy after tragedy kept him on his toes.
Bruce’s eyelids slid down and covered his eyes. Blackness. He imagined Kristen sitting next to him, under the shade of the tree. Maybe if he focused hard enough, he could summon her back. He imagined her flowing blonde hair blowing in the wind as she looked out at the lake with him. All he had to do was focus. Focus.
“Bruce?” A voice rung out.
It worked! Bruce’s eyes shot open. He saw Natalie crouched over him, peering to see if her old friend was really in front of her. She wore an exercise shirt and spandex and was doused in sweat. She had been running, just like Bruce used to do.
“Natalie?”
“It is you!” Natalie plopped herself next to Bruce and let out a tired sigh. She turned her body and hugged him. Bruce reciprocated.
Bruce asked, “What are you doing here? What’ve you been up to?” He could’ve bombarded her with questions; it had been years since he’d seen her.
“Vince and I recently did some research in the jungle…” Natalie paused. The look on her face grew worried, as if she said something she wasn’t supposed to. “We’ve just been doing some… research.”
“So what are you doing all the way over here?” Bruce asked.
“Vince is here to settle some issue with his brother, Chad. I hear you work with him.”
“Yes. He’s a wonderful man,” Bruce said sarcastically.
Natalie caught on, responding just as derisively, “Oh yeah. Chad’s great isn’t he? Hard to believe Vince’s brother could be such a jerk.”
They laughed. Bruce looked out at the water as it gently rippled. He stated, “Kristen’s missing. I don’t know where she went.” He continued to stare at the water, afraid to make eye contact with Natalie.
“Were you two fighting?”
“No. Everything was great…” Bruce turned his head and nimbly connected eyes with her. “I’m really worried about her.”
Natalie put a hand on his shoulder. “As ridiculous as it may sound to you… pray. You always used to make fun of me for being so religious, but sometimes when you need someone, it’s nice to know God will listen.” It was right then Bruce noticed the small cross hanging from her neck. Natalie continued, “In fact, I would consider going to church for five minutes and asking God to help you.”
As absurd as the notion seemed to him, Bruce was willing to listen to anything. He smiled at his old friend. “I’ll consider it,” he said.
Hours later, all the pews in the local church were empty, except for one lone person: Bruce. Only under the direst of circumstances would he ever find himself in a spot such as this. It was deadly silent inside. He had never been in such quiet. He looked around: there were plenty of pews, a crucifix hanging in the front, and an altar below it. Bruce shook his head. What was so great about this place? Was it supposed to be a direct channel to God’s ear? Anything Bruce said or did was supposed to immediately reach God? Why couldn’t he have just prayed anywhere else?
Whatever. He would do what he came to do and leave. He closed his eyes. And for the first time in his life, he prayed. His mind spoke, “God, I don’t necessarily know if sitting here and chatting is going to work. I’m only here because of Natalie, a good friend of mine… and probably a good friend of yours. I just want my wife back.” Bruce’s heart ached as memories came pouring back into his consciousness. Anger took over. “Sara Ixley. You took her from me. You flat out stole her from me. I won’t let you take Kristen too. So you give her back you selfish son of a bitch.”
A voice rang out. “Bruce.”
Bruce opened his eyes and turned around. It was her. “Pocahontas.”
She stood in the aisle of the church, smiling at Bruce. Naturally, she looked exactly as he remembered. She had the same blonde curly hair and blue eyes. Still charmingly attractive. And she hadn’t aged a second.
Pocahontas chimed, “Now I need your help, Bruce.” She paced toward him, tapping each pew as she made her way toward where he was sitting.
Bruce wasted no time getting straight to the point. “Where is Kristen?”
A befuddled look swallowed Pocahontas. Her eyebrows quivered as she went into deep thought. “She’s gone somewhere?”
Bruce didn’t know if he should buy into her inquiry. It was entirely feasible she was behind it. “You know nothing about it?”
“No… I had no idea.” Pocahontas seemed genuinely concerned. She slid into the pew with Bruce and sat close to him. Though Pocahontas had
only spoken with Bruce a few times, she felt a closeness with him that defied explanation. She asked, “Why are you here?”
“I came to pray, I guess.”
Pocahontas nodded. “Makes sense.” Bruce couldn’t tell if she was serious or being sarcastic. She continued, “I was thinking about what you said last time I saw you. If I’m asking for your help, maybe it would be best if I told you everything. Or at least enough for you to understand…”
That caught Bruce’s attention. He peered into Pocahontas’s spectacular blue eyes. She continued, “I should tell you who I am. My name is… Elpis.”
Bruce’s jaw dropped. A million thoughts raced through his mind. The ELPIS box. Sara’s last words to him, ‘You need to listen to Elpis’. But Sara told him to stay away from the girl who gave him the ring. Why would she say that? Bruce had purposely stayed away from Stephen just to defy ‘Pocahontas’. It was a wasted effort. Could he trust her?
‘You need to listen to Elpis’. Sara’s last words…
So ELPIS was Pocahontas. Elpis was… a girl.
“You’re Elpis?” Bruce asked.
“Yes.” She smiled again. Always so cheerful. She glowed with friendliness every time Bruce had seen her. He needed to ask her about the box. But first thing’s first. Bruce said, “I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?”
“Your friend Stephen has made a dangerous discovery. No one can ever find out about it. If word gets out, a plan will be put into motion. And then we’ll have to take drastic measures.”
Bruce was baffled. Why did she have to be so cryptic? “What are you talking about?”
“When the Universe comes to its certain end, everything starts over and repeats exactly as it did before. Do you know what that means, Bruce?”
Bruce shook his head.
“You will live this same life again. We will have this same conversation again. And you can’t change that.”
Bruce’s mind reeled. You can’t change it? …No choice in life?
Elpis continued, “Stephen has made this discovery, albeit with some help. If he releases these findings, everything will fall apart. You’re smart Bruce. Just imagine it. If everyone knew they could come back again…”
The dangers of the discovery became apparent to Bruce. Mass chaos. But not being able to change a decision that’s already been made countless times before? That seemed like predestination. Bruce didn’t totally buy it. But, he realized, neither would a lot of people. And that’s where the danger lied.
“So we can’t change anything… ever?”
Elpis shook her head. “No…” She snapped her mouth shut, wary of continuing. She didn’t want to tell Bruce certain things. But she needed him on her side. “But… it has happened before. There was a change. Once. All this… you, me, this place … originally… never happened. For billions of cycles of the Universe, the world was destroyed thousands of years ago. At least, we assume it was billions of cycles. It could have been one, a hundred, who knows. But this wasn’t the original history of the Universe. It was changed. And it has played out this way ever since.
“We’re here now because one person figured out a way to change the repeated course of history. To free us from re-living the same doom over and over again.”
“How did he do that?”
Elpis shook her head. “I don’t know. Nobody knows.”
“Who was it?”
Elpis turned her head forward and her eyes shot straight ahead of her. She nodded as if she was pointing ahead with her eyes. Bruce glanced in the direction of where she was looking.
The cross. With Jesus hanging on it.
Elpis said, “It was him.”
Bruce looked at Elpis. She wasn’t kidding. Elpis admirably gazed at the crucifix. The all-too familiar sight of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns nailed to a cross touched her. It should have been a sobering sight. But it was a constant reminder of his sacrifice and triumph.
Elpis, nearly in a daze, refocused her attention to Bruce. “You need to convince Stephen, anyway you can, to keep quiet. If it doesn’t work… then we’ll have to do something else.”
“What if I fail?”
“I’ll find you,” she replied.
Elpis gently put her hand in Bruce’s and curled her fingers through his. Bruce squeezed. The odd connection between them was undeniable. They both felt it. Elpis scooted closer to Bruce and rested her head on his shoulder.
She whispered, “Thank you, Bruce”
He had seen her only a limited number of times. But somehow, they were like old, lifelong friends. He rested his head on hers. There were endless questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to tell her about the box.
But not now.
The peaceful church allowed the two weary souls to rest. The crucifix, suddenly more meaningful, hung glaringly, overlooking Bruce and Elpis.
Bruce tried his best to tell everything to Kristen. Unfortunately, everything was simply too much. He had tried to shield Mikey from it and was unable. Now, he would have to spare Kristen. Though he couldn’t tell her everything, he was able to tell her enough.
Bruce painted a picture of a dark gang hell-bent on the murder of innocent people. He left out some ‘minor’ details-like how the world would likely end if he failed to destroy X. Elpis was simply too much information. To try to explain who she was would be too difficult. He had minimized her role in the story, despite the fact she was probably the biggest factor in everything.
Bruce couldn’t read Kristen’s face. Did she believe him or did she think he was crazy? “I’m sorry. You don’t have to believe me. I should have told you all this before… but… I guess I was scared.” Bruce gazed into Kristen’s eyes that glistened in the moonlight.
A smile struggled across her face. “I believe you. And I trust you.”
Bruce smiled widely. Kristen warmed his heart. There was one left-out detail he felt compelled to explain. “There’s one more thing.”
The next set of words that left his mouth was the hardest he ever had to speak. “I was going to leave you for someone else.” The statement shot like a missile straight to Kristen’s heart. She didn’t respond. She just stared ahead. Her mind flooded with thoughts, too many to comprehend.
All Bruce could do was continue. “Sara Ixley. I loved her in high school. I loved her in college...” He paused. He didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t want to destroy his relationship with her. But he wanted to tell her the truth. He owed her that much. “I never stopped loving her.”
Kristen shrunk in bed. Her shoulders drooped and her eyes fell. She had always loved Bruce. Unconditionally. To hear him say he had been unfaithful and that she wasn’t even his first choice was excruciating. Her heart twisted as she considered the years she had spent with him.
Bruce continued, “My heart always longed for Sara. Even after I met you. Even after we’d been going out. When we met up with her at the restaurant, it was my chance. I thought Sara and I were going to spend the rest of our lives together.
“Then she died.
“After that, something happened. I realized the girl I had already been with was an amazing, beautiful girl. She was everything I ever wanted. It just took me a little longer to find out.
“We got married. We adopted a son.
“And I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Kristen stared at Bruce. Those words, unlike the missiles before, comforted her. She knew it was the truth. What happened in the past had already happened. There was no changing it. And there was no use hanging on to it.
She squeezed Bruce’s hand. “I don’t care what happened with you and Sara.”
Bruce leaned over in the bed and softly kissed her.
Kristen whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
She pointed at his heart. “For finally letting me in here.”
Bruce laughed to himself. There she went again. But he didn’t mind. Kristen was simply the best at corny lines. She stared admirably into his eyes. A new si
de of him had been exposed to her. She knew from here, their relationship would only grow.
“Don’t go,” Kristen said. “I don’t want to lose you, Bruce.”
“You won’t.”
Bruce was convinced that was the truth. There was simply no way he and Mikey would fail. They were too prepared. X and the cult had no idea what was going to hit them. Bruce and Mikey would kill them and there wouldn’t be so much as a whisper about it. The world would continue to turn and life would go on.
But, if in the rare event Bruce failed, there was nothing Kristen would be able to do. There was nothing anyone would be able to do. Bruce trusted only one person to finish the job: Stephen Pandora.
Bruce said, “If anything should happen, I need you to do me a favor.”
Kristen didn’t like his statement in the least. ‘If anything should happen’ was a phrase she didn’t want to hear. Nonetheless, she listened to the rest of what he had to say.
“I need you to give the ELPIS box to Stephen. You can’t forget that.”
It was of monumental importance. Inside the box, Bruce left explicit instructions on how to stop X. If Stephen didn’t lay eyes on them, the world would be as good as gone.
Kristen nodded as her eyes filled up with tears. She sat up in the bed and embraced Bruce. They hugged, never wanting to let go.
They both knew tomorrow was the day.
31
It was two years earlier and it was the night Bruce would daringly become a member of the cult.
It was late at night. Darkness covered the city. Rain poured from the sky and thumped onto the hood of Bruce’s sweater. He calmly crossed the street and headed for the Russell Corporation tower. Grand Rapids was eerily quiet on this night. There were no cars driving by, no people to be seen. There was just Bruce walking with a cold determination to the Russell Corporation tower.
In front of him, through the downpour, he could see the entrance to the building. A glass wall encompassed the entire side of the base of the tower. A lone security guard sat at a circular security station in the middle of the lobby. Behind him were the elevators.