The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters

by C. A. Newsome

  When it was clear, Merrick led the way, keeping his back to the wall for effect. Once or twice on the way up, they managed to dodge drunken guardsmen stumbling down to their quarters.

  On the concourse level, the guards were all snoring loudly and Merrick led the way to the stairs and ramps that wound down to the city streets.

  Making their way along, they hid in the shadows of doorways when they encountered people. A time or two, Merrick used ropes from his pack and they rappelled to the next level down, just to make the escape seem more difficult.

  The streets were still filled with dancing, singing, cheering hordes, when Merrick and his charge made it into the open. They had no problem keeping to the darkness and getting to the city gates was little more than a long walk.

  For a brief time, as the moon neared the horizon and they were in a dark space between the city lights and the brightness of the spaceport, Merrick could see the Frog Nebula in all its colorful glory. Even though it was so small and distant he could hide it behind his thumb held at arm’s length, it was still a magnificent sight.

  Their walk from Olafston to Spaceport City was a long haul, but they made it just as the first rays of morning light were peeking over the horizon. Merrick already had his few meager possessions in his pack, so he was ready to go. His excitement grew as he drew closer to the green-eyed woman and his destiny.

  From the outskirts of Spaceport City, they took a shuttle to the departure lounge. The captain was waiting. Merrick was breathless at seeing her, but she had personnel problems to deal with first.

  The spaceman drew to attention and saluted his superior officer.

  “How dare you?” the captain said. “You nearly cost me my ship, my command and my career.” She slapped the man’s face. “I’ve a mind to clap you in irons for the rest of this trip.”

  The first officer stared at his feet as the captain continued to berate him. Merrick tried to pretend he wasn’t there, but they hardly seemed to notice him anyway. All at once, the captain grabbed her crewman by the front of his flight suit, yanking him to her and pressing her mouth tight to his in the most passionate kiss Merrick had ever witnessed.

  With that kiss, Merrick was completely deflated. He was not only getting silver instead of gold, he also wasn’t getting the girl―plus, he hadn’t even asked what the next port of call might be. He found a comfortable chair and took a load off his feet while he waited for the kiss to end.

  * * *

  S. Patrick O’Connell is a writer who lives by a lake on the planet Lee in the fifth system. That First Kiss is an introduction to his Seven Systems series, soon to be released.

  *

  Divinity’s Kiss: A Day Soldiers Short Story

  Brandon Hale

  A Small Village in Ireland

  November 1, 2017

  Sister Abigail Reid quietly cleaned the chapel’s pews as she listened to the conversation between Father O’Reilly and Tim. Abbie didn’t know Tim’s last name. The chapel was currently full of volunteers, all of them helping to prepare the church for the coming food drive. Tim was one of those volunteers. To Abbie, he looked to be in his late teens.

  “I’m telling you, Father,” Tim was saying, “it was a werewolf. An actual werewolf. It was all over the news.”

  Father O’Reilly chuckled. “My boy, you really should stop calling tabloid programs ‘the news.’ ”

  Abbie quietly shook her head as she continued to clean the pews. She didn’t like Father O’Reilly. As far as she was concerned, he represented everything that was wrong with the church. His every decision – including the coming food drive – was based on whether or not that decision would further his political career. Still, even politicians were right from time to time. “He’s right, Tim,” she said. “When you say something was on the news, it really should be an accredited news source.”

  “It was the real news, Sister,” Tim said. “And not just one station. It was on all of them. Some fella in America filmed it. A man in a cage turned from a human being into a werewolf.”

  “It was a hoax, Tim,” Father O’Reilly said.

  “How can you be sure?” Tim argued. “You haven’t even seen the video.”

  “I’m sure,” Father O’Reilly countered, “because werewolves don’t exist.”

  “Well,” Tim said, slightly deflated, “it looked pretty real to me.”

  “Tim,” Father O’Reilly said, “I’m willing to accept the possibility of the Loch Ness Monster or the Yeti. There are potential scientific explanations for those things. But a werewolf… that’s simply not possible. There’s absolutely no scientific explanation for a man who can turn into a wolf.”

  “There’s no scientific explanation for God,” Tim said. Abbie could see he immediately regretted his words.

  “Don’t test me, son,” Father O’Reilly said.

  “I’m not testing you, Father,” Tim said. “I know God’s there. I just meant there are some things science hasn’t figured out yet. I would’ve thought a man who devoted his life to worshipping something he’s never seen would be more open to the mysteries of the world.”

  O’Reilly pointed toward several crucifixes hanging on the church’s wall. “Are you here to help prepare for the food drive tomorrow or are you here to blather on about werewolves?”

  “I’m here to help,” Tim said. “I meant no disrespect, Father.”

  “Those crucifixes aren’t going to clean themselves,” O’Reilly snapped.

  “Yes, Father,” Tim said. He walked to the wall and began cleaning the crosses.

  O’Reilly looked at Abbie. “If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen, checking their progress.” Without another word, he spun around and exited through the door behind the podium at the front of the church.

  “Not sure what got his britches in a bunch,” Tim said.

  Abbie chuckled. “He’s probably just stressed. Tomorrow is a big day. It’s our first official ‘feed the poor’ event. I’m sure he just wants it to go well.” So he can brag about it to his superiors, she thought.

  “I thought priests were supposed to be nice,” Tim mumbled.

  “Priests are human beings,” Abbie said. “They have devoted themselves to God, but that doesn’t make their flaws disappear. Priests have bad days too, Tim.”

  “I’m sure he’s right,” Tim said. “About the werewolf, I mean. I’m sure it’s a hoax.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Abbie said.

  “But it’s still interesting,” Tim said. “How often do you see world news organizations reporting about werewolves?”

  “Not often,” Abbie admitted.

  “And I didn’t even get to the best part,” Tim added.

  “There’s more?” Abbie asked. “I would think a live werewolf transformation would be a hard story to top.”

  “Earlier today,” Tim said, “someone released a video. It was an older man who claimed to be a werewolf. According to this fella, the werewolves are furious about the televised transformation. He said the werewolves were declaring war on all of humanity.”

  “Did this big event happen in America?” Abbie asked.

  Tim nodded. “They filmed the transformation at a baseball stadium in New York City.”

  “I see,” Abbie said with a smile. “I think I know what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s a marketing campaign,” Abbie said. “I suspect there’s a movie coming out about werewolves attacking humanity and this is just a way for them to promote it.”

  “It was on the news,” Tim said. “The real news.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Abbie said. “If the movie studio treated the entire thing like it’s real, I’m not surprised the media picked it up. Yesterday was Halloween, after all. I’m sure they thought it would be a fun Halloween story.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Tim conceded.

  “Of course it does,” Abbie said with a smile. “I’m a very smart woman.”

  Tim laughed.


  Abbie looked around the chapel. Several other volunteers were in the room, all of them happily cleaning. “I must admit, I’m impressed with the amount of volunteers we have. And the donations to the drive were far beyond what I expected.”

  “Good people live here,” Tim said. “We just needed someone to give us a little nudge.”

  “Are you still in school, Tim?” Abbie asked.

  Tim shook his head. “Nah. Graduated last year. I’m actually considering joining the church.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah,” Tim said. “I’m not sure about being a priest or anything as heavy as that, but I would like to work for the church in some way.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Abbie said. “What brought you to that conclusion?”

  “I was kissed by divinity last year,” Tim said.

  Abbie stopped cleaning and looked at the young man. “That’s a unique way of putting it.”

  Tim shrugged. “It’s just the phrase that shot into my head. That’s really what it felt like. It was before you came to town, but construction had already begun on the church. I was watching the workers build the foundation when something just… I dunno… happened.”

  “And it felt like a kiss?”

  “Not physically,” Tim said, “but it was the same emotion. Love just poured through me, Sister. I knew in that moment I wanted to help people and I knew the church was the best way I could do it.”

  “Well,” Abbie said, “I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful addition.”

  Tim smiled. “Thanks, Sister.”

  Abbie looked at one of the church’s windows. “Wow. It’s already dark outside. I suppose I should let you folks go home for the night.”

  “The drive’s tomorrow morning,” Tim said. “I think most of the people here are fine with staying until everything’s ready.”

  “I’m already glad I came to this town,” Abbie said with a smile, “if for no other reason than it allowed me to meet the people of this village. I’ve been teaching at the school for a week now, and the children here are among the brightest I’ve ever taught.”

  “You’re not what I expected,” Tim said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t act like a nun,” Tim explained. “And you don’t look like one.”

  Abbie looked down at her clothing. She was wearing blue jeans and a pull-over sweater. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The only thing that even suggested she had religious connections was the rosary around her neck. “Well,” she said, “it’s not always practical to dress like a nun. As far as how I act, I have no idea what you mean.”

  “Most nuns I’ve met,” Tim said, “were much older than you. And if I’m being honest, they weren’t the most friendly women in the world.”

  “People are different, Tim,” Abbie said. “I thought I explained that. Giving yourself to the service of God doesn’t mean you cease to be the person you were. As far as my age, I’m almost thirty. There are plenty of nuns younger than me.”

  “I suppose,” Tim said. “I guess I’m just saying I like you, Sister.”

  Abbie’s smile grew a little bigger. “Thank you, Tim. I appreciate—”

  Before Abbie could finish her sentence, all the lights in the church flickered once, then went out, leaving them in darkness.

  “If there are any smokers here,” Abbie said, speaking loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the chapel, “take your lighters and start lighting some candles. This is a church, after all. We have plenty of candles.”

  As several people lit candles around the chapel, Father O’Reilly ran into the room from the kitchen. “What happened?”

  “We lost power,” Abbie said flatly.

  Even in the candlelight, Abbie could see the annoyance on O’Reilly’s face. “I’m aware of that, Sister,” he said slowly. “Why have we lost power?”

  How should I know? Abbie thought. “I don’t know, Father,” she said.

  O’Reilly looked around the chapel. “Does anybody know where the breaker is located?”

  “The basement, Father,” Tim said as he picked up a candle. “I’ll go check it.”

  “Please be quick about it,” O’Reilly said. “We can’t let that food spoil.”

  Tim had taken two steps when the front door of the chapel burst open...

  And a thing stepped inside the church.

  Blue veins spider-webbed across its white skin, which was pulled tightly over a skeletal face and body. It had long, pointed ears and absolutely no hair. Its eyes glowed red in the candlelight.

  It smiled, revealing a mouth full of very sharp teeth. “Hell has come to this house of God,” it hissed in a serpentine voice.

  Two identical creatures stepped into the church and stood behind the first.

  Several people in the church began to scream.

  “Everybody, be quiet!” Abbie yelled.

  She quickly evaluated the situation before her. All her life, Abbie’s greatest strength was her ability to adapt to any situation. Five minutes earlier, she lived in a more or less “normal” world. Five minutes earlier, her greatest enemy was poverty. Five minutes earlier, her life’s mission was to feed the hungry.

  Not anymore.

  Within the span of a few seconds, everything changed. Abbie suddenly found herself thrust into a world where monsters were real. And these weren’t metaphorical monsters. They weren’t serial killers or wife abusers. They were actual monsters, straight from the depths of Hell itself.

  It took Abbie roughly one second to accept this new reality. As the three creatures made their way toward the group of cowering humans, Abbie wrapped her hand around the rosary hanging from her neck.

  “What are those things?” O’Reilly stammered. The terror in his voice indicated he wasn’t quite as good as Abbie when it came to adapting to a new reality.

  “I bet it’s connected to that werewolf video, Father,” Tim said. “Apparently, some monsters are real.”

  “Are you suggesting these things are werewolves?” O’Reilly said.

  “Yes, Father,” Abbie said, no longer able to hide her sarcasm. “Those completely hairless creatures are werewolves.”

  Despite the horror of the situation, Tim laughed.

  “Come now, holy man,” the lead creature hissed. “Your people have hunted us for centuries. You really don’t know what we are?”

  “Everybody,” Abbie yelled, “grab a cross. They’re all over this place. Find the nearest one and pick it up!” Her mind raced with memories of old movies and books. Anything that might give her a hint about fighting these things. It wasn’t exactly a scientific approach, but it was all she had. “And if you see anything that might serve as a wooden stake, grab that too.”

  Father O’Reilly wrapped his hands around the crucifix at the end of his rosary and fell to his knees.

  “What are you doing?” Abbie said.

  “Taking your advice,” O’Reilly answered.

  “Get up,” Abbie ordered. “The crosses aren’t for praying, Father.”

  O’Reilly looked at her with confused eyes.

  “They’re vampires!” Abbie screamed. “I hope you’re just in shock, Father, because if you’re normally this stupid, I fear for our religion.”

  The lead vampire laughed. “Save your fear for more tangible things, Sister. Like the fact that we’re about to kill you all.”

  Abbie took a step forward, putting herself between the creatures and the humans. She snapped the rosary from her neck. Most of the beads fell to the floor. “You won’t be killing these people tonight.”

  The vampire laughed. “Yesterday, you didn’t know we exist. What makes you so sure the old legends have any impact on us?”

  “I’m not sure,” Abbie said. “I simply don’t see the downside to trying.”

  Without another word, Abbie slammed the top of her crucifix against the vampire’s face. The creature screeched and fell back, a trail of smoke wafting up from its face.

&nbs
p; “How did you do that?” someone asked. Abbie wasn’t sure who said it.

  “I have no idea,” Abbie said as she looked at the bubbling vampire flesh attached to her tiny cross.

  “Looks like I’m not the only person who’s been kissed by divinity,” Tim said.

  “Okay,” Abbie said. “Crosses work. We can check that off the list.”

  “You’ll die for that, bitch,” the vampire said as it climbed back to its feet. The shape of a cross was burned into the right side of his face. His two companions stood silently behind him. Abbie wasn’t sure if they were intimidated or just waiting for orders.

  “You were going to kill me anyway,” Abbie said, “so it’s not really honest to say you’re going to kill me because I burned you with a cross.”

  “True,” the vampire said. “Allow me to rephrase my statement. You’ll die painfully because of that.”

  “That’s definitely more believable,” Abbie said.

  “Back, you creature of the night!”

  Abbie glanced back to see Father O’Reilly slowly walking toward the lead vampire. He held his own crucifix in a trembling hand.

  “You got that from a movie,” the vampire said. “Please tell me you didn’t come up with that on your own.”

  “I said, back!” O’Reilly pressed the cross against the vampire’s forehead.

  Nothing happened.

  The vampire flashed a toothy grin. “Looks like yours is defective, Father.”

  O’Reilly looked at Abbie, shock and terror evident in his eyes. “I don’t underst—”

  The vampire grabbed him by the shoulders, spun around, then shoved him toward the two creatures standing by the door. “Turn him,” it said. “Then we’ll kill the rest.” The door-vamps threw O’Reilly to the ground, then dropped to their knees and sank their teeth into each side of his throat.

  O’Reilly’s screams echoed across the chapel.

  *

  Several seconds passed. O’Reilly eventually fell silent, but the other vampires remained crouched over his fallen body. The lead vampire paced back and forth in front of the group of humans, but he didn’t attack. Abbie wasn’t sure if he was concerned about the cross or if he was simply waiting for his friends.