by Brandon Hale
“I understand what you’re saying,” Lauren said. “I’m just saying this isn’t going to be something people just get over. It’ll take time. I’m sure there were people that watched these aliens kill their family members. They‘re not going to suddenly say, ‘Sure! Come stay at my place.’”
“It’s going to take time,” Arthur said. “But humanity will get there. I’m certain.”
“There’s not enough room on this world for them,” Jerry said.
“You’re right,” Arthur said. “They’ll eventually have to find a new home. But if we can overcome our prejudices, it can be a giant step forward for us as well. Who knows, we might even develop a kinship. Alice did. Maybe some of us will go with them. Maybe some of them will decide to stay.”
“If they can figure out how to stop putting us into comas,” Jerry said. “I saw them carry in your neighbor. He still hasn’t come out of it.”
“In time,” Arthur said. “Now that they understand how our minds work, they’ll figure this out.”
“We’re really looking at a new step in the evolution of humanity,” Lauren said.
“Yes,” Arthur said, “we are.”
“For the record,” Jerry said, “I was right all along. Turns out, they didn’t give a shit about us.”
Arthur laughed. “You’re right,” he said. “But they care now. More specifically, they see us as children that are growing up. Before, they saw us as pets. Alice changed that perception.”
“She’s really out there?” Jerry asked for the thousandth time.
“Yes,” Arthur said as he placed the empty coffee cup on the coffee table and stood up. “And it’s time for me to go. Now is your only chance to speak to her for a while.”
Jerry stood in front of the ship. “This feels stupid,” he said.
“It won’t,” Arthur said.
“What do I do?”
“Touch it,” Arthur said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Jerry reached a hand out and placed it on the outside hull of the ship.
“Well?” Lauren said.
Jerry looked at her, his eyes full of wonder and tears. He laughed. “Holy shit,” he mumbled.
“See?” Arthur said. “They can’t be all bad.”
Lauren looked at Arthur. “I’m going to miss you,” she said. She looked at the ship. “Both of you.”
“We’ll miss you, too,” Arthur said. “But we’ll be back in a month or so. Hell, maybe next trip, you’ll decide to go with us.”
“Maybe,” Lauren said. She laughed. “I’ve lost my husband to a spaceship.”
“She wanted to touch the stars,” Arthur said. “Now she gets to.”
“Take care of her, Art,” Jerry said. His hand was still on the ship. “She’s a special ship.”
“One of a kind,” Arthur said. “You two take care of each other.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be looking for a new place to live,” Lauren said. “This house is for ministers, after all.”
“You don’t have to look far,” Jerry said. “You know that.”
“I know you’re walking away from the minister gig,” Arthur said, “but don’t forget who you are.”
“Never,” Lauren said.
“It’s time,” Arthur said. “Herbie and I have some adventures waiting for us.”
“Herbie?” Lauren said with a smile.
“It’s a little joke we have,” Arthur said. “Kind of like your Shirley bit.”
Jerry laughed. “I figured.”
“I love you,” Lauren said. “Both of you.”
“We love you, too,” Arthur said. He looked at Jerry. “Both of you.”
“Thanks for everything, Art,” Jerry said. “I mean that.”
Arthur stepped onto the platform that had lowered behind him. As it rose, he looked at Lauren and said, “Stop trying to explain the things that are beyond explanation. You can appreciate things you don’t fully understand.”
And he was gone.
Jerry and Lauren watched the ship disappear into the atmosphere.
“You know,” Lauren said, “I was technically right.”
“About what?”
“If we hadn’t come back to the house,” she said, “Arthur wouldn’t have found us. So coming back was the right thing to do.” She grinned. “I told you so.”
“Bullshit,” Jerry said. “If we had stayed at the church, he would have made peace with these guys first, and then they would have come to get us, full of peace and love and hippy hugs. So I told you so.”
Lauren shook her head. “Wrongo,” she said. “They would have just attacked us in the church, but Arthur would have been looking for us at the house. They’d have killed us. Accept it, man. I win the I told you so.”
Jerry watched as other ships floated across the sky. “The world’s in for some crazy days,” he said.
Lauren rested her head on his shoulder and watched the floating pyramids. “Yeah,” She said. “Crazy days indeed.”
“How do you think it’ll all turn out?” Jerry asked
Lauren stretched up and kissed him on the cheek.
“God only knows,” she said.
Jerry laughed.
“Now come on,” Lauren said. “Let’s get inside before our coffee gets cold.”
The End and Beginning.
Excerpt from Day Soldiers, an exciting new novel by Brandon Hale:
The soldiers arrived shortly after dawn. It was a single black vehicle, kind of a mix between a jeep and a tank. Lily and Leo sat on the steps of the police station, watching the vehicle as it came to an eventual stop. Lily recognized it as a standard transport for Day Soldiers, developed specifically for the war.
The doors on the back of the vehicle opened and several soldiers jumped onto the street. It was a mix of men and women. They carried very high-tech looking rifles and wore the same uniform Bev had been wearing a million years ago.
Or was it yesterday?
To Lily, yesterday was a million years ago.
From the front of the vehicle, an older man stepped out. His gray hair was cropped short. His face was either extremely wrinkled or extremely scarred. Lily wasn’t sure which. Despite his apparent age, he looked very strong.
While the man – clearly the leader of this troop – was looking at the many dead vampires scattered throughout the town, one of the younger soldiers jogged up to him with an excited look on his face. “Commander, there are hundreds of them. All dead. Every one of em apparently staked. Staked, sir. By hand. What the hell.”
“How many human bodies?” the commander asked.
“None,” the young man answered, “that we can find.”
Still looking at the bodies, the commander just said, “Burn em all.”
“Yes, sir.” The young man jogged toward the other soldiers. “Bonfire time!” he yelled.
“There are three human bodies,” Lily said in an exhausted voice. “We put them in the station.”
The soldier turned and looked at the blood-covered teenagers. “Looks like we missed the fun,” he said.
“Looks like,” Leo answered flatly.
Without looking up, Lily said, “Good morning, Commander. Welcome to Iveyton. Population: two.”
“The name’s Wallace,” the man said. “Commander Geoff Wallace. So... would one of you kids mind explaining to me what the hell happened here?”
About the Author
Read more about Brandon and his other novels and short stories at www.BooksFromHale.com
Brandon has been writing for as long as he can remember, finishing his first novel twenty years ago, at the age of 17. Since then he's written non-stop, including novels, short stories and comics.
Brandon grew up in the small town of Coeburn, Virginia. He still resides in Virginia with his wife, Laura.
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