Origin: Eternity's End

by Uneeb Qureshi

  “Too close...” Shep said as he looked down on his own injuries.

  That should slow him down though…

  He ran by the store one last time taking time for one last farewell to his fellow co-workers. Rudi and Lauren stared in bewilderment as they looked at their quiet co-worker possibly for the last time.

  “I’ll definitely pay for that,” Shep said as he pointed to the broken windows, “but right now, I needa run.”

  “Hey! Damn it. You totally wrecked my shop and I haven't even put up the sign for it yet.” Rudi yelled as Shep sprinted off into the distance.

  His thoughts were interrupted when the man behind him rustled from his collapse.

  Bystanders gazed upon him in horror. Almost painlessly, the man relocated his arms, wavering slightly in his stance to rest his body against the wall behind him. He began to breathe heavily looking around for his prey until the transceiver embedded in his ear came alive.

  “He escaped.” He said.

  “We saw, we are tracking him as we speak on our satellites, we will find him again. Return to base.” Said a voice on the line.

  “Understood.”

  Police squad cars arrived on the scene afterwards to discover the remains. He flexed his wounded shoulder causing pain to lance across his chest. He disappeared down another street before the police could question him.

  Chapter 2

  Old Feelings Renewed

  What’s up with tonight?

  A young woman left the airy heights of her college campus and descended on the busy university paths as students went to and fro for the early weekend festivities. But unlike them she preferred to return home that weekend.

  She started her car and exited onto the main road feeling a little uneasy in the dimming evening light. But she was contempt knowing her instincts were almost never right. She decided to take the open back roads south toward her home. The thinning traffic and the completely moonlit fields gave a sense of dread loneliness. She knew it was unusual but continued anyway, and for a second she lapsed out of reality into her own world.

  She was completely overtaken by the dull drive, Late night and a Friday… She thought to herself.

  Her secret route home took her through rural countrysides and unlit freeways. But such journeys outside of the city were a welcome diversion. She liked being the only car driving on the road sometimes.

  She rubbed her eyes vigorously to moisten her contacts lenses. Without thinking she barely made out a red traffic signal and slammed the brakes to a halt. The dimming twilight around her vaguely disseminated across the horizon revealing faint outlines of swaying wheat stalks.

  The woman pulled out saline solution from her purse and applied it immediately. Her car stood at the lone traffic signal for a few minutes. She enjoyed the peace and quiet this late at night.

  The light turned green. She pressed the accelerator but her contacts slipped from her eye again. The woman let go of the pedal and closed her eyes trying to fix the contacts for a moment.

  A second later someone emerged from the darkness in front of her and was caught off-guard by her headlights. The woman opened her eyes but was unable to react quickly enough.

  Her eyes instantly grew wide as she hit the figure full force, air bags deployed from the car’s wheel while her body was thrown upward by the force of the crash. She braced herself in time. The creaks and groans of her car’s body were deafening, all of her senses narrowed in the collision as if she anticipated the worst.

  The airbags eventually collapsed allowing her to peer through the cracked windshield into the darkness; her car had not moved more than a couple feet from the initial collision. Was that a fucking wall? Her guess was disproven as she stared ahead in shock, the person she hit was sticking out of her engine block.

  “Oh my God…” She whispered to herself as she exited her car.

  The woman circled to the front of the car seeing the massive dents first-hand.

  Did I just hit a tank or a person?

  The man regained consciousness as he emerged from underneath the car’s engine compartment. As he looked up at the woman he briefly lost his words in confusion, a mere look at her reminded him of someone.

  “Oh God! Sir, are you alright? I am so, so…”

  “Apologies? Speak none of it. I’m quite alright.” He said as he put his hands to his knees in utter exhaustion.

  “My name is Ellie…well you can call me Ellie if you like, but are you sure you’re okay sir? My car…well what’s left of it did hit you pretty hard…” Secretly she was relieved.

  “I kind of noticed…sorry about that, I was running through the woods and didn’t see you in time.”

  “Kind of late for a jog isn’t it?” She said with a light-hearted laugh, but the joke immediately faded as she noticed him panting heavily, “I mean let me give you a ride to the hospital, I’m sure they can help you th—”

  “No, not the hospital I have to get to an airport or a phone.” The man said quickly.

  “Well you’re quite a long way off from the airport…I could give you a ride if the car isn’t too damaged… it’s the least I can do. How late are you for your…” She glanced at his injuries again, “flight…”

  “I’m early, but getting through security and check-in is hell. Thank you again for your kindness, I’ll pay for all of this as soon as I pay for some windows…”

  Funny, she thought, he’s worried more about the windows than what he did to my engine and body…well whatever, as long as he doesn’t tell the police it was my fault…

  In the distance Ellie could hear the slow rumbling and hum of the engine.

  “Well speak of the devil, you didn’t destroy all of it.” She said.

  I so hope my insurance pays for this…

  They salvaged what was left of the car and departed into the night back to the city.

  “It’s kind of chilly, are you sure you’re okay? You’re not even wearing a jacket.” Ellie asked.

  “I’ll live, I’ve been through worse.” He said.

  Of course there’s worse, she noted, but jeez.

  “So anyway…I was meaning to ask you, what’s your name? I kinda forgot to ask earlier and well you know… in a situation like this it’s kind of nice to know names…”

  Like in case you car-jack me. She thought.

  “People call me… Shep.”

  “Shep huh, what’s your last name?”

  “Don’t really have one.” He replied.

  “Aw come on…tell ya what, I’ll tell you my last name if you tell me yours.”

  “Sure.” He said with a smile.

  “It’s Milani.”

  “Nice to meet you Ellie Milani.”

  “So…”

  “Hm?”

  “Yours?” Asked Ellie.

  “I never said when I’d tell you.” He replied.

  Ellie suspicion peaked a little.

  “God, I swear. If ramming someone on the highway and giving them a ride to an airport isn’t a good ‘nuff reason to get their name…”

  “It’s not a great reason.”

  Ellie sat smugly in her seat trying to get her mind off the entire incident. The ride seemed to have taken hours in her mind but her promise to take the man to the airport kept her relatively awake.

  She turned to ask him a question until she noticed his eyes shut.

  Ellie panicked, Is he dead? Oh god I so don’t need this right now!

  “Tell me Ellie,” Shep said opening his eyes, “do you sometimes feel like you have someone else’s dreams?”

  Ellie was relieved that he was not dead but was confused at his question.

  “Do you mean my dreams about being a dragonfly?” Her humor made him chuckle.

  “Close.” He said. “Have you ever dreamt about…?”

  Ellie was listening intently.

  “Never mind, you reminded me of something. A weird thought, disregard it.”

  She looked over at him and knew he was probably a l
ittle shaken internally from the crash. That’s usually how amnesia works, she thought.

  “By the way, watch out for that deer coming up.”

  She immediately scanned the pitch black horizon but did not see anything; she turned back to him in confusion.

  “What deer?”

  She saw an unusual dim glow appear in his eyes. Before she realized it the deer appeared several hundred meters ahead, her frantic flashing of high beams successfully scared it.

  How the hell did he see that? That thing must have been at least a quarter mile away from us when he told me about it. Ellie began to panic.

  “Who the hell are you? You survived a head-on crash and you can see things miles away in the dark?”

  Ellie was frightened, whether or not this man would kill her if she stopped the car was the only thing left on her mind.

  This guy…is really freaking me out.

  The man remained silent for what seemed liked hours before he fell asleep. The twilight illuminated the skyline revealing a sparse morning fog. Ellie barely kept herself awake through the ordeal. She was tired, alone, and in a vehicle about to break down any minute in an endless expanse of country side with a strange man inside of it.

  How did I get myself into this…? She thought as she battled sleep.

  Almost all hope had left her until she made out a silhouette in the distance, a police cruiser.

  Ellie shifted uneasily in her seat. What did he mean earlier when he said he couldn’t stop then? He’s seriously injured and on the run why doesn’t he go to the cops? The pieces formed into place in her mind. Oh no…is he a? She shot quick glances at him while driving. The only thing keeping her remotely awake this late were the last bits of adrenaline flowing through her weary veins. I can’t stop! What’ll he do if he finds out?

  Ellie’s eyes gleamed with the first sign of hope all night. Her erratic driving prompted the police cruiser to pull her off the road. Parts of her car’s exterior fell apart as she slowed down, littering the sidewalk with twisted metal. She did not notice the damage worsening as the cruiser pulled up behind her.

  “Morning,” The officer said groggily as he approached the car, “Can I see your license and registration please? Ma’am, have you had anything to drink tonight?”

  “Officer!” Ellie screamed, “Please get this man out of my car! I hit him on the road, he’s not hurt, and he’s sleeping but like not sleeping-” She droned on endlessly as her hands darted for her purse in the backseat.

  Without hesitation the officer pulled out his gun in response to her behavior.

  The officer glanced at the man in the seat next to her and stood in confusion. He recognized the man’s face. The officer returned a curt nod towards Shep, his hands trembled while holding the gun.

  Does she know what she’s gotten herself into?

  After assessing her panicky condition he thought otherwise.

  “Ma’am I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do.” He whispered. As he stepped away from the vehicle he tripped on a jagged piece of Ellie’s door that fell off moments ago.

  He lost his balance and threw his hands back, instinctively loosening his grip on his gun as he caught his fall against the asphalt. His gun flew out of his hands and landed close to Ellie’s car.

  She opened her door to check on the officer but noticed Shep shifting toward her. Her heart raced, was he going to hurt her? Her instincts kicked in, she was too tired to think of any other reason why he was about to grab her.

  She opened her door, dove to the ground and grabbed the gun in the process. She swerved around and aimed the gun at Shep, the officer saw the maneuver and urged her to lay the weapon down.

  Ellie’s body began to tremble as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. But the threat of being shot at did not deter him. Shep dove after her and she pulled the trigger in response, she missed. Shep landed by her side and clicked the safety on before disarming her. She crawled away, trying to distance herself from both the officer and him. Was the cop working with him?

  Shep fixed his composure and threw the gun aside. In his mind, he could sense almost everything running through her mind. What remained at the moment was to explain. Is she ready for this? He noticed a slight glint of determination enshrouded in fear, She seems familiar…no…it’s not her…

  “Okay, first off…” He began.

  “Please! Don’t hurt me, I’ll give you my money and the car but just let me go!”

  “Listen, it’s not like that.” Shep began to have a hard time putting words together. “I had no intention of letting the night turn out like this…but this is a really long and complicated story.”

  “Wh-why?” Ellie stuttered, “What’re you running from?” She did not know whether to believe him or not, but at that moment anything seemed plausible.

  “It’s better off that you don’t know why I’m here just yet.” He said.

  Is he a terrorist?

  His attempts to make light of the situation were obviously not working. The only way to escape this situation was apparent. As he reached into his pockets he pulled out a metal pen with a strange insignia on it. As the clicker end separated it revealed a very intricate syringe.

  “I’m sorry the night had to turn out like this, but you were never supposed to know about me. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.”

  With those words he chased her down the road and grabbed her by the arm.

  Ellie resisted as the syringe punctured her skin. He’s going to drug me? She couldn’t sit any longer without fighting back.

  The injection was quick, she was able to wrest herself from Shep’s grip but she did not get far from him before feeling drowsy.

  I’ve really got a way with women, Shep thought, when I try to save them they shoot me in the head. The man could see her body resisting the toxin. Don’t worry, you’ll never remember this.

  “I’m beginning to think that I’ve got rotten luck.”

  Ellie fell unconscious in the grass by the empty road. She was otherwise unharmed and in no apparent danger for miles around.

  Shep took the moment to check inventory. He had no weapons on him and he had nowhere else to run. As he turned around he saw the police officer collecting his handgun and introducing himself with a salute.

  “Sir, allow me to introduce myself.”

  Chapter 3

  Beginning of the End

  One Day Earlier

  Afar Region, Ethiopia

  The Afar valley bore unusually hot temperatures that afternoon, the archaeological team sponsored by the Ethiopian embassy was all but staggered in its attempts to sweep the deserted area.

  Two archaeologists unpacked the remainder of their supplies. Their duffel bags had the names Monica Bianchi and Mekias Yohannes embroidered upon them. As they set out on their last trek across the hilly lowlands the rest of the team catalogued the bone fragments uncovered that day. Mekias stood on the hill shirtless with a wide brim hat, appearing like a western cowboy over the ridge. By the look of his countenance he had hated being stationed in such a desolate region so far away from civilization.

  Monica on the other hand enjoyed the reprieve. Her long auburn hair flowed in the wind as she gazed over the horizon. Her skin and amber eyes revealed her unmistakably Mediterranean features. But to anyone she met, she was no stranger to adventure.

  As she made her way to Mekias she cursed under her breath at what little wind there was during this part of the year.

  “I’m going to make one last scan of the area before we head out, anything else need to be done?” Monica asked.

  “Nope, knock yourself out. Need someone to follow you?”

  “I know my way around better than you thank you very much.” She jested.

  “Alright be back in fifteen, we’re eager to get back to civilization.”

  This was the prime season for archaeological digs. Flooding and erosion from earlier seasons allowed fossil remains to be exposed to the surface, and the Afar rift
valley was notorious for being a fossil hot spot.

  Monica made her way to the outskirts of their site while outlining the crags in the rocks bordering the forests. Her gaze shifted to the east, toward the setting sun behind her.

  Beautiful, she thought, It was almost heavenly being untouched by civilization, although Mekias sometimes compared his job to hell, citing the lack of rain as an eternal punishment.

  She lengthened her strides across the ridges while enjoying the serenity of her domain. At least I can enjoy this for half the year. She laid her back on the warm ground staring into the darkening sky content with the nothingness around her.

  The world is still as big and unconquered as colonialists thought it was.

  She turned her head to the side to avoid the glare from the sun. Her eyes scanned the horizon until she noticed a slight glint coming from one of the hills. Monica pulled herself up, the fine dust stuck to her clothing but she ignored it as she strode towards the hill in question.

  The object she saw appeared to be metallic from its sheen but its texture was that of an extremely hard plastic. The black exterior did not help identify it any better. She stood over the object and dusted off the loose rock covering it, she had just cracked the tip of this fossil’s iceberg. Monica’s attention was cut away when she heard Mekias’ voice above the ridge.

  “Monica! We’re pulling out its getting dark. Come on.” He yelled.

  She had no idea what she had unearthed before her, yet she knew it would not disappear in one day.

  I have to mark this somehow...

  She turned to Mekias.

  “Throw me a can of paint and a marker!”

  Mekias stood there cocking his brow, pondering over her rather unusual request. He knew better not to ask at this point, at this point in her career she knew what she was doing. Mekias rolled the can and flag down the hill and watched Monica retrieve it. She blew a kiss to him leaving him unsettled, he immediately ordered his interns not to think otherwise.