Day of Reckoning

by Isaiah Lee

  Jason picked up on the man’s unease. “I’ve never shot a gun, sir. I was hoping for some lessons and range time.” He didn’t think pellet guns and paintball guns should count. Of course, he was deadly with a pellet gun. He could hit the broad side of a barn with one.

  Hank pointed behind the counter. An AR-15 hung beside an AK-47. “Is either one automatic? I’d love to shoot an automatic.”

  The man shook his head. “No, sirs. But I can personally vouch for them both. They are a blast to shoot.”

  Hank nodded his head in excitement.

  Jason first chose a .243 rifle. He lined up beside Hank in the range and aimed down range. It wasn’t so hard, he decided. Aim down the barrel, line up the sights, and squeeze the trigger.

  Hank shouldered his AR-15, grin spreading from ear to ear, and let off two rounds in quick succession. Neither shot hit the bullseye. His grin began to fade. He nodded at Jason.

  Jason exhaled, held the butt of the gun tight against his shoulder, and squeezed the trigger once. The shot nearly perfectly centered the bullseye. Who said video games were no good? He mimicked the motions of his favorite shooter and scored an excellent first shot.

  “Damn!” Hank exclaimed. “Look at you.” He fired one more shot and blew the nuts right off his man-sized target. “Take that, you bastard!” he cried.

  Jason cringed at Hank’s choice of targets. He shot twice more. The black circular eyes exploded from the target. He laughed and shot again. This shot centered the chest bullseye again. He didn’t realize just how fun shooting guns could be.

  Next round, Jason chose a .357 revolver. Hank opted for a matching gun, insisting that it had to be fair this time. He blamed the AR-15, saying that it wouldn’t be as accurate as Jason’s rifle. Essentially, anything that would take the blame off of him being a less than adequate shot.

  Jason held his arms out, handgun tight and level with the target, and let loose the first shot. He majorly underestimated the kickback from the pistol; it came within three inches of his nose. When he glanced at the target, he was again pleased with his shot. It didn’t center the chest target. But at least it had hit somewhere in the black circles.

  Hank blasted three holes through the target, firing six shots, and grinned wide again. “Damn, I need to buy one of these! It might be worthy of adding to my zombie apocalypse kit.” He thought a moment before adding, “Maybe it should be upgraded to an alien invasion kit.” Hank laughed. “There’s an idea! I should write my own survival guide! I would put in only the shit that would actually work.” He shook his head, thinking of the Decapitator. It made a decent makeshift shovel, anyway. He inwardly hoped he would never have to try out the axe on a person. Not a living person at least.

  Jason waited until Hank was done before emptying his gun. He only missed one shot of six. The remaining four were in a tight grouping around the face.

  Chapter 14

  Alien invasion kit. This was really happening, wasn’t it?

  Two more days.

  Jason decided then he wasn’t going back to his packing job. He was scheduled to come in at noon. He didn’t care enough to call in. If it was like the rest of the world, the facility had probably been ransacked and set on fire, anyway. He grinned at the prospect. He could honestly say that he’d considered it a time or two.

  He and Hank left the gun range and climbed into Hank’s truck. It seemed like the better choice now. It sat higher than the Pontiac. They decided before leaving the house that it was the smarter choice, in case things went south. It could potentially plow over an enemy, if necessary.

  “What about stop number two?” Hank questioned.

  Jason thought for a moment. “I picked the gun range. You pick this one.”

  “The beach is an obvious no. It’s too damn cold for that today.” In reality, were it possible, Hank would have picked a nude beach. He began daydreaming. Drool started pooling in his mouth, trying desperately to find an escape route.

  “Yeah, if I wanted to freeze my balls off I would just stand outside in my underwear.” A chill traced down his spine. “I may not even have to do that for my nuts to freeze off.”

  Hank laughed. “What a sight to see. You standing in your underwear with the world coming down around you.”

  Jason had to admit it was a funny suggestion.

  “I’ve been hearing on the radio for two months about that show at The Coliseum. You remember, The Demonoids.”

  Jason had loved The Demonoids since they debuted last year. “That’s tonight, isn’t it?”

  Hank beamed. “Hell yeah. Let’s go see them.”

  Jason agreed. “If this whole thing really happens, it’s not at all like we’ll be worrying about money.” Hank had been hounding him off and on since the first commercial came on the radio about going to see them. Jason couldn’t seem to get ahead lately, but he had a credit card put back in case of emergencies. It seemed like the perfect time to dig it out. “Yeah. That sounds like fun.”

  Hank smiled and cranked the truck. “First, we need dates.” Hank’s relationship with Tanya could hardly be called steady, but he knew she would be down for seeing The Demonoids. Hank typed out a quick text and hit send. “Who are you going to bring?”

  Jason thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, honestly.”

  Hank shook his head in disapproval. “I know. Bring Karen. You’ve had a thing for her since you met her. Call her. Ask her out tonight.”

  Karen was a coworker of Jason’s. She started working the week after Jason did and they immediately hit it off. She broke up with her boyfriend almost immediately, which Hank said was a sign. Jason had ignored it. “I don’t know…”

  “Do you really wanna die knowing that you never even asked her out? That you never gave it a try? If the world does end in two days, what have you got to lose?”

  Jason mulled that over. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But why do we have to die in two days? Why is that the only option?”

  Hank laughed. “You know me. I plan for the worst. That alien piece of shit said three days. We have two left. Assuming it was telling the truth, anyway.”

  After much goading, Jason decided he would, in fact, call Karen. He had a massive crush on her since the day they met. She had even gone as far as to give Jason her number. Jason hadn’t seen the gesture for what she had meant it to mean. That had been almost four months ago. Surely it was too late.

  He stepped out of Hank’s truck and shut the door, lest he listen to Hank’s mimicking and prodding. The bitter cold winter air felt like it blew straight through to his bones, but he didn’t care. He scrolled through his phone and found Karen’s number. At least he’d had the foresight to save her number into his phone before he inevitably lost it between couch cushions or let it shred in the washing machine. He hit dial and waited as it rang twice.

  “Hello?” the voice answered.

  “Hey, Karen, it’s Jason Carter.”

  “Oh, hey Jason!” She sounded excited to hear from him. Maybe that was a good sign.

  He hurried before he lost the courage or had a change of heart. “Karen, I have tickets to a concert tonight and wondered if you would like to join us. Right now it is my friend Hank and his girlfriend.” Jason cleared his throat. “I wondered if you would come with me as my date.” His voice quivered. He couldn’t tell if it was from the chill in his bones or his nervousness. He hoped she didn’t catch on to his quavering voice.

  “I’d love to!” Karen exclaimed. After a second, she added, “Wait… What time are you thinking tonight? I’m on schedule to work from noon to eight-thirty, same as you.”

  “Yeah, I’m not going,” Jason admitted. “I’m guessing you’ve heard everything that is going on? That whole ‘alien being murdered on live TV and thousands of warships being inbound on Earth’ thing that’s going around.”

  “I assumed it was all just bull.”

  “Maybe it is. Hopefully it is,” Jason said. “But either way, I’m not going in to work today. I’m playi
ng hooky with Hank and we are working on our bucket lists.”

  “Wow, that’s… dark. And a little disturbing.” She couldn’t help but mull it over.

  “That’s what I said. But Hank has a point. What if it’s true?”

  “On the chance that it’s true, sounds like we’ll be going to a concert tonight.”

  Jason could practically hear her smiling through the phone. “That’s great!” He couldn’t believe she said yes, but he wasn’t about to question it now.

  “Except there’s one catch… You have to come pick me up and hang with me for the rest of the day.” Karen gave Jason her address and requested about thirty minutes to finish getting ready. She had already showered and gotten dressed for work, which should have started in less than an hour, but now she needed to dress more appropriately for the night. For their date.

  She already began stripping off the work-friendly layers in favor of something more comfortable. And flattering. It definitely had to be flattering. Not the plaid blue/baby blue button up she’d been forced to wear for what seemed like an eternity now. “By the way,” she added. “Who are we going to see?”

  Jason’s face felt nearly frozen by now. He hopped around from foot to foot in a futile effort to stay warm. He would have scrubbed his hands together to warm them but was afraid from the lack of feeling in his face that he would drop his phone if he held it between his shoulder and his cheek. “The Demonoids,” he admitted.

  “Oh, yay!” Karen exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t wait!”

  Chapter 15

  Karen came nearly running out of her apartment when the Dodge pickup truck stopped outside. There was no back seat so Jason stepped out and flipped the center console back. He held the door open as Karen bounded into the aging truck. Tanya canceled last minute so Hank and Jason decided they could just take the Dodge. It’d probably be more comfortable, anyway.

  Try as he might, Jason couldn’t keep from eyeing her up and down from the moment she stepped outside her apartment. She wore a tight-fitting cream sweater, designer jeans, and mid-height, furry boots that matched her sweater. Each boot had two dangling fur balls that bounced as she stepped.

  He regretted his decision to wear his daily selection of jeans, work boots, and a generic black hoodie. Thankfully, Karen didn’t seem to mind when she returned the appraising look and smiled appreciatively at him.

  Jason climbed into the passenger seat and shut the door. Karen buckled before scooting where her thigh nearly touched Jason’s. This left her fingers barely grazing against his leg if she propped her hand on her thigh. Which, of course, she did. “So, where we going?” she asked. She had shoulder-length strawberry-blond hair with just a touch of curl. Jason instantly fell in love with her huge emerald-green eyes.

  Hank pulled the shifter into drive and floored the accelerator. “Jason said he had no ideas. What do you suggest?”

  Karen smiled wide. “Let’s go lingerie shopping!” She said it so naturally that the men acted as if they believed her. “You can suggest stuff for me to try on and tell me what looks the best.” She shot Jason a seductive look. His heart fluttered. Had he just heard her right? Before he could open his mouth, she laughed. “Just kidding. I vote we go eat something expensive.”

  Hank cursed. “Shit. Well, I’ll take a raincheck on that one,” he said, adding a wink. He swerved to miss an elderly woman who stumbled from the sidewalk into the edge of the road. She appeared to be freezing, holding a shawl high over her wiry frame. The garment appeared to be something she had knitted herself, with her spare time from the few and far between visits from her overly-spoiled grandchildren. Thankfully, she didn’t have far to go before she reached her car, gripping the door handle tightly for support.

  Jason had to admit he was a little disappointed after she got his hopes up. Still, he could eat. “What’s something expensive?”

  “How about a steakhouse?” she suggested. “I’ve been craving a good steak lately and, as you say, the world is supposed to end soon. I don’t feel like dying on an empty stomach is an all-too-responsible move to make.”

  The men agreed that a slab of barely-cooked red meat – adorned with garnishes and steak fries – sounded good to them.

  ◆◆◆

  Tom’s Steakhouse didn’t impress with the décor, but the trio decided to give it a try anyway. It had an outdated, cowboy vibe with a touch of western chic.

  The steaks were definitely the most expensive Jason had ever seen. He ordered a forty-dollar cut. He had no idea what it was, but he figured the most expensive steak had to impress at least a little. A fresh garden salad with ranch and side of fries ought to hit the spot.

  Karen ordered the same meal – she couldn’t stand the thoughts of medium-rare like Jason – requesting hers medium-well.

  Hank opted for filet mignon – no better time than the present to try something new – and a porterhouse on the side. Might as well rack up a massive bill.

  A bottle of champagne for the table, of course, along with two appetizers. The waiter was ecstatic for what he hoped to be a very large tip.

  Karen and Jason immediately hit it off. They rarely had a chance to talk at work and easily made up for lost time. Hank spent about half of his time staring at his phone and listening to the love-birds talk. He chimed in here and there but was ultimately left out of most of the conversations.

  After some time, Karen realized what was happening. “Hank, I’m so sorry. We weren’t trying to ignore you.”

  Hank waved it away. “No worries. I’m glad to see Jason having a good time. It’s been a hard couple of weeks.”

  Karen looked at Jason with a worried look. “What’s been going on Jason? You’ve mentioned nothing at work.”

  Jason eyed the appetizer of onion petals. He scooped a handful onto his plate and stuffed his face.

  “You can’t procrastinate, Jason Carter. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

  Jason nodded. “Here goes nothing.” The steaks came before he could get into detail about the alien’s ship and their after-hours excavating endeavor. He was thrilled. Now was neither the time nor the place to get into this conversation. He wished it had never gotten brought up. Not yet.

  Karen poked her bottom lip out in a faux pout. “You aren’t going to tell me now?”

  Hank made a panicked face and Jason spoke. “Wait until we leave. It’s not exactly something we can discuss in public.”

  Karen became worried and wanted to prod further but decided it could wait. She had to enjoy what may very well be her last steak dinner. Definitely her last steak dinner at Tom’s Steakhouse.

  ◆◆◆

  After paying the unbelievably high tab, and leaving an equally exorbitant tip, Hank led the way to the truck. He unlocked the passenger side with the key and Jason opened the door for Karen.

  Several blocks away from Tom’s Steakhouse, Karen couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “What’s going on?”

  Jason sighed. “Two of our friends died recently at Shepherd Park.”

  Karen nodded. She knew the story. After all, every news outlet that was remotely close just had to cover the story of two love-crossed young adults whose apparent double suicide rocked the community. “I’m so sorry,” she offered. “I had no idea you knew them.” That must be why he took a few days off recently, she thought.

  “Neither of us believe that their deaths were suicide. Hank and I went to Shepherd Park a few nights ago and found the aliens’ spaceship.”

  “Those videos online were real?”

  Jason nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. We followed tracks that led us straight to it. We never dreamed it would turn into all of this…” Jason hung his head, guilt overwhelming him.

  Karen held Jason’s hand tight in hers. “It’s not your fault.” She then turned to Hank but didn’t let go of Jason’s hand. “It’s not your fault, either. It would be far worse if nobody had known about the aliens. At least now the military can prepare and there is a hope for survival
.

  “If nobody had known about the aliens that had already landed, their cover would never have been blown. Had the videos of the spaceship not gone viral, nobody might have ever known of their existence until it was too late.”

  Hank nodded. “Thanks, Karen. You’ve at least made me feel better.”

  Jason agreed. “Me too. Let’s just hope militaries around the world can prepare in enough time to fend off the aliens.” He knew it was a long stretch. He tried to remain hopeful but couldn’t shake the feeling that the world could never prepare enough for an alien invasion of this magnitude.

  Chapter 16

  After a few hours of anxious anticipation, Hank, Jason, and Karen found themselves waiting in line for The Demonoids. Karen emboldened her makeup before the show. She reapplied mascara on her eyes, extending the line slightly past her eyelid, and tried a new black eyeshadow that she had been saving. A deep red lip stain completed the look.

  Jason stood in line slightly behind Karen and admired her body. Hank spotted his friend looking and nudged him in the ribs. “Dude…” he said quietly.

  Karen was glad neither man could see her face. She could feel the heat as her body flushed from the goading behind her. She considered saying something but decided to leave it for now. As least they’d made it inside the building.

  The roar from the crowd around the trio grew to a deafening level a chant overcame the room. “De-mo-noids! De-mo-noids!” the crowd nearly screamed.

  Karen got to the ticket booth and presented her phone. The elderly woman behind the glass was visibly irritated at the unruly – and in her eyes, unholy – people surrounding her booth. She would have chosen any other job rather than listen to these screaming, riotous devil worshipers. Unfortunately for her, this was the best she could do on short notice after losing her job at the local grocery store. Fifteen years of employment – she’d only ever missed three sick days during that period – and the bastards hadn’t even batted an eye when they told her she was fired. Rick didn’t even appeared bothered by having to let her go.