Apathetic God

by Ian Withrow

  Weyland granted the warriors swift deaths, but he approached the reporter more playfully. With a flick of his wrist he cauterized the bleeding stump of the man’s leg and with a foot he not-so-gently flipped him over. The man, who still clutched his camera out of some haywired mix of habit and instinct, held it out like shield, trying to protect himself.

  “Can the people see me? Through the television?”

  On second thought, Weyland wasn’t sure the man could actually hear him at the moment. Sure enough blood and some clear fluid was leaking from the man’s ears and nose. Still, there was a tiny blinking red light at the front end of the machine so Weyland erred on the side of caution.

  “Know this. I am the Lord your God. You will bow to my whims and in return for your worship I will guide you as I always have, or you will suffer the destruction and ruin of blasphemy.”

  He turned and left the man to die, heading for the river, and his slave, instead.

  Three shots impacted the center of his forehead in quick succession, followed by a half dozen to the center of his chest.

  The soldier. The Latina woman from before was kneeling in waist deep water. Her rifle shouldered and nothing but courage on her face, she stood her ground against him, braced by the cold, fast moving river.

  Natalie was crouched behind her, hands over her ears screaming.

  “Natalie, come.”

  Natalie started to obey, but the warrior took her hand off the foregrip of her weapon and held it out, stopping her.

  “You don’t own her.”

  Weyland smiled wide.

  “Oh but I do. And I own you too. I own anything I want, everything I want.”

  He took a closer look. Good bone structure, clearly in physical shape, thin but not entirely lacking in the chest. And that attitude, that… defiance. Yes, she would be a very amusing new toy.

  “What is your name, child?”

  “Staff Sergeant Carlita Santos, and I ain’t ya’ child.”

  Her off-hand returned to the weapon.

  A half-dozen states away Lauren stirred beneath a small mountain of blankets.

  “Lauren… wake up baby…”

  Her only reply was a low mumble, but Valerie was insistent.

  “Come on sleepy head, you’re burning sunshine. Well, sort of.”

  Lauren smiled, she could hear the listless sigh in Valerie’s voice just as easily as she could hear the raindrops beating down on the roof above.

  “Mhmm, you come back to bed instead.”

  Lauren snaked a hand out from under the covers towards her girlfriend. When her grasping fingers finally made contact it was with a bulky winter coat. She poked her head out from under her pillow.

  “Baby? What are you doing?”

  Valerie was wearing an odd assortment of winter clothes and rain gear, wrapped to the gills in layers and layers.

  “I wanna go out!”

  Lauren laughed.

  “What do you mean you want to go out? It’s miserable outside.”

  Valerie pouted. Her bottom lip puffed out and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  “It rains all the time in England! You don’t think we just sit inside, bored out of our minds every day do you?”

  Lauren rolled over.

  “I thought that’s exactly what you guys do.”

  Valerie stomped a foot playfully.

  “Ok fine, that’s what we do. But it’s horrid! Take me out?”

  Lauren allowed herself another smile and sat up in the bed. A strange pain shot through her stomach, like a pulled muscle, but it only lasted a moment it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. She put a gentle hand on her belly, looking down in alarm.

  “Ooh! Did she kick?”

  Valerie hopped down in the bed beside her and put her hand on Lauren’s.

  They waited a minute to no avail.

  “I guess she’s sleeping.”

  “That’s twice you’ve said ‘she,’ do you know something I don’t?”

  Valerie sheepishly fiddled with her hands.

  “I don’t know, just feels like a girl, doesn’t it?”

  Lauren hopped out of the bed and extended a hand to Valerie.

  “Let’s go for a walk.”

  A few minutes later and the pair were outside, trudging through the rain and the mud in the forest outside the church. There was an odd tension in the air, not between them but all around. Like the world was holding its breath. The air was stuffy and warm, but the rain cold and harsh.

  Lauren shook an uncomfortable tingle at the base of her neck, returning her girlfriend’s excited smile. Everything was fine. Still, a knot she couldn't explain was forming in her stomach.

  Valerie was jumping in puddles, running her hands through the leaves above them, and smiling from ear to ear. Twenty minutes down the path she turned to face Lauren, who was trailing a few feet behind.

  “I wanna go up again.”

  “What?”

  “Lauren I want to fly with you again. I-if you’ll let me…”

  Lauren quirked an eyebrow.

  “I dunno Vee, you got so cold last time. You scared me half to death!”

  “Please? Pretty please? I got all dressed up!”

  Lauren couldn’t keep from smiling.

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Valerie jumped up and down with joy, clapping like an excited child on Christmas.

  They kept walking until they happened upon a clearing with a small pond in the middle of it. The tiny pool was almost double its normal size, over-filled by the constant rain. They came to a stop on a small patch of crushed rock beside a bench, thoughtfully placed beside the pond in some long-ago act of conservation.

  Lauren ran a hand along the mossy old wood of the backrest.

  “I wonder how long it’s been here? How long it’s been sitting empty.”

  She felt Valerie’s hand slip into her, their fingers intertwining.

  “Ready?”

  No.

  Lauren tried once more to stifle her unease. She cast around for a distraction, and was struck with an idea.

  “Do you know how to skip stones?”

  She bent at the waist and retrieved a handful of the rounder, flatter rocks she could find.

  “Do I know what?”

  “How to skip stones, I don’t know if that’s just an American thing or… I don’t know.”

  “Love, we English invented Ducks and Drakes.”

  “Ducks and what now?”

  “Ducks and Drakes, the proper name for it. The first bounce is a duck, the second a drake, and so on and so forth. I remember Colin used to take me to play at the Thames. That’s where there game was invented, he always used to say. We played with two pence coins by the banks…”

  Valerie had never expanded on what happened to her brother before, so Lauren was inclined to let her speak.

  “After mom’s funeral he couldn't stand to look at my father anymore than he could stand that old house of ours. We always knew he’d leave with the military, but it felt more like running away to me. He used to write, still does on holiday. But... he went and fell in love across the sea and can’t pull himself back.”

  “He fell in love?”

  Valerie nodded.

  “With Australia. He tells me she’s beautiful, and wild, and free. A whole continent of mystery and wonder. How can I blame him? I fell in love with my own adventures, I suppose.”

  Valerie’s buzz was well and truly killed, her cheerful excitement replaced by morose introspection. Lauren steeled herself against her discomfort, and determined to cheer her up.

  “Ok, you ready?”

  It’s alright, you’ve got this.

  Valerie’s face lit back up, though not quite as brightly as before.

  “Listen, Vee, just promise me if you get uncomfortable or you don’t feel well... anything at all and you’ll let me know ok? We’ll come right down and that’ll be the end of it.

  Valerie’s smile faltered.
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  “Of course, is everything ok?”

  Lauren nodded, and did her best to look convincing. She knew this is what Valerie wanted, and she didn’t want to ruin it. She scooped Valerie up in her arms delicately, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and leapt into the air.

  The cold wind whipped over both of them, driving the rain into a stinging sheet. Lauren pushed for altitude, rocketing upwards into the low-hanging clouds.

  “Hold on tight, this part is going to be cold.”

  Valerie’s face, obscured by her scarf and hood, was alight with wonder. The wind was too loud to hear her reply, but she nodded fervently. As they plunged into the menacing gray mountains above, Lauren cradled Valerie, holding her tightly but being careful not to squeeze too hard.

  Before long they were breaking through, the clouds shifted from gray, to white until suddenly there was nothing but clear blue sky and radiant sun above them. She slowed her climb until she was hovering a few feet above the highest cloud.

  Mile after endless mile of rolling, pristine hills and valleys of purest white as far as the eye could see. It was still early, but the sun was well above the horizon.

  The sunlight poured over both of them, washing them with renewed energy and warmth.

  “My God Lauren, it’s beautiful.”

  She looked down at Valerie and saw tears in her eyes.

  “Are you ok?”

  Valerie nodded.

  “I’m just… speechless. I can’t imagine being able to come here, to see this anytime you want.”

  She certainly had a point. Not to mention a way of framing things that made Lauren more grateful. But the splendor of the moment was spoiled by Lauren’s discomfort. The nagging at the back of her mind was becoming more insistent, and finally she was sure she knew what it was.

  “Valerie I have to tell you something.”

  Valerie’s cheerful upturned face didn’t make this easier. Her unsuspecting smile and the redness of her nose gave Lauren pause.

  “I think something is wrong with me. I… You know I’ve hurt people.”

  That precious smile on Valerie’s face faltered and she shifted her weight uncomfortably.

  “Lauren, I know but-”

  “No. You have to understand. It’s like there’s this hunger inside of me. Like I can’t feel anything at all unless I…”

  Lauren’s words trailed off as her mind tried to understand what she was seeing. They were suddenly awash in a harsh orange light. A second Sun had appeared far to the East, drowning the familiar daylit skies. Lauren’s eyes burned, and she could feel her cells regenerating themselves rapidly but even so the impossible brightness of the event was bleaching her retinas.

  “Wha-”

  Valerie turned to look but Lauren forced her to look away.

  “Don’t!”

  Valerie stiffened at being handled so roughly.

  “I’m sorry, there’s a… a light? But it’s burning my eyes. I think it would hurt you.”

  The glow lasted several long seconds before slowly, gradually, fading.

  Lauren squinted, willing her powerful senses to unravel the mystery she’d just seen. A dark but growing smudge was all the could make out.

  She inhaled sharply as the knot in her stomach tightened suddenly into a sharp pain, like she’d felt before but much worse. She flinched, but kept her grip on Valerie.

  “Lauren are you ok?”

  She couldn't speak at first, only shake her head no.

  “I think we need to land, hold on to me.”

  A moment later and they were plummeting from the sky like a comet. When they emerged below the clouds once again Lauren could see the wind had blown them a few miles off course. But Cherry Hills was easily visible and Lauren banked into a head-on approach.

  Lauren hit the ground running, but only made it a dozen steps before she faltered and fell to her knees. She kept Valerie off the ground, but only just.

  “Lauren? Lauren baby get up!”

  Valerie extricated herself from Lauren’s grasp. She was hunched over, her wings in the mud and her hands clutched over her stomach. She shook her head and waved her lover off. Valerie headed for the church instead.

  “Mrs. Caroline!”

  Valerie cleared the rest of the lawn in a heartbeat.

  “Mrs. Caroline? Mrs. Caroline it’s Lauren, something’s wrong!”

  Caroline appeared, a handkerchief around her head and a broom in her hand. She pulled the headphones from her ears as Valerie cleared the door.

  “Good heavens child, what’s the matter?”

  Valerie gasped for breath, took Caroline by the hand, and dragged her out into the rain, her cleaning supplies forgotten.

  “It’s Lauren, something is wrong.”

  The women sprinted across the lawn to Lauren’s side.

  “What are her symptoms, did she say anything?”

  “She was acting a little strange, talking about a ‘hunger inside her’ or something. We were up in the air and then there was this flash of light. She wouldn't let me look at it, said it was dangerous.”

  Caroline dropped to her knees in front of Lauren.

  “Lauren, it’s Caroline honey can you talk to me?”

  Lauren didn’t respond, she was too focused on breathing and trying to control the pain.

  “We need to get her inside.”

  Valerie nodded in agreement and they each lifted one of Lauren’s arms over their shoulder. They were nearly to the door when the ground seemed to slip out from beneath them. They stumbled into one another as the mud-soaked ground buckled and rolled below their feet.

  “What the fuck was that?”

  Caroline shared a wide-eyed look with Valerie as the rumbling stopped and they pulled Lauren into the church. Caroline took the lead, directed Lauren to the bedroom and laid her out on the covers. Mud, water, and feathers were everywhere, but none of those were what froze Valerie in her tracks.

  Blood.

  She knelt, taking a closer look. Yes, there was no mistaking it. A steady trail of bright red drops led from the doorway to the bedroom. Valerie pushed her fear aside and returned to Lauren’s side. Her eyes were scrunched shut and she was holding her stomach, breathing heavily through gritted teeth.

  With Lauren distracted, Valerie tapped Caroline's shoulder and pointed silently to the blood.

  “Ok my Lady, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but we need to consider the possibility that you should be in a hospital.”

  She shook her head.

  Caroline’s lips tightened into a thin, frustrated line. She set a hand on Lauren’s stomach, but felt nothing. When she spoke, she did so in a careful, even tone.

  “When is the last time you felt the baby?”

  Lauren’s eye snapped open.

  “T-this morning? Maybe? I-I’m not sure. Why? Is that bad? Is something wrong?”

  Caroline gifted Valerie with a sideways glance.

  “Lauren, I’m not a doctor, I don’t know how to help with this. But...”

  “But?”

  “But, I think you need a hospital my Lady.”

  Internally, Lauren was screaming. Not only was she in incredible pain, but now the two people she wanted most to be with her were both pushing her to do something she knew she couldn't. There was no way she could go to a hospital without Him knowing, she knew it in her heart of hearts.

  “Lauren?”

  “I know! Damnit, I know!”

  Lauren pushed herself up on the bed, clenching her jaw tight to keep the pain at bay.

  “Do you really think she should move?”

  “She needs a doctor!”

  “I’m right here!”

  They were silent.

  Lauren stumbled to her feet, slipped on the muddy floor and caught herself in Valerie’s arms.

  “Honey please, sit back down.”

  Lauren pushed her aside and stumbled to the door. She braced her arms against each side of the heavy wooden frame as another spasm rocked he
r midsection. Wood splintered beneath her tightening grip.

  She was about to leap skyward when Valerie threw her arms around her, wrapping her in a bear hug from behind.

  “Please, take me with you.”

  Pulling herself free was the hardest thing she’d done in months, maybe years, but Valerie would be far safer here. She turned, returning the embrace and planting a quick kiss on Valerie’s lips.

  “W-why does this feel like goodbye?”

  Lauren didn’t answer, instead she raised her wings and stepped backwards. One last long look and she propelled herself skyward, wheeling quickly Northwest.

  Chapter Sixteen

  You’re almost there. You’re almost there.

  Lauren’s prayer became her mantra as she careened through the rising winds. Miles burned past at a prodigious rate, but it her path was erratic and uncoordinated. Her navigational issues, though primarily based in the pain she felt, were further aggravated by the sudden and dramatic increase in the severity of the weather.

  Where the past few weeks had been stormy and gray, the skies were now an ugly black tinged with green. She’d lived in the Midwest long enough to know tornado weather when she saw it, and for the first time since growing her wings the skies seemed a place of very real danger.

  By the time she passed Cobden it was raining sideways; by Springfield it was hailing the size of golf balls; and when she finally passed Peoria the lightning was so thick it illuminated the ground like a strobe light.

  Lauren guided herself by instinct as much as anything else, but as her strength failed so too did her altitude fall. She was barely a thousand feet from the ground, tracing the highway and blind to the rest of the world.

  She impacted the pavement just outside of Galesburg, Illinois, cracking the roadway and forcing cars to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting her.

  Most of them did.

  A semi-truck, whether blinded by the rain or unable to slow itself quickly enough, rammed headlong into her kneeling body. The front of the vehicle crumpled like tissue paper and Lauren found herself half buried in twisted metal and hot escaping oil. Lauren wasted no time tearing her way out of the wreckage, emerging to a gathering crowd of onlookers. Dozens of cellphone cameras were trained on her, tracking her every move and no doubt broadcasting it to the world. To Weyland.