by Sean Platt
As Ed lost himself in his daughter’s embrace, he felt the thousand pounds of the past six months slide from his shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he asked, holding her tight, closing his eyes, and not wanting to let go. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine. We’re both fine. They took good care of us.”
Ed opened his eyes to see Teagan, now standing and holding her baby girl up for Ed to see.
“This is Becca,” Teagan said, beaming.
“She’s beautiful,” Ed said, hugging Teagan and looking down at the baby.
Seeing a fresh-faced innocent infant after seeing so much death and desolation in the world felt like a balm — a balm that promised that the world wasn’t thoroughly lost just yet. There was hope. There were babies to be born, and so long as he breathed, someone willing to protect them and their mothers.
Jade and Ed sat on one bed, while Teagan sat on the other, holding Becca, catching one another up on the last several months. Ed toned down some of what he’d seen so as not to terrify the girls any more than he had to, particularly Teagan who was so young and had grown up so sheltered.
Ed was happy to find their events relatively mundane. They spoke through many minutes of all the things the girls weren’t saying — all the things he could feel them wanting to say, but for some reason couldn’t. Once the awkward glances and silences grew too frequent to ignore, Ed had to chew on his bottom lip to keep himself from demanding answers. Whatever news they were hiding, he wouldn’t like it a bit.
Did something happen to Jade?
Did someone here knock her up?
What aren’t they saying?
Ed couldn’t take it any longer. He finally blurted, “What is it you girls aren’t telling me?”
Teagan and Jade traded a glance.
“Tell him,” Jade said.
“I can’t,” Teagan shook her head.
“Someone better tell me something,” Ed said.
“I met someone,” Teagan said, her face flushed, bright-red like a schoolgirl admitting her first crush. And other than the guy who put the bun in her oven, this might have been her first crush.
“Ohhhhkay,” Ed said, shifting on the bed, waiting for the other shoe to hit the floor. “And?”
“This is so weird,” she said, looking toward the door instead of Ed’s eyes.
“Yeah, super weird,” Jade agreed, raising her eyebrows.
“Stop it,” Teagan said.
“I’m sorry, it’s just . . . well, you know,” she said.
Ed was getting frustrated with all the coded young-girl chatter, “Will someone just say it?!”
Teagan turned to him, then blurted, “I’m seeing Ed Keenan. The other Ed Keenan,” then quickly looked away again.
Ed stood, feeling a flush of anger as if he were the girl’s father. “What?!” he tried not to roar, and mostly failed.
“I know, I know, I didn’t expect it to happen. Believe me,” she said in a way that made Ed feel as though he were the last old codger in the world a girl like her would find attractive.
“Yeah, right?” Jade said, smiling.
“But,” Teagan continued. “He took care of me and Becca, and he was so nice.”
“I’ll bet he did,” Ed said, about to storm from the room and go beat the shit out of the pervert who was old enough to be the girl’s father.
“No, Dad!” Jade cried, jumping from the bed and inserting herself between him and the door with her hands out. “It isn’t like that.”
“It’s not,” Teagan pleaded. “He is so sweet. He never even tried anything. It was just friendship for a long time.”
“He held you prisoner,” Ed said. “He kept you, both of you, hidden from me while he forced me to work for the Black Island Guard, to put my life on the line for them! I don’t know what you think you know about him, but he’s not a decent man. No decent man would take advantage of a gullible teenage girl like that.”
Teagan rested Becca on the bed, then stood, her face red and twisted with fury. “What? Do you think I’m some stupid hillbilly girl who got suckered by the first man she met? Maybe you think I have daddy issues or something, making me a ripe target for a pervy old guy? Is that it?”
Ed was exasperated, as he’d felt so many times with Jade. “It’s not an insult to say you’re young and inexperienced, is it? It’s the truth. It doesn’t reflect badly on you that an old guy took advantage of you. It’s on him. He should know better. I only know a little bit of what you told me about your dad, and I hate to use a cliché, but yes, you do have daddy issues. Hell, most people have daddy issues. Find someone whose father wasn’t an asshole, or busy, or somehow messed them up just a little, and I’ll show you the face of a certified liar. I’m sure I screwed Jade up, too. Fathers do dumb shit because, most times, they were too damned young or too damned stupid to know any better. And it messes up their kids — boys and girls both. It’s just when it comes to girls, it manifests in a way that makes them needy, and … ”
“Just stop it, Dad,” Jade said. “She doesn’t need a lesson in family dynamics from you, of all people. It’s her life, and Ed, despite being another version of you, is a surprisingly sweet man. And, he’s emotionally available.”
Ed ignored the slight. He didn’t feel like arguing with the girls, particularly after just reconciling with his daughter.
He looked at Teagan, meeting her wounded eyes. He’d offended her, and as he took a moment to calm down, felt bad. He wasn’t wrong. Even if the other Ed was a perfectly nice guy, he was still too damned old for her. When it came down to it, who was he to question her choices, to say her love wasn’t real just because it may have been borne of circumstance?
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not sure I’m wrong about this, but I am sorry I shot my mouth off before waiting to see for myself. It’s just that I … ” He stopped himself before he went on to say that he was all too familiar with how guys like this operate, because that would only reinforce all the things he’d already said. And he was trying to make things right — for a bit anyway, until he grabbed a hold of the other Ed and got a feel for his take on the relationship.
Ed continued, “It’s just that I kind of got attached to you . . . even though you were a massive pain in my ass.”
He grinned, and Teagan smiled back through her watery eyes.
“You’re like a daughter to me, Teagan, and I just want to make sure you’re okay. If you say he treats you right, and he’s helped you, that’s all that matters right now. Things could’ve been so much worse. I thought I might never see either of you again. But here we are, and for a moment anyway, let’s just be happy with that.”
He held his arms out, inviting them both to hug him.
He felt weird and uncharacteristically affectionate, and a bit like a phony, but he forced himself to do it anyway, because he knew it was the right thing to do. It’s what a loving, happy father — surely, there must be some in the world — would do.
They embraced, and to Ed’s surprise, the hug felt right.
The door slid open, with the other Keenan and Sullivan on the other side, standing beside Boricio Bishop.
Ed looked at Other Keenan, giving him a glare to let him know he knew. Other Keenan met his gaze without defense, offering only a subtle nod. He said, “We’re rounding up a few people to go and get the vial. I don’t know if it’s gonna do anything, but Will, Luca, and Boricio seem to think it’s our only hope of defeating the aliens.”
“How?” Ed asked.
“I’m not going to pretend to know,” Keenan said, “but I think we’ve all seen enough weird stuff that it’s justifiable to go on faith here, and trust in something beyond what we know. Will, the other Luca and Boricio all say that if Luca can get the vial, it could counteract the spreading infection and possibly return you all to your homes.”
Ed wasn’t sure if their faith was good enough, but it wasn’t like they could make the situation much worse if their attempt failed.
“I have no idea,” Other Keenan said. “But there’s so few of us, versus so many people from your world, that I must act in the interest of the greater good.”
Ed looked back at Teagan, uncertain if she were doing the same mental math as he — and figuring that if they were returned home, she and her new guy could be split up. If so, she wasn’t reacting yet.
“OK,” Ed said. “Let me get to the armory and I’ll … ”
“No,” Other Keenan shook his head and put a hand to Ed’s chest. “I need you to stay.”
“Like hell,” Ed took a step back, shrugging Other Keenan’s hand from his body. “I’m not sitting here hiding away while you all go out there. It’s too dangerous.”
“That’s exactly why I want you here,” Other Keenan said, calmly. “If something happens to us, or, God forbid, the vial turns us into more of these mutants, then I need someone here who can defend the Facility. Who can help rebuild things.”
“What do you mean, rebuild?”
Sullivan stepped forward and held up a glass sphere with an orange, swirling light inside.
“What the hell is that?” Ed asked.
Sullivan answered, “This is our Hard Reset Protocol. The island is built on top of a machine which emits a powerful blast of energy that will disrupt the life of any living thing on the island. Plants, animals, people, aliens, all of it wiped out within seconds of activating the sphere.”
“A Doomsday device?” Ed’s eyes were wide, his voice almost hoarse. “What about everyone in here?”
Sullivan continued, “The Facility’s seventh and eighth levels are lined with lead and a counter energy field, which starts up once the Hard Reset Protocol is initiated. Everyone inside will be safe.”
“What about you?” Teagan said, looking at her lover.
“If we use this, then that means we were already lost,” Other Keenan said.
Teagan cried out, “You’re not going out there, are you?”
Other Keenan nodded. “I have to,” he said. “It’s my island. My duty.”
Ed shook his head. “Let me go in your place,” he said.
“No, Daddy,” Jade now argued. “You just got back. You said you almost died. Do you really want to be away from me so much that you’re gonna run out again and throw yourself into yet more danger?”
Ed shook his head, “I’m doing this for all of us.”
“No,” Other Keenan said. “You’re not doing it at all. You’re far more equipped to deal with rebuilding. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. While we might look the same, and have more than a few similarities, you’re obviously more suited to the tasks that must be done than I am. Trust me.”
Ed looked at Jade, who stared at him as if waiting for him to disappoint her again. Waiting for him to run off to fight again. It was all he’d ever done, after all. Live to serve.
But whose interests was I serving all those years? Certainly not my family’s.
Something told him to stay put.
It’s time to stop running away. Stay and fight to rebuild the life with Jade. Stay and make sure Teagan and Becca are okay. Stop fucking running.
Ed wasn’t sure if it was his instincts, which had never led him astray, fear, or perhaps the emotion of seeing the girls again after such a long time.
Whatever it was, Ed decided to listen to his gut. “OK,” he said. “I’ll stay, but only under one condition.”
“What’s that?” Other Keenan said.
“Brent Foster and the little girl he’s with stay here, too.”
“No problem,” Other Keenan said.
Teagan threw her arms around Other Keenan, tears streaming down her face, “Please, don’t go.”
He shook his head, “I’m sorry. But believe me, if something goes bad, you and Becca are better off with this man.”
She cried, hugging him tighter.
Other Keenan kissed Teagan on the cheek, gently pushed her from his body, then picked Becca up from the bed, kissed her on the head, and said, “I’ll be back soon, Baby Doll.”
Ed watched how Other Keenan was so gentle and caring with Teagan and the baby while saying his goodbyes, and figured that he was probably wrong after all. Maybe Other Keenan was a good guy, better than he was, and possibly one of the rare men who would actually be a decent father.
Then again, maybe Ed was getting his second chance right now.
Sixty-Two
Boricio Wolfe
Black Island, New York
April 2012
SIX MONTHS AFTER THE EVENT …
It was like a Very Special Episode of The Brady Bunch or some goddamned shit, how the entire fucking short bus was hitting the road, headed for Will’s house to pull some magical fucking vial out of a globe.
Except in this case, instead of a short bus, they were riding in two small, black trucks.
The Brady Bunch in this very special episode was himself — the Original Gangsta Boricio; his fugly body double, Pirate Boricio; Nerdy Die Hard; Mary and her Little Lamb; and Will’s less crazy-looking double, who apparently let Pirate Boricio sit on his lap through puberty. Of course, there was also Grandpa Luca, some cunt hair named Sullivan, and Chuckie CheeseDick’s cock warmer, Callie, all of them whistling while they worked like the Seven Fucking Dwarves on their way to get the vial.
There was quite the melee at the Ponderosa. However, before they hit the trail Nerdy Die Hard and Keenan suggested that Mary and her Little Lamb stay behind at the ranch. That was just fine with Miss Mary, but Luca wouldn’t hear it. He said they both had to come because “Paola and Mary increased the power inside him.”
Luca didn’t say shit past that, though everyone wanted to know what in the fuck it meant. Apparently, having a raisin cock gave you the juice to call the shots.
Shit was a mile and a half past nucking futs, but at least Boricio figured the end was near enough to hit when he spit. Whatever was about to happen, it was going to happen goddamned soon. If Old Man Luca was right, then they could be home soon, which meant Boricio could finally quit playing babysitter and get back to what it was he did best: hunting solo — even though he wasn’t sure if Luca had “fixed him” too well to go after the same types of targets.
Boricio wondered how long he’d actually think about shit like people’s feelings before he took what he wanted. He thought again of the little girl, Emily — Why the fuck do I remember her name? — and the guilt he felt for being an orphan factory.
Fuck you, Luca, for stripping the fun from this shit!
Boricio wasn’t too worried, though. Because even though the man-child had broken him, he'd left his taste for murder intact. Perhaps Boricio would make his murder premium. It would be like that four months when he gave up beef because some bitch bet he couldn’t. He didn’t give up meat, entirely, though. Just because he couldn’t have a burger didn’t mean he couldn’t eat the fuck outta some hot wings. Same rules, different coat of paint.
Boricio’s nose was bothering him, his inner wolf insisting something was following behind. He wished he knew what it was, especially since he couldn’t shake the feeling, but predator’s guess said it was something even worse than one of them aliens or mutants.
A few minutes before they reached Will’s house, they started seeing all sorts of holy shit, aliens and mutants running past them in the woods, like they were tailing them, and confirming Boricio’s suspicions that they were being followed. But that holy shit was only a teaser for the main attraction waiting on the street they needed to pass through to get to the one that led to Will’s house by the shore. There were around 40 of the alien and mutated fuckers, maybe more. Boricio gripped his pistol, itching to fight, and hoping for one of the first times in his life that he wasn’t outgunned — or outclawed, as the case may be.
The aliens gathered, blocking both the road ahead and the road back — trapping them. The woods on eithe
r side of the road bubbled in darkness, though it was tough to tell what was shadows and what was aliens and mutants. Whatever the case, they were fucked.
“OK, Team Boricio,” he said to both groups as they got out of their trucks, and got their guns ready for a firefight, “Let’s kill some fuckers. And remember, we’ve gotta protect Luca!”
The creatures were clawing, gnashing, and screaming into the air as the Brady Bunch tensed in a half circle between the two trucks, creating a barrier to protect Luca.
Boricio smiled, looking around at his team, everyone with guns drawn and ready. His smile went especially wide when he saw Paola, remembering how he taught her to shoot a fucker dead before she took a second to think.
With the creatures closing in around them, Boricio was surprised at his pride. He winked at Paola, and she smiled back. “Y’all ready for shit to get steamy?” he asked.
No one answered, though Nerdy Die Hard looked like he was about to bark an order. He never got a chance, just fired his gun as the first creature reared its head, eye slits to the sky and screeching, then charged toward the group at a full gallop, fast enough for Boricio to hear its slippery slosh.
Boricio stepped forward, taking lead, and opened fire, joining the chorus around him. Laughing, he pulled the trigger on repeat, dropping fuckers one by one without blinking, surprising himself again as he slowly took aim around the Brady Bunch, guarding the circle, and knocking anything down which came even close to Team Boricio.
Too soon his gun went empty.
And at that exact moment, several of the aliens broke through, racing toward them, scattering the group in all directions from the protection of the two trucks.
Fuck, fuck!
No time for a fresh clip, Boricio dropped the gun, then dropped to his knees as a giant claw whistled through the air above his head. He swept the creature’s feet from its body then rolled out of the way as it crashed to the ground with a squishy thud. Boricio sprang to his feet, then slammed his heel into the back of the alien’s head.