Chapter 20

A bright streak of light came from a gun. It lit the room for a split moment, and I saw the creature on the ceiling. Tentacles spat out for Zwendel and latched onto her waist. She cried out and fired shots of her own, sniping pieces of the thing off like butter. Limbs splattered and the room was dark once more. I felt someone grab me by the shoulder, and Lucas’ feminine voice commanded me to “stop fooling around and move!”

It was too dark to move. Almost as though he were reading my mind, Lucas clicked a light up on his gun and held it in front of us. There, Krazmundo was working at busting down the door, but it wasn’t budging. He squat down and tried to get his fingers beneath it.

“This might take a second!” He strained.

No sooner had he said that did a screech come from elsewhere in the room. Lucas swiped the light over to see Behragrin leaping off the ceiling and onto Zwendel. Officer Gretz immediately took point to fire, but was met by a wrath of tentacles at his throat. They sent him crashing into the window, clattering the wall of instruments.

Lucas shot at Behragrin’s head, sparking the helmet. It was enough to push her back into the wall, giving me enough time to reach down and grab Zwendel by the hand.

“Are you okay?” I said.

“Call it off!” Zwendel cried. “Now!”

I stammered, “I tried!”

“Well try again!” Lucas said and pointed the light at Behragrin, who was already standing. Her suit by now was torn, and I could see fleshy tentacles dangling where her arm once was. They seemed to be writhing together, slowly slipping through her blood to regain shape. 

“Behragrin, whatever you are! Stop!”

“Hew ise edlt owrs.”

“Wh- what?”

The creature leapt forward, “Hew ise edlt owrs!”

Lucas screamed and fired again, nailing the helmet clean off. Behragrin’s body fell to the floor. She writhed and screamed in a shrieking, piercing tongue, head snapped backwards and her helmet was in pieces. With the helmet gone,I could see it, a wound that seemed to trail across her forehead and dig into her eyes, like something had carved her face for planting. Just what, I didn’t know. From the stained crevice was a mound of bulbous flesh that fed tendrils into the eyes. Blinded. It was impossible for it to be moving like it was.

“Fucking shoot it again!” I cried as the creature slinked out from her uniform entirely. Tentacles splayed out from into a weaving flesh web. Lucas and Zwendel fired, catching her everywhere but the head that seemed to move independently of the rest of the body. Behragrin fell into me like a football and propelled me back towards Krazmundo who had finally managed to open the door. He jumped out of the way and we landed out in the hall, writhing with this mess on my body.

“Ho-oo-oome.” The creature cackled and squeezed my body. She dug her teeth into my chest, ripping my work uniform and splitting my skin. I watched my own blood tear out from me, screaming from the pain. My body struggled to get a hold of her tentacles, but she kept tightening her grip.

Then a gun was against her head, and Krazmundo spoke, “morphlech gee churest”.

My ears rang as the rifle was fired. Her head exploded, viscera poured onto my chest. I shrieked, “Jesus Christ, holy shit. Holy shit. What the fuuuuuuuck- KRAZMUNDO!”

“You’re welcome.” He huffed, “get up.”

As if I could move after having something die on my chest like that. I stayed there, covered in blood that might have been mine, but was definitely hers. Lucas came out from the room and saw me. He seemed annoyed as he wiped off the dead tentacles and picked me up, “well you tried.” He said, “can’t knock you for that.”

“Wh- why did- why why why?” Was all I could say.

The lights came back on. Zwendel joined us in the hall and spoke on her radio.

“Copy that. I want three on me. Put everyone on high alert, sweep the area and report to me anything suspicious. Now.” She pointed her gun at us. “You. Cells. Now.”

“No. We’re done here.” Krazmundo picked me up by the arm.

Zwendel stepped in front of us, “I just had three of my officers killed and injured in a sudden blackout that seems to be related to him. Do you really think I’m going to just let you walk out of here?”

“Zwen, come on.” Lucas motioned to my blood-covered torso. The shirt had been ripped so many times by now, the Movie Country logo that was there was unrecognizable. “Does this look like a leader to you?”

“We have to take precautions.” Zwendel said, “If everything checks out I’ll let you go.”

Krazmundo snarled, “You know it’s been a minute since I’ve tasted Tangerian. We like to make your tentacles into a nice pasta and serve it with toast.”

“Are you threatening a Captain, Krazmundo?”

“I’m simply suggesting you let us go. Or else.”

“If I had it my way, you’d be back on your steaming hot planet working in the mines until you fall over dead.” Three Officers flanked us and readied their guns. “Consider this me going easy on you.” 

“What about our deal?” Lucas asked.

Zwendel shrugged, “You still have forty-seven hours by my count.” Looking at my wrist, we actually had forty five, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.

With nowhere else to go, we let ourselves be taken back to the holding cells. I was expecting the same room we were crowded into before, but instead they took us to a hallway that had many more doors on either side. We stopped in front of one, and the Officer in front of me tapped a code into a keypad beside it. The door slid open with a KA-CHUNK, hiding nothing more than a broom closet of a room that had a single toilet to its right and a barely big enough bed for one in the back. I felt the butt of a gun at my back and was pushed inside.

“Th-this is too small.” I said, “Please just put us back in that big one. We won’t do anything, I promise.”

“Sorry. You lost your big room privileges.”

“Matt, look at me.” It was...fuck I didn’t even know anymore. I looked up and met her- no his- no he- dammit whoever the hell she-he was they were my friend. And suddenly so much hinged on just being able to see her eyes.

“Everything is going to be-”

SLAM

The door cut me off entirely. And I was alone again. Cramped. Suddenly too quiet. Suddenly too familiar. Suddenly home.

 I knew it wouldn’t do any good to bang on the door, but I did anyway. Every movie I had ever seen had done it, so maybe that’s what you were supposed to do in a situation like this. Maybe you were supposed to realize that any noise seemed to deafen as soon as it was made. Maybe you were supposed to hate the one light in the room because it only made it seem smaller. Maybe you were supposed to slide your back down to the floor and hold your head in your knees, eyes shut and begging for dark, because finally you could at least control the dark. It made sense to just lose yourself in it, to let your mind wander into the past and try desperately to piece together every eventuality that could have been changed so you wouldn’t be where you were now.

I just let it happen. Because nothing else was going to happen.

***

“Mr. Coulson, will you please answer the question?”

My head lifted up off of my desk, and a sheet of paper drooped down from my sticky forehead into my vision. I stammered and garbled, “Bu- what?”

“No. Mr. Coulson.” Mr. Cribbs said, “Ariel is not a manifestation of ‘buh-what.’”

Titters and snickers came from the class around me. I grabbed the paper from my forehead and looked around. I was in high school again. Everyone was here. Thomas, the kid who said nothing at all, the girl my mom thought I had a crush on. Everyone, including-

“Prospero wants Ariel to stay and do his bidding.”

Lucas. He was sitting right next to me, but I didn’t remember him being in this class. Was he here last week when I made fun of Cyrano De Bergerac? I was getting embarrassed at the thought of him having heard that.

He continued, “They’re Propsero’s only friend on the island, so he’s reluctant on letting them go. And even though Ariel is grateful for what Prospero has done for them, you can tell they would like to have more freedom. So maybe Ariel is that sort of concept. How good things don’t last long, but we should be grateful for them to be in our lives in the first place?”

“Not bad, Cassandra. You’d do well to listen to her, Mr. Coulson.”

My ears twitched at the name. “But Mr. Cribbs-” I said, “he’s not-”

I blinked and there she was. Cass was just sitting where Lucas once was, wearing a cute turtle neck sweater, a skirt that ran down her knees, and little black pumps. Her hair wasn’t purple. It was blonde, long, and put in a ponytail. She smirked, “you just need to get more sleep, Matt.”

I almost said something but the bell announced the end of class. Students around me got up and started getting ready while Mr. Cribbs struggled to get out last minute announcements about an upcoming test. I just sat there and watched Cass get up and get her things. “Ugh, finally. I never thought today would end. I’m excited.”

“E-excited for what?”

She looked at me like I had forgotten something, “the comet watch? We’ve been planning it all week. Look I know we were up all night playing Fighter’s Mix-Up but you can’t be that brain dead.”

“Lucas- this-”

“Ohhhh I get it.” She slung her backpack over her shoulder, “so that’s why you’re so out of it today. I wondered why you were still at my place this morning.”

“We were on this big space station. I had blood all over my-” I looked down. I wasn’t even wearing my work uniform, just a graphic tee with my favorite anime on it and cargo shorts. I was even wearing sandals, I didn’t even think I owned sandals. I stammered. Something wasn’t right.

Cass was waving her hand in front of my face, “Hello? Earth to Matt? We got shit to do. Enough daydreaming.” She took my hand and helped me stand up. “Come on, let’s get to your place.”

I didn’t really know what to do but follow her. We walked past the threshold of the classroom and set foot into the carpeted living room of my high school home. Everything looked like I had left it. The soft blue couch, the glass coffee table, the massive entertainment center adorned with pictures I hadn’t seen in years. I picked one up off the shelf and tried to focus in on it, but it seemed every time I was almost sure what I was looking at the image shifted, like a kaleidoscope of eyes and noses. I couldn’t pin down who it was. I turned over to ask Cass, and she was already on a step ladder hanging up a string of stars. She looked at me, “hey I left the thumbtacks down there, can you help?”

I nodded and looked back to the photo. No it was a box of thumbtacks, of course. Cass just asked me to help. I brought it to her, “so how many people are coming?”

“Facebook says thirty, but I’d be willing to bet it’s more like fifteen.” She nodded to the concessions I had laid out on the coffee table just moments ago. Because that’s what you did at a party, so of course I did.  “Think we got enough? Think they’ll like it?”

“Who doesn’t like chips and dip?” I said.

“Well yeah, but not everyone likes cool ranch.”

I shrugged, “Lucas does.”

She scoffed, “Lucas loves everything you do.” She finished pinning it up and got down. “There! Perfect!”

As soon as she said that it seemed party guests were streaming through the front door. She was right, there were about fifteen kids from school. I had seen a few of them at our astronomy club meetings. We had grown pretty popular since the talent show, and so many of them had such great ideas. We were sure to make a nice double page spread on the yearbook.

 Wait, why did I care about that? All these people, they were never my friends. Things never went this well, did they?

“Hey babe!”

Arms wrapped around me from behind. My body froze. They felt familiar. I turned in his arms and came face to face with Lucas. Those same eyes stared back at me, framed by a curled smile so sweet. I had to do it. I kissed him.

And he kissed back.

A wash of euphoria shuddered through me. His hand was on my cheek, mine were at his waist. I let my fingers reach for his back. We fit together so well it had to be fate, right? He giggled and pulled away for a moment, “geez, you go a whole day without a kiss and you act like it’s been years.”

“S-sorry.” I said, blushing. Holy shit I was blushing. “I just missed you.”

“Yeah. Sucks we don’t really have the same classes this year.”

“I just… I really missed you.”

“Did you have a bad day? Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” I said, relishing in how close his voice was, “no I don’t think I do. I Just want this.”

Cass walked over, “hey you’re late.” She teased and pushed at Lucas. “You made him worry.”

“Sorry, I was finishing this up.” He handed her a flash drive, “here.”

She took it. “Well hurry up and get around the table. He picked the chips just for you.”

“I did not! I- I mean-”

They laughed it off and shared a brief hug before Cass walked back up to the entertainment center. Lucas took my hand and led me to the couch where there happened to be room for us both to sit. All around us, students were talking and laughing, really enjoying each other’s company. It all just felt so warm. I had never seen my house like this before.

“I hope she hasn’t been too annoying today.” Lucas said, “Sisters, right?”

“Sister? She- she’s your sister?”

“Well yeah. You knew that, hon.”

I stammered, “Yeah uh..” pet names. He was using a pet name. I knew what those were, right? I could say one. What would be the harm? We were dating right? I swallowed a glob of nerves, “b-babe.”

“You’re so nervous.” He put his hand on my knee, “It’s okay, your anxiety can relax.”

“I know” I said, “it’s just hard sometimes.”

“Yeah you are.” He gripped my leg.

I pushed his shoulder playfully, “stop. We’re in public.”

He raised his hands in mock terror, “oh no! The teens are flirting! Someone call the police.”

“I’m not afraid of the police, I just don’t want my parents to see.”

“What? Are they here?”

“No, they’re out for the night.”

“Then who cares?” He kissed me again, and I felt my body go limp as the worry left with his lips. “We’re here to have fun. So relax.”

“Alright everyone!” Cass called and the party turned all attention to her up front, “before the comet passes by we thought it right to put together a little presentation on it! Everyone clap for my dear brother Lucas, who worked so hard on this basic ass powerpoint he forgot to stop kissing his boyfriend.”

The crowd erupted in cheers and “wooo’s”. He raised his hand, I followed sheepishly as Cass took the reigns again, “alright! So, Coulson’s comet!”

Coulson’s comet? I had never heard of it. She pressed a button on the laptop beside her and the TV came to light with an illustrated picture of a blue sparkling comet. “First discovered this year by our very own Matthew Coulson, it is set to pass by Earth at the closest distance any comet has ever come. It’s going to swim beautifully through the stars, and the apex of its passing happens to be right here in our shitty slice of heaven. How’s about that?”

The crowd cheered, a hand tugged at my shoulder as congratulations filtered through the room. I thought it was strange. I didn’t remember discovering a comet, but I guess I had. We might have caught it this past year during astronomy club. She went on, “we’re here tonight as the first knowledgeable observers of this phenomenon in the world! That’s right, we’re about to be history! So, here’s what I want you all to do. We have telescopes set up outside.”

She flipped to the next slide. It was blank. She pressed the button again, but still nothing. “Come on, stupid thing.” She tried to tap it a few more times before the screen fizzled and cracked. I stood up. Something was wrong. The screen flickered like the TV had been busted. Blues and greens flashed in squares until finally it flipped to video of a forest. I knew that forest. And the people standing in the center of the frame, locked in an awkward, forced kiss.

It was me and Lucas. It was the last night I saw him.

“What’s that?” Lucas said. He stood with me, “I didn’t put that there.”

“It’s nothing.” I said, “we can get back to the comet. Go ahead, Cass.”

She typed on the laptop but nothing was happening, “I can’t change it.”

The video kept playing. Lucas shoved me off and went back to the radio, just like he had before. Confused gasps rose from the crowd. I stammered, “turn the TV off. We can just go outside.”

“Matt, what is this?” I turned to look at Lucas, “that’s never happened. Our first kiss was at a movie.”

“Lucas I-”

The video flickered. It showed me, in the future. Or was it the past. I was sweeping the movie theater and two women walked by holding hands and clearly cuddling close. The me in the video shook his head and flipped them off as they passed. Everyone gasped.

“When did that happen?” He looked to me, “that’s not you is it?”

“It is, I mean it was. I-”

The screen flickered again. I was fighting with Cass in front of the Crusier. “Lucas, you bastard!”

“Is that… me?” Cass said. “I look so… cool.”

“Why did you call her my name?”

“Because she is you. I- I think. Let me just-”

The me in the TV barked, “Talk? You had a chance to talk!” I shouted, “but oh no! Lucas had to go and get his stupid sex change! Hahaha! I can’t believe this!”

“Sex change?” Lucas said, the real- uh- I mean the not-, why was he like this?  “What’s going on?”

By now, the entire party was looking at us. In fact, almost all of the furniture in the room seemed to vanish, and Lucas and I were at the center. “I know how this looks.” I said, “But none of that matters, we can just be us right?”

“But this…” he points at the video, “this is who you are?”

“No it’s not, please I-”

“And you’re yelling at her! What the fuck? That’s my sister.”

“That’s you!” I shouted, “That’s you and I don’t want it to be, I just want you!” I grabbed him and pulled him into the same desperate kiss I had seven years ago. He struggled to get away but I held him there, determined not to let him get out of my grasp this time. He was going to stay. We were going to make this work. Nothing would hurt us. Nothing would change. Everything would be perfect.

“Matthew!”

I froze. Lucas wringed himself out of my grasp and I stood there like a statue. My dad. He was standing in the doorway with my mom close behind, hiding behind him like a wounded animal. He seethed, “what the HELL am I looking at?!”

“Dad. Dad no.” I said. “Please just let me-”

He walked through the crowd, their bodies dissolved in his wake. His steps were louder than any drum. Lucas tried to get away but dad pulled him over like a ragdoll. He had him by the arm, and was breathing so hard I swear I saw steam coming from his nostrils.

“So you’re a fucking fag, huh?” He said.

 Lucas struggled to get away. “Matt! Help!” He cried, but I couldn’t do anything. Not against him.

“My son won’t be a sinner!” He threw Lucas clear across the room and into Cass. Their bodies merged. His arm was sticking out of her chest, and their face was just a mass of blonde hair. A horrible muted scream came from them. They stumbled over four spidery legs to try and get to me, their hands grazed my arm and I backed away.”No it’s- it’s not the same. It’s not the same.”

“What’s not the same?!” Dad bellowed, and suddenly he seemed a hundred feet tall. “Go on, spit it out!”

“She’s my friend!” I cried, “he was my boyfriend, but he didn’t know and- or maybe I didn’t know I- and- she’s different now I- I can’t do this anymore, I can’t keep pretending dad! I’ve tried but- I-I- let you down. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I-I-I’m sorry.”

And then his voice became the only thing I could hear, as loud as an orchestra and as hot as a steam iron. “Burn.”

A blinding light tore through him, propelled by a massive chunk of rock and ore. Zwendel rode atop it, steering it right for the center of my head. It crashed and I felt my body get ripped into a thousand burning smoldering pieces. Each bit of flesh burned for an eternity. And all time meant nothing in the vast horrible warm dark.