Fallen to Earth

  As I awoke, I felt a strange pull in the back of my mind. A sense of kinasthetic awareness. I felt a presence trying to pry into my mind. It was faint, for now, but I could tell the direction it was coming from. I groaned as I sat up. The mattress I had slept on was thin and lumpy, but at least it was clean. Groaning, I stretched my back to try and relieve the discomfort. Dean was sitting over a portable gas stove, cooking some of the supplies we had brought. Beans, and some flatbread he had made with flour and water. I hadn’t eaten properly for a while, so even a simple meal like that seemed enticing. Despite the relative warmth of our new home, I put on my black overcoat. As I did I noticed a difference in weight, or balance. Reaching into the right pocket, where I had left my axe I pulled out a spotless sickle.

  ‘Where the hell did you get that?’ Dean asked, a confused look wrinkling his face.

  ‘I… I don’t know. Someone gave it to me in a dream.’ I responded in disbelief. Dean chuckled for a second, and then saw I was serious.

  ‘Why would some dream visitor give you farming equipment?’

  ‘He said… He said it was to, for lack of a better phrase, kill the moon.’

  ‘You mean whatever’s behind this?

  ‘Yes.’ I said quietly. Dean was silent for a few moments as he thought.

  ‘Kid, that’s fucking crazy.’

  ‘I know it’s insane but I definitely didn’t bring a sickle with me, and if there’s any chance I can kill this damn thing I feel like taking it.’

  ‘What are you talking about? Even if I believed you what is killing it going to solve? The world’s over, there isn’t anything left to do but survive.’

  ‘The, god damn it, the person in my dream said that this thing isn’t going to be satisfied just turning us mad, it’s going to reap the souls of every lunatic out there and feed off them forever’

  Dean gave me an incredulous look. ‘What the fuck are you talking about? We have souls now? And you want to get yourself killed because you had a dream? I don’t mean to rain on your parade M.L.K, but you’ve gone fucking crazy.’

  I kept my face blank. ‘Maybe. But what else is there to do? Stay in this lab and drink beer? If I have the chance to do something meaningful during the twilight of the earth, I think I would like to take it. I’m sorry’ Dean stared at me in disbelief as, sickle in hand, I opened the door and left.

  As I walked through the forest I felt a serene sense of calm. It was just me, the night, and the quiet stillness that accompanied it. I felt a twinge of regret for leaving Dean alone – But I simply didn’t have the time to convince him to help. I don’t know if I even wanted to. There never was going to be a ‘happy ending’ for us, the world was dead now, it was over. Dean and I were the death throes of a dying earth. With the moon safely behind my head, I looked up again at the cosmos. How much of it was full? And how much of it was now empty? Frozen leaves and compacted snow crunched beneath my boots as I walked. I could feel it building, that feeling. Even with my eyes closed I could feel where it was, almost as if it was a part of me. As I neared the exit of the forest I pulled my coat tight and brought myself low. I hoped my dark attire would help hide me from prying eyes. I reached a familiar wooden fence, and clambered over, landing softly on the grass of my backyard. I opened the backdoor which I had left unlocked, and crept towards the front entrance. Peeking through the keyhole I saw it. It was a glossy orb that laid in a crater in the middle of the road, slicked with ever changing oil patterns. Around it stood dozens of lunatics, glassy eyed and dazed, holding hands and swaying gently around the orb. Stern, and cautious, stood the outdoorsman among them. There was no way I would be able to get to the orb stealthily.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  ‘What the hell.’ I thought to myself. ‘It’s the end of the world.’ I opened the door, and instantly everyone’s eyes snapped towards me.

  The outdoorsman looked my way with a tilted head. ‘Changed your mind did you son? You’re just in time, show’s almost over. We’ll all be out of here soon.’

  I shrugged. ‘I wanted to see what God looked like.’

  The outdoorsman frowned. ‘If you wanted to know what God looked like, well he’s been up there the whole time. Why are you really here?’ Goddamn it. I slowly walked forward, both of my hands in my jacket pockets. The sickle grew cold in my right hand. The lunatics grew tense.

  ‘What is that orb?’ I asked, hoping to distract him.

  ‘It’s a beacon, calling every faithful man, woman and child to join our God up in the sky. Now stop walking.’ I stopped.

  ‘You want to get close? Be my guest. Once you look at the moon.’ He smiled. I exhaled softly. It was something of a pipe dream wasn’t it? I broke into a sprint towards the moon-thing, and around me a dozen people screamed with hate, in pain. The ones beside my tried to grab my coat, but their frost numbed hands couldn’t gain purchase. The outdoorsman barked orders, and in front of me they formed a wall in front of the orb. I ran as fast as I could, and right before I hit the wall I turned and jumped, ramming my shoulder into the centre. They fell backwards, and I fell forwards. The orb was right in front of me, but the person I fell on was scratching my chest with rabid fervour. I pulled out the sickle and desperately lunged, bringing the sickle down. With a jolt, my arm was caught by the outdoorsman, who was crouched next to the orb.

  He whistled appreciatively. ‘What the hell is that son? To my eyes it doesn’t look like it came from around here.’ His grip was like a vice as he yanked me up to my feet.

  ‘Now, behind you, there’s the moon. You’re going to look or I’m going to hold your eyes open and make you.’

  I spat in his face. He wiped it off with his other hand.

  ‘It’s not a bad thing, watch.’ He muttered. He pinned my right arm to my chest, and with his other hand pried open my eye. I struggled against him but he was too strong, slowly my head turned, and I screamed as those malformed shapes glanced into my peripheral vision.

  BANG

  All force stopped as the outdoorsman slumped to the ground. The lunatics screamed, and dozens of people charged at me. I gripped the sickle tightly, and brought it down on the orb. There was a flash of light, and I was catapulted back. I sat on the cold concrete, dazed for a few moments. Coughing, I brought my hand to cover my mouth, and when I pulled it back it was slick with blood. I looked forwards, the host of moon crazed people were standing still, upright, yet lifeless. Their eyes had lost that shifting black tinge, and were glazed completely white. Groaning, I stood up.

  ‘I really didn’t think I was going to make it’ I laughed. I looked around, and saw Dean crawl out from a bush he was lying prone in.

  ‘You’re lucky I didn’t want to spend the end of the world alone, and you’re lucky I showed up when I did.’ He muttered, reattaching his rifle to his backpack.

  I smiled. ‘Thank you, Dean.’

  ‘So that’s it huh? World’s empty, just us two?’

  ‘I’m afraid so.’ I responded. ‘I’m cold, and I don’t think we have to worry about these people anymore. Want to head inside your house?’

  ‘Fine, but can we move them at some point? Those damned creeps are giving me the chills.’ He replied. I nodded, and we began walking together. I looked behind me, and saw the luminous moon moving slowly through the sky. It looked so beautiful tonight.