I ran down the street as the storm raged overhead. The wet, vintage fabric of my dress felt heavy, whipping against my legs as I ran.
I crossed the street to the church, and my heel caught in a crack in the pavement, flinging me forward. I put out my hands to brace my fall and ripped my white gloves on the dirty road. Shaky and wet, my dress dirty and my gloves ruined, I stood up, thankfully without breaking the heel off my shoe and ran into the church.
My hair, soaked and stringy, clung to my face. I swept it back and tried to dry myself off at the door with a towel from the goodwill box, tossing my torn gloves in the trash. I was a complete wreck, but I did not care. Mascara streamed down my cheeks as I walked down the aisle towards Jesus.
I ran my hands along the folds in his stony robe and grabbed the ChronoSavior. It was late on Sunday night, and Cypher’s message indicated they were launching tomorrow. Of course, the world would end on a Monday, but those bastards chose March third, 2053, at three p.m. because of the religious significance of threes. They got some kick out of thinking of themselves as gods because they were going to wipe out humanity.
I did not run home; I could not have gotten any wetter. I felt calmer now that I had the ChronoSavior tucked safely in my bag. When I got home, I put the ChronoSavior on my desk and locked all my windows and doors. I peeled off the dress and hung it on a hanger to dry. I got into the shower and let the warm water stream down my back as I thought of Cypher.
I could not believe he was going, and how scared he must be, but even so, he had warned me, giving me the best shot. I was relying on seeing the rockets leave, and then it would be a matter of hours before the virus was released globally. I had not thought they would be launching so soon. I had even thought about retrieving the ChronoSavior earlier but hadn’t wanted to risk the off chance that Red Fall would seek me out for something else. I had just needed to know it was safe.
I put on some warm clothes and made myself a coffee. I picked up Earl and placed him on my lap, stroking his back until he settled down, purring himself to sleep. I plugged the ChronoSavior into my computer and ran a check of all the systems. I had access to Red Fall’s main computers through the program, but could not access them until the launch, as they would notice the infiltration. Everything was ready.
I sat there petting Earl gently and leaned back in my chair. Then I remembered that I had not heard all of Cypher's message. I picked up my phone and re-dialed my voicemail. His voice crackled over the phone, telling me of the launch time, and then, after a deep breath, he said, “Seren, this will be the last time I talk to you, but I am grappling with the weight of my mortality, and it’s not easy to put things into words. But I wanted to share some thoughts with you before I depart from this world.” (crackle) “As I prepare to leave everything behind, I find solace in having had the privilege of knowing you. I will carry the memories we shared as I embark on this final journey, and please forgive me for any pain or sorrow I may have caused you. It was not my intention; my judgment was clouded. I hope you can find it in your heart to remember the good times we shared. I wish you nothing but happiness in your future. Give them hell, Serenity.” (The phone crackled, garbling his voice.) “Goodbye.”
The air went dead. I could not make out the last thing he said. I replayed the message, “…Give them hell, Serenity (crackle) Goodbye.” It was probably nothing. I played the message again, and it was the same. It was the last time I would ever hear from him. I played it again and started to cry. I had no choice but to run the program tomorrow, but I knew it would also sever Cypher from returning.
I climbed into bed to go to sleep, but sleep eluded me. I stared at the ceiling, overwhelmed with the responsibility that lay ahead of me. I knew I was up to the task, but the thought of drifting into a relaxing sleep when so much depended on me just could not come to fruition. I poured another cup of coffee and sat next to my window, looking up at the few stars that could pierce through the city's light pollution and twinkle.
Earl remained on the foot of my bed, on my quilt. I watched his little paws twitch as he dreamed. How nice to live a life without worries, and again, I found myself envying my cat. I watched his peaceful body rise and fall with each breath, then got up and dug through an old suitcase I had under my bed. It was full of my writing, some sketches, a few attempts at poetry, and my accolades from college, along with an old picture of Cypher from the college newspaper.
No one printed photos anymore; everything was digital, but back in the thirties, our college still ran a school paper, and he was featured in it once. He did not want to be in the paper, but I convinced him to go and get his photo taken. He even smiled in it and said he only did it for me. “Are you happy now, Serenity?” he laughed and nudged my arm. I remember that day. We had a lot of fun.
I sat on the floor in a pile of memories and waited for the day to break, the day the day Earth could end.
