Dancing In the Shadows
-Original
Fiction-
In the End
by Pookie
“The cosmos is an immeasurable entity that
constantly strives on a whole to stand the test of time. Countless ancient sub
entities travel through its vastness. But what should happen if one of those
ageless pieces collided with a younger one? Such is the case of Earth and its
ephemeral civilization as the approach of…”
The sound of a screen being turned off quickly cut
short the monotonous voice. With a loud sigh a young lady collapsed heavily in
her couch.
“I’ve had enough of this
crap…”
Her voice was full of resentment and anger. She
still held the remote control in her hand and longed to throw it at something.
Unfortunately there was nothing – or no one – in her small apartment at which
she could direct her anger.
Her eyes moved from the black television screen to
the window. Three bright spots could be clearly seen, shining like tiny suns in
the blue skies. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what the skies looked
like before those stars appeared.
It had all started a few months ago. She had moved
away from home to go to college, glad to leave her parent’s house. Not long
after her fragile new life had been shattered one fateful night when the
President of the Nations made his announcement.
She still remembered his speech clearly. It had been
blasted on every single TV and radio station for days. The entire planet was in
a state of alert. A huge meteorite was headed straight for Earth.
Now threats of meteor showers were a frequent
occurrence these past decades, and most had been destroyed long before reaching
the atmosphere. But this one was different. It was much larger that any of its
predecessors. A direct impact from such a massive object would be an extinction
level event. Continents would sink, the core of the Earth would be disrupted
and the Earth could be spun off its orbit.
But the President assured the Nations that the
meteor would never hit. Powerful ships, carrying tons of nuclear missiles were
being sent from the Moon to face the Beast. The plan was to create a shockwave
powerful enough to knock the meteor off its course, bouncing harmlessly away
from Earth. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes as planned. The explosion did
indeed knock the meteor slightly off course, but not after having it split into
three pieces. Two were still slowly headed towards the Earth while the other
had been blasted straight towards the Moon.
In an age were technology was at its peak and man
had finally fully colonized the Moon, Nature took its revenge. The lunar
colonies did not have the capacity of launching a second wave of attack before
the impact. They had trusted their plan too much and were now forced to flee
their home.
A mere month later a fantastic explosion lit the
skies as the Moon was hit. The once round Moon had lost its shape as a large
piece of frozen rock was hurled towards Earth. Unfortunately, not all the
debris from this explosion burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. Those few pieces
that made it through the last lines of defense completely destroyed some major
cities. SF01, PAR05, and an entire area in what once was called
A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie.
She raised her eyebrow in curiosity as to who would bother her at this hour. As
she walked to the door she caught sight of her reflection. She sighed and
brushed back her long auburn hair, trying not to look too unkempt. Oh well,
that would teach them to bother her so late.
“Yes, yes. I’m coming…” she tried to keep her
exasperation out of her voice.
She barely had time to open the door before her
over-exited guest rushed in.
“Shaina! My dear. You have fifteen minutes to get
ready,” her guest said with a mischievous smile.
“Jess?! What in the word are you talking about?” She
closed the door and mindlessly followed her friend. She was dressed for a
party, the tips of her short black hair having just been bleached.
“You’ve been looking so gloomy lately, so I’m taking
you out.” She pushed her protesting friend into her bedroom “Fifteen minutes!
And then you better be ready to PART-TAY!”
Shaina could only laugh as she did as ordered. As
she was deciding what to wear, she heard the distinct sound of the TV being
turned on. A monotonous voice was discussing recent events. She listened
attentively for a second, trying to understand.
“Ah”, she thought, “They are at the second wave…” She
shrugged and entered the shower. She knew the story well enough already. Who
did not?
The First Wave had chipped the Moon. The Second Wave
had utterly destroyed it. The colonists on the Moon had not been able to escape
before the first impact. Those who had survived the first wave were faced with
the realization they would not survive a second time. Of the two remaining
fragments of the Beast, one was going to collide with the Moon. And in its
weakened state, the small satellite was predicted to be shattered. For once,
the predictions were correct. Not long after the Earth lost its nightly friend,
it was showered by debris. Just about every pacific coast suffered from the
resulting tsunamis. Islands were sunk, cities drowned.
Shaina stepped out of her shower with a grateful
smile. Her energy was back now and she was ready to have some fun. Even the
stupid television could not dampen her mood.
“Citizens of the Earth Nation were shocked at the
loss of the Moon. For millenniums they had been able to look up for comfort.
But now, the great orb was replaced by three bright stars growing larger each
day unt…”
Once again the TV was shut off.
“Jess, you know there is never anything on TV
anymore.”
“Aye, I know that. I also know it annoys the hell
out of you.” She laughed at her friend’s expression. “But come on, at least you
got dressed fast..” She winked and looked at her friend standing in of the TV.
She smiled in appraisal as she noticed her hair. Shaina had always liked her
two shorter bangs and had recently agreed to have them dyed dark red, almost
black.
Jess clapped her hands and sprang to her feet and
ushered her friend out the door.
“Alright then! Let’s go have some fun!”
The two friends left the small apartment amidst
cheerful laughter and comments. These spontaneous parties had become more and
more common and wild as time wore on. It was the only way to escape the three
foreboding stars that loomed above them.
Music resounded loudly in the rundown warehouse, the
maddening beat steering the racing hearts inside. Adrenaline was pumped to the
max as bodies swayed to the techno beats. Flashes of light and dark gave the
scene a surrealistic touch. Alcoholic drinks flowed freely, easily spilled onto
floors, bodies and eager mouths in this frenzied crowd. Small colorful pills
found their way across the moving mass temporarily heightening all their
senses. In some of the outer edges, people laid sprawled across large couches,
catching their breath and relaxing.
Shaina slowly made her way towards the couches,
trying not to get trampled by the sweat-covered dancers around her. She
collapsed unto the soft couch with a sigh of relief and reached for a nearby
drink. She winced as she gulped it down, her throat seeming to catch on fire.
Her mind was swirling and her limbs were aching from all the dancing and pure
excitement around.
She spotted Jess dancing in the crowd with a tall
man with big green spikes for hair. She called her out, her weak croak easily
engulfed into the surrounding chaos. She laughed and leaned into the couch. As
she started closing her eyes she caught sight of familiar blue hair. She smiled
and slowly felt her surroundings melt into darkness. The pounding music slowly
dimmed out and she heard a voice calling her before darkness overtook her
“Shaina?”
“Shaina?”
The soft voice slowly woke her up. She mumbled
angrily as she slowly opened her eyes. A pair of striking blue eyes were
staring straight at her, two large strands of blue hair barely veiling each
eye. The effect was mesmerizing and in her state, all she could do was stare at
him.
“Shaina?” he repeated, a light humorous touch in his
voice.
“Ah yeah… I’m up.” She blinked breaking her reverie.
With a quick look around she saw she was back home. A snore nearby indicated
they were not alone either. Her head was starting to drum and she slowly rubbed
her temples.
“So how did we get here?”
He laughed and handed her a hot cup of coffee. “Oh
the usual. Every time I find you at a party you collapse on me…” He pouted and
she hid her grin by sipping the warm liquid.
“Sorry Matt. Then again, no I’m not. You’re always
arriving late. So it’s your fault.”
He looked at her almost shocked and then burst out
in laughter. He was about to respond when a loud sound shook the entire
building.
Shaina jumped to her feet, her previous laughing
mood gone. Within seconds the TV automatically turned on as all the sleepy
guests sprang to awareness.
“What in the world…” Jess’ bad temper was clearly
showing.
“The siren. Something is up.” was Shaina’s short
response as they all turned their attention to the News Report.
The spokesman had barely finished talking that they
all ran to the window. Above them the three blazing stars appeared larger. A
small mechanical noise attracted their attention downwards.
A large digital clock was rising in the air. It
suddenly stopped when it was clearly visible everywhere around and the red
light turned on. They all held their breath as the countdown started.
The entire room was silent as they watched the
numbers slowly go down. After a few minutes the initial shock dissipated and
reality sunk in. They all hastily said their goodbyes with promises to see each
other the next day. No one knew how to react, but all wanted to be alone.
Shaina closed the door behind her friend and turned
to look at Matt who had stay behind. He was still staring at the clock.
“It’s over…” her cold voice broke the silence.
He merely turned around and looked at her.
“What’s the point of it all if there is so little
time left?” She seemed drained of all emotions, her gaze never leaving the red
digits.
Matt started crossing the room towards her when he
noticed a small object on the table. He smiled and picked it up before turning
towards Shaina. He tossed it across the room. In a quick motion she caught it
and stared down at the small object in her open palms.
“What is it?” he asked.
She looked at it quickly and recognized it
“It’s a perfume.” She uncapped it and inhaled the
sweet fragrance. She hadn’t noticed he had come closer until his soft voice
interrupted her reverie.
“Doesn’t it smell good?”
“It smells great; that’s why I bought it.”
He smiled. “Of course. All good things come in small
quantities.” He winked having proven his point.
“Even life?” she asked defiantly.
His smile turned more serious. “But of course.” His
serious look lasted an instant before his familiar playful expression returned.
“Better a short intense life than a long watered down one. At least you are
sure you have nothing regret. You did everything you could all the time.”
She looked at him and almost believed his words. She
quickly looked away and said in a low toneless voice. “You forgot the short
pointless life…”
She felt a hand on her cheek and closed her eyes. He
tilted her face towards his so that they would look eye to eye.
“Shaina…”he called out softly.
She kept her eyes shut afraid to face him.
“My life would have been short and pointless if it
weren’t for you…”
She felt his fingers wipe away the tear that had
escaped her eyes and finally gazed at his face. His calm intense eyes
contrasted all the confused emotions dancing in hers.
“Matt…” Her voice trembled. “I’m so scared.”
He caressed her face, brushing aside a strand of
hair. He gently kissed her lips, sending a shiver down her spine before pulling
her in a protective embrace. She buried her head in his broad chest.
“I’m scared too…” she could hear all his emotions in
that usually cheerful voice. “But at least we don’t have to be scared alone…”
Her fingers dug into his back harder as she
tightened her hold of him. It was the only response she could manage to his
words.
Outside the three bright stars slowly grew bigger as
the great clock continued its somber countdown.