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by Leger~ Author IconMail Icon
Rated: GC · Book · Contest Entry · #2275375
Where music moves me. Here are my stories. Album #3
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#1034187 added June 24, 2022 at 11:52am
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The Last Resort

The Last Resort


They were standing shoulder to shoulder in the church, waiting for the inspiring words of the pastor.

"Where you from?" The redhead with the kids asked.

"Malibu." Aponi didn't take her eyes off the alter.

"Think this will do any good?" The kids were already squirming in the pew.

"No." None of it did any good. They were doomed. You could already see it in the sky, hurtling toward the Earth. They tried blowing it up, nothing worked.

"Then why are you here? The pastor was moving to the pulpit.

"To balance my books, of course." Aponi didn't elaborate, but she'd done a lot of crazy things. Not only on the rez but in the white man's world. People hired her to get the job done. She had a lot of money, but it did no good now.

"Hey...hey... If I die, and you don't, will you take my kids?

Aponi glanced over at the woman's three kids. "If you die, so will they."

"Just say you will." Her eyes were desperate.

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Like she was gonna make it. No one is gonna make it. She wanted to see the sunset one more time. Soon as she walked out of this church and watched the sun go down, she could watch that huge fucking shooting star smash into our planet. This was big. So big it was really hard to wrap your head around it. The scientists kept talking about fireballs and tsunamis. There's no hiding from this craziness. No bunker is gonna keep you safe.

One of the children slipped their little sticky hand into hers. He looked up and said "We're gonna be dinosaurs." Then he smiled.

"That sounds pretty cool, buddy." Aponi smiled back.

The sermon was inspiring and uplifting. The pastor said to accept the inevitable and embrace meeting with God very soon. He touched everyone on the head and blessed them. Many people were crying, hugging their loved ones, and shouting out to God, asking Him to save them.

Then it was over, in eerie silence, the congregation filed out. No one got in their cars, they sat on the hill, facing the sunset. The shadows were long over the cemetery below them. As dusk got deeper, they waited, a few of them looking in the sky with binoculars and telescopes. Kids ran around chasing fireflies and playing hide and seek among the tombstones.

It came just as it was getting dark, a speck at first, then a fireball with a brilliant tail. People pointed at the comet, others wailed and cried in fear. Aponi just leaned back and watched. It grew brighter and a tangible sound crackled in the air. Aponi gripped the blanket she was sitting on and watched. The huge asteroid entered the atmosphere and streamed across the skyline. Aponi could feel the change in the air as it passed over. Just as it flew by, chunks started breaking off and falling to the Earth. More and more pieces broke away in different trajectories. Then it blew up. Like a bomb had been in the center of it and fracture into a million pieces, creating a firestorm in the sky.

Aponi stood and watch as the asteroid self-destructed. The last of it fell to the ground somewhere and shook the Earth. Aponi never felt an earthquake but imagined this is what it felt like.

She folded the blanket and started walking to her car. The redheaded woman walked next to her with the kids in tow.

"That was something, huh?"

"Yep, that was something."

Word count - 595


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