Old man

Life on the mountain had settled into a steady rhythm. Elmore and Brett’s hunting expeditions were paying off more than ever. The once average mountains was now providing a regular supply of meat to the community, and they had even begun turning a small profit. Their days were filled with tracking game, curing hides, and keeping the freezer stocked, which they traded with local merchants. The community relied on them, not just because meat was scarce, but because the economy had taken a brutal hit.

Walking through town on one of his trips, Elmore noticed that people were starting to look more impoverished. Ragged clothing, thinner faces—signs that the hardship was hitting everyone harder now, even in an area that was one of the lowest-income regions in America before everything began to unravel. The growing divide between those who had wealth and those who didn’t was more obvious now, with some thriving while others struggled to get by.

Elmore’s thoughts turned to his father. He hadn’t checked in on him for a few days, so he decided to stop by the old man’s garage, just to see how he was holding up. His father had always been the type to keep busy, and Elmore hoped that work was still coming in.

When he reached the garage, he found his father hunched over a backhoe, his worn mechanic's gloves greasy from work. Elmore was about to call out when he froze, noticing something strange—several metal parts were levitating in the air, slowly rotating as if guided by invisible hands. His father didn’t seem to notice him at first, his focus entirely on the floating components. Then, as soon as Elmore took a step closer, the parts clicked together in a seamless motion. Bolts sunk in, metal clanged as it fastened tight, and in seconds, the machine was fully reassembled.

His father looked up, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and giving a familiar grin. "Well, I’ll be damned. Look who decided to show up."

Elmore raised an eyebrow, still processing what he’d seen. "I didn’t know you could levitate metal now. When did that happen?"

His dad chuckled, his voice gruff as ever. "I told you before, boy. Got me some Nexus powers. Just helps with being a mechanic, that's all. No big deal."

Elmore crossed his arms, giving his father a skeptical look. "Yeah, but floating parts in the air? That’s a bit more than just ‘help.’ What else can you do?"

His father waved him off. "None ya business. What brought you out here anyway? You checkin' on your old man?"

Elmore decided to let it slide. "Just wanted to see how you’re doing. Work still steady?"

His father nodded, leaning back against the backhoe. "Steady? Hell, I’m the only mechanic left in the county who hasn’t skipped town. The city's sending work my way, plus all the independents, and it’s keepin’ me busy. Making pretty good money these days." He paused, smirking. "Turns out not everybody’s Nexus power is good for fixing engines."

Elmore couldn’t help but smile. "Glad to hear it."

His dad wiped his hands on a rag and turned toward the back of the garage. "Oh, and you know that rafting company out past the valley? They shut down. No more tourists coming through here anymore, so they sold off most of their equipment. Picked up a few of their old tools and some vehicles for parts. Figured it’d come in handy."

They rambled on for a while, catching up on little things. His dad told him how he was getting work from all over, how the roads were emptier now but the jobs were piling up. Eventually, his father tossed the rag aside and stretched. "Alright, I’m done for the day. Time to grab a beer."

Elmore glanced at his phone, noting the time. "It’s only 2:30."

His dad grinned. "Yeah, and? It's beer-thirty."

With that, he motioned for Elmore to follow him inside. They made their way into the house, where his father popped open a cold one and kicked back in his kitchen chair. Elmore joined him, sinking into an old armchair as the conversation drifted into comfortable, familiar territory—talking about the weather, work, and how everything was changing so quickly.

Between sips of beer, his dad leaned forward, his voice dropping slightly. "Been hearing some rumors from my customers lately. Stuff you might wanna hear."

Elmore raised an eyebrow. "What kind of rumors?"

"Well, first off, there’s talk that some of the small towns west of here are getting wiped off the map. And not just 'cause of the economy. People are saying there’s something worse out there. They’re talking about Nexus creatures—ones even bigger than that mountain lion you took down."

Elmore's expression grew more serious. "We’ve been hearing the same. What else?"

"Word is, the government’s tightening its grip. There's folks saying they’re gonna start crackin' down on Nexus abilities real soon. Licenses, regulation...maybe even rounding people up."

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Elmore felt a knot form in his stomach. He’d seen the way things were shifting. The world was getting stranger by the day, and now it seemed like it was all coming to a head.

His dad took another sip, his eyes flicking to the TV in the corner where the news anchor was droning on about the latest political upheaval. "Feels like we’re sitting on a powder keg, boy. Just waitin' for someone to light the fuse."

Elmore leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his own drink. "It’s just that idiot general. He’s the one pushing to drag people off for having Nexus abilities. Hell, almost everybody’s got ‘em now. There’d be no point in trying to round us all up like cattle. They’d need to make a whole new country for us if that’s the plan." He shook his head. "It’s madness."

His father grunted in agreement, setting his beer down on the table. "Ain’t that the truth. You hear about the towns goin’ dark out west? They’re saying it's only about an hour’s drive from here to the last one that went dark. People just up and vanished. No explanation, no nothing."

Elmore nodded. "Yeah, we’re hopin’ it doesn’t spread this way. But who knows? Everything’s been unpredictable for the last year. And then in about a month, election officials are supposed to roll through here with all their fancy equipment. They’re getting everybody’s vote before moving on, but there’s already been protests at some of these sites. People are mad about who’s running things, but the websites keep getting scrubbed before any of it blows up."

His father let out a huff, clearly unimpressed. "Sounds about right. Sweep everything under the rug and hope it goes away. Same as always."

Elmore eyed his father thoughtfully. "You ever think about coming out hunting with me and Brett? Might do you some good, get away from all this craziness for a bit. You’ve got that fancy Nexus power now—might come in handy out there."

His dad waved him off with a dismissive gesture. "Nah, I’ve got too much work to be messin’ around in the woods. Ain’t nobody else fixin' trucks around here. Besides, I leave that sort of thing to you young folk. I’m too old to be runnin' after wild animals."

Elmore chuckled. "Fair enough. Can’t say I didn’t offer."

The conversation shifted, and soon enough, they were griping like old men at a local diner. Elmore found himself joining in on complaints about the state of the government, the rising corruption, and how out-of-touch the people in charge seemed to be. They both took turns venting about the stock market, corporate giants like BlackRock and Vanguard, and the absurd amount of control the wealthy seemed to have over everything.

"I mean, how the hell does someone even own half the damn country?" his dad said, his face red with frustration. "They’ve got their hands in everything—land, food, politics. It’s like no one else stands a chance. Regular folks like us? We’re just here to work and scrape by while they rake in all the money."

Elmore nodded in agreement, feeling the same resentment boil up inside him. "And it’s not like they’re hurting for anything. They keep getting richer, while the rest of us have to barter and trade just to get by. Feels like the whole system’s rigged from top to bottom."

"Exactly!" His father smacked the table with the palm of his hand. "And what’s the government doin'? Nothin'. They’re either too scared or too busy getting their own pockets lined to actually do somethin’ about it. Meanwhile, folks like us are out here fending for ourselves, just tryin’ to make it another day."

They continued to gripe, the shared frustration fueling the conversation. It felt good, though—cathartic, even. For a moment, they could forget about all the strangeness happening in the world and just be a father and son, complaining about the same problems people had been talking about for decades.

By the time they were done, Elmore’s father leaned back in his chair, a satisfied but tired look on his face. "Ah, well. Same shit, different day, huh?"

Elmore chuckled. "Pretty much."

Older women

Elmore stood up from the kitchen table, stretching out his legs. "Alright, Pops, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you later. I’ll bring Edward by this weekend."

His father gave him a nod, tipping his beer in acknowledgment. "Alright, boy. Don’t be a stranger. You take care of that family of yours."

Elmore lingered for a second, glancing over at the familiar sight of his old man unwinding after a long day. "Love you, pops."

His father looked up, a rare soft expression crossing his face. "Love you too, boy."

With that, Elmore made his way toward the door, but before he could leave, he heard a faint voice from the back of the house—the unmistakable sound of his MawMaw calling out. "Elmore, get on back here."

He paused, glancing toward the hallway that led to what used to be his old bedroom. He hadn’t even noticed she was up. With a sigh, he turned and headed down the hall, pushing open the door to find her sitting in a worn armchair by the window, the Bible open in her lap. The light streaming in from outside cast a soft glow around her, making her seem almost otherworldly for a moment.

"I know, I know," she said before he could speak, her eyes never leaving the pages. "I should be laying down, but I’m feelin’ just fine today. Come sit down, Elmore."

He opened his mouth to protest, to say he didn’t have time, but she cut him off again. "Yeah, I know you got time. Come on, boy."

With a bemused smile, he sat down in the chair opposite her, trying to relax despite the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. His grandmother hadn't always had a way of knowing more than she let on. He’d learned recently not to question it.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of the Bible’s thin pages as she flipped to a particular passage. Then, in her calm, steady voice, she began to read aloud without looking up.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Elmore felt the weight of her words settle over him like a heavy blanket. She wasn’t just reading; she was speaking directly to him. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering how she seemed to know what was on his mind.

Finally, she closed the Bible and looked up at him, her eyes sharp and clear. "Remember that, Elmore. It's what’s gonna save you when the time comes."

He didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded, feeling the odd sense of foreboding settle in his chest.

She stood up slowly, her frail body moving with surprising grace as she made her way toward the bathroom. As she passed him, she paused at the door and spoke over her shoulder. "Go on now. Your wife needs your help. And don’t worry—I’ll be fine."

With that, she shut the door behind her, leaving Elmore standing there, bewildered and uneasy.

He left the house without another word, walking back out into the warm afternoon. The conversation with his grandmother weighed heavily on his mind, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. She’d always been a strange, spiritual woman, but this felt... different.

As he made his way home, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of splitting wood. Sure enough, when he rounded the corner of the house, there was Ash, struggling to chop firewood in the yard.

Elmore sighed and quickly set to work helping her, grabbing the ax from her hand. "You should’ve called me earlier."

Ash smirked, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I would’ve, but you were busy gossiping with your old man."

He chuckled, trying to shake off the unease that still clung to him. "Yeah, well, there’s always somethin' to talk about with him."

They worked side by side in comfortable silence for a while, the rhythmic thud of the ax cutting through the wood filling the air. Elmore decided not to mention what happened with his grandmother. As unnerved as he was, he didn’t want to worry Ash. For now, he’d keep it to himself, though the strange feeling from earlier refused to leave him.