The bizarre creature remained but Justice was not only unharmed at having it pulled out of him but much improved. Doc Black was ecstatic. “Justice! That was amazing! Am I to assume that you’ve regained your full faculties then?”

“Ayup. Aw, man, is that smell me?” Justice gave himself a whiff under his arm. “Woof. Nope, I’m bad but that … that’s worse.”

“Ah, yes, Justice I do believe that there is a strong smell of sulfur coming from our hovering friend there. Shouldn’t he be … departing?” The Servitor hovered there, itself seeming to slowly be coming to its senses.

“Well, yeah, I guess. I may have busted out a little bit early.”

“Early?”

“Yeah, like, didn’t read the last bit of the scroll. On account of the thing wasn’t in me no more sooo … I can’t read no alien shit.”

“But … then … what do we do with this thing?” They all looked at the Servitor, looking so very like a demon or similar creature. Blinking, it was coming to, starting to realize it no longer had a host. Grunting and whimpering it was increasingly upset.

Looking around at the signs and other writing around him Justice shrugged. “Dunno. None of this shit makes sense any more.”

“So you really can’t read the alien writing now?”

“That’s a bingo, partner. Just a bunch of hooey to me now.”

“I … that can’t be good. This thing is waking up and, even if it sits here, the light from the circle is a beacon. Eventually it’ll alert more like our cultist friend here that something’s amiss!”

Justice puckered up his lips, nodding slowly. “I think I get what you mean, Doc.” And, with that, he plunged his hands into the light of the circle, grabbing his former occupant by both wrists. Its eyes sprang open and it gave a cry of weirdness that could have meant anything but, probably, was just fear.

The violence unnerved Doc Black. “Whoa! Justice, no! We don’t know what–”

But it didn’t matter. Justice began violently jerking on the Servitor, attempting to pull it out of the circle. “C’mere, you! Hey, lookit! Its damn hand poofed out when I pulled it into the light circle!”

“Don’t break the circle, man! Who knows what would happen!” shouted the Doc, but it didn’t matter.

As the creature shrieked he repeatedly pulled at it, ramming its body, limbs and finally its head against the seemingly solid wall of light. Justice himself passed through like it was air but to the Servitor, bound by the circle, it was death incarnate. As its head struck and started to disintegrate in gory fashion. With the second impact, the screaming stopped and the creature’s brain was exposed. No longer struggling, it was a simple matter for Justice to grab pieces and parts, burning them away to nothing in the light. Finally, kicking the salt away, Justice broke the circle and the light died.

“By gum…” muttered the Doc. “I never would’ve pegged violence for the solution.”

“Ah, no big deal. You wouldn’t even know anybody was even here.” said Justice as he used his meathook-like hands to push the salt onto the recovered scroll then used the scroll to pour the salt back into the half-filled bag.

But the doc shook his head. “I fear that’s not true, Justice. You’ve left a column of smoke that’s reaching up into the heavens. We should depart, posthaste!”

The old scientist moved as briskly as he could, Matty falling in behind him, but it was just a light jog for Justice to keep up. As they approached Doc’s carriage he spoke up. “Hey, uh, can I hitch along witcha? I don’t eat much and I reckon these boys’ll wanna kill me on account of I ain’t under their control no more.”

“No!” shouted Matty, desperately.

“Sure, hop in, partner!” shouted the Doc, pressing Matty to get in the back. Justice plopped down in the padded seats and looked around at all the lights inside.

It was mystifying to him. “What’re we inside of, anyway? Ain’t no horses pullin’ this thing.”

“That’s a good question, Justice. What year would it happen to be, if I may ask?”

This gave Justice pause. “Truth be told Doc, I’m not sure. It was 1864 when these polecats rustled me up. Been some years on since then.”

Engaging some sort of contraption the Doc started his vehicle to humming. “Aha. I suspect that my instruments were indeed right then; the year is 1869. Attempting to travel that close to some sort of major distortion in spacetime it would make sense that we might experience difficulties. If I’m right the distortion’s time period lasts for five years and, thus, should be near to ending. The only question being … are we within or without that ending?”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“What’s that mean, Doc?” asked Matty.

“Yeah, uh, what the kid said.” seconded Justice.

“Let me see if I can explain it in layman’s terms.” said the Doc as they lifted into the air. Doc Black raised one hand as Justice seemed to panic. “Don’t be afraid, Justice. This is my Chrono Car, a fifth dimensional vehicle traversing height, width, depth, time and space. Flying is the least interesting thing it does.”

“Well how the hell’s it do that!?”

“Why its power source, the ‘Flex Dynamo’, of course. It’s made of this marvelous material I created while playing with different radioactive isotopes. The material itself is fifth dimensional and, attached to that dimension as it is, using it to slip through the first four is mere child’s play.” the old guy laughed and Justice started to calm down a bit, pulling his fingertips out of the car’s dash. “By gum… How did you penetrate that surface with your fingers!?”

Justice shrugged. “I’d say I was just a piece of pure American beef, Doc, but I think it’s on account of my butchering and breathin’ in that Servitor critter. I always been strong but now I think I kept the strength it gave me as a slave even though I got my mind back.”

“Amazing. Well, let’s see. Let’s set down at the edge of the woods over here and come up with our next move.” angling down low the Chrono Car landed behind a thicket, fully hidden from anyone who might look that way from the city.

“I don’t know Doc. Why do we need a next move anyway?” asked Matty. “The trip is FUBAR and, at this point, I’d rather fail history than stay in this screwy alternate reality you brought us to.”

But the old bastard didn’t even blink. “Think about it, Matty! When we left our time 1865 was our destination but the 1865 we knew from history books doesn’t exist now. If we don’t do something it may never be again. That’s what I meant by being without, outside of, the ending. Attempts to escape the chronal magnetism of the event may trap us forever in this reality. However, if we can navigate it, survive its end…”

“Survive!?” squeaked Matty. “You want us to risk our lives!?”

“Think Matty! We don’t know what will happen if we attempt to return to our time without taking action. We could both cease to exist, having never been born. Little is yet known about time travel. If the magnetism of the event locks us into this alternate reality and we go back to the 1980’s… Well, look at the population now. All our ancestors are dead…”

Existential terror sinking in Matty shrieked. “Oh geez, Doc. You killed me!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I think I may have an idea.” Breaking away he turned to his new friend. “Justice, you were saying something about Brigham Young earlier, before you were recovered. You called him Prophet. Do you remember?”

There was some fog around that but Justice scratched his chin as he tried to focus. “Yeah. Everybody worships the man. Not like a man at all, really. I can’t remember much of what he said when I saw him myself but people like me, who ain’t sweared no loyalty to him, we all had to have them demon things in us to keep us from … well, from risin’ up, I suppose. That and make us do all the work.”

“The city … it looks like most of it’s still under construction. But I don’t see much in the way of raw materials. And that spire…”

“Spire? Oh, Young’s tower. Yeah man, it’s, uh, supposed to make him more powerful than … somethin’, anyway. And construction broke down because so many folks died. Only folks like me are supposed to be workin’ but the Servitors liked to starve people.” Justice scowled. “Tried to starve me.” Justice paused. “Man, what was that about population? Shit. Is everybody I know dead?”

“Well Justice … according to these readings … hm…” Very concerned indeed, Doc Black shook his head.

“What? What is it?”

“Just a few thousand humans, Justice. In small clusters, scattered over the earth.”

Blinking, horrified, Justice looked all around himself before dropping his gaze to stare at his hands. “But. My … my Company. Abraham Lincoln? My … my folks!” the big man was tearing up.

“Doc, don’t antagonize him! He murdered a demon when he was in a good mood! What do you think he’ll do if you piss him off!?” whined Matty.”

“It’s okay, son.” said the Doc, a hand on Justice’s shoulder. “Now that we’ve evicted your body’s trespasser, well, it’s clear what the disturbance was that stopped us from going further back in time.” Pointing to the glowing window on the front wall of the Chrono Car he continued. “That big, red dot on the screen there? That’s the tower. The Chrono Compass points straight to him. If we tried to jump right now, best scenario, we’d disappear for a second and then appear again in the sky overhead. Worst…”

A loud thump and something shook the Chrono Car. “Ah!” shouted Matty, still near to panicking.

Outside an eight-foot monster of fur and teeth was thrusting its mass against them, calling out “Gronk! Gronk!” time and again. Both Matty and the Doc were screaming as the wheels lifted and dropped on the driver’s side time and again. Finally, Justice recognized that fur. “Hold on! Cool it!”

Justice leapt out the door of the Chrono Car, barely keeping his feet. Matty saw this and started shouting “Now, Doc, punch it!” The violence against the car had stopped. The Doc, however, did not drive away, much to the teen’s continued irritation.

Looking down at Justice was a familiar face, if a bit bigger, weathered and unkempt. “Glen!? Gentle Glen! You found me!” and the old cowpoke vaulted over the top of the Chrono Car, grabbing the great beast around the neck and the pair tumbled to the dirt, overjoyed at their reunion.

The Doc rolled down the window and stared at the pair rolling around, kicking up dust. “Friend of yours, Justice?” he asked, voice rich in sarcasm.

“Things are looking up, Doc. This is my bear, Gentle Glen. Best boy you never seen, tell you what.” Standing Justice pulled Glen up and the pair engaged in a bear hug on equal terms.

“Doc?” asked Matty, shakily.

“Yes, Matty?”

“Is that … caveman, uh, as strong as that bear?”

Both soaked up the sight before them. At one point Justice clearly picked Glen up around the waist and held him on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t doubt it, Matty. I wouldn’t doubt it…”