Earth

“Magic Missile!”

A panicked voice heralded the glowing orbs that screamed across the air and burned into the charging animal’s skin.

“Open up!”

A calm voice triggered gunfire. Controlled bursts into the massive animal.

“Magic Mis—”

The woman was cut off by the mutated black bear tearing her face off with a swipe of its massive paw.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“Mage 1 is down! Keep shooting!”

Standard issue M16A4’s stitched a staccato of bursts into the mutant animal’s thick hide. Sparks and flashes meant that some of the rounds were bouncing off like they were hitting thick plates of steel.

The mutant black bear roared and swept into the nearest group of shooters.

Men died screaming.

“Fall back! Fall back!”

“Where’s Mage 2? I need his skinny ass here right now!”

Isaac Freeman grimaced. He had been trying to keep as far back in the formation as possible. As far as he was concerned the more soldiers between him and the poor animal was the smart decision.

It was times like this that he remembered his father’s dark humor when they went hiking and camping.

“Son,” his father would say, “if you see a bear, don’t run. Back away slowly and make noise, make yourself look bigger.”

Issac would ask what if that didn’t work.

His father would grin and wink. “Well, son, that’s why I bring you along. I only have to outrun you!” His father would then break out in a loud guffaw that’d definitely let every animal in the forest know they were there.

Isaac had done a lot of running and exercising since the spires popped up and ushered in the weirdest apocalypse. He was downright athletic now. A far cry from his skinny-fat days. His new abilities might’ve also had something to do with it.

Heads turned toward him. A hand grabbed the collar of his tactical vest, on loan from the soldiers, and roughly pushed him toward the front of the formation.

“Here,” Isaac said weakly.

“Fucking pussy,” a soldier muttered.

“Do your thing mageboy,” the lieutenant pushed him forward, “we’ll cover you.”

“Errr…” Issac pointed at the mutant bear, “Fire dart!”

A small burning dart appeared out of thin air and shot from his finger. It struck the mutant bear in the face.

Isaac focused his will and the flames bloomed much larger than the size of the dart had suggested was possible.

The poor bear roared and thrashed its head from side to side.

Isaac kept his will in the flames, kept them burning. Hotter and hotter.

The bear tried to roll its head in the dirt and moss, but the fire was stubborn. It clung to its fur as it burned its flesh. Its eyes popped and melted. The liquid evaporating before it could run down the bear’s cheeks.

The flames coated the inside of its mouth, stealing the oxygen from its lungs.

The mutant bear tried one last charge, but crumpled to the ground.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” the lieutenant clapped Issac on the back and caused him to stumble forward, “I wish our other mages had that same spell. So overpowered.”

“Uh,” Isaac tried to clear his throat. The burning bear smell was making him nauseous. “I just got lucky I guess.”

“Hotstuff comes through again!” one of the soldiers whooped.

The others cheered or was it jeered?

Isaac was pretty sure it was the latter. He smiled and nodded, as was expected.

The lieutenant punched him on the arm. He tried not to wince as he lowered his gaze to the forest floor. Unwanted attention always made his fair skin as red as a tomato.

“Head back to town, Freeman. We’ll take care of it.” The lieutenant turned to the rest of his men. “That looks like a thousand pounds of meat boys. You’re gonna be eating bear steaks tonight!”

The soldiers roared.

“Job well done!”

Isaac had already turned his back on the soldiers. No one saw his frown.

The trail back to the road took him about thirty minutes. The road took another thirty. He missed cars. And all the bicycles in town had been commandeered by the major for important use.

An hour of tense walking later and he found himself in front of the barricade that led into his hometown. He was finally able to breathe. Walking through a small trail and road surrounded by thick forests wasn’t something he liked doing before monsters and mutant animals were a thing. The fact that he had special abilities didn’t make a difference in his mind.

“Isaac, how’d the hunt go?”

Jordan was manning the gate by himself.

“Open up and I’ll tell you.”

“Right, sorry.”

Jordan was about a head taller than Issac. He was a broad-shouldered specimen of the All-American ideal. They had gone to the same high school in town, but hadn’t really crossed paths much. From all accounts he was a pretty decent guy even though he was the star quarterback.

The gate squealed as Jordan cranked the winch that pulled it open.

Isaac stepped through as soon as the opening was wide enough. He quickly helped Jordan seal it up again.

“We got an altered black bear,” Isaac said flatly.

Jordan beamed. “Nice! That’s a lot of meat.”

Isaac shook his head. “We’ll see how much actually gets filtered down to the rest of us.”

“Not so loud, man,” Jordan said. “Cade’s crew might be around. They’re supposed to be on watch with me, but…” he shrugged.

“Assholes,” Isaac muttered.

Jordan nodded. “How big was the bear?”

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“I don’t know. They said maybe a thousand pounds.”

Jordan whistled appreciatively. “Must’ve taken a lot of rounds to bring it down. I heard that their Gunsmith is having trouble keeping the ammo supply up.”

“Mrs. Roberts is dead,” Isaac blurted out.

The smile fell from Jordan’s face.

“The bear got her. And a couple of soldiers.”

“You should tell Mr. Roberts,” Jordan said after a moment of silence. “I’d do it, but I can’t leave my post until sundown. He should hear it from one of us.”

“I know. The soldiers will take days to tell him. If they even remember,” Isaac sighed. He just didn’t want to be the one to do it.

Isaac waved goodbye and walked into the town proper.

It was a small town. The kind with one main street and one church. Small houses, small yards, which may or may not be enclosed by a picket fence, possibly white in color.

Seeing it made Isaac’s thoughts turn to a bitter place. He had thought he had escaped by going to college. Free from his conservative town, conservative state, and conservative poison. The only reason he was back home was to spend the summer with his family.

Despite all his urging, his parents refused to sell their home and move to a better place. Especially after his father’s diagnosis. Even with the prejudice they faced his parents had known no other home and so they stayed and waited for the end.

The spires brought about a different kind of end.

Isaac went straight to the Roberts’ home. He rang the doorbell.

Mr. Roberts answered. One look at Isaac’s face and the man knew.

He listened in stoic silence as Isaac struggled to recount what had happened to Mrs. Roberts.

Isaac kept the gory details out of the tale.

In the end, Mr. Roberts thanked Isaac and closed the door.

Isaac heard the sobs as soon as he stepped off the porch. He wondered if the soldiers would even bother bringing Mrs. Roberts back to her husband.

He wasn’t blameless in this. He could’ve carried her body back himself. Truth was he couldn’t stomach the sight of her mangled face and chest. Truth was he was afraid that carrying a corpse would’ve attracted monsters and mutant animals. Truth was the sight of blood made him sick.

He returned home feeling worse about himself than he had in awhile.

“Isaac, did it go okay? You look fine, but your face doesn’t.” Isaac’s mom had a look of dread mixed with hope on her face.

“Mrs. Roberts died.”

“Oh dear. Why don’t you sit at the table and I’ll warm you up some tea and honey.”

Isaac sat silently as his mother bustled about the kitchen. He was always amazed by how smooth her dark brown skin remained despite her age. Although the last year had seen more lines appear. Another thing to hold against the spires.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

His mother placed a cup in front of him.

“Not really.” Isaac sipped. He felt the heat of it, scalding really, but didn’t feel the pain, since there was no injury to his tongue or mouth. A gift from his abilities. “I don’t know… I mean, what’s the point? Mrs. Roberts should’ve been, I don’t know, knitting scarves and visiting her grandkids. Except she died fighting a giant bear without knowing if her grandkids are still even alive.”

“Delores wanted to help with the abilities God gave her. At least now she’s with our Lord.”

Isaac opened his mouth to argue, but saw the look on his mother’s face. He shook his head. “Did she? Willingly? Or did the army make her? They haven’t exactly given me a choice. Oh they twist their words to make it seem like I’m volunteering, but…”

Isaac’s mom pursed her lips.

“I can’t say I like everything they’re doing, but they are protecting us from the monsters.”

“Mom…” Issac sighed. “That bear would’ve killed every soldier out there today if it wasn’t for me.”

Issac’s mom wrung her hands together. “I’m just happy that you’re home safe. I don’t like you going out there, but I can understand why.”

“A thousand pounds of meat.”

“What do you mean, honey?”

“The bear. Probably a thousand pounds of meat. I’m just wondering how much of it will reach people like us.”

“Just worry about the things you can control. God grants us the serenity to accept the things we can’t control.” Isaac’s mom lovingly cupped his cheeks like he was still a boy. “Now, wash up for dinner. Your sister will be home soon and I need to wake your father.”

Isaac did as he was told and then set the table. Dinner was a stew of normal rabbit meat and vegetables. Isaac’s family was better off than most because he was able to go out into the forest and hunt with his abilities and his knowledge from his younger days with his father.

Sofia Freeman barged in and slammed the door behind her before stomping off to her bedroom.

“Um… okay.” Isaac frowned. His younger sister was fifteen going on sixteen. She was a burgeoning beauty. Fair of skin and long of leg. She had played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Her level of physical fitness had only increased as she had thrown herself into combat training with a maniacal fervor.

Isaac wasn’t blind to the looks his sister got nor deaf to the whispers.

The glass in his hand shattered.

Isaac looked down. The red glow in his hand was matched by the red glow in the pieces of glass on the floor.

“Shit.”

The wooden floor had black scorch marks from the superheated glass.

Isaac hurried to pick them up.

“Isaac! What was that? Is everything okay?” Issac’s mom called out from the master bedroom.

“Just dropped a glass! Sorry!” Isaac rubbed at the scorch marks to no avail. He went out to the backyard and placed the still hot glass pieces on an out-of-the-way spot of concrete.

When he returned to the kitchen his mother was helping his father to a seat.

The sight brought a pang of pain to Isaac’s chest.

His father was practically skin and bones. So stooped over he looked almost the same height as Isaac’s mother.

His father had been a big man, muscular in the ways of those who lifted heavy objects for a living.

The cancer had nearly eaten everything away.

Isaac forced a smile on his face. “Dad.”

“My boy.” His dad smiled. It was full of pain, but the love and affection was pure. “Good hunting?”

“Mutant bear. Probably a thousand pounds.”

His father grimaced. “I’m just glad the rabbits are still normal,” Isaac’s father laughed weakly.

“Yeah… yeah,” Isaac said. He wasn’t going to tell his father that the amount of normal animals he came across had been steadily decreasing. It seemed like they either went mutant or got eaten.

Sofia came to the table with a dark look on her face.

No one remarked on it.

Isaac’s father led a prayer.

They ate their stew in companionable silence until Isaac couldn’t take it anymore.

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Sofia said.

“You can tell us, wildcat,” Issac’s father said.

Sofia frowned, but one look at her father and it softened.

Isaac’s father sighed. “Just about the only good thing about this cancer is I don’t get no back talk from you two anymore,” he laughed weakly.

Sofia’s frown returned. “God Dad, don’t even joke about that!”

“Sofia!” Isaac’s mom said sternly.

“Sorry, Mom,” Sofia didn’t roll her eyes.

Isaac’s father chuckled. “The day I can’t joke is the day I say goodbye.”

“You know there’ll only be more jokes if you don’t spill the sitch,” Isaac said. “Is that right? Did I use that word right?”

Sofia looked like Isaac as if he had the intelligence of the carrot chunks she was pushing around on her plate.

“Fine. It was a bunch of jerks, just saying some stuff to me during training. I shouldn’t have let it get to me.”

Isaac and his father narrowed their eyes.

“What?” The two men said in unison.

“No, no, this is why I didn’t want to say anything. Dad, I love you, but I don’t want you fighting for me and Isaac, I don’t want you burning some dumb boys.”

“They’re not boys,” Isaac said flatly.

“I can take care of myself,” Sofia snapped.

“How about we enjoy our dinner? We can discuss this later,” Isaac’s mom said. “We’re lucky to have meat tonight, thanks to your brother.”

“I’m okay with that,” Sofia shrugged. “But, there’s nothing to talk about.”

Isaac exchanged a look with his father. They nodded.

“So, uh, how’s the meat supply look, Mom?” Isaac deftly changed the subject. This time, Sofia rolled her eyes.

“Oh, we’re okay. You don’t have to go hunting on your own,” Isaac’s mom said lightly.

He wasn’t fooled. Her hand shook. He’d take his next free opportunity to go out and hunt some game, without telling her.

Dinner proceeded with talk of better days and of hopes for the future.

Isaac did his best to play along, but he felt nothing except dread and darkness as they grew heavier in his mind.