The waves lapped at the soft sands while wind caressed the leaves of the palm trees that packed the island. Gulls and terns filled the air with a chorus of their cries as the sun sank on the horizon, painting the sky with brilliant hues of gold and orange.

The beach was quiet. It had been that way since the war. When it became clear that the Allied forces were not going to be victorious, many fled the island, fearing the possibility that they would never be able to leave it if they did not. However, it was those that stayed in the Bahamas that ended up being the lucky ones.

The island remained largely untouched by the war and the aftermath which, in more populated areas, had led to struggles for food and other resources was less pronounced here. Water was the main concern as the desalination machines stopped working once the generators ran out of power but the islanders adapted and used rain barrels and tarps over shallow pools of seawater to catch the condensation. The island provided the rest. Food was plentiful for those who were willing to forage and use the resources around them. And the more communal feeling of the island led to a collaborative approach that left the island in better shape.

Unfortunately not everyone survived. An epidemic of an unknown virus swept through the island shortly after the war ended and killed hundreds. Those afflicted with the disease found that their condition worsened rapidly, causing symptoms that ranged from weight loss and severe congestion to boils and organ failure.

Chris Adderley and his husband, John, were among the survivors of both the war and the mysterious pandemic. Chris Adderley was an ocean conservationist and his job had brought him to the Bahamas in the mid-2000s. He had met John through a mutual friend and they became pen pals. John was originally from Florida and he flew out to meet Christopher two years after they were introduced by their friend. He and Chris fell in love almost immediately and within another year, John had moved to the Bahamas to be with Chris. Chris proposed the following year and they were married just six months later.

Chris was the scientific minded partner and he was the most engaged with world affairs. When the war began, he published a study on the impact of naval warfare on marine life and the ocean ecosystems. It was popular within certain circles but largely ignored by the nations hellbent on destroying one another.

John was more humanities focused and more sensitive than his husband. He stopped following the news the day the first bombings took place because it broke his heart to see people suffer and know he could do nothing about it. Chris held him while he cried over reports from the US about the bombardment of major cities and military bases. The world ending was almost too much for John to bear and he fell into a deep depression when the war ended with the world in shambles.

Unbeknownst to the pair, John’s depressive episode saved both their lives. Chris, fiercely loyal and ferociously committed to his husband, stayed by John’s side. He paid neighbors to bring them food, refusing to leave John alone for even a second. They remained in isolation as Chris tried to pull John from the dark mood he sank into. If John couldn’t leave the bed, then Chris sat beside him all day. When John felt well enough, they went on walks on the beach together under the moonlight when no one else was out. This isolation kept them from coming in contact with the individuals who were struck by the mysterious plague and they remained healthy. The deaths of so many in their community impacted John just as hard as the war had, if not more. But Chris remained determined and committed to give his husband reason to live.

John woke up from a mid-afternoon nap and saw Chris lying on his side, looking at him. His eyes were filled with such a sorrowful loving expression that John nearly cried.

“What?” he whispered.

Chris wrapped his other arm around his husband and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. John snuggled into Chris’ broad chest.

“I wrote you a poem,” Chris said. John pulled away and looked at him quizzically,

“A poem?” he asked. Chris nodded and rolled over to grab a piece of paper from the side table. He cleared his throat and John softly smiled,

“I call him my sunshine, that fated love of mine. I see him in his sadness and I see him in his joy. He sees the world around us but I see only him. I feel the weight on his shoulders and I aim to lift it off. Today there are clouds but I only see my sunshine.”

John was silent and he bit his bottom lip as his eyes burned. Chris rubbed the back of his head awkwardly,

“I know it’s not very good,” he said. “Not like yours.” John reached up and placed his hand against Chris’ cheek,

“I love you,” he said, his voice hushed and thick with emotion. Chris pulled his husband close and leaned in, their foreheads pressing together with their lips just centimeters apart.

“I love you more,” he replied and he pressed his lips against John’s. John wrapped his arms around Chris as they kissed and for a moment he didn’t feel the weight of his depression, only the gravity of their love.

Chris wiped the tears from John’s eyes with his thumb as they parted from their kiss. His sea green eyes stared into John’s rich brown ones,

“We should go for a walk on the beach,” Chris said. John never knew how to tell his husband no, so he sighed and nodded.

“Yay!” Chris exclaimed, getting up from the bed. John followed behind him and they made their way down the stairs to the street. Chris grabbed his hand and they walked together down the sidewalk through the quiet town towards the beach. They reached the beach and John felt the warm sand between his toes. He looked out over the sea, watching as the clouds passed over the sinking sun, taking in the view of the golden sky over the deep blue waters.

Chris led him to the shoreline and they stood listening to the gulls and feeling the water lap at their feet. John breathed in the salty air and looked at his husband. The wind whipped through Chris’ sandy blonde hair and the sun bathed him in its brilliant glow. Every second with him reminded John why he fell in love with him the first day they met. Chris looked at him and smiled,

“Let’s go in the water,” he said.

“We didn’t bring towels or extra clothes,” John replied and Chris rolled his eyes as he pulled off his shirt and threw it on the sand behind them.

“We’ll get dry,” he said. He pulled off his shorts, leaving on his boxer briefs and raised an eyebrow. “Come on, John.”

John laughed and pulled off his shirt and shorts as well, tossing them into the pile with Chris’ clothes. Chris swept him up in his arms and carried him into the ocean with him. John laughed as Chris waded into the water and the waves crashed against them, nearly knocking John out of Chris’ arms. Chris held tight and looked at his husband. John grabbed his face with both hands and they kissed again as Chris held John.

“It’s like a Hallmark movie,” John said sarcastically and Chris laughed before releasing his husband, dropping him straight into the ocean. John fell into the water before jumping back up, completely wet and laughing. He splashed Chris and Chris dove under the waves, grabbing John’s legs and pulling him under with him. The two continued to wrestle and splash each other and John forgot about the heaviness of the world around them. He was on the beach with the man he loved more than anything else and that was all that mattered.

John dove under the water again and then jumped out, climbing up on his husband’s back as he tried to pull him back into the water. But Chris was fixated on something in the sky and after a moment, John paused,

“Chris?” he asked worriedly.

“John, what is that?” Chris asked, pointing to the sky.

John followed the direction that Chris’ finger was pointing and saw something streaking across the sky.

“It’s a shooting star,” he replied, kissing his husband’s check while still hanging onto his back, “Make a wish.”

“It looks like it’s getting closer,” Chris said. John looked back at it and saw that it was approaching the island quickly and growing larger. It looked like some sort of meteor.

“Chris…”

There was a whistling noise now as the meteor grew closer and John slid off of Chris’ back. Chris looked at him and grabbed his hand and they both began to run as fast they could to the shore. The water caused John to trip and as he fell and went under he heard a muffled “boom” and felt the water heat up. He popped out of the water and looked around frantically.

“CHRIS!” he yelled and he felt his husband grab his arm and pull him the rest of the way to the shore. John looked ahead and saw the tops of the palm trees on fire. Dark smoke began to fill the air and Chris was frantically putting on his shirt and shorts. He tossed John’s clothes to him,

“What’s happening?” John asked and Chris shook his head,

“I don’t know, baby, but I don’t think it’s good,” he replied. “I need to make sure everyone is okay.”

John grabbed his arm, “We need to be okay, Chris.”

“And we are,” Chris replied.

John knew that look of determination. There was no convincing Chris to let it go and just come back to the house. John let go of his arm,

“I’ll come with you,” he said against his better judgment.

“Okay,” Chris replied. “Stay close.”

John followed Chris as they made their way up the shore and past the burning trees. They reached the street and they could see the trail of black smoke on the horizon.

“Looks like it hit near the Caves,” Chris said.

John felt a growing sense of unease but he followed his husband as they walked down the road and towards the location of impact. Buildings burned and some of the other inhabitants of the island ran past the Adderleys as they made their way to safety,

“Turn back!” one woman yelled but Chris waved him off,

“We’re ok!” he called back and the woman gave him a concerned look but kept running.

“Chris…” John said quietly as they reached the area where the comet had hit. Now there were not only burning buildings but also burning bodies. Charred corpses laid buried in rubble and on the street surrounding the area of impact. A steaming crater blocked the entrance to the caves but there was no remnant of the comet that made it.

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“We should go,” Chris said, “I’m sorry.” He grabbed John’s hand and pulled him back as John stayed frozen, staring at the burning bodies.

“John.” Chris said but John didn’t reply. Chris grabbed his husband around his midsection and carried him away. John was silent. Once they were a far enough away from the caves, Chris set John down and looked at him,

“Baby, talk to me,” he said and John shook his head before bursting into tears. Chris hugged him close to his chest and held him as he cried. Clouds of black smoke hung above them, reaching far into the sky. The smell of burning flesh followed them back home.

Chris opened the door for John and he quietly walked inside their house. Chris followed him in and locked the door as John fell abc onto their couch, staring blankly at the wall. Chris sat beside him and grabbed his hand.

“They’re dead, Chris.” John said mournfully. Chris squeezed his hand,

“I’m sorry, John.”

“This isn’t supposed to happen here.”

“I know.”

“What was that?”

“I don’t know.”

John stood up and said, “I’m going to go to bed.”

“I’ll be up soon,” Chris said and John nodded before leaving the living room and heading up the stairs to their bedroom.

Chris stared up at the ceiling and sighed, he never should have gone over there, especially not with John. But he still couldn’t help but feel that he had a sense of duty to figure out what had caused that. He shook his head and followed John to bed. He got into the bed and pulled his husband close to him, wrapping him in his arms. He could hear the quiet sobs from John as he held him tightly.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered. John pressed closer against him and Chris held him as if he was holding him for the last time.

John.

John woke up and turned to his other side to face Chris. Chris was softly snoring and John knew that he hadn’t been the one who said his name. John gently removed himself from his husband’s arms and quietly exited the bed, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on before walking down the stairs to the living room. He squinted in the darkness to see if there was anyone there.

“Hello?” he whispered. There was no reply.

John made his way down the stairs and looked around the living room. That was when he noticed the back door was open. He felt his heart sink in his chest and he hurried over to the door and went to shut it.

John.

He heard the voice again but this time it sounded as if it was coming from outside. Curiosity got the best of him and he stepped outside, sliding on a pair of flip flops and walking out onto the balcony. He looked over the railing and saw a man standing at the edge of the street. He was dressed in strange clothes that were reminiscent of royalty. He even had golden epaulets on each shoulder, their tassels dangled over the long white sleeves of the collared shirt with brass buttons.

“Hello, John.” the man said. John slowly raised his hand and gave a half wave, still perplexed as to who this man was and why he was outside of his house looking like some royal footsoldier in the middle of the night. “Come down.”

John shook his head, “Uh, my husband…”

“We’ll be back, come with me, John,” the man replied sternly and John felt compelled to do as he instructed. John slowly descended the wooden stairs of the balcony and reached the street where the man was standing. The man nodded approvingly and then did an about face and began marching down the road. John followed him though he knew it was likely a bad idea.

“Where are we going?” John called to the man but he did not respond, continuing his march down the street. They walked a bit further before John realized where he was being led to. The charred buildings and trees became more frequent as he followed the man. John felt his chest tighten and he began to breathe rapidly and irregularly. He fell to his knees and the man turned around.

“I can’t…” John wheezed, “I can’t go back there.”

The man walked over and placed a hand on John’s shoulder and instantly John felt his mood shift. His reluctance turned into determination. Suddenly he didn’t fear going towards the Caves, he wanted to go to the Caves like he had never wanted anything more. He stood up and let his feet lead him there. The man now followed him. They reached the crater outside the caves and John noticed the bodies were gone. He waited for the man to escort him further and followed behind as the man crossed the blackened pit and ducked into the stone entrance of the caves.

John entered the Caves, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling as he followed the man down the stone carved stairs and deeper into the structure. It seemed to stretch further down than John remembered and soon he could see light from torches set up towards the back. The man led him into a cavernous opening and John was now standing in front of two other people. A woman sat on the throne of seashells that had been out in the front of the Caves previously. She wore a long flowing yellow sundress and had dried flowers arranged in the braids of her hair that appeared like a crown. To her right was a man dressed in chainmail armor and holding a golden spear.

The woman stood up and came down from the throne. She walked over to John and began looking him over as if inspecting him,

“There’s a darkness in you,” she remarked and she looked him in his eyes. There was a kindness in her eyes but there was something else too and John couldn’t figure out what it was or why it made him so uneasy.

“Um…” John said and the woman smiled warmly,

“You don’t need to speak, John.”

“How do you know my name?” he asked.

“I know a lot about you, John. I know where you’re from, how you got here, what you did before the war. I know about that deep sadness you feel that your husband can’t quite take away. And I know how tired you are of disappointing him.” She said and John was silent.

“Wouldn’t it be so nice to just rest? To let go of your worries?” she asked and she brushed John’s hair from his face with a gentle caress.

“Yes,” John whispered. “But I don’t know how that’s possible. Not anymore.”

The woman smiled and she gently placed her hand against John’s forehead,

“Look,” she instructed.

John’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and suddenly he was standing on the beach again. Chris was beside him and he smiled gently back at John. The wind was warm and it blew through his hair. There were other people on the beach and they were laughing and smiling. Kids played in the ocean and threw footballs. The smell of barbeque wafted through the air. Chris took John’s hand and they looked out over the ocean together. It was as if the war had never happened, as if the sickness had never come to the island, and as if he had never seen the burnt bodies. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

And he was standing in the cave beside the woman. She gave him a sad smile.

“I can give you that again,” she said. “I can give you more.” She pressed her hand against his forehead again and now John was lying on the most comfortable mattress he had ever felt against his back. Chris was beside him and John rolled over and on top of his husband. CHris laughed and kissed him.

“Let’s get up,” he said and he pulled John out of the bed. John followed his husband out of the massive bedroom. He noticed the lights were on. There was electricity again. Chris brought him into the bathroom. It was massive with a double vanity and large walk in glass shower. John watched his husband undress, admiring his toned body. Chris threw his boxers at John,

“Get naked you perv,” he joked. John laughed and took off his clothes. He followed Chris into the shower and felt the hot water cascade down over his body. He hadn’t had a real shower in so long. The water felt luxurious and standing under it with the man he loved more than life itself was everything he could have wanted. Chris embraced him under the water and their lips locked together.

“How sweet,” the woman remarked and John felt himself blush bright red as he found himself standing back in the cavern. The woman’s dress swept across the floor, giving the appearance of hovering. She circled John one more time before stopping in front of him and folding her arms and resting her chin against her hand with her index finger tapping against her cheek.

“Well?”

“I don’t understand,” John replied. The woman’s eyes darkened,

“Then I shall show you.”

The walls of the cave distorted and morphed into towering spires of black rock, their jagged points aiming at a swirling inferno above. Trees with bark like charcoal twisted from the ground and bore deep crimson fruit over petals of ashen gray. Searing heat surrounded John and sulfurous gas hissed from raised cracks in the ground.

A towering throne loomed ahead and shadowy figures wielding swords with metal as dark as the twilight stood at attention, lining the path to the throne. John stepped forward as he felt beckoned forth and he passed the ghostly sentries. As he approached the throne, he saw various limbs and bones jutting from its structure. Gnarled hands reached out from the base of the chair and charred skulls leered at him from the arm rests.

On the throne sat the woman but she looked more imposing and threatening. Her light yellow sundress was replaced with a crimson ball gown with a dark glittering bodice that appeared to be made of stone. The flower covered braids were replaced with a tall blackened crown that looked to be made of the jagged stalagmites that dotted the landscape around them. She wore dark makeup around her yellow eyes but her lips shone a bright gold. She towered over John and the shadow court, appearing as a giant.

“This is the fate of humanity, John” her voice boomed, “But it does not have to be your fate.”

John was back on the beach in the warm sun, lying in a beach chair. He looked to his right and saw Chris and then to his left and saw the woman, dressed in the yellow sundress with a wide brim hat on her head. She raised the cocktail in her hand to him and took a sip from the long pink straw,

“See how much nicer things could be?”

They were back in the cave and John’s heart and mind were racing. Chris would know what to do, but John was here alone.

John summoned up his courage and asked, “Who are you?”

The woman smiled and replied,

“I am your ticket to a life of luxury, John. Rest and bliss. This island can be your sanctuary.” She paused, “Or it can be your grave.”

John could see the burned corpses of the islanders in the reflection of her pupils. His fingernails bit into the palms of his hands as he clenched them tightly. The woman looked at him expectantly,

“What are you offering?” John asked and the woman’s smile returned,

“As I said, I’m offering a life of ease and luxury. You’ll never have to work for anything again. Those dark moods of yours will be gone. It’ll be almost sinful how good your life will be.”

John was growing more anxious and frustrated,

“Can you stop being so damn cryptic?” The exasperation was clear in his voice. The fire from the torches flickered and the cave darkened. The woman approached John, standing so close that John could feel her breath as she exhaled.

“You give me what I want,” she whispered, “And I give you what you want.”

“And what is it that you want?” John asked. He felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

“Your soul.”

John stepped back quickly and bumped into the man with the epaulets. He turned and the man stared down at him silently. John moved to the side, putting distance between himself and the man and woman.

“My what?”

The woman looked bored, “Soul. S-O-U-L.” she looked at her fingernails, “You must have put two and two together by now, right? I know your husband is the brains and the brawn, but John you aren’t stupid.” She stated, looking back at John with one eyebrow raised.

John thought about Chris and how much they had already been through. He thought about how the island had been in a drought for the last two months and they were running out of water.

“You’ll protect us?” he asked and the woman laughed,

“No need, you’re perfectly safe on the island. So long as you don’t leave it, you and Chris will be just fine.” she said. She snapped her fingers and the man with the epaulets came to her with a serving tray balanced on his white gloved hand, on it was a bottle of sparkling water and two crystal glasses. The woman grabbed a glass and poured the water into it, handing it to John before pouring another for herself,

“I’m good for my word.” she said and she raised the glass to John. John swallowed hard and stared into the crystal glass, watching the small bubbles rise to the surface of the liquid inside. The woman waited, still holding her glass aloft as she stared at John. He closed his eyes and took a breath,

“Yes,” he said as he opened his eyes. The corners of the woman’s mouth turned up in a smile and she tapped the rim of her glass against John’s,

“Drink up then,” she instructed, taking a sip from her own glass. Her dark lined eyes stared over the edge at John as he brought the glass to his lips.

The fizzy liquid tickled his throat as he swallowed and he felt the fizzing sensation carry down his spine. He lowered the glass and looked at his forearm as it was overcome with a burning sensation. He clutched the glass tightly and grimaced from the pain. After a few seconds, the pain stopped and there was a dark tattoo on his skin. He tilted his head as he stared at it and realized that it was a sloth dangling from a tree branch. He held up his forearm, showing it to the woman and she smirked,

“The deal is done.” she said, bowing her head to him. “Welcome to the Court of Sloth, John Adderley.”