“Come to me – the monster you’ve agreed to marry.” I stepped toward her and she put a hand up, looking at the table.
“Dean, I see you found my list,” she said.
Her face had turned white, and I worried there was more to those names than I’d thought.
“Is one of those an ex of yours?” I asked.
She visibly relaxed. “No, nothing like that. You know I’m adopted… obviously. Those people are… some of my real family members.” She fidgeted with her necklace. I knew there was a pendant under her shirt. She said it was from her real parents, and she liked to keep it close to her heart. She never took the thing off – ever.
“I didn’t think you knew any of your family.” I was hurt that she hadn’t brought this up before. We preached honesty, but with Janine, I always felt a wall between us that I didn’t want to admit was there.
She could tell I was bothered, because she moved in front of me and cupped my face with her hands. “I’ve been looking for my parents, and I heard back from a cousin I tracked down. These two are related to me in some way, and I wanted to have them at our wedding. They live across the country, and it would be tough to see them otherwise.”
“Just trust me enough to share this stuff with me. I want to know everything, and I’m here to support you.”
“Of course, sweetie.” She fumbled with the necklace again. “I love you. Now, how about some of that great-smelling dinner?”
She seemed a little off, but it was natural to be stressed with her whole newfound family and all of the wedding preparations.
TWO
I had looked everywhere I could think of and resigned myself to the fact that the pendant wasn’t in my house. I sat with my back against the hallway wall and tried to think. I ran my shaking hands through my now damp hair, racking my brain, but I couldn’t remember where I’d put it. Then it came to me.
My clock read ten thirty-two when I checked it on my way into the kitchen. The television still showed ships by the thousands in the sky around the world, and there I was looking for a stupid piece of jewelry. I told myself it was a promise to my wife, and I knew there was no way I would break that. I fumbled around my junk drawer and found what I was looking for: an envelope with an address and a number on it. Inside, a key weighed the paper down. I put the key in my pocket and grabbed my wallet.
Passing by a mirror in the living room, I saw what a mess I looked like. Hair in a wild display of unintentional hipster; clothing wrinkled and in need of a wash. Who was going to care today? The sky was full of aliens and I just needed to get across town. I’d be back home before I knew it.
I clicked my television off and wondered how many people were still sleeping or hadn’t yet turned their TVs on or been outside today. They were going to be in for a surprise.
My neighborhood was quiet, even for this time of day. Most of the people that lived here were retired or in single-income households. That, combined with half the families letting their kids stay home until they were thirty or married, meant the street usually had more cars and people out. Something about being outside right then was truly unsettling. Static. The air had an energized feel to it, almost like licking a nine-volt battery when you were a kid to see if it still had a charge.
Susan was in her window staring up at the sky, and Carey gave me a bark as I got into my truck. I turned the radio on to the local news station to see what was happening. As far as I could tell, the gray ships hadn’t moved or done anything yet, and it had been over four hours since they’d shown up. The large black vessel hung in the horizon, a menace in my vision as I started to pull out of my driveway. I cracked my window to let in some fresh air. The September breeze had a hint of the autumn to come, but summer was still here in the state of New York.
The soothing voice of Rollie Armstrong assured the townspeople that panic wasn’t going to help anyone, and he was reiterating what the president had just spoken about at his press conference. I knew people were scared; hell, I was shaken up by the whole thing too. But since my wife’s death, I’d learned to not get upset by the things I couldn’t control. Alien invasion would fit into that category.
As I drove through the neighborhood, groups of people were just standing and watching, as if they could make the ships go away by sheer will. I passed the local Lutheran church, and the parking lot was fuller than on any given Sunday. Give the people a reason to pray and that’s when they begin to believe. One of my clients was walking to the church, and he lifted his arm in greeting. I’d known him for years, so I pulled over and rolled the window down.
“Hello, Steve.” What did someone say for small talk when the Earth was covered by a million spacecrafts? Nice weather? Did you see the Giants game? You’re still on for this Friday’s poker game, right? I waited for him to start it.
“Hey, Dean.” He nodded at the church. “I figured it was time I said hello to the big guy upstairs. Something like this makes you think. Debbie and the kids are inside; I was just parking the car. Where are you off to?” His voice wavered, and I could tell he was really worried.
“Just going to get some supplies. I figure the stores may shut down early today. That’s if any of them are open.” It was only a half lie.
“The Happy Hut is open on Sherwood Road. That old guy is open on Christmas. I guess he figures to make money while the rest of them are watching the news. Well, I’d better get in there. Debbie is a mess. Take care, Dean.”
“You too, Steve. With any hope, this will be all over soon, and I’ll call you next week about your paperwork,” I said. He nodded, his mind already on the sky. I wondered if I was the only accountant in the world who’d just brought up work today.
The side roads were nearly empty, but when I hit Sherwood, there were cars for miles. I don’t think I had ever seen this many cars in our little city before. I sat at the four-way stop, thinking of the best way to get across town without being bogged down by the traffic. I looked to the left and saw what looked to be a fresh accident. The drivers were getting out of their cars screaming at each other.
A flicker of recognition hit me when I noticed the back of James’ Jeep all smashed up, and the familiar gesture of him running of his hands through his hair when he was stressed. The driver who had rear-ended him was a large man, and was getting in his face. I threw my truck in park and jumped out. This wasn’t the first time James had needed me to come to his aid, but it was the first time in daylight.
I ran the hundred yards to the cars, the rest of traffic still gridlocked behind them. James didn’t see me as the other man was pushing and threatening him. I could hear James saying his assailant was the one who ran into his Jeep. The law didn’t seem to matter to this guy, who was built like a Mack truck. I heard him mutter something about insurance not mattering anymore, because they were all going to be dead within the day.
As the man cocked a fist to throw at James’ face, I ran behind him, kicked his left knee, and grabbed his arm. I was thankful for the memory of my high school karate lessons. We went down together towards the pavement and I whispered in his ear, “Let’s not let this get out of hand. We all have enough to think about today. I’m going to let you up, and we’re all going to just drive away. Okay?”
He stopped thrashing after a moment and he grunted in assent. James had backed away, smirking at me as I got off the man. I stepped back quickly, ready for retaliation, but the man just moved to a sitting position. He was crying.
“My wife left me this morning. She saw the ships; told me she’d been cheating on me with my best friend. They left together, heading to his lake lot. As if being on a seaweed-infested swamp is going to stop the aliens from ripping your head off.”