The bartender chuckled, setting down a round of beers before us. "Well, I guess it took a worldwide threat to get worldwide peace, huh?" he said with a grin. "Cheers to that."
We all raised our glasses and drank, the tension in the air easing just a little bit. We were done trying to kill each other.
For now, at least.
---
Issac's perspective
It's been a long and exhausting week since the mysterious object touched down on the moon. The lunar dust had finally started settling after the chaos that ensued. Our team had been working at an exhausting, blistering pace dealing with all the data coming in.
Eventually, we got the recording from the observation post on the dark side of the moon, and the data we collected from the lunar satellites showed something incredible.
The object had executed a hard burn for a short time until it reached near free-fall speeds relative to the moon. Then, it just used the moon's gravity to "drop" onto the lunar surface. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. The object crushed the observation station, and the dust cloud knocked the satellites off course and out of orbit.
They were not destroyed in vain. They valiantly transmitted their final observations before going dark, spinning off into space, or plummeting into the lunar surface.
Sarah and I had been taking turns working and caring for our kids, balancing our responsibilities at home with the demands of our jobs. We were exhausted and stressed out, dealing with a million questions and far fewer answers at work and home.
Finally, today was the first day we could leave the office and take a break from the situation's intensity. No new information had come in from anyone in about 12 hours, and we would have a bit of a respite. Sarah and I invited Miles for a BBQ at our home.
Sarah invited her boss, but he declined, saying he had to fly back home to ensure he didn't get served with divorce papers.
On the way home, Sarah texted Ethan and Ryan, and they also agreed to come over. It was a chance to unwind and enjoy time with friends outside of work.
As we grilled burgers, hot dogs, and steaks, we chatted about anything other than work, with our phones making a circle around the middle of the table, guarding the platter of food. Even the kids, thankfully, ran out of questions about the "dusty moon," as they came to call it.
As the night wore on and the kids began to tire, Sarah kindly offered to take them in and put them to bed. I thanked her for it and asked if she wanted any help. She shook her head and said, "No, just enjoy the downtime. Besides, I still haven't made up for lost time when living in New York City alone."
I watched her disappear into the house, holding the kids by the hand as they stumbled their way after her.
Miles let out an exaggerated "Awwww" that had us all laughing. I couldn't help but tease him as he hiccuped and took another swig of his beer.
"You're definitely sleeping on the couch tonight, Miles," I teased him, shaking my head.
He protested, insisting he was fine and didn't need to crash on the couch. At least, that's the part that I understood. I wasn't convinced. "Don't forget what you made me promise you in college if you ever drank more than two beers in one sitting to make you sleep it off." I reminded him.
Miles nodded, a hint of a smile still on his lips. "Fine, you win," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I'll take the couch if I have to. But I'm not promising to be quiet if I start snoring."
Sanctuary Sought - Book 1 - Chapter 5
Start from the beginning
