When Forever Ends (Part 2: The Place with No Name)

XXXVI

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T h i r t y - S i x

The suits fanned out and went at the wall, smashing in the windows, grabbing random items from within and casting them outside. A small water clock flew by, followed by a few books and a picture frame, as well as many other things. Through the sound of glass shattering and objects hitting the ground, I could hear voices shouting inside. I sat on top of the vehicle, powerless to do anything but watch.

Suddenly the suits withdrew, scattering to either side of the vehicle and pulling cannon-looking weapons that glowed with an eerie greenish light from compartments in the side. The vehicle shuddered and inched forward again, right towards the wall. With a terrible ripping sound, it completely flattened the wall and came to a halt, pulling back once more. The smoke created by the crumbling stone blocked my view of the room's interior, but the suits advanced anyway.

An inhuman scream cut through the air, high and shrill, sending shivers up my spine. I couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened to elicit that sound.

A figure ran forward from the house and spread its hands to ward off the suits. "Wait! Stop!" it shouted in a voice made hoarse by all the dust and smoke. "That's my family!"

One of the suits shoved him out of his path. "Step aside, Jack. We have no quarrel with you."

For a moment, he stared after them in shock. Then he dashed back into the house.

Another shape burst into the room just as the suits sent several green pulses from their cannons flying at the house. It jumped in front of the bed and a bolt hit the person square in the chest. Their outline glowed green for a moment before disintegrating and blending with the rest of the ash swirling around in the air.

The suits reached the house again and charged in, leaving chaos in their wake. Papers fluttered and bits of broken glass flew, the thick fabric protecting Tarron's goons. Shots fired. Bam! The bed was reduced to splinters and feathers. Smash! A vase of flowers became vaporized. Crunch! The door flew off its hinges and was trampled under heavy steel boots. And to top it all off, the fire alarm added its wail to the cacophony of destruction.

In the midst of all the happenings, I glimpsed my dad run from the house, dragging a young boy behind him. It happened so swiftly I almost thought I hadn't seen it, until a couple of suits lumbered after him. I tried to follow, but couldn't. My feet were as good as welded to the metal roof of the vehicle.

Another flash of movement, seen out of the corner of my eye, caught my attention. The suits had moved on to demolishing other parts of the house and they weren't the reason I had turned my head. A figure had materialized from the shadows at the edge of the bedroom and now came forward. It had a medium-sized black bag tucked under one arm and walked with a slight limp, head down as if searching for something. It halted and bent down to pick up a flat object, brushing off the ash as it did so. The figure traced a finger along the object's jagged edge and paused, looking around once more. I realized that the person was most likely looking for the other half. I watched as they gave up the search and tucked the rectangle into the bag.

They started forward again, pouring something out of a can in a line leading from the house to the front of the vehicle. It made a small hissing noise as it came in contact with the ground. The person then turned away from the center of town, heading towards the Endless. For some inexplicable reason, however, they paused one last time and looked back, staring right at me. It was eerie. I could only see the moonlight reflecting off their eyes, but none of the rest of their face, and I wondered who it was. I had the feeling that they knew I was there, and they were trying to convey something to me. Then the figure turned abruptly and I caught a flash of silver hair before they melted into the uncertain light.

Suddenly, everything ended at once. There was a tremendous noise like a thousand glass bottles smashing into the ground at exactly the same moment, accompanied by a roaring that rapidly grew louder until it was all I could hear. The house instantly vaporized, the dust whipped away by a powerful wind that came out of nowhere. A line of fire sprung up right where the figure had poured the powder. It raced towards the vehicle and it blossomed in the largest explosion I'd ever seen. Waves of fire and ash whipped across my vision and I was only aware of a dull throbbing in my ears. Everything was fire, and I struggled to move, but could not. I realized my clothes were ablaze, and I no longer felt my feet. It seemed as if my legs ended just below the knee. I was falling. The ground opened up beneath me and I dropped, watching the fire fade away into blackness.