Anthony DeCosmo - Disintegration

The Vikings ran faster and more fearful than any man had run from any of the nightmares that had descended upon that world.

They reached the top of the hill.

Fromm stepped from behind a tree and took aim at Trevor.

Trevor threw his sword. It pierced the Force Commander’s neck.

The remaining Viking warriors-some pleading in an alien language for their lives-were slaughtered without mercy. Their blood filled puddles across the mountain.

Trevor grabbed the dying body of Fromm and carried it on top of a red rock cropping at the crown of the mountain. His rage burned. His followers gathered.

Trevor found the strength of all mankind. He lifted the commander skyward above his head as the alien gurgled blood and clutched at air.

"IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN DO? IS THIS ALL THERE IS?"

He tossed the dead body to the ground. It thudded and rolled off.

Trevor raised his arms toward the summer sky. He shook his fists at the mysterious forces of the universe that had orchestrated Armageddon. He hollered a barbaric roar. A roar that echoed from the mountain and over the treetops and across the land.

The aliens and creatures from other worlds that heard that roar trembled.

Trevor stood on the balcony and watched as the convoy of Humvees, SUVs and one Bradley left the estate. He worked his radio to talk to the man in charge of the expedition.

"How long will it take to get there?"

Stonewall answered, "We will be exercising abundant caution, but I anticipate our arrival sometime later this afternoon."

How much had changed since Jon’s expedition to Allentown last autumn! This time, after so many battles, Stonewall felt confident enough to travel the turnpike via motor vehicles, as opposed to slinking across the countryside on horseback.

The convoy included Reverend Johnny and it aimed to reach The Order’s abandoned facility, secure it, and confirm the existence of the correct enzyme. If all went well, Trevor and Nina would fly to Allentown in the morning and it would be done. The memories would be purged. The woman he loved would cease to exist.

And Trevor Stone would go on leading his crusade.

He walked from the balcony into the empty Command Center where maps and binders called for his attention.

Ten days had past since the Battle of Five Armies.

Despite the victory, their casualties had been many. So many dead, many more wounded. Yet, they would recover. Trevor knew that. In the meantime, he would need to bide his time, restock ammunition, find more refugees, birth more Grenadiers, and focus on basics.

Eventually, the war would start anew. More battles. More death. More killing.

All part of his role to play, his path to walk…alone.

– Lori Brewer-carrying seven and a half months worth of baby-wobbled toward the barn. According to Dr. Maple’s ultrasounds, she carried a girl. The first child of the new world.

Nevertheless, not even pregnancy could keep Lori from doing her work, so she wobbled toward the barn carrying a knapsack stuffed with bandages and medicine.

The animals surrounded her, jumping and fidgeting excitedly.

"Have we been good little doggies?"

Lori patted heads until she came to Seth, a German Shepherd, with shrapnel in his haunch. His bandages needed to be changed. Lori spent several minutes cleaning the wound and re-dressing it. Seth flinched a little but he flinched less with each day.

Her task complete, Lori struggled to stand. A strong arm reached in and helped her up. That armed belonged to Nina Forest.

"Oh, hey. Thanks. I don’t get around like I used to."

"Yeah," Nina gently tapped Lori’s belly. "With that big bowling ball you're carryin’."

Lori smiled but said nothing. An awkward silence persisted for several seconds until Nina broke it with the bad news: "Tomorrow."

Lori tried to find something to say. "Oh, well, I, um, well…"

"I guess there are some words you’re not good with, huh?" Nina lightened her words with a tiny smile as she finished, "Like ‘goodbye’."

Lori shook her head, saying, "No, no, it’s not goodbye. You’ll be back. You just got to get that thing out of your head."

"It’s goodbye."

Lori wanted to walk away from the conversation. It turned out there were a few things she did not like to tackle head on.

"Why are you saying that? You’ll be back by tomorrow evening."

"The person I am now won’t exist anymore."

"Allriiighty then, so what, you’ll be a six foot red head? Will your name change? You gunna have green eyes? No. You’ll be back."

Nina tried to explain as much to herself as to Lori.

"My memories of everything…everything since the crash will be gone. All those experiences. I won’t remember any of it. Not meeting you or Trevor or everyone else. Not all we’ve gone through since then. Things that have…have changed me."

"But you’ll still be you!"

"I can’t be. I won’t be. I’ll lose everything that made me…that changed me…since then. All the times you were a nosey pain in my ass," she smiled. "Shep…Shep being, being disappointed in me that day…feeling guilty about what I did to Trevor. I mean, who would you be if you had never met Jon? Or if you had never known Richard the car salesman."

Lori cast her eyes to the ground.

Nina went on: "I just wanted to say…I just want to tell you thanks for being my friend. I know what that means now. Just that, well, I’m going to forget it tomorrow."

Lori reached over and gave Nina a hug.

"This sucks. You know that? It sucks."

"I know. Listen to me; Trevor is going to need you. He’s going to need his friends."

"But-"

"No, listen. It’s going to be tough for him. Not just tomorrow or the day after that. The months and years after that. You know he’s a good man. You also know he’s in a tough spot. I’m just saying, don’t let him be too alone."

Lori did not understand what Nina meant. Certainly Trevor would try and win Nina again. How could he not?

Nina changed the subject: "So you’re thinking a girl, huh?"

Lori wiped a tear away, "Yeah. I mean, yes."

"Pick any names yet?"

"Catherine."

"Catherine. Catherine Brewer. Has a nice ring."

"Yes," Lori agreed. "Yes it does."

Nina smiled, put a hand on Lori’s shoulder, and then walked away.

Lori thought to herself, Catherine Nina Brewer.

That has an even better ring.

– "Do you understand?" Trevor asked Jon Brewer.

He did not understand. He did not get it.

"I thought you loved her. Was I wrong?"

"I do, damn it. Don’t make this any harder."

"I don’t get it, Trevor. Why?"

They stood together in the empty living room in the estate.

"Listen to me. You’re not dumb, Jon. You know there’s a lot of crazy shit at work in…in ‘all this’. Right? Things aren’t all straight up and forward, right?"

Jon nodded.

It had been tough enough to deal with the idea of alien monsters and armies invading the Earth, let alone Trevor Stone’s strange ability to command dogs and summon knowledge he should not have. Accepting Trevor’s post-Armageddon abilities without giving them much consideration always seemed the easiest route. Yet there could be no denying that Jon’s friend-the one-time car salesman-had a direct line to forces of some greater magnitude.

"This is killing me, do you understand?" Trev closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "But this is how it has to be. If not, then everything could unravel. That’s not my choice. Do you hear me? But this is how it has to be."

Jon repeated Trevor's strangest directive to date: "No one is ever to tell Nina about the relationship you two had. It is never to be spoken of. It never happened."