Joel Adrian - A Shattered Future

A road.

Mona led the small group down the dirt road, glad she didn’t have to bat aside stray branches or overgrown vines every couple of minutes any longer. Tanner and Catalina had been quiet since they left the clearing an hour ago.

Their trek was starting to break ground. Once they found the road that the SUV had traveled on in Emersyn’s timeline, they started the journey back to civilization. Another two or three miles, Mona estimated, and they’d hit something. Whether it was a small town, a house, there had to be something.

“How sure are you that you can configure the Requiem to get us back?” Tanner asked.

Mona didn’t bother turning around to look at him. She couldn’t. His face rose a pain in her she fought off every second. “Pretty damn sure. Got us here, didn’t I?”

She knew most of the group was starting to despise her, and it was hard for her to fault them: she despised herself most of the time. But Tanner was different. She couldn’t stand seeing the same face she used to love, and this much younger at that.

“Sure, and props to that,” Tanner started, “but we still don’t really know when ‘here’ is. We shot for a few weeks before the war, right? I was thinking… clearly we’re before the war but look around. None of this stuff would look any different otherwise. We could be a few weeks before the war, a few days before the war, maybe even a few years before the war.”

“Your point?” she asked, keeping her eyes forward. She wished he’d just stop talking, even his voice shook her to her core.

Tanner scoffed. “You’re unreal, lady. My point is, what if it didn’t work? What if we’re not close enough to the war to gather any evidence?”

Catalina put a hand on Tanner’s arm. “Have a little faith, ese.”

Mona admitted to herself he had a point. She had no idea when they’d come out. “That, or if your pessimism holds true, we turn our asses to the wind and go back up the mountain. Unless the bomb’s falling in a few hours, it don’t much matter when the war starts.”

Tanner stopped. It took Mona a moment to register the lack of footsteps. She turned and threw her hands up. “The hell you doing?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know how the hell someone like Emersyn could turn into you. You’re so cold.”

Mona kept her face straight. The words stung her, doubly so coming from Tanner. But she couldn’t show him. “Not my problem. I know what it takes to survive. I know how to survive. If you don’t like it, go camp your ass in the woods and take cover from the bombs.” She turned and trudged onwards. “Otherwise, nearest town shouldn’t be more than a couple miles.”

She didn’t want to look at the young Tanner Highwall any longer than necessary. Every time she did, she felt it hurt in her chest.

The party continued in silence. The road widened as they pressed on, an after another hour, they saw the first sign of civilization: a house.

The sun was starting to dip in the sky. Mona knew they needed to pick up the pace: being stuck out here at night wasn’t in the cards. She led the group off the road and through the thick brush so they could get a look at the house without being seen.

It was a decaying, blue American Foursquare. One of the front windows was smashed out and boarded up. The house was in rough shape. There was an old, rusting Ford F150 in the dirt driveway, sitting in front of a pile of old tires, tools, and debris. In front of the F150 was a half torn-down garage, the once-white door now a dirty gray.

“Not the best,” Catalina noted.

Tanner chortled. “That’s saying it lightly. Looks like it’s out of a straight-to-VHS horror movie from the ‘80s.”

Mona pointed at the door, sure she saw a light flicker. “Someone’s home.”

“Bullshit. I didn’t see anything.” Tanner stuck his nose up at her.

“We need to see if they have TV or internet.” Mona stood up and reached back, making sure her pistol was secured. “Anything that can get us a report on the Russians.”

“I’m coming,” Tanner said.

She shook her head. “No, stay here with Hernandez. One person in a military uniform would look a lot better than a civie and you.”

Tanner groaned. “Lady, what the hell is your problem with me?”

Mona didn’t answer. She shoved past the brush and made for the rickety door of the house.

The smell of a decaying animal hit Mona. She raised a hand to cover her nose, using the other to bang on the door. She heard something scurry inside to the back.

“Hello?” she asked, calling into the house.

Mona pulled the door open gently, though the hinges still creaked. There was a loud clatter from the back. She peered inside, but there was little light inside. She made out the faint outline of a door, leading into what looked like a hallway at the end of the room. “Just want to use your phone or TV,” she called into the house.

Taking a step in, she blinked, trying to acclimatize her eyes. The room was filthy: dirty clothes strung everywhere, an old, destroyed couch, and debris piled in the corners and center. A staircase to her left held only a few stable steps, the rest were broken or looked like they’d give under any weight.

To her right, there was an old box TV, with the screen smashed out. She peered into the remaining glass, seeing a reflection from the light of the open door.

Something smashed into her face, and she fell to the ground. Someone shut the door behind her and stomped on her side. She yelped in pain, cradling her body into a fetal position.

Mona peered up to see a muscular Japanese man wearing a button-up shirt. On the shirt, she spotted the hourglass emblem.

A Regulator.

She spun and threw her right boot into the man’s kneecap. He jumped, avoiding the kick, and pulled a pistol out. He turned and aimed out the door, firing at what Mona could only assume was an approaching Tanner and Catalina.

Mona forced herself up and moved to tackle the Regulator. He was a second quicker, raising his boot and kicking Mona back onto the ground, this time sending her sliding into the hallway.

“Damn it.” She pulled the pistol from her belt and took aim. She sucked in a breath and aimed low.

She squeezed the trigger.

The Regular cried out, a hand going to his knee.

Tanner charged through the door, tackling the Regulator to the ground.

“Tanner!” Mona shouted, scrambling to her feet. She rushed to Tanner and pulled him off the Regular. “Tanner, no, don’t!”

Tanner shoved her back. “Oh, what, now you care?”

“He’s a Regulator!”

“A what?” Tanner’s face frowned in confusion.

Catalina screamed outside.

Mona pulled her gun up and stepped over the Regulator on the ground, charging through the doorway where the rickety door had been.

Another Regulator, this one a thick, young man with blonde hair and tattoos covering his arms stood over Catalina. He had one hand around her throat, the other gripping a pistol aimed at her head.

“Time Regulators!” the man called. “Drop your guns and step aside!”

Mona gulped. She’d never seen or interacted with a Regulator before, but she’d heard enough horror stories to know that she didn’t want to piss them off. She eased her arm down to her side and extended her left hand. “Easy. Just let her go.”

“Drop it! Now” the Regulator barked.

A gunshot sprang from the house, hitting the Regular in the wrist. He dropped the gun and cried out in pain.

Mona turned to see Tanner aiming his pistol. “No!” she cried, tackling him to the ground.

Catalina picked up the pistol the Regulator dropped, but he spun and ran. Mona stood to watch the Regular darting off into the woods. Catalina aimed with her gun, but the Regular vanished before their eyes a second later.