N. White - The End - Visions of Apocalypse

The strange man smiled wide. “I’m just glad to see you’re still alive, old friend. I would have been disappointed if you’d killed yourself.”

“I’m sorry, have we met before?”

“Many times, Dr. Werner.”

“No one has called me Doctor for nearly a decade.”

“Just Emil, then?”

“Pardon me,” Werner said irritably, “but where have we met?”

“Here, among many other places.”

“I don’t remember.”

“No one remembers. Not like I do.”

Werner gave the strange man a sideways glance and then turned his attention to the menu.

“They’re already bringing our meals,” the man said. “I ordered you veal.”

Werner slapped the menu down on the bar. “How kind of you,” he said sarcastically. “But I’m a vegetarian.”

“I know, that’s why I ordered veal.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Tell me, Dr. Werner, if you were on death row and you could have anything as your last meal, would you want a veggie platter?”

“I’m not on death row.”

“Yes you are. We all are.”

“Are you insane?” Werner asked.

“I certainly hope so,” the man said. “If I’m not insane, then there’s something really wrong with me.”

The stranger got up from his seat and sat right next to Werner. “Does the name Joseph Heinrich mean anything to you?”

Werner’s head perked up. “Yes,” he said. “He was a colleague of mine, many years ago. I take it you are affiliated with Dr. Heinrich then?”

“Deeply affiliated.”

Werner nodded. “He and I had plans for constructing a fantastic device capable of things you could only ever dream of.”

“How fascinating,” the man said.

“But fate, being the cruel mistress that it is, forced us to abandon the project in its infancy.” Werner shook his head in regret.

“What a tragedy.”

“Such is life. So, how is Joseph?”

“Dead,” the man spoke without a hint of sadness. “His wife died eight years ago. His only child passed away a year after that. Then he was hit by a car while crossing the street, crippled and left permanently bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his days. He became a recluse, retreating to the safety of solitude, ever fearful that he was cursed. I could easily list the many lesser tragedies that occurred over the last ten years of his life, but there’s hardly time for that. He killed himself about a year ago. A shame. Truly, a pointless waste. If only he were here today, then he could die alongside his friend.”

Werner stared angrily. “Who are you?”

“ We interrupt this report to bring you breaking news. ”

The man leaned in close. “I think you know the answer to that. I think deep down you’ve been tormenting yourself for years, running through all of the possibilities. You know that you’ve done things you can’t possibly remember. You spend all day every day thinking about what could have been and you know that just by thinking about building that device, there is the possibility that you’ve built it already.”

“ We’ll be keeping you informed as we learn more about this unbelievable event. ”

“You’re a fucking liar!” Werner yelled.

“You two were the greatest liars to ever live. Letting the world believe that it has a future. You’ve made fools out of everyone. Except for me. You won’t fool me.”

“ The world holds its breath, mesmerized by an unprecedented phenomenon that perhaps threatens our very existence. ”

“In a different time and place, you two made a terrible mistake, one that needs to be corrected.”

A sinking feeling weighed heavy in Werner’s stomach. He suddenly felt paralyzed, struggling to speak, to breathe. “I merely dreamt of saving the world.” He thought back to all of the hardships he’d endured over the last ten years, knowing in his heart that they were not coincidences. He leaned over his cane, looking down at his deformed leg. “What have you done to me?”

“ What can you tell us about this object and its origins? ”

“Everything. I made the last ten years of your life a living hell. I ruined every good thing that was ever going to happen to you. And most importantly, I made sure that your device was never built.”

Suddenly the tavern darkened. Outside, the sky was enveloped by a black shape that stretched from horizon to horizon.

“You’ve damned us all!”

“On the contrary. I’ve saved us all from damnation. Admit it. You’d rather see Earth die, than see it carry on in some false existence for all eternity.”

“ All we can do now, is hope for a miracle. ”

Werner’s hands shook. His eyes twitched. “I should kill you.”

“I’ve already killed myself a thousand times, hoping to escape from the nightmare you created. You never told anyone; I had to search for hundreds of years to find you, without a clue where to start. Do you have ANY idea what that was like? Can you imagine a worse torture? The places I’ve been to, looking without knowing what I was looking for?”

Werner’s fear was now surpassing his anger. “How do you remember?”

“If only I knew. If only I could forget.” He peered out the window. “It never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it,” he said without concern. “Not much longer now.”

Werner watched as the immense blackness shrunk in the sky, distancing itself from Earth and choking out the light as it neared the sun. “Why didn’t you just kill me years ago?”

“Far too easy.”

“You could have warned us. You could have saved the world!”

“Why?” The man hissed. “Why is the world worth saving?”

“But… We’ve given you a gift! You have infinite knowledge!”

“GIFT!?” The man cried. “Can you make my wife love me again?”

“I don’t—”

“Can you give me my kids back?”

“Well—”

“Can you stitch my mind back together, after tearing it into a thousand pieces?”

Werner didn’t answer.

“You’ve taken away everything, and given me nothing.” The man got up from his seat. “This is it,” he said. “No time now for our last meals, sadly.” He walked out the door.

Werner waited, and then reluctantly followed the man outside. He stared up at the sky.

The street was already crowded with people, all of them watching as daylight dwindled. “The world died a long time ago. It’s just been waiting for someone to bury it.” The massive shape turned day into night, eclipsing the sun. John grinned from ear to ear. So this is death.

The sun exploded. Fire spread across the sky, its heat reaching the Earth. A scalding wind crushed down on John, crushed down on everyone. There was a deafening roar as buildings collapsed around him. There was bright light, fire. And pain, pain worse than any John ever knew. But the pain belonged to him, and he welcomed it.

Peace. Peace for everyone. Most of all, for me.

Werner collapsed to the ground, wailing in torment. John leaned over him. “Her name was Kara,” he said. “Our children were named Jonathan and Elena. They were the world to me, and you took them.”

Suddenly, the flames receded into the black object, and intense brightness gave way to absolute darkness, and frigid cold. John’s breath steamed as he exhaled. He smiled, imagining the entire world dying around him. He could hear their screams of terror and agony.

I’ve freed you all. You’re welcome.

The pain overwhelmed John, forcing him to close his eyes.

He didn’t open them again.