???
My eyes opened on the remains of Earth. I felt a deep sadness that I was too late pang at my chest. I was then immediately confused by my presence floating in space. I sat among the stars as if I truly belonged there. I brought my hands up to my face and found I could breathe just fine. Was it my very existence that drew air to me so perfectly that it did not disrupt the space around, or did I simply not exist as other beings? I could not find the answer by myself. I turned around to see the celestial backdrop as far as I could see. I tried interfacing with the Dimension Between Dimensions—maybe if I could access the past I could stop the Earth from exploding. I felt myself turning inward and saw the cosmic ocean replace the starry skies. The universe—my universe—stood in front of me like it had before. I tried willing it to reverse. I tried physically spinning it backward, I even tried beseeching The Pit.
The Pit did not answer, for it was not alive. I was met with total silence for my determination. Maybe...I could find another entry point into this universe from an earlier time. I could make my appearance and—
Micah flashed in front of my mind and I realized that wouldn't do anything to change my timeline. That would only serve to create a new branch. And...if I spent all my time obsessing over that I'd become just like Micah—grieving alone in the doomed timeline. I sat back as the realization hit of how cosmically different our situations were...and yet how similar at the same time.
The ship!
There was a ship that made it off the planet! Maybe if I can find where they land I can help them. Shit, I hope I can make it back. Already I saw the images within the bubble shifting. I had no clue how long was passing for them opposed to my own time. I took in a deep breath and fell back into the world, focusing in on the ship traveling through the depths of space.
SIDE A | CHAPTER 8
The End
The old man removed the headphones from the young boy. Confused, the boy looked up at the old man. The look on his face was not that of a caretaker...it almost looked pleased with the current situation.
"You're caught up now, Khap-En," Larry's long lost voice finally returned to him. "You restarted your life cycle. I didn't know you had that ability—and you didn't bother to tell me. Neither did you decide to tell me you'd extend my own life. And now you're caught up."
"We're...on Charon?" the boy asked.
"Fifty years after the destruction of Earth. You've kept us here until you cycled over, and now we're being assaulted by...well, you know."
"Is he going to kill us?"
"Probably," Larry said.
"Can you protect me?"
Larry smiled and gave a chuckle—an action that erupted in a series of coughs. "No, I don't think I will."
The child's look turned to one of fear, then anger. "You promised to protect me!"
"I promised no such thing. My bond to you died when you cycled over. You're going to sit here and take what you deserve." Larry was unblinking—a rage from deep below his body began to swell. "I can die now knowing that you're going to be alone, scared, and as worthless as a child. I hope you burn in the pits of hell," Larry continued to laugh.
Real fear replaced the anger on the child's face—revealing the true face underneath. "Larry! No! I..." but it was too late. Larry's face froze on the largest smile he ever offered. The hate dispelled from his body as his corpse stay staring at the young boy.
The echoes down the hall of the station built into Charon only seemed to grow as the boy realized how alone he truly was. He looked up around the room for any respite, but it had been kept so bare that the only action he could think of was to cuddle up to the corpse who had only just moments ago been alive and wait.