Spiral Jackal #1: Birthday
74 Quick Sleep, 2087
There was no sense of time for them, other than the fact that Corina was born on the day of the incursion. Kenton smiled as he looked upon his youngest daughter, the youngest in their roving band of survivors. She was covered in dirt and debris, as was everybody else. Among the dirtiness, there were flowers woven throughout her long, strawberry-blonde curls that framed her freckled face. Flowers were rare to come by these days and had become a sort of symbol of freedom and innocence. Something everybody had lost when the monsters came. Happy birthday, little Princess, he thought and with a sigh, turned around and walked through the broken department store window and onto the strip of rubble that had once been a road.
Nearly every man-made object had been maimed or destroyed by the damnable creatures, almost as if they had a vendetta against humanity and all of its creations. They almost seemed to take more joy in destroying what we created than they had in breaking our race. Almost. Like humans, they each seemed to possess different personalities and dispositions on life, though they were far more sinister than even the most infamous death row inmates. Somehow they had survived without being captured and managed to find a building that was still halfway erect. It had been their home for almost an entire year, Kenton guessed. They had all gotten used to it, and after settling in without incident, it had become their home, their foundation for some semblance of a stable life.
Though nobody remembered what day it was exactly, they knew it had been roughly four years since the occupation of Earth and the abduction of the vast majority of humans from the planet. Even still, nobody really knew what these invaders were. They were humanoid in shape and size, and with a great deal of what looked to be cybernetic enhancements. These aliens came in all shapes and sizes, however, and that was dangerous. Kenton had heard of them being as small as a cockroach and as large as a six-story building, though he had never seen either of the extremes. Not that he wanted to, the thought made him shudder and wince.
A sweet and musical voice was quick to find him. "Kenton, please come back in here! What the hell are you doing out there, anyway?" The voice was quite pleasant to Kenton's ears and made him smile briefly, regardless of the message it carried. As the smile faded, he turned around and locked his gaze with hers. It was his beloved wife, Aliana. Her seemingly concerned face melted into a worried smile and he walked toward her, suddenly very aware of what he had done. He nervously look to each side and quickly and quietly made his way back inside, where he gently nudged the door shut and and embraced Aliana.
"Oh, what would I ever do without my Aliana?" He looked at her and smiled broadly before kissing her forehead.
"Still out on the road, right where all of the Chippers and their mothers can see you. We'd all be dead by now, no thanks to you!" Her feigned exasperation gave way as she winked at him and smiled devilishly as she snaked out of his arms to catch an unlucky child unawares.
She crept up to the group of girls that the boy had been stirring up and fell right into her usual motherly chiding. She admonished him for teasing the girls who were trying to play house and did so quietly, so that none other than the children could hear her. Kenton chuckled as he watched their oldest child try to convince Aliana that he was being 'very diplomatic' in his talking with the girls. In his seven year-old mind it worked out well, but still, he couldn't convince his mother to see it his way. The girls roared into a giggle fit as Daniel was sent to go help in the kitchen. The only woman Daniel was more scared of than his mother was Vivian, the mother of some of the other children. She was not afraid to put him right to work doing just the things he disliked the most: dishes. Daniel and his mop of wild and fiery hair sulked off to the makeshift kitchen, his ears red and glowing. Aliana shook her head, then gave Kenton a icy, knowing look, and all he could do was laugh.
Daniel was joined by the girls as he set the dining area. None of the children had ever used real plates or bowls. What were scrap pieces of metals banged into some semblance of tableware to the adults, were the normal, every day platters used for eating. Many of the children had never used utensils either; almost everything that was prepared and eaten was done so by hand. The shiniest and most smooth of the platters was set to the head of their lopsided table, where the birthday girl would sit.
Corina marched up to Kenton with much conviction. "Momma won't let me set the table!" She stopped a goodly ways from him and crossed her arms. Kenton smiled and that only stoked the fire that was burning hot inside her. "Why are you smiling? She's not being fair!" Her voice elevated as she frowned and glared up at her father.
"It's your birthday, little Corina," he said, "you get to watch them do everything for you. It's your special day." Her frown hardened and she glared at him as if she were trying to bore holes right through him.
"Why today?" Corina whined, her frown falling into a rather exaggerated look of pain. "Why can't it be Jana's turn?"
"It doesn't work that way, hon..." A quick glance to Aliana told him he was on his own. Aliana was looking at him with a sly smile, watching him as she poured hot stew expertly into several copper pipe cups. "How about you let them do it this time, and I'll tell you an extra special story tonight, before bed." Corina's face brightened and a smile crept across her lips. She paused for a moment and looked at him inquisitively.
"This one will be just for me?"
"Yes. Just for you. It will be our special story."
Corina looked over her shoulder at the table. Everyone was taking their places. She looked back at her father. "D'you promise?" She partially closed one eye and cocked her head as a clever smile fought to break free.
Kenton took a few steps toward his daughter and knelt down on one knee. "I promise, darling, that this story will be just for your ears." He paused, looking into her eyes while trying to keep a straight and serious face.
"Mmmm," she said, tilting her head back and pursing her lips as if she were pondering something of great importance. "Perhaps. How do I know you're not faking it, Dad?" Corina looked straight back at Kenton with an expression that begged him to challenge her. She's just like her mother, he thought. A startled squeal came from Corina as he suddenly sprung playfully at her before he whisked her into his arms and smothered her with many kisses. The squeal flowered into giggles, then full on laughter as Kenton walked with his tittering daughter to the dinner table.
Before Kenton could fully set Corina in her seat, there was a flash of hand signaling between the two male elders. All the noises of life were extinguished immediately, almost as if they had been frozen time. No sooner had they all silenced, the air suddenly filled with a world shattering ripping sound, followed by several unearthly screeches mingled with the faint, high pitched whine that announced the presence of their cybernetic captors. The ground shook violently as the buildings around theirs exploded into large eruptions of rubble and debris. Even with all the chaos consuming the group, not even the youngest of children dared breathe.
They had been found.
Nearly every man-made object had been maimed or destroyed by the damnable creatures, almost as if they had a vendetta against humanity and all of its creations. They almost seemed to take more joy in destroying what we created than they had in breaking our race. Almost. Like humans, they each seemed to possess different personalities and dispositions on life, though they were far more sinister than even the most infamous death row inmates. Somehow they had survived without being captured and managed to find a building that was still halfway erect. It had been their home for almost an entire year, Kenton guessed. They had all gotten used to it, and after settling in without incident, it had become their home, their foundation for some semblance of a stable life.
Though nobody remembered what day it was exactly, they knew it had been roughly four years since the occupation of Earth and the abduction of the vast majority of humans from the planet. Even still, nobody really knew what these invaders were. They were humanoid in shape and size, and with a great deal of what looked to be cybernetic enhancements. These aliens came in all shapes and sizes, however, and that was dangerous. Kenton had heard of them being as small as a cockroach and as large as a six-story building, though he had never seen either of the extremes. Not that he wanted to, the thought made him shudder and wince.
A sweet and musical voice was quick to find him. "Kenton, please come back in here! What the hell are you doing out there, anyway?" The voice was quite pleasant to Kenton's ears and made him smile briefly, regardless of the message it carried. As the smile faded, he turned around and locked his gaze with hers. It was his beloved wife, Aliana. Her seemingly concerned face melted into a worried smile and he walked toward her, suddenly very aware of what he had done. He nervously look to each side and quickly and quietly made his way back inside, where he gently nudged the door shut and and embraced Aliana.
"Oh, what would I ever do without my Aliana?" He looked at her and smiled broadly before kissing her forehead.
"Still out on the road, right where all of the Chippers and their mothers can see you. We'd all be dead by now, no thanks to you!" Her feigned exasperation gave way as she winked at him and smiled devilishly as she snaked out of his arms to catch an unlucky child unawares.
She crept up to the group of girls that the boy had been stirring up and fell right into her usual motherly chiding. She admonished him for teasing the girls who were trying to play house and did so quietly, so that none other than the children could hear her. Kenton chuckled as he watched their oldest child try to convince Aliana that he was being 'very diplomatic' in his talking with the girls. In his seven year-old mind it worked out well, but still, he couldn't convince his mother to see it his way. The girls roared into a giggle fit as Daniel was sent to go help in the kitchen. The only woman Daniel was more scared of than his mother was Vivian, the mother of some of the other children. She was not afraid to put him right to work doing just the things he disliked the most: dishes. Daniel and his mop of wild and fiery hair sulked off to the makeshift kitchen, his ears red and glowing. Aliana shook her head, then gave Kenton a icy, knowing look, and all he could do was laugh.
Daniel was joined by the girls as he set the dining area. None of the children had ever used real plates or bowls. What were scrap pieces of metals banged into some semblance of tableware to the adults, were the normal, every day platters used for eating. Many of the children had never used utensils either; almost everything that was prepared and eaten was done so by hand. The shiniest and most smooth of the platters was set to the head of their lopsided table, where the birthday girl would sit.
Corina marched up to Kenton with much conviction. "Momma won't let me set the table!" She stopped a goodly ways from him and crossed her arms. Kenton smiled and that only stoked the fire that was burning hot inside her. "Why are you smiling? She's not being fair!" Her voice elevated as she frowned and glared up at her father.
"It's your birthday, little Corina," he said, "you get to watch them do everything for you. It's your special day." Her frown hardened and she glared at him as if she were trying to bore holes right through him.
"Why today?" Corina whined, her frown falling into a rather exaggerated look of pain. "Why can't it be Jana's turn?"
"It doesn't work that way, hon..." A quick glance to Aliana told him he was on his own. Aliana was looking at him with a sly smile, watching him as she poured hot stew expertly into several copper pipe cups. "How about you let them do it this time, and I'll tell you an extra special story tonight, before bed." Corina's face brightened and a smile crept across her lips. She paused for a moment and looked at him inquisitively.
"This one will be just for me?"
"Yes. Just for you. It will be our special story."
Corina looked over her shoulder at the table. Everyone was taking their places. She looked back at her father. "D'you promise?" She partially closed one eye and cocked her head as a clever smile fought to break free.
Kenton took a few steps toward his daughter and knelt down on one knee. "I promise, darling, that this story will be just for your ears." He paused, looking into her eyes while trying to keep a straight and serious face.
"Mmmm," she said, tilting her head back and pursing her lips as if she were pondering something of great importance. "Perhaps. How do I know you're not faking it, Dad?" Corina looked straight back at Kenton with an expression that begged him to challenge her. She's just like her mother, he thought. A startled squeal came from Corina as he suddenly sprung playfully at her before he whisked her into his arms and smothered her with many kisses. The squeal flowered into giggles, then full on laughter as Kenton walked with his tittering daughter to the dinner table.
Before Kenton could fully set Corina in her seat, there was a flash of hand signaling between the two male elders. All the noises of life were extinguished immediately, almost as if they had been frozen time. No sooner had they all silenced, the air suddenly filled with a world shattering ripping sound, followed by several unearthly screeches mingled with the faint, high pitched whine that announced the presence of their cybernetic captors. The ground shook violently as the buildings around theirs exploded into large eruptions of rubble and debris. Even with all the chaos consuming the group, not even the youngest of children dared breathe.
They had been found.
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Author's Note
This all started when I had a dream that included myself and pretty much all of my friends and family (including much of my friends/girlfriend's family, as I interact with them a lot). It was suggested by her uncle that I serialize it, to which I definitely agreed.
I've never serialized a story before, so this is a foray into a new world for me, on many levels.
Other stories by Thomas Martin
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