Apotheosis: Stories of Human Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods by Peter Rawlik, Jonathan Woodrow, Jeffrey Fowler, Jason Andrew Page B
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face. I wasn’t as surprised that she remembered me as much as I was that I remembered how to read lips so well.
I had no idea what I was going to say. I honestly didn’t. I mean, shit! What do you say to someone like Angie R.? Maybe something like “Hey, don’t go nuts and kill me like you did your other patroller unit,” or even, “Hey, why don’t you get out in front?”
What I ended up saying was, “How are you feeling?”
She watched my lips move, smiled and nodded so fast that one of her antenna thumped my VR rig. “I’m doing better. We’re all doing better. We’ll be even better when we get to the folks in Albany.”
Katya finished her motivational talk and we applauded.
We began to get into line. With this many people, it would take six separate trips to get to the surface.
* * * *
I stood in my old place in the line. It felt good, good to be back. Someone had told me that Katya herself was going on this one. The Council really wanted it to go right. Things were getting worse. We were getting worse.
Katya walked by us, looking us over. She pulled a handful of us out of the crowd, Angie and myself included.
She told me to stay close to her, no matter what else happened. Even reading her lips, I got the Russian accent. She said something to Angie too, but she was turned away and I couldn’t read her lips. There were about ten others. We were the first group in the elevator.
At the top, Katya took off her eye shields. She punched in the exit code, and motioned for us to go. Outside. How long had it been?
The ruins waited, quiet, patient, deadly. There were no crazies in sight, or any of the Others.
We unloaded the tank-cars and the bikes.
“Mick, cripple the elevator.” Katya said. “That’s an order. Donny, cripple the communications tower.”
* * * *
We didn’t tunnel after all. It took six days to get to Albany overland. I saw things that turn most people’s shit white. We got kinda crazy. . . and that’s saying a lot. I couldn’t tell if I never slept over those six days, or if I just never woke up.
Angie didn’t even shoot any of us. For the first two days, we sent her to take care of the other patrollers when they got too close. They didn’t try to follow us after that.
The folks in Albany were awful glad to see us, awful glad to look right into Katya’s beautiful brown eyes.
Katya let the madness – hers, ours, animals we had met on the way – out into the Albany colony.
I don’t think they noticed, what with all the good works and making room for us and all.
Some part of me felt pretty bad about it, but Angie R., who is an expert at not feeling bad, told me that Katya’s getting better at this each time.
Earth Worms
by Cody Goodfellow
Gary Caldwell awoke from a dream he couldn’t remember, except for the sound of his own voice telling him to be fruitful and multiply.
Cold, golden light poured like sand into his eyes, but he could not close them. Could not move at all. He could see nothing but the light and feel only a vague, universal aching which brought him to the edge of panic. He was still in his body, or he seemed to be. The sensations he felt were nothing like the deep meditation or the OOBE training that were supposed to prepare him for the end.
Something his wife said came to him, just then: the End isn’t when we die… it’s when we all get what we deserve…
Was this what he deserved, then? Was this the Limbo reserved for infidels and unbelievers? It would be far better if he could panic; if he could feel exultation, fear, anything.
Because the end had come, and what he believed had come true.
This thought cast his discomfort and confusion into a whole new light. He had seen them come down out of the sky with his own eyes. When the whole human race had
I had no idea what I was going to say. I honestly didn’t. I mean, shit! What do you say to someone like Angie R.? Maybe something like “Hey, don’t go nuts and kill me like you did your other patroller unit,” or even, “Hey, why don’t you get out in front?”
What I ended up saying was, “How are you feeling?”
She watched my lips move, smiled and nodded so fast that one of her antenna thumped my VR rig. “I’m doing better. We’re all doing better. We’ll be even better when we get to the folks in Albany.”
Katya finished her motivational talk and we applauded.
We began to get into line. With this many people, it would take six separate trips to get to the surface.
* * * *
I stood in my old place in the line. It felt good, good to be back. Someone had told me that Katya herself was going on this one. The Council really wanted it to go right. Things were getting worse. We were getting worse.
Katya walked by us, looking us over. She pulled a handful of us out of the crowd, Angie and myself included.
She told me to stay close to her, no matter what else happened. Even reading her lips, I got the Russian accent. She said something to Angie too, but she was turned away and I couldn’t read her lips. There were about ten others. We were the first group in the elevator.
At the top, Katya took off her eye shields. She punched in the exit code, and motioned for us to go. Outside. How long had it been?
The ruins waited, quiet, patient, deadly. There were no crazies in sight, or any of the Others.
We unloaded the tank-cars and the bikes.
“Mick, cripple the elevator.” Katya said. “That’s an order. Donny, cripple the communications tower.”
* * * *
We didn’t tunnel after all. It took six days to get to Albany overland. I saw things that turn most people’s shit white. We got kinda crazy. . . and that’s saying a lot. I couldn’t tell if I never slept over those six days, or if I just never woke up.
Angie didn’t even shoot any of us. For the first two days, we sent her to take care of the other patrollers when they got too close. They didn’t try to follow us after that.
The folks in Albany were awful glad to see us, awful glad to look right into Katya’s beautiful brown eyes.
Katya let the madness – hers, ours, animals we had met on the way – out into the Albany colony.
I don’t think they noticed, what with all the good works and making room for us and all.
Some part of me felt pretty bad about it, but Angie R., who is an expert at not feeling bad, told me that Katya’s getting better at this each time.
Earth Worms
by Cody Goodfellow
Gary Caldwell awoke from a dream he couldn’t remember, except for the sound of his own voice telling him to be fruitful and multiply.
Cold, golden light poured like sand into his eyes, but he could not close them. Could not move at all. He could see nothing but the light and feel only a vague, universal aching which brought him to the edge of panic. He was still in his body, or he seemed to be. The sensations he felt were nothing like the deep meditation or the OOBE training that were supposed to prepare him for the end.
Something his wife said came to him, just then: the End isn’t when we die… it’s when we all get what we deserve…
Was this what he deserved, then? Was this the Limbo reserved for infidels and unbelievers? It would be far better if he could panic; if he could feel exultation, fear, anything.
Because the end had come, and what he believed had come true.
This thought cast his discomfort and confusion into a whole new light. He had seen them come down out of the sky with his own eyes. When the whole human race had
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