Post by jross on Jul 15, 2011 2:54:36 GMT -5
Issue #4: A Hero's Welcome
For the second time in as many hours Hal Jordan found himself leaving the protective confines of the Earth's atmosphere. No longer an unknown prospect, the journey was nonetheless still thrilling.
“Follow, barbarian,” Sines Toro directed Hal over the communications link set up by their power rings. Deciding not to make an issue in a situation in which Hal was clearly out of his depth the new Lantern kept silent and willed himself forward. Hal was thankful for Sines Toro's emerald aura, which kept Hal from losing sight of him and Abin Sur's body in the darkness.
After a moment Sines Toro signaled Hal to stop. Hal did as directed and gasped. He had never before been in such unfathomable blackness. The Earth was no longer visible, and the Sun a small speck behind Hal.
“We are forty million miles from the Earth, Hal Jordan,” Sines Toro intoned, obviously hoping to impress his new colleague and visibly succeeding. He continued, “Adjust the frequency of your force field in order to see more clearly.”
Hal mimicked a gesture that Sines Toro performed over his own ring. He noticed a shimmering effect as the green filter surrounding his field of vision dimmed to virtual transparency. Again, Hal gasped.
Replacing the infinite void were a sea of points of light, white, cyan, ruby and topaz glistened around Hal. A rainbow of ribbons streaked through much of the stars, nebulae that gave the entire view the notion of being encased within a sphere of iridescent marble. Nothing before had ever made Hal feel so small yet so at home.
“Some of us,” Sines Toro began, smiling for once, “have been known to weep at our first sight of the true cosmos. Fix your vision to the point beyond my finger.”
Hal followed Sines Toro's arm, his eyes settling upon a large cluster of stars so dense that they appeared to be a single solid mass.
“You are viewing the center of the galaxy. At its true heart lies a supermassive black hole, the Howling Void, disgorging enormous quantities of gamma radiation 25,000 light-years into the emptiness along the axis that intercepts this galaxy “vertically.” The heart is surrounded by a series of stars and smaller black holes with their own hazards that make approach to the Howling Void all but impossible. The only known method of travel to the Howling Void is a Green Lantern's power ring.”
“But, why would anyone want to go to this Howling Void,” Hal was chilled by the description of the point around which he understood his existence to revolve and intrigued that anyone had ever been there.
“Orbiting the Howling Void is the world of Oa, home to the Guardians and base of our organization. It is our destination.”
“Two questions: What keeps us safe on the journey? and How do we get there before we die of old age?”
Sines Toro smirked, “The answer to both of your questions is the ring. Rings know their worlds and the precise paths to them, and provide adequate protection through safe routes. Additionally, for interstellar travel a ring can beckon and be pulled to a world through the planet itself. To reach Oa you must learn to concentrate. Focus upon the destination. As the ring guides the wearer, such is not a difficult proposition.”
Hal and Sines Toro now each relaxed. Both men allowed their gazes to drift, their minds to clear. Within seconds Hal felt a slight tug at his chest, and then a stronger pull. It was what he imagined the fish felt as he set his hook into their jaws and reeled them into his boat. There was a stretching feeling, as stars turned to blurry lines streaking past Hal perceived his body growing forward, his head and arms traveling while his feet remained in his own solar system. Eventually his vision turned completely white and Hal began to twist, rope-like, into patches of darkness. Before he could even scream, there was a sound, no, a feeling of a snap as Hal came back together.
Sines Toro was next to him still, towing the body of Abin Sur, but the brilliant star field was gone. Hal was now staring at a green-and-blue planet some distance ahead of him, hanging in the black amid what looked like vines of pure light growing through space.
“The light of the stars that orbit the Howling Void, being pulled inward. Between the star light and their own advanced technology, the Guardians do not want for energy and illumination, despite their unorthodox home,” Sines Toro explained in a tone of voice that indicated he had given this speech before.
“So it just orbits a black hole, without falling in?”
“My records indicated that your society was aware of the nature of black holes, Hal Jordan. I take it that you are not of one of the scholarly castes,” Sines Toro regarded Hal with a look that made Hal want to punch him in the jaw, “so I must educate you. Consider your sun. It has an enormous gravitational pull, due to its mass, yet the Earth safely orbits it. Were it to somehow collapse suddenly into a black hole without the usual bursts of matter and energy that would incinerate your planet, its mass would be the same, and so would its gravity. Every object can be safely orbited from the right distance.
“You are currently looking at the Howling Void. Notice how the distant stars give off generous amounts of light, which only begins to swirl towards the Howling Void after traveling to closely? Be at peace, barbarian. We have business to which we must attend.”
Hal listened respectfully to the senior man treating him like an idiot. He might have had a snappy response, but the business at had didn't lend itself to jokes. Hal once more followed his new pattern and simply nodded assent and followed.
-
The two men landed on the surface of Oa at a facility on the outskirts of a large city, which as far as Hal saw was the only settlement on the planet. He had been impressed during the landing. Oa shimmered like an opal, with a pearlescent city forming a milky center near the equator. From what he could see now, the city's architecture, all spires and floating stepping paths, was something that would have turned M.C. Escher's mind around.
“Come, Jordan,” Sines Toro beckoned Hal mere seconds after their feet touched ground, “the arrangements have been made for Abin Sur's last Triumph. As you were his ally in his final combat, you shall occupy a place of honor, flying behind me, his favored student, as we proceed down the Veridian Way. We shall present our fallen hero to the Guardians, after which his body shall be taken back to his home on Ungara.”
Hal did not have a chance to reply, as Sines Toro simply hovered from the landing pad towards a wide avenue that led from the city's wide open gate into the plain over which the men stood. As he watched Sines Toro, Hal noticed him slowly, reverently re-form the vague construct that he was using to transport Abin Sur into a finely-detailed coffin. Hal breathed slowly and sorrowfully at the sight before catching up and remaining two paces behind Sines Toro.
As the two men proceeded solemnly down the avenue, viridian constructs appeared, blossoming like flowers from the sidewalks. Low and mournful sounds pealed from them, resembling a French horn, while a piscine corpsman bowed his head.
Dozens, then hundreds of other Lanterns appeared from buildings along the way, donning constructs of various forms, in what Hal surmised to be signs of respect or mourning in the cultures of the individual lanterns. With each new face, Hal was struck by a surprising sense of familiarity. Perhaps an organization of men and women like these was really the place for him?
The march continued for the better part of an hour, until the two men stopped at the gate of a large spire in the center of the city. The tower reached into the clouds, and shimmered all around with the energy of a power ring.
Kneeling, Sines Toro began, “Guardians of Oa, brother Abin Sur has fallen valiantly in defense of the galaxy. As you well know, Abin Sur's power was undeniable. Stand now, Guardians, and pay respects.”
The massive door at the base of the spire flickered and disappeared, revealing a thick green mist through which a single silhouette was visible. The mist parted somewhat, and Hal saw the form to be a small humanoid figure with an enormous cranium and skin the color of a clear Spring sky. It spoke without moving as it regarded the crowd.
“Abin Sur's service was admirable; a true Lantern has been lost. A hero's rest awaits him.”
Sines Toro grunted as his hand jerked suddenly. His power ring's connection to Abin Sur was cut, but the floating body was quickly encapsulated by a green beam from the Guardian within the tower. Before anyone could speak, Sur and the construct surrounding him streaked away beyond sight.
“Guardians,” Sines Toro protested, “Abin Sur's beliefs dictate that he may be interred nowhere other than Ungara! Is this the reward of service?”
“Be at peace, Sines Toro. Abin Sur lived as a Lantern first and foremost, as do you all. He shall remain in the Necropolis of Heroes until the end of time. As will all true Lanterns.”
Hal found himself feeling a sense of sadness. No, loss. A deep sense of spiritual loss at seeing Abin Sur taken from his true home forever. Hal had never thought himself capable of such empathy, but seeing the scene unfold felt as if he himself were being denied his greatest wish.
“Guardians! This is beyond comprehension!” Sines Toro was shaking, his complexion somehow attaining a deeper shade of scarlet in his fury. As he breathed deeply before continuing a piercing sound cut through the air. Hal felt it in his ring, and he noticed Sines Toro checking his own ring.
“This matter is not concluded, Guardians,” Sines Toro spat. He turned to Hal, “Lantern Jordan, there is distress withing our patrol. You will accompany me to the world of Ith.”
Sines Toro rocketed away, nearly colliding with his fellow corpsmen who had been hovering above. With little other choice, Hal flew after him. As he left Oa behind, Hal felt a greater sense of emptiness than when he had first left Earth. There was no time for looking back, as people apparently needed his help. Still, their disregard for Abin Sur's traditions made Hal wonder what kind of people these Guardians truly were?
-
Standing on the shore of one of the largest islands in Ith's many archipelagos, Hal and Sines Toro regarded the dead thing before them. It was yellow, orange and purple, and reminded Hal of an octopus mixed with a pterodactyl. The thing wasn't much prettier before the two men had lit into it with green power than it was while it lay rotting. It had been a longer fight than the one against Narkanthos hours earlier, but Hal was glad for the chance to put his new ring into action. His colleague looked to him and spoke.
“You fought well, Hal Jordan. The splixxbeast is a formidable foe, but no match for a true warrior. The Chelox people can rest safely in their abodes beneath the waves once more.”
“Sines Toro,” Hal responded, changing the subject, “I've got to ask ya, what happened back on Oa?”
“Tell me what you think happened, barbarian,” the alien corpsman fixed Hal with a penetrating gaze. Hal felt as if what he said in this conversation would color Sines Toro's view of him for a long time.
“Honestly, I think that I just saw a good man get shafted.”
“Your idiom translates surprisingly well into my own tongue, barbarian. Abin Sur was the greatest Lantern in history, serving for over three and a half centuries. He gave his life in pursuit of duty and was rewarded with a fate that consigns him to an eternity of confusion, according to the traditions of his people.” Sines Toro was once again livid, shaking with rage.
“So that guy in the tower makes the decisions for us? I thought that we were working to protect people? That's the thanks we get at the end of it all?”
“”Those guys,” Jordan,” Sines Toro explained, “The Guardians always act in concert. The voice of one is the voice of all. The Guardians were once individuals but the legend says that they created a hive mind, sacrificing their identities in order to achieve the will of such strength necessary to perfectly control the Green Light.”
“About that. The Guardians tore through your construct pretty handily. What do they need us for if they can do that to you?”
“Your questions reveal a mind of surprising depth and intuition, barbarian. You correctly gauge their power. The Guardians face the problem imposed by their own strength. They act as one with the will of many, but their will is directed mostly inward, controlling themselves. They need true men of action like you and I, Hal Jordan.”
“Doesn't sound that grand to me,” Hal felt a serious doubt forming in his stomach, that and a real yearning for a bottle of beer. Oh, man, he really needed that right now. He shook his head to regain his focus. Sines Toro was not the man to whom one wished to show weakness.
“Nor me, Hal Jordan. Many choose to join the Corps in order to make a difference in this galaxy. The situation is not perfect, but we do what we must by strengthening ourselves and waiting until the day when true change can be affected.”
“Yeah,” Hal agreed. He instantly wished that he'd said something smarter-sounding, but the once word was about all he could manage at this point.
-
An unspeakable distance away, in the Taos County Sheriff's Office, Tom Kalmaku was playing around with his phone, bored at his desk. He looked up eagerly when the front door opened, and was not entirely surprised at whom he saw.
“Carol,” Tom stood like a gentleman, “You're, uh, you're here for Guy?”
“Yeah, Tom,” Carol's still-young face showed age beyond its years as she lowered her voice, “I've come to take him home. That is, if Hal hasn't decided to press charges.”
“Hal's actually not going to be pressing charges on anyone for a while, just between you and me. And though I could, I'm not going to, either. You're sure that you don't want to? It's your place that he smashes up, Carol.”
“No, Tom, it's not what's best for us. Can I get him?”
Tom roused the still-sleeping Guy from his bunk in the holding cell. Groggy and sore, the burly man stumble up, nearly tripped out the cell door and shambled to Carol.
“Carol-”
“Not here,” Carol cut off Guy's apology, “later.”
Sitting in Carol's beat-up El Camino, Guy struggled to find the right words. He didn't have to struggle long, as Carol spoke first.
“Guy,” Carol spoke with steel in her voice, “are you off your meds?”
“It's summer, Carol. It's summer and I can't even tell. I hate that I can't feel anything when I'm taking them.”
“I know you do, I know, baby. But you've got to think about what this does to me. I- we- need you to take care of yourself. Promise me that you won't go off them again?”
“Yeah,” Guy sighed deeply, weighing Carol against truly experiencing a beautiful day, “yeah I promise. I'm sorry.”
Carol was quiet a moment before lighting Guy up with one of her signature crooked smiles, “Okay. Gimme a kiss.”
-
Far away and out of sight, the meat was alone, casually picked from the wreck and discarded into a cold locker. The meat was alone and it was burning. Forgotten but not gone, the meat began to stir. Unseen by the people just outside the locker, the meat was growing.
For the second time in as many hours Hal Jordan found himself leaving the protective confines of the Earth's atmosphere. No longer an unknown prospect, the journey was nonetheless still thrilling.
“Follow, barbarian,” Sines Toro directed Hal over the communications link set up by their power rings. Deciding not to make an issue in a situation in which Hal was clearly out of his depth the new Lantern kept silent and willed himself forward. Hal was thankful for Sines Toro's emerald aura, which kept Hal from losing sight of him and Abin Sur's body in the darkness.
After a moment Sines Toro signaled Hal to stop. Hal did as directed and gasped. He had never before been in such unfathomable blackness. The Earth was no longer visible, and the Sun a small speck behind Hal.
“We are forty million miles from the Earth, Hal Jordan,” Sines Toro intoned, obviously hoping to impress his new colleague and visibly succeeding. He continued, “Adjust the frequency of your force field in order to see more clearly.”
Hal mimicked a gesture that Sines Toro performed over his own ring. He noticed a shimmering effect as the green filter surrounding his field of vision dimmed to virtual transparency. Again, Hal gasped.
Replacing the infinite void were a sea of points of light, white, cyan, ruby and topaz glistened around Hal. A rainbow of ribbons streaked through much of the stars, nebulae that gave the entire view the notion of being encased within a sphere of iridescent marble. Nothing before had ever made Hal feel so small yet so at home.
“Some of us,” Sines Toro began, smiling for once, “have been known to weep at our first sight of the true cosmos. Fix your vision to the point beyond my finger.”
Hal followed Sines Toro's arm, his eyes settling upon a large cluster of stars so dense that they appeared to be a single solid mass.
“You are viewing the center of the galaxy. At its true heart lies a supermassive black hole, the Howling Void, disgorging enormous quantities of gamma radiation 25,000 light-years into the emptiness along the axis that intercepts this galaxy “vertically.” The heart is surrounded by a series of stars and smaller black holes with their own hazards that make approach to the Howling Void all but impossible. The only known method of travel to the Howling Void is a Green Lantern's power ring.”
“But, why would anyone want to go to this Howling Void,” Hal was chilled by the description of the point around which he understood his existence to revolve and intrigued that anyone had ever been there.
“Orbiting the Howling Void is the world of Oa, home to the Guardians and base of our organization. It is our destination.”
“Two questions: What keeps us safe on the journey? and How do we get there before we die of old age?”
Sines Toro smirked, “The answer to both of your questions is the ring. Rings know their worlds and the precise paths to them, and provide adequate protection through safe routes. Additionally, for interstellar travel a ring can beckon and be pulled to a world through the planet itself. To reach Oa you must learn to concentrate. Focus upon the destination. As the ring guides the wearer, such is not a difficult proposition.”
Hal and Sines Toro now each relaxed. Both men allowed their gazes to drift, their minds to clear. Within seconds Hal felt a slight tug at his chest, and then a stronger pull. It was what he imagined the fish felt as he set his hook into their jaws and reeled them into his boat. There was a stretching feeling, as stars turned to blurry lines streaking past Hal perceived his body growing forward, his head and arms traveling while his feet remained in his own solar system. Eventually his vision turned completely white and Hal began to twist, rope-like, into patches of darkness. Before he could even scream, there was a sound, no, a feeling of a snap as Hal came back together.
Sines Toro was next to him still, towing the body of Abin Sur, but the brilliant star field was gone. Hal was now staring at a green-and-blue planet some distance ahead of him, hanging in the black amid what looked like vines of pure light growing through space.
“The light of the stars that orbit the Howling Void, being pulled inward. Between the star light and their own advanced technology, the Guardians do not want for energy and illumination, despite their unorthodox home,” Sines Toro explained in a tone of voice that indicated he had given this speech before.
“So it just orbits a black hole, without falling in?”
“My records indicated that your society was aware of the nature of black holes, Hal Jordan. I take it that you are not of one of the scholarly castes,” Sines Toro regarded Hal with a look that made Hal want to punch him in the jaw, “so I must educate you. Consider your sun. It has an enormous gravitational pull, due to its mass, yet the Earth safely orbits it. Were it to somehow collapse suddenly into a black hole without the usual bursts of matter and energy that would incinerate your planet, its mass would be the same, and so would its gravity. Every object can be safely orbited from the right distance.
“You are currently looking at the Howling Void. Notice how the distant stars give off generous amounts of light, which only begins to swirl towards the Howling Void after traveling to closely? Be at peace, barbarian. We have business to which we must attend.”
Hal listened respectfully to the senior man treating him like an idiot. He might have had a snappy response, but the business at had didn't lend itself to jokes. Hal once more followed his new pattern and simply nodded assent and followed.
-
The two men landed on the surface of Oa at a facility on the outskirts of a large city, which as far as Hal saw was the only settlement on the planet. He had been impressed during the landing. Oa shimmered like an opal, with a pearlescent city forming a milky center near the equator. From what he could see now, the city's architecture, all spires and floating stepping paths, was something that would have turned M.C. Escher's mind around.
“Come, Jordan,” Sines Toro beckoned Hal mere seconds after their feet touched ground, “the arrangements have been made for Abin Sur's last Triumph. As you were his ally in his final combat, you shall occupy a place of honor, flying behind me, his favored student, as we proceed down the Veridian Way. We shall present our fallen hero to the Guardians, after which his body shall be taken back to his home on Ungara.”
Hal did not have a chance to reply, as Sines Toro simply hovered from the landing pad towards a wide avenue that led from the city's wide open gate into the plain over which the men stood. As he watched Sines Toro, Hal noticed him slowly, reverently re-form the vague construct that he was using to transport Abin Sur into a finely-detailed coffin. Hal breathed slowly and sorrowfully at the sight before catching up and remaining two paces behind Sines Toro.
As the two men proceeded solemnly down the avenue, viridian constructs appeared, blossoming like flowers from the sidewalks. Low and mournful sounds pealed from them, resembling a French horn, while a piscine corpsman bowed his head.
Dozens, then hundreds of other Lanterns appeared from buildings along the way, donning constructs of various forms, in what Hal surmised to be signs of respect or mourning in the cultures of the individual lanterns. With each new face, Hal was struck by a surprising sense of familiarity. Perhaps an organization of men and women like these was really the place for him?
The march continued for the better part of an hour, until the two men stopped at the gate of a large spire in the center of the city. The tower reached into the clouds, and shimmered all around with the energy of a power ring.
Kneeling, Sines Toro began, “Guardians of Oa, brother Abin Sur has fallen valiantly in defense of the galaxy. As you well know, Abin Sur's power was undeniable. Stand now, Guardians, and pay respects.”
The massive door at the base of the spire flickered and disappeared, revealing a thick green mist through which a single silhouette was visible. The mist parted somewhat, and Hal saw the form to be a small humanoid figure with an enormous cranium and skin the color of a clear Spring sky. It spoke without moving as it regarded the crowd.
“Abin Sur's service was admirable; a true Lantern has been lost. A hero's rest awaits him.”
Sines Toro grunted as his hand jerked suddenly. His power ring's connection to Abin Sur was cut, but the floating body was quickly encapsulated by a green beam from the Guardian within the tower. Before anyone could speak, Sur and the construct surrounding him streaked away beyond sight.
“Guardians,” Sines Toro protested, “Abin Sur's beliefs dictate that he may be interred nowhere other than Ungara! Is this the reward of service?”
“Be at peace, Sines Toro. Abin Sur lived as a Lantern first and foremost, as do you all. He shall remain in the Necropolis of Heroes until the end of time. As will all true Lanterns.”
Hal found himself feeling a sense of sadness. No, loss. A deep sense of spiritual loss at seeing Abin Sur taken from his true home forever. Hal had never thought himself capable of such empathy, but seeing the scene unfold felt as if he himself were being denied his greatest wish.
“Guardians! This is beyond comprehension!” Sines Toro was shaking, his complexion somehow attaining a deeper shade of scarlet in his fury. As he breathed deeply before continuing a piercing sound cut through the air. Hal felt it in his ring, and he noticed Sines Toro checking his own ring.
“This matter is not concluded, Guardians,” Sines Toro spat. He turned to Hal, “Lantern Jordan, there is distress withing our patrol. You will accompany me to the world of Ith.”
Sines Toro rocketed away, nearly colliding with his fellow corpsmen who had been hovering above. With little other choice, Hal flew after him. As he left Oa behind, Hal felt a greater sense of emptiness than when he had first left Earth. There was no time for looking back, as people apparently needed his help. Still, their disregard for Abin Sur's traditions made Hal wonder what kind of people these Guardians truly were?
-
Standing on the shore of one of the largest islands in Ith's many archipelagos, Hal and Sines Toro regarded the dead thing before them. It was yellow, orange and purple, and reminded Hal of an octopus mixed with a pterodactyl. The thing wasn't much prettier before the two men had lit into it with green power than it was while it lay rotting. It had been a longer fight than the one against Narkanthos hours earlier, but Hal was glad for the chance to put his new ring into action. His colleague looked to him and spoke.
“You fought well, Hal Jordan. The splixxbeast is a formidable foe, but no match for a true warrior. The Chelox people can rest safely in their abodes beneath the waves once more.”
“Sines Toro,” Hal responded, changing the subject, “I've got to ask ya, what happened back on Oa?”
“Tell me what you think happened, barbarian,” the alien corpsman fixed Hal with a penetrating gaze. Hal felt as if what he said in this conversation would color Sines Toro's view of him for a long time.
“Honestly, I think that I just saw a good man get shafted.”
“Your idiom translates surprisingly well into my own tongue, barbarian. Abin Sur was the greatest Lantern in history, serving for over three and a half centuries. He gave his life in pursuit of duty and was rewarded with a fate that consigns him to an eternity of confusion, according to the traditions of his people.” Sines Toro was once again livid, shaking with rage.
“So that guy in the tower makes the decisions for us? I thought that we were working to protect people? That's the thanks we get at the end of it all?”
“”Those guys,” Jordan,” Sines Toro explained, “The Guardians always act in concert. The voice of one is the voice of all. The Guardians were once individuals but the legend says that they created a hive mind, sacrificing their identities in order to achieve the will of such strength necessary to perfectly control the Green Light.”
“About that. The Guardians tore through your construct pretty handily. What do they need us for if they can do that to you?”
“Your questions reveal a mind of surprising depth and intuition, barbarian. You correctly gauge their power. The Guardians face the problem imposed by their own strength. They act as one with the will of many, but their will is directed mostly inward, controlling themselves. They need true men of action like you and I, Hal Jordan.”
“Doesn't sound that grand to me,” Hal felt a serious doubt forming in his stomach, that and a real yearning for a bottle of beer. Oh, man, he really needed that right now. He shook his head to regain his focus. Sines Toro was not the man to whom one wished to show weakness.
“Nor me, Hal Jordan. Many choose to join the Corps in order to make a difference in this galaxy. The situation is not perfect, but we do what we must by strengthening ourselves and waiting until the day when true change can be affected.”
“Yeah,” Hal agreed. He instantly wished that he'd said something smarter-sounding, but the once word was about all he could manage at this point.
-
An unspeakable distance away, in the Taos County Sheriff's Office, Tom Kalmaku was playing around with his phone, bored at his desk. He looked up eagerly when the front door opened, and was not entirely surprised at whom he saw.
“Carol,” Tom stood like a gentleman, “You're, uh, you're here for Guy?”
“Yeah, Tom,” Carol's still-young face showed age beyond its years as she lowered her voice, “I've come to take him home. That is, if Hal hasn't decided to press charges.”
“Hal's actually not going to be pressing charges on anyone for a while, just between you and me. And though I could, I'm not going to, either. You're sure that you don't want to? It's your place that he smashes up, Carol.”
“No, Tom, it's not what's best for us. Can I get him?”
Tom roused the still-sleeping Guy from his bunk in the holding cell. Groggy and sore, the burly man stumble up, nearly tripped out the cell door and shambled to Carol.
“Carol-”
“Not here,” Carol cut off Guy's apology, “later.”
Sitting in Carol's beat-up El Camino, Guy struggled to find the right words. He didn't have to struggle long, as Carol spoke first.
“Guy,” Carol spoke with steel in her voice, “are you off your meds?”
“It's summer, Carol. It's summer and I can't even tell. I hate that I can't feel anything when I'm taking them.”
“I know you do, I know, baby. But you've got to think about what this does to me. I- we- need you to take care of yourself. Promise me that you won't go off them again?”
“Yeah,” Guy sighed deeply, weighing Carol against truly experiencing a beautiful day, “yeah I promise. I'm sorry.”
Carol was quiet a moment before lighting Guy up with one of her signature crooked smiles, “Okay. Gimme a kiss.”
-
Far away and out of sight, the meat was alone, casually picked from the wreck and discarded into a cold locker. The meat was alone and it was burning. Forgotten but not gone, the meat began to stir. Unseen by the people just outside the locker, the meat was growing.