The Last Day

A Short Story for The Midnight Vault II

Welcome everyone! My story, The Last Day, is inspired by the Twilight Zone episode, Third Planet From the Sun. This year is the Sixty-sixth Anniversary of the classic TV show and the episode is a favorite of mine. If you’re new to my Substack, I invite you to subscribe for speculative stories and sci-fi. I also appreciate your comments and re-stacks. Thanks so much!

The Last Day

“Are we all gonna die today?”

Victoria Lang stopped shuffling report cards into alphabetical piles at her desk. She looked at Elijah Dansky standing before her with his head tipped to the side, two question marks for pupils.

“No one is dying today. The comet’s turning course, according to the news, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Victoria blinked hard. She always blinked when she lied.

“My dad’s got a telescope. He says he can see it and it’s gonna hit soon. Maybe even today.”

Victoria faked a smile. She’d assumed a teaching position at Cold River Elementary to a class of unruly nine-year-olds just last year, and was now tasked by Principal Briggs to stamp out any doomsday rumors. He warned her some of the parents were end-of-the-world fanatics and may even try to break into the building and yank their kids out of class. The Cold River School Board didn’t want any trouble, and definitely didn’t want any conspiracies scaring the students. The higher ups, including Briggs, preferred to parrot the state-sanctioned reports — the comet had changed trajectory and was now headed toward the sun.

But, Victoria didn’t trust the government, or Briggs for that matter. He reminded her of a fat anaconda, slithering the halls in his tweed jacket and cologne-soaked face. He was extra fidgety that day and Victoria sensed he himself didn’t believe the official narrative. There was a lot more to this whole comet thing. The kid might be right.

“Elijah, take your seat.” Victoria scanned her students. Maren’s face was pink and just about to erupt in tears. Blake was busy tugging on Kendra’s hair. Arwen was standing by the window, elbows planted on the ledge and peering out at the sky. “Arwen, you too.”

The slight girl frowned and sank back into her chair. “Mom says something’s gonna happen. She can feel it in her bones.” Arwen’s pupils eclipsed her brown eyes. She took out her journal and started to read from it. “Look to the shining ball of blue. A sign of hope in our distress, and a prophecy coming true...”

Victoria’s breath caught and a familiar energy charged through her. Arwen’s poem triggered a core memory of her dear Grandpa Miles. He’d recited the same words in the last moments before he had passed away in his hospital bed almost ten years ago. Same sing-song voice. Same facial expression. Strange talk about a “shining ball of blue”, now repeated by a nine-year-old. Is this deja vu?

An awkward silence fell on them like snow at springtime. Victoria flinched, startled by the school janitor who had knocked over his mop bucket just outside the doorway. As he wiped up the floor, he apologized and looked at her with a suspicious glint.

Victoria got up to close the door, wary of prying eyes. “Page eight in your science text books, please. Can you read the passage for us?” She looked straight at Arwen. Victoria’s heart thumped as the girl read aloud about the inner workings of a comet and how it can release energy equivalent to millions of hydrogen bombs exploding at once. A nagging tingle arose in the small of Victoria’s back.

This is all wrong.

The comet’s headed straight for us.

I shouldn’t be here.

A violent banging on the door made her jump. The kids chattered with nervous energy. Victoria clapped her hands and urged them all to settle down, but the electricity in the air was too overpowering.

She came out into the hallway. A man and a woman waited for her, clutching their bug-out bags. The man’s eyes were gray and urgent and the woman stared with enormous pupils. “We’ve come for Eli.” The man gripped the bag tighter.

Victoria recognized them. It was the Danskys, Jim and Carla, Elijah’s parents. “Where are you going?” Instead of pressing them to stay as she was instructed, she hungered for details. A feeling of desperation hung over them like a dark fog.

Jim looked all around and leaned in. “There’s not much time left.” His voice thickened into a hoarse whisper and Carla leaned in too. “We’re leaving the planet. Not safe here.”

“Leaving the planet? I’m going with you.” Victoria covered her mouth and froze. She could see Principal Briggs sneaking up from around the corner, slithering his way into her peripheral vision.

“No one’s going anywhere.” Briggs’ face was bloated and red.

Victoria stepped forward, towering over him. “They’re just going away to the lake for a few days. A badly needed vacation, you know?” She laughed and faced Briggs so the parents could slip into the classroom behind her. She took the principal’s arm and led him to the end of the hall to distract him.

Carla grabbed Elijah’s hand and steered him out the classroom door. Briggs spied them and charged. He pulled out a revolver. Shots echoed and Carla slumped over, her glassy eyes bright blue against a puddle of red. Jim sank to his knees and cradled his wife in his lap. He rocked back and forth, howling like an injured animal, saliva and tears mingling down his stubbly face. Victoria stood between Briggs and the boy, with blood spattered over her wool skirt and held up her palms in shock. “Don’t shoot.” Her voice barely left her throat. She felt herself hovering high above her body, watching the angel of death decide which one he’d take next.

Briggs stood there, the revolver shaking in his hand. A vein bulged from his temple as he began to pace back and forth. “This comet is gonna wipe us all out, isn’t it?” His voice rose an octave. He pointed the gun at Jim. “You got a ship? Take me to it, I want off this damned planet.”

Hatred dripped from Jim’s eyes. He stroked Carla’s black curls one last time, and got up with clenched teeth. Her blood plopped down his camo pants. “You’re gonna have to kill me first.”

Victoria looked at Elijah’s pale face. She wanted to motion to him, tell him to run as fast as he could while she distracted Briggs. The boy wouldn’t look at her. He stood frozen with his hands up, glued to his father’s side.

“Shut up and take me with you or he’s next.” Briggs pointed the handgun at the boy. The vein in his head threatened to burst.

***

The four of them crammed into Jim’s Vanagon as Briggs pressed the revolver against Elijah’s temple. Sweat pooled around his upper lip and his vein pulsed red.

The seat stuck to the backs of Victoria’s legs. She sat next to Jim in the front and wondered whether there was a gun in the glove box. He shifted the gear into drive and they raced down the street, whizzing past Cold River Elementary. Victoria studied him. His gray eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking, face solemn like stone. He must be a soldier. Maybe an astronaut? Flecks of Carla’s blood were fresh on his stubbly face. Classic rock blared from the radio, throttling her eardrums. The window was slightly open and the cool air was a welcome relief, blowing through her loose bangs as they sped faster up the country road to the north.

“Hey, slow down. You wanna get us killed?” Briggs barked from the back seat, lowering his gun. Jim’s eyes darted to the rear view mirror and he kept his focus on the revolver.

“Where’s your ship anyway? North Cumberland base?” Briggs rested the gun on his lap and spoke like he was talking to an old friend.

Without warning, Jim swerved the van onto the shoulder and braked hard. Briggs’ face slammed into the back of Jim’s seat. Victoria whipped around and clawed his arm, knocking the revolver to the floor. Jim ripped open the glove box and pulled out his handgun. He fired at Briggs; Victoria counted three shots. Elijah yelled out in terror.

Jim hopped out of the van and dragged Briggs’ body out, dumping him behind the bushes. He kicked him and swore and shot him again.

Victoria flinched as the final shot rang out. She was almost afraid of him. Grief can make men do crazy things – she’d seen her uncle suffer a total breakdown after the death of his wife of thirty-one years from cancer. And this was at least a hundred times worse.

Jim flung open the door and sank back into his seat. He’d taken his jacket off, and smeared the blood from his cheek. His eyes were red-rimmed and wild. Victoria noticed a large tattoo of a blue planet covering his right bicep. He turned the ignition and steered the van back onto the country road.

****

Jim drove the van up to the chain link fence at the North Cumberland military base.

A woman with “Lieutenant Kelso” on her badge was standing guard. She saw him and raised her eyebrows at Victoria. “Where’s Carla?”

Jim looked down and gripped the steering wheel. The Lieutenant stared at him a moment. She got into the back seat and sat up tall. She pressed a remote from her pocket and the gates opened. “The others won’t wait for us. Liftoff’s in four minutes.”

Victoria grabbed the sides of her seat as the van dipped over pot holes and cracked pavement, rolling to a stop at a second chain link fence marked Restricted Entry. A siren blared as Jim wrenched the gate from its hinges. They ran. Elijah tripped and fell on his knee, ripping a bloody hole in his pants, but Jim picked him up and they raced to the ship waiting on the tarmac.

Victoria’s eyes lit up and she smiled in relief, recognizing Arwen and her mom, and the school janitor huddled inside the ship. Another man with a buzz cut was at the controls. Jim lowered his son into a spare seat and checked the knobs and lights on the panel. He motioned for Victoria to sit beside them.

She tensed up at the countdown, gripping the arms of her chair. Her teeth rattled in her skull as the ship shook with a deep rumble and blasted off into the vastness of space. Tears streamed down her cheeks. A warmth washed over her and she felt the presence of her Grandpa in spirit. It all felt right. This is where I’m supposed to be.

***

Hours went by like mere minutes and the passengers relaxed their muscles as they sailed through space in the tiny ship.

“Where are we going?” Elijah looked up at his dad, who was staring out the porthole at a glowing blue ball growing larger in the velvety darkness.

“Earth.” His voice was far away. “We’re going to Earth.”

“Sure hope Earth’s friendly.” Lieutenant Kelso fixed her gaze at the bright planet.

Victoria closed her eyes. She could taste the words of her Grandpa’s prophecy like honey on her tongue. “Look to the shining ball of blue…”

Jim looked over at her while Elijah and Arwen and the others raised their voices, continuing the verse as one cosmic chorus. “A sign of hope in our distress, and a prophecy coming true.”