The Crusaders

Chapter 13: All Quiet On The Western Front

Portland, Maine, June 1st, 2029

Jasper bolted awake on the couch, his neck hurting from the awkward position he had slept in. His heart was still beating fast as the dream he'd had still lingered in his mind, like the aching of a scar that had long since healed. In his dream, he had been back in Los Angeles, on the day that everything had changed. Except this time...it had been a lot worse. He had seen himself and everyone else die, and the world descend into chaos. He was glad he had woken up. 

Panting slightly, he looked around and wondered where everyone else was. Looking outside through the screen door, he saw that Arthur was sitting in the chair on the porch, holding Excalibur between his legs, both of his hands resting on the hilt of the weapon. He was staring out at the dirt path that lead out to the main road. As usual, no cars were passing by. 

Jasper walked outside, then patted Arthur on the shoulder. Looking up at him, the man looked like he'd been pulled out of a deep sleep. His eyes were baggy, which was something he hadn't seen in him before. "You alright, Arthur?" Jasper asked, and Arthur nodded. "Aye. It has been a very trying few days."

Nodding, Jasper leaned against one of the bars that held up the roof of the porch. "It has, hasn't it?" He said almost to himself. Looking out over the morning sky, he saw the rows of golden wheat that was just starting to come into season. He suddenly found himself thinking about owning a place like this, off the grid, and just living off the land. Thinking about it more, he shook his head. He was always more of a city boy anyways.

Hearing a creaking on the steps inside the house, Jasper turned around. He saw Mark walking downstairs in a shirt and pants, rubbing his eyes. Apparently even people like him needed sleep. He looked at Jasper and nodded. "Morning." Jasper nodded back, and Mark walked off into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Jasper had to remind himself to call Naomi later today to see if there was any updates on Warren's condition.

Walking into the kitchen, Mark noticed the monolith sitting on the kitchen table, having been left there after he communicated with it. Strangely enough, it's ominous presence had since become less pronounced, and was more like a paperweight now than an alien object. Whether that was good or bad, Mark still had to decide.

Then, as Mark was washing off the pan to make eggs, Jasper's computer dinged with a notification. He looked over at it, then back at the door. "Jasper! Your computer has a message!" Jasper looked up from the porch, and walked into the house. Maybe Naomi was checking in. He walked over, then opened up the message. Reading it, his forehead creased. It was from Naomi, but it was several forwarded files from a chatroom. He took a look at all of them, then his eyes widened.

Mark got the eggs out of the cooler, then saw Jasper's expression. "What's wrong?" He asked. Jasper turned to him, then saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned out to the field, and saw that the wheat was moving. The strange thing was, there was no wind outside. The weather was completely calm. Then, something shiny flashed slightly in the sun's glare.

Jasper's eyes widened. "Down!" He yelled, and dove to push Mark behind the counter. As he did, bullets began to fly through the window, breaking the glass and punching holes in the flimsy walls. Jasper covered his head as glass rained down on him, and Mark crouched, looking out the window.

Several soldiers in futuristic-looking green and black armour were moving through the wheat, holding strange-looking rifles and aiming at the house. Scanning them revealed something startling. Their weapons were giving off the same kind of energy that the monolith and the creature had given off.