The Impact

Chapter 93

"Stop calling him!!!" my mother had snatched the phone out of my hand. She was screaming and crying.

"Give it back that's mine," I said, "He's just lonely!"

"He can be lonely he killed your brother," my mother was sobbing and clutching the phone.

"Tailor---it's okay I love you," I yelled, hoping he hadn't hung up. Then I darted over and wrestled the phone away from her. She shoved me and I fell to the floor but I got it. The line was dead.

"Look what you did! He's scared they're mean to him there," I said, picking myself up. I tried to redial. Maybe the minutes weren't up yet. "Tailor? Tailor?"

"Stop calling him that that isn't his name goddamn it," she cried, trying to tug the phone away from me.

"He needs somebody to love him," I said, retreating to the safety of my room.

"Why does that have to be you?" she screamed.

"Because it clearly isn't you!" I cried, slamming the door and locking it. There was no answer.

"I can't love him he killed my baby," she was sobbing.

"He's your baby too," I said, softly.

"Wait. Just you wait until you have a baby and someone kills it."

"I would never let anything happen---and I'm never having a baby," I said. I had no intention of ever getting pregnant, much less getting married.

"Just see---you'll see. He killed my baby," my mother was sobbing.

"And he's sorry," I say.

"Sorry won't bring my Timmy back!" my mom screamed, banging on the door.

"Neither will torturing Tailor! He didn't know what he did was wrong!" I say.

"That's not his name," my mom sobbed.

"Yeah it is," I sighed, "And you have to let me call him."

"You'll not contact him. Not while you're under this roof!" my mother said, hitting the door with her fist again.

"Fine, then, I'll leave," I said, going to get my backpack from my closet.

"You're not going anywhere, Diane!"

"That's not my name!" I cried.

"Yes it is!"

"No, it's not, if you ever want to find me, my name is Richman."

She never wanted to find me.

I wake up lying in the sand. I blink, there is sand in my eyes and my hair, as is typical of the beach. I sit up, instantly looking for Keeper, my baby where was my baby? There----they are lying not a foot from me, sleeping happily on their back nice and safe. I picked them up squeezed them, slowly standing. What beach were we on? I don't recognize it as anywhere near Lompoc. And what happened? Z and I went home, then he talked about needing to do something. And now I was here. And Keeper is in my favorite little outfit for them, a nice tartan smock.

I look around me a little. The beach seems to go on forever and---there are no birds. Or shells. Or other signs of animals. It's like it's not real.

There is someone else walking down the beach, towards me. I recognize the figure after a moment, then start running. Running as best I can with my baby in my arms.

Rocket runs to me as well, though, and catches me up in his arms the moment he gets to me. Not even kissing me, just squeezing me and Keeper close.

"Oh my god I thought I'd lost you," I say, hugging him tightly.

"You kind of did, what the hell are you doing here?" he asks, pressing his mangled face into my hair and hugging us both. "Your baby is beautiful, just like their mom."

"I wanted you to meet them," I whisper, realizing I'm crying.

"ROCKET!!!" Sailor crushes us both, wrapping her arms around us and bouncing. Rocket embraces her pulling us all into a hug, staggering as we both cling to him.

"We're together," Tailor states, he's trapping me and Sailor in a hug as well, and he has no boundaries or understanding of strength in hugging.

"Okay you're actually killing me now buddy, I missed you too," Rocket says, freeing us from the force of Tailor's love.

"You stupid idiot you should have told me you were possessed," I say, hitting his stomach.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us?" Sailor asks, folding her arms.

"Would you have believed me?" he asks, trying to disentangle himself from Tailor. It doesn't work.

"He would have," I say, pointing at Tailor.

"Fair point I thought of that but he would have thought I was possessed by Beggarman which is actually true and tried to kill me," Rocket says.

"He---okay yeah that's true---you still should have told me!' I cry, annoyed, "Before you actually fell down—possessed, it would have been nice to know."

"Okay. Point taken. Next time I am possessed by an evil sea monster---I'll be sure to let you know moving on---what are all of you doing here?" he asks.

"Where's here?" I ask.

"We just woke up like this," Sailor says.

"We don't know what happened," I finish.

"I happened," Z is standing behind us, looking pleased with himself like he does.

"Have we met?" Rocket asks him, stepping in front of the three of us a bit protectively.

"No, though I believe you were supposed to be a body of my brother's, before these girls got involved," Z says, taking a few steps closer, "I brought them here---for one thing I knew they were missing you---for another I and my siblings are going to be doing things that may be hazardous to your planet and I rather liked this lot so I thought I'd help them along."

"Well---he's dead, so are we dead then?" I realize, hugging Keeper tighter.

"Life, death---these are all just concepts---"

"That's a yes," Rocket guesses.

"You killed us?" I ask. Keeper was dead? Already? They hadn't even grown up they---

"Not really like technically no, you're all still existing just, in order to exist on this plain then you have to leave the other one, you keep your bodies, they'll just---decay a bit faster than they would have. I mean I get mine to last for about a hundred years and that's even after their first owner has a good run---Sy's much harder on his---"

"Too much information don't care---will we still age?" I ask.

"Your little one will grow up, yes," he says, smiling kindly at Keeper.

"We just don't breath," I say.

"Or have pulses, yes, you can still eat if you wish thought you won't need to," Z says, "That's if you choose to return later. For now it's safer if you stay here."

"Is everyone back on Earth going to die?" Sailor asks.

"Everyone is a strong word you know I never deal in absolutes---"

"That's a yes," Rocket says.

"Damn it man I am trying to soften the things I have to say---"

"You're failing."

"You'd get along with many of my ex-wives---okay, moving on, enjoy yourselves, have fun, your friend Rocket pretty much understands this place and I have family members to avoid," Z says, nodding to us.

"Thank you," I say, "For saving us."

"Is Beggarman here?" Tailor asks.

"You are most welcome my love---ly----lady----- person---human-----human I respect" Rocket was glaring at him so he changed his euphemism, "And no Tailor, there is no Beggarman here."