Moon Child
Prologue
It was late at night, in one of those nights where there are no stars out on the dark cloudy sky. One of those nights you don't understand why but your body shivers even with the summer heat and you feel some kind of unbearable sadness flowing all over your body.
Ewell in his room was focusing on something behind his cards, and for a second, something unexpected happened on his face; he looked preoccupied. First he let the cards he was looking at a moment, came to the window trying to see some stars in the sky, but even the moon seemed to be missing above his head.
And once again on this face the same expression, he wasn't wrong. Something was happening. Something probably everything but good. Something maybe dangerous.
Slowly he raised up and carefully tidy up his cards, blown off some candles and closed the curtains. Then, as if everything was normal he went out of his room and sat in the sofa, next to his roommate and best friend, Collin who was playing a video game. One that Ewell hated, where you must kill some zombies and when your character is hurt your screen has blood, the more the character is hurt, the more there is blood on the screen.
"- Why isn't Sasha here tonight?
Killing zombies isn't her thing ya know
You should ask her to come..."
Collin didn't know why his friend suddenly wanted his girlfriend to be with them, but he totally trusted Ewell, moreover he knew his friend had a pretty sharp intuition and when he wanted someone or something to be then it was meant to be like that. So, without asking more question, even if it was already 1 am, Collin grabbed his phone and called his girlfriend. Hanging out less than two minutes later.
"I'm going to pick her at her parent's house, I don't want her to come alone by night, wanna come?"
Ewell didn't even answer, his job here was done and Collin knew it when he left their apartment not waiting for a verbal answer from his friend.
Now alone, Ewell stopped the console, without even saving the game, Collin was a pro at this, it wouldn't take him long to come to the point where he left it. And a tiny part of his anxiety flied away: the only people he cared about would be here with him, safe. So now, the worst could happen.
On the morning, something weird happened. In fact, it was supposed to be the morning since the red clock was showing 8:00 am, but the sun wasn't there, it was still night and only darkness outside. Ewell was glad it was Sunday because he didn't want to go outside, some of his instincts told him it was more than just the night in the day. A lot more.
He lazily got out of his bed, then left his bedroom and while he let the coffee machine start he switched on the TV on news channel to see if there was something about the sky.
When his coffee was ready he just sat down with his phone checking some social medias and pay half attention to the TV.
Soon he felt Sasha sating on the sofa next to him.
"-Is that some kind of eclipse today?
Don't think so…
Yeah, we usually know when it happens… nobody told anything about this."
They felt into silence, thinking about it when a hoarse voice broke the silence again.
"- Guys it's super dark today, what the fuck with the weather?"
Collin made some coffee for him and Sasha, then sat with them, watching the TV trying to catch up what was happening.
"- So the moon is still out even if it's supposed to be the day?
That's it yes…"
None of them thought about making fun of Collin's conclusions as they would have normally do, it seemed too important to joke about anything right now.
"-D'ya think it's the end of the world?
Not quite, but something bad is happening…
You knew it yeah? You asked me to pick up Sasha yesterday.
I didn't knew what it would be.
Then what do we do?
We just stay inside. I can't say why but I think there is something far more dangerous than just the night outside.
'kay, then let's bake a cake!"
That was just how Collin was, and that was also why the trio was glad he was here today. Because who else would have just wanted to bake a cake to change the mood without trying to understand everything and making what was happening a huge problem.
Cake all baked, reality ferociously called back. At the end of the day, while Collin was making food and Sasha playing with Ewell's hair they put the TV on again and what they saw was just some kind of nightmare you want to wake up as soon as possible.
Not only the sun didn't show at all but also there were around tens people found in the street, in a deep coma.
Ewell was the only one who didn't look surprised at all.
Dude, what's that? Is it some sort of epidemic coma? I didn't knew coma was contagious.
Don't be stupid Collin, that's not contagious and that can't be epidemic…
While the couple were debating about coma being epidemic or not, Ewell cleared a little his throat, as he was always doing when he was about to make longer sentences than usual.
With what I saw yesterday, what the starts were telling me for days and what happens now I think I know what it is. I don't know how it happened but a breach opened in the sky, we didn't see moon or stars yesterday because it wasn't the sky but a hole. And from that gap, some sort of… I don't know what word use for this… some sort of shadow? Yeah, those "shadows" went to our world, but our human bodies are not made for that. So when someone crosses a "shadow" the body just… yeah…
But they said they're in coma, they're not dead aren't they?
Not yet… but that's something far from planet earth and I don't know how a human body would survive. It's like a collision between two existences but one weren't strong enough.
Sasha took her sweetest voice:
Ewell… you should call the police and tell them about what you know.
He didn't answer, didn't even needed to because Collin did it for him.
Seriously Sash', they gonna think he's just some kind of crazy bastard. Once he said there will be a new star in the sky before the scientifics said it and ya should have seen what they've done to him. Those fuckers just called him a witch and made shitty jokes 'bout burning him. Luckily I was there to beat their ass before they even dare to try!
You're right… People aren't ready for someone… special…
Yeah, the world isn't ready for fabulous. Glad we're!
Time passed, and people started to be accustomed to it. It took three days before the day came back. And then once or twice a week, the phenomenon happened again. Scientists were clever enough to link this with the comas and luckily, the day before it happens there was scary noises, like an earthquake but without any shaking. Then, it was sure in the hours to go it would come again.
The city changed and when those noises were heard there were public announcement with megaphone, now all around the city, to ask everybody to come back home, or at least inside. If you couldn't reach your home, others citizens were in the obligation of welcoming you in their houses.
And even if the first people victims of coma still hadn't wake up there was only a few new ones because everybody was so careful.
Life was almost back to normal. It was amazing how humans could adapt. And then, when they feel safe, something unexpected happens.
It was on a Tuesday afternoon, at 3p.m and 13 minutes, when the coffee shop was almost empty. Ewell was cleaning the counter, lining up some cakes, only one customer at a table slowly drinking his coffee. It wasn't the first time he came here so Ewell thought maybe he was working near because he was almost always here at the same hour every day, and he also came early in the morning, still not totally awake. He would take something to eat in the morning, but not the afternoon. Even if it was a take-out for morning and not the afternoon.
Ewell couldn't help but notice when someone was a regular with habits, it was the kind of useless things that get stuck in his memory but that made him good at his job because usually people like when someone notice their habits.
Without any warning a cold wind hit the door without opening it, only coming with darkness. Suddenly night was all over.
And there wasn't any alarm.
Ewell didn't saw that coming.
Luckily he had good reactions and run to the door to lock it and when he went as fast to close the curtains he noticed the customer was helping him doing the same.
Finally in the dark Ewell turned on the light, not knowing if he should say something or not. Not that the man was impressive, even if he was, all tall and with a huge scar on his sharp face, but Ewell wasn't intimidated, he just didn't know what to say in this kind of situation. Didn't know what to say in general.
That was unexpected…
Taking the initiative, the other man spoke first. Already too tense to bear any silence on top of the scary events that happened. He was so scared and didn't understand how the waiter with him could be so impassive. He looked at him and his face was showing nothing. And seeing him like that he wasn't sure anymore if it was really a boy, his face was so delicate. He looked so fragile, but from his attitude he looked so strong.
By the way, I'm Ash. I don't know if you really want to know my name but since it seems like we're gonna be stuck in there for a moment I thought it was a good idea to tell you my name.
From this man way of speaking Ewell knew he was polite and from a good social circle but he probably grew up in a poor context because he had some of Collin's accents.
Ewell…
It's nice to meet you Ewell… even if yeah.. it's not really a meeting since I come almost everyday and you also almost work here everyday…But still nice to meet you…
Ash's smile was breathetaking, even with the fear in his eyes. He quickly understood Ewell wasn't talkative so without waiting for any answer he just asked him some questions.
What do we do now? Is there anyone else here?
No… pastry chef is only here in morning and at this hour the shop needs only one waiter.
Then what do we do?
Still Ewell didn't answer but started to pick all the cushion on the chairs and went to the backroom, putting all the cushions on the floor, closely followed by Ash, then after some minutes of research in the cupboard he found a thin blanket and put it on the cushion.
That's all I can do…
You think we'll have to sleep here? Maybe it will pass before.
No.
Ash was a little surprised by the confidence in what the boy was saying but he believed him. It didn't seem that Ewell was presumptuous so if he was so sure about it, it might be true.
Luckily it happened in a coffee shop, we have something to eat. In a library, we would have books to read but nothing to eat, so I rather be in the coffee shop!
Ewell didn't say anything but he was glad to be with someone who could joke about it, he would have gone mad if he was stuck with someone screaming or crying. He quickly texted Collin to make sure he was safe and at the same time Ash also took his phone and called some person to explain where he was and telling them he was safe and inside.
After a moment they went back to the shop, with some drinks in an absolute silence that lasted for minutes.
Can we talk please? I don't know how you do that, being so calm, but if I don't think about something else I'll panick.
I have nothing to say…
If I ask you questions would you answer? I can answer to it too. Believe me, I can do a big part of the talking.
Ok…
Why are you working here?
To pay my apartment… but I'm also studying…
I'm working in a garage, and I never even went to college. What are you studying? 'you living alone? How old are you by the way?
Ewell gave a hint of a smile, too much questions. It took him time to get accustomed to having a casual conversation with a stranger, but in the end it wasn't as hard as he thought it would and talking with Ash was sort of natural. At the end of the day they weren't even trying to speak, it was flowing like two friends having a casual conversation.
Before going to their almost bed Ewell changed back to his own clothes, it doesn't took long to Ash to understand how hard it should be for him to wear that uniform.
Once both laid down on the cushion's bed the atmosphere went darker, with the real night also came fears. Would the sun rise tomorrow? Would some unexpected "nights" come again? How many people in coma? Would it stop one day? And go back to normal? Would someone they love be touched? Would they be touched?
When Ash started to speak again, it was like a whisper and if they weren't sharing the same bed there is no way Ewell would have hear him.
Ain't you scared?
No..
How do you do it?
Life happens. And I'm not afraid of the sky…
But… it can hurt! Look at those people in coma now… How can't you be scared of that?
I'm not afraid of the sky.
Ewell hadn't say that much about his "power" to Ash, but without knowing why if he was saying it, Ash started to feel comforted. It was strange how this tiny boy was giving him a security feeling, but he was glad of it. Because even with the world falling apart, he could sleep until the sunrise in the morning.
After this summer, nothing would ever be like it used to be.