But, first things first.
Here's the other parts if you missed them...Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.
And the conclusion's coming just now...
***
Full Stop - Part Six
A Short Story by Dianna Zaragoza
Based on 'The Day Time Stopped Moving' by Bradner Buckner
Major stayed by Lana’s side, as she lay on the floor of the
laboratory next to the impulsor. Joe felt despondency taking over his mind as
he paced. He looked at the impulsor, and then over at the desk, where the
magnifying glass lay.
He walked over the desk as Lana looked on from the floor.
“There’s got to be a way to make a connection.” He spoke his
thoughts aloud, turning the microscope over between his fingers.
He walked over to the window and held the microscope aloft.
The light shone through it, and bent down on the floor.
He twisted it a little, and the light moved over to the
bottom of the impulsor.
“I wonder…”
He twisted the handle of the magnifying glass again, and
aimed the tiny pinprick of light towards the top of the impulsor.
It took a few shifts in his wrists, but –
“What’s that humming noise?”
Lana lifted her head. “The impulsor…it’s charging.
Joe…you’ve done it!” She patted Major’s head and laughed. “Move the light around a little, so you don’t
burn out any one of the sensors. Just…a very small circle. It’s working!”
“You’re the boss lady.”
He followed her instructions, and the humming noise grew
louder…then dimmed slightly…then grew louder again until it filled the empty
room.
“Please, God. Let it be enough.” Lana groaned from the
floor. She started to push herself along the floor with her feet towards the
edge of the room.
Sweat poured off Joe’s head as he hoisted the microscope and
moved it around. His arm burned with exertion. Lana reached a wall, and started
to push herself up the wall to sit up. Once she reached the top, she hobbled
back over to the impulsor, hanging onto chairs and furniture, and finally looked
at the readings.
“It’s almost there, Joe. Hang on.”
Joe leaned his arm against the wall, grimacing in pain.
“That’s it! We’re full charge!”
Joe dropped his arm and held it as he stood up again. The
humming decreased, and he looked around.
“What’s wrong? If it’s charged, why isn’t it working?”
Lana exhaled sharply. “There’s a gap between the
igniter and the power source. We’re an inch away from activation. Do you have
any coins, any keys?”
He searched his pockets. “I left my keys back at the
restaurant. I’m empty.”
“I’ve got nothing. We’re going to lose charge in a minute if
we don’t find something.”
“What is it? What are we missing?” Joe shouted in
frustration around the empty room. His eyes fell on Major, who sat panting.
Your…tag?
“Lana…can you use a dog tag?” Joe sprinted forward and found the Texas-shaped dog tag from around Major’s neck.
“Bring it here, quick!”
Joe ripped it from the collar and handed it to her.
“Now go over behind that shield. Quickly!”
He started to move, but then stopped. “What about you?”
“Someone’s got to activate it. I can’t move, and I know what
I’m doing, so it’s got to be me. We're on our way, Joe. To death, or back to life. But one way or the other—we're going!"
“Lana – I can’t leave you there. There’s no way you’ll
survive.”
“Get behind that screen, or neither of us will. Do it
now!”
Her urgent tone drove him behind the screen. He turned and looked back at her. She
looked right at him, a small smile on her face.
“I’m glad I met you, Joe. Thanks for everything.”
Joe could only shake his head, but then his eyes fell on the dog, sitting
faithfully by Lana’s side, looking at him.
“Major!”
He tried to run out from behind the screen to get the dog,
but a loud humming noise made him pause. He covered his ears; even with that,
he couldn’t escape it. The room took on a green glow from the orb over the time
impulsor, and Joe’s body felt lighter.
An electric snap in his mind, and the next thing
he knew, he was lying on a hard floor in the dim light. His head hurt. He reached up a hand to his head, and felt something sticky.
“Joe? What was that noise?”
Emily stood over him as the light came on, and he
squirmed in pain. He opened one eye. The other one stuck shut. He saw streams of blood on his hand, out of his good eye.
“Joe? What’s going on? What are you doing with my dad’s
gun?”
He smiled through his woozy head – the drunkenness was back,
but he tried to shake it off. “I – think I fell.”
“Did you shoot yourself?” Emily picked up the gun and put it
on the counter with a shaking hand. “Joe – please, please get some help.”
He struggled to stand. He couldn’t get her face out of his
mind. “…Em…mily. You’re…here! You're talking and moving...”
He heard some water flowing, and then a warm and wet towel was on his
head, wiping at his stuck eye. “I went to the lawyer’s office to draw up the papers,
but it just felt wrong. I came home and heard a gun go off, and then your feet
on the floor in the kitchen…” She put a hand on his cheek. “You need help,
honey. I can’t do this anymore.”
“No, no you can. Please don’t go. I’m sorry…sorry about
everything. I’ll get help. I’ll take classes. I’ll get therapy – whatever you
want.” He took both of her hands in his, and held them to his forehead with the
towel. “Please don’t leave me again.”
She drew back from his breath. “Honey, I don’t know what
you’ve been drinking, but whew!”
“No more drinking. Never again.”
Emily looked him in the face, her eyes narrowed. “You really
mean it this time?”
He lifted his hand. “I will never bend the elbow ever again.
A promise…to a friend.”
Emily smiled. “I love you. I want to believe you.”
He leaned in to kiss her. “I love you too.”
“Whew! Let’s finish cleaning up first before you breathe on me anymore, okay?”
He staggered after her, one arm around his neck. “Coffee? I
could use some coffee…” Then he turned back to look at the gun she’d replaced
on the counter. He felt his head. “What happened? Where’d the bullet go?”
“I don’t know. You’ve only got a small gash and some powder burn on your head. It
must have grazed you.” Emily shook her head. “Joe – “
“Don’t worry, babe. It may take a hammer to do it, but I can
learn. Never again. Believe me, never ever again…”
Emily hugged him tightly, and he reciprocated.
He lay in bed later that evening, unable to sleep.
Everything seemed so much like a dream now - did that really happen? Felt so real...
“Can’t sleep…” He got out of bed and turned on the television quietly so as not
to wake Emily.
What he saw next made him much more awake, and he couldn't stop rolling it over in his mind for several weeks afterward.
‘…Police are still sifting through the rubble of an
explosion at the Luther Foundation in White Rock that killed famed theoretical physicist
Lana Luther, and injured several employees of the Foundation who were observing
the experiment.
What officials cannot explain is how a dog got into the
room, found next to Dr. Luther’s body afterward. Additionally, it appears that tire-tracks were
found across the dog’s midsection, and its spine was somehow severed…”
***
This one was really fun to write. Many thanks to Bradner Buckner for the inspiration. If you're a nerd like me, and you want to compare this version with the original classic pulp story, here's the link.
Have a simply super day!
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