The Journey Of St. Laurent, Chapter 23

Author’s Note: Thanks to all of you who stuck around during the hiatus. I’ve missed you guys.

For those of you who haven’t read any of the Journey Of St. Laurent before: You are now reading an online serial pulp novel. If you didn’t start at the beginning, you may want to do so. Chapter 1:  Down By The Bay. This serial is the sequel to my first novel, Oasis.

Chapter 23 – Unpleasant Announcements

There was a UFO on the White House lawn.

A UFO.

On the White House lawn.

It was a smaller UFO, like the one that struck Phoenix, probably only twenty or twenty five yards long. Two lines of armed soldiers formed a human corridor which snaked around landscaping from the ship to the white house.

The shot seemed to be taken from the roof of the president’s home and there weren’t any traditional media folks in sight.

The female voice on the news rambled on about when the craft landed and how wonderful it was that the president was opening a dialog with our “otherworldly visitors.”

My head swam. How is this possibly a good idea? Didn’t they attack us just yesterday? I felt an urge to get moving, to do something, but there just wasn’t anything to do except sit and watch.

The news lady kept up her nervous chatter with something about if someone had told her a week ago that she’d be reporting for the network about extraterrestrials, she’d have thought they were positively insane. She kept up the monologue, doing a great job of talking without really saying anything.

Ten minutes later there was a commotion. The camera switched to one on the grass outside the soldier lines about fifty feet from the White House. Soldiers rushed about then froze into place around the back door. One more moment and the double doors opened. Somebody exited the building and the soldiers huddled close around them.

No, not somebody.

It was an alien. The camera angle was bad and with the military standing so close, not much could be seen. This much was certain- it wasn’t human.

As the small party made its way down the steps and onto the lawn, I could only see bits and pieces. What I could see, however, was unsettling.

The alien’s skin was a bright green, and its features closely matched the description UFO nuts have been claiming since the 1950′s. It was skinny, and its bald head looked too big for its body. It had many of the same features as a human, but in odd proportions. The nose was super skinny and long. The mouth was small and turned down in a scowl. The eyes were at least four times the size of a human’s. The top of the skull was much larger than a human’s as well, like it had to house at least twice as many brains. It wore some kind of a black skintight jumpsuit.

All in all, it had the general shape of a toothpick with a grape stuck on top. It would been funny to watch if I didn’t know how many people they had already murdered.

The alien didn’t look around at all. It simply walked back to its ship.

When the alien approached, a door appeared in the silvery craft. It snapped shut as soon as the green creature entered. Within a moment, the ship made a loud whirring noise and shot up into the sky.

The camera stayed on the cloud the UFO had disappeared into until the news lady came back on.

I realized I hadn’t even noticed when she had stopped talking.

Her face was pale, and she didn’t even attempt a smile. “The President of the United States will now address the nation.”

The picture changed from the sky above the White House to the Oval Office within.

The president sat at his desk with his hands clasped. He was much more composed this time than the last time I had seen him on TV. His clothes were pressed, his stubble had been shaved, and his eyes weren’t shifting around like a mouse watching for cats. The only sign he wasn’t one hundred percent was the dark circles under his eyes.

“My fellow Americans. As you know, I have just spoken with one of the aliens. He is an ambassador for his people, and his visit has brought with it excellent news. He has extended to us an olive branch, and I have negotiated a favorable treaty with him. Under this treaty, neither side will engage in hostile activities toward the other. We will provide a parcel of land for his people to establish a permanent base. They will provide us with extra border security as well as assist us in conflict resolution around the globe.

“Their help will allow us to rebuild many sectors of the American economy that have languished in recent years.

“I ask now only for your patience as the minutia are worked out and I present the finalized treaty to the extraterrestrials and congress. I only hope that we can all put our past differences and party politics aside so that we may enter a new era in American strength and prosperity.

“I apologize that this message is so short and there is not more information at this time. I promise that all questions will be answered as soon as possible.

“Again, I must stress that the extraterrestrials are our newest and greatest allies. The sight of their craft will become more and more common as the years progress. The marvels of their technology will be a great benefit to us. Their friendship will increase our strength. For now I urge you, please return to your jobs and your lives as normal. We need to keep our great nation financially strong, and we cannot do that if our factories stay closed out of fear and our shops never open due to misunderstanding.

“Thank you for your time, and good night.”

London looked over at me. “Can he do that?”

The man I assumed to be Nina’s husband shook his head. “Aw, hell no. He can’t do that.”

After that my head started to swim, everybody started yelling, and I lost track of the conversation.

When the shock of the president’s statement faded, London pulled me aside.

“While you were in with Jenna, I finally got through to my dad’s cell phone.”

“And?”

“He and Michael’s mom took advantage of Michael being gone and went on vacation to New Orleans.”

“Is the plan to meet him there?”

“No, they’ve got an RV and they’re coming this way.”

“Okay, is there any sort of plan to meet him, or do we just have to watch the other side of the freeway as we drive along?”

She slugged me in the arm. “No. He wants to meet in a town called Jennings just off the freeway.”

“Time frame?”

“As soon as we can get there.”

London turned back to the TV.

I touched her arm and leaned closer. “London?”

“Yeah?”

I leaned even closer and whispered. “How did you get Nina to back off?”

A smirk crossed her lips. “We came to an understanding.”

“Oh yeah, was that the noise of understanding that I heard?”

“The understanding was simple.” The smirk grew into a full smile. “Every time she slapped me, I was going to punch her in the face. It only took once. She understood me after that.”

Even a hint of humor can make a stressful situation a whole lot better. I was grateful London was there now, and that she had been there so that I could better assist at the birth.

Back to the problems at hand.

Meeting with her dad gave me an immediate goal, but it still didn’t help me know what to do with the virus I was lugging around. Was there any chance that what the president had said was true? My gut said “no way.” So what am I supposed to do?

As much as I hated to admit it, there was one person I could call that might be helpful- Alan Jex. I had given him that military dossier containing everything I’d need to know to come up with a plan. I really wish I had looked through it first.

Jex had an 800 number that had been plastered all over his office, plus it was easy to remember, so I borrowed the phone and gave it a call. The secretary picked up and I argued with her for about ten minutes before she connected me to Jex’s cell phone.

“Alan Jex speaking. What do you want?”

“I was the one who dropped off that packet from Major-”

“Oh, she didn’t tell me it was you. Let’s try to keep names out of the conversation. Safer that way. You find what I think you went out to find?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Are you calling from a cell phone?”

“No.”

“A house?”

“Yep.”

“Damn it. Okay. Get out of there, now. They’ve probably already sent a response team.”

“Who, the military? Because I don’t know what’s happened to local law enforcement, but they’re not able to anyth-”

“Not us, kid. Them. Now get out.”

“Them as in the, uh, extra-”

“The aliens.”

“But why?”

“Look, because every phone conversation I have is monitored now. They already knew you went for something dangerous. They won’t be taking any chances.”

“But…”

“Whoever you’re with is in danger. If you stay put, it’s only going to get worse.”

“Okay, so where do you think I should go?”

“Where are you now?”

“Outside of Houston.”

“Head East, and find a way to listen my special show tonight on a shortwave.”

“That’s it, head East?”

“If you miss the show, call me tomorrow afternoon. I should have things set up by then.”

“And what should I do if the aliens do show up?”

“Keep moving. We haven’t seen the UFOs attack while on the move yet. You’ve only got a few minutes. Get out of there. Good luck.”

The phone went dead.

I stood and stared straight ahead for a moment before I thought to hang up the phone. That was really weird.

He had to be the single most paranoid man in America, but something about what he said rang true to me. In fact, the more I thought about it, the bigger of a pit that opened up in my gut. What if they do show up? I need to get out of here.

“London, Michael, we need to go.”

Michael didn’t even look away from the TV. “But I’m not done yet.”

“London, would you…”

She nodded. “Sure. Michael, let’s go.”

I went over to Nina. “Look, I’m really sorry. The phone call I just made might mean they come looking.”

Her mouth and her eyes narrowed and she flared her nostrils. “You’re wanted by the man?”

“No, um, it’s… I know. I’m sorry.” I clenched my jaw, pointed at the door and tried to control the level of my voice. “But if the aliens show up, you get your family out of here. I mean everybody.”

Her eyes widened. “Aliens? What would they want with you?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry.”

I grabbed the cooler and London dragged Michael out to the Jeep. We were gone in five minutes. We had gone about eight blocks when we saw it.

Another of the smaller UFOs, like the one at the White House. It slowed down and flew over us moving directly toward Nina’s house.

My hands started to shake. “Oh no.”

“Corbin, is that… We have to-”

I slammed on the brakes. “I know. Hold on, everybody. London, get out the gun.”

I spun the Jeep around and prayed it wouldn’t be too late.

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Keep Reading! Chapter 24 is here

How I Survived The Loss Of My Son

A Father’s Thoughts

Today is the second anniversary of my son’s death. It was the most painful experience I have ever been through. Spencer had been growing in my wife’s belly for eight and a half months. Everything had been perfect. He was healthy, my wife was healthy, everything was great. And then it all happened. My wife started getting an extreme pain on the inside of her hip. We were going to try to wait for morning (and every one of the four doctors said we’d be ok until then), but to cut a long story short, when the pain got to be unbearable late that night, I took her to the hospital. Of course, the staff there was concerned for the baby, so they immediately used the doppler listening device, but could not find a heartbeat. They rushed out and grabbed the ultrasound machine and tech and verified the fear I had in the back of my head. Spencer’s heart had stopped, he was gone, and my heart broke.

To this day, we don’t really know why he died. We do know that the pain my wife had felt had nothing to do with it. That’s small consolation, however, when you ask and search and search and ask and nobody can figure out what went wrong. Was it something I did? Was it something that can happen again? Could we have prevented it? What if, what if, what if? Not knowing why he died only brought more pain.

My wife and I still think of Spencer every day, and we still have the occasional bad day or two.

Despite this great sadness, all in all, today I consider myself fortunate. I am still happily married. I do not live on depression medication (in fact I’ve still never touched the stuff), I haven’t taken up drinking or drugs, and I haven’t collapsed financially.

There are many things others have done to help me out with my grief. I’ve received a lot of supportive communication through letters, phone calls, emails, and visits. I know that a vast number of prayers have been said for me and my family since that day. I thank all of you who have been pulling for us.

Even with all of that support, I don’t think I would be in a good place today if I had not made a few decisions soon after it happened. I consciously chose to do these things which I thought would help me, and they did. That’s not to say that I’m some great shining example of perfect grief recovery or anything. I’m just going to say that this is what I did and I know it helped me.

I Supported My Wife

I’ve always felt like it’s my job first and foremost to be the provider and protector of my family. Upon losing Spencer, I passed many an hour feeling like I had failed in these primary duties. Or worse yet, like I had been cheated out of the opportunity to fulfill them. I felt weak and useless.

However, it did occur to me that while I was unable to prevent this tragedy, I could still, or perhaps I could finally play my part by providing for not only the physical, but the emotional needs of my wife.

I decided that she would not be finding her way through the grief alone. I decided to talk about it whenever she wanted, and for as long as she wanted, even if it was extremely uncomfortable for me. Even if I didn’t have the answers. Even if we had the exact same conversation a thousand times. Anytime she needed to cuddle, I’d be there, no matter how uncomfortable a position in which she made me sit. Anytime she needed help getting around, I’d give her a hand. (The pain did not go away immediately after birth. It took several months. And she was in a wheelchair for about the first week.) Every time she needed anything, I’d get it for her. Anytime she wanted a foot rub, I’d give it to her.

Here’s the deal. It may sound like I became her little slave. Who cares if I did (even though I didn’t…)?  It gave me purpose and fulfillment to be doing something after so great a perceived failure. It kept us close, and we were able to lean on each other. It made me love my wife more than ever.

I Found an Outlet

I decided I would get out much of what I was feeling through the written word. This is when I really started pouring something new into my fiction. Even though my skill wasn’t (and still isn’t) good enough to transfer all of that emotion full force onto a page, it was good for me to create something, to get some of the pain I felt out of my head.

And it wasn’t just fiction. I spent a lot of time writing in journals, too. I filled many a page with exactly what I was going through, and what my wife was going through.

Writing helped me work through a lot of issues. It forced me to think about, define, and clarify a lot of emotions.

I Sought Out A Higher Power

I really don’t talk publically much about my faith. Perhaps that is a mistake.

In talking with other parents who had lost kids, it was easy to pick out two types: Ones that blamed God for their loss, and ones who leaned on Him for strength. I also saw which ones were more at peace, and which ones still, years later were experiencing pretty much exactly what they were experiencing when their loss first happened.

Also, I have always been taught about, and have always believed in an afterlife. It is a basic teaching of my religion that families can be together forever. When faced with tragedy, though, repeating something in your head and knowing something in your heart are two very different things.

I decided early on that I was going to lean on Him. I studied the scriptures, I prayed more fervently than at any other time of my life, and I did what I could to serve others through my church. I haven’t been perfect, of course. I’ve had my doubts and weaknesses. I’ve had my moments where I begged the heavens “why me,” “why us,” and “why Spencer?” It hasn’t been easy.

I will tell you this. Every effort I took to seek out my Heavenly Father was rewarded. I know now that He never abandoned me. I know now more than ever that He loves me and my family. He has helped me make my peace with the fact that horrible things happen in the world, often to good people. He has helped me and my family heal. He has made things happen that helped keep my life together.

In The End…

There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. I understand it when I talk to parents who have been swallowed up in their pain for years.

For what it’s worth, doing these things helped me cope. They helped see me through. More than that, they helped me become a stronger, a wiser, and more understanding man.

If you have lost a child, I am deeply sorry for your loss. My heart and my love go out to you. If you ever need a friend, I’m here for you, (Just use the Contact link above)

Thanks for letting me ramble a bit, folks. I appreciate your patience. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to regular, timely fiction authoring any day now.

Two Quick Items

Ok, just two quick items.

1) The Journey of St. Laurent will return with a vengeance on Monday.

2) I just got an acceptance email for a (hopefully humorous) piece of nonfiction I wrote for the upcoming anthology "The Moron’s Guide to the Inevitable Zombocalypse". Go me!