Terran Knights: Chapter 8

“So first there was the train derailing this morning,”

“Yep yep.”

“Then the thing with the gas explosion this afternoon in the middle of the street.”

“What do you think is going to end up being next at this rate?”

“Probably a shopping mall.”

“Are you saying that because we’re in the food court right now?”

Cal leaned back in his chair rubbing his pale white jaw. His blonde hair smoothed back, green eyes shut in thought as he fixed a frown onto his face that seemed out of place considering the fairness of his features. He was wearing a polo and jeans tapping his foot against the bottom of the table.

He had a slice of pizza and a salad in front of him while his companion was enjoying nachos. Now that she was out of her uniform Kathryn relaxed into the hard-back plastic chair taking a cheesy chip and enjoying it.

He reached for his drink, sipping it for a moment and then nodded, “Perhaps.”

The mall food court was bustling with activity despite everything that had gone on today. Apparently, people liked their sense of normalcy mixed in with some mild shopping and consumerism. But if you listened hard enough everything they heard was about the events that had gone on today. Cal had to admit though he was interested in what had happened.

“Being a graduate student sucks,” he said to his best friend. “I want to see the alien attacks.”

“No one’s calling them that anymore,” Kathryn corrected. “The train thing was an accident and the explosion was a water pipe bursting.”

“Come on Kathryn I know you’ve seen the footage online. Especially the train one. The robot thing that was tearing the train apart. The purple dude who kicked its ass.”

“You really think that stuff was real Cal?”

“Sure it looked grainy but come on. You know I’d take real aliens in a heartbeat.”

Kathryn shrugged her shoulders and ate a few more chips to fill the silence instead of answering that question. Truth be told she didn’t want to think about giant robots or colorful people fighting them. She’d had enough just trying to figure out what she was going to eat for dinner or if she was going to quit her job tomorrow than to worry about that.

“What would you even do if you met an alien?”

“Ask them anything and everything about their galaxy and planet. It’d be so exciting. How are you not excited about this Kat?”

“You want exciting, go propose to Ben instead of fantasizing about space.”

Cal sputtered through his drink and almost made a mess on himself. Frantically reaching for a napkin he wiped away any liquid from his face and then glared at her. She was noisily drinking her own drink and staring him down with unflinching brown eyes. He tried to drum up some sort of words, something to showcase his irritation of her but came up with nothing and stared at the ground.

“You win. I haven’t found the right moment. And he’s been busy with work. And I have my classes. And it just never feels like a good time.”

He pouted and Kathryn shook her head. “You’re making excuses. You know that right.”

“I know.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” she said eating a few more chips and making sure to get a few of the jalapeños scooped with them. “Ben’s a smart guy. He probably knows you’ve been thinking about it this entire time.”

A look of panic crossed Cal’s face but then he frowned and nodded there too. “Yeah probably. But he hasn’t said no or anything. So that’s a good sign, right?”

“I’d definitely say so. You guys have been together for almost four years now and you’re my favorite couple right now. So if you two don’t stay together forever my single life is going to turn very very boring.”

That made him smile for real and he waved his slice of pizza at her. “You know using us to fill the void in your romantic life isn’t the best of things. We’re hardly exciting or even interesting people.”

“Maybe I like non-interesting and boring couples.”

“Don’t say that Kat,” he smiled. “I’m sure your knight in shining armor is out there still.”

She made a face at that and picked up her tray. “Please don’t make me gag Cal. I don’t need a knight or protecting aside from being protected from you and your nonsense.”

She tossed the garbage away and then set her tray on top of the trash can and looked over the railing. The food court was on the second floor of the mall and looking down below her gave her a little bit of vertigo but nothing holding onto the railing couldn’t solve. Though what Cal said was true. She was very single and honestly she didn’t really like it.

But she also didn’t have time to figure it out. Her job was just barely making ends meet and she’d be damned if she moved back in with her parents and proved them right. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life but she knew was she wanted to help people.

Heading back to the table Cal was looking out into the distance wistfully and she snapped her fingers a few times. “Hey Cal you okay over there?”

“Yeah just thinking.”

Tossing away the remnants of his food the pair of them walked together going down to the first floor. They had come out just to meet up and hang out together but it was getting late for them both and neither had any plans to remain out this long today.

They walked over toward a large fountain in the middle of the mall. There was a small playpen type area and a bunch of benches around for the parents to deposit their kids and rest after a long afternoon of shopping. There were a few kids and assuming their parents there now. The fountain though had at least a hundred coins, mostly pennies, nestled in the bottom of it. People tossed in their coins and made wishes despite the sign that said to not.

“Take this,” Kathryn reached into her pocket and pulled out a few nickels and handed one over to him. “Make a wish.”

They both held up their coins and pressed them to their lips and closed their eyes. Glancing at one another they flipped the coins and watched them fly toward the fountain. Neither coin finished the journey because a shape dropped down from above shattering the fountain in a flurry of water and stone. And then the screaming started.