End of Days 5: Explanations

continues from part four

Part 5: Explanations

"Ma'am?"

Blinking her eyes, Quinn awoke, looked around. She was back inside her house; she could hear the rain pouring outside, mixing with the crackle of a nice, cheery fire that burned in the fireplace, warming the house. But there were other sounds, now, of feet moving, and hushed talking.

"Ma'am, are you all right?"

Jolting up, Quinn saw that her house was filled with several strangers, some dressed in Egyptian attire, others dressed in thick rubber clothing like her own. Only one man appeared to be normal, and it was a relief to see him. But he wasn't the one who had woken her.

Looking over, Quinn saw that it was the spider man who had spoken. Seeing it a second time was enough to make her shriek and fall over, trying to get away.

"Please, do not be afraid," the spider man said, bringing his hands up. "I mean you no harm, and neither do the others."

"Who-no, what are you?!" Quinn demanded.

"My name is Prince Theodore of the Drider species."

"Drider?"

"Yes, that is what my kind is called. And before you ask, we do not eat human beings. That is against our laws and our culture."

Quinn looked at the prince, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth, or feeding her a lie. He seemed truthful, and his body language (or at least, what she could read of it) showed that he was being sincere.

"All right, Mr. Theodore, but what in heaven's name are you doing in my house? And for that matter, what are all of you doing here?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," the man before her said.

"And who are you?" Quinn asked.

"My name is Gromet; I'm a website manager."

"What kind of website?"

Gromet hesitated for a moment, seemingly embarrassed.

"Never mind. Now will you all please tell me what you're doing here?"

"We're not sure," Theodore said. "We've been discussing it while you were unconscious, and can't come up with a solution. We were hoping you'd be able to enlighten us."

"Me?" Quinn shook her head. "I don't have a clue about what's going on, other then several people, a half human half spider thing, and a killer whale have popped out of the sky into my front yard. How am I supposed to explain that?!"

"Her name is Jude," a woman said. She was wearing a wetsuit, and looked as out of place as everyone else.

"What?"

"Jude. The killer whale. That's her name."

"And you are?"

"Nia, her trainer. We were practicing a new routine at the park when there was this bright flash, and the two of us were sucked into it, and landed in that lake."

Her story seemed as rational as any Quinn had heard so far. Turning, she looked at a man and a woman lying on her sofa, both tightly bandaged and wrapped like Egyptian mummies, though the man's arms, while wrapped, were loose and able to move around, while the woman's legs were the same.

"Okay, what about those two? Why are they wrapped up like that? Did any of you do this?"

"No, they didn't," the man said, shifting slightly.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Robert."

"Okay Robert, what are you doing wrapped up like that?"

Robert looked down at his bandages. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"There's a giant spid-drider in my room. Try me."

Robert thought, trying to figure out how best to tell his story. "Well, I was kidnapped by the Egyptian god of the dead, wrapped up like this, and condemned to be his sex slave for eternity, much like poor Aalyia here."

The woman looked up at Quinn. Unlike Robert, her mouth was bandaged over, silencing her.

"Woah, woah, hang on," Quinn said. "Egyptian god of the dead? You're not talking about Anubis, are you?"

"The very same."

"Oh come on! Anubis is a myth, something made up. He's as real as Thor, Odin, and all the other pagan gods throughout the centuries."

"I know it's hard to believe," Robert said. "I didn't either, at first, but he's real. I can prove it." He looked around. "Xesex?"

There was a crashing noise in one of the nearby rooms. Then, a tall, snake like being pulled itself through one of the doorways, and into the living room. "Yes Robert?" Then, upon seeing Quinn, it said, "Ah, greetings human! I do apologize for all this, but you see, we were suddenly dropped here, my friends and I, and don't know where we are."

Quinn said nothing, staring at him.

"All you all right?"

"Just stunned, I believe," Theodore said. "It appears that humans of this area, are not familiar with encountering creatures of our type."

"I am a god, actually. Not a creature."

"No way," Quinn said, getting her voice back. "Gods aren't real. And even then, I've never heard of you."

"I am not surprised," Xesex said, shaking his head. "The belief system I belonged to died out long ago. But I can prove my divinity to you; it would be quite easy."

Quinn hesitated, unsure of what she had gotten herself into.

"Well, okay, but as long as it's not permanent or evil or mischievous."

Xesex pointed his hand towards Quinn. A moment later and she suddenly fell back, for a tingling had started in her groin, only to swell and explode throughout her body in a sudden rush of pleasure, more intense then anything she had ever felt before: not even the most passionate bondage session, or throes of lovemaking had ever given her such a wonderful feeling as her nervous system was overwhelmed with pleasure and warmth, making her body go tense, and her heart pounding.

Collapsing onto the sofa, she looked up as the feeling faded, immediately wanting to experience it again. "Oh god, that was awesome! Do that again!"

"Alas, I am afraid not," Xesex said. "I learned long ago that humans quickly become addicted to such feelings, and will do anything to experience it, even if it means leaving your family and friends, and that is not what I, the god of love and sex, stand for."

Bitterly disappointed, Quinn slowly got back to her feet, wanting to indulge in the pleasure she had gotten, but even if she couldn't experience it again, it had been enough to convince her that while the being standing before her may not have been a god, he was at least a sufficiently advanced being beyond her comprehension.

"All right Mr... "

"Xesex."

"Right. Now, you say that Anubis is real?"

"Indeed he is. And he is not a pleasant god; always moody and grumpy. You and the rest of your species would not enjoy his company. Robert and Aalyia can attest to his... as you put it, moodiness."

"Xesex," Robert said, suddenly getting an idea. "If this is earth, is there any chance of these bandages coming off?"

Xesex looked over Robert and Aalyia's wrappings. "I am afraid not. The magical bindings remain in effect, even in this realm."

His hopes dashed, along with Aalyia's, Robert slumped against the cushions.

"Wait, why are you stuck like that?" Gromet asked.

"These wrappings are from Anubis," Xesex explained. "Cursed wrappings. Unless he removes them, they remain wrapped around his prisoners for eternity, and no force can remove, cut, or remove them."

Nia walked over to the wrappings, tried out that theory for herself, yanking and tugging. But as Xesex had told them, it was impossible for her to remove them, or even get a grip on them.

"Well, that's strange, and all," Quinn said. "But we still don't have an answer as to why you're all here... or what she is." She pointed towards the vixen lying on the floor, who was still unconscious. "Any of you know her?"

The others shook their heads.

Kneeling, Quinn shook the vixen. "Hey, can you hear me? Hello?"

The vixen squeezed her eyes, then opened them. She looked around, confused, unsure of where she was. Then she looked at Quinn.

"Is this a dream?" she asked.

"I wish it was," Quinn said.

The vixen sat up, looking around at the others surrounding her, confused at what she beheld. She looked at her arms and legs, flexing them, as if trying to determine if they were real or not. She seemed surprised that she could even move them at all.

"What's your name?" Quinn asked.

The vixen didn't seem to hear her, being too focused on her limbs.

"Hey," Quinn said again, a bit louder. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the vixen said. "Please pardon me... my name is Vikki. And who are you?"

"I'm Quinn."

Vikki nodded, looked over Quinn's clothing. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed like that?"

Quinn looked down. She was still dressed in her body glove and rubber gear, which was caked with mud and damp from the rain. "I'm a dominatrix," she said.

Nia wasn't convinced. "Aren't you a little..."

"Old to be doing that?" Quinn had heard that question many times throughout her life, and knew exactly how to respond. "Of course not. I may not be the most beautiful woman on the block, but I have the most experience, and know more tricks in the books then anyone else. Besides, trying up willing victims is fun! Keeps you youthful and happy." Turning back to Vikki, she said, "Now tell me Vikki, I've been dying to know since I first saw you... what exactly, are you?"

"A GELF," Vikki said. "A genetically engineered life form. But most call me a vixen."

Quinn nodded. "And why are you wearing a rubber suit?"

Reaching down, Vikki pinched the suit, which clung tightly to her body. "Because this is my second skin, so to speak. It's designed to protect the body from a wide array of chemical and physical dangers. I was specifically made to work around electrical wiring, in tight spaces, or whatever my owner wanted us to do."

Gromet frowned. "Owner?"

"Well, yes. GELFs are very common, don't you all have one?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other, not sure what to say.

Confused, Vikki said, "I don't understand. I thought you would have all-"

"I'm sorry Vikki," Quinn said. "But I've never heard of a GELF. I've never seen anyone like you."

Vikki looked at her, then down at her own body, pinching herself on the cheek, as if trying to tell if what she was experiencing was indeed real.

"Maybe this is a dream..."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Quinn asked. With each passing second, her curiosity about Vikki grew. Granted, being an anthromorphic animal had a lot to do with it, but the vixen had come from somewhere where her kind was common. Coupled with Theodore, Xesex, and his charges, it seemed as if the pieces of a puzzle were being dropped before her, and she wanted to learn as much about them as she could.

Vikki thought. "Darkness, complete darkness and silence... like I was the last individual in the universe, and everyone else was gone, and I would never see them again, then I slept, and then... that's it."

"Wait, that's it? Doesn't sound very unique."

"But the situation I was in, was," Vikki said. "I was in the afterlife, I presume you found me differently then I am now?"

Quinn nodded. "You were mummified, in a sleep sack, and inside this giant sarcophagus."

Vikki contemplated the answer. "And how did you get it?" she asked quietly.

"Well, it just appeared out of nowhere and crashed onto my lawn, so to speak."

"Oh dear, I hope it didn't damage your lawn."

"Lady, with all the crazy shit that's been happening, that's the least of my worries. But how'd you get there in the first place?"

Vikki thought long and hard. Quinn could tell that she was accessing very unhappy memories, and considered forgetting the whole thing, but Vikki spoke:

"I was in the afterlife," she said quietly, "and had been sentenced to be entombed for eternity, only to fall into an endless sleep after ten years. I was mummified and entombed and then, after falling asleep, the last thing I know is waking up in this room."

"But if you were dead, then how can you even be alive?" Gromet asked. "That's not possible. It can't be."

Vikki shook her head. "I wish I knew. But... I just don't."

Quinn thought, looked at Robert and Aalyia. "You two came from the afterlife as well?"

Both nodded. "But I wasn't dead," Robert said.

Quinn turned back to Vikki. "Did you meet Anubis?"

Vikki shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"Consider yourself very fortunate, little one," Xesex said.

Needing to sit down, Quinn fell back on her sofa, rubbing her eyes, wishing that she would just wake up and put an end to this crazy dream. "Well, now I'm really confused."

"I can understand that," Gromet said. "Maybe we should start with the simple things" what's today's date?"

Without looking up, Quinn said, "September 18th, 2015."

Gromet was surprised. "2015?"

"Yeah."

"But" that's not possible. It's supposed to be 2011."

"And where I came from, it's the year 2070," Prince Theodore said, confused. "How can that be?"

"I don't have the faintest idea," Quinn asked. "I mean, did you all time travel here or something?"

"It's starting to look that way."

"But this cannot be," Prince Theodore said. "Our species had come to the surface long before 2015, or even 2011, and yet, we do not exist here. Unless time travel has wiped out my kind, I cannot understand how this is."

At the back of the room, Xesesx suddenly went wide eyed.

"What?" Robert asked, peering up. "What is it?"

"I believe I just realized what's going on," the god of love and sex said. "But it is a terrifying possibility, and I dearly hope it's not true."

"What?" Quinn asked. "What is it?"

Xesex chose his words carefully.

"That all our worlds are coming to an end."

It wasn't easy to hear that the world might be coming to an end, but Quinn took it fairly well. Perhaps it was that hearing everyone else's story had made her numb, or perhaps put her in an almost dreamlike state, but hearing that the world was ending didn't seem to faze her too badly. Besides, she mused, if it was going to end then there was a bright side: she wouldn't have to worry about her bills any more.

Xesex, requiring time to try and gather his thoughts, went out into the rain to think, as did Nia, who headed down to the lake to be with Jude, ensuring that the killer whale wouldn't be alone and without comfort in such strange circumstances. Quinn passed the time by working the kitchen, cooking up some food. The very act of cooking itself helped to calm her down and focus on the obstacles at hand, though she still wasn't sure what she was going to tell Ms. Cunningham, who still lay within her casket.

When the food was done and ready, and Xesex seemed ready to explain himself, everyone came inside and gathered around the dinner table. Robert had to be carried over, and although Aalyia joined them, she wouldn't be eating, due to her mouth being permanently sealed. Besides, she and Robert, having transitioned to the spirit world, had no need of substance or food, as was the deal with Vikki. But still, everyone ate the food, not wanting to appear impolite.

Eventually, Xesex slithered back inside the house, and went to the dinning table, far too tense and worried to eat.

"All right, so you want to tell us why the world is ending?" Quinn asked.

"You don't sound entirely convinced."

"After all that's happened today, I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm still expecting to wake up and find out this was all a dream."

"If gods could dream, I would share that desire. But it is vital that all of you hear this."

Theodore nodded. "What is your theory?"

Xesex pulled up a large piece of paper.

"We all tend to think of time, space, and even the universe itself, as a sphere. Everything existing together, within this great sphere: Planets, galaxies, time, etc." He drew a circle. "Now this is the universe Quinn, Nia, Jude, and Gromet appear to live in. We will call it the Quinn universe."

Quinn blushed slightly at the thought of having an entire plane of existence named after her.

"This universe," Xesex continued, "does not have GELFs, or driders. Therefore, as far as I can tell, they exist in another universe."

He drew two more spheres, close to Quinn's.

"And then everyone else, who doesn't live in the Quinn, GELF, or Drider universe, has their own sphere, their own universe."

"So what are you saying?" Vikki asked. "That all these universes are merging together?"

"Something like that, yes. But it is far more serious. As a god, I am more aware of the physical and spiritual universe then the rest of you are, and only severe tears in the fabric of time allow all these universes to blend together, to have individuals be sucked into each other. While I do not know how severe the effects could be, for all we know, each universe may be damaged, or even destroyed."

Theodore's face drained of color. "My world... my people are-"

"Probably not dead, but very confused," Xesex quickly counseled. "It appears that, so far, this event hasn't killed anyone, but is simply pulling all of us... individuals from separate universes into this central one, the Quinn universe."

Gromet shook his head, trying to absorb what he was hearing. "But do you have any idea what caused it?"

Xesex shook his head. "No. Perhaps some unseen force is breaking it's way into this sphere of existence, or perhaps instead of the big bang, we are now approaching a big crunch, where the universe comes to an end. I have no answers, but I do know this: Only something fantastically powerful could cause the fabric of time and space to break down. Such energies are not to be trifled with, and I fear if we cannot find a solution, then the consequences may be dire."

"Such as?" Robert asked.

Xesex bit his lip, a very human gesture for a being such as him.

"The destruction of all life as we know it."

It was very silent around the dinner table.

"Well" Quinn said at last. "That sucks."

Xesex was about to speak when he tensed, looked up, as if sensing something far away.

"What?" Vikki asked. "What's wrong?"

"I felt... something."

"What?" Quinn asked, fearing that something else was going to come crashing down onto her lawn, or perhaps, even worse, down on the house itself.

Xesex didn't answer for a moment.

"I think our situation may be even more dire then we suspect," he said. "I sense the presence of something, a force that should not exist in this universe."

"And what force is that?" Theodore asked.

"A god," Xesex said, and any mirth, happiness, or calm left his face. "My presence here alone is disrupting the natural order of this universe, but this new presence... it is decisively malevolent."

He started towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Quinn asked, standing.

"I must face this threat."

"On your own?"

"You cannot hope to defeat a god," Xesex said. "Mortals cannot do such a thing."

"You'd be surprised," Quinn said. "And besides, if this is the end of the world, I want to do my part to stop it."

Xesex stopped, surprised. "You?"

"Why not? I may be getting on in years, and I may have some money troubles, but I'm having too much fun to just give up and let my world die. If you're going somewhere, count me in."

Theodore stood. "As the prince and ruler of my realm, I cannot stand aside if something threatens both my world, and the worlds of others."

Gromet stood. "Uhm... what he said. Except I'm not a prince. Or a ruler."

Vikki stood as well. "You can count me in as well."

Robert raised his arm, indicating his desire to join. Aalyia stood, and so did Nia.

"This is something too great for just one to face," Nia said. "If this threatens all our worlds, then all must help."

Xesex looked at them all, as if trying to figure out whether taking them along would be an asset, or a hindrance.

"Very well then," he said at last. "If you wish to come, I will not stop you. But be warned the path will be perilous. I am certain that if we find this presence, whatever it may be, it will be dangerous, but we may also find out how to stop, and reverse, the merging of our worlds, and restore everything to normal."

"I have led my kind through war," Theodore said. "I am ready and willing to fight."

The others nodded. Though they had no combat experience, they were still ready to pitch in.

Quinn walked forward, making herself the unofficial spokeswoman for the group. "We'll fight for what is right," she said. "No matter the consequences."

Xesex nodded, accepting their decision. "Very well. Let us go, then."

"Oh, wait!"

Xesex turned. "Yes?"

"My client, Ms. Cunningham. I can't leave her here by herself. She-"

Xesex raised a hand, and a pale blue mist seeped into the casket. "She will sleep now, and remain unaware of the peril she faces. Considering what we are about to face, it may be a blessing."

Then Xesex turned and went out into the pouring rain.

The others, looking at each other for a few moments, then nodded, and followed after him.

27.08.12