So This Is How It Ends . . .
"Listen, it's not the worst idea I've ever had. And it
certainly won't be the last,โ Stephanie Dyer said, just
moments away from her death. The energies of the rip in
multidimensional space-time crackled behind her,
silhouetting her body and casting a shuddering, uneven blue
pallor across the hardwood floor. Pushing her fringe of
hair out of her eyes, Stephanie surveyed the living room
one last time. It was a bit different than she remembered
it. It hadn't been that long, had it? A calming sense of
nostalgia warmed her chest as she took stock of the
scuffed, scratched floors and the body of the old woman
that lay, unmoving, by the overturned armoire.
As she turned to face the swirling blue abyss, the other
conscious occupant in the room stirred. Clutching his side,
Stephanie's oldest friend Michael Duckett struggled to
remain on his feet by bracing himself on the back of the
armoire. Michael looked tired. Not as tired as she was โ
not by a country mile โ but tired nonetheless. She couldn't
blame him. It had been a long road, and it would have to
end here.
"Please," he said, "We have do this together."
"No, Michael,โ she refused to meet his gaze, "I need to do
this alone. I started this loop and I need to close it. And
to do that, I need you to trust me."
"Stephโ"
"I know I haven't given you any reason to, and I'm sorry. I
wish I could go back and fix that. But I tried and look how
that ended up,โ Stephanie chuckled before composing
herself. She turned to him and their eyes met for what felt
like infinity, "So for once, can you just pretend that I
know what I'm doing?"
The room around them stood quiet. There was no movement
aside from the rotating portal that hung in the middle of
room over the toppled coffee table.
"I'm sorry,โ he continued, attempting to push up the
glasses that had been lost long ago. "I'm sorry I called
you an embarrassment."
Stephanie felt the hint of a grin form at the corner of her
mouth. "But I was an embarrassment."
"Yeah. But you're not supposed to say that,โ Michael
returned a tentative smile that left before it could fully
form. He looked away. "But youโve always been my best
friend. And . . . and you were right, too."
"About what?"
"It was kinda fun to play detective with you. Just like it
used to be when we were kids.โ
Stephanie could do nothing but nod, with words caught in
her throat. She couldnโt bring herself to explain what this
meant to her. It would be too complicated. It was always
too complicated. She didnโt understand it most times.
"I . . . " Michael sputtered a bit. "I don't want you to
die."
"Neither do I! You think I'm doing this for my health?" Of
course, trying to lighten up dour times with a joke was
Stephanie's natural instinct, and her last moments were no
exception. But, to her credit, she pivoted right back into
earnest sincerity. "You're my best friend, too, Michael.
I'm trying to help you, like you always did for me. Just
think of this as my way of saying thank you."
"For what?"
"For putting up with me,โ Stephanie winked and let out a
small sigh before turning to the portal, which had begun to
emit a low, angry hum. She didn't know what lay on the
other side but, in her heart, she knew that the next jump
would be her last. The story couldn't end any other way.
And it she had to try to end it. It had to be her.
So Stephanie leapt headfirst into the roiling tides of the
space-time continuum, letting the blue energies wash over
her body one last time. As she left this universe and this
time behind, she closed her eyes, all too ready for the
inevitable.
It may have been the end, but at least it was a pretty
badass way to go.
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