The Beacon
December 5th, 2049
We’re going to the beacon tonight. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a need for any sort of prayer or faith in my life, but with what crazy unknowns might be ahead, I’m caving. God help us …
fingers tightening around the cover to quiet their trembling. She took a deep breath in, filling her lungs all the way to the bottom, before slowly releasing it between barely parted lips. She was accustomed to fear after living as they had for so long. Or so she told herself. Renders, cultists, the harshness of nature itself … she had survived all of it firsthand for almost twenty years. But this time, the anxiety stirring up her insides felt different, and she couldn’t shake it. This wasn’t just a matter of survival. Not anymore.
“Aunt Jack?”
Jacklynn looked up, her nephew’s familiar voice a welcomed interruption. He peeked into the room from the doorway.
“Yeah?” Jacklynn said as she set the book on the foot of the bed where she sat.
“Tenner stopped by a minute ago,” Isaac explained, watching his aunt gather the last of her things. “He said the chief is about ready to head out. Carter and Robert are waiting downstairs.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost 9:30.”
Jacklynn stood and pulled her bag up over her shoulder. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Isaac glanced out the window into the darkness before nodding his agreement. “Here’s hoping it’s not our last.”
Jacklynn froze where she stood and stared at him. She could almost see her nephew’s resolve being split in two—one part determined to end the conflict, the other terrified that the effort given wouldn’t be enough. She knew because she felt the same way. The woman took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Come here, Isaac.”
The younger man obeyed, a questioning look in his eyes. Jacklynn put one hand on his shoulder and moved the other one behind his head, pulling it down so their foreheads touched. She closed her eyes, feeling Isaac’s confused stare on her as she started to speak in a soft tone.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done this, and sometimes I still doubt whether you care enough to listen. But, with everything going on right now, I think we could use some reassurance. So, God, if you’re there, please take a minute to remember our struggle. A lot is hanging in the air right now, a lot of uncertainty and fear. I’m asking you, for the first time in a long time, to watch over Isaac and I tonight, and everyone else who’s going out to the beacon. Help us find the strength to push through. Keep us safe.” She paused and swallowed before finishing with a soft, “Amen.”
Issac lifted his eyes and studied his aunt with a hint of a smile. “You’re full of surprises.”
Jacklynn smirked and shook her head at him. “Don’t push it, kid. It’s probably just a one-time thing.”
“Still,” Isaac continued, “thanks for doing that. It helped.”
Jacklynn’s features softened. “Yeah, I guess it did.”
The smile on Isaac’s face faded after a moment of silence settled between them, then he said, “I better go say bye to Beth and Chris.”
Jacklynn watched him go, but before he could step out of the room, she drew a quick breath. “You know you could stay … with the Atwaters.”
Isaac looked back with a sobering gaze, hesitating, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. Then he met her eyes and said, “I’m doing this for them.”
Jacklynn stared at her nephew, noting how the light from the hall sharpened his features to make him look much older. There he was, the boy she had raised from a helpless infant, seeming to transform into the dedicated, courageous young man that stood before her eyes. After a heavy silence filled the air between them, she gave Isaac a slight nod, a barely visible smile of pride tugging the corner of her lips. He nodded in return, then stepped into the hall without a word.
When he disappeared from the doorway, Jacklynn’s features returned to their usual sternness as she checked her weapon. Her desperate faith would serve its purpose, working in the background, but now, there was only room for focus at the front of her mind.
Jacklynn pulled her pistol free of its holster, the movement smooth and deliberate. Glancing over her shoulder at the team consisting of Thaddeus, Isaac, Tenner, Robert, and Carter, she made eye contact with each to ensure they’d be ready to move at a moment’s notice. They were about half a mile away from where they needed to be, but they had to wait for Chief Abel and his security force to provide them with a way through the render-infested metropolis.
The twenty minutes since they’d arrived felt like a month. Thaddeus had parked the truck a good distance away to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Then they had walked to the southern outskirts of the University of Nebraska’s east campus where they barely evaded a patrol of renders. Forced to adjust course, by the time they reached the narrow alley where they all now crouched in silence and shadow, their muscles were tense from navigating the uneven terrain. The stress of constantly looking over their shoulders for movement in the dark hadn’t helped their paranoia. And though they’re bodies were still, their minds were anything but.
In the distance, the beacon’s icy light lanced through the clouds overhead and laid bare the grisly view: a ruined Lincoln they barely recognized, packed with render technology, with their target at the center of it all.
Over the years, Jacklynn had only caught glimpses of the beacon from a long distance. When she helped to rescue Isaac and Beth from the outpost east of Lincoln, she had been too caught up in getting everyone out alive to notice the beacon rising up on the near horizon. Now that they were so close to it, her heart beat a little faster in her chest. Neither she nor anyone else in their group knew what to expect. They were about to tread into the unknown, and they may as well have been walking blindfolded.
Jacklynn swallowed as she gripped one strap of her bag, knowing how vital it was that the cargo inside reach the tower.
“Anything?” Tenner asked, craning his neck to look over the heads of those in front of him.
“No, not yet,” Jacklynn said. She peered into the darkness, keeping watch on the sky.
Carter shuffled restlessly behind her. “The force is positioned a couple miles south of here. We should be able to see their signal pretty—“
“Shh,” Jacklyn hissed, holding up a hand. She turned her head and searched the darkness ahead of them. At first, she wasn’t sure what she had heard. But as the noise drew closer, she made out footsteps.
Inhuman footsteps.
Jacklynn scooted back and pressed a finger to her lips to wish silence over her companions. Everyone went still. They waited, muscles quivering, as the heavy rhythm grew louder. Then, the unexpected creak of leather drew Jacklynn’s gaze back to see Robert pulling his gun from its holster. Quickly, she held out a hand and caught his eye, mouthing a stern, “Don’t …” The man was clearly reluctant, his eyes glimmering with instinctive aggression, but he complied, lowering the weapon.
Turning to face the alley’s exit once more, Jacklynn froze. Her wide eyes followed a troop of five render hunters as they emerged, marching past the alley just six feet away.
After the patrol stalked out of sight, their footfalls quieting, Jacklynn released the quiet breath she had been holding. Then something drew her eyes up. A small, red light appeared against the black sky to the south, the flaming orb seeming to hover in place. The appearance of the flare was soon followed by the distant sound of gunfire.
Robert moved to stand upon seeing the signal, as if eager to get going.
Jacklynn glanced back at him and shook her head. “Wait.” She watched him lower back to his knees. He had a question in his eyes, but he kept quiet, so Jacklynn resumed her watch on the area beyond their hiding place. A few seconds later, the render patrol barreled into view. For an instant, she thought they had been made when one hunter looked their way, and her heart jumped, but it calmed again when the whole group took off and vanished around the corner of a crumbling building, heading in the direction of the far-off gun blasts. Jacklynn allowed a soft sigh of relief before turning back to her companions. “Now we can go.”
They followed her into the open, weapons in hand. Deliberately quiet about each step, the team of six advanced through the ruined streets of Lincoln City, moving south and then westward toward the towering beacon. At a consistent pace, they walked half a mile in around ten minutes, keeping their eyes peeled for more renders as they advanced. Rounding the corner of another structure, there was a sprawling cemetery just ahead, and on the opposite side, their destination.
“This isn’t ominous at all,” Carter muttered as his eyes scanned the tombstones scattered through the overgrown area.
“It looks like a breeding ground,” Tenner said and pointed left of the beacon’s base. Within the southwest side of the cemetery, there was a structure surrounded by walls, and just beyond these walls the tall, dark figures of breeders were visible. The massive creatures stood twelve or thirteen feet high, tall enough that their lightly armored heads and backs peeked over the top of the barrier as they moved. There appeared to be five of them. The team could only guess at how many herders, hunters, and spitters wandered around inside the walls as well. Despite the breeders’ intimidating appearance and obvious danger to humans, they were rarely seen outside their respective outposts. Many speculated that only the hunters could explore the outside world while all other types remained confined to certain areas.
“How do we get past them?” Isaac whispered.
“The renders inside that wall shouldn’t be a problem as long as we’re quiet,” Carter said before pointing at the base of the beacon. “Those are the ones we need to worry about.”
Standing at the entrance to the tower was a group of four-armed hunters. The aliens blocked the team’s path.
“We can’t get close enough to take them out quietly,” Jacklynn stated, observing the area and thinking of a solution. “Guns would be too loud; draw too much attention.” She looked back at Carter and Tenner. “We need a distraction.”
Carter nodded his understanding. “Do you have the C-4?”
“Yeah,” Jacklynn replied as she tugged at the strap of her backpack. “Detonator too.”
“Okay. Tenner and I will circle around this side of the wall”—Carter pointed as he spoke— “and toss some grenades over. Explosions in the breeding area should be enough to draw those hunters away from the entrance and give the rest of you a chance to get inside.”
“Alright,” Thaddeus joined in. “You two be careful. Let’s not have any unnecessary martyrs tonight.”
“We’d like to live to see this thing go up in smoke,” Tenner said with a smirk. “So, yeah, we’ll do our best not to die.”
Carter and Tenner nodded to them and then crept off into the shadows. For a while, all was quiet as the remaining team members waited for their opportunity to move in.
“I hope the amount of C-4 we brought will be enough,” Robert whispered, breaking the silence.
Jacklynn glanced at him then back up at the beacon. She understood his concern. The idea that only a backpack full of explosives could bring the tower down seemed crazy now that they were here looking right at it. Though their plan was to place the C-4 strategically once they got inside, there was still a chance that the detonation wouldn’t be powerful enough to do the job.
“If it’s not, we’ll just take it in stride,” Jacklynn said, and then looked over at Thaddeus and Isaac. The two of them crouched beside her, their eyes showing they were ready to do anything to get this finished. It gave her a bittersweet peace about the situation. “And we have to have faith it’ll work out.” She turned her gaze back to the tower ahead, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before saying, “Everyone get ready. As soon as those renders leave, we go straight for the entrance.”
An almost unbearable silence followed, and their collective apprehension hung like a suffocating weight over them. They had waited for this moment for so long. Now, after all these years, they had to wait only a bit longer before they took the plunge.
A loud blast rang out from inside the wall, followed by panicked screeches and roars. Startled, the four hunters keeping guard abandoned their post to investigate the explosions, their tall forms disappearing around the barrier in a flash.
“Now!” Jacklynn ordered, and the four of them took off, vaulting over tombstones and crossing the cemetery at full speed. Seconds later, they sprinted through the entryway and immediately felt the surrounding air grow thick with energy. The instant heat and pressure disoriented them and caused them to stumble before coming to a halt. Mouths agape, they looked to see an enormous room, about the size of a baseball field, and in the center was a giant circular platform. Shooting up from its base with immense power was the icy-blue light of the beacon. They squinted, craning their necks back to see how far the light stretched, the beam narrowing as it neared the top of the structure, which seemed a mile above their heads. They all stood, speechless, their faces holding a mixture of awe and fear.
Snapping out of her trance, Jacklynn knelt and began carefully pulling the explosives from her bag, handing them to the other three and speaking as she went. “Carter said we would need to place these all around the base and put some further up, too. That’ll increase the chances of this being effective.”
“Right,” Thaddeus said. “Let’s make this quick. We don’t want to be around this radiation for too long. And keep an eye out for renders. They could be anywhere in here.”
The group separated and started setting the explosives, molding them to support beams and intersections of architecture as they circled the room. Because of the scale of the space, it took close to ten minutes before they finished and met back up where they started.
“How many do we have left?” Isaac asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Jacklynn checked in the bag. “Eight,” she replied and then lifted her head, surveying the area above them. “We need to place these higher up.”
The others looked around as well, searching for a way to scale the inner perimeter of the tower. Isaac pointed out a tall doorway on the opposite end of the room, and they approached to find it led to a staircase that spiraled up the length of the beacon walls. Picking up the pace, the group ascended the stairs for a good distance when another doorway appeared around the corner. Robert peeked his head around, squinting against the blue light, which revealed a balcony with various consoles and monitors.
“This looks promising,” he said as he stepped onto the balcony, peeking over the railing. “There are some supports running under here.” He pointed at a long, metal beam that ran horizontally from the wall beneath the platform, stretching to connect with a ring-like structure that encompassed the blue tower of light at the building’s center. From this angle, Jacklynn could look up to see several more of these beams situated under similar balconies, spiraling up to at least half the height of the beacon before they stopped.
“Anything supporting the beacon has to go,” Jacklynn replied, then pulled more C-4 from her pack, handing them to Robert. “You go ahead and get these set up here and on the next one there.” She pointed to indicate the correct platform. “We’ll take those balconies further up and meet you back here when we’re finished.” Robert nodded and turned to get to work as the others moved back to the stairwell and resumed their ascent.
Jacklynn tried to ignore the burning muscles in her legs as they climbed further up toward the next balcony. When they reached it, Thaddeus took some C-4 from her bag and set it on the floor beside him. Then he straightened up, gripped Jacklynn by the shoulders, and pulled her in for a deep, affectionate kiss.
Isaac looked away, red-faced, as his aunt leaned into the kiss, her hand going up to the back of Thaddeus’s neck. Just a couple seconds later, their lips parted, but before breaking away, they wrapped their arms around each other. Thaddeus swallowed and took a breath as though he wanted to say something, but instead his grip only tightened.
After a moment of motionless longing between them, Jacklynn pulled herself together and stepped away, patting his chest with a grin as she said, “See you in a few, Doran.”
With that, she turned, nudged Isaac, and headed back up the stairs again with her still-blushing nephew on her heels. The two of them trekked up to the next balcony in silence and then circled through the entryway. Jacklynn studied the area, searching for the best area to place the explosives. Stepping to one side of the console, she leaned over the railing to view the support beam beneath them, and as she did, her eyes focused on the long drop to the bottom. She guessed they were around three hundred feet from the ground level, and found herself grateful the railings were there as her hand gripped the cold, sleek metal. From where she stood, she glimpsed Thaddeus busying himself on the balcony below them.
Stepping away from the rail, she knelt and shrugged the bag off her shoulders, bringing out more C-4 to hand to Isaac. She had just pulled the last one free when a droning growl resonated from behind them.
Jacklynn froze. She knew what she would see when she turned around. Heart thudding wildly in her chest, she glanced at her nephew from the corner of her eye. He stood like a statue, a look of panic dominating his face. Shifting her eyes to the edge of the platform, she pictured the dizzying drop below and a hulking creature blocking the only exit just behind them. They were trapped.
Jacklynn spun and stood, drawing out her pistol, but the hunter’s mammoth frame already filled her vision. In a split second, her hands abandoned their original course and instead reached over to shove Isaac away before the creature came down on top of her, its armored fist slamming into the side of her head. A white blaze dazzled her eyes, and the next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the floor, her weapon clattering a couple of feet away. With the world spinning, she struggled to regain focus and fight back the growing nausea. Her only concern was getting eyes on her nephew to ensure he was okay. She blinked and lifted her head in time to see another hunter launch out of the stairwell and snatch Isaac up, its razor mandibles opening with a thirst for blood.
Stomach in her throat, Jacklynn grabbed the pistol, aimed, and fired. The bullet hit its mark, and the render screeched as it fell, but not before flinging a helpless Isaac over the balcony railing. In a flash, she saw his hands reach for something before his form vanished from sight.
“Isaac!”
Intense heat rushed through Jacklynn’s chest, making it hard to breathe. In a split second, as her disoriented mind processed the sheer speed of events that unfolded, her body moved on its own, swinging the gun around to fire on the remaining render.
The beast responded to the movement, swiping the pistol from her hand just as she pulled the trigger, sending it sliding precariously close to the balcony’s edge. Jacklynn reacted, knowing her only chance was if she was on her feet, but as she tried to get up, the hunter stomped its massive foot down on her left shoulder. Something cracked. Pain exploded through her upper body as she let out a cry. She squirmed in a desperate attempt to pry herself loose, but the beast forced more weight as it bent down to glare at her with four black eyes. Its mandibles clicked and then spread wide as it leaned in for the kill.
Jacklynn closed her eyes, pushing the tears free, and waited.
A roaring voice caught her off guard, and she dared to look, shocked to see her nephew barreling into the render with all his might. The creature didn’t move much, but it was enough to allow Jacklynn to scramble out of its hold. When she was upright, she caught sight of Thaddeus rushing onto the balcony with shotgun in hand. The doctor didn’t have the chance to help before the render plucked Isaac off the ground and hurled him toward the entrance. Thaddeus’s body caught Isaac’s, and the two men slid backwards into the stairwell.
Acting fast, Jacklynn grabbed her pistol and fired at the render. It jerked down to its knee and turned toward Jacklynn as she aimed, ready to fire again. Before she could pull the trigger, the hunter, with its last effort, reached for the wall and touched a panel of some kind. An electric barrier materialized over the doorway as the creature collapsed.
Jacklynn pulled herself across the floor toward the barrier, grimacing and holding one hand over her shoulder to keep from jostling it too much. On the other side, both Thaddeus and Isaac were getting up to meet her. “Aunt Jack,” Isaac’s muffled voice said. He reached out as if he could touch her, but the electricity snapped at his hand, and he yanked it back with a cry.
“Don’t touch it, Isaac,” Jacklynn said, more concerned for him, even with her own pain. She lumbered to her feet and reached up to the panel the hunter had triggered, but she couldn’t override it. It didn’t respond to her touch. Turning, she looked around the balcony for an exit. She glanced over the rail at the empty space below, then at the walls above the platform, hoping to see a climbing path up or down to one of the open balconies so she could access the stairwell. The walls were too smooth, and even if there were any decent handholds, her injured shoulder would make any attempt at a climb next to impossible. Shuffling back over to the barrier, she let out a shaky sigh before dropping clumsily back down to the ground. Her drained, brown eyes looked up to meet the worried faces of the men just beyond her reach. “I don’t think I’m getting out of here,” she breathed.
“No,” Isaac said with a frantic shake of his head, looking around his side of the barrier. “There has to be a way.”
“Listen, Isaac,” Jacklynn began, her exhausted voice returning to its familiar sternness. “Even if we could figure out how to shut this down, it would take too long. Renders are probably already on their way here.” She dug into her bag as she spoke, feeling around for something specific. “You guys need to go back down, grab Robert, and get out.” Her trembling hand pulled out the detonator.
“No!” Isaac cried. Tears rolled unheeded down his cheeks. “There’s got to be something. We can’t just leave you to die!”
Jacklynn’s own eyes grew wet as she took in the despair on her nephew’s face. She would have given anything in that moment to spare him this pain, but she knew there was nothing to be done.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Isaac said hoarsely, a flash of anger mingling with his panic.
“Isaac—“
“Don’t look at me like you’re giving up!” The teenager was sobbing now.
Jacklynn’s lip trembled, but she quickly lowered her head, swallowed, and forced a brave face. Lifting her eyes, she met Thaddeus’s tear-filled gaze. She opened her mouth to ask something of him, but the words couldn’t move past the fiery lump in her throat. So she only looked at him. His hazel eyes, once so warm and resolute, were marred by a heart-wrenching look of farewell. They stared at one another for a moment before the man gave her a knowing, doleful nod.
“I’ll take care of him,” he told her in a tight voice. “I promise.” He swallowed, clenching his fists against his legs. “I love you, Jacklynn.”
Jacklynn’s face constricted with fear and grief, but she forced a mournful smile as she locked eyes with Thaddeus. “Would you ask me again?”
Thaddeus blinked as if uncertain what she meant, but then it dawned in his eyes and they misted over. Gritting his teeth to keep his jaw from quivering, he took a shallow breath. “Will you marry me?”
Jacklynn’s heart swelled with an out-of-place contentment at his words. Never breaking eye contact despite her blurred vision, she gave him a fond, rueful smile while tears slipped down her cheeks. The expression was all the answer she could give. Then her smile vanished as she dug into the bag and pulled out a stopwatch. Looking back at them one more time, she said, “You have ten minutes,” and then started the timer.
“Aunt Jack, please!” Isaac wailed, but she turned her face away, listening to him cry out as Thaddeus struggled to force him down the stairs. His screams gradually grew distant. Groaning, she stood and proceeded to mold the remaining C-4 around the balcony, disregarding the quiver in her hands as she took extra care to secure one on the support beam below the platform. Once the last one was placed, she lowered herself to the floor and let her head drop back against the console. Sweat beaded down her face and neck, and her shoulder throbbed, but she did her best to ignore the pain. Looking down, she studied the timer in her left hand and the detonator in her right, then she gingerly turned her gaze back up to the blue energy beam that stretched into the night sky.
“Not a bad view, at least,” she murmured to herself. Then she closed her eyes. “Keep them safe,” she prayed. “Let this all be worth it.”
Minutes passed, but even as every agonizing second ticked away, Jacklynn felt a strange peace fall over her. She didn’t want to die, and a part of her begged for God to spare her, yet when it came down to it, she was ready. She wanted rest. A few minutes later, she glanced down at the timer. 18 seconds.
Her eyelids slid closed, a heavy sigh expelling from her lungs, before she refocused on the screen again. 10 seconds.
Shifting her tired, brown gaze, she flipped the cap up on the detonator and rested her thumb on the little red button.