The Night the Sky Fell (17 page)

Peyton thought Banks would be proud of his maneuvering to be safe underneath his bed. The creatures’ roars intensified. The more the babies failed at their murderous attempts the angrier they got. Peyton placed his hands against his ears and screamed for Banks. Poor Peyton was oblivious to Banks’ condition. Then the creatures’ roars decreased. They had an apparent plan. The creatures were on top of the bed bouncing. And then the creatures in unison ripped off the bedding and gnawed at the mattress.

Downstairs, small holes penetrated the steel door of the pantry. Stan saw a tooth making a hole slightly larger. Stan and Dassi moved a large shelf in front of the door. They loaded the shelf with sturdy items that would not fall from the pecking teeth. Julie cried on the floor holding her crucifix. She crossed herself. Dassi clung to her Star of David and chanted in Hebrew, “Here O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is one.” Tricia belted out, “Why is this happening to me?” Murray surrounded himself with Ann and Dassi. He embraced his women, despite his wounds, as they welcomed his comfort.

Stan sat next to Tricia. All watched a can fall from the shelf. The shaking door caused other cans to fall. Stan looked around. He lifted the refrigerator to a shelf and then carried the stove over to another shelf. The shelving shook as if there were a strong earthquake.

Upstairs, Peyton made sense of the bouncing mattress and the gnawing sounds. He knew that he must get out and get out quickly. The box spring ripped and the bed mattress cracked in half. He put logic to the sounds and turned his body around and quickly crawled out to the closet. Now standing, he found the door knob. The creatures flung after him as he got into the closet and shut the door. After a moment, there was a loud roar right next to him. He grabbed the creature by the neck and threw it out. He was safe for the moment. Creatures chipped away at the wooden door. He felt the door giving way. He remembered that Banks said to cover yourself with clothes. He did so.

Banks Blackhorse lay in the middle of the street. He opened an eye. He saw a singular creature hop towards him and then stop. Banks’ eye drop vial that originally was in his pocket lay broken near him. The creature bent down and with its serpentine tongue, lapped up a very small remaining drop. Instantly, the creature dropped to the ground. Banks opened his other eye. He was surrounded by a hundred sleeping creatures. He shook his head and limped in pain to the Powers’ house. He had a plan.

Upstairs, the creatures carved large holes into the wooden door of Peyton’s closet. Peyton felt death was imminent. Downstairs, the creatures made their way through the steel door. Banks entered and the downstairs creatures hopped after him as Banks made his way to the kitchen. Banks grabbed all of the eye drops from the refrigerator. He threw two vials on the floor as all the creatures retreated from the pantry door and headed for the kitchen floor. They were scrambling for the mystical solution. One lick and they fell asleep.
 

Banks managed the stairs to Peyton’s room. He tossed the last of the vials and the creatures slept. He picked up shivering Peyton and gathered some of Peyton’s clothes.

Banks whispered, “Here, Peyton. Put these on.”
 

Excited at the return of Banks, Peyton whooped, “You killed them, Banks. You killed them.”
 

Banks replied, “No, I didn’t kill them, I merely distracted them. They’re sleeping.” With Peyton in his arms, Banks staggered down the stairs, and walked to the panty and yelled through the door. “I’ve got Peyton. We’ll be back later.” Before anyone could respond, Banks and Peyton got into Bank’s truck.

“Where are we going, Banks?” Banks told Peyton that he has dozens of vials in his apartment refrigerator. He continued, “I must meet with the Chief.” As they drove down the street, Banks wished that he had kept at least one more vial. He studied the creatures attacking people and houses and for that instant, he was glad that Peyton could not see the horror of it all.
 

Approaching the Compound, Banks encountered a road block of creatures all standing on one another’s shoulders. The truck mowed down a group of creatures and he accelerated. Groups ahead flung creatures that eventually made their way into the truck. They gnawed at Banks’ feet making it difficult for Banks to brake or accelerate. Banks needed his hands to protect Peyton and himself. “Peyton, take the wheel!” Peyton stood between Banks’ legs and steered the car as creature pushed the accelerator pedal. Banks yelled, “To the left. Now steer to the right. Now the left.” Banks tried to turn the ignition off, but the creatures punctured his hand. “Left. Left!” The car swerved narrowly missing parked cars and telephone poles.
 

As the blinded led the blind with directions, Banks’ hands grabbed a creature and he smashed their heads together as if he were playing an accordion. “Right, Peyton. Now left.” Banks tossed the last creature out of the truck.
 

“Good job, Sport.”
 

Peyton giggled and said, “It’s a good thing they don’t have wings.”
 

“Wings, Sport?”
 

“Yes, wings, like the Valentine cupids.”

Sleeping creatures filled Peyton’s bedroom. One of the creatures had its back side up. Through the creature’s slit emerged a pair of wings. Claws extended from its fingers and toes reminiscent of a large cat. The single tooth elongated.
 

Downstairs, Stan managed to get the pantry door slightly ajar. He cautiously waded through the sleeping creatures. He tiptoed to the front. He nodded as he noted that Banks’ truck was missing which reminded him that he was in good hands. Returning to the pantry area, he froze to the transformation of sleeping creatures.

He needed to get back to his safe room. Some of the improved creatures took flight. They eyed Stan, but made flight towards the openings in the broken windows. More improved creatures awakened and flew out of the house. Stan thought, “Where could they be going?” He changed directions and climbed up the stairs to Peyton’s room. Improved creatures flew out the window. He analyzed the mess…especially the destroyed bed. He picked up the two pieces of mattress and carried it down to the pantry. He scouted for additional protection to his safe room. While in the kitchen he passed the refrigerator; he noted the absence of Peyton’s eye drops and how the floor was covered with glass. Mentally, Stan assembled all the facts from the ‘scene of a crime’ and arrived at the correct conclusion.

Stan was not the only entity that wanted to solve the current mystery. The Monarch Raven, on top of the Powers’ house, heard high-pitched noises instead of the earlier low-pitched roars from their earlier version. A flock of transformed creatures swooped down to meet a group of non-transformed creatures. The raven watched their descent. When the flock met with a non-transformed creature, it shared its flicking serpentine tongue with it. This action caused the non-flying creatures to immediately fall asleep. The raven, like Stan, mentally assembled the witnessed facts. The Monarch Raven concluded that the skies of Juneau would soon be crowded with flying creatures. The Monarch Raven was correct in its assumption.

As Banks and Peyton arrived at the compound, Banks took in the eerie vision: Most of the windows were boarded including the doors. He looked up to his apartment. The windows were shattered and the door was bashed in.
 

Banks whispered to Peyton, “I’ll be right back, Sport.”
 

Peyton trembled, “Oh no, you take me. All the windows are smashed in the truck and a baby might eat me.”
 

Banks picked up Peyton. He waded into his apartment. Tons of creatures were in process of transformation. The refrigerator door was gnawed off and all his vials of eye drops were missing.
 

Banks cried, “No! No!”
 

Peyton wondered what was wrong. Peyton said, “The Chief will know what to do.”
 

Banks lamented, “They ate all the drops and my grandfather’s book is missing.”

They downed the staircase. Roger Rainfall opened the door of the Chief’s apartment. He pointed to the Chief’s bedroom. Chief Dan’s head lay on a blood stained pillow. A wash cloth covered his head wound. His Arctic pummeled face was colorless. He looked dead, but his eyes opened.
 

Banks mumbled, “Uncle Dan, I’m—”

“No time for that.” The Chief interrupted. Dan removed his deer-hooved necklace. He wrapped it around Banks’ neck. “An Indian Chief can save the others.”

 
Peyton chimed in, “You’re a Chief, Banks!”
 

 
Banks regretted, “I turned my back on the Spirit Above.”
 

Chief consoled, “It sees you from all directions, nephew.”
 

“Forgive me, uncle?”
 

“First you must forgive yourself.”
 

“What do I do?” Dan closed his eyes forever.
 

Banks cried, “He’s dead! He’s dead! It’s useless.”
 

Peyton jeered, “The sky is falling. The sky is falling!”
 

Banks raised his head, “What?”
 

“Banks, that’s what the white man says when he felt all is lost.”
 

“And what does the Indian say?” Before Peyton could answer, Marilyn White Owl slinked in the kitchen holding something behind her back. Banks and Peyton came out of the bedroom as Roger covered Dan.
 

Marilyn said, “I killed Chief Dan. But I swear to you Banks it was during those nine months that I had no soul.”
 

Banks consoled, “We know, Marilyn, we know.”
 

Marilyn continued, “You see, Banks, Chief knew how to stop it. I had to prevent him from stopping the delivery. And, I had to take your family book.” From behind her back, she handed Banks the book.
 

Peyton breaks the silence, “I know how to destroy them.”
 

Banks added, “But Peyton, the sky is falling.”
 

“No Banks, the sky is calling! The sky is calling!” Open the sky and it will go to the magic honey.”
 

Banks complained, “We have no more eye drops!”
 

“We don’t have the drops, but the creatures do!” And at that instant, Banks watched Marilyn open the refrigerator. The door opened and closed and she opened it again. He remembered the night that he came from the Powers’ house…the night the Leonids came. The night the sky fell. He remembered how the meteorites’ bombardment escalated when the refrigerator door was open and how the bombardment deescalated when the door was closed.

Banks perked up, “Marilyn, I need to borrow a car.”
 

Marilyn shrugged, “Take your pick, Banks.”
 

Peyton giggled, “Can I drive?”

It was night at the Powers’ house. Creatures destroyed most of Juneau’s power grid. Tricia held flashlights as Julie and Stan boarded windows. Tricia glanced at her wrecked car while cracking gum. “Dad, I need a new car. A brand new car!”
 

Dassi made a quick visit to Mrs. Kadet. She followed Murray’s instructions about attending to Mrs. Kadet’s dislodged eye ball and did the best she could to make her comfortable.

Murray gripped a flashlight as Ann and he did their best to prepare for a possible onslaught against the Powers’ house. Murray’s attention switched to the town below. About six thousand screaming transformed creatures assembled in the sky. Murray warned, “We better hurry,” They looked towards the flying assembly.
 

Julie wondered about Peyton. She hoped that they drove to the compound and the Chief kept them safe. Stan knew that look on Julie’s face. He did his best and consoled, “If Peyton were with Banks and I’m sure he is, he’ll be safe. I know it.” But Stan relied on facts and therefore, he doesn’t know it. For a second he thought about Evelyn Sands. Even though he would never see Evelyn Sands the way he did in the past, he had hoped that she were safe.

Evelyn Sands was not safe. She was at the top of a ladder pounding the last nail in to the wood board that surrounded her bedroom window. She did not see the flock of creatures that flew directly above her. The flock of twenty locked their claws to form one big group. They dove and used their other pairs of claws to dig into Evelyn and lifted her into the air.

They flew Evelyn, who was kicking. Amidst her screaming, she sentenced the creatures to death as they were carrying her to the wilderness near Mount Juneau. They did not listen nor did they care what Evelyn Sands was screaming about. Once near the edge of the wilderness, the creatures’ claws retracted. Evelyn’s fall was somewhat broken by shimmering branches and friendly land slopings. Lucky!

Evelyn attempted to get her bearings and searched for her glasses. She groped them successfully. Lucky!

Catching her breath and adjusting her glasses, her clearing vision focused on a drooling pack of wolves. Unlucky!

At the Powers’ house, Stan yelled, “Everyone back in the pantry!” As the six of them ran, they heard the high pitched screams of flying creatures. Then they heard ripping and clawing sounds against the boarded windows.

Banks and Peyton sat around the lit campfire at the sloping base of Mount Juneau. Peyton clanked the deer-hooved necklace around his neck. They were at the same location where Banks celebrated his eighteenth birthday with Chief Dan. It was the same location where Banks introspected the other evening. Only this time he was there with Peyton as six thousand flying creatures blanketed the city below. Peyton felt his way through the book of Banks’ paternal grandfather.