The Last World Read Online Free

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    Knowing his friend’s history, Horace was more than surprised at how fast Steve tore through the field. Not being a slouch himself physically, Horace barely made it to the edge of the road when Steve stopped. He swallowed hard, hoping everything was alright , but preparing himself for the worst.
    Steve stopped before he stepped on or tripped over the stranger sitting in the field. For the briefest of moments, he teetered on the mental edge he drew between them. His excess bulk threatened to betray him , but in the end he regained his balance. Not very graceful but better than the alternative.
    Having won his battle against momentum he bent over, offering his hand to the stranger. “Sorry about that. I’m Stephen, my friends call me Steve.”
    Franklin watched him for a moment not sure what to do. Finally, he took the offered hand. “Franklin Bowen.” He barely got his last name out before he was lifted from his position and to his feet with an ease he didn’t think possible by the larger man.
    “There you go. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Steve’s smiled faded somewhat . “Sorry about your car.”
    My car? Franklin’s mind raced to grasp the meaning of what he heard. When his eyes turned toward the road and he saw the truck and his mangled car, he screamed. “My Car! Damn it!” Franklin grabbed both sides of his head in an effort to keep from losing his temper.
    “Don’t let the visiting Devil win , Frankie.” His mother’s voice was crisp and clear in his mind’s ear. He had no intention of doing so even before hearing her voice. Franklin’s mind was full of vague images, some with a man named Tanok and others involving his car, including him striking it head first.
    “My fault.” Franklin’s voice was lower than a whisper.
    “Don’t worry. Me and my dad’ll take care of everything.”             
    Franklin heard Steve and nodded. He was trying to make sense out of what he remembered. Nothing was making any sense to him. Why had he been in the field?
    Another voice spoke from just ahead . “Are you alright?”
    Where’d you come from? Franklin wanted to ask but didn’t, although he felt he was deserving of some answers. After a brief pause, he nodded. “Yeah… I finished changing my tire and… threw my tire iron out here?” He finished the final portion as a question, as he didn’t know or trust his memories.
    Steve looked around him , then bent over. When he stood, he had the tire iron in his hand. “Guess you tripped over this and hit your head.”
    Franklin stood still for a moment, gazing at the tire iron. “That’s not right. I… took it back to my car. The explosion…”
    Horace looked from Franklin to Steve then back again. He must‘ve really hit his head good. “What explosion?” What could it hurt to humor the man?
    “Maybe it was the meteor I saw.” Steve’s face lit up with excitement.
    Franklin looked at both of them before setting his gaze on Steve. “Meteor?”
    “Yeah, it was a white streak before it hit. I saw it.”
    Horace motioned behind Steve to the untouched field. “And where was that?” The question caused the pair to remain silent for a minute , giving Horace the chance to fully organize his thoughts. “C’mon. We’d better get you to a doctor.”
    Franklin looked at him and nodded. “I think… that’s wise.”
    “In what ?” Steve threw his hand out. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we had an accident and our phones aren’t working.”
    Horace paused . “Help me push his car off the road so no one else hits it. We’ll take your truck.”
    “My truck? But…” Steve began pleading his case.
    “It can still be driven. We’ll come back with the police if we have to.” Horace stepped toward Franklin. “Do you need any help… I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
    “Oh, it’s Franklin Bowen. ”
    “Franklin, this is Horace Foster. He’s a good guy if you can stand the bullshit.” Steve smiled following his