The Last World Read Online Free Page B

footing, which he was surprised to find was firm. He paused after his third step and, though he tried as hard as he could, he couldn’t remember if he tried this in his previous dream. Was this a dream? And if so, could he really remember what happened to him previously? He wanted to ask, but there was no one to answer. He turned in a circle, looking everywhere he could, but to no avail. Only the white vastness greeted his searching eyes.
    He fought back the panic he felt growing inside of him , but it was replaced by anger. It was so primal and strengthening in its power that he looked to it as an old friend, not some visiting devil. No, his mom misunderstood when she talked about it. It was a source of strength, not the disease she worked to convince him of throughout his life.
    The power of his memory struck him like a blow to the stomach. The strength and power he was so sure of seconds before abandoned him , but not his anger. No, that would be with him for all eternity. To steady himself, he wrapped the anger around him like a shroud and continued his walk. Whether for minutes, hours, or days he continued on, protected against the unknown. Time had no meaning where he was, so he didn’t attempt to keep track. Instead, he prepared himself for what lay ahead, for now he could see something in the void. The dark spec grew in size until it nearly engulfed him. At its edge, he paused and gazed in wonder at the cosmos.
    Compared to the brightness of his surroundings , Franklin was surprised at the clarity of the image greeting him. He found himself on a precipice of sorts but he didn’t fear floating. Am I dead? Is this what God sees?
    “This is where we come from. A place too distant for Earthen eyes , but not distant enough to avoid.”
    The voice caught Franklin by surprise but he didn’t startle. He felt… curious.
    Looking at the familiar man crouching off to the side, Franklin couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”
    Tanok stood from his crouch without effort. “There is no surprise in that.”
    Franklin nodded, his anger was growing again. What would happen if I lost my temper here? “Of course not, since you always come when I don’t need you.”
    Tanok’s patient and tired eyes settled on him. “Your need of me will appear to you in due time. Of that, I am certain.” Franklin opened his mouth to argue but Tanok silenced him by pointing to the starscape. “Look and understand.”
    Franklin wanted to scream and throttle the man but he couldn’t. Slowly, the remnants of his anger was stripped away and he obeyed the stranger. Looking up, he didn’t see anything at first, but with time small streaks of light appeared between the worlds. “Is that…?”
    Tanok nodded. “Humankind has been the sentient life in the universe for billions of years.” As he spoke, Franklin noticed planets and moons as well. All of that should have been impossible without magnification, but it wasn’t. The streaks he first saw were starships traversing space and stars. “We expand through colonization. A few of us volunteer to have our memories wiped. We are then placed on a suitable world with only the knowledge to survive. After millions of years of evolution, we welcome their world into us.”
    Franklin was listening , but he didn’t understand any of it. He died. That was it. He died and went to Hell, which for him meant science fiction bullshit. After a moment’s thought, he raised his hands, interrupting Tanok. “No way. That’s fucking impossible. There’s no way we… us… whoever… did all this. We’re alone in the universe.”
    Tanok’s sad expression deepened . “We are now.”
     
    *****
     
    Both Steve and Horace remained quiet and calm when their passenger fell asleep. Horace thought someone with a head injury should be kept awake to be certain there weren’t any lingering problems. As a result, they tried to wake Franklin but he didn’t respond, he didn’t even