Lights in the Night

Coming to, and able to move simultaneously. The actors of the little drama in the street, finished the movements they had begun. Before time was stopped by Crystal.

Junior stood mouth open. Clueless concerning the previous 10 minutes.

Grace, covering her pipe from the Sheriff, moved with one smooth motion back through her door.

Cuff, let go of Shannon, inspecting for any wounds in his body.

Ellie ran to her father, to kick his ass.

Trevor fell to the ground.

Shannon breaking free of Cuff rushed to Trevor.

Dale dropped the gun, falling to his knees.

The Sheriff acted quickly, running to Dale, and clearing the gun. Having him faced down and cuffed in seconds.

Bill ran out to check on his mother then went to Ellie instead.

Link came out of the shop, looking around trying to decide what he had missed.

“If you die I am going to kill you,” were Shannon’s tender words as she reached Trevor. Turning him over expecting him to be covered with blood, “Where are you hit?” she held him in her lap, searching his body for wounds.

“I don’t think I am. Crystal saved me again. She pulled the bullet out of the air.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, I think so,” hands taking a quick inventory.

Shannon bent down, pulled him up to her and kissed him, a good, long, hard, wet, messy, kiss. Pulling away she hit him in the shoulder, “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, or I will kick your ass.”

“Ow... can we just stay like this for a moment. It really has been a long day,” laying his head back into her lap he tried to relax just for a moment.

Bill, took Ellie back into the shop, not wanting to let her witness her father being arrested.

Cuff and Link went over to Junior, pulling him back into the greasy spoon, mouth still wide open. The three of them started doing shots of tequila, silently pledging to keep doing them until the world made sense again.

After reading Dale his rights, the Sheriff pulled him standing with his cuffed hands. Leading him past the reclined couple, “I am not sure what I am going to charge him with. I don’t think I will be able to find the bullet he shot. Possibly reckless endangerment, or discharge of a firearm in town limits. Soon, you are going to need to sit down with me to explain what just happen.”

Shannon and Trevor both glanced up, he answered for both, “Sheriff, as soon as we understand it we will tell you everything.”

Briefly watching the subdued Dale being led away, he noticed a parade of VW vans turning left at the blinking light and heading east out of town.

“Shannon how many VW vans are there in town?”

“I don’t know of one, why?”

“How about the county?”

“What, do I look like the Department of Public Safety?”

“Just give me a ballpark guess.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a one.”

“So, by your expert opinion, you would say they are rare?”

“The Sheriff would know better but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in West Texas outside of El Paso.”

“So where did that line of VW vans come from and where are they heading?” pointing to the last one as it turned the corner, heading to parts unknown.

Gazing up into Shannon’s eyes, “I don’t think this is over yet. Crystal kept saying, something wonderful was happening. I am afraid to ask wonderful for who?”

“Shit,” was her simple reply.

Rolling out of her lap, he struggled to his feet. Shannon stood easily, helping him rise to his feet. He thought. I really need to get in better shape.

“Let’s check out the news,” heading back to the laptop inside the shop.

Bill and Ellie shared a chair behind one of the desks, her sitting in his lap. Him comforting her.

Pulling up one of the local news stations they witnessed the overhead view of the party site, “How could it grow so big so fast.”

“They must’ve announced it over social media before the concert started here,” then the screen showed a sign with ten-foot letters leading into the party.

Trevor and Shannon look at one another speaking together, “Free Beer.”

“They will pull people from both sides of the border. This is going to be huge,” then they saw Barney and Crystal on the stage flanked by the three bodyguards, announcing the first band.

“It isn’t even daylight and they are starting?”

“I am afraid to ask why she needs all those people.”

“She holds a soft spot for you and your brother. Can you stop her plans?”

“We don’t even know what her plans are.”

Bill chimed in, “Do you really think they will be good for humanity?”

“She appeared to have a morbid fascination with spinal fluid, maybe she is going to drink them all, like a juice box? How can we ever reach there?” pointing to the screen.

“We’ve got to try to stop them. We are the only ones that know the truth. We need to try and save some of those idiots!”

“Bloody hell! Let’s gather our troops. I will get Grace, Cuff, and Link.”

“We will grab our truck and our guns.”

“Meet back here in fifteen minutes.”

Gathering the troops, as they were, was not a major deal. Having a good head of steam Trevor even convinced Junior to grab his sawed-off shotgun and join their quest to rescue the human race from itself.

Trevor joined Shannon in her pickup, Cuff drove one SUV with Grace and Junior, Link drove the other with Bill and Ellie.

Trevor asked, “How will we ever reach that tank; the roads must be insane with everyone trying to reach the party.”

Yelling out her window, “You follow me. I know a back way across the desert, you will need your four-wheeled drive.”

Careening out of town, they headed for Shannon’s secret way across the desert.

“You know I started to believe you about Crystal long before she froze time.” Shannon confided.

Cringing as she barely missed a rear bumper on a parked car. “That is good to know, but if I am going to die, I would like it to not be in a car accident.”

“Shannon is not my real name. It’s only my English name.”

I’ve only one first name. Trevor. I might like you to share my last name if we survive this.”

“Trevor, my Navajo name is Sháńdíín.”

Wincing at another near miss. “That is a beautiful name, you really must teach me your native tongue if we survive to the end of the day or this drive.”

“In Navajo, Sháńdíín means sunbeam or sunlight.”

“That really is... are you saying.”

“Yes. I might be what the spirits were trying to tell you to find, not these lights.”

Leaning over he kissed her on the cheek, not wanting to distract her already distracted driving, “I don’t think I could love you more than I do right now.”

Shooting him a smile, she shouted. “Hold on!” then skidded off the pavement and onto a dirt road.

The two following SUVs struggle to make the corner, but the two boys from London handled it well enough.

Bounding down the dusty wash boarded track. Trevor concluded, he wished he had taken a second to empty his bladder before getting in the truck with Shannon driving. If he had the chance, that was a mistake he would never let happen again.

With the light breaking over the mountains they came upon a corral and barn, several horses sleeping in the morning cool air.

Sliding to a stop in the soft soil, Trevor jumped out of the truck, “Where’s the loo?”

“The what?”

“The toilet!”

Glancing around, “Pick a bush.”

“Pick a bush? There is no toilet here?”

“There is no running water here. Check the glove box if you need tissue.”

“The glove box?” she pointed.

“ahhh!” Heading for the closest bush full enough for him to take care of business behind.

Shannon, Junior, Bill, and Ellie headed off to start saddling the horses, Cuff, Link, Grace and eventually Trevor began to load the weapons.

Having a hard time concentrating on what he is doing, Trevor found the current events too tough to comprehend. He was not sure he would ever be able to find a single soul that would believe what had happened so far. The idea of this ragtag group of people, riding across the desert on horses to save the town if not the world from aliens. Hollywood can’t make shit like that up. Only in Texas.

Having only seven horses, Grace opted to ride two up, behind Junior since her legs wouldn’t reach the stirrups.

“Saddle up!” Trevor couldn’t help himself.

“Stop screwing around,” Shannon then leaned over and kissed him “Just in case we die. I love you.”

“I think we were meant to be. I love you too.”

With a little help, everyone that had never been on a horse was in the saddle, even if a little wobbly as they headed across the desert.

“Old Sits must be going daft, all those people on his property. He might blow a gasket, and end everyone there.”

“That old gas station is where Old Sits lives?”

Holding one finger up to his lips, “Shhhh. It’s a secret.”