The Beacon by Dan Finley

Author:Dan Finley [Finley, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Yang squatted next to the campfire with Mortimer curled up on the right, and Bea eating lunch on his left. The remains of Field Station sat behind him. Jo’s grave distorted with ripples of heat through the flames. He ate his lunch and eyed the horizon. Would whatever had destroyed the station come back to finish them off?

“I’ve been here a week,” Bea said. “Hasn’t come back yet.”

“What was it?”

“What?”

Yang’s voice was so hoarse that the crackle and pop of the flames were louder than he was. He moved closer to Bea, and Mortimer’s giant head rose and emitted a low growl. Yang made sure not to sit too close to her.

“Do you know what did this?” Yang asked through his lack of tone control.

Bea shook her head. “I found it like this. It had to have happened five weeks ago. Tracks came in from the West, right through the farm, then it moved north. The tracks…” She trailed off like she was unsure how to phrase the next part. “There’s a lot of them. From a group of different animals.”

Yang now understood why she was hesitant. Several animals teaming together to destroy a station didn’t make sense. “But they were animals?” Yang asked.

She nodded, her distant gaze locked on the fire. “I hope so.”

Something didn’t sit right with Yang and he couldn’t put his finger on it. He didn’t think she lied to him, but he sensed something was missing. Then the question hit him with a flash. “You weren’t here when it happened?”

“No,” she said. “Jo was assigned to Field Station. I’m Water Station. Two weeks before verification, we left for our respective stations to vote. When I didn’t hear from her, I came here, expecting the worst. But what I found…”

Yang blinked away his stunned expression, trying to connect the pieces. How did Bea and Jo meet? How long were they together? Did they still submit reports? Why did Jo abandon her station? Bea must have sensed his confusion and explained before he asked.

“When I joined this program, I thought I could handle being on my own on the other side of the universe. I mean… I thought I was prepared. But… After the comms went down, I realized how alone I was. Then I got lucky. Jo reached out, and we connected. We’ve been together ever since.” She trailed into silence, gaze focused on the dancing flames of the fire. Her eyes shimmered in the firelight and Yang wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light or if she was on the verge of tears. Despite her glassy eyes, a wave of relief rippled through her as if revisiting a fond memory. A smile stretched across her face. “I would never have made it if it wasn’t for her.” Her smile squeezed out a tear that she brushed away with the back of her hand.

The fire sparked and crackled under the foreign night sky. Winds rustled the tall grass, and they both ate their lunch in silence.

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