Gardens of Destruction
CHAPTER 40

They reached the outskirts of a small town, in the middle of nowhere. Captain Davidson insisted they abandon their military jeep in the woods; its conspicuous presence would draw unwanted attention in such a locale. Mark believed they could acquire something more casual, blending seamlessly into the town’s fabric.

Their guise was simple: a typical family passing through. Mark had already donned civilian attire, and Valentina’s peculiar hair was concealed under a hoodie. He hoped the metallic strands woven into her hair would go unnoticed, passing off as some new fashion trend if need be. The staff, however, posed a challenge without any reasonable explanation.

Jana looked every part the civilian, her role requiring no facade. The thought of Mark playing the part of a father figure amused yet unsettled her. Accustomed to his military demeanor, she found his casual appearance almost unrecognizable. He caught her gaze.

“What’s wrong? Is everything alright?”

She blushed slightly, managing a smile. “It’s just odd seeing you out of uniform.”

“And how do I fare? Do I pass as a civilian, or should I consider plastic surgery to mask my military bearings?” His light-heartedness elicited another smile from Jana.

As they approached a roadside diner, a staple near any small town, Mark suggested they grab a bite. “Shall we eat something? Val must be hungry.”

Jana’s concern was palpable. “Alright, let’s go in. Hopefully, we won’t attract any attention.”

Val’s opinion went unasked; the child had remained silent, responding only with nods or shakes of her small blonde head.

The diner, bustling with travelers, was a hive of activity. Vehicles laden with belongings hinted at a mass exodus. Mark and Jana exchanged knowing glances, their minds racing with questions about the current situation.

Inside, the patrons, clearly not locals, animatedly discussed the unfolding events. Jana’s fears began to dissipate; Mark was right, they blended in unnoticed. They settled into the worn red booths, their eyes drawn to the television above the bar where a newscaster relayed the latest developments.

“...the military is withholding information! Our reporters captured footage of the giant asteroid opening, a spectacle that may prove the greatest challenge in our known human history. The situation in nearby towns is escalating. People are loading their vehicles, fleeing to relatives. Strange creatures exhibiting aggressive behavior have been sighted everywhere. Despite military assurances of control, panic is spreading, with residents fleeing the vicinity of the object, accusing the government of failing to protect them...”

The words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the chaos they had just escaped and the uncertain journey that lay ahead.

Valentina’s sudden utterance cut through the air, “The garden has blossomed!”

Jana and Mark turned in unison, startled by the child’s unexpected voice.

“What?” they asked almost simultaneously, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.

With a firm resolve, Valentina repeated, “The garden has blossomed!”

Mark, perplexed, inquired, “That sounds ominous, doesn’t it?”

“It’s bad,” Valentina whispered, her eyes glued to the TV screen, conveying a depth of knowledge far beyond her years.

Jana bit her lip, her gaze shifting between Valentina and Mark. Though Mark’s face betrayed no fear, Jana sensed his deep-seated terror, matching her own. She reached for Valentina’s hand, asking gently, “Sweetheart, can you tell us more about this? Do you know something we don’t?”

Valentina nodded but hesitated to speak further. Jana cast a reproachful look at Mark, who had been insistent on extracting information from Valentina. Though he believed her knowledge was crucial for their survival, Jana refused to pressure the child for answers.

“Leave it, Mark. She’ll share with us when she’s ready, won’t you, honey?”

Valentina responded with a nod, her eyes meeting Jana’s with a child’s affectionate trust. Jana could sense Valentina’s eagerness to share, yet her fear and mistrust, possibly even blame towards Jana for her transformed fate, held her back.

Their food arrived, breaking the tension. The TV continued to flood the diner with news, rumors, and speculation about the unfolding crisis. One announcement caught the refugees’ attention: “From reliable sources in Washington, we’ve learned that several more objects like the one that landed in the US are approaching Earth. The exact landing locations are unknown, but they are certainly headed our way. An emergency meeting at the UN is being organized to coordinate international responses...”

“Damn it!” Mark hissed under his breath.

“Not in front of the child!” Jana chided him sternly.

“I’m just frustrated and desperate, Jana. We’ve lost control of the situation.”

“I know, and that’s what infuriates me. I’m used to handling situations where I have control. Now, I’m clueless,” Mark confessed.

“We’ll manage somehow!” Jana reassured him, gently touching his hand. “You’ve helped us so much already. I don’t know what we did to deserve it, but I’m grateful.”

“Let’s hope it all makes sense soon. We might run out of places to run.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic!” Jana scolded him, glancing at Val, who seemed absorbed in her sandwich yet listened to every word.

Finishing their meal quickly, they left the diner’s gloomy atmosphere. Mark inquired about used cars on the way out.

“Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to stay any longer,” Jana pleaded.

“We need a car. I asked around for a used car dealership.”

“Yes, let’s hurry.”

The biting northern wind heralded nothing promising. Jana instinctively reached to zip up Val’s coat, only to find the child had already taken care of it. This realization hit her like a cold splash—Valentina had changed; the girl she once knew would never have thought to do so. Jana’s mind raced with questions about the extent of these changes, but she shook her head, trying to dispel these unsettling thoughts.

Soon, they arrived at a parking lot filled with aged vehicles for sale. Mark ventured inside, greeted by an elderly man who seemed unsurprised by their presence.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” he inquired.

“Like everyone else, just passing through,” Mark replied. “Our car broke down. Repair costs were astronomical, not to mention the wait for parts. We figured we’d just pick up something cheap to keep moving.”

“Ah, fleeing from those things, aren’t you?” the man eyed them skeptically.

“No, just taking the kid to her grandma’s,” Mark deflected.

“Yeah, that’s what they all say,” the man shook his head. “If you ask me, running’s pointless. They’ll find us anywhere eventually. The military’s in denial, but they can’t stop them.”

“Maybe they’ll pull through,” Mark tried to sound hopeful.

The man laughed heartily. “Running because you trust them, huh? Not my business. I sell cars, what do I know?”

They struck a deal on a vehicle that seemed less battered than the rest, loaded their gear, and were on their way, the old man shouting, “Safe travels!” behind them, then muttering, “Off you go, to hell with all of you! I’m staying put. Nowhere to hide, they’ll find us anywhere!”

***

The scenes in the small towns they passed were distressing. Mark drove on, not daring to stop despite their need for rest. Everywhere, panic reigned. Jana slept in the backseat, blissfully unaware of the civilization’s grim demise around them.

The diminutive metallic-furred creature had perched itself on Mark’s shoulder.

“Val, could you please remove this furry creature, that’s not actually

furry but spiky! Remind me, please, why we had to take it with us?” he asked, a mixture of annoyance and bewilderment in his voice.

He was taken aback by the response, not expecting any.

“It’s still a baby, it needs care. And it’s FU-RY, that’s the closest I

can translate!” she declared, before swiftly changing the subject, her tone indicating no room for further discussion on the matter.

“Mom’s scared of me, isn’t she?” Valentina suddenly broke the silence.

Mark was caught off guard by the conversation but chose his words carefully. “Val, you’re a treasure, and Jana loves you. Talk to her; she wants to understand... she just needs a little help right now.”

“Mark, you know... I’m really not the same,” Valentina confided.

“You both need to adjust to each other. Both of you have changed. She loves you, you know that... she’ll accept you, just as you are. To me, you’ll always be the girl who wanted to race to the asteroid and back...”

“You’ve changed too!” Valentina observed, slightly surprised.

“That stoic soldier facade is just a mask. It’s how I hide the pain,” Mark admitted, then hesitantly added, “Val... I need to share a secret with you. There was a time when I was the happiest man... and father in the world. I had a wonderful little being, just like you.”

“Where is she?”

Valentina’s question was met with silence, not noticing the tears in Mark’s eyes. He stared blankly ahead, seemingly detached from the revelation he was about to make.

“She’s gone... no longer here,” he murmured.

“Why?” she asked, her voice steady.

Mark began to unravel his tale, a narrative of loss and regret that had been buried deep within him for years.

“I failed them. I should have been there... but I wasn’t. It wasn’t the car’s fault; she just ran into the street... and I, I’m to blame... I could have been there, but I wasn’t. I was never there when they needed me the most.”

Tears broke through the façade of the hardened soldier. Valentina gently stroked his head.

“It’s okay... I’m here now.”

For a moment, Mark felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, a feeling long forgotten. It was as if his soul relaxed, and the constant pain ceased to exist. In that instant, he felt ready to tear apart the very fabric of the universe just to relive that touch.

“What... what did you do... I felt incredible for a moment... I love you, Valentina!”

Valentina continued to soothe the waking Jana, her touch tender and caring.

“I know, Mark. It’s meant to be this way!”

They journeyed for what seemed like hours or days, losing all sense of time. Mark, weary from driving, was briefly relieved by Jana, but her stint at the wheel was short-lived; the aftermath of their recent trials still weighed heavily on her.

“We need to stop somewhere,” Mark suggested, breaking the silence that had enveloped them.

“Please, not a motel. We have a tent; let’s find a spot in the forest to camp,” Jana implored with a hopeful glance that Mark found unexpectedly captivating, even in such grim circumstances. He was beginning to realize his feelings for her might run deeper than he’d admitted.

“Alright, let’s find a forest clearing then,” he conceded.

The chaos and despair in the small towns they passed left Jana heartbroken. The world she knew, which she believed was built on reason and collective resilience, was unraveling before her eyes. Humanity’s darker nature was laid bare, as people were willing to trample over each other for survival.

“Here’s our turnoff!” Mark announced, snapping her out of her thoughts. He steered the vehicle onto a narrow forest path, and soon they found an ideal spot for their tent. The forest’s tranquility, though shadowed by darkness, offered Jana a semblance of peace, a stark contrast to the anger and fear rampant among the crowded, desperate masses.

“This is it. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain,” Mark said, his gaze skyward as if to challenge the clouds that seemed uncertain whether to defy his words.

“Val, do you like sleeping in the forest?” Jana asked, seeking to involve the quiet child.

Valentina nodded, a spark of enthusiasm in her eyes.

“Let’s gather some wood for a fire together, shall we?” Jana suggested, and together they collected fallen branches while Mark set up the tent.

The forest, alive with its own undisturbed rhythm, seemed oblivious to the world’s turmoil. As they worked in silence, Valentina’s voice broke through, “Mom, am I still human?”

Jana, caught off guard, struggled to find the right words. “You are... my little Val, my love, the reason for my being.”

“That’s not what I asked. I’m not the same anymore! You know it. What am I, tell me, you’re a scientist, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know, I...”

“No, Mom, I see it. You don’t know who or what I am!” Valentina said, frustration evident in her voice, then added softly, “And yet, I love you.”

With a quick embrace, Valentina turned and, shouldering a bundle of sticks, walked back to Mark. Jana remained still, trying to process the conversation.

“I love you too, my little enigma. I may not understand who or what you’ve become, but my love for you is unchanged,” Jana whispered, wiping away her tears as the forest around them whispered back.

They had gathered enough supplies for the night and soon had a fire crackling within a makeshift circle of stones. As the flames grew, they settled close to each other on their makeshift beds, enveloped in the fire’s warmth.

“Are you warm enough?” Mark inquired, looking at Jana and Valentina.

Jana, ignoring the question, smiled serenely. “There’s a certain peace here,” she said, her arm around Valentina as if to shield her from the world’s chaos. “It’s as if the end of the world isn’t encroaching on us. Surrounded by this tranquility, with Val here, it feels like nothing could disrupt this moment.”

The only sounds breaking the silence were the occasional snaps and crackles from the fire. The scent of smoke lightly teased their senses, a minor discomfort against the backdrop of their camaraderie.

“The fire’s beautiful,” Valentina suddenly remarked, her voice cutting through the quiet like a knife.

Mark jolted, unaccustomed to her speaking. Both he and Jana were momentarily lost for words, not wanting to upset the fragile balance they’d found.

“Yes,” Mark agreed, his voice soft. “There’s something mesmerizing about just watching the flames dance.”

Valentina, her gaze fixed on the fire, shared a thought that seemed to come from deep within. “Gardeners don’t like fire.”

Mark and Jana exchanged puzzled looks, uncertain how to respond without unsettling Valentina further.

“Who are the Gardeners? Are they like those spider creatures you... dealt with yesterday?” Jana ventured cautiously.

Valentina paused, searching for the right words. “No, those were...,” she trailed off, then confidently stated, “they’re ‘Fleas’.”

Mark couldn’t help but ask, “Why ‘Fleas’?”

“Because they leap high, like this, whoosh!” Valentina demonstrated with a small jump, her enthusiasm lighting up her face. “They’re like dogs to the Gardeners, trusted to do their bidding. But they’re simple-minded, not truly fearsome. I can easily defeat them.”

Mark swallowed hard, trying to reconcile the nightmare creatures he’d faced with the dismissive term “Fleas” Valentina used. Jana, ever the scholar, scribbled notes, the scientist in her captivated by Valentina’s account.

“And those in the cloaks, do you know what they are?” Mark asked gently, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Yes,” Valentina replied promptly, “they’re the D’kra.”

Mark attempted to mimic the pronunciation but couldn’t quite capture the nuance that Valentina effortlessly conveyed.

“They’re fully transformed, utterly loyal to the Gardeners. They’re still learning to fight; they’re weak now but could become formidable. We must be wary of them, Mom; they’re cruel,” Valentina cautioned, her eyes reflecting a mix of fear and resolve.

“Yes, dear, we’ll be careful, I promise,” Jana assured her, her voice thick with emotion. The love in her eyes was tinged with fear, every bit of it visible on her face.

“Why did the others bow to you?” Mark finally asked, a question that had been gnawing at him.

Valentina pondered for a moment before responding. “Because I can feel them. Their transformation wasn’t complete; they retained more humanity than the others. Each one is in pain, Mom. I feel them inside me, and I help ease their suffering. That’s why, when I signaled I was in danger, they did everything to protect me.”

Jana marveled at the complexity of Valentina’s vocabulary, a stark change from the little girl she once knew. The depth of transformation Valentina had undergone was becoming increasingly evident, and while it was hard for Jana to fully comprehend, the love she felt for her daughter remained unchanged.

“Can’t you control the D’kra too?” Mark inquired, hopeful.

“I told you!” Valentina replied sharply. “They’re completely transformed, retaining consciousness but no longer even remotely human. I can’t touch them... from inside.”

The conversation lulled into a thoughtful silence, with each pondering the implications of Valentina’s revelations. The crackling fire and the forest’s whispers seemed to echo the weight of their situation, a reminder of the fragile peace they’d found amidst the chaos of a world unraveling.

Mark added a few more branches to the fire, his mind grappling with the next question he wanted to ask.

“Val, about your staff – does it become a weapon easily?” he inquired.

“Yes, I just have to think it, and it’s ready. Same for putting it away. It’s very easy!” Valentina replied, her voice carrying a note of pride.

“Can I make it transform into a weapon?” Mark ventured cautiously.

“No, it’s mine. Only I can touch it!” Valentina asserted with a hint of indignation. “If someone else touches it when I’m not around, they will get hurt!”

“So, you never let it go to protect others?” Jana interjected, understanding dawning.

“Yes, Mom!”

“Right, my dear, no one should be harmed. You’re kind and you know that,” Jana said, reinforcing the value.

“I didn’t want to hurt them, but I had to protect you!” Valentina started to justify her actions.

“Don’t worry, you did what you had to do. You were brave and a true guardian for me. If it weren’t for you, I would have been in a lot of pain,” Jana reassured her daughter, who beamed proudly and glanced at Mark.

“Yes, you were incredibly brave. You handled it fantastically!” Mark confirmed, then asked another question. “Tell me about these Gardeners you mentioned?”

Valentina frowned, as if the topic wasn’t to her liking. “Don’t you know?” she said impatiently. “They are... the masters of the Garden! They control everything!”

Mark and Jana exchanged meaningful looks.

“You call the giant asteroid ‘The Garden,’ right?” Jana asked.

“Yes, Mom! It’s the Garden, slowly awakening from the fire of the earth!”

“Do they call it ‘The Garden’?”

“No, but that’s the closest word I know!”

An awakening from fire. Jana suddenly realized. The colossus had plunged so deep into the Earth’s crust to draw heat from there. In the near-absolute zero temperature of space, the asteroid and its inhabitants needed time to thaw out. It was a form of hibernation that directly used the temperature of open space, instead of special cooling chambers – ingeniously simple. Upon reaching its destination, the ship burrowed deep, drawing warmth from the planet’s core. Mark interrupted her thoughts.

“Val, what do these ‘Gardeners’ want from us? To conquer, to subdue, to destroy us?”

Valentina looked at him, surprised, as if he should already know the answer: “You don’t understand, they don’t care about us! They just intend to live here!”

***

The Garden had bloomed. After millennia of waiting, the gift they had received unfolded to reveal its full splendor. Infinite joy. Infinite sorrow. The Garden wept, for the Other was still missing! The long slumber had ended! It was time to awaken!

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