Age of Men Read online

footage of what transpired in at Kyushu, Japan. If you have small children it’s advisable to have them leave the room. This is footage is not for sensitive viewers.”

  The news bulletin aired an unedited video footage featuring one of their female field agents who was doing a story on the oldest living woman in the world. The woman’s name was Ming Liu and she stayed in Jentu, Kyushu, Japan. The video showed the field agent sitting in the kitchen of the woman she was interviewing who had just turned one hundred and nineteen years old. Her face was a map of the world and her eyes were as pale as snow top mountains, but she had a smile as big as a banana and was happy to be alive and healthy.

  “I’m here with Ming Liu.” The field reporter said, “She had just turned one hundred and nineteen years yesterday, making her the oldest living person in the world.”

  She turned to Ming Liu and smiled.

  “What is your secret?” The field reporter asked.

  The woman started talking in Mandarin and before the interpreter could interpret, they were interrupted by a distant scream coming from outside.

  “What was that?” The cameraman asked.

  The field reporter’s smile faded and she tried to figure out what was happening. The video recording picked up a faint rumbling sound coming from outside.

  “Do you hear that?” the cameraman asked concerned.

  “Yes.” The field reporter said.

  She clearly knew something more newsworthy was happening outside and decided her interview with the old bat was over. She stood up and rushed past the cameraman and gestured for him to follow her to their new story.

  “Come on!” the field reporter instructed.

  The video footage was shaky as the cameraman ran out of the house and then zoomed in on the field reporter standing outside the house surrounded by a handful of villagers. They all simply stood there gawking at something in the distance.

  “What?” The cameraman asked as he filmed the villagers around him, “What’s happening?”

  “Are you getting this?” The field reporter yelled.

  The cameraman pointed the camera in the direction everyone was staring; a large ominous cloud of fog was rapidly approaching the little village. The trees of the forest shattered like glass and then disappeared into the fog as a screaming girl came running out of the forest. The cameraman zoomed in on her just as she shattered and disappeared into ash.

  “Oh my God!” The cameraman screamed.

  “Are you getting this?” The field reporter yelled excitedly, “Tell me you are getting this!”

  “Did you see that?” The cameraman screamed in terror, “We have to get out of here!”

  The relentless mass of fog, ash and water came down on them rapidly and all hell broke loose. The villagers started running, but were not fast enough and were devoured into nothingness.

  The cameraman screamed and the camera dropped to the ground. Then all there was were static.

  The insert ended and the anchorman along with the newsroom came back on the screen. Though he too was shocked by what he saw, the anchorman tried his utmost best to stay calm for the sake of the viewers, but his quivering hands gave him away.

  “There you have it.” The anchorman said, “You have just viewed what happened in Kyushu, Japan and possibly in Australia. There are no words to describe what we’ve just witnessed. I’m truly horrified.”

  Jack turned down the volume on the TV and turned to Alicia. She was traumatized by the footage – she was clearly a sensitive viewer. He moved closer to her and embraced her with his one arm.

  “Do you think it is chemical warfare?” Alicia asked, trying not to cry.

  “I don’t know.” Jack said, “We can’t rule it out just yet.”

  “Maybe it is a prank?” Alicia asked.

  The thought of it being one big elaborate prank was a bit soothing; she didn’t want to accept the reality that it might be the start of a nuclear war.

  “Have the police questioned that actor?” Alicia asked dazed, “What’s his name, that one with the prank show on TV… Ashton Kutcher?”

  “I don’t think this is a prank.” Jack said, “This is really happening.”

  Something on the TV caught Alicia’s eye and she slowly turned to face the TV.

  “Look.” Alicia said pointing at the TV.

  Jack turned up the volume of the TV and hardly noticed that Timmy stood in the doorway hugging his teddy.

  “We have new reports coming in,” The anchorman said, “Hong Kong is the latest in the bizarre phenomenon of entire cities to disappear. There are unconfirmed reports that New Zeeland, The Philippines as well as Malaysia are all completely wiped off the face of the earth. We are unable to contact our field reporters in those countries and fear the worst after witnessing what happened in Japan.”

  Jack stared at the TV in horror; more disappearances were a startling reality. It confirmed his worst fears – this wasn’t an isolated incident.

  “What do you think is happening?” Alicia asked.

  “I don’t know.” Jack said.

  They only noticed Timmy when he started to whimper softly as he stood in the doorway twiddling with his fingers. Jack glanced up and motioned for him to get into bed with them as Alicia switched off the TV. They had no idea he was there or how much he had heard, but he clearly heard enough to scare him. Jack embraced Timmy tightly and pulled Alicia in closer. He wanted nothing in the world but to keep his family from harm’s way, but how could he do that if you don’t know what they need protecting from? His boy was scared witless no matter how much Jack comforted him.

  Jack… he heard Agent Smith’s voice coming from the phone; he’d completely forgotten that Agent Smith was on the phone with him. He picked up the phone from the ground.

  “Agent Smith.” Jack said.

  “Jack,” Agent Smith said, “Those unconfirmed reports just became confirmed. That’s five countries in less than twenty four hours.”

  “And it’s heading straight for us.” Jack said concerned.

  Jack comforted his crying boy in his arms as he stared at the TV. The news bulletin was showing a world map with question marks where the missing countries used to be. Jack wondered when the next disappearance would be and how long before they were just another question mark on the map.

   

  11

  Jack tucked Timmy in and sat down on the edge of his bed and stared down at his little boy who seemed fragile and scared as he disappeared beneath the covers; only his eyes sticking out. He reached out and ran his fingers through Timmy’s hair, trying to comfort him. Jack wanted to reassure him that everything would be alright, but how could he be certain? He couldn’t comprehend what was happening. How could he protect his family from a pending disaster he knew nothing about? How do you assure the world that everything will be alright when there’s not much of that world left?

  “Daddy.” Timmy whimpered from behind the covers.

  The covers made Timmy feel safe whenever he got scared of the dark and he’d pull the covers up to his chin; believing that if the evil in the world couldn’t see him he was safe.

  “Are we going to die?” Timmy asked cautiously.

  “No.” Jack said with a soothing voice.

  “How do you know?”

  Timmy had reached an age where he realized that everyone he knew would eventually die one day. He’d worry himself sick about losing his parents or perhaps even dying himself. The startling news reports were all just confirming the fact that they were mortal and he wasn’t ready to deal with death just yet.

  “Because I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll protect you.”

  “But who’ll protect you?” Timmy whispered anxiously.

  Jack hated the fact that Timmy worried about him as he was too young to be worried about such things. Jack leaned in closer and gave Timmy a kiss on the forehead; something that gave him a bit of solace.

  “God will protect me.” Jack said.

  “What if God’s the one
who’s doing this?”

  “God would never do such a thing.” Jack reassured him, “This is being done by a bad man and daddy will find him.”

  “Will he go to prison or will he be executed?”

  Jack smiled and said, “You worry too much. Close your eyes and go to sleep.”

  Timmy yawned and said, “I’m not tired.”

  It was an obvious lie he told when he was tired, but didn’t want to go to sleep yet. After years of playing the game, Jack knew when Timmy lied to stay up longer and smiled at the thought of his son’s innocence. If the world had innocence left like his, then surely God wouldn’t be behind the disappearances.

  “Then just close your eyes and I’ll tell you a story.” Jack said.

  Timmy closed his eyes and exhaled as he tried to relax his body and let his mind wind down to the sound of his father’s loving voice.

  “Once upon a time,” Jack started, “There lived a handsome, young prince in the land of Waystron. It was a magical land filled with fire-breathing dragons, fairies, elves and unicorns. The prince had a pet unicorn with silver fur and a white horn with feathery wings that it used to soar through the sky. The handsome prince would fly his unicorn across the lands looking for his one true love, but was never able to find her until the day that they flew into a storm. The storm blew him off his unicorn and he landed in a pile of hay on a farm…”

  Jack glanced at Timmy – he had fallen asleep in no time. All the excitement of school and everything that was happening with the disappearances had exhausted him. Jack gave him another kiss on the forehead and then stood up, switched off the light and closed the