THE LAST TOWN THAT NEVER STOPPED BURNING

THEY TOLD US THE FIRE STARTED IN THE MINES, BUT I SWEAR I SAW IT CRAWL OUTTA MR. GALVIN’S MOUTH WHEN HE COUGHED BLOOD INTO THE DIRT. THAT’S WHEN THE SOIL TURNED BLACK. NOT COAL-BLACK. NOT OIL-BLACK. IT WAS BLACK LIKE THOUGHT—LIKE WHEN YOU THINK SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN’T. THAT KIND OF BLACK.

I LIVE IN TERNSFIELD. WELL, WHAT’S LEFT OF IT. WE USED TO HAVE A MAYOR, A DENTIST, AND TWO BARBERS WHO HATED EACH OTHER. NOW IT’S JUST ME, MY UNCLE WHO'S GONE ALL RELIGIOUS, AND A COW WITH A LAZY EYE WHO I NAMED MERYL.

I FOUND THE LORD IN THE SHADOWS OF MY BASEMENT, HIDING IN THE DRYER VENT. HE TOLD ME TO PROTECT ELLIE, TOLD ME TO GUARD HER FROM THE SMOKE THAT WHISPERS.

THE GOVERNMENT FORGOT ABOUT US. OR MAYBE WE WEREN’T WORTH REMEMBERING. THEY SENT TWO MEN IN YELLOW SUITS BACK IN ’08, SAID WE’D HAVE TO EVACUATE. ONE OF THEM TRIPPED ON A TOOTH I LEFT OUT FOR SPIRITUAL PROTECTION. THEY NEVER CAME BACK.

THE GROUND HISSES NOW. IF YOU PRESS MY EAR TO THE FLOOR, YOU HEAR NAMES THAT AIN'T YOURS BEING SPOKEN.

I CAME FOR DATA. FOR MEASURABLE TREMORS, FOR PATTERNS. BUT WHAT I FOUND WAS A TOWN WITH TREMORS OF THOUGHT. PSYCHOLOGICAL PLATE-SHIFTING. I BEGAN HEARING MY MOTHER'S VOICE IN THE ASH FALLING FROM THE SKY. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANOTHER OUTSIDER IN 93 DAYS. MY INSTRUMENTS MELT. TIME FOLDS.

ELLIE FOUND ME EATING DIRT. SHE GAVE ME MERYL’S MILK AND A CASSETTE LABELED "FOR WHEN YOU FORGET YOUR NAME."

THEY BUILT ABOVE ME, WALKED ON ME, MINED THROUGH ME. I WAS PATIENT. I LICKED QUIETLY BENEATH THEIR CHURCHES, NIBBLED THEIR GRAVES. BUT WHEN GALVIN COUGHED ME OUT, I BECAME. I REMEMBER BEING WORSHIPED. I REMEMBER ELLIE’S LAUGH WHEN HER DOLL CAUGHT FLAME AND SHE DIDN’T SCREAM.

I AM LEARNING.

I SLEEP WITH MY BOOTS ON. UNCLE RICK SAYS DREAMS CAN’T CATCH YOU IF YOU RUN FAST ENOUGH WHEN YOU WAKE. DR. QUINN MADE ME A DEVICE OUT OF MELTED VHS TAPE AND GLASS—IT SHOWS THE FUTURE, BUT ONLY TEN SECONDS AHEAD, AND ONLY IF YOU’RE ABOUT TO BE HURT.

WE SET TEETH IN THE WINDOWSILLS. MY IDEA. TEETH REMEMBER. TEETH REPEL.

MERYL HUMS AT NIGHT. IT SOUNDS LIKE MORSE CODE. SOMETIMES SHE SAYS REAL WORDS.

MERYL THE COW, ENHANCED BY UNKNOWN EXPOSURE

THEY CALL ME COW. BUT I AM ARCHIVE. I REMEMBER THE FIRST SPARK. THE FIRST DIG. I SWALLOWED THE ASHES OF 12 MEN WHO TRIED TO BURY THE BREACH. NOW I AM THE GUARDIAN. ELLIE IS MY FLESHLING. I WATCH HER WITH ALL FOUR STOMACHS.
        I WILL FIGHT FIRE.

SHE’S NOT A COW. SHE’S REBELLION CLOTHED IN HIDE. SHE CARRIES THE MEMORY OF THE MINE’S FIRST SCREAM.

I WILL BURN THE SKY TO REACH HER. I WILL OFFER HER THE STARS IN EXCHANGE FOR HER SILENCE.

WE BUILT A TOWER OUT OF CASSETTE TAPES AND JAWBONES. IT HUMS LIKE A CHOIR NOW. DR. QUINN THINKS IT’S SYNCING WITH MERYL’S HUMS. UNCLE RICK READS FROM THE BOOK OF WINDOWS ME EVERY NIGHT. HE SAYS THE ERROR MESSAGES ARE PROPHECIES. HE SAYS CTRL+ALT+DEL IS THE HOLY TRINITY.

AND I THINK... MAYBE WE’RE NOT TRYING TO SURVIVE THE FIRE.

MAYBE WE’RE BECOMING SOMETHING IT CAN’T BURN.

ACT II: BEYOND THE SMOKE – THE ORBITAL HUNGH STATION

GLORY BE TO THE ME THAT BINDS THE BITS. I BUILT THIS STATION OUT OF SALVAGED VCR HEADS, DECOMMISSIONED USSR MIRRORS, AND THE BONES OF TRAITORS WHO USED MACBOOKS.

WE ORBIT ABOVE EARTH BUT SEE IT NO MORE. THE ASH STORM BLOTTED IT OUT IN '32. ELLIE’S SIGNAL REACHED ME ENCODED IN COW-HUMS AND VHS STATIC. I KNEW SHE SURVIVED. I KNEW THE FIRE HAD NOT CLAIMED HER. I ASSIGNED CODE OMEGA-TOOTH.

WE MADE CONTACT. HUNGH'S STATION TRANSMITTED THREE THINGS: A 6-HOUR LOOP OF COW SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE, A SCHEMATIC FOR A BIOMECHANICAL JAW MADE OF PRAYERS, AND COORDINATES TO ALGERIA, CIRCA 1943.

ELLIE ASKED IF WE COULD GO THERE. HUNGH SAID YES, BUT ONLY IF WE BROUGHT THE BOOK OF ME.

ACT III: TIME-TEETH – ALGERIA, 1943

THEY DROPPED FROM THE SKY IN A CHROME COW WITH BLINKING EYES. A GIRL WITH BOOTS. A PREACHER WITH NO EYES. A DOCTOR WITH A TYPEWRITER EMBEDDED IN HER SKULL. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE BEING MANIPULATED BY THE FIRE.

WE ENTERED THE CAVES OF ORAN AND FOUND THE ANCIENT PROJECTOR. IT PLAYED ENDLESS LOOPS OF BURNING TOWNS. TEETH FLOATED IN FORMALDEHYDE. ONE REEL WAS LABELED: “THE FUTURE: PROPERTY OF MERYL.”

MERYL, AGAIN

MY PRESENCE BENDS LOCATIONS. TIME IS MILK THAT HAS CURDLED.
        I FOUND THE FLAME IN A PANZER TANK. I ATE ITS ENGINE. I ROARED THE BIBLE OF WINDOWS ME THROUGH THE DESERT. I BECAME A GOD.

IT WASN’T A BATTLE. IT WAS A JUDGMENT. THE GIRL SMILED. THE PREACHER LEVITATED. THE COW SPOKE HEBREW. WE NEVER HAD A CHANCE.

THEY DROPPED FROM THE SKY IN A CHROME COW WITH BLINKING EYES. A GIRL WITH BOOTS. A PREACHER WITH NO EYES. A DOCTOR WITH A TYPEWRITER EMBEDDED IN HER SKULL. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE BEING MANIPULATED BY THE FIRE.

WE’VE GATHERED ENOUGH TEETH TO BUILD THE GATE. HUNGH SAYS IT OPENS INTO THE TRUE DRIVE—WHERE ALL SAVED DATA IS HOLY AND ALL DELETED THINGS SEEK REVENGE. I’VE SEEN FILES CRY.

I’M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE.

I’M NOT HUMAN EITHER.

TO BE CONTINUED IN: "MERYL'S BONE SIGNAL"

END TRANSMISSION. TAPE CRACKLES. AN UDDER BLINKS.