The Sky Also Bleeds

Rain and hail continued pounding onto the roof as Reuben maneuvered through the living room, closing the blinds and curtains in swift movements. Outside, the sky was a dark crimson and the lingering presence of the sun caused an eerie red glow to seep into the room. What was once a clear and crisp afternoon had turned cruel and otherworldly within a matter of seconds. By the time the local Meteorologist got on the air, a power outage cut them off, leaving the warning sirens in the distance wailing in their place.

When Reuben descended back into the basement, he sighed. His wife, Annalise, and daughter, Iris, sat on the couch curled into one another. The coffee table in front of them had a modest spread of snacks and water bottles. When they met his eyes, he gave them a reassuring smile. They had been celebrating Iris’ tenth birthday in the moments leading up to the storm. She was in the middle of opening presents when the sky seemingly turned to blood. The wind, rain, and hail followed. Reuben had immediately ushered them into the basement, Iris still clutching onto an unopened pink box. Annalise had helped him turn on a few lanterns so that they’d be able to see each other.

“Are you guys alright?” Reuben asked. They nodded, and he joined them on the couch. For a moment, no words passed between them. They simply listened to the storm and wondered what had brought upon the manifestation.

“How about you open the present you brought down, Ris?” Annalise eventually said. “I bet it’s really nice. It’s from your dad.” Reuben perked up. He had been so preoccupied with getting them to a safer part of the house that he failed to realize Iris had brought down one of his presents to her.

Grateful for a distraction, she picked up the small box tucked between her and her mom. She lifted the lid after undoing the white bow and smiled upon seeing what was inside. It was a gold heart locket necklace with the word Forever engraved on the front.

“This is so pretty, daddy!”

“It opens up too,” he said.

She carefully pulled the heart open, and it revealed two pictures of them. One was from a couple of years prior, and the other was more recent. In both, Reuben had the same intimidating build but the kindest eyes towards her. “I love it! Thank you.” She moved to wrap her arms around him and it made his heart feel full all the more.

“Do you want me to help you put it on?” Annalise offered.

A banging sound from upstairs pierced the moment, and everyone quieted. Shortly after, re-emerged in the same rhythmic way. Someone was at the front door. Reuben stood and Iris grabbed onto his hand, his snake tattoo beneath her small fingers.

“It’s okay, Ris,” he said. “I wonder who would be out in conditions like this?” Annalise shrugged and pulled Iris back towards her.

Reuben released a heavy exhale when the banging grew more intense. “I’m going to go see what’s going on, so you two stay put. It’s probably just someone who got caught outside.” With that, he turned to head upstairs and Iris nuzzled into her mother with a nervous whimper. Annalise wanted to tell him to ignore whoever was knocking, but something about the brashness and persistence told her that person would not settle with being ignored.

The closer Reuben got to the front door, the more the rhythm of the knock grew familiar. It was a beat he hadn’t heard in so long, it might as well have been from another life. It brought him back to his younger days when he meddled around with people he used to call his friends. Their bond was undeniable, but all they did was get into trouble for the sake of being seen. It wasn’t until enduring a few jail sentences that Reuben renounced that lifestyle. And with time and his parent’s prayers, he started finding himself and met Annalise along the way.

Looking through the peephole made even more memories return. On the porch, drenched with rain, stood the man who used to be his best friend. A hood was pulled over his head and his souped-up pickup truck was parked in the driveway. Reuben didn’t know how Maddox had found his address, but he was aware that he was the only person from his past who moved to the same state. His father had needed temporary assistance after a bad motorcycle accident. What Reuben didn’t know was whether or not Maddox had left his old ways behind too. He was so close to walking away from the door, but seeing him standing there with a crimson sky over his shoulders struck him as significant. Rain droplets and wind flew in as he opened the door.

“Reuben, thank God.” Maddox looked tired.

Reuben gave him a hard look and spoke over the volume of the storm. “Listen, I’m going to let you come inside, but don’t move a muscle after that.” The man nodded and accepted the invitation. When Reuben closed the door behind him, he took off his hood.

They stood looking at each other until Maddox’s eyes diverted to the wall behind Reuben. There were pictures of him, Annalise, and Iris.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

Maddox quickly looked back to Reuben. “I have news that only you would understand. The weather went to crap as I was on my way over here.” Reuben waited for him to continue. “Do you remember the night we got kicked out of Jeroni’s Pizza back when we lived in Penshaw? I know it was ages ago, but do you?”

Reuben remembered well enough for it to have come to his mind multiple times since. When it happened, they were recent high school graduates and had filed into Jeroni’s after having crashed a handful of uneventful graduation parties. They were friends with Jeroni Russo’s son, Marcello, so they always got discounts. Halfway into their meal, a group of young men dressed in formal attire entered the establishment. They passed the boys’ booth chatting and laughing. There were pieces of their conversation that Maddox or Reuben managed to catch: fifteen more years, weather, and depopulation continuation. Jeroni stopped by their booth soon after and told them that they would have to leave. The men had reserved the entire dining area for the rest of the night. What was even more jarring was the remorse swimming in Jeroni’s eyes when he told the boys.

“I remember.” Reuben crossed his arms.

Maddox’s expression grew more serious. “Did you know that Jeroni Russo passed away recently? It was initially believed to be of natural causes, but remember his son, Marcelo? He went to the authorities and demanded they revisit the possibility of foul play.”

“Why?” Reuben feared he already had an idea.

“Well, he ended up publishing a whole bunch of journal entries that his father had tucked away. Turned out Jeroni was being paid an absurd amount of hush money to let his pizzeria be an under wraps meeting location,” Maddox said. “And one of his most detailed entries was about the advanced technology that hasn't been released to the public. Technology that’s decades ahead. And a chunk of it is used for extreme weather modification. This storm isn’t natural and they knew Jeroni had overhead too much over the years.”

It took Reuben a while to find his next words. “Take off your jacket, and follow me.”

When he appeared in the basement with Maddox trailing behind him, Annalise and Iris straightened up in surprise. “Ladies, this Maddox, an old friend of mine,” he said. “Maddox, this is my wife and daughter. Annalise and Iris.”

Maddox cleared his throat and gave an awkward wave. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “And happy birthday, Iris. I saw the decorations upstairs.”

The girl looked him over. “Thank you,” she said shyly. “You have the same tattoo as my dad.”

Maddox held up his left hand and chuckled a bit. “It’s similar, but it’s not the same. I got mine first, and would’ve put your pops in a chokehold if he’d have copied me,” he joked, drawing a small giggle out of Iris.

Annalise felt at ease enough to smile but saw that Reuben was wrestling with something in his mind. “Reu, is everything alright?” She asked. “Besides the storm and all.”

He met her gaze. “We can’t look at anything the same anymore. Especially not at that excuse of an institution that’s supposed to be for the people. They're in bed with science, and not in a good way,” he said. “Maddox and I experienced something years ago that fits into a sick puzzle that’s just now coming together.”

Annalise's brows furrowed. “Can you explain? I want to understand.”

Reuben looked at Maddox. He didn’t doubt that she would believe them, but he thought about all of the people who didn’t have a personal connection to the turn of events. Such insight would be a hard pill to swallow, but one that needed to be administered nonetheless. And as the tempest outside began to dwindle in vigor, he was all too aware of the weight of responsibility that had found its way upon his shoulders.