Soul Wipe by Tahira Iqbal

It had been raining all day, but luckily Mother Nature was giving her a break. Driving through the slick street towards home, Cassidy mentally went through all the house chores that she still had to do.

Being called into work on a day she had marked for a holiday had set her off. She had already had a raging argument with her boss about his lack of management skills and then stomped from his office. She threw herself into another person’s work (someone who was so incompetent that they probably couldn’t find their own arse with both hands). She worked through their tasks, forgoing her own at home. For the seventh time in as many weeks.

She had fallen behind on every facet of her life. Work had taken over and she had real trouble separating herself from it.

But it was a new year, and new start. She wanted to put it all behind her and start again, meaning she had to look after herself. Work paid the bills – she remembered as she traversed into her own designated parking space.

Grabbing shopping bags from the boot, dinner items that she had picked up in her 20 minute lunch break, she set off towards her flat. But suddenly she didn’t even feel like cooking... What did she have in the freezer... There just might be leftovers somewhere in the drawers.

It was dark – seven PM on a January day would do that… But it felt different… It was almost pitch black. Then she realised, some of the street lights were out, others flickering on and off. Most of the flats in her block were dark too. Making a yet another mental note she would call the site manager tomorrow about it. Maybe there had been a power cut? She groaned. All the food in her freezer would be ruined! Juggling her bags, handbag, car and house keys, Cassidy made her way to her flat.

Losing her footing in the near dark, she tripped over the step, ending up face down on the cold and wet pavement. Cursing loudly, she hauled herself up and onto her knees, soon realising that she had bashed her chin hard and it was bleeding. That just capped off a really bad day and the tears fell. And she knew that tomorrow she was going to hand in her resignation and find something else. Work was making her cry more than the injury. She was just so so tired. She needed something new.

Scooping herself up, she patted around the ground feeling for her shopping, tins and boxes illuminated for a second by the faulty lights. She threw them back into her shopping bag angrily as her mobile beeped. She pulled it from her pocket, and read the text, wiping her tears, refocusing herself.

It was from her best friend. She read it. Then again. And then again. He must be joking with her. Knowing that she had had a really crappy day (she had made a quick phone call to Joel to bitch about her boss in her lunch break), this was his way of being funny. Yeah, this text must be a joke. That couldn’t be true... Then one after another, she got a text from her mother, father and sister. All the texts were of a similar tone.

Cassidy looked around, gentle prickles of fear in her belly that indicated that she needed to get indoors and put the news on. This couldn’t be true... These things happened in movies.

She speed dialled Joel, and he picked up on the first ring.
“Joel, what the hell is going on? Are you kidding around? It’s not funny, I’ve had a shit day,”
His sombre mood seemed to echo down the line,
“Cass, it’s all over the news,”
“Joel...” She fumbled in her pocket for a tissue, her chin was aching, the cool night air was skimming over the cut.
“Cass, the whole world is seeing this,”
“Seeing what?” She was starting to feel vulnerable just standing in a pile of shopping on the street.
“They’re saying that a star or some sort of space thingy is heading towards Earth,,” Joel’s usual animated voice was muted. Shocked into whispers he said, “This is bad Cass, I’m coming over, I don’t want you to be alone,”

Cass looked up instinctively. The heavens were dark. A few stars littered the sky. Nothing out of the ordinary. Joel must have made a mistake. Weren’t stars made of dead light? Light that took years to travel to Earth... That was about the extent of her knowledge. It couldn’t be that bad.
“Listen sweetie, come round, you can help me cook,”
“I’m not hungry,”
Cassidy straightened up. Joel... Not wanting food...?
“Joel, what is going on?
“I’m on my way Cass, just get indoors and don’t open the door till I get there,” The line went dead. Cass flipped her phone shut. She went to grab her bags, stooping down. Those chills had come back. She wiped her chin with the back of her hand – no tissue found. Tiny splinters of pain clawed their way through her. She groaned at the sheer mess of it all.

Her phone rang, scaring her out of her skin. Joel.
“Joel I’m going in now, don’t...”
“Cass! They say it’s crashing! It’s going to hit us!”

Suddenly there was an almighty brightening of the sky. It wasn't even gradual. One minute it was dark, the next night became day, the sky split and light poured. And it poured onto her. She just barely managed to stop herself from screaming.

Cassidy blinked against the light, feeling it burn the backs of her eyes, an almighty stinging that caused tears to form. And then it was over. It lasted mere seconds, but it left her breathless.

She put the phone back to her ear, but the line was dead.

It must have been a helicopter she thought. A searchlight… But she didn’t hear thing… The prickles of fear returned, stronger, more forceful. Something was going on. Sweat on her lower back forced her to quicken her steps up the path with her belongings, not caring that she could hardly see.

“Hello Cassidy,”
She froze. Her heart racing at the nearness of the voice. Her bladder threatened her and she felt six years old again. She turned round, expecting, wanting to see someone. But there was no one.
“Do not be afraid,”

She whirled around, but nothing! She scanned the area, looking out from her flat, streetlights, lights in the flats coming on suddenly.
“Hello Cassidy, I am the star and I am inside you,”
And then she realised that the voice was coming from inside her, inside her head. And that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in hospital 18 days later.

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COPYRIGHT - TAHIRA IQBAL - 2006