The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer Page A

pulled Martin to the doorway and then out into the cold. The door to Lane’s house slammed, but the lingering smell of smoke served as a reminder of what they had witnessed.
    “Holy shmoly, was that a strange one,” Felix said. “Last time she threw canned sardines at us, but it was nowhere near as spectacular as that!”
    Martin didn’t respond. He stepped closer to the door and placed a hand on it. It was warm. He wondered if this was all part of the show.
    “Time to go,” Felix said, spinning him around. “Lane doesn’t take kindly to loitering.”
    Facing the street, Martin saw a splotch of color in the distance. An enormous pink pig with an arched back and a twitching snout was prancing directly at them.
    “Oh jeepers!” Felix exclaimed as the pig got closer. “Remington. Of course. Of course this was coming.”
    In the pig’s mouth was a small stone statue of a bear balancing on a ball. As soon as the pig reached them, it dropped the statue at Martin’s feet. Martin bent over to pick it up.
    There was a message etched onto the ball.
    YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED

—— 11 ——
The Head
    T he chair used to be Kelvin Rice’s. Or so Martin assumed. After all, Kelvin’s name was scratched in the wood that framed its plush red back. It had a regal air—ornate oak arms, flecks of gold in the fabric. In any case, Martin found it comfortable.
    Felix had gone home. “He’s only ever summoned a couple people,” he had told Martin with a dismissive shake of his head. “Be careful, that’s all I can say.”
    Martin was alone in Nigel’s living room. Well, not alone exactly. There were the goats and the dogs and the sheep that huddled around him, sniffing at his feet and rubbing their necks against the chair’s legs. Nigel hadn’t appeared yet. There had simply been a note on the front door that said:
    Greetings, Martin! Come in
.
Have a seat in the living room
.
You will find the red chair to be lovely
.
    Nigel’s home was actually a home. The living room had a love seat flanked by end tables. A fireplace had a stack of wood next to it. An intricate rug with swirling floral designs covered most of the wood floor. Books and magazines were spread neatly across the coffee table. There were the animals, of course, but otherwise, this place seemed like any of the homes Martin had visited on the island.
    A voice came from another room: “Would you like tea?”
    “No thank you,” Martin answered.
    “Fair enough. I’m having orange pekoe.”
    Moments later, a boy appeared in the doorway, cupping a steaming mug in both hands. This was the first time Martin had seen Nigel up close. Since the night Martin had arrived in town, Nigel had remained out of sight, which, judging from his Internet page, was not surprising.
    NIGEL MOON
Nigel Moon arrived in Xibalba with a tiger
and a Komodo dragon. Since his arrival,
Nigel has been rounding up any and every
animal he can find and they all live
together in his house. The animals
apparently provide Nigel with prophecies.
Nigel summoned Kelvin Rice to his house
regularly, to inform him of these
prophecies. Since the Collapse, and since
Kelvin’s departure, Nigel has summoned
only one person: Lane Ruez. She refuses
to reveal what he told her. Nigel has
predicted the following things: The plague
of swallows. The infection of Tammy Green.
The Collapse.
    There was something familiar about Nigel that Martin couldn’t place, but he didn’t appear particularly special. His eyelids seemed thick, saggy. His hair was dense and puffy. A few large freckles lived around his slightly fat, slightly flat nose. Otherwise, a kid.
    Nigel didn’t come any closer. Rather, he stood in the doorway, sipping his tea and examining Martin. The animals shifted their attention to their master, and even though he didn’t look at them, his presence had a calming effect on them. They all lowered themselves to the ground, surrounding his feet.
    “I don’t care about solar panels,” Nigel said