S.O.S (25 page)

Molly closed her eyes against it.

Dev shielded his eyes against it.

Father Tom had shut down the switch seconds before he opened his eyes to it and he stared right into it.

He saw a boy, a smiling boy of thirteen with his arms wide open and he saw a stream of grey that the boy absorbed. And the more he absorbed, the brighter the light shone until Tom had to look away or be blinded by it. The last thing he saw before he turned away was a shabby boy in a hoodie and a beanie hat who looked longingly at the door and the stairs beyond and then disappeared. Father Tom bowed his head and waited...

*

It felt as if it took no more than a few minutes, but none of them knew how long the light had actually shone for. What they did know, or at least what Molly felt as she opened her eyes, was that it had taken with it all the dark matter in the world. When eventually the light burned itself out, Father Tom looked up at Jenny across the room, holding her daughter, tears shining in her eyes. Her son had gone forever. He was the light, the vessel to take the souls out of the world and save them.

Father Tom went to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“It will be all right,” he said gently, “the world will be all right.”

*

Dev climbed wearily back up the stairs and in the bathroom he lifted Molly up and out of the bath. She was shivering and weeping and tenderly he untied her hands and her feet. He held her close, wet and shaking and he stroked her hair.

“He was my brother,” she whispered. “He found me, we found each other but it was too late...”

Dev pulled away slightly and looked at her face. “No,” he said, “it wasn't too late. You loved him and he loved you. Even I could see that.”

Molly almost smiled. “Even you?”

“Yes, even me; in my most nerdy, geeky, disconnected way, even I could see what you felt.”

She laid her head against his chest. “It's gone very quiet,” Molly said. “They have all gone. The dark matter has gone.”

“No voices?”

“No. Do you think that we're safe now?”

“Will the world keep spinning?” Dev shrugged. “If you're right and dark matter has gone, then yes. No bombs, no change in orbit. No fame for me as the genius who discovered the secret of dark matter.” He grinned. “Life will go on as we know it.”

She looked up at him. “I hope so, because Dev, I really like...”

But she didn't get to finish what she started to say; Dev bent down and turned her mouth to his...