Chapter Text
You are Lindy Reynolds. You used to be Lindy Lee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, covering stories about terrorists and other countries worldwide. Now, you live outside of the biggest city in the world, New York City, due to a couple of things. You’re in your 40s, your back and hips ache, you think you’re holding onto too much weight, and you’re trying to quit smoking cigarettes. That, and you live with your husband.
You got back home from work, seeing the house kinda picked up. It’s still messy, but at least there’s nothing on the floor, and the dishes are clean. You work in an office as your husband stays home. The same man who watches Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry while taking care of your dog was your Bob. Robert Reynolds was in the same boat as you, but unlike you, his gut was showing. Bob used to be a writer, of what you can’t remember, but now he hides in this house.
“Hi, honey! How was work?” Bob says as he watches TV with the dog on the couch,
“It could’ve been better. Thanks for--” You then stopped as you saw a vase of roses, just a couple, but there waiting for you. “Bob, what are these?”
“I know you’ve been busy,” Bob said as he approached you, “But I took Normie out for a walk and got you flowers. Happy Anniversary.” If you could smack yourself, you would. How could you forget!? It happens every year, where you get caught up in a mess, and he remembers. How does he do it? And he went out to get these roses. When was the last time he did that?
“I’m so sorry, honey… I can get dinner!”
“You don’t have to… Besides, I… A fancy restaurant?” Bob scratched his head, gulping as you could tell his mouth became dry. It happened a couple years ago, his last panic attack. Since then, he’s been a recluse. It’s why you're out here and not in there, isn’t Lindy?
“It’s fine, I’ll order from a Chinese place or get pizza.”
“Pizza sounds nice,” Bob said as he looked over at Normie. The cute Shih Tzu whined as it pawed the door. “I’ll take him out in the yard. You just get out of those high heels. They’re murder on your feet!”
You sit down in your room, scrolling through your phone as you change into some comfy clothes. You think back to when you first met Bob, and he… Wait, no, you definitely remember: he took you out into a field and… There was a song, wasn’t there, playing in the car? It was the rage back then. It was a popular song, especially when he used it at the wedding, Sue said… Who’s Sue?
You rubbed your head, going to the almighty Google to find the song. You struggle with some of the words, but you get some out. “The sun will never shine.” “You came running.”
“Blind the wind?” You shook your head, giving up. It’s nothing big, right? Wrong. It’s the song at your wedding, the song that was on your first date with Bob. It’s important for your… 30th anniversary? 20th? You couldn’t remember at this point.
You came back down, sitting comfortably on the couch as Bob ordered pizza. You nuzzled up, feeling warm and safe in his arms. You look and see an episode of Scooby Doo playing, feeling your eyelids getting heavy,
“I might pass out, babe,” You say as Bob chuckles,
“I’ll be like a ninja then when the pizza guy gets here.” He looks over at Normie, then does an impression of Adam West or Christopher Reeve, “We must be vigilant, Watchdog. For we are humanity’s only hope!” You smile and drift to sleep.
You open your eyes as Bob drives you out, far from the City as the radio blasts some hits. The sky looked bluer, and the sun setting was heavy with pinks and reds and that golden glow. The song ends as another story of the Golden Guardian of Good is played, this time stopping a meteor about to fall and fighting the alien dinosaurs that lived on it. You shake your head, not believing such trash,
“What, you don’t believe that the Earth could be hit?” Bob asked you, looking younger, skinnier… Actually, has a little bit more muscle. And his hair was swept back and nice, not ragged or scruffy, especially with a clean chin and jawline.
“Nah, not when we got the Sentry,” You say with such odd familiarity. The Sentry? “But alien dinosaurs? What would they even look like?”
“Maybe they got bug eyes?” Bob said, “Or mouths in their mouths like Alien !”
“That would be terrifying, but hey, who can stop a guy with the power of a million exploding suns?” Bob smiled as you looked out the window; your face shined in the sunlight. Both of you were much younger, and your smiles didn’t feel as fake.
Bob parked the car as he got the picnic sight ready. You grabbed the basket, smiling as you walked over, but you felt your shoe get caught on the hill, and begin to trip. And suddenly, Bob was there, making sure you didn’t fall down. But how? He was too far away to be this close, was he really that fast?
You ate as Bob told you his stories. He loved to write for Atlas Comics, writing about heroes and kids going to the diner from the sock hop, and just cheesy stuff. If it wasn’t a picnic, you two would’ve been at a diner ordering a burger and a milkshake like the good ol’ days. A song then played from the radio, making Bob jam,
“Come on, let’s dance!” Bob picked up as you two danced on the picnic blanket. He held you with his arms, and you felt weightless. You looked up and could’ve sworn he was glowing in the sunlight. You then glanced down, seeing the car still parked and playing music as you looked back at Bob. His jacket was parted, allowing you to see a golden suit underneath his clothing. He kissed you, his lips sending sparks and warmth into you as he held you in the air.
You awaken by yourself, groggy as you look over to the kitchen to see the boxes of pizza. You rub your eyes as you look for your husband, trying to grasp whatever the hell that dream was. It was so vivid, almost real . But it couldn’t be. How could your husband, Robert Reynolds, be a superhero!? And what was he called? The Sentry? You’ve never heard of a hero like that… Right? And yet, it feels so familiar, almost secondhand to you. The sky is blue, the sun is golden, and your husband is the Sentry. You shake your head and go upstairs.
You find Bob, the hero of the day, passed out on the bed. Normie rested near him, sleeping comfortably at the foot of the bed. You felt like you could stay up for a couple of hours and pull out your trusty laptop. It has written more stories than you can recall, and you’ll know it’ll put a wash on the inferno that is your curiosity. You start by just typing The Sentry or The Golden Guardian and find almost nothing. You find drawings of a superhero that disturbingly matched the description of the hero from your dream, drawn by Artie Rose in… 1961!?! You scoff, almost shutting the laptop from disbelief, but something catches your eye. You look back to the comic panels and find the Sentry saving a falling woman from a building. It wouldn’t be much to you, except she had the same name as you.
“Be more careful, Lindy!” The Golden Guardian said to the woman in her arms, “I won’t always be around to catch you!”
“The Sentry knows my name!” Lindy Lee thought as she was taken safely to the ground, “I must be dead and in heaven!”
“Okay, what the hell?” You said to yourself, finding yourself more confused than you were at the start. You put your laptop away and snuggle up in the blankets. You look outside as dark clouds block the night sky and close your eyes.
KRAKOOOM!!!
Your eyes snap open as you see your husband bolt upward, looking out the window with great intensity. He looked like he was in a bad dream, his forehead slick with sweat as he rubbed his eyes,
“Bob, you okay, Hon? What’s wrong?” You muttered out of your tired state,
“I…” He held his head in his hands, and you could’ve sworn he was about to cry, “It’s nothing, Lindy. Just… Go back to bed, I’ll let Normie out.” He got up and stood tall, “It’s just the storm. I’ll go take care of it.” Bob takes Normie downstairs, and you lay there trying to fall asleep. But then, minutes went by. Then almost an hour. You got up, wondering if something was wrong with Bob.
As you come down the stairs, you feel your heart skip a beat. It was pitch black down the stairwell, as though there was no light down it. It made goosebumps rise on your skin, your hands felt cold and clammy, and your blood turned to ice. You were afraid, and dared not to take the first step. It was when you saw a flash of light that made the darkness go away that you speed-walked down the stairs.
You found the house the same as it was. But Bob was on the floor, gasping for air as his skin was pale and slick with sweat. And Normie… Oh God…
“Normie!” You hurried over to the dog, seeing him whimper as it rubbed his face. He winced as you touched the fur, and glared at Bob. You then spotted something on the table, something that made your blood boil. “For God’s sake, Bob!” You clutched the empty bottle on the table and threw it into the trash, shattering whatever whiskey was left in it. “You promised!!! You promised me you would stop, get some help… And now here you are. Drunk as you kicked our dog!”
“No… Wait, but… It wasn’t him… It was it… Lindy, it was the Void--”
“Stop! Just… Just stop!” You huffed as you felt pressure in your chest, your hands shaking. You pick up Normie to calm yourself down, feeling him lick you up as you glared at Bob, who staggered back on his feet, “I… I can’t live like this, Bob.”
“Lindy, what--”
“I used to be someone. I… I remember I was happy, and we were young and… God, I can’t even remember half of our wedding, I can’t even remember our song!!” You turn to the door, get your shoes on, and head upstairs. With your laptop, you came back down, Bob looking down at the floor, “I have to go. I’ll stay over by Patty’s, and I’m taking Normie. I’ll… Be back later, but I swear God Bob--”
“I know,” Bob said, “I’ll… Put myself together. You… You should go.”
“Go?” You looked up at Bob, who wasn’t even looking you in the eye, “Just like that? Fine,” you opened the door, and headed out by yourself.
It took a while getting there, and a minute explaining to Patty why you were there, but she let you inside as you kept holding Normie. He wasn’t hurt too bad, just scared mostly. Shaking in your arms, you held onto Normie as he kept giving you love,
“It feels like everything for the past twenty years just went in a blur,” You say as you sipped the tea that Patty gave you, “And, I’m not sure if it’s him or me, but… I can’t keep going through day after day, feeling like I’m a dead person.”
“Maybe you guys just need to spice things up. Ever thought of acting things out?”
“It’s not that,” You say as you shake your head, “We’re fine in the bedroom, it’s just… It feels like nothing happens. I go to work, shuffle through papers, and go home to see him on the couch either passed out drunk or watching Saturday morning cartoons like a child, and we eat takeout or order DoorDash. For shit’s sake, Patty, we ordered pizza for our anniversary!!!”
“Yeesh, sounds bad.”
“And the worst part is that I’m not sure who’s at fault. Like, is he a manchild with crippling agoraphobia, or am I a heartless, cruel bitch for not enjoying that he can still be happy?”
“What’s agoraphobia again?”
“It’s when you get panicked or freaked out in large crowds. We can’t go to the movies, we can’t go to the mall, we can’t go to the store together, we can’t even walk down the street in Manhattan. If he didn’t have that fear, I… I would still live in Manhattan.” You sigh, shuddering as you feel hot, wet stinging on your cheeks, falling down your jaw. Patty hugged you, rubbing your shoulder. She was your friend since high school, it feels like forever since you two talked,
“Well, you can stay here with Normie as long as you like. Just make sure he doesn’t crap on my floor,”
“On it,” You chuckled, wiping away tears as you looked out the window as the sun rose, the day still cloudy. You took out your laptop and tried to turn your mind away. You tried again at the search for the song and of the Sentry, and of course, found nothing. You scowled and looked at Normie, who just looked at you with his beady eyes. You then looked back at the webpage and typed two words into the engine: The Void.
No article came up straight up listing it, but page after page shows you natural disaster after natural disaster, where destruction was high, and most of everyone who lived in these regions died. You looked at pictures of wreckage and fields of dead birds and fish at the shore. It… Disturbed you. You quickly backed out and focused back on the song.
“Hey, what are you looking up?”
“I’m trying to remember the song Bob and I used at our wedding, during our dance. It’s right there, and yet, I can’t remember it!”
“Whoa. Well, let’s think about the time. When was the wedding?”
“1989, I remember it like it was yesterday. I think it was around the time the Berlin Wall fell. Why?”
“Then, a lot of songs came out around the time that were from across the wall! Let’s look up some bands,” Patty typed up bands in the 80s that weren't popular in America, but outside it. German bands, Asian Bands, Nordic Bands, Indian Bands, and all the culture that swelled as America won against their Soviet rival, and everyone in the world celebrated that victory. But after listening to Japanese Rock and German Europop, nothing came up. “Screw it, let’s try this.”
“What are you typing?”
“Remember Sarah, the one who had bangs and braces in cheerleading?” You nodded. “She said her son told her about this song that no one knows where it came from. It’s apparently the most mysterious song in the world.”
“Really? You think that might be something?”
“Hell, let’s try it out!” Patty pressed play on YouTube and played the song.
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgp7JdmHibA )
You heard the song, and you found yourself back at the wedding. You felt Bob’s hands glide over your pearl-white dress, as you stared fondly into his golden eyes. All around were your friends; Susan the Maid of Honor, Reed the Best Man, Janet, Jennifer, Pepper, and Betty were the Bride’s Maids, Hank, Bruce, Tony, and Steve were the Groom’s Men… And Thor, who ordained you two by the gods and God. Peter was there too with his cute girlfriend, Gwen, taking pictures of the dance. Ben and Johnny hang out with Scott, Jeanie, and the rest of Charles’ kids. It was marvelous, seeing all these faces unburdened by masks. They wore smiles as they stared at the glowing couple, as you and the Sentry danced till the sun rose.
You thought you sounded insane inside your mind. Who were these people? How did you know them so vividly, and how could you forget them? They were your friends, your whole livelihood, and now… You can’t remember a single day with them. Bits and pieces emerge, like a cheap collage. Badly clipped pictures and fragments paint a much different past than you remembered.
“Cool song, ain’t it?” Patty said,
“Uh, yeah, but it isn’t it,” You lied. Why did you lie? Did you feel like the truth was too big for you?
“Damn, oh well,” Patty said as you were left alone on the couch. “I gotta go to work. If you leave, I have the keys in a spot underneath the rug.”
“Yeah,” You say, feeling the past few minutes like it was an eternity. As though you woke up from a dream, one that lasted for… Months?... Years!?
You began to pace around, just lost in thought. How many decades has it been? If you forgot, who else? The Internet is showing nothing. Your friends, they’re freaking superheroes! How did they not look for you unless they lost their memories too? Who could’ve done this? One of… Bob’s enemies?
You shook your head. There’s no way. How could he be… But he was. Your Bob was the most powerful superhero in the world, wielding the power of a million exploding suns. You felt insane. Just the thought made you feel loony, but it was the truth. The fog has somewhat lifted, enough for you to see the shape but not the depth. What happened to Bob? What happened to you?
You need to get to Bob, fast. If anyone were to give you help or help squash this insane rabbit hole you find yourself in, it would be him. At least he knows how to calm you down. You picked up Normie and patted his snout. Wait a minute… Why did Bob hit Normie?
“It wasn’t him… It was it… Lindy, it was the Void--” Your body shuddered. The Void. He… It was back? It was in your house!? You then gasped, remembering the shadow at the bottom of the stairwell. Bob was fighting it, and you saw the aftermath. You couldn’t make sense of anything about the Sentry, but it… You remember. It was the cause of those natural disasters, the mass slaughters of innocent people and animals alike, a force of destruction that would destroy the world if it weren’t for your husband.
That was it. You grabbed Normie, your laptop, and your phone. You had to make a couple of calls to old friends and find out what the hell is going on. The Void is back. There is no time left, and you must be vigilant.