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Swirls of color were slowly sailing through the darkness as a vaguely velvety feeling brushed through his mind. He attempted to roll over and brush it out of his mind.
Just five more minutes.
Shayne Koss blinked a few times when bright light abruptly punctured the darkness and flooded straight through his brain. Wincing, he tried to remember where his arms and legs were much less if they were even attached.
Shayne groaned.
He could hear voices in the distance, and lots of them. He strained his ears before two tiny voices nearby came into focus abruptly.
"What'd you bet?" a small voice asked. It sounded like metal scraped along a child's squeaky toy; cutting through the fog in Shayne's mind like a scythe.
"Five minutes," the second one grunted, "I bet he'll last five minutes." The other voice sounded gruff but jolly like something you'd expect from a strip-mall santa after a night of whiskey and cheap hookers.
Shayne finally managed to heave his body and roll over onto his stomach. He could see a stone door sliding backwards and a sliver of darkness close-up with a slight groan of granite against granite. And with that the voices vanished in a mess of shrill laughter.
He blinked his eyes again, trying to clear out the fetid swimming pool that had somehow snuck into his head. Like a fog lifting, he found himself staring at a familiar shadow. The doorway was gone; only solid stone remained. He groaned as he got to his knees.
Did he imagine the door? Solid statues were usually just that; solid. Looking up at the bronze statue of a man on a horse He could see that it was set into an altar of solid stone.
What about the voices?
He shook his head in an attempt to clear it a bit more, but nearly fell back over when a wave of dizziness and nausea set in. Struggling to his feet and using nearby trees managed to find his way to a cold stone bench, he sat down and began to collect his scattered thoughts.
'The entire thing a bad dream, right?' he thought to himself with a sigh, "I should be so lucky," he continued out loud.
Shayne lifted his head up to the clear blue sky and let the shallow breeze play through his short cropped hair and across his boy-ish but strong features. He looked to his right and there, high above the nearby bushes sat a familiar sight. The parliament building broke the still dome of the sky, standing proud against the horizon line of buildings far across the river.
This was his city. This was his home.
Maybe it really was just a bad dream. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath while bringing a hand up to his chest. It wasn't damp or bloody. He opened his eyes and stopped; the shirt wasn't one he recognized. It was a short sleeved black dress shirt with a strange insignia on the breast pocket. It looked like some kind of stylized doorway or an arch.
What? His brow furrowed as he looked down to his strange new boots and-
Without warning, a tremor bustled through the earth and shook the stone bench, shooting cracks into the cold, solid structure. For a moment he thought that it was all in his head but that was before he heard the screams of panic and terror in the distance. He looked around and his eyes froze in place, heart beat racing.
"No..."
Gone was the clear blue sky, gone was the warm breeze. A deep crimson sky loomed over head as flocks of black birds seemed to erupt from all around. The sea of blackbirds against the crimson sky made his blood run cold.
Nausea gone he stood up, only for it to be replaced by a feeling of foreboding. It hadn't been a dream at all. He was sure of it.
Without a second thought, he bolted. He ran from the glen of bushes into the main grounds of the legislature. Stopping short, his eyes beheld waves upon waves of people running over themselves in terror and panic. They were running from the legislature in droves.
Why were all these people even here?
"Hey," he called to a passing man, "What's going on?" He grabbed the man's arm and tried to hold on but the man screamed a full-throated cry of terror, eyes wide and staring upwards towards the sky. With almost inhuman strength fueled by terror the man broke free from his grasp and stumbled forward once again.
Shayne almost felt the shots before the sound ran through the courtyard.
Gunfire!
Turning, he attempted desperately to fight against the human tide. He brought his arms up to protect himself but expected that any minute he would be trampled underfoot.
More shots rang out and he could feel each as a shot to his brain. His mind scrambled, 'terrorists?'
Over the roar of the panicking crowd he could almost make out the sound of men yelling at each other in an organized way, but couldn't be sure. The seething masses drowned out any attempt to make it out clearly.
An impact against him made him stagger back; no mean feat when you were built as solidly as he was. Shayne found himself staring into the eyes of a young girl, maybe 14 years old if that. Her hair was flying and her eyes were wild.
"What's going on!?" he nearly screamed. "Tell me!"
She opened her mouth to speak; as if she wanted desperately to tell him. She lurched forward and clutched his arms; her fingers nearly drawing blood. The look on her face seemed to transform from terror to extreme pain.
He swung his head when he heard groans of pain echo out from every member of the crowd as they too lurched and fell to their knees. Shayne looked around in a sheer state of adrenaline fueled panic.
"Hey!" he shouted, turning back to the girl and shaking her shoulders. "Hey! Stay with me. Are you-?" His voice trailed off as she began convulsing in his arms.
His clear blue eyes grew wide with panic while the small girl thrashed around involuntarily. Suddenly she threw her head back and made choking noises which seemed to rise in chorus from the crowd.
Watching helplessly, everyone around him began to froth white foam from their mouths as they were slowly choked by some unknown force. The girl suddenly flung her arms forward and pushed him clear. Shayne stumbled and fell, dumbfounded at her sudden display of strength. He sat transfixed, watching this morbid display when all of a sudden the noises stopped. Everyone remained perfectly still as if paralyzed by some unknown force.
It was as if the whole world had gone silent. Nothing moved.
Shayne slowly turned in a circle, surveying this horrific display.
"What the fuck!?" he screamed out into the blood red sky.
The white foam was now running in rivulets down the faces of the crowd as they started to hum eerily in symphony. Covering his ears he backed away, shaking his head.
All at once the hum rose to a scream of pain as every member of the crowd flared outwards in a brilliant display of fire. Flames rose out from their throats before spreading to engulf the remainder of their bodies. The fire moved quickly, so quickly that he almost doubted his eyes.
Shrinking back he watched the people suddenly rise to their feet and begin to panic. He covered his hand with his mouth and tried desperately not to scream out as the crowd frenzied and ran through the courtyard. Tears slowly crested his eyes and cascaded down his face illuminated from the bright fire.
Just as quickly as it started the people began to dissolve in the bright flames. Their tattered bodies fell one by one as if pushed over by some giant invisible hand. Their convulsions stopped and their features became distorted in the flames. Bright orange and red coals spread outwards and upwards into the black and red night like millions of tiny solemn fireflies.
So busy was he watching the horrific spectacle that he failed to notice a lone figure walking through the flames. Silhouetted against the walls of bright fire, he stepped forward wrapped in a deathly black coat with a piece of impossibly vivid red material wrapped securely across his mouth and nose. The eyes were the worst, wearing an expression of pure indifference while he calmly strolled through the carnage. Like his coat, his short black hair was sharply contrasted against the brilliant red of the charred remains.
Dropping to his knees, Shayne's hand now covered his face to ward off the stench and the waves of heat became more than he could bear. The smell was sickly sweet and acrid all at once; it seemed to tickle his nose as it drifted by. He instantly doubted that it would be smell that he would soon forget. Without warning his stomach churned and he doubled over, heaving violently onto the nearby ground.
When he was done, he looked up. His mind was once again in a fog but he could now see the dark outline of the strange figure. The man's black coat was billowing while he walked despite the fact that no breeze blew, he could see the tattered edge of the coat when it splayed outward with each step. If he didn't know any better he would have sworn that the man's eyes looked blood red. He stared.
The man stopped and looked at him with an air of indifference. Shayne felt his pulse quicken as he watched the surreal stranger.
Before he could react, he suddenly felt the presence of people to his right and left, but could only see their legs from where he sat. He had to shield his face from the flames which did not seem to be dying down naturally.
The man with the red mask watched this new group of men without the slightest interest.
"Shayne!" he heard someone say and saw the man that was standing between him and the stranger turn his head.
"Jerry?" he managed to say.
"Shayne what are you doing here?" he asked. Shayne could see Jerry aiming a gun at the stranger. Behind Jerry two other uniformed officers stood, each man aiming his firearm at the same target.
"You... You can't be here," Jerry said, looking down at him again. "No fucking way man."
"I...."
Jerry looked at the man flanking his other side and other in formation nearby. "Get him outta here," he said to them quickly. "I'll provide cover."
Before Shayne could say anything, he felt strong arms lift him up and begin to move him away from the fire. He looked back when he heard gunshots ring out but the flames blocked his view. He could only manage to see the silhouettes of two figures standing off in front of the legislature while the grounds all around blazed with crimson fire.
Shayne could still feel the intense stare from those disinterested stranger's eyes. Eyes that blazed brighter than the flames. He shuddered and blanched when his mind's eye returned back to the people screaming, burning, frothing. He stumbled but kept moving while being helped along the side of the cement fountains towards the entrance to the underground train tunnels below.
He watched while the man to his right tried the far door. It was locked tightly. The other uniformed man reached back and smashed the butt of his handgun through the glass. A blaring alarm sounded from within along with a different noise.
Rushing water?
"Can you walk?" the cop asked from his left.
Shayne nodded and experimentally braced his full weight on his still shaky feet. Why didn't he recognize these men? The City police force wasn't small but he knew almost everyone... He brushed the thought from his mind as he focused instead on moving forward.
The inside of the building was drenched with crashing water and filling swiftly. The spray from the ceiling water suppression system was going full blast.
The policemen stopped for a moment, surveying the inside of the legislature passage while the pool water took on the bright red hue of the fire still raging in the distance.
Shayne stepped through the broken door first, letting the spray of water cool his back. He walked further down the corridor while the other men crouched to step through the hole in the glass.
The water beaded against his stubble and cascaded through his short, cropped hair. As he kept walking, he couldn't help but wish that the water would wash away this entire day.
For the second time, Shayne could saw that they were armed. Instinctively, he reached down to his sidearm only to find that it was missing. He found himself wishing for the familiar feel of his uniform, the familiar feeling of leather crunch when he moved and shifted.
Shayne could feel his cheeks flush despite the cold water.
"We need to move quickly sir," the first man said to him. He merely nodded. His mind was numb and his legs seemed to move with a will of their own.
It was only moments later that he saw the black shapes that were already forever etched into his memory. They were everywhere; burned so completely that age and gender was meaningless.
"Shit, they were hit here too," the second man said while they kept walking.
"Keep moving," barked the first.
Shayne slowed to a slow walk. "Wait," he called out, "We should follow proper procedure. We need to call for backup. We need to get the fire department in. We need to -"
The first officer looked over his shoulder and nodded once to the second. "What we need....Sir..... is to keep moving," was all he said as he turned around and continued walking.
Shayne felt the familiar tug of strong arms as they continued to slosh through the watery pools. He could almost feel the corpses stare at him when he passed, their limbs and faces upturned as if calling for help or vengeance. He shuddered but kept moving.
Soon, they neared the escalators descending to the boarding platform far below. When the two men moved to the escalator he remained back.
"Come on!" the first man barked, reaching back for him.
Shayne shook his head, "Something's wrong," he said.
The man either didn't listen or more likely just didn't care and he felt himself pushed onto the moving stairs before all three began the descent into the bowels of the city.
Shayne looked up and bit his lip. Something wasn't-
He didn't have time to finish his thought because suddenly the earth itself heaved and shook and the sound of a deafening explosion rocked the underground passage. One of the men careened backwards on the escalator, his arms wind-milling to try to keep his balance.
"Jack!" the first man shouted as Shayne leapt forward grasping the collar of the other man's uniform. With his free hand, Shayne grabbed the railing and quickly pulled the officer back onto his feet.
The other man hesitated, he was still breathing fast. "Thanks," was all he managed to say.
Shayne just nodded.
All three were visibly shaken when they looked upwards as if trying to see through the cement itself. Jack winced and the other man's face looked pained. All around them the fluorescent lights swayed to and fro as fresh dust cascaded from the ceiling high above.
When the ride stopped and all three men stepped onto the platform they looked around for any signs of life. There were no people, no charred corpses, no gushing sprinklers, nothing to greet them. Overhead the lights flickered, still swaying slightly which did nothing to calm their nerves.
A sharp, shrill BEEP suddenly resounded across the platform and made all three men spin and stare at the elevator. The red light was on and the digital readout at the top indicated that the lift was rapidly descending.
3....
2....
Quickly and silently all three men moved to flank the elevator, both officers had their pistols drawn and ready.
"On my mark we -" the first man said, "....gmmph! Gahh!"
Horrified, Shayne turned to watch both men collapse on the cold cement, eyes wide and bodies writhing.
Shayne took at step back; he could feel the renewed terror rise up his spine while he helplessly watched both men suffering and powerless to help. Just as quickly as before, both men burst into bright red flares when flames erupted from their bodies. This time they didn't stand up and run. Shayne shielded his ears once again and closed his eyes tight as the nearby sprinklers burst to life.
He dropped to his knees just in time to see the elevator doors open and the figure of the man in black almost glide out slowly towards him. His eyes still burned bright and his face wore the same disinterested expression.
Every instinct in his mind told him to run, to make a break for it while he still could. But... Somehow, he couldn't move. He stood transfixed by the bright eyes of this strange man while he walked slowly forward. Shayne's heart hammered louder and louder in his chest and he could feel the blood rush to his face when the man's fingers reached out to grab a hold of Shayne's collar.
With surprising strength, the man pulled him close. His jet black hair was now plastered and wet against his forehead and beads of clear water glistened in the firelight. The stranger's eyes suddenly flared brightly when he opened his mouth as if to speak. Shayne was now suspended on his toes, every muscle and sinew taunt and tensed as if waiting for this moment to speak.
Suddenly, the light was gone and the eyes flickered over to something else. Before Shayne could react, he could feel his body sailing through the air and just before he hit the ground he heard the sound of first one gunshot, and then another. The sound seemed to vibrate the nearby cement walls.
He levered himself up from the cement and looked around, trying to make sense of what he saw. The green light above the platform now shone bright heralding the arrival of a train. On the platform, however, two figures stood staring at each other. Jerry stood with his feet slightly apart and his still smoking gun raised at the strange man in black.
Jerry called over to Shayne without taking his eyes off of the other man, "You okay?"
He grunted and tried to get to his feet. "Y....Yeah," he said finally, "but the other two -"
"I know," was all Jerry said while he circled around to stand beside Shayne when the subway train hurtled past; each window a red blur of reflected fire. All the while Jerry kept his eyes and gun fixed on the dangerous man with the flashing red eyes.
Was he shot?
Shayne looked over at the man dressed in black but could see no signs of injury. He merely stared back at them, his expression disinterested and now.... He seemed somehow annoyed. Jerry on the other hand had seen better days; the entire left side of his back and torso were badly burnt. His flesh was singed and an acrid odor was slowly seeping into the air. The wound had white flecks of something that Shayne couldn't quite see in the dancing firelight.
When the train came to a halt both Jerry and Shayne slowly edged backwards. "Get into the car when I say," he hissed as the other man slowly started to walk towards them. Shayne couldn't help but watch as the other man walked slowly toward them. Despite the water suppression system, fires now flared even brighter as the stranger closed the gap.
Shayne felt Jerry's hand on his chest pushing him back. "Move!" he barked, pushing his friend into the car. Shayne stumbled back and once nearly lost his balance. He could see Jerry inching backwards while the other man approached.
Suddenly, the man was gone. Shayne swore he could see wisps of black where he once was. He didn't have time even blink when the man abruptly reappeared in front of Jerry, their bodies close, far too close for a gun.
Jerry didn't have time to react when the man's hand clasped tightly over his mouth and jaw and lifted him off the floor. The man didn't even seem to notice the weight while he held Jerry's struggling body; his head now touching the top of the car.
Shayne stood when Jerry stopped struggling and a dull hissing noise sounded in his ear. He watched as the gap between the man's palm and Jerry's face began issuing steam.
A deep seated feeling of mixed horror and despair rose in Shayne's throat and he instinctively lunged forward, a cry escaping from his lips when he moved. He crashed his right elbow into the man's chest sending him off balance and immediately shifted all his weight into a left hand punch. The stranger lost his grip of Jerry and staggered backwards through the subway doors, his coat flew completely open and two long wisps of bright red material streamed out onto the platform as the doors closed.
Within seconds, the bell sounded and the train was hurtling towards the centre of the city.
A scarf?
Shayne knelt by his friend who had collapsed in a heap on the floor. Jerry coughed and sputtered into the floor.
"Jerry!" he cried, trying to help his friend up. "Come on man. You okay? What was that guy? What's going -" His voice trailed off when his friend rolled over. He took a step back.
Jerry's flesh was bubbling white. Shayne's heart leapt and terror blitzed through his skull when tendrils of the white goo snaked out into the air like a million enraged snakes as if searching for sustenance. He took another step back as each of the tendrils split apart revealing millions of tiny teeth in a silent, throaty scream.
"Heh," Jerry said while he slowly sat up, his voice was gutteral and sounded like grating metal, "and here I wanted to play with you a bit more. Partner."
Shayne should have run, should have fled while he still had a chance. But in that instant of hesitation, Jerry's mouth opened impossibly large, cracking and weeping at the sides as a huge white thing swooped out and right at his face.
And, in the space of a blink, Shayne's world once again went black.
*********************************************************************** Author's Note:
A big thank you to my fantastic editor!!!!!! I can't do this without you!
Thank you to everyone who dropped me a note about the first chapter. Feedback always rocks.
I feel like setting up a page where I can toss my old and emerging stories but haven't settled on anything yet =/. Any ideas/suggestions?
Sorry bout the wait guys. I've been distracted lately by someone who likes to keep me up all night. But lol I can't really complain now can I ;)?
I just saved over Chapter 3 so.....**** I lost the whole thing and will have to start over. So......It could be a while =/ sry guys
I hope that you're enjoying the story so far.
Cheers,
-G
corporeal09@yahoo.com