Arc 1 - Chapter 6: Genesis

Luke’s vision wandered as he lay on the pavement. His sight betraying him with every object in front of him, only the cloud of dust proved its realness to his dilating eyes. But as his vision blurred, he still saw a group of boys running away.

“H-Hey wait…”

Using the butt of his palms, he sprang himself off the ground. Pushing whatever stamina and strength left within his body, the toxic air around him launched itself into his lungs. Coughing uncontrollably, he spat out chunks of saliva onto the floor, as he continued to see the distant boys.

“Wait!”

They didn’t dare to look back. The fear of death in which the monster brought could lead the normalest of people to turn insane. Now alone, heavy smoke continued to build up on the street in which Luke stood, as embers traveled through the debris ridden road.

Being too far ahead, Luke couldn’t run toward them even if he tried.

—But I could catch up… I could …

Bulging his nonexistent calves to push forward, he tried to sprint toward his distant friends, bracing the heaviness of the air. With even inhaling being painful, his entire body ached from his toes up to his skull.

Reaching peace or freedom has a jungle of obstacles, but none like this one.

Deciding to look back at the monster, he noticed the monster already having a handful of burning debris in her hand. Arching her elbow, she threw it hard, letting the shrapnel scatter across all directions.

And one of the shrapnels happens to land its way toward Luke.

Luckily for him, he noticed a police station with its doors and windows all busted open. Looking to be looted, pieces of glass littered the pavement underneath the large window.

—Come on, please work legs…

Barely charging his sprint, he didn't look back at the whistling debris howling closer and closer to his location. Lunging into the station building, the shrapnel crashed on the dead center of the street, sending out a dust storm of epic proportions.

The burning smoke and dust created the street to be unbreathable, giving Luke a break to relax inside the building. Looking around the station, he noticed many of the cabinets weren’t opened, meaning that it wasn’t looted.

—I thought this place would’ve been raided by now…

Questioning the lack of presence within the building, a pungent smell came from the back door. Shriveling his nose, he raised his left hand to pinch his nostrils shut.

— And why does it smell like a dead body?

Luke began to gag the more he sniffed the odor, the smell resembling a cheese being molded for over than a year. Hearing the sound of footsteps creaking the floor, what came out was a strange man wearing a black cardboard box.

It was the same crazed man from earlier today. Not noticing the boy from before, it was obvious he wouldn’t, but Luke took a step back from what he saw with his widened eyes.

The man was dragging a body with one hand, a body wearing a navy blue uniform with a radio patch on his right chest pocket.

“They should’ve listened. They should’ve listened!”

He continued to drag the ends of the cop’s body through the marbled floor. Blood oozing out from his throat and chest, the injuries looked too clean, as if a knife had done the job.

“I’m going to die! We’re all going to die!”

Stopping halfway through the room, he noticed a boy with light-brown hair. Wide-eyed, and looking to be on the absolute vane of insanity, he hunched his head with a darkened face.

“Wait … wait …”

The crazy man walked closer to Luke, still dragging the dead cop in his right hand. Luke catched a glimpse of a metallic object, the tip of a gleaming for a split second, on the man’s other hand.

Scared he wasn’t normal, he was surprisingly talking to him normally. Shivering, the man’s eyes began to relax, as if his sanity was being cured by just seeing Luke. Having the potential to kill Luke at any second given chance, he…

Dropped both the knife and the cop’s dead body.

“What's your name? Please! Tell me your name!”

“I-I-I-I-It’s Luke F-F-Fenix!”

Frightened, Luke waited for any action the man might take. The more he studied him, the more the man’s fingers and hands relaxed, but at that moment, he pushed up a warm smile.

As if he was at peace.

“yes … Yes. Yes! A boy—no, a soldier—no … a hero! You’re the only one! You can put an end to all this conflict and climaxes! I can’t wait for the day that you, Luke Fenix, can finally—”

The crazy man took many steps back onto the secretary's desk, placing his tailbone on the edge. Hearing a death whistle from outside, he stretched out both his arms and closed his eyes.

—“Start this Genesis”—

A gust of flaming debris slammed on the roof of the station, crashing into the crazed man. Burning smoke devouring the room, in milliseconds, a huge crater formed. Rippling his bones like a drum, Luke flew out of the police station, landing on his back.

Feeling the impact on the burning gust, his throat burned, and his eyes reddened from ash which sunk deep into his eyelids. Irritated, Luke pressed the butt of his palms onto his eyes. Opening his eyes slowly, he noticed the police station enveloped in flames, with no sign of the crazed man present.

As if the man made peace with fate, it looked as if he didn’t even exist, once the burning dust circulated inside the police station. Unwilling to think about the matters of the man, Luke let himself look up at the sky.

His throat and body begging for water, his breaths were shallow. Along with his mouth feeling bitter, he coughed dust stuck between his teeth. But he curled himself like a ball, as his lungs were attacked by an unknown force.

—I just wanted to go outside the house for the first time! I just wanted to hangout with people for a change! I just wanted…

Someone was coming out of the police station. Looking to be the same cop which took the crazed man in, both his hands were low to his thighs.

Walking normally and cognitively, those two points are a given. But something itched in the back of Luke’s mind. Seeing the way it swayed its arms back and forth like it didn’t care, it tried to act human.

And it didn’t look too human, as its head was hunched down staring at the pavement below his feet. Way too pale to be a human, it looked dead. Humming in a really low pitch, even Luke’s eyes couldn’t comprehend the way it acted.

And then it looked towards Luke—

Fear shook Luke to his toes, more than the fiery monster from up above. The cop’s face … had no eyes or nose, its eye sockets filled with black drooping tar. As if the creature replaced blood with tar, some of it trailed down its cheeks.

Before the creature began running toward Luke, glitching like an old computer—

Then the cop spoke.

“Save us!”

________________________________________________________________________

(Solmonath 28, 56 / 3:59PM)

Even when a city is at the mercy of the devil’s hand, a mother’s love will not break. Even when death seems to creep up on every corner, or if death itself takes hold of their cherished ch-—

‘He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s not dying! He won’t die! He won’t—’ thought Mary. Running all around the debris ridden streets the monster laid havoc on, Mary was fluctuated with paranoia.

Despite the surroundings around her making anyone feel at the utmost fear and sorrow, Mary didn’t care.

‘He’s not dying! He’s not dying! He’s not dying! He’s not dying! He won’t die! He won’t die! Won’t die! Won’t die—’  She continued to think, as she crazily scurried her eyes along every inch of rubble and debris. Running through the crumbled streets damaged by the burning debris, she noticed three two boys running toward her direction.

‘Wait … They look similar to Luke’s age!’ thought Mary. Sprinting, a tiny bit of hope sprung into her beating heart. The more she got closer, her eyes took in the familiarity of a silver-haired boy, a boy wearing a miner hat who slept on the back of an elf.

“Fred! Fred!”

She waved her hands toward the group, her signal causing the two of them to widen their eyes.

Stan and Gary took the liberty in finally slowing down for once. Catching a well needed break, Gary placed his palms onto his knees gasping for air despite his environment clouded with dust.

Standing in front of the elf, she also had the same type of ears as him. Being a half elf, it made her seem less elfish, but she clutched her hands upon setting her sights on Fred.

“You know Fred?”

“He’s a friend of my son! Have you seen him!? His name is Luke!”

A huge hole swelled up inside of his stomach. Lowering his eyes to the floor, he averted eye contact from the half elf in front of him. Luckily for him, Fred was asleep when Luke disappeared, but what happens when he wakes up and he has to break the news?

“We lost track of him a few minutes ago …”

Mary walked closer to Stan, her eyes as cold as glaciers once she began glaring at him. It was clear Mary hated the answer seething from Stan’s lips.

“You left him behind?”

“T-There was a plume of smoke … and we lost sight of Luke. We looked for a few seconds, but … we couldn’t stop running … I’m sorry …”

Stan put his head down, his eyes tearing up from the regret he felt. Despite any mother losing control of their emotions over this explanation, Mary instead spoke with a stone cold face to Stan. Losing her motherly look, she placed both her hands onto her waist, as if she was starting to turn into her old self …

And old self before she mothered Luke.

“Get out of the city. I’ll find him.”

Mary plunged her hand into her large pocket, pulling out a blocky phone. Tossing it to Stan, she patted Stan’s shoulder two times before running off.

“He’s close by huh, then I’ll just have to run for a few more minutes.”

Her boots collided through the broken cobblestone as she left the three friends, and stared up into the high buildings that surround her.

________________________________________________________________________

The cop got on top of Luke, drooling the same black tar.

Frozen underneath the weight of the cop, he pressed his palms onto the cop’s shoulders, as its jaws repeatedly snapped and chipped his already rotten teeth. Using whatever little strength within his body, it was no use. The cop’s strength was abnormal, or maybe Luke was too weak…

Because he is a barely teenage boy.

Leaning its face closer to Luke’s, it opened its mouth, showing its yellow and black tarred teeth. Its breath smelled like a combo of rotten eggs and spoiled milk, with the entirety of the creature smelled rotten, or was rotting to begin with.

As Luke’s face was mere millimeters from being bitten off…

A woman, with dark brown hair wrapped in a ponytail, had kicked the creature away from the boy. The wind jumped from the sudden kick, it was no ordinary mother…

Taking the brunt of the kick, the zompire quickly got up, brushing off the explosive kick like nothing. Seeing no dent on its body, Mary quickly pulled out a simple knife from her waist pocket, and bent down with both knees buckled.

Launching herself forward, she reached the speed of an incoming bullet. Tucking in the knife like a football, with enough force, she pushed the knife dead center into the creature’s heart. With harsh ease, she twisted the knife 180 degrees down, causing a lake of tar to ooze from its chest.

Glitching and spazzing like a computer, its body twitched beyond the simple realm of physics as it soon began to crumble.

And turn into black ash.

“Luke!”

Placing the knife back into her waist, she ran up to Luke and wrapped her arms around him. Taking Luke’s breath away, every ounce of air from his lungs scoffed out from both his nostrils and mouth, leading to his face to varnish purple.

Pulling away, Luke’s heart winced when he saw his mother’s expression.

“Why did you run!? Why did you run away!? Just why!”

She then pulled on both of Luke’s ears, pinching them with her long fingernails. Closing his eyes in pain, he tapped on her wrist repeatedly.

“Ow! But Mom!”

“You idiot! You could’ve been killed! … But at least you're safe.”

Letting go of Luke’s ears, Mary relaxed her body as she gave Luke another hug. This time, Luke returned it back, feeling the true warmth embrace of her arms and body.

“Mom … we have to go …

“Alright, follow me.”

Both mother and son then ran, having their sights to the far ends of the city to quell their chance of survival.

Unknowing to them, a man leaned behind a shadow in a dark alleyway, wearing a black mask and jacket. Settling his eyes down onto the black ash, his hand rubbed the butt of his gun, his fingers trailing the metal slowly.

And surely.

“Guess I have no other choice.”

________________________________________________________________________

“Mom, where are we going?”

“We’re going to the evacuation boats that will lead us out of the city.”

Mary gripped Luke’s hand so tight, Luke had to wince himself from the pain. Both running due west, their feet began to sore from all the running they endured alongst their soles.

All around them, chunks of burning debris scattered the streets and sidewalks, leaving most intersections to be blocked. Time clicking on the clock, Mary pinned her eyes forward.

“As long as they let you in, that’s all fine with me.”

“But what about Dad?”

“I don’t know … but don’t worry, your dad is strong.”

Swaying her head side to side, she glanced down at her wrist, who had it wrapped around by a silver watch. Checking the time, she looked up again, her voice tired and strained.

“It’s 4:15, and the boats leave at 4:30.”

“But the station is only several minutes away, and the amount of people who’ll…”

“Just that to me, don’t you worry.”

Behind them, the inferno monster continued to throw chunks of burning debris amongst the civilians. Casualties rising, deaths climbing, injuries soaring, more chaos ensued on not just the buildings, but as well as people’s sanities.

Mary and Luke glanced at the unlucky souls caught underneath the hills of rubble, pools of blood stinging the street and sidewalks. Heads, arms, chests; most of their bodies crushed, bits of brain and intestines were smelt from both mother and son.

‘No matter what happens … I’ll get you on that boat.’ thought Mary. Setting a flame underneath her heart, she won’t let that goal blow away, no matter what happens…

Both of them noticed a large crowd of people gathering at one spot. All of them having luggage within their hands, Luke pointed it out with his right hand.

“T-The station!”

Mary’s grip tightened around Luke’s hand, as the road to Luke’s safety reached more and more within her grasp.

Not even halfway, Luke and Mary heard the commotion seething off from the station. Men, women, children, elderly, all garnered and nudged each other like sardines in a can.

“Please take my kids! At least them!”, “I just want to be with my daughter! Just let me go with her, please!”, “I have money! I have money! I’m rich! Please take this! All of this! Just let me go on board!”

Many more statements such as these wailed throughout the station.

The station being outdoors, the only thing covering the civilians was a glass roof shading them from the sun. In front of them, a large canal of water held a string line of yacht sized boats, boats carved out of metal and wood.

These boats looked to fill in about a hundred people or less, as the right edge of it narrowly touched the tip of the canal. But with a gargantuan crowd pushing and shoving, the count looked to be more than a hundred.

“Please! Children come first! Please bring your children! They’re priority one!” Yelled a man wearing a navy blue hat. Looking to be the conductor of the boat, he had a pencil shaped mustache, along with his uniform as well shaded in navy blue.

Mary felt at ease once Luke would be able to be the first one on the boat. Clutching her chest with her fingers, a soft exhale of air pressed forth from her throat.

“But considering we see both men and women as equal, both genders will be the last ones to board!” Yelled out the conductor to the group of civilians.

Mary has to fight for her way to the ship, while Luke would have to pray for his mother’s success…

But ever since her fight with the creature, it made Mary appear more to what meets the eye. She is strong, almost too strong for her good, so who or what trained her?

Continuing to clutch Luke’s hand, both mother and son walked toward the large group, a group desperately trying to survive. Just as she was about to reach toward the group of civilians.

—A dark shadow casted amongst the two of them—

Another barrage of debris soars through the sky, leaving everyone to shield their eyes. But for some reason, the debris didn’t land.

Instead, the building in front of them screamed, as chunks of stone and glass sprayed down below. Considering the force the fiery monster threw toward the building, the top of the tower…

“Look out!”

Both Mary and Luke were standing right in the crash zone.

Noticing the part of the building before Luke, she dragged Luke and sprinted to the station. Not wanting Luke to be crushed, unlike other unlucky souls they ran past on their journey here…

The debris accelerated too fast.

Without any other option left, and without thinking, Mary bulged and gleamed her arm she gripped Luke with. Ceasing her run, digging her heels to the street, she then—

—Threw Luke to the station—

“MOM!!”

Then came the debris.