Ok so here it is, let me know what you think! The title it's tentative, but I like it, so let's see if it sticks.
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I looked out the window of the car, into the forest at the side of the road, wondering if we were on safe ground yet. I took a look at the pistol in my hand for the tenth time in the last 5 minutes. It was a Beretta 92FS that I had taken from a dead cop the day before. It was the first time I had held a real gun, but since then, I must have fired around a hundred rounds or so. I sure wished I had a little more firepower, though. Dad was driving our car, a blue Nissan Tiida hatchback, with his Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver on his lap. Mom, on the rear passenger seat, was nervously looking around. She didn't had any kind of weapon and, even if she did, she was too scared to fight. I turned around towards her, trying my best not to show her that I, too, was scared.
- Try to calm down, mom, it's not good for your health. -
- I can't calm down. - She answered, almost crying. - Not until we find your sister. -
- She's at the capital, they haven't gotten there yet. -
Mom sniffed then started praying in a hushed voice. I tried to smile then sat straight again. The road through the mountains was very twisty, so dad couldn't go as fast as he really wanted to, but he sure was trying. After a few more curves, he had to release the gas, because there was a military checkpoint ahead. Mom let out a very notorious sigh of relief, almost as if she had been holding her breath for a very long time. Dad stopped next to a soldier asking him to stop and rolled down the window. The soldier moved his rifle to his back so he could look into the car.
- Morning. Where are you headed? -
- To the capital, sir. - Dad answered while putting the parking brake. He didn't make any effort to hide his gun and neither did I. The soldier noticed them, then looked at mom in the back seat.
- Seen any of them on the way here? -
- No, but we found the remains of a police patrol about 30 kilometers ago. -
- Crap... well, if you need anything you can talk to the guy with the white cap over there. You better get moving, though. -
- We need food and water, dad. - I said, remembering we hadn't had anything to eat since the day before, and it was almost noon.
- Go right ahead, then. - The soldier moved away from the car without waiting for dad to answer.
Dad moved the car right next to where the soldier had pointed to. A truck was parked at the side of the road and a man with a white cap on his head was supervising the unloading of boxes from it. I jumped out of the car, put the pistol on my waist and walked up to the man.
- Excuse me, mister, that soldier over there told us you could help us get food and water. -
The man turned around and examined me before answering. He looked at the car behind me, dad was standing next to the driver's seat while mom stayed in the back seat, still looking a little scared. The man then took three bags from an open box and handed them to me.
- Rations for a day for each of you. That enough? -
- I think so, yeah. Thanks. - I turned around and started to walk towards the car when I heard the man talking again.
- Hey, wait a sec. - I looked back at him, wondering if he was talking to me. He was holding a couple of boxes of 9 mm ammo and four magazines for my pistol. - Need more ammo? -
- One can never have enough ammo. - I said as I took the boxes and magazines. - Do you have .357 Magnum rounds? Dad has one of those revolvers... -
- I should have them, yeah. Give me a minute. - He rummaged through the boxes until he found what he was looking for. Four boxes of .357 Magnum rounds. He gave me two of them and put the other two back on the box. - Can only give you that much. The rest is for the captain, he has one of those revolvers as well. -
- This is plenty, thanks again. - I walked back to the car, giving the boxes to dad and handing a bag of rations to mom.
A few hours after noon, we had to stop again. This time, however, the reason wasn't a military checkpoint. Right ahead was a line of stopped cars and dad decided to stop away from them, just in case. I looked at the cars ahead and saw people jumping off their vehicles and walking ahead. I looked at dad, then at mom.
- What do you think? - I asked, while taking out the pistol. Dad closed his eyes and rubbed them with his left hand, as he used to do when he was thinking.
- I don't know. We can't go back, but going on foot is suicide... -
- Well, we can't stay here forever. I mean, if people are continuing on foot... -
Dad sighed and looked at mom.
- What do you want to do? -
- ... We should go. There's no telling what will happen if we stay and those cars don’t look like they are going anywhere anytime soon. -
I looked at dad, then ahead again.
- Let's go, then. -
I packed my backpack with all the ammo I had left, which wasn't much, the rest of the rations and a small machete, then jumped off the car. Mom and dad were already a few meters ahead so I hurried to catch up with them. Dad kept looking at the sides of the road with his gun at the ready. The vegetation there was too deep to see anything, though. A few minutes later, we had caught up with the people ahead. There was a big group of people ahead, not moving, as if watching something in the road. Once we got to the wall of people I made my way through the crowd, to see what the problem was. What I saw left me frozen where I stood. About 15 meters ahead in the middle of the road was a car and on top of it, one of them. It was looking towards the low side of the forest and, apparently, had climbed the car to get a better view. I leaned towards the person next to me and whispered to him, trying not to make much noise.
- What is he doing? -
- I don't know... but it's been like that for almost half an hour now. He hasn't even noticed us, it seems. -
- Shouldn't we... you know... - I made a “shooting pistol” sign with my hand.
- Wouldn't that attract the rest of them? -
- The rest? -
- Yeah, have you ever seen one of them roam alone? -
- Yeah, right... we passed a military checkpoint on our way here, why don't we call them, then? -
- One of us left around 15 minutes ago to get help from them, actually. -
I looked down, thinking about it. We hadn't seen any cars going the opposite way ever since late the night before so either the one who was supposed to go get the military didn't go, or... I looked at the car in the middle of the road again. There was plenty of space and the one over the car was the only of them around I could see.
- Hmm... how far are we from the capital? -
- 2, 3 hours, tops. Why? -
- I say we make a run for it. -
- What? -
- We should just shoot it then make a run for the capital. The military must have a checkpoint near the capital, so we should be OK until we get there. -
- Oh, yeah, somebody already proposed that. They are by that silver pickup back there planning the whole thing. -
I moved to the back of the crowd and met with mom and dad again. It seemed as if they had also seen what was keeping everyone here. Dad had a troubled look on his face and mom seemed, like most other people around, to be losing hope.
- How does it look? - Asked dad once he saw me.
- Well, it's just up there doing... nothing at all. Pretty weird, if you ask me. -
- Any way of going around it? - Mom asked without looking at me. Or at dad. She was just staring at the crowd.
- I doubt it would be safer than just shooting it and running for it. We are pretty close to the capital already. - Dad first looked at me as if I were crazy, then sighed and rubbed his eyes with his left hand, again.
- Yes, you are right. -
- There seems to be a group of people already planning the deed... - I looked around, searching for the silver pickup, and spotted it next to the curb, some 20 meters away. - ... that way. -
We walked up to the pickup, a double cabin Toyota Hilux, where around 10 people were reunited. Dad made me a sign to wait so I stayed behind him with mom. He talked with them for a minute or so then came back to us. The rest of the group dispersed, going towards some of the cars in the front of the road.
- So? – I asked, getting impatient.
- You and I will be on the rear of the group, in case anything tries to follows us. –
I nodded in agreement and looked at mom. She was still looking at the crowd, but I could see a glint of hope on her eyes now.
I leaned against a side of the pickup’s cargo area while reloading my pistol. I looked up at dad who finished emptying his revolver into one of them. As it fell to the road, dad leaned to the other side of the cargo area to reload his gun. I tried to prop myself up to cover him, but the truck hit something ahead, throwing me off balance. I fell from the pickup and rolled into the road on my side. Experience told me you couldn’t stay still when fighting them. I got up as fast as I could and, as I looked up, I saw one of them standing in front of me, ready to attack. Mom yelled something at me, but I couldn’t hear her. There was a deafening roar that made me cover my ears and, instinctively, close my eyes. And then, silence. I opened my eyes, wondering if I was still alive and saw how in front of me laid the one that was about to attack me, almost chopped in half and, behind it, a tall, slim humanoid monster. That’s the only way I can define it. Its skin was like that of a crocodile and in its right hand it held a sword that looked like an oversized meat cleaver. It wasn’t like anything I had seen before but I wasn’t scared. For some reason, maybe because it saved me, I looked around me to see if there were any more of them instead of focusing on the monster in front of me. Suddenly the monster dashed to a side of the road, just in time to clash with another of them. I heard the voice of a girl not so far away from me and turned towards her.
- Mist! Help Karen! –
The monster reacted to the black haired girl’s voice and hurried over to where she pointed after giving his opponent the finishing blow. I stood there dumbfounded. Just who was she to be able to control that monster like that? I looked back at the pickup where mom and dad where staring at the girl with the same look of surprise and confusion on their faces. However she was doing it, that monster was taking care of all of the attackers. I gripped the pistol on my hand and decided to help. Even if the monster was getting rid of them all on his own, it was still my family that was in danger.
- Get the car moving again! I’ll go help! –
I ran down the road towards the center of the stopped caravan, where the fight was still going strong. The monster was in the middle of the action, while the rest of the people were just concerned with protecting themselves or their families. I looked around and saw the girl from before kneeling behind an empty car and next to a person lying in the ground. I ran up to them, imagining the worst, and found a barely conscious white haired girl drenched in blood. She had a nasty wound on her abdomen but kept holding strongly to the girl’s hand and to a Japanese-style sword on her other hand. I got next to the girl, who looked at me scared. I ignored that and tried to think on what to do.
- ... We need to get her out of here. - I said while looking around for a way to get her out.
- Who are you? - The girl asked me in a low voice.
- Introductions later, we need to get her to a hospital soon. - I looked into the car and noticed the keys were still in the ignition. Owners must have left them there and ran for it. Well, better for us, I thought as I opened the back door and tried to lift the white haired girl into the back seat.
- Come on, help me! – I yelled to the black haired girl. She jumped back startled but came back to help me almost instantly. As soon as we got her in the car, I ran to the driver’s seat. I looked ahead for a second and noticed the fight had ended. The monster stood in the middle of the road, breathing heavily. As I jumped in, the black haired girl took something shiny from her pocket and pointed it at the monster.
- Mist, come back here! – The monster turned towards her and disappeared in a blue flash. I could have stayed frozen for a while thinking about what I had just seen, but a groan by the girl in the back seat made me hurry.
- Get in! We are leaving! –
I started the car and drove off past the caravan as fast as I could. The other people did the same in the cars that could still move, I guess they wanted to get as far away as possible from the attack site. I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the pickup mom and dad were in, then looked at the black haired girl next to me, who was leaning towards the back seat trying to stop the bleeding on the white haired girl. An hour later we had made it to the capital. The white haired girl was immediately taken to an army field hospital. The black haired girl tried to go with her into the operation room but the medics didn’t let her. She stood in front of the door for several minutes, waiting. I was behind her, regaining my breath and trying to stop trembling after the adrenaline rush had passed. After a while, I noticed she was looking at her hands, stained with the other girl’s blood. I went up to her and, still trying to calm down, decided to talk to her.
- Come on, let’s get your hands washed. -
Hellgate: New Light
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Zeratul2k
- Captain Catnip
- Posts: 2261
- Joined: July 11th, 2007, 6:10 am
- Location: Holding low orbit over All Anime World
- Contact:
Hellgate: New Light
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph... because good is DUMB!
Re: Hellgate: New Light
This is pretty good, lots of action and suspense. Keep going, I want to find out who the monsters are, who the two girls are, and what the "pokemon", she has, is.
Dogs have owners, Cats have staff
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
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Zeratul2k
- Captain Catnip
- Posts: 2261
- Joined: July 11th, 2007, 6:10 am
- Location: Holding low orbit over All Anime World
- Contact:
Re: Hellgate: New Light
From the title of the thread you can guess that it's something hellish, and what more hellish than those demons that used to appear (or still do, I think) on TV to corrupt children all around the world, better known as... teletubbies! Led by the evil purple dinosaur Barney on his quest to destroy humankind!
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Kidding! Although I do believe those things are evil... I mean, just look at them! Those things can't be other than the spawn of everything humankind considers evil!
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Kidding! Although I do believe those things are evil... I mean, just look at them! Those things can't be other than the spawn of everything humankind considers evil!
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph... because good is DUMB!
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Hiki
- Honorary Evil Kitty
- Posts: 2946
- Joined: July 10th, 2007, 12:05 pm
- Location: ☆Court of Miracles☆
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Re: Hellgate: New Light
Hahahha! Teletubbies XD
And oh my! Hellish creatures of doom O___O I wanna know how it continues now 8D
And oh my! Hellish creatures of doom O___O I wanna know how it continues now 8D
Don't feed me violins.
Re: Hellgate: New Light
I want a description of the hellish creatures! And I'm assuming an explaination of sorts will come out eventually as to what exactly happened? I mean, when the creatures started showing up and etc.
I do love how you started this story out, though. Awesome beginning!
I do love how you started this story out, though. Awesome beginning!
.....sometimes you have to lose your mind to find it......
Re: Hellgate: New Light
*puts up picture of Lucyfur*Dinky wrote:I want a description of the hellish creatures!
What do you call a dinosaur with an extended vocabulary? A thesaurus.
Re: Hellgate: New Light
Story meowiez here
What do you call a dinosaur with an extended vocabulary? A thesaurus.
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Zeratul2k
- Captain Catnip
- Posts: 2261
- Joined: July 11th, 2007, 6:10 am
- Location: Holding low orbit over All Anime World
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Re: Hellgate: New Light
News about this, I've been writing, but at too slow a pace T__T I thought I would have free time this weekend but I had to spend most of the weekend in the university (again) working on a project and grading mid-terms...
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph... because good is DUMB!
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Zeratul2k
- Captain Catnip
- Posts: 2261
- Joined: July 11th, 2007, 6:10 am
- Location: Holding low orbit over All Anime World
- Contact:
Re: Hellgate: New Light
Finally! I had some free time last weekend between grading mid-terms and other, less interesting but time-consuming stuff and wrote up something. That something needed polishing, though, so I pulled some time out of nowhere and did that. It's 11:30 and I have to get up at 6. I'm crazy for doing this everyday... well, there's always caffeine, I guess :p Anyways, here it is, it isn't as action packed as that first part, mostly character development and stuff. Anonymous hero's nickname will be explained later, so more questions unanswered. enjoy!
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I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as she washed her hands. She looked like she was about to cry, but every time I thought she would start, she just sighed heavily. When she was done, she turned towards me while grabbing a paper towel. She looked like she was around 18 years old and, contrary to her cute looks, stood defiantly while piercing me with her dark brown eyes.
- Why did you help us? -
- Come again? - The question seemed so weird to me at the moment that I just had to ask in case I hadn’t heard right. I mean, who wouldn’t help someone in that situation in these times?
- You know what I’m talking about. -
- Well, I couldn’t just leave you two there, right? -
She crossed her arms and examined me for a while.
- I’m Kimiko, what’s your name? -
- That’s a Japanese name. Are you from there? -
- My mom was, but I was born in the States then moved here. - I noticed the “was” and looked away, not knowing what to say. - You still haven’t told me your name. -
- Oh, right, sorry. I’m... -
- Lance! - I turned around when I heard the familiar voice yelling my school nickname. It was my sister, walking quickly towards me with a smile on her face. She hugged me and I hugged her back.
- Lance... - Said Kimiko, apparently ignoring that I was still hugging my sister. - I like that name. - I broke the hug and turned towards Kimiko.
- Wait, that’s not... -
- Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you before. - My sister interrupted me, the way only she knew how to do. - I’m this big kid’s sister, nice to meet you, miss... -
- Kimiko. Nice to meet you, too. -
My sister asked how we met while I sighed and leaned against the wall. Typical. I haven’t been called by my real name in a long time because of her, but I kind of like that nickname, so I left it at that. I listened to Kimiko tell the story, skipping over the parts that involved the monster she controlled back there. She looked quite different from before, more confident. Still, I didn’t thought it was weird, because I know people change under pressure. I know I do, at least.
- Well, it’s been nice knowing you. - My sister said as she smiled and stepped back while looking at me. - Mom and dad are waiting outside, you coming? -
- I’ll catch up later. -
- Ok, see you later, then. Bye, Kimiko! -
- Bye! -
My sister turned around and left running. I watched her run away then looked at Kimiko.
- Say, that white haired girl... you said her name was Karen? - Kimiko tilted her head for a second, thinking.
- I mentioned it, didn’t I? - I nodded. She looked in the direction of the operation room. - Yeah, her name’s Karen. She’s my sister. -
- But her hair... -
- We aren’t blood relatives. And it’s bleached. -
- Oh... – I felt like an idiot for not figuring that one out, so I just stood there, looking at my feet and not knowing what else to add. After a moment I managed to speak again. - Want me to wait with you? - I asked while pointing towards the operation room.
- You’re going to stay anyway, right? That’s why you asked your sister to go on without you. - She read me like a book. I wanted to ask her about the monster but I hesitated for some reason. I guess I was still feeling idiotic or something.
Some half an hour later, one of the doctors walked out of the operation room and walked up to us while taking off his gloves.
- Good news, her wounds weren’t as bad as they looked. She did lost a lot of blood, though, so she’ll have to rest a lot and eat properly. -
Kimiko’s body loosened up, as if she had been carrying a very heavy backpack and the doctor had just taken it off her. I thanked the doctor and asked if we could see her. He pointed us towards the room they would be taking her and Kimiko hurried over in that direction without waiting for me. When I got there, I saw Kimiko sitting next to Karen’s bed holding her hand. Her sword was in the bed, next to her. Somebody must have cleaned it thoroughly, because it reflected light like a prism. I pulled a chair and sat opposite Kimiko, taking a closer look at the sword. I don’t know how long I stared at it, but I could have looked at it all day long.
- Hey, Lance, wake up. –
Kimiko was looking at me from the other side of the bed, slightly pointing towards the bed. I looked to where she was pointing and saw Karen looking at me with serious eyes. It was a little discomforting, but I didn’t think too much about it. She had just come out of surgery, after all.
- Oh, hey there, how are you feeling? –
Karen stared at me for a few seconds then looked at Kimiko.
- Who? –
- He’s Lance. He helped us back then, in the road. –
Karen then stared at me again. She seemed kind of slow to react but Kimiko was smiling broadly so I began to suspect she was usually like that. I decided to ask again after she had stared me down for a few more seconds.
- How are you feeling? –
- Fine. –
- Do you want something to eat? –
Karen nodded and Kimiko jumped up from her seat and ran to the door.
- I’ll go get you something! – She said, leaving Karen and me alone in the room.
I smiled then looked at Karen, who was, again, staring at me. She was a real beauty, looked to be around 22 years old or so and her light hazel eyes looked almost golden in contrast with her short white hair. I began feeling self-conscious after being stared at so much by her.
- Do I... do I have something on my face, or something? –
She shook her head without taking her eyes off me.
- So... – I looked away from her. I was starting to get queasy and started moving my hands around. One of my hands touched her sword, reminding me of its presence. – Say... this sword... it’s yours, am I right? – She nodded and took it. Even though it looked dangerously sharp, she handled it confidently. – It’s beautiful. – Karen’s expression changed for a split second. Was that a smile?
- I’m back! – Said Kimiko as she irrupted into the room. – And I bring food! –
Karen’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cafeteria food Kimiko brought raised over her head. She put the tray over Karen’s lap and sat again on the chair next to the bed. It was a lot of food, but Karen gulped it all down quickly as Kimiko and I watched. Her stomach must be a bottomless pit or something. While Karen was still eating, I looked at Kimiko and remembered the monster.
- Say... back there in the road... what was that... monster? –
Karen kept eating, but I noticed she slowed down. Kimiko looked at the wall, as if she had suddenly found it interesting.
- What are you talking about? – She said, still looking away.
- You know what I’m talking about. That huge thing with the meat cleaver. –
- No, I don’t. – Her voice was trembling. She was obviously lying.
I didn’t want to appear aggressive to them so I just sighed and crossed my arms. After what they had just gone through, having someone they just met question them like that would be the last thing they needed.
- Fine, forget it. –
Some minutes later I felt the need to go to the bathroom so I excused myself, but as I stood up, someone opened the door. I turned around and saw two Military Police soldiers fully armed and armored. They looked at me, the girls and then back at me.
- You, I need to see your ID. –
I quickly took out my wallet and gave them my ID, knowing you don’t mess with soldiers in full battle gear. I looked back at Kimiko who just shrugged her shoulders. One of the soldiers took my ID and radioed it while his partner went up to me.
- Are you armed? –
- Erm, yes, I have this... –
- Stop. Raise your hands and I’ll take it. – I did as ordered and he took the pistol from my back. He examined it for a while then turned towards Karen and Kimiko. He noticed the sword and began walking towards the bed. Karen gripped the sword strongly towards her chest. Just as he was about to try to take the sword from her, his partner called him.
- Yo, he’s clear, let’s go. – The soldier stood in place looking at the three of us, then dropped his shoulders and began walking towards the door. As he passed next to me, he pushed the pistol on my chest. I took it, then received my ID from his partner. The two of them walked out of the room and into the hall. We could hear them walking into the next room over and requesting the ID’s of the ones there.
- What was that all about? – Kimiko asked after the shock wore down.
- Beats me... – I put the pistol back on my back and the ID on my wallet, then walked to the door. – I’ll be back in a minute. –
Night came, and with it, a truck full of wounded soldiers. They had been ambushed outside the capital, near the place where we had been attacked. I overheard some soldiers saying command had lost contact with an outpost 4 hours from the capital. That would be the outpost we passed before noon, I thought. I sighed as I walked back into the room and stopped once I saw the nurse next to Karen’s bed.
- ... so you need to go somewhere else. –
- What’s going on? – I asked, noticing that Kimiko looked, again, as if she was about to cry.
- They need the room for the wounded that just came. –
- Oh. Well, that’s understandable. –
- But... we don’t have anywhere to go... –
I thought for a second then turned around towards the hall again.
- Back in a minute! –
- How did you find this place so quickly? – Asked Kimiko while walking around the apartment, examining it. It had just a single room, bathroom, kitchen and a small living room, but it was better than nothing.
- My sister lives downstairs and she had told me before that there were some available apartments. – I looked at Karen, who was standing next to me in the living room, holding her sword and looking at Kimiko with a serious expression on her face. She had kept that expression from the moment I first saw her out of the operation room in the hospital. – You can just come down to our apartment if you ever need anything. –
- We’ll keep that in mind, thanks! –
- Ok, I’ll see you two tomorrow again, then. –
- Thanks again! –
I looked back as I walked out the apartment door, to see Kimiko waving goodbye cheerfully. Karen was waving goodbye as well, but she just had her hand chest-high and was moving it slightly, with her usual serious look on her face. I waved back at them and went down the stairs to my sister’s apartment. It was bigger than the one I had just walked out of, with three rooms instead of just one, so I felt a little bad for the two girls. Still, it was the only apartment in the building that they could afford. I shook my head and opened the apartment door, to see my sister and dad talking in the living room.
- Yo, where’s mom? –
- She just went to sleep. –
I sat in the couch next to dad and sighed.
- Man, I’m tired... –
- Did your friends like the apartment? –
- I think so, yeah. – I looked at my sister as I answered her question. She had a playful look on her face.
- What? –
- So, which one do you like? – I covered my face with my left hand as my dad burst into laughter.
- Stop, please. Not all of us are like you. –
- Right... – she lengthened the word while smiling. – I bet it’s the white haired one. You have always liked weird girls like her. –
- Stop saying stuff like that. If others hear you they’ll think your brother’s a weirdo. – Then she burst into laughter. Whatever, I’ve had enough for the day. I headed towards my room to try and get some sleep.
I jumped up from the bed, sweating cold and breathing heavily. It was the same nightmare I’ve had since this all began. I’m standing alone atop a mountain overlooking a barren field and as I look around I can see hell spawns climbing the mountain. I have weapons, but all of them are empty. There is no visible way to get off that mountain without having to pass through the hell spawns. Then, there’s an explosion below me and a sword bursts forwards towards my head. I tried to dry the sweat off my face with my hand and looked around. It was morning already, and the sky looked clear through the window.
It was past noon and I was at the local mall with Karen, Kimiko and my sister. They had taken me along to help them carry their bags, as women usually do to their unsuspecting male friends. I looked around while they chose clothes, trying to entertain myself in whatever I could to kill some time. I noticed how most of the people in the mall where armed. Even my sister, who had taken the Hippocratic Oath and wasn’t supposed to hurt anybody because of it, had a Glock 26 9mm subcompact pistol on her purse. Karen had her sword, the blade wrapped in what looked like bandages, hung over her back. I kept looking around until I found something that caught my eye. It was a showcase full of airsoft models of World War 2 weapons, like rifles, submachine-guns and pistols. I went closer and examined them while remembering the ones I had to leave behind when all hell broke loose. As I eyed a very detailed model of a StG 44, I felt something pulling on my sleeve. I turned my head and saw Karen standing next to me.
- Hey there. Finished shopping? -
Karen shook her head and raised her hands, showing me two bags.
- Ah, I see... -
I sighed and took them, then looked at the showcase again. Karen stood next to me and started examining the models with me, looking interested.
- These are airsoft models, not real guns. You know what airsoft is? - She nodded sightly. - I had quite a big collection of models like these. Back in college I was in a club where we used these to simulate battles. Some of us behaved like it was a real army of sorts. We even organized a tournament against other airsoft teams in the area, using the college campus as an urban warfare setting. The winners had to face the police SWAT team. - I smiled as I remembered that time. - We won the competition, but lost to the SWAT team, as expected. We did manage to get a couple of them, though. -
I laughed softly and looked at Karen who was looking at me seriously. Her seriousness put me off and I ended up looking aside while feeling like a moron. I tapped the glass of the showcase and turned around.
- We should go see what our sisters are up to. -
Karen nodded and followed me. A few minutes later, we were outside the shop where they were supposed to be, but weren't. I looked around, wondering where they had gone to, until Karen pulled on my sleeve again. I looked at her and she pointed towards a gathering of people. We hurried towards the group, to see what was going on, and saw that most of them were focused on a report that was being broadcasted on television. The reporter was showing sketches of two men on their late twenties while a military police soldier next to her did the talking.
- ... these men are considered extremely dangerous and are wanted in connection to the ongoing case of multiple murders. Their names are Kenneth and Konrad Suze. If anyone has any information about their whereabouts or spots them, contact the nearest military police outpost as soon as possible. Do not attempt to stop them... -
It seemed like they were repeating the report every now and then, since it looked to have been recorded during the night, next to the entrance to the hospital Karen had been hospitalized in. I took a few steps away from the crowd while thinking about it. So that's why those soldiers were there last night, somebody must have seen those guys around. I shuddered while thinking how close we may have been to bumping into a pair of serial murderers. Karen pulled my sleeve again. I looked at her and she was looking back at me, but her expression looked slightly different from her usual serious one.
- What is it? - I asked, wondering what was up with her.
- It's going to be okay. -
I was surprised. That was the longest sentence I had heard from her since I had met her.
----
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as she washed her hands. She looked like she was about to cry, but every time I thought she would start, she just sighed heavily. When she was done, she turned towards me while grabbing a paper towel. She looked like she was around 18 years old and, contrary to her cute looks, stood defiantly while piercing me with her dark brown eyes.
- Why did you help us? -
- Come again? - The question seemed so weird to me at the moment that I just had to ask in case I hadn’t heard right. I mean, who wouldn’t help someone in that situation in these times?
- You know what I’m talking about. -
- Well, I couldn’t just leave you two there, right? -
She crossed her arms and examined me for a while.
- I’m Kimiko, what’s your name? -
- That’s a Japanese name. Are you from there? -
- My mom was, but I was born in the States then moved here. - I noticed the “was” and looked away, not knowing what to say. - You still haven’t told me your name. -
- Oh, right, sorry. I’m... -
- Lance! - I turned around when I heard the familiar voice yelling my school nickname. It was my sister, walking quickly towards me with a smile on her face. She hugged me and I hugged her back.
- Lance... - Said Kimiko, apparently ignoring that I was still hugging my sister. - I like that name. - I broke the hug and turned towards Kimiko.
- Wait, that’s not... -
- Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you before. - My sister interrupted me, the way only she knew how to do. - I’m this big kid’s sister, nice to meet you, miss... -
- Kimiko. Nice to meet you, too. -
My sister asked how we met while I sighed and leaned against the wall. Typical. I haven’t been called by my real name in a long time because of her, but I kind of like that nickname, so I left it at that. I listened to Kimiko tell the story, skipping over the parts that involved the monster she controlled back there. She looked quite different from before, more confident. Still, I didn’t thought it was weird, because I know people change under pressure. I know I do, at least.
- Well, it’s been nice knowing you. - My sister said as she smiled and stepped back while looking at me. - Mom and dad are waiting outside, you coming? -
- I’ll catch up later. -
- Ok, see you later, then. Bye, Kimiko! -
- Bye! -
My sister turned around and left running. I watched her run away then looked at Kimiko.
- Say, that white haired girl... you said her name was Karen? - Kimiko tilted her head for a second, thinking.
- I mentioned it, didn’t I? - I nodded. She looked in the direction of the operation room. - Yeah, her name’s Karen. She’s my sister. -
- But her hair... -
- We aren’t blood relatives. And it’s bleached. -
- Oh... – I felt like an idiot for not figuring that one out, so I just stood there, looking at my feet and not knowing what else to add. After a moment I managed to speak again. - Want me to wait with you? - I asked while pointing towards the operation room.
- You’re going to stay anyway, right? That’s why you asked your sister to go on without you. - She read me like a book. I wanted to ask her about the monster but I hesitated for some reason. I guess I was still feeling idiotic or something.
Some half an hour later, one of the doctors walked out of the operation room and walked up to us while taking off his gloves.
- Good news, her wounds weren’t as bad as they looked. She did lost a lot of blood, though, so she’ll have to rest a lot and eat properly. -
Kimiko’s body loosened up, as if she had been carrying a very heavy backpack and the doctor had just taken it off her. I thanked the doctor and asked if we could see her. He pointed us towards the room they would be taking her and Kimiko hurried over in that direction without waiting for me. When I got there, I saw Kimiko sitting next to Karen’s bed holding her hand. Her sword was in the bed, next to her. Somebody must have cleaned it thoroughly, because it reflected light like a prism. I pulled a chair and sat opposite Kimiko, taking a closer look at the sword. I don’t know how long I stared at it, but I could have looked at it all day long.
- Hey, Lance, wake up. –
Kimiko was looking at me from the other side of the bed, slightly pointing towards the bed. I looked to where she was pointing and saw Karen looking at me with serious eyes. It was a little discomforting, but I didn’t think too much about it. She had just come out of surgery, after all.
- Oh, hey there, how are you feeling? –
Karen stared at me for a few seconds then looked at Kimiko.
- Who? –
- He’s Lance. He helped us back then, in the road. –
Karen then stared at me again. She seemed kind of slow to react but Kimiko was smiling broadly so I began to suspect she was usually like that. I decided to ask again after she had stared me down for a few more seconds.
- How are you feeling? –
- Fine. –
- Do you want something to eat? –
Karen nodded and Kimiko jumped up from her seat and ran to the door.
- I’ll go get you something! – She said, leaving Karen and me alone in the room.
I smiled then looked at Karen, who was, again, staring at me. She was a real beauty, looked to be around 22 years old or so and her light hazel eyes looked almost golden in contrast with her short white hair. I began feeling self-conscious after being stared at so much by her.
- Do I... do I have something on my face, or something? –
She shook her head without taking her eyes off me.
- So... – I looked away from her. I was starting to get queasy and started moving my hands around. One of my hands touched her sword, reminding me of its presence. – Say... this sword... it’s yours, am I right? – She nodded and took it. Even though it looked dangerously sharp, she handled it confidently. – It’s beautiful. – Karen’s expression changed for a split second. Was that a smile?
- I’m back! – Said Kimiko as she irrupted into the room. – And I bring food! –
Karen’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cafeteria food Kimiko brought raised over her head. She put the tray over Karen’s lap and sat again on the chair next to the bed. It was a lot of food, but Karen gulped it all down quickly as Kimiko and I watched. Her stomach must be a bottomless pit or something. While Karen was still eating, I looked at Kimiko and remembered the monster.
- Say... back there in the road... what was that... monster? –
Karen kept eating, but I noticed she slowed down. Kimiko looked at the wall, as if she had suddenly found it interesting.
- What are you talking about? – She said, still looking away.
- You know what I’m talking about. That huge thing with the meat cleaver. –
- No, I don’t. – Her voice was trembling. She was obviously lying.
I didn’t want to appear aggressive to them so I just sighed and crossed my arms. After what they had just gone through, having someone they just met question them like that would be the last thing they needed.
- Fine, forget it. –
Some minutes later I felt the need to go to the bathroom so I excused myself, but as I stood up, someone opened the door. I turned around and saw two Military Police soldiers fully armed and armored. They looked at me, the girls and then back at me.
- You, I need to see your ID. –
I quickly took out my wallet and gave them my ID, knowing you don’t mess with soldiers in full battle gear. I looked back at Kimiko who just shrugged her shoulders. One of the soldiers took my ID and radioed it while his partner went up to me.
- Are you armed? –
- Erm, yes, I have this... –
- Stop. Raise your hands and I’ll take it. – I did as ordered and he took the pistol from my back. He examined it for a while then turned towards Karen and Kimiko. He noticed the sword and began walking towards the bed. Karen gripped the sword strongly towards her chest. Just as he was about to try to take the sword from her, his partner called him.
- Yo, he’s clear, let’s go. – The soldier stood in place looking at the three of us, then dropped his shoulders and began walking towards the door. As he passed next to me, he pushed the pistol on my chest. I took it, then received my ID from his partner. The two of them walked out of the room and into the hall. We could hear them walking into the next room over and requesting the ID’s of the ones there.
- What was that all about? – Kimiko asked after the shock wore down.
- Beats me... – I put the pistol back on my back and the ID on my wallet, then walked to the door. – I’ll be back in a minute. –
Night came, and with it, a truck full of wounded soldiers. They had been ambushed outside the capital, near the place where we had been attacked. I overheard some soldiers saying command had lost contact with an outpost 4 hours from the capital. That would be the outpost we passed before noon, I thought. I sighed as I walked back into the room and stopped once I saw the nurse next to Karen’s bed.
- ... so you need to go somewhere else. –
- What’s going on? – I asked, noticing that Kimiko looked, again, as if she was about to cry.
- They need the room for the wounded that just came. –
- Oh. Well, that’s understandable. –
- But... we don’t have anywhere to go... –
I thought for a second then turned around towards the hall again.
- Back in a minute! –
- How did you find this place so quickly? – Asked Kimiko while walking around the apartment, examining it. It had just a single room, bathroom, kitchen and a small living room, but it was better than nothing.
- My sister lives downstairs and she had told me before that there were some available apartments. – I looked at Karen, who was standing next to me in the living room, holding her sword and looking at Kimiko with a serious expression on her face. She had kept that expression from the moment I first saw her out of the operation room in the hospital. – You can just come down to our apartment if you ever need anything. –
- We’ll keep that in mind, thanks! –
- Ok, I’ll see you two tomorrow again, then. –
- Thanks again! –
I looked back as I walked out the apartment door, to see Kimiko waving goodbye cheerfully. Karen was waving goodbye as well, but she just had her hand chest-high and was moving it slightly, with her usual serious look on her face. I waved back at them and went down the stairs to my sister’s apartment. It was bigger than the one I had just walked out of, with three rooms instead of just one, so I felt a little bad for the two girls. Still, it was the only apartment in the building that they could afford. I shook my head and opened the apartment door, to see my sister and dad talking in the living room.
- Yo, where’s mom? –
- She just went to sleep. –
I sat in the couch next to dad and sighed.
- Man, I’m tired... –
- Did your friends like the apartment? –
- I think so, yeah. – I looked at my sister as I answered her question. She had a playful look on her face.
- What? –
- So, which one do you like? – I covered my face with my left hand as my dad burst into laughter.
- Stop, please. Not all of us are like you. –
- Right... – she lengthened the word while smiling. – I bet it’s the white haired one. You have always liked weird girls like her. –
- Stop saying stuff like that. If others hear you they’ll think your brother’s a weirdo. – Then she burst into laughter. Whatever, I’ve had enough for the day. I headed towards my room to try and get some sleep.
I jumped up from the bed, sweating cold and breathing heavily. It was the same nightmare I’ve had since this all began. I’m standing alone atop a mountain overlooking a barren field and as I look around I can see hell spawns climbing the mountain. I have weapons, but all of them are empty. There is no visible way to get off that mountain without having to pass through the hell spawns. Then, there’s an explosion below me and a sword bursts forwards towards my head. I tried to dry the sweat off my face with my hand and looked around. It was morning already, and the sky looked clear through the window.
It was past noon and I was at the local mall with Karen, Kimiko and my sister. They had taken me along to help them carry their bags, as women usually do to their unsuspecting male friends. I looked around while they chose clothes, trying to entertain myself in whatever I could to kill some time. I noticed how most of the people in the mall where armed. Even my sister, who had taken the Hippocratic Oath and wasn’t supposed to hurt anybody because of it, had a Glock 26 9mm subcompact pistol on her purse. Karen had her sword, the blade wrapped in what looked like bandages, hung over her back. I kept looking around until I found something that caught my eye. It was a showcase full of airsoft models of World War 2 weapons, like rifles, submachine-guns and pistols. I went closer and examined them while remembering the ones I had to leave behind when all hell broke loose. As I eyed a very detailed model of a StG 44, I felt something pulling on my sleeve. I turned my head and saw Karen standing next to me.
- Hey there. Finished shopping? -
Karen shook her head and raised her hands, showing me two bags.
- Ah, I see... -
I sighed and took them, then looked at the showcase again. Karen stood next to me and started examining the models with me, looking interested.
- These are airsoft models, not real guns. You know what airsoft is? - She nodded sightly. - I had quite a big collection of models like these. Back in college I was in a club where we used these to simulate battles. Some of us behaved like it was a real army of sorts. We even organized a tournament against other airsoft teams in the area, using the college campus as an urban warfare setting. The winners had to face the police SWAT team. - I smiled as I remembered that time. - We won the competition, but lost to the SWAT team, as expected. We did manage to get a couple of them, though. -
I laughed softly and looked at Karen who was looking at me seriously. Her seriousness put me off and I ended up looking aside while feeling like a moron. I tapped the glass of the showcase and turned around.
- We should go see what our sisters are up to. -
Karen nodded and followed me. A few minutes later, we were outside the shop where they were supposed to be, but weren't. I looked around, wondering where they had gone to, until Karen pulled on my sleeve again. I looked at her and she pointed towards a gathering of people. We hurried towards the group, to see what was going on, and saw that most of them were focused on a report that was being broadcasted on television. The reporter was showing sketches of two men on their late twenties while a military police soldier next to her did the talking.
- ... these men are considered extremely dangerous and are wanted in connection to the ongoing case of multiple murders. Their names are Kenneth and Konrad Suze. If anyone has any information about their whereabouts or spots them, contact the nearest military police outpost as soon as possible. Do not attempt to stop them... -
It seemed like they were repeating the report every now and then, since it looked to have been recorded during the night, next to the entrance to the hospital Karen had been hospitalized in. I took a few steps away from the crowd while thinking about it. So that's why those soldiers were there last night, somebody must have seen those guys around. I shuddered while thinking how close we may have been to bumping into a pair of serial murderers. Karen pulled my sleeve again. I looked at her and she was looking back at me, but her expression looked slightly different from her usual serious one.
- What is it? - I asked, wondering what was up with her.
- It's going to be okay. -
I was surprised. That was the longest sentence I had heard from her since I had met her.
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph... because good is DUMB!