After the End

Discussion in 'Archives' started by LoneWolf, Sep 11, 2009.

  1. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 13

    Orvil and his aids settled down at the long table in the Senate Room, where each meeting was carried out in Fort Centris. The leaders sat at one end of the table, while the aids and advisors sat on the other.
    Orvil spoke urgently to Sergio standing at the entrance, "I recieved a distress call from Master Ten. He is currently trying to evade T.G. troops, I want you to go after him and provide any assistance you might need. It's ok, this meeting is of no concern to you." He waved his hand to the door and Sergio unbuckled his rifle from his back and made his way toward the entrance. Orvil spoke again, "Finally, no more traitors to worry about...."

    ***

    Ten, followed by his students, climbed up a steep limestone wall. The waterfall nearby made the rock slippery and made it hard to grab a hold of a ledge. The soldiers were following them with intense brutality, not stopping to shake the mud or blood off of their boots.
    Once they reached the top of the waterfall, beautiful mountains beckoned their shelter among the countless crags and crevasses. These mountains were young and topped with a white and sharp summit.
    Master then spoke, "Beyond these mountains is the Scarred Heartlands... where hordes of diseased humans, the Infected, await us. The area is a fallout region from countless chemical weapons being used. We need to be on guard, there may be lone groups waiting for us in the mountains."
    Seabastian trotted after the others and asked, "Are these swords going to help us any? I mean, you said hordes, and from the video games I used to play, you used guns when the word 'horde' showed up." He recieved an amused look from Annabelle.
    "You're right Seabastian, there are armories that line the fallout border. They have countless weapons to deal with any Infected that tries to get out." The remaining conversation was brought to an end when a sniper bullet whizzed past Darius' arm. The run to safety quickly resumed.

    ***

    Sergio took a shortcut to Ten's constant forward postion, thanks to his trusty radar, which he earlier input Ten's icon as a green dot, all others would show up as a red dot. He carefully picked his route to avoid the mob of soldiers in pusuit of Ten, or maybe himself for that matter. It started raining, which would help him conceal himself. He eventually found the limestone wall by the waterfall where Ten climbed up earlier. With his extensive training, he easily climbed up the wall with only one or two slips. He dearly hoped that the four were all right.

    ***

    Several hours later, Annabelle spotted a Scarred Heart Armory. Which was strange, they weren't usually found this far from the Infected border. Luckily, the soldiers let them in quickly since they were allies to the Provident followers.
    Annabelle sat down and Seabastian sat beside her, "I hope I never have to run that far again...." He rested his head on her shoulder and sighed.
    "It could be worse you know," she acknowledged. Darius didn't sit, but instead leaned against the wall and looked around. It was a small building, but quite organized for an armory. A lamp hung from the ceiling and a hallway snaked to the left. Red carpet adorned the floor. It was fascinating that even people coming in here would care about brightly adorned carpet. A mystery the world may never know. His eyes scanned the room. Annabelle and Seabastian called him a couple times, only to get a grunt that told them he was in one of his moods. But, in fact, it wasn't that he was mad, his sensing became more acute. Colors and objects seems more defined. Then after Annabelle and Seabastian's conversation chugged on, Darius had a strange feeling about him. He briefly saw a memory of a boy his age with black hair and a swideswept fringe. Just who was that kid?

    ***

    Matthew was a tall boy for his age. His black fringe gave away the fact he dressed like a punk. He almost always wore dark clothing. His pale skin made his black hair look more brilliant.
    "Hey Matt," Samantha shouted at him, "Get over here!" He smiled and walked up to Randal and Samantha.
    "Hey guys, I'm glad you two are all right, that car accident looked brutal," he recieved a hug from Samantha and a high five from Randal.
    Randal then said, "let's all go to the beach for ice cream." They all agreed. Their summer vacation began with joy and relief.

    ***

    Far away, Darius began having very heavy pains in his head. He was seeing images of a boy, Samantha, and Randal all at the beach enjoying ice cream. What was going on? Who was this kid? How did they know the boy? Something was wrong, and he knew it. Whatever was going on, that boy was stealing something from him... but, what? Darius couldn't recall anything now. His memories began to fade and wash out, only remembering bits and pieces of his past. Darius began thinking his name was Matthew for some reason.
    Several minutes later, the strange pains went away and nothing strange to pop into his head. He looked over at Annabelle and Seabastian on the other bed sleeping next to each other. He sat up and moved his light brown hair out of his eyes. Which were wet to his surprise. When had he been crying? Maybe that Matthew kid was a dream after all...
     
  2. allymaly Moogle Assistant

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    1
    9
    I really enjoyed this chapter. I read through it three times and didn't find any mistakes. You have a lot more detail than before and you keep people interested by making ambiguous statements. Keep it up :)
     
  3. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 14

    Darius sat on rock which rested near the old armory building, overlooking the misty morning. He sat, thinking about what his absence from his own reality would cause. Curiosity, Grief, or nothing at all? He didn't know what to think. All he knew was something felt amiss. Something inside him was slowly detaching itself from... what exactly?

    Annabelle couldn't sleep well that night and saw Darius sitting alone on the rock. She climbed up the rock and sat next to him.

    A look at him urged the question, "You seem out of it, anything bothering you?" He simply shook his head and jumped off the rock, he didn't want anybody interrupting his train of thought. She felt bad for bothering him. Darius was difficult for a boy his age. He went back to their room and put on his equipment, which consisted of a sub-machine gun on his back, a sword at his hip, and a knife strapped to his forearm. Seabastian rounded up his equipment as well. Annabelle had her armaments all ready when she went to see Darius outside sitting on the boulder.

    Ten then came in the room, "Are you three ready? Sergio is waiting for us, we better get going." Without a word, they al filed out and met up with Sergio in the courtyard. Annabelle couldn't stop herself from looking at Darius. There was something wrong with him, but she didn't want to press him for answers. Seabastian might get jealous, and she didn't want to ruin her realtionship with him.

    The hike west dragged on slowly. Darius avoided all conversation, he had too much on his mind. He simply shook his head when acknowledged. Matthew was... somebody he needed to think about. Was he Darius?

    ***

    Matthew and his two friends laid on the sand of the beach next to one another. A moment that would be forever cherished by the three.

    "Hey, Randal, I just had a strange thought, do you know anybody named Darius? That name just popped into my head somehow....," Matthew questioned.

    "No, I don't think I do," he answered and stood up, "Why? You know anybody with that name?"

    "I don't know, something tells me he used to live in the neighborhood." He shurgged and dismissed the thought.

    ***

    Seabastian's wolf form was forced upon him again, and he had to hunt to fulfill his beastly hunger. This gave Annabelle a chance to get some answers out of Darius.

    "Hey, Darius, are you sure you're all right?"

    "You're only asking that because Seabastian isn't here. I know what you're doing Annabelle. But, if you want to know," How do I tell her when she's dating him... Great, "I'm tired and I still have no idea what all this Alternate Earth stuff is about."

    She looked at him, "Oh, I see. I'm sorry you feel like that."

    "You and Seabastian look like you tow are happier than ever, that's good," You idiot Darius, why not just say it? Inside, he knew that him and her wouldn't happen, so why bother?

    "Yeah, me and him... did things that we weren't supposed to do. You know what I mean."

    Thanks for blowing yourself off man, you left it hanging in your head too long. Good going *******, see what you missed out on? "Yeah, I know," was he final reply before shutting everything out. What she said made him feel like a third wheel, insignificant, and heartbroken. This journey isn't about them anymore, it was about himself.

    She realized it was the wrong thing to say and looked away, "Sorry... didn't know that bothered you." She got up and left. Camp was pretty quiet after that. Good. People just pissed off Darius now anyways, never giving a thought about him and his desires, it's just about themselves. Well, he could do the same thing and become selfish.

    Seabastian returned about an hour later, in his human shape, and sat down next to the fire. Darius retreated into the temporary tent that was pitched. He couldn't stand looking at anybody right now. His fist clenched and he was filled with rage. He couldn't feel anything else, after all, he was led on during the weeks talking to Annabelle, what was that between him and her exactly? Apparently it's nothing now. He laid down under the sleeping bag and covered his face.

    They came in about another hour later to get some sleep. Amidst their romantic kissing and stuff couples do, Darius paid no attention to them. It wouldn't make anything better. They were asleep about twenty minutes later. While they slept, Darius silently left the tent and decided that some self-venting would be necessary. He sat next to the stream near the camp and slipped off his shoes and put his feet in the cool water. Who could love a monster?
     
  4. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 15

    Orvil stepped up onto the balcony to face a large and angry crowd of citizens. Why they were angry, only Orvil knew.
    "Today, we celebrate a new beginning. With the Dreams gone and the Twelfth Guard in our pact, we will give this world a redeeming chance to make itself a new and better place," Orvil began his long speech. It went on for about forty five minutes stating details of the pact he mentioned, "Today, we hunt down those hated criminals and bring them to unberable justice. They are responsible for the degradation of this world, and they will pay!" The crowd cheered and waved. Orvil walked away from the podium, thinking to himself the best way to destroy Sonvorix was through Kazumeta himself.

    ***

    Darius angrily stepped into camp, hoping nobdy was around to see him mad. He was a scary person when he was angry. Against his luck, Seabastian was there sitting by the old fire pit now covered in ashes.
    "Hey man, what's-"
    Darius cut him off, "Leave me alone Seabastian," and gathered his things. They would be leaving soon. Ten and Sergio explained the situation, which was just plain great.
    Sergio reloaded his rifle with a fresh magazine, "Looks like Orvil decided we were enemies, how lovely." Ten nodded his head and talked about how the Provident Army came to this ridiculous conclusion. Darius had all of his stuffed packed and so did Seabastian and Annabelle.
    "Keep up," was all what Ten had to say, he was deeply troubled by the sudden destruction of his reputation. Sergio was just a free rider. He didn't care whether he was loved or hated, at least by a military faction anyway. He stood tall and confident, like all veterans do.

    ***

    The air began smelling stale and seemed when looked at, it seemed darker, like the red sun didn't shine much.
    As Sergio wielded his rifle he spoke simply, "Watch out." Everybody else drew their weapons. Their normal blades would be useless at a time like this. Guns were much more effective taking out a large mass of targets at once. Seabastian had his sub-machine gun at the ready as well. Annabelle was a stubborn one and liked to prepare at the last minute. They quietly trudged on in silent tension.
    The surroundings consisted of green, thick trees untouched by the haunting disease floating around the air. The party was sure to bring oxygen masks to protect their faces that Sergio provided them with.
    Darius heard a loud screaching noise and instantly turned around and saw an Infected staggering at a very impressive speed toward him. Darius pulled the trigger and fed sixteen bullets into the creature, just enough to kill the persistent beings. It fell and slid to Darius' feet with just enough force to make Darius stumble a little bit.
    Ten walked over and evaluated the situation, "Impressive reaction time there. Next time, let us get some bloody hands," he chuckled and resumed the walk.

    ***

    The snow and harsh wind and still clamped down on the adandoned city of Niss with a brutality that fascinated metoerologists. Kazumeta stood at the top of a large skyscraper and observed the white landscape below.
    "It's about time that Orvil recognizes my concerns. Sonvroix, let's get Darius out of the picture, after all, his existence threatens us. We both know he's capable of ruining everything, so let's end it." Kazumeta finished his quiet rant and leapt down to the ground, unscathed by the one hundred fifty foot drop. It was time for him to meet with Orvil to discuss certain matters the next day.

    ***

    Annabelle peered over the horizon with a hand cupped over her brow, "Hey Seabastian, I told Darius what happened and he seems pretty mad."
    "Oh, great," was her his response.
    "Yeah, I'm not quite sure what to tell him now."
    "He'll get over it, I'm sure of it," little did Seabastian know that Darius was a scary person when he was mad.
    "I hope so, can you try to talk to him tomorrow. I think he sort of likes me. He wouldn't have reacted this way if he didn't."
    Seabastian sighed, "Must be. I hope he understands," Seabastian got up and walked over to Darius who was sitting in a small tree. Seabastian needed a moment to gather his thoughts.
    "Seabastian, what did I tell you? Leave me alone," Darius told him.
    "Listen, I want to talk to you. Can you listen to me for a while?"
    Darius jumped from his perch and looked at Seabastian, "I guess, what is it then?"
    Seabastian swallowed, "You like Annabelle don't you?"
    Darius shrugged, "Yeah, so? What are you going to do, punch me in the face? I know you two are dating. You do forget I have much better hearing than most people. If you want to punch me for liking her, do it. Nothing is stopping you."
    "Dude, I'm not mad. Just listen, things can't be this way. You're just-"
    Darius had Seabastian pinned to the tree before he could even react, "I'm not good enough? Don't say that, you could hurt somebody. Sorry for pinning you to the tree," He let go and stood back.
    Seabastian sighed and looked down, "I want to help you." He left silently and left Darius wondering what he meant. For a guy like him, he took the fact that Darius had feelings for his lover quite well. At least he was understanding enough to know that he was a struggling young man in a cruel world. But, as Darius looked at the faint suntset, he vowed to himself to end the crap this world was handing him.
     
  5. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 16

    Matt slowly walked to the beach to gather his thought from the events of last night. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what yet. It would be better not to press Randal and Samantha for answers. Besides, it wasn't their problem anyway. Matt tenderly rubbed his swollen black eye that was from his dad, how typical.

    Matt made sure to wear a hat to cover his eye which looked quite ridiculous, yet trendy. What were the odds of one person lifting up his hat to specifically look for a black eye anyway?

    If it weren't for the events from the previous day, things would have been different, and if only he could change that. He kept wondering why he never did anything about it on the way to the beach for a walk, that always calmed him down. What he wanted the most was to go somewhere far away and start everything over. Sadly, that was just a want, and this world never cared what you wanted.

    "Matt?" Matt turned around and saw Randal standing in front of him, "What are you doing?"

    None of your business. You were the one that... Whatever, "I'm taking a walk, that's all." He tried to walk forward, but Randal prevented him from going any further.

    "I know you talked to Samantha about your dad the other day," Randal pulled off Matt's hat, "I can tell she wasn't lying. Dude, you never tell usanything anymore, what's going on?"

    "I would have, but you and her have always been 'busy' and so I can never say anything, ever. I can't make you drop whatever you two are doing because it's always more important that this," Matt pointed at his black eye, "You and I know that whatever happened last night, it was a mistake. If you want to make it seem like it's not, go right ahead."

    "Why Matt, why is whatever happened last night bothering you?" Matt blankly stared at Randal and decided not to asnwer. He turned around and ran away. Randal didn't try to catch him, he made the situation worse. "I'm sorry Matt," he said while looking at the hat he still held.

    ***

    The Infected were all over the place now. Darius got seperated from the main group and was fending off hordes of them alone. Shots from his gun kept them back as far as arm's length. He wiped blodd from his face and threw out his spent magazine and replaced it with a new one. The Infected screeched and roared. They were fearful looking creatures with green eyes and burned skin. Their teeth were filed to a point and they had an everlasting hunger for healthy flesh.

    Darius was running out of ammo very quickly, so he decided to put away his gun and drew his sword. Darius skillfully cast magic that made his blade envelope itself in flames and he made mincemeat of anything that got too close. Quick and deadly his swing became, which concerned him. Darius felt bloodthirsty and didn't want to stop his onslaught.

    Ten found Darius and saw a huge number of Infected close in on him. He threw his sword which took on a huge white glow and it glowed like a boomerang. The throw was perfect and eliminated nearly all of the monsters that were making advance on them. Darius thanked Ten with a nod and kept his fight going. The two destroyed anything that was cut by their blades.

    To their surprise, a huge mass of nearly a thousand Infected came running out from behind buildings. Ten knew they couldn't take them all with just their swords, so he called up a huge inferno to burn everything within the are. The flames, from a distance, looked like a huge bomb went off. Several seconds later, there was nothing but Ten, Darius, and a thousand burned bodies.
     
  6. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 17

    As Darius fought alongside Ten, voices in his head kept haunting his conscious. He couldn't quite make out what the voice was asking, but, it sounded so familiar to him. There was something about it that awakened a deeper understanding of his being, which brought him back years ago.

    "Doctor Kissenger, we have to go, now!" Frantic scientists and lab assistants scambled about under a red light and alarm. Thaddeus Kissenger was holding a baby in his arms.

    "Doctor, if you don't evacuate the building, that specimen will be destroyed along with your expertise!"

    Doctor Kissenger looked up strernly, "So be it. This child desrves a normal life, I realize that now. Why are you going to take innocent babies and splice their gens to accompolish what YOU want, the company wants? It's all about money. I'm sending this child to Master Ten for further training if that is what he is to be destined for." He palced the child is his assistant's hands. As the assistant fled, the doctor grabbed his ID card and ran down to the bottom floor laboratory where the chaos was wreaking its destruction.

    The card made the door open with a hydraulic woosh and he discovered that almost everything that was used for experimentation was reduced to broken fragments of glass or plastic. Kazumeta was standing there, soaked in a green fluid that was used to keep his respiratory system working while submerged.

    "Hello Doctor," Kazumeta said with a low voice.

    Thaddeus pulled out a revolver and aimed at Kazumeta's chest, "I believe that you are just a scientific specimen created in a test tube, K-71755." He cocked the firing pin and pulled the trigger. The bullet traveled through Kazumeta and he made a loud grunt, and fell to the floor. Doctor Kissenger put away his revolver and evacuated the building. K-71755 would either die from the explosion of the fusion reactor, or bleed to death. Fate would decide his survival or death now.

    Darius finally snapped out of his day dream and noticed that he had killed all the Infected in the area.

    Ten put a hand on Darius' shoulder, "Let's regroup with the others." Without a word, Darius followed and it wasn't even a twenty second search until they found the others.

    "You three all right?"

    "We're fine," Sergio answered. They all quickly retreated into an abandoned hotel where everything was in good condition, luckily, everything was in good condition and the electricity and the plumbing worked just fine. They all seperated into rooms leaving the younger three in a seperate room with the leaders in another. The bedroom Darius was staying in had two beds and two chairs. The carpet was firm, not that anybody had to sleep on the floor. A intricately crafted chandalier hung from the center of the room which managed to light the whole room. The room also had a standard bathroom and kitchen.

    As they all sat down, Seabastian spoke quietly to Annabelle, "Don't you think that this whole me and you thing is happened at the wrong time? I mean, who really wants to spend their night killing monsters or whatever those things were? Anyways, I think we need to drop it."

    "Yeah, I agree. It's only going to slow things down, what do you think Darius?"

    Damn, caught off guard again, "You're asking the wrong person. Besides, it's not like my opinion will dictate everything you guys do."

    "I just wondered is all, nothing to get upset about," she looked at him and realixed that he didn't look the same. He seemed more flawless, when did he get such a nice face? It was more like the facial perfection of an angel, which was odd, and slightly traitorous of her to think. But, something did seem different about him and it was quite noticable.

    "Yeah, it's ok."

    Seabastian slouched in his chair, "Well, what do you guys make of this whole mess?" Annabelle shook her head and Darius did the same. He kept noticing Annabelle studying Darius, and he managed to hold in a chuckle. It didn't bother him any, it would just be better if things were different, given the circumstances.
     
  7. LoneWolf Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Location:
    Google Earth
    15
    641
    Chapter 18

    "Master, do you have the contact ID for that one anarchist organization... Dark Foundation I believe they're called?" Sergio approached Ten who was typing things on a small device, which to Darius, looked like a cell phone.

    "Yes, and I'm sending them a distress message, they will know who we are. I did some undercover work with them in the past. So until then, we are staying put." Seabastian sighed amd flopped on the bed.

    "So, what if the Infected try to get us in here," Darius asked.

    Ten answered, "They won't, I locked the doors, they don't like to vandalize the glass doors either. So we should be safe for a few days." Seabastian nodded and decided a nap would be a good idea and drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Darius perched himself in front of the window and stood there, surveying the grey sky and horizon. At first glance it seemed like smog, but a closer look reveals that it was actually fog.

    It was ugly, yet beautiful in a vague perspective. Skyscrapers clawed the sky with the dignity of an owl staring its prey down with its big eyes. He noticed every dark alley, bad tar jobs on the roads, and even little plants poking out from the sidewalk. How he noticed these clearly, he did not know.

    His train of thought was interrupted by Annabelle tugging on his arm, "Hey, I need to tell you something." He silently complied and followed her into the other room.

    "What is it?"

    She looked around and then whispered, "I think I know why we're here."

    Darius got interested, "Oh really? Tell me then."

    "Well, I remember falling asleep and waking up here. Something in my head started telling me to not be scared. Everything looked like it would be where we come from. But, here's the thing, I remember picking up a seashell on the beach that was a strange turqouise color. I fell asleep that night and now I'm here."

    Darius pondered on the idea, he didn't remember picking up anything, "I never picked up anything like that. I'm guessing Seabastian picked up something similar?"

    She replied, "Yeah. They looked exactly alike too," she pulled out the seashell from her pocket, "It looked like this."

    Darius examined it carefully, which he almosty immediately identified a strange mark on the inside of the shell. He pointed it out to Annabelle, "See that right there? It must be something connected about this dimension, that's my guess anyways."

    Darius handed back the seashell and turned around and began to walk away, "Wait, I still haven't finished what I was saying yet." He turned around and leaned against the door. Annabelle continued, "Don't try to act untouchable. I'v noticed that you've been like that lately."

    He chuckled, "If you say so. I thought girls liked guys that act untouchable," he cracked a smirk, "Then again. I've been surprised by this place everyday." Darius resumed his stone cold straight face, opened the door, and closed it gently. Annabelle concluded that Darius was going to be a tough nut to crack.

    ***

    It was late that night when Darius woke up from a nightmare. A nightmare about his strange past that he barely knew now. He got up very quietly and opened the slider door to the balcony and closed it quitely. Annabelle was still awake and followed Darius outside onto the balcony.

    "You're awake. That surprises me, you sleep like a rock," Darius said without diverting his gaze.

    "I couldn't sleep, besides, I didn't fiinsh what I was going to say earlier."

    He leaned on the railing, "I'm all ears."

    Annabelle sighed, "Well, Seabastian and me aren't going out anymore. You were there. I knew that he wasn't the person I wanted...."

    Darius finished her sentence, "Let me guess, it's me? I don't know what to say to that. We're in the middle of a crisis here."

    "Yeah," she simply said, looking down at her feet, wondering how things would turn out.