Author's Note

I FUCKED UP HORRIBLY! When I first released this I uploaded the wrong version that had the first draft and the final product.

What I usually do is copy and paste the draft over and rewrite it, I guess I got lazy and did a real bad... oops.

So if you read this before. Please re-read it as I believe I've fixed and and all errors.

-Zyks

Prologue: How It Starts

If you want to test a man’s true character, give him power.
-Abraham Lincoln

We see a man walking down the long roads of his college campus, simply trying to get to his next class before the lecture started. His feet kept dragging on the ground as his tired eyes kept wandering around his environment. He looked at the calming, smooth waves of the Autumn trees as their leafless arms were freely flowing with the cool wisps of the air.

He was so seemingly distracted with the world around him that he failed to notice a girl on her bike rapidly approaching him. It wasn’t until she yelled for him to move that he finally took his eye off that emaculous tree to see the full force of a bike about to hit him head on.

He fell flat on his back and cursed underneath his breath as he felt his chest swell up with pain. Hardly a second later, the girl was on top of him, making sure that he was completely fine and that she didn’t seriously harm him. In his mind, he felt like yelling at the girl, berating her, for being stupid enough to not pull on the breaks.

But yet, as he was being pulled up from the ground, he couldn’t help but admire the absolute beauty of the girl that was in front of him. Of course, being the man that he was, he thought he could ‘woo’ this girl with his 'playful words’.

“This how you greet every guy ya meet?” he said with a prismatic tone as he stood over the girl. The girl simply stared at him for a few seconds, and then put on a smile. Matthew was about to talk more to her, but was instead looking at the girl as she began to pick up the stuff that had fallen out of her backpack when she crashed.

Seeing as his lecture wouldn’t start for another fifteen minutes, he got down on his knees and helped the girl pack up her stuff. Matthew looked at how pretty the girl was, admiring her every bit. Her pretty blonde hair and young pristine face, he was only caught off guard by a small tattoo on her neck.

It was indescribable, no matter how long he looked at it, it almost seemed like it was constantly changing shapes or moving even.

The lady, clapped a hand over her tattoo and looked Matthew directly in the eyes. Matthew, out of embarrassment looked down at the ground stuck to his thoughts. Was he hallucinating? A side effect of going cold turkey? His eyes failing him aalready? He might need to get some reading glasses soon.

And as soon as the duo had picked up every scrap of paper, and forced it back into its domain, the man picked up the bike and was about to walk to his class again before he heard her voice again.

“Listen, I'm sorry about knocking you over, but thanks for helping me with my stuff… uh…”

“Matthew.”

“Well, thanks for helping me with my stuff, Matthew,” She said as she got on her bike. Before she started to peddle away though, she took out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it.

"Here's my number, I believe you'll be needing it," she said while giving Matthew the number. Matthew took the number and looked down at it in surprise. He didn't even flirt with her that much and he still managed to get her number? How? Just as Matthew was about to ask what he did, she began to peddle away to wherever she was going. Leaving Matthew all alone as he walked on the streets of his campus.

Three hours later he was finally walking back towards his apartment. But as he frayed towards the door, his pass faltered and he was about to turn around and leave before he sucked in a large breath and shoved the door open. Once he was inside he noticed his landlord sitting behind her desk with an uninterested look, her eyes turned down as she was reading a thick book. That was until she heard the door slam. She looked up from the book she was reading and her uninterested look turned into a ferocious scowl as she realized who had stepped into her building.

She got off of her chair and was waddling her old legs as she began to walk toward Matthew. Matthew on the other hand began to walk towards the stairs and was mentally preparing himself for another round with his landlord.

“Where is your rent?!” The lady said as she followed Matthew’s footsteps.

“I’m gettin’ it miss Chen,” Matthew said, his mind popping up images of his bank account with nothing but zeroes.

“You are three months behind! You pay it now or I’m kicking you out,” For a small woman who was too old for her own good, she was scarier than a biker gang.

“I told ya before, I don’ have the money now. I’m getting it! I promise, I’ll get the money before the end of the week!” He said, his anger starting to get the better of him.

This banter between these two individuals would continue for three floors and four rooms before Matthew unlocked the door and slammed it in his landlord's face. But even then, he could still hear her yelling at him through the thin walls of the building. His back slowly slid down the door as she continued to yell at him. He kept listening to her shouting as he sat there, his eyes closed as he was trying to shut himself away from the rest of the world.

About three minutes later he finally noticed the lack of screaming coming from behind him. He opened his eyes and breath heavily as he knew he was going to get kicked out eventually.

“Until then,” He said to himself.

“I’m gonna call myself a girl,” He said as he let his backpack drop off of his shoulders and pulled out his phone, one of the few services he could still buy. He punched in the digits and waited.

“Uh hello?” Said a young girls voice.

“Hey! What’s up! It’s… Uhh… The guy you bumped into” Matthew said, his nerves starting to get the best of him.

“Oh… Hey! Uhhh, how are you doing? Greg?” The girl said, enthusiastic.

“Uh… Matthew,” Matthew said, his nerves getting the best of him.

“Matthew! Right! Sorry!”

“And I didn’t really get your name.”

“Kate.”

“Kate! Well, it’s nice talking to you.”

“So, howya doing?” Kate asked.

“I’m doing fine, I uh, was just wondering if we could, ya know, talk a bit. Just… get to know each other… You seemed to be in a hurry.”

“Uh, yeah. Didn’t want to miss… Chem,” The girl said with noticeable delay.

“Yeah, I feel ya, I almost miss classes with how far they are from each other. I swear it’s so stupid to make a stupid walk half the campus to get to the other side.”

“Yeah, I feel like it’s stupid that I have to do that when I’m an anthropology major. That's why I got the bike!”

“Damn, maybe I should invest in a bike… Fucking wish I had more money though… That would help…”

“Hey man, I know how that feels. I always have my stash when things get a bit too hectic.”

“Whatcha got?”

“Oh, the usual stuff. Weed, Coke, Molly. Some other shit when it gets REALLY bad.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know maaaan. But it is some good shit… You do any?”

“... No, I don’t… Never have.”

“Shit man, why don’t you come down here? We can smoke some weed… Or I can give you this blue pill shit. Gives you a high that lasts for days,” she said, Matthew stood there unresponsive for a minute. Musta been a new drug, Matthew’s never heard of anything like this before and it was making him start to question things. It’s been a hectic few months… Why shouldn’t he? It’d only be one time.

He looked down at his hands and saw them starting to shake… Just one little itch to calm down.

“... Sure.”

“Great, now, you’re going to want to write this down because the address is a bit long,” Not even thinking Matthew grabbed his backpack and ripped out a piece of paper from its binding as well as a pen to write down the information.

He soon hung up the phone and put the piece of paper in his pocket. Before he pulled out a textbook from his back and began to read up on the chapters he needed to study for the test he had tomorrow.

But that phone call still haunted his mind, plagued it with images of his drugged out state of mind.

Before starting his reading, he looked at a wall, upon it he saw his sobriety award. It was contained in a small glass case, newly bought and proudly on his nightstand.

Three years.

He stared at it for a while, remembering all the shit he had gone through before and all the shit he had done to get out of it. All the pain and torment he went through with his family…

His family that kicked him out… His family that screamed and yelled when they didn’t get their way for a second… His family that demeaned him for everything he did and made him feel useless. His family that made him break up with a girl cause she broke her sobriety patch FOR ONE NIGHT-

The glass pane holding his award suddenly cracked, the air seeming to fluctuate around Matthew.

“Goddammit! Not again!” Matthew said, no sooner did he get up to see the damage he caused.

“This is fourth fucking time this month!” He continued, holding up the broken case in his hands.

Matthew stared at it for a bit, biting his lip in anger. He didn’t know what to do. What would his mom say? What would his dad say? If they saw his apartment and how messy it was, who knows what-

Matthew’s concerned face fell off. He looked away from the medal and out his window, perhaps thinking about his parents, or the girl he bumped into earlier today. But no sooner did he let go of the medal and floated it in mid-air.

He held it there for a couple of seconds, just staring at it. Seeing the small broken pieces of glass float with it.

Not a second later did he throw it into a nearby trash can.

What good’s a medal if no one appreciates it.

Matthew was currently sitting in a bus, looking at the piece of paper he had written on to be his guide as the bus driver was driving him further away from his homestead. He had went to college, wrote down notes, took a test, and looked up where he was supposed to go on one of the school's computers.

He was currently waiting for the bus to make one final stop before he would have to get off and walk the rest of the way. And so it did. The bus had driven out to one final stop and he, and him alone, got off the bus. He was thankful that his college I.D. gave him free bus privileges.

But as soon as the bus had driven off into the distance, he was soon walking towards the direction he thought the deal was going down. And so he walked, and walked, and walked. But through his tireless effort, he finally made it to a lonely little home that sat far away from the rest of the houses that made up the small town.

He looked at its peeling yellow paint as the sun burnt its creaking wooden surface. Matthew soon had walked up its rickety wooden stairs and knocked on the doors surface. And so he waited. And waited he did. He waited so long that his skinny legs began to cramp up. He waited so long that the sun had began to pass under the earth’s crust. He had waited so long that he was just about ready to leave “this hoxe of a deal” when all of a sudden, the door had parted slightly from its frame.

And Matthew looked at the door frame to see a small face, as brown as dirt, poking its head out of the doors corner. The face looked him up and down, and scrutinized every single fiber of Matthew’s being. And when the unknown man opened the door to reveal his colossal body, Matthew was afraid of what would happen next. It wasn’t until the man had walked outside that Matthew felt terror. This man, this one single man, had to be seven feet tall, but still had enough muscles to ripple through his body.

“You the guy?”

“... I… think?” Matthew answered, unsure of how to answer the tall ass man.

“You got a wire?”

“Does it look like I have a goddamn wire?”

“I don’t like your attitude…”

“I don’t have a wire.

“Get in,” The tall man backed up into the house and Matthew followed swiftly inside. He was greeted by 7 others. All of them were wearing hoods and robes of some sort, their faces covered fully due to the dark. The only person who didn’t wear a hood, instead wearing some sort of modified plague doctor mask.

Matthew looked between them all, unsure of what was happening. His head suddenly snapped behind him as he heard the door slam shut. He turned around again unto the new group of strangers.

“Brothers and sisters! We have with us a new sacrifice!” The plague doctor man said, his voice echoing around the house.

“Sacrifice?” Matthew said, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Brother Atrix, if you would…” The plague doctor man said. The bulking man at the door then slammed Matthew into the ground with great force, pinning him down.

“Sister Kasandra… You’ve chosen a most excellent sacrifice!”

“He was an easy target, my lord,” A voice Matthew recognized seemed to speak up.

Matthew was barely able to turn his head but when he did, he saw the girl from yesterday. But it was different. She was older, her hair had grayed out, her skin has formed wrinkles and her eyes had become milky white. If it wasn’t for her voice, Matthew wouldn’t even be sure it was Kate.

“Fuck me! What is this shit!” Matthew screamed out, trying and failing to struggle his way out of Atrix’s grip.

“Fear not child!” The plague doctor said. “You are giving your life unto greatness! Unto a new age!” As the plague doctor finishes his sentence a handful of robed men and woman grab pouches out of nowhere and start to pour salt onto the ground. While others light candles around. With Matthew and Atrix being in the center of it.

“No! NO! PLEASE STOP!” Matthew screamed out, fear starting to come out of his voice.

“Be calm, child! You know not of what is to come!” The plague doctor screamed out, pulling out a knife sacrificial knife from his pocket.

“What kind of cult shit is this?! I just wanted to get high for fucks sake!” Matthew screamed out, still trying to pull himself out from underneath Atrix.

“Atrix, remove yourself from the sacrifice…” The plague doctor commanded. Atrix let go of Matthew and the second he did Matthew tried his best to bolt upright and run. He was met with a resounding thud as he ran head first into a barrier and fell right on his ass.

In front of Matthew was a slightly visible shield, glowing purple and radiating power. Atrix seemed to be able to move between the shield without any problem. Matthew could only stare at it.

“... What the fuck?” Was the only response he could think of.

“Now my brothers and sisters! We call upon our gods!” The plague doctor said. Not a moment later, did they start to chant some incantation. Their words mixing together and sounding like some sort of demonic ritual.

“STOP! PLEASE! I CAN JUST GO! I’LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO GET HIGH OFF OF!” Matthews' cries fell on deaf ears as their chant continued on. The salt that has been laid on the ground, forming an indescribable shape has caught a blaze underneath Matthew, singing his pants.

“This isn’t funny! This is NOT FUNNY! STOP THIS!” Matthew tried to call out again and again to the cultists, but they still continued their chanting. Matthew’s rage starting to form between his fists as he clenched his fingers together, his eyes welling up with tears of fear and anger as he was getting more and more furious, a noticeable stillness in the air building up. When suddenly.

“I SAID STOP!” Matthews' voice broke out. The cultists stopped their chanting to suddenly find themselves being tossed onto the floor. Matthew’s power slammed into them like a truck as they are flinged across the room, throwing over furniture and breaking through windows as they fly away.

Matthew looks around him, confused as to what he’s just done then down to his hands. He’s never done that before. Is it powered by rage? Fear? Emotions? He wasn’t quite sure.

“YOU FOOL!” Matthew looks up to the plague doctor, his mask flying off to reveal his true face. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

“What?” Matthew said, only realizing in that moment that the symbol underneath him has started to twist and warp the wood he stood on. It was as if the very fabric of reality was being changed. Matthew tried to run away from it but found himself being stuck in place by the same shield as before.

“What spell did you cast, child?!” The plague doctor screamed out.

“Cast?! What?! I don’t- Just get me out of here!” Matthew said, the floor beneath him changing color now, a small black hole has formed in the middle and is starting to spread.

“You’ve doomed us all! I’d rather see you burn in the pits of hell!” The plague doctor said, shortly there after raising his hands up towards the salt of the floor. And with a few mumbled words under his breath, the salts catch ablaze, rising even higher and consuming all withinside the shield. Matthew’s screams of agony seemed to reverberate around the house, as the fire consumed him more and more. “We both will die… But you will suffer a fate FAR WORSE THAN DEATH!”

The floor of twisted wood has grown even further, the dark abyss seeming to continue growing our further and further, until finally it reached Matthew. Matthew, whose skin seems to be boiling on the surface and his flesh slowly turning to charcoal. Matthew didn’t even register falling through the hole all he could think about was the immense pain he was.

The second a being fell through the darkness, it sealed itself back up. Whatever had happened seemingly reversing itself as though it didn’t swallow a man.

The cultists that were there could only look in horror at what they saw, what had become of their sacrifice. The plague doctor grabbed the broken mask and put it back on, angrier than before.

“Wherever he is… whatever place he has gone to… I know it will be more tortuous than what we humans can do…”