Chapters I pick my revolver up from its spot on next to the elevator. Attempting to twirl it around my finger absolutely fails, so I just put it in regularly. I walk into the elevator itself and press the button to go to the basement.
It’s only been a week since I’ve returned. That surge of power from fighting the Emperor seems to have drained me. I don’t shoot as good, I don’t shoot as fast. Seems like it fed off of my skills and speed, I’m definitely lacking in those two compartments compared to before.
I still think I have enough skill for whatever might be through the portal Twilight made.
The elevator doors open, leading to the basement laboratory. Quite a big place now, with space made for the portal to be built. Scientists sit all around, making sure everything runs smoothly. In the middle of them is Twilight Sparkle herself.
I walk through the crowd to her, and stop near her, “So, Twilight, you needed me?”
She nods, “Well, I feel you should be the leader of the squad led through the portal.”
I nod, “Alright. And this portal? Where does it lead?”
She cringes a bit, before putting on a sheepish smile, “Well, you remember whenever I said I needed a scrap of your duster for Rarity?”
I cock an eyebrow from behind my mask, “Yes?”
She looks down slightly, “And you also remember whenever I said I could track your magical energy to Earth?”
I slightly nod, before slamming my hand into my forehead, “Twilight...”
She nods towards the portal, “Through there is Earth, Survivor. We are connecting both worlds. You can visit your family and kind again!” She jumps a little into the air.
I sigh, “Twilight, did I never tell you what happened to Earth? There’s a reason why I don’t want to go back.” I lean down, right in front of her, “Put it simply; everything is dead. Earth burned, Twilight. I am the Survivor for a reason. The only thing there now is the mark of our legacy, cities, monuments, and technology.”
She backs up slightly, before looking down, “I’m sorry, Survivor. I didn’t know. I can close it-“
I interrupt her, “No, no, this still presents and opportunity. If a team could grab the proper things, we could advance your world into a new age.”
She looks right at me, “Well, we have the team. But they don’t know what to get.”
The marching of hooves echoes through the room as ten Royal Guards move through the crowd, before stopping and saluting me, “Sir!”
She at them, “They were hoof-picked by my brother, the best of the best. But they need a leader for the unknown territory.”
I breathe deeply, thinking for a bit, “And that leader would be me. Wouldn’t it?”
She nods, “If you are up to it. Think about all that could be done! From what you’ve told me, this technology is near unheard of!”
I rub my hands over my mask, “You don’t know what you ask of me, Twilight. I still have nightmares about what happened. You don’t know what it’s like to know your entire family is dead. I don’t know if I could bare looking at their corpses.”
Twilight looks away, “You don’t have to, we can send them in and hope they succeed. If you so wish, you can stay behind.”
I shake my head, “No, no, no. I have to do this. To have some closure at the least.”
She smiles, “Your squad waits.”
I look over at the group of ten, “No, they aren’t coming. They haven’t faced these horrors, and I would never subject them to it. They’re too innocent.”
All the guards tilt their heads, still in unity. Twilight does the same, “Then who will go with you?”
I hear a pop from behind me, “Seems like your forgetting about me!”
I turn around, to see Discord there. Twilight voices her opinion, “What makes you think you can go, Discord?”
He slithers around the floor, until he is right next to her, “See, Sparkle, I’ve been there. I saw the death first hand, remember who saved Survivor here? Believe me, that event was horrid, but I can still stand it. These little ponies that call themselves soldiers would faint at the first sight of the skeletons. Plus, Spirit of Chaos and everything. I would like to think I carry more power than these ten, even if I’m weaker on that world.”
I nod, “He’s right Twilight. He’s far better suited for the job than your guards. So, Discord, want to come?”
He nods, and wraps a gas mask around his head, “Ready and willing!”
Twilight sighs, “Fine, if you wish to take him along.” She then activates her magic, and brings some small devices into existence, “Carry these, they’ll make it so we can communicate.”
I take one, and put it into my inner pocket, “How do they do that?”
She smiles at the chance to explain something, “They connect to the magical signature of the owner, me, and of the carrier, you two. With the signatures connected, it allows communication whenever magic is activated near it.”
I nod, “And where exactly are we going to come out?”
She sighs, “Well, I employed help from Zecora on this, so the position is told to us through a riddle. Said you’ll land, ‘where tree and sun shine, limestone mine, where the mouse was really made, and gators within the ‘glade’. Now, I have no idea, but you probably do.”
I nod, “Florida. The Sunshine State with lots of limestone, Disneyland, and a serious problem with alligators within the Everglades. Where I lived, where my family died. Of course it was Florida.”
She reaches out a hoof, “Good luck, Survivor. I hope you can find closure. I will be able to help you as well. Watch Discord out there.”
He leans in, “I’m right here you know.”
I nod, and smile behind my mask, “Come on Discord, off we go.”
We both walk away from Twilight, and towards the glowing white portal. I stop right in front of it, take a deep breath, and walk through.
I’m deposited a foot in the air, and land on the hard tar beneath me. I can hear a meaty smack as Discord flops on the ground. I look at him pick himself up, “You fell?”
He shrugs, “Not my fault I’m weaker here. No life, no Chaos. In case you forgot, I need that.” He somehow slithers around himself to clean himself off, “Where are we anyway?”
I turn to face further down the street, only to see a sight too familiar, “Home. It’s Egret Drive. Home!”
I immediately start to run down the street. In the direction of a dark beige house. A place surprisingly together. Home.
I can hear panting from my side as Discord runs along with me, “I definitely don’t remember- oh Larson I hate running- don’t remember these houses looking this way!”
I continue at my fast pace down the winding road. The house grows bigger and bigger as I near it. Until, I stand on the driveway. I stare at the edifice I lived my life in five years ago. I look to my side as Discord leans down, panting, “Not very athletic, are you?”
He gathers his breath, “There’s something slowing me down here. It’s in the air, all over the buildings as well. Harmony magic, tastes the same as the kind that traveled out in that big blast about two months back.”
My eyes widen a slight bit, “You’re saying that the magic from me and my friends reuniting the Elements repaired all these buildings?”
He stretches up again, and looks around, “Well, you were one of the Bearers. That magic carried bits of your will, along with its own. You must have thought of Earth, because it seems that it repaired Earth. It left its mark as well, making all of Earth carry Harmony magic. Quite bad for a creature of Chaos, as you can probably guess. My abilities have been cut in half.”
I stare at him a bit more, “You knew this, yet you came?”
He nods, “I can still use some magic. And if it’s comes down to it, I have claws for a reason. Beside, I couldn’t just let you face this all alone. Now, come on, we have things to do.”
I nod, “They’ll need to be buried.”
I walk up the pathway to my door, and open it without issue. I enter, and find the house exactly as it was before the nukes. To my left lies the computer room, with our two computers within it. To my right is the foyer, coffee table covered in dust. I walk forward, and step off the raised platform where the door lies. I move forward, past the wooden staircase to the upper floor that houses my brothers room, along with mine. I walk up to the back door, the t.v room to my left, and the kitchen open to my right. On a couch near the television is an unassuming tablet with a pair of earbuds leading out of it. I pick up the tablet, wiping the dust off of it. I open it up, and see the music app still open, showing an image of a white elephant. I close the app, and turn off the tablet.
I turn to see Discord looking around, “So this is where you lived. It’s a beautiful place, truely.”
I nod, and hand him the tablet, “Store this, with the upmost care.”
He takes it, and snaps it away. He looks around some more, “Where are their bodies?”
I shrug, “Gone, apparently. Might just be because of the Harmony magic.”
He frowns, “Harmony magic shouldn’t be able to do that. Is there anything you want me to do?”
I nod, “Go to the back, through my parents bedroom. Enter the bathroom, go to the furthest closet. There will be a gun there, don’t damage it.”
He nods, “Alright. And where will you go?”
I look up the staircase to my now right, and take the first step, “Up.”
He nods, and takes off to the back.
I walk up the stairs, the same path I used to take every night. I reach the top shortly, and turn to my left. Behind me is the toy room, nothing good there. I walk up the three wooden stairs until I step on the carpeted floor of the upstairs hallway. I decide to check my brothers room first, and walk to the end of the hall.
I step into that room, and look around. A picture of his graduation, the Airsoft AK-47 that broke five days after he got it, the twin spelling out his name, ‘Kendrick’. I lean down, and pick up his favorite item. His saber. Spent two hundred on this at a reenactment, after he convinced his friends to pitch in. I take the well kept saber out of its holder, and twirl it around. I put it back in, and strap it to my back.
I turn around, and enter into the hallway again. The floor creaks when I walk over it, as it always did. I turn to my right, and walk into my old room.
The yellow walls all encapsulate a large, brown bed in the center of the room. Near where my mask used to sit is the broken wooden sword I broke with a friend, and the stick that broke it next to it. A wooden shield with a unicorn on the front, only staples hold the two halves of the broken shield together. It lies next to the sword, and the stick that broke both of them.
My bookshelf that only reaches halfway my hight. Filled to the brim with book, the Warriors series by Erin Hunter, 12 Rules For Life by Jordon Peterson, Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan. On top lies my Pinewood Derby carts, and a carbon racer made for school. A yearbook next to it, open to the back page my asshole friends drew swastikas over. The cunts, best friends I had back then. I would kill just to see them once more. The other five, Discord, they beat these bunch by a lot. But, that doesn’t mean they weren’t my best friends.
*Bang!*
I jump slightly when I hear a bang from my closet. I turn to face the off-white double doored, and quite large closet. I walk over with slight caution, and open it.
As soon as it’s opened, I’m pouneced by something that forces me into the wall next to me. I hold off the thing with one hand, and grasp for any weapon with the other. I find purchase on a rough wooden handle. I grab the object, and bring it onto the head of the thing attacking me.
The swing knocks it over, and I instantly start to pummel it’s head with the stick I have grasped. The stick continued to keep its legacy of breaking things as it splatters into the brains of the thing.
I pull the stick out, and place it next to it’s other two, less alive, victims. I then get a chance to properly look at what I just killed.
I lean down, and look at the thing. It’s human... but not. Skin is a sick color. Eyes, what’s left of them, are pure white. Not even any red. Clothes are torn, and some skin is peeling off. I remember seeing something like this. A zombie.
*creak*
I hear the floorboards creak, and hear the sound of strings. A heavily accented voice speaks out, “Don’t move, demon.”
I slowly rise, and turn around. My eyes widen in shock when I see a man standing there. Someone seemingly around my age, with red-ish skin, very tribal clothing, and a bow pointed at me with an arrow nooked in. He pulls the bow back, “Give me a reason not to kill you, demon.”
I scrunch my face up in confusion, “Demon? I can assure you, I’m not some demon.”
He shakes his head, “A face of a bird, talk without moving your mouth, dark figure, and quite imposing. Seems like the demons I’ve been told about. Give me a reason not to shoot you.”
I sigh a slight bit, “Because I’m not a demon?”
He pulls the bow back even more, “Exactly what a demon would say.”
I ready myself, he’s not willing to listen to reason, “Well, I have a very good reason.”
I lunge forward, and knock his bow aside as he fires. The arrow intended for me ends up buried in my bedframe as I take advantage of the mans lack of weapons.
I take hold of his arm with the bow, and twist it until he drops it. Then I take the same arm and go around his back, wrapping another arm around his neck. I take his face, and put all my weight into my next blow. I smash his head down onto a desk, and he is knocked unconscious with that one blow. I let his body drop to the floor.
Then, I feel cool metal press against the back of my head, “Don’t move. You move, you die.”
I hold my hands in the air, “You sure this is wise? You did see what I did to him, right?”
The old voice speaks again, “I would like to think I could hold better then him.”
I smile, “Let’s test that.”
I twirl around, using my elbows to knock his gun away. Unlike the last guy, he lets his gun go flying with a single shot sounding out. He backs up away from me, and flicks a knife out from his pocket.
I complete my twirl, facing him and flicking out my karambit. After spinning it on my finger, I lie my hand in a backwards grip. The curved blade faces toward my opponent as I get a chance to study him. A green beret with a yellow patch covers the probably grey hair that his grey beard leads to. He wears a green coat with a white undershirt. The soldier look is completed by a cigarette hanging out his mouth.
He rushes me with his knife, swiping it at my body from the side. I raise my knife up to block it, deflecting it with the curved blade. He adapts to the change, and brings it at a horizontal blow to my head. I duck beneath the blow, and lunge at his neck with the tip of my blade.
He jumps back, dodgeing my blow and taking advantage of my over extension. He brings the blade down, assuming a headsman position over my head. I slip my pinkie into the safety ring of the knife, and twirl it up to meet his. The momentum of my spinning blade hits his knife, and sends it flying. Coincidentally, the blow also forced the knife off of my finger.
Both of our blades go flying, far beyond our brawl. Without skipping a beat, the both of us put up our fists. My hands protected by the gloves on them, his by callouses and experience.
I lash out with a quick jab at his face, to wich he moves his head to the side. He takes the opportunity, and hits me with a jab of his own right into my chest. My previously fat, now lean, frame takes the blow in stride. I twist on my foot to provide a left hook to his head. He ducks under, right into a uppercut my other hand is doing. The blow strikes him on the chin, slightly hurting my hand, but also sending his head flying up. The momentum from the blow sends him staggering back, closer to the door.
I take the opportunity, and move in to assault him with more blows. I direct a jab to his face, but he catches it with his hand, and twists my hand aroud. Not wanting my hand to break, I kick him in the shins with my hard boot. He lets go in pain.
I decide that kicking his shins seems like a really good idea now. I lash out with one leg, but it turns out his pain was a bluff. He sweeps his leg under my other leg, sending me crashing to the ground. He hops on top of me and starts to rain blows down. He is also smart enough to avoid the beak. One to the right, one to the left, another to the right, repeat. Luckily, my helmet is padded and hard enough that his blows don’t do much damage. But, the wind is still knocked out of me.
I catch my breath, and manage to push him off me. He stumbles back as I rise.
We both get to our feet, and stare at each other. We’ve both taken blows, but still ready to fight. That is, until a knife finds itself on the back of his neck. A knife attached to a gun. A gun held by eagle talons, “Stop it, right now.”
Discord holds the Type 99 with confidence, the bolt securely down, and the gun ready to fire. The man holds his hands up, “I surrender. Can we aggre to stop fighting and talk?”
I sigh a breath of relief, “Yes. That’s all I wanted to do. But, you forced my hand. Well, the Native here forced my hand.”
He nods, and starts moving into the room once more, “Right, that shot I fired off is going to attract all the dead in the area. I can take you back to our base, we will talk there. Grab your knife, and grab the boy if you don’t mind. I need to see if I can find any medicine around here.”
I nod, and grab my knife from the middle of the bed, where it landed. I flick it closed, and put it away, “Why do you need medicine?”
He picks up his knife as well, “We have a sick man.”
I lean down, and throw the Native over my shoulder, “No need to worry about medicine. I can help him.”
He looks over at me, “What, you a doctor?”
I start to go out the room, “I’m Survivor, the chimera is Discord. Come on, old man, you said the dead are coming!”
He grumbles as he follows me after picking up his M16, “Bill, not ‘old man’. Remember that this ‘old man’ almost beat you in a fight.”
I nod, “Yeah, yeah, that’s why I have Discord. Come on, Discord, we are leaving now!”
He snaps the rifle out of existence, into whatever void he stores stuff in, “Yeah, I got it!”
I rush down the stairs, not missing a single step due to all my practice. I rush to the front door, and open the door. With the others following me, we exit. Bill rushes past me as he jogs down the street, “Come on, this way!”
I stop for a second on the driveway, looking back at home. This is probably the last time I can ever see it again. It’s color, it’s smells, the memories. My parents, I can almost see their ghosts on the doorstep. Glowing silver, and outlined in my bright blue.
They’re waving me off, smiles on their faces. Allowed one last trip from Paradise to properly say goodbye to their son. Kendrick, he’s not there. I imagine if he was, he would moan about me living longer than him. The idiot, who sacrificed himself at school. I can only hope he is in Paradise as well, rewards for what he did. If Chem didn’t put him there, he will feel pain.
I look at my parents as they stand on that porch in front of the door. Sadly smiling, even Dad smiles, the strict father he was, always pushing me to greatness. Mom smiles, always supporting me in my endeavors, even if they might not be the greatest. I give them one last nod, and feel my eyes tear up, “Goodbye.”
They both disappear, floating off into the sky. The sky blasts out a bright silver when they reach the clouds, and behind the clouds is the bright blue sky. Discord stares at them as well as they float away, “I’m sure they were beautiful people, and they are going to enjoy a good afterlife. But, we have to get going!”
I smile at the house one last time, committing every moment I lived in it to memory.
Then, I turn and run down the street.
Sorry Mom and Dad, every kid has to grow up and leave who they were behind. I can only hope you will smile upon me for the rest of my life. Know who you raised, the two you raised. Kendrick who sacrificed himself. And me, who Survives.
We rush down the sidewalk, fast, yet quiet. We rush next to a strip mall when Bill turns to his side, “Into the Subway, hurry!”
Discord and I turn on a dime as he opens the door to the Subway. We rush through behind him, before the door is slammed behind us, and two people push a table in front of it. They turn to face us as I put down the unconscious body. One of them speaks, “There are more?”
Bill leans on a wall, “Yep.”
I hear a different voice speak up, a English one, “What kind of creature is that?”
“Discord, Spirit of Chaos.”
I stand up, and face the two at the table. One man wearing bronze and red armor, Roman look to him. The other wears a silver armor, and a helmet with its visor flicked up, almost like a knight out of a storybook. He looks right at me, “Do you trust this Spirit, good doctor?”
I nod, “Discord can be trusted. Come on now, I heard you had an injured man.”
The knight leans off the table, and starts to walk deeper into the store, “Follow me, good doctor, he’s down here.”
I follow after him as he travels to the back of the store, where a bunch of beds are set up. On a bed in the corner is a black man wearing a blue polo with a white undershirt. Standing next to him is a little girl in a red hoodie. And apparently tending to the man is a black girl wearing a simple white shirt.
I walk up to them, my boots clicking against the tile. The woman taking care of the man stands up, and faces towards me. The knight speaks from behind me, “Move out of the way, Whisper, we have someone who can actually take care of him.”
She glares at me as I stop a few steps away from them.
The man speaks from behind me again, “You can trust him. Now move, the good doctor shall take care of him.”
She doesn’t move.
A faint voice speaks from behind her, “Let him through... Whisper.”
She relents, and moves to the side, keeping a close eye on me.
I nod my thanks, and take the last few steps towards the sick man. I take a knee right in front of him, “What’s your name?”
He sighs out, “Lee...”
I nod, “You look quite sick Lee, seems like your burning up with a fever. Where’s the injury?”
He slowly looks down at his arm.
I follow his eyes, and see the wound on his arm, “That’s quite the nasty bite, must’ve hurt. Looks human, probably from one of the zombies.” I switch lenses to try and see the infection, “Hmm, I can’t seem to identify it. Neurological, viral, not identified. Alright, Lee, I need to take a sample. That means cutting some skin off.”
I hear a little gasp to my side, and turn my head to see it was the little girl who gasped.
I smile at her from behind my mask, “Don’t worry, it won’t damage him permanently. Just some temporary pain to solve this illness. I do suggest you turn away for the next part.”
I turn back to Lee. I take my knife out from it’s holder, and flick out the blade. He looks at the knife, “A bit... unorthodox.”
I nod, “You gotta use what you have. Alright, this is going to hurt. On three.”
I get the knife right near, “Three.”
I cut off a small piece of skin, and grimace along with him. The girl gasps again, didn’t turn around.
My mask opens from the right side. A peatry dish comes out of my mask, and I put the sample within. My mask whirs around for a bit, before the side opens up again. It hands me a syringe filled with a blue liquid.
I take the syringe, and roll up Lee’s sleeve. When I find a good vein, I inject the syringe in.
I smile at Lee, “There you go, should be fine by tomorrow.”
I stand up, and back off as the little girl goes to him. I reach up, and give the syringe back to my mask, to be kept full for a later date.
I turn, and take a door to the roof. I walk up a few flights of steps before stopping on the edge of the roof.
I stare into the distance, the Florida sunset. The sky thrown into a beautiful mix of violets and oranges. A cool breeze rushes by, signifying the season to be Winter.
I hold up my hand, and run some magic through it, “Come in Twilight, come in.”
She responds, her voice sounding like it was right next to my ear, “Reporting in, Survivor. Anything for us to document for today?”
I speak back, “Way too many things. Landed in my old neighborhood. We secured a tablet and a gun to bring back. Discovered that the world is now being roamed by zombies-“
She interrupts, “Zombies!? Like, undead creatures brought back to life?!”
I look over the parking lot below us where said undead roam, “The undead, walkers, biters, geeks, Romero’s kids, whatever you want to call them. Basically, we need a portal as soon as possible. One to fit, say, nine.”
She responds, “Nine?”
I nod, even though she can’t see it, “There are others. Survivors.”
She takes a while before responding again, “Alright, we can get it set up by tomorrow to tell you where to go.”
I nod again, “Good. Survivor out.”
I cancel my magic, and she goes silent.
With the silence, I can hear the metal boots walk up to me. The knight leans against the roof like me, “What do you think, good doctor? Is this the Plauge?”
I shake my head, “No, this is something completely different. Black Death killed, this thing controls and resurrects.”
He looks over the zombies, “Than what caused this? Was this the Earth’s Judgment by God? Was I summoned here to see what our sinful ways would do?”
I sigh, “I don’t think this is an act of God. I know it isn’t. Things I’ve seen, I know one doesn’t exist. At least, not that one. No, this was caused by one of us. Lee was infected when he came into here, carried the disease to every body here.”
He points out to different zombies, “But look! They’re all decomposed! What happened to cause there to be so many bodies to begin with? What could cause this other than the wrath of God?”
I look over at him, “Humans, we caused this. In the race to have the better weapons, we eliminated the world. Everyone died, except one.”
He looks at me as well, “How do you know this, good doctor? This entire land is foreign and strange.”
I sigh, “This land is my home. I know this, because I am the Survivor. Don’t call me ‘good doctor’, I am Survivor.”
He nods, “I’m Sir Palmer, good to meet you.”
I humm, “Sir Palmer? Strange, I have the same last name. Well, Sir, welcome to Florida, the Sunshine State.”
He smiles at me, “And welcome to the group, Survivor. Come, it gets darker. I’ll set something up for you and the Spirit.”
I smile back, and we both start to walk back, “That sounds good.”
That is, until I had the sensation of being watched.
I turn around, and see a zombie starring at me in the distance, “What?”
He turns around as well, “Oh, him. He’s different than the others. Just stands there, and watches us. Wears strange armor as well. Moves sometimes, but he moves more like a man than one of them.”
I switch to a magnifying lense, and get a closer look at him. He wears a hockey mask, with red lines on it, and a scar in the upper right portion of it. He wears some type of coat, with black clothes on everywhere else. The most intimidating thing is the machete he carries in his hand. I can see him grip it as he stares at me. All the zombies just ignore him, and he just glares at me.
I shudder, and turn around, “Right, let’s get to setting up our stuff.”
The black void of sleep fades in an instant. My sightless body becomes corporeal. I look around the dreamscape I am now in.
A boiler room? Quite a detailed one as well.
In fact, everything here is way too detailed. I can feel the heat radiating off the machinery, can see scrapes on the metal. I can feel myself start to sweat from the heat. I can feel my mask and gloves as if I was actually here. The floor below my boots feels like an actual metal floor.
This is something like Luna would be able to do, but this isn't work. If it was, it would be a grassy field or something else like that.
*Bang!*
I hear a very loud crashing noise in the distance, and a deep and guttural voice laughs out, “Let’s make this one a fastball, bitch!”
I then see a body come flying down my way. I squeeze myself against a boiler as it flies past me, and impales itself on a piece of metal.
I look at it, and see it is the zombie from outside. The thing looks down at the piece of metal going through him, and pulls himself off it. His hockey masked face then snaps right to me. He tilts his head in a very animalistic way, as if assessing my nature. He flicks out his machete, and starts to approach me slowly.
Or, he was. It is harder for him to move when he was impaled by a pole from above. He looks down at the pole, before looking to it’s origin. Standing on top of a boiler is a man, wearing a red and green striped shirt, and a fedora on top of a heavily scarred face.
The thing impaled by the pole takes a swing at him with his machete, but he just laughs, “You can’t kill dreams, Jason! But this dream’s gonna kill you!”
The newly named Jason rips the pole out of his body, and turns to face me. He raises his machete into the air.
He’s about to bring it down when the man on the boiler exclaims, “What is that? He’s not supposed to be here!”
It seems Jason hesitates for a second when he hears that, giving me enough time to push him away. He staggers away, before seemingly stealing his decision to kill me. He raises his machete again.
Only, he’s interrupted when a bucket of water is splashed on him. Actually, not water, gasoline. A match is thrown onto him, setting him on fire. The fedora wearing man jumps down, and slaps Jason across the room, “I’ll deal with you later, bitch.”
I look as the hulk of a man is sent flying, before looking back at the fedora wearing man, “What is going on? Who are you?”
He leans against a boiler, clicking finger-knives against it, “Well, I was teaching Jason here about respecting his betters. The bitch had the audacity to kill me when I saved him. Then, you interrupted.” He leans off it, and approaches me, “Who the hell are you who can intrude in my world?”
I ready one hand near my knife, “Survivor. I was sent to Earth to find technology. Now, I’m freeing any who are still alive. I don’t know how I ended up here, but I can offer you a trip to a safe place, a different world.”
He narrows his eyes, “Another world, you say? Do the people on this planet sleep?”
I nod, “That they do.”
He slowly nods, “Alright, I’ll come along. I’m Freddy, Freddy Krueger. Pleasure to meet you, Survivor.”
He offers me a sharp hand, but I take it, “Same.”
He smiles a very sick smile, “Now, I have a bitch to teach lessons to. So, you can leave.”
I nod, and the entire room fades into the black void of sleep again.
I awake from my slumber, and look around. Bill stands near the door, leaning back against the wall. It would seems as if the others are waking as well. In fact, next to Bill is the native american I knocked out yesterday. I pick myself off the inflatable mattress I slept on, and walk over to him, “Hey.”
He nods back, “Hello. I apologize for yesterday’s actions, I thought you were a demon. Can we put it behind us?”
He offers a hand, which I take, “I’m Survivor.”
He shakes, and nods, “Twin Blade. Pleasure to meet you. Good to see any face in this horrid world.”
I smile, “We won’t have to worry about that for much longer.”
Bill snorts out a laugh from beside me, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
I look at him, “Well, I was sent here on a mission to scavenge technology from my old world. We needed a way back, so I requested a portal for all of us.”
He shakes his head, “Where is it then?”
I glare at him a bit more, “This takes time to set up. Magic is a very complex art.”
He laughs again, “Magic? Don’t expect to get me to believe in a fairytale, son.”
I shake my head, “You don’t need to believe, old man. I will have location by this afternoon.”
He snorts, and shakes his head, “Yeah, whatever.”
I sigh, and turn around. Twin Blade puts his hand on my shoulder, “Be patient with Bill, he just wants to protect us.”
I nod, and he lets go of my shoulder.
I look at the people waking up, and see the girl from yesterday missing. I mentally shrug, and decide to go on the roof again.
I emerge on the rooftop, and see that she is leaning against the edge like I was yesterday. I walk up, making sure my boots make sound, and look over the rising sun next to her.
We stand like that for a bit, just looking at the rising Floridain sun. Bright blue skies filled with puffy white clouds float about, but make way for the sun.
I finally speak, “You’ve got some history, haven't you? Don’t speak in order to try to disconnect from reality.”
She looks over at me, and raises an eyebrow.
I continue on, “I’m the same way, you know. Wear this mask to create a barrier between myself and reality. So who am I to judge?”
She just looks back at the lot in front of us as it fills with undead.
I stare at them as well, “Do they scare you?”
She takes a second before nodding.
I nod as well, “I think all of us are. They are literally creatures of horror brought to life. But they can be changed from being scary very easy. You know how to shoot?”
She simply holds out her hand, and I give her my repeater. She takes a kneel on the roof, and assumes a shooting position. She calmly aims, and pulls the trigger.
A zombies head explodes with the silent shot. After five seconds, another has it’s head spread across the pavement. Then another.
She stands up, and hands me the repeater with a smug expression. I nod, “You can shoot, good.”
She nods, before walking back to the stairs.
But, I hear another two pairs of footsteps come up the stairs as she goes down. I turn around to see Lee and the little girl trailing behind him, “Lee, your on your feet already! Good.”
He smiles, “I don’t know what you did, but I feel perfectly fine.” He looks behind him, “Come on, don’t be like that.”
I smile as well as the little girl approaches closer, “And what’s your name?”
She quitely says out, “Clementine.”
I nod, “A fitting name. Clementines are both small and sweet, and you seem to fit those perfectly.”
She moves back a bit, “I’m not small...”
I slightly laugh, “You’re all small compared to me, except for that centurion and Sir Palmer. I’m a giant. I’m Survivor.”
Lee smiles, “What are you even doing up here?”
I motion out to the horizon, “Watching the Florida sun, my childhood memories before my eyes.”
He looks out at the bright blue sky, “You grow up around here, Survivor?”
I nod, “Only five minutes to the west from here. I remember eating at this Subway many times. What about you, Lee, where did you grow up?”
He smiles, “Macon, Georgia. You know it?”
I think for a bit, “Yeah, that name rings a bell. I think my Granny lived up near Macon for a while. No, wait, my great-Grandad owned a farm up near there, that’s where I remember it from.” I motion to Clementine, “What about her? You her father? I certainly don’t see a ring.”
He shakes his head, “Common idea. See, our world had an apocalypse exactly like this. I found her hiding in her treehouse and I ended up taking care of her. Met up with a family, with my friend Kenny, and met up with another group. Made it all the way to Savannah. Got bit, and couldn’t do much after a while. I think you and Kenny would’ve gotten along, he was a fisherman down here.”
I nod, “I’m sure he was a great person. Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Lee.”
He smiles, and nods back, “A pleasure to meet you too, Survivor. Come on now, they have breakfast ready.”
I walk into the main front of the store to see a bunch of chairs and tables set up. I grab a plate, and see what is offered. Bacon, eggs, and toast with butter. I grab a few slices of bacon, two eggs, and three pieces of toast. I then take my plate, and sit at an empty table.
I pick up a piece of bacon, and my mask’s beak opens. I eat the piece as I look around. Discord is socializing with Sir and trying to get Whisper to laugh. My observation is interrupted by the sound and sight of someone sitting across me. I look across to see the Roman sitting in front of me, “Hello, I’m Survivor.”
He nods and smiles, “Centurion Palmer.”
I shake my head, “Of corse. First it’s Sir Palmer, then Centurion Palmer.”
He shakes his head back, “Nope, I came before him. His great-great-even more greats grandfather.”
I slide into an egg, “Let me clarify. I am also a Palmer.”
He tilts his head, “Really? Interesting. You are a very interesting person, Survivor.”
I lean forward slightly, “How’s that?”
He looks around me, “It’s like your a miniature sun in some way. There is a faint blue light that projects from you at all times. At least, that’s what I see.”
I lean back, “Ah, your probably sensing my magic. It has a bright blue aura, so I assume my passive magic would look the same.”
He nods, “I guess that is one explanation. It’s just that your glow reminded me of a particular idea.”
I lean forwards again, interested once more, “What idea is that?”
He takes a bite of a piece of toast he has, “There was this sect of people who had additional gods added to the traditional Roman pantheon. They preached about them a lot, two in specific. Chem, Creator of Harmony, with his Elements of Harmony. Then there was his opposite they talked about. Zalgo, owner of the Elements of Destruction.”
I nod slowly, “Yeah, I’m one of the Elements of Harmony. Never heard of a god named Chem before. What about this Zalgo? What are these Elements of Destruction?”
He smiles, “I know they weren’t very popular, but I found them interesting. I think it went something along... Element of Blood, Element of Greed, Element of Madness, Element of Control, Element of Deceit, and the Element of Power. The final one, Power, is said to be split between any follower of Zalgo. Just superstition, I’m sure. It was interesting to hear all the talk from preachers about the different gods, but not anything to learn about.”
I smile, “I beg to disagree, religion is usually filled with valuable symbolism. Zalgo is supposed to be the bad guy, so you are supposed to not be any of his Elements. Not spill any blood, don’t be greedy, keep a good state of mind, don’t be a tyrant, don’t lie, and to spread power evenly. I find talks about religion to be very interesting.”
He smiles once more, “Well then, you’ll love the stories about Saturn. See if you can find anything within them.”
I nod, “Well, who was Saturn?”
He breathes in, “Saturn was the father of Jupiter...
