Melbourne.

A lovely city, in fact. It's been rated as the second most liveable city on earth for the first time in five years from the number one spot.

Melbourne. Is my home. Or rather, i live on the outskirts of the city. In a sleepy town a half hour away.

My city's been having several rough patches lately. Those being terrorist attacks. Sadly. But it cannot be argued that they weren't that. I will spare you the details.

But they're is some good. One of my best mates from Portland came down for the school holidays!

(Note, the Portland in NSW. Not Vic.)

Our first actual meet up, we’d been chatting Skype and gaming and writing together for the last five years. Nothing was going to put a dampener on this event.

NOTHING.

I waited for half an hour at the train station he would be arriving to. Anxious to see my friend.

Something you have to learn about Melbourne’s train network. Whatever your scheduled times are. Add an additional hour and a half onto it. ALWAYS, LATE!

But not today it seemed.

I heard the screech of the train from far off, standing up i wait, trying to see where it was.

The train came to a stop a few meters away from me, looking left and right up and down the train to see where he would get off.

Upon not seeing him exit the train by the time it was leaving, i sat down to wait again.

“Yo Korey!”

I snapped my head upwards from my phone that i pulled out to read from. Seeing my friend. . . on the other platform.

“So that's what you look like below the neck!”

“G’day stranger. I could say the same bout’ you.” I said breaking into a wide smile.
I turned and began walking towards the small tunnel that ran under the rails to meet my friend.

“So were we heading to first?” A voice said from behind me as i entered the tunnel

“The tunnel so i can shake your hand.” I said as i pointed the way i was walking.

I stopped midstep.

“. . . Wait a minute”

I spin around and come face to face with Ricky.

“Yo.”

“How did you-”

“Jumped across the rails”

“You friggin idiot! The melbourne Direct link runs through that and the train is going to be going through here at “105km/h at-” i was cut off scolding him by a deafening roar above us.

“I didn't hear or see the train. So, i jumped the rails”

“The signals are only 20 feet from the platforms. You can tell when a trains coming be-”

A doughnut gets shoved into my mouth.

“Shut up and let's go. Are we walking or getting driven to your place."

I didn't mind having my usual ranting spree cut short at the shoving of food. As an Italian, or at least part thereof. I love food!

As a bit of information about me.

I'm a stereotype essentially, as my personality traits can be attributed to my heritage, for some reason…

I loved tea in all forms. That linked to my British side, i also loved water and rain so i also attribute that with my British side.

I love designing things and taking things apart and putting them back together to figure out how they work. And i'm loud. So i attribute that to my German side.

I love food and cooking, so evidently my Italian side.

And i loved art, and nature. My french side. And i feel a strong connection to the land and i'm always at peace when in nature both physically and mentally. I attribute that to my Aboriginal heritage.

In my mid-mental bloodline checklist. We exited the station and had crossed the street.

“So we are walking i'm guessing?”

“Hell no, in this side of my town?! You'd bet mugged faster than you can draw your first breath.”

“Well we passed the parking lot when you were thinking.”

“The cars across the street in the plaza car park, that way i don't have to pay $2 every half hour.”

“Oh. Ok then. . . just saying we might want to pick up the pace a bit.”

“Yeah i agree, noticed him.” I said without giving any indication of direction. A man had begun following us when we had left the station. Thanks to Ricky i had noticed him.

He was wearing a grey hoodie with grey traceries.

“Far out“ I said with a groan. “He’s a frigging stereotype mugger.” I said with a grin.

“I got a knife in my pocket. If things get out of hand, you grab him and pin him.”

“So do i, but we won't need it.” I said with a laugh.

“Do you always find dangerous situations funny?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Only when i have a trump card.” With that i put my hand in my pocket.

“What, do you have a gun or some shit?”

I smiled, and a car alarm went off in the car park as we walked past it.

“Ooh.”

The would be mugger turns and runs to the power of shit.

“Righto get in the car” I said as the car alarm silenced itself with two honks of it's horn. “When you deadlock my car, then open the boot. The car alarm goes spastic for some reason.” I said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, i remember you saying that.”

We both got in and i started the car. “Righto to home then.”

“So you finally came down, eh? I’ve been looking forward to this. Not everyday a friend comes over.”

“Same dont have many people coming around too my place. . . do you have those slabs you said you where going to get me? For those games i brought you?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I shut the door and start moving to my front door. Ricky tailing me.

“Nice place, gotta say.”

“You humble me sir.” I said playing all fancy like.

My house was build of orange brick. Had a weathered mossy brown tile roof. A spacious front yard full of roses and a single Sakura cherry blossom stood proud in the front yard in full flower. Raining the front yard in pink flower petals in the light breeze. The house is angled oddly, so that the master bedroom window faces east to catch the rising sun in the morning.

Other than that it has a balcony and a garage hidden slightly behind the house at the end of the driveway.
It was a normal house.

We walked up the steps to the front door and i unlocked the door.

Upon entering the extreme age of my house was apparent. It was clean and well maintained by me and my family. But the inside furnishings were better than dated.

A cream carpet with seemingly random brown splotches for patterning greeted us. That and two colour walls with decorative wallpaper separating the two at belle height.

The top half of the wall was white or rather was white, now it's off white, and the lower half, of all colours my auntie had to pick before selling us the house. Pink.

“Just us?” Ricky asked.

“Mum and dad went to point cook to see dads mum.

Nephews at school, nieces are at dance class.

So yeah, for at least three hours. Just us. Make yourself comfortable, drinks in the fridge door. You can sleep in either the sun room or the lounge. Let me know before you want to hit the hay, i have to set up the bed.” I said waving my right arm through the air as i walked to the room to the left of the hallway that hid my toilet.

“What has more traffic?” Ricky says, moving towards the kitchen to get one of the aforementioned drinks.

“The lounge room is the biggest room in the house and shares the archway to the kitchen-”

“Sun room.”

“Righto fair enough, i like the quiet too.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“So this is the legendary room of the reclusive Korey.” Ricky says sarcastically, drinking his Cider.

My room was tiny. For a twenty year old anyway. It was only 1.8 meters wide by 5.6 meters long. My bed took up most of the space in the room, only a narrow walkway between my chest of drawers next to my bed, and the chest of draws that my TV, Blu ray player and Xbox sat atop.

Ricky sat Slav squatting on my bed, as i sat at my desk. Sketching a picture with my pencil.

My desk sat between my ‘TV stand’ chest of draws and the window. Tucked more than tightly, into the corner of the room. I had to put the desk chair in sideways to actually have it fit.

“Yes sir, my infamous lair, that is suspiciously the cleanest it's been in it's life” i said with a grin.

I hold up the new sketch for a sword i was working on.

“What do ya think? Does it suit me?”

Ricky looks the design over. Taking his time to study it.

It was an interesting one at that. Logical, as per my tradition. It was designed with both cutting and thrusting in mid, but, by the slight re-curve starting from halfway up the blade and ending at the tip. I intended it more for cutting. The length of the blade allowed it to be both used in one hand or with two hands like a long sword.

It had a ‘nail’ in line with the cross guard. The ‘nail’ as it's called, is a flattened piece of steel that protects the wielders knuckles from incoming attacks.

“What do you think?”

“Well, looks German. So yes, it does suit you”

Ricky collapses back onto my bed, sighing outwardly.

“Dude i bored. . . let's get on tumbler. Let's see if anyone has asked me any questions”

“Want to go for a walk then?”

“But tumblrrrrrrr”

“Rickreeeee” I said with a light glare.

He shot up at that.

“Say that name again and i'm ripping you a new hole. You know how bloody annoying that name is to me.”

“But, it is effective at getting your attention” I said with an innocent smile. I swear i felt a halo above my head at that moment.

Chugs the rest of his cider and chucks it at the bin to the right of my bed. Hole in one.

“Fuck it. Let's go for a walk than. See if we can get a crackhead to fight with.”

“Rick, don’t swear in my house. It's THE fastest way to have my mum Rip you a new one.”

“Right right sorry, i forgot.”

“Check your six” I said as i threw my stetson at him.

He reaches above his head and grabs it, putting it on.

“I swear if you try a Steve Irwin accent, your sleeping in the dog kennel tonight.” I said with a deadpan expression.

"Oh whatever."

I follow him out of my room and towards the front door.

“Where you heading?” I heard my mum ask.

“For a walk. Just down to the park and back”

“Yeah, i'll keep em out of trouble Korey's mom” Ricky quips cheekily.

“Love ya mum!” I yelled as i walked through the front door.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Of all the things i didn't want to see. He, was very far on my list.

Sandler. A dick who bullied me throughout high school, was at the park, having a cigarette along with a bunch of other of his mates.

‘Snandler’ had gotten expelled from the school, and the last i heard of him was that he got into trouble with the law.

“Rrrrighto, this way.” I mumbled quietly whilst instantaneously spinning on the ball of my foot and hurriedly going the other direction.

“WELL LOOK WHO IT FUCKIN IS!”

“...sh-it’…” I groaned half heartily.

“...fuck me… Right-O here's the game plan, all of their collective IQ’s make a carrot look like Stephen Hawking, so run and use terrain or obstacles to your advantage.”

“Run? From ten dudes? Bro with how fuck out of shape we both are, we are running about all of ten minutes.”

“Yes but the thing you don't know about me is, when i'm feeling threatened i can turn off my pain, and run at three times the normal speed of everyone” I said groaning in recognition of the pain i will be in tomorrow.

“Oh fuck o-”

“If it isn't my good punching bag, Korey!”

“Snandleeeeer, long time it has been since i had the displeasure of hearing your voice, five and a half years no?” I said looking over my shoulder.

“That long huh?”

“So who are you bug eyes?” Ricky says with a sneer.

Sandler had gotten a scar along his face in the time he was out of school. How? I don't know. But him saying that caused his goons to chuckle under their breath.

“SHUT UP”

“You HAD to poke the bull in the eyes didn't you.” i groaned. “This is gonna be such a drag...”

“I'm going to fucking gut you!” Sandler reached into his pocket and pulled out a black object. Giving it a quick flick, it was revealed to be about six inches in length.

“I enacts plan A” I said bolting fast enough to make Ricky double take, by the time he turned around to see where i went i was already 15 meters down the footpath and turning the corner.

“Fuck me sideways Korey.”

I watched as Korey ran off and around the corner of the street. Leaving me alone.

I sigh as i take in my situation. Outnumbered, and probably our pretty much everything.

My only weapon was a two inch flick knife, used for bush survival.

At that moment i caught movement in my peripheral vision.

I turned to see Korey standing left to me, glaring at the group before us. Evidently running out of breath.

“Damn it Ricky, when i said run i meant run. Like shit off a shovel.”

“I'm not a good runner. Besides.”

I look Sandler directly in the eyes.

“All i'm seeing is a scared little kid that has more power then he should fucking have.” That made him snap. Sandler charged at me, ignoring Korey.

I gently shoved Korey out of the way off to the side.

“I got this”

I let him get within thrusting distance, as he does so i lean a bit to the side and catch Sandler's foot with my leg tripping him up.

He hits the pavement, and begins to instantly regain his footing and turned with a stab in mind. His face was bleeding freely from the gravel that implanted itself into it.

Korey's fist goes into Sandler's face, sending both him reeling.

Korey shook his hand violently whilst spinning in circles.

“When this is over, i'm planting my steel capped boot up your arse.” Then he froze as if a thought came to mind and grinned.

My view of him was obscured by snandlers huge 6”6’ muscly form. As he went to thrust, he suddenly recoiled, face turning milk pale. Before falling to the ground.

Korey was standing behind him bouncing on one foot then returned to a standing position.
“What did you-” I asked, and received a nod with a sadistic smile from my friend.

“Oooooohhh, Ow.” I muttered staring down at the paralysed bully before me.

I looked and stared at the bully's entourage.

“Alright boys. Here’s what's going to fucking happen. You're going to either fuck off, or get your leg broken. An additional option is to have your balls busted, literally.”

I crack my knuckles and neck. And cross my arms.

“Three seconds”

Four of the ten scramble away. Three stay with indecisive looks on their faces.

The other three?

“Arrrrrggghh!” They all shot in random directions in some fashion.

“I got the front one and right, take left down and help me.”

Korey nods, moving off to the left and drawing the leftmost goon away from the group.

I drew the other two away and distracted them, allowing Korey a clear shot to the left one.

We fought for about three minutes, than Korey came from behind one and gave him a kick to the back of his knee.

In the others confusion, i tackled him to the ground. Laying into him with a few hits until he was crying for his mothers.

I let him go to assist Korey with his opponent. But Korey was choke holding him out by the time i was done with mine.

That left three- and they left.

Pussies. Honestly, with the fighting lessons id taken. They stood a decent chance of beating us, if they had actually rushed us with the entire group.

“Alright then. Let's get outta here before the cops come Korey.”

“Right behind- LOOK OUT”

I quickly spun around to see Sandler directly in front of me.

I felt a burning sensation in my stomach.

Looking down, it was his knife. Stuck into my stomach.

As i looked up to meet his glare, i saw a blur of grey and black in front of me before Sandler disappeared leaving the knife in me.

I looked down to see Korey having him in a choke hold so tight, i could see the tendons in his arm popping out. Sanders faced was cherry red under the strain.

I dropped onto my knees. Holding the blade as tightly as i could, stopping any bleeding.

Sandler stopped struggling and let go of Korey's arm, his own falling limp to his sides. Korey then threw him off to the side in disgust before running over and leaning over me.

At some point it had started raining. And the rain droplets had… stopped… falling?

Midair?

What. In the actual. Fuck.

The ground shook like mad, a bright light enveloped us.

And then.

All went black.

Author's Note

It begins.