Chapter Two - Tick Tock

[Khina Bree]

Man is a narcissistic species by nature. We have colonized the four corners of our tiny planet. But we are not the pinnacle of so-called evolution. That honor belongs to the lowly cockroach. Capable of living for months without food. Remaining alive headless for weeks at a time. Resistant to radiation. If God has indeed created himself in his own image, then I submit to you that God is a cockroach. They say that man uses only a tenth of his brain power. Another percent, and we might actually be worthy of God's image. Unless, of course, that day has already arrived. The human genome project has discovered that tiny variations in man's genetic code are taking place at increasingly rapid rates. Teleportation, levitation, tissue regeneration. Is this outside the realm of possibility? Or is man entering a new gateway to evolution? Is he finally standing at the threshold to true human potential?

04 March 2016
3:46 am
Milledgeville OH

The wind blew gently outside in the tiny village. Some say this town was a ghost town, haunted, even cursed. Well, when your town's cemetery is half the size of the village itself...and the school is covered with boarded up windows, and no one really likes going outside...you'll get remarks like that. Such remarks were what kept Kale Paladin awake tonight.

The Paladin family was one of the oldest families in town, going as far back as its founding in the 1850s. Kale's great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Gordon Paladin, helped James Hogue to establish Milledgeville. Since then, the Paladin family has been well-known in town and well respected and liked. Kale often felt burdened having been born into this family. Quite a legacy to live up to. His great-grandfather, Albert Paladin, was responsible for saving the students of the old elementary school from a fire that started from the boiler room. On top of that, his father was the current mayor of the tiny town.

The young man of twenty tossed himself onto his back, rolling in his bed a bit and messing his shaggy black hair. His sapphire eyes gazing out into the cloudy night sky with longing, desperation, sorrow, and even hope. Hope that he might be able to leave this shambling little village soon and never look back, but that sorrow kicked in, reminding him that he had obligations already. Sure, it was 2016, but the town still clung to its old traditions and that meant it was Kale's duty to learn the ways of politics and take his father's place as mayor in a few years. Not that he had minded the idea for a while. In fact, up until recently he had been all for the notion of becoming mayor! Then, the storm happened.

Kale had been watching the news on Leap Day, like he did on any other day, to keep up on recent events. It was during the breaking news story of the Genesis Storm's return that Kale's power went out entirely. The whole village lost power actually. Kale looked outside, only to see denizens of his township running in terror from the thundering clouds overhead. Kale rushed out the front door to look, and was awestruck at the sight. A looming, blue and green storm cloud that flickered and flashed with lightning, darkening the skies all around it for as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful and terrifying. Inspiring and threatening all at the same time. The young mayor-to-be was shook from his amazement by the scream down the road of a young woman. Without another thought, Kale rushed to the scene. Bolts of lightning were striking the surrounding trees and the wind was like a wall of unseen force. The woman ahead was pinned by a falling branch, piercing into her calf muscle.

It took a minute of fighting the winds, but Kale made it to her. He promised to get her to safety and quickly snapped the chunk of branch in her leg from the main section, leaving only a stick in her leg. With a warning of pain, Kale lifted her into his arms and started back up the street. Luckily, another man in town had seen him and came to help carry her, which was perfect because Kale was not a strong man. No sooner had the man with the rescued woman begun to run however, did a screaming bolt of electricity collide with the car JUST behind Kale, sending him flying into the air with the resulting explosion.

Even now, as he lay here in his futon bed, Kale had no idea how he survived that explosion, or why he had no scars. He'd gone over it so many times, but there was no physical way he could have gotten back up after that car exploded a mere ten feet behind him, let alone have no scars or marks of any kind to show for it. He'd become the town freak at this point. No one wanted to be near the boy who could walk away from fire unharmed. Many believed him to be the devil in human guise. Crazy, overly-religious town that it was...

Something seemed off. Kale sat upright in his bed, sure he had heard something downstairs. He slipped onto the floor and crept over to his door, cracked it open slightly and listened. Gwuf, gwuf, gwuf the sound was clear. Footsteps on the carpet. But everyone was asleep, which meant...an intruder? Gwuf, Gwuf, Gwuf the steps grew louder, nearing Kale's door. Thinking on his feet, Kale grabbed his nearby boot. It was heavy enough, thanks to the steel toe. Gwuf, gwuf the steps halted. With the eerie new silence came a more unnoticeable sound...tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick. Did this person have a bomb!?

He waited a brief moment before flinging his door open and rushing the intruder, swinging his heavy footwear down hard, only to meet a hand on his throat mid-swing. "Now now Kale," the man spoke softly and chillingly, "is that anyway to treat a guest?"

Kale was slammed against the wall, being held up by the man's ferocious grip on his neck, "At long last. The last of the Paladins, and the beginning of the end for so many others. Kale's eyes widened and then he tried to scream as he felt a sharpness in his chest. A scalpel was being pressed against his torso, cutting a circle over his heart.

The intruder was deliberate and swift, finally choking the final breath out of the young boy, and continued to slice into his chest, finally getting to his heart. "Such a fragile little muscle...and the source for all I need," he spoke calmly, as if murder was a daily regimen for him. He stood back up after a few minutes and tipped his ball cap at the now dead boy, "Good luck with your campaign, mister mayor." And as swiftly as he had entered the home, he left.

[Khina Bree]

(Please begin posting in the LOCATION threads from here on)