It was a pretty good day before the lion attacked.
If you're confused, hi, I'm John Tolentino, and this is the story of how I (you guessed it) destroyed the world.
Maybe you've heard of me before. Maybe you've seen me before. I won't remember you or what happened, and honestly, I really don't care what people say about me. Only people like Beau Cormican are famous, and he's on tour right now. I don't like him.
We had just finished our semester exams and Winter Break had started- what could be better? Me and my friends, Ali and Devon, were driving over to a museum- whoa, what a great way to spend your time- of mythology.
Greek mythology, to be exact.
Smack-dab not even in at the second page, and we're already talking about nerd stuff. Of course, me and Devon are nerds. Ali isn't, but she just came along to annoy us.
It was snowing hard outside, and of course I just brought a black jacket. Devon was wearing a white sweatshirt, and Ali was just.. wearing normal clothes. She's warm-blooded.
As we got out, our feet crunching in the snow, the black gates opened before us as a spooky wind came through and all went quiet.. yeah, no. This wasn't a horror movie.
The black gates opened slowly before us and there was a buzz, and the gates shut behind us. I only saw a few people around in the parking lot.
"Well, that's weird," Ali said as the people walked into the museum. "I thought this place would be bustling with kids. Annoying kids."
"Whatever," Devon waved her off. "We'll be able to get around easier."
"Still.."
I couldn't help but agree with Ali; something seemed off.
"My skin feels like it's about to peel off," Ali whined. "Let's go inside."
"Fine by me." Devon raised an eyebrow at me. "John?"
I was so deep in thought I hadn't noticed I was in that pit when Ali punched me repeatedly in the check.
"No. Uh, yes! No! Yes?!" I said, bewildered.
"Ok, then.." Ali looked at me as if I'd gone insane, which would have not been false.
I just plugged in my headphones and cracked up Alphys Takes Action as we went our separate ways. I wanted to see the gods section; Devon was probably buried in the artifacts that were salvaged from the ancient Greek times. Ali, well, she was probably poking Devon in every spot she could find.
..Oh dear, that came out wrong-
I made my way to a painting of a goddess I barely recognized; she had brown, chocolate eyes and midnight-black hair that tumbled down her shoulders. She was tending to a hearth.
A hearth.
A sudden movement caught my eye- a tail with a brush at the end, like you might see on a lion.
I had a bad feeling.. and brushed it off.
Deciding to poke around, I found myself in some sort of exhibit showing a hearth; something I kept seeing down this hallway. The coals were hot, and torches were on the walls.
As Alphys Takes Action switched into Dynami, I turned the volume down. I liked an action-y song once in a while, but I felt a strange feeling of respect for this place.
Using a poker to tend the coals, I heard a voice.
"Boy, you really need to stay away from things that aren't yours."
I whipped around, and found a man in a trench coat with a hat tipped down so I couldn't see his face. The only thing I saw were his eyes- tiny pinpricks of orange fire.
"Though I should probably- take your headphones out," He hissed as I stared at him with indignation.
I took one out.
"Good enough. As I was saying, you should probably get away from this place. The lives of your friends are in the balance in your hands."
"Wait, what?!" I tried to walk toward him, but he backed away, not in a fearful sense.
"I hope you don't get so catty," The man said, chuckling; it was deep and controlled.
He disappeared in the shadows.
The lights dimmed down, and I heard a roar.
My maroon eyes widening, I heard a high-pitched scream.
I had only one thought.
Devon.
Running through the hallways, Dynami turned into Finale as I sprinted throughout the barren corridors.
"C'mon, Devon, I am not going to let you die-"
The lives of your friends are in the balance of your hands.
Don't act so catty.
Was that a warning..?
A sudden movement caught my eye- a tail with a brush at the end, like you might see on a lion.
Catty.
Catty.
Catty.
Oh, dear gods no.
I screamed as I came across the artifacts section and saw a gruesome sight- Devon, laying on the floor, with his hair black and disheveled; his face covered in black soot, a burn mark on his cheek, a expression of pure horror etched on his face; three gashes on his chest that were leaking blood.
"Devon!" I shrieked. I was too late..!
"John! John! John!" I heard Ali screech from somewhere. A scream, and heavy silence.
A roar, thunderous and mighty, slamming fear into my heart and causing me to whimper.
And that's when it appeared.
It was a gigantic lion the size of a pickup truck, brown, glistening fur bristling as the feline roared again. It had a tail with a brush at the end, like you might see on-
I noticed someone on its neck, but the lion's thicket of a mane hid her/him from view. It roared again, causing me to cover my ears, my headphones still in all the while.
The humongous lion roared again, and it finally moved its invader off of it. That meant the lion moved around wildly and she flew into the wall, making a cracking sound. I was sure it was not the wall.
And then she was revealed to be Ali, gasping irregularly in pain.
"John! Get out of here! You're useful!"
"What?! No! I have to help you!"
Ali wanted to protest, but her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
Now both of them were down. I felt like a complete failure, as I usually did.
The lion stared me down, as if to decide whether to kill me or eat me. Its tail wagged around, slamming into the walls.
"Nice kitty. Niiice kitty," I backed away, holding my hand forward. The lion's expression seemed bored and lazy, as if to say, Meh, if you die, that's okay, I guess.
The feline's eyes, which were a scorching amber, suddenly turned into a red. Not a blazing red the color of blood, but a comforting red of warm coals.
Warm coals.
"Nice kitty," I repeated over and over until it didn't sound like real words anymore. The wagging of the lion's tail slowed and sounded nearly hypnotic.
I was confused. I didn't know what I was doing. It seemed as if I was calming the gigantic lion down, making it sleepy and lazy.
My hand shook as I looked around, and unfortunately, my eyes landed on Devon's form, where the three gashes still stood out proudly.
My hand dropped, and that's when the lion suddenly snapped back into kill mode, its eyes turning back to orange.
"Nice.. kitty..?" The lion shook, rigid, and snarled, lunging toward me.
Flames shot out from somewhere, nearly missing me as I shrieked in a not-so-heroic high-pitched yell. I backed away as the lion charged toward me, and for some reason, flames appeared in my hands. They were a deep red- just like when I had hypnotized the lion.
Weird.
I had no time to ponder at that as the lion continued to bound toward me. I zipped through corners, not knowing where I was really going, just trying to get away from the gigantic predator.
Then I realized where I was going- back to the hearth place.
I'd went in a circle. I was cornered, and it was my fault. Ali and Devon were probably dead, and I was about to die.
I backed into the hearth, and I wasn't burned. I wasn't hurt at all.
You will be safe in the hearth.
I had barely any time to think about the motherly voice when the lion snarled, baring razor-sharp teeth that dripped saliva.
Was I done for?
Have I failed in a moment of crisis?
..No.
Of course not.
And the hearth exploded around me, fire leaking everywhere, climbing up the walls like spiders, enveloping the room in a crimson inferno.
I screamed, the fire raised in columns, and all went black.
"I'll be back soon enough!" Beau said, smiling and showing perfect, blinding teeth.
"How long will that take?" Ali pushed him playfully. Beau just grinned.
"Probably a year," I grumbled.
"Whatever!" Beau rolled his eyes. "The tour will end around fall- I can still go to school with you guys!"
"And be crowded with girls." Devon smirked. "They're like flies, attracted to-"
Ali slammed her foot into his side, and he groaned in pain.
"John? You okay?" Beau said, lost.
"It's nothing," I seethed, grinding my teeth on the thing.
"Ok, then!" Beau grinned and continued talking with Devon.
"You're so weird, John." Ali said, poking me in the cheek.
"Thaaaaaat's my specialty!" I posed. "You can always count on me-"
"Yeah , I think I'll pass." Ali's voice was drier than sandstone.
We continued walking through the hallways, laughing and chatting when Devon bumped into me.
"Hey, John!" He said, hugging me. I pulled away from him.
"You guys'll be announcing your engagement any day now." Ali teased.
"Hey, I'm not-!" But Ali just laughed condescendingly.
Devon just grinned sheepishly.
"At least it's the end of school." I blurted out. "I don't get to see you guys for three months!"
"Yeah, but what about all the hangouts, parties, and camping trips?" Ali smirked.
"Well, that too, I guess."
"And I get to shove you and Amanda together in the pool!" Devon said excitedly. "Oh yeah, she'll love it when you two hug-"
"S-shut up!" I sputtered.
"CRAP!" Devon screamed, laying down on the bed as he lost the Smash match. I smirked and grabbed the cookie he had, eating it swiftly.
"You always win!" He whined.
"Yeah, because Kirby's OP." I cranked up Truer Than Fiction to full blast as we started another match.
"I hate you," Devon snarled, and popped a stick of watermelon gum into his mouth, chewing ferociously.
In the end, I managed to hammer bash Devon's character off the stage.
He just sat there, silent and shaking with rage. He breathed deeply in and out. "Okay. Okay. Okay. I see how it is."
"Yeah, because you'll need glasses if you can't." I poked Devon in the cheek.
Devon sat up and looked at me. "Fine. One last match, and winner take all."
"Deal. I'll still beat you."
"K."
Devon grinned, ready for victory.
He died in two minutes.
"You're such a stickler for chocolate," Amanda said as she poked me with a Twix. I bit a piece off as she held it in her hand.
She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Boys."
"Yes. I am a boy. You're so smart."
Amanda poked me teasingly in the cheek.
"You're so immature," Amanda said.
"At least I can fend for myself." I snarked.
"You're not going to get murdered in the middle of the night." Amanda rolled her eyes again.
I just laid across my bed as Amanda traced her fingers through my black hair.
"You know, what's gonna happen if you get cornered in a place with no escape with some dangerous thing? I dunno, like a giant lion or something."
"And you call me weird." I murmured. "Well, I guess I'll have to have some sort of weapon or something. But I don't like weapons. I prefer defensive maneuvers."
"Well, duh." Amanda replied. "You seem to really like fireplaces.."
"What makes you say that?"