Today was almost like any other day; go for a quick three mile run, shower, breakfast, study, and so on. Yes, this is the life I live, boring, and especially exhausting, but I got used to being sore from running almost everyday. Today was one of those days where I missed an event in my schedule, namely, getting back home from running, and everything after that. Allow me to explain.
The alarm exploded with noise at the start of six in the morning, followed by me smashing the obnoxious device with a force that could scare the devil himself. With a strong sense of discipline, I pulled my military-forged body out of my bed, and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up before doing anything else, especially cleansing the vermin that usually accumulates while a human sleeps, resulting in bad breath. I slipped on my gray camo sports jogging pants and long-sleeve shirt on and my favorite black sports beanie that complements my brown-black hair, which had grown considerably longer compared to my former military cut, but not long enough to reach over my ears, eyes, and the back of my neck. I topped it off with my favorite black and grey(of course) running shoes that would finish my outfit that could blend well in any city setting.
Equipping my water belt around my waist, I set out for my usual run out in the city park. I passed by numerous houses and playgrounds, which always brought back memories of my time prior to my departure from home, like the first time I rode a bike, my first time egging a grouchy neighbor of mine with a few friends, flirting with some girls at the convenience store, etc.
I passed by my buddy, Miguel, who was a damn smart and athletic 17 year old, and was leaving for Europe to help battlefield engineers in the war in Modern day Rome. I smiled at him as I ran, but was surprised to see that he had decided to join me on my run.
"Look who's up and ready to roll." He called out, as he moved at the same pace as I did.
"Well, I couldn't miss a day without running, or I might end up losing the edge I've worked on for years.
"I got you man, I wouldn't let my amazing engineering skills wear down, its what I'm best at." He said with pride.
We ran side by side in silence for a few a brief moment. Meanwhile, I took in more of my surroundings, the surprisingly warm autumn air, the sun reflecting off of my olive skin, people leaving to carry out daily tasks. It was all just so peaceful.
Speaking of peaceful, I always wondered how places like this could be thrown into war in a matter of days, like what happened in parts of Europe. The mention of Europe brought back an earlier topic, the war in particular. I was worried about Miguel going off into the heat of battle; I felt he was too young to experience any of that.
"So, you're still sure you want to help out in the war effort in Rome? I heard some weird stuff has been happening there." I asked.
"Of course man, I'm Roman. I pronounce it that way because Romainian sounds funny."
"I've been on a battlefield man, trust me, if your gonna go, at least take me with you." I was always worried for this guy, despite the fact he is almost in college now and can take care of himself. I used to take care of him, play hide and seek, watch scary movies, read scary stories, and play soldier with him and a few of our other friends. All the guy time we spent with each other gave birth to a brotherly love for each other, since they have always looked out for each other when they were with each other that one year in highschool, and the years before.
"Did you even read the requirements? You gotta have technological experience with machines, mostly heavy duty weapons. You only operate them, man, you don't actually know how it works, what part does for the other, and how that helps the entire system and function of the tool." He had a point, I only knew about small munchkin sidearms, not the fancy ones that shot out .50cal rounds or whatever that jazz is. But that didn't stop me from willing to join him on any dangerous escapade he would plan on taking.
"Well buddy, you know I'd be ready to fight by your side if the time ever comes." He, paused, taking this in. Then he smiled.
"Are you gay?" He really loved pushing my buttons. He's done that since we first met.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"A man talk question."
"Oh come on, you know me, of course I'm not." He laughed and lightly slapped me on the shoulder.
"I was just joking around with you man." I chuckled, and replied.
"Good, nobody calls me gay without talking to my fists" I grinned and raised my fists for emphasis.
"That's the Chase I know, well later man, gotta leave for Rome, wish me luck." He waved as he turned around, and I returned it, but not without feeling a little but down that I might not see my best buddy for quite a while. That thought was cut short, since today was an unusually warm day here in Burnham, considering the fact its in the fall transition to winter. I began to roll up my sleeves to prevent my body from overheating, especially since I'm wearing black right now. I ran for about ten more minutes, finally finishing my three mile run in a personal-record breaking nineteen minutes. Given how hard my body had been pushed, I quickly took a seat down on a bench laying beneath the colorful fall trees, providing shade and cooling. As I took a seat, I unconsciously started observing two elderly men play chess.
The man controlling the white pieces already had the upper hand, having developed his knights and bishops, allowing his king to use the "Castle" move if it was needed. The man controlling black seemed to have his king in a pretty tricky situation, or as many would like to call it, he was screwed. The air around me slowly began to get warmer, like an oven. In a matter of minutes, the black king was left with one knight and one pawn. Moving either one was hopeless, it let to the same fate; checkmate. The air was starting to drain the energy I had for going back home, which was only half a mile away. My mind was telling me, 'go home', while my subconscious told me, 'stay and rest'. The man controlling black decided to move the pawn up a space, for some reason not bothering to pull his king further out of danger, and then it was checkmate. I could no longer will myself up from my spot, no matter how hard I tried, every move made me feel weaker and weaker. I tried to open my mouth to ask for help, but when I looked up, both men were limp in their chairs, drenched in sweat.
Thus, my mind shut down, giving in to the open arms of the heat.
"Hey Chase, do you believe in the end of the world, Judgement Day, demons coming out of hell to torment the sinners, and angels picking the pure people off into Heaven?"
I looked at my best friend, Liz, an exceptionally beautiful girl, her long, flowing brown hair that flowed like a river, matching the color of her eyes, her pretty face sprinkled with a small amount of freckles. Her curves were a standout, but not too curvy. Kind of in between. She's still single, despite the number of guys who have been dying to at least be friends with her. To be honest, I actually really liked her as a girl, but I kept our relationship status in the friend zone because I was afraid that I might ruin our friendship with my love for her.
I gave her a surprised look, and replied, "You never fail to surprise me, Liz. I suppose I do, but I wonder how something so wonderful, yet so terrifying could happen."
"If it does happen, and I'm not taken into heaven, will you stay with me?"
This took me by surprise, causing my heart to stop for a brief moment. I suddenly took into account everything around me, the hill we lay on, the moon vaguely visible behind the clouds, how close we lay to each other. Everything. Of course I would. Anything for you.
I didn't know what to say. Here was the girl of my dreams, asking me if I would stay with her to face hell head-on, knowing damn well I would go to heaven for anything. She trusts me a lot, it was almost as if we were family. She would ask advice from me for anything, entrust me with all of her secrets, even naughty ones.
"I-um, well... Uh... That's kind of, you know, uh, um, a pretty, uh," I was always a confident speaker, despite the usual silence that had been with me since middle school. For once, I did not know what to say, as she was asking me if I wanted her, or heaven. She is heaven, but heaven is a place, and she's a person, not a place. I want her to go to heaven, I know she would, she's pure. But will I? I had no idea, all of these thoughts running through my head like a supercomputer. Would she stay for me if I didn't make it to heaven? I think she would, but who would turn down heaven for a guy? But this is a potential lover we're talking about here. I can't just leave her like that, would God let me take her with me, or vise versa?
"Chase?" I snapped out of my mind wreck, a realized she had been laying on her side, intently gazing at me. I calmed down, looked at her, looked at her with a smile that represented many emotions, and said in a voice that emulated the mental strength of a real man, not a 17 year old wimp going to the military.
"Of course I would."
I opened my eyes, and my body shot up. I quickly took a look around me, a part of the military side that never died away. Trees were burnt, plastic melted, and fire had been started in various places. I heard the sirens of police, fire department, and the ambulance scream all around the city surrounding the park. The men who had once been playing chess were laying still, sweat still residing on their clothes. It was almost sundown, and the air still had a warm feel to it. I quickly got up, feeling the energy I had lost come back to me. I strode over to the two men, and confirmed whether or not they were dead. Unsurprisingly, they were. Something weird was going on here. I had to find out. With time running out, I made my way to the police department as quickly as possible, with my mind refusing to give in to panic. For the first time since the battlefield, I ran with my heart pounding, not from exhaustion, but from a feeling that throbbed with nervousness.
In the dead of night, the two men lying still twitched, and the blisters that have formed on their skin due to spending more time in the sun than Chase bubbled and popped, leaving a transparent, red skin in the wake of the eruption. They began to thin out and twitch. In a matter of seconds, their bodies curled up into fetal positions, bubbling out a now black liquid, lumps forming on a growth on their back, resembling new limbs. They stopped, and the other former man opened his, or its eyes, and slowly, with a small amount of struggle, stood up on both his legs and arms. It sniffed the ground, and quietly growled to itself. Its head followed towards where Chase had gone, and with incredible speed, it charged off on all fours, briefly roaring, which sounded almost like a lion's.
AN: That's the first chapter, sorry for its shortness, I was aiming for 2000 or more words, but I ended this one with what I thought was a good ending phrase.
Please, Please, PLEASE Point out any mistakes I made in my story, I want you guys to enjoy it, not read it and end up seeing a badly written sentence that makes everything seem awkward.
Disclaimer: I only own Chase, every other known Element from "Nether LLC" and Characters/Content "My Little Pony: FiM" belong to their rightful owners.