Prologue: Before the Manslaughter
Loretta Reynaldo strained to hear the distant sound of a baby's cries as she jogged deeper into the woods. 'Who in their right mind leaves their child alone in the backwoods?' She thought, outraged by that fact.
Finally, she reached a clearing by a miniscule stream. Lying upon the banks of the creek was a toddler, crying to the high heavens. Loretta cautiously approached the infant, noting that it wore no clothing.
The child had doughy skin and short, dark sable locks. Getting closer, Loretta also saw that it was a girl. Crouching by the young one, she cooed, "Hey, hey, it's alright now. Are you lost?"
The child stopped crying and stared at Loretta with bewilderment, but said nothing.
"Can you talk?" Loretta inquired softly. The girl wiped away her tears and sniffled.
"Who are you?" She asked, looking Loretta up and down distressingly. Her voice was startlingly mature.
"My name is Loretta Reynaldo. Do you have a name?" She questioned.
"Apocalypse." The girl said her name clearly, almost too mush so for a child her age.
"Apocalypse?" Loretta rolled the name off of her tongue slowly. "That's an odd name for a little girl. Where are your parents?"
"Parents?" Apocalypse asked curiously.
"Yes, like a mommy and a daddy." Loretta used her hands to emphasize her words.
"Oh, the Bestowers of spiritual existence transcending physical death." She said with a knowing smile. Loretta just stared, mouth agape, completely befuddled.
"Where are you from?" She asked slowly.
"The Laboratory." Apocalypse answered as if it was no big deal. Loretta's brow knitted in confusion.
"I think we should get you somewhere safe." She tried not to think about how this child could have possibly gotten here.
"Are you Aceldama?" The strange little girl asked as Loretta lifted her into her arms.
"No, who's that?"
"I don't know." Apocalypse shrugged. Loretta's frown only grew as she blinked several times, trying to swallow all that this girl had just told her. She couldn't have been more then three or four years old, yet it was unbelievable how intelligent how she was.
When Loretta returned to her home, she immediately wrapped Apocalypse in a warm blanket and waited for her husband, Jake Reynaldo, to return home from work. When he did, she cornered him into the kitchen and explained how she had been jogging in the park and had come across Apocalypse and what she had told her.
Jake just sat there, scratching his head, looking puzzled. Then he went over to Apocalypse, who was reading a book on their couch. "Hey there," He said, looking at her closely.
"Hello," She said with an eerie smirk set upon her ethereal features. "Are you Aceldama?" She asked. It was all Jake needed to hear.
Later the couple toke Apocalypse to an adoption center, but Loretta later insisted on keeping her. Something had drawn her to Apocalypse and she wasn't about to let her go.
Two and a half years after they had found her, Loretta and Jake legally adopted her. The police had attempted to find her parents but after ten months of no reply, they closed their search and put her up for adoption.
Jake and Loretta had a long dispute about Apocalypse's name, but in the end Loretta firmly told him that they would keep it at that. It was original and it suited her otherworldly disposition.
Over the years, Jake never ended up bonding to Apocalypse. He had always sensed something about her that was extremely unsettling.
Loretta, on the other hand, encouraged Apocalypse in every aspect of her life. She gave her the nickname Caly and showered her with gifts and all the love she could offer.
Apocalypse's peers never grew too close to her either. She was classified as a 'nerd' early on and became a loner quickly. Because of her sagacity and intellect, none of the children were interested in her.
Apocalypse also had a frightening temper. If anyone so much as looked at her the wrong way, she would pounce on him or her like a lioness upon her prey.
After enduring five years of solitude mostly due to her temper, Loretta sent her daughter to a therapist. A few months afterwards, Apocalypse finally made her first friend, Faye Penburg. They formed a powerful bond and Apocalypse's behavior improved drastically, but only for a short while.
When she was eleven years old, Apocalypse began stealing from family friends and even from Loretta and Jake. Strangely enough, she only stole things that showed her reflection, compact mirrors, shiny pendants, even reading glasses. One day, she came to Loretta in tears.
Flashback
"What's that matter?" Loretta asked in a soothing voice, stroking Apocalypse's cappachino hair.
"Why is the world burning!" She cried desperately.
Loretta's eyes widened. "What?"
Apocalypse pointed to the window. "Everything's burning, people are running but when they look at me they all fall down. Mom, what's happening?" Her voice shook menacingly with pandemonium.
Loretta carefully looked out her window. The sun was shining brightly and the neighbors were chatting casually and mowing their lawns and walking their dogs. It was a tranquil scene. She closed the curtains, and went back to Apocalypse.
"Caly, you're just seeing things. Why don't you invite Faye and play?" Loretta rubbed Apocalypse's back reassuringly.
Apocalypse was shaken, but she just went to the phone and dialed Faye's number.
Loretta, however, was left severely disturbed.
End Flashback
Shortly before her fourteenth birthday, Loretta discovered bizarre navy blue markings starting from Apocalypse's lower back, running in a ring around her waist and then going up her spine in a narrow column. Loretta asked if Apocalypse had gotten a tattoo but she said she hadn't, which caused Loretta to worry. Apocalypse was a hellion, but she was an honest hellion. She had never lied to her before.
Loretta ended up taking Apocalypse to a doctor who sent them to a dermatologist. Apocalypse was given a clean bill of health but Loretta was still worried. The markings were becoming darker, but no one found anything wrong with her, and that subject was dropped.
By the time she was a sophomore in high school, Apocalypse watched painfully while all the girls, even Faye, dated and kissed boys and wore real bras while she was a still a small, scrawny, single girl barely able to fit into an A cup. But she had an amazing voice. When she wasn't studying, she was singing in her room alone. She never sung in front of others, but if she was lucky, Loretta would catch a quiet note of two. Apocalypse also had a talent for painting. She would spend hours on end just sitting in her room, painting on an empty canvas.
Eventually, Apocalypse chopped her waist length hair just above her shoulders and cut herself bangs that covered her eyes. The short hair cut suited her, however. It elongated her already long neck and oval shaped face.
She was always very serious and if one had not gotten to know her, one would think she was depressed or suicidal. Apocalypse had melancholy silver optics and a tragic expression constantly upon her features. Loretta always thought her daughter could be gorgeous, if she smiled once in a while.
As she aged, Apocalypse and her mother drifted apart and she began to cling to Faye. In Apocalypse's eyes, Faye was perfect. She had fire engine red locks that were naturally wavy. She had a full figure, but she was considered beautiful regardless of that fact. Faye had striking apple green eyes and a warm, inviting voice. People were naturally drawn to her spunky personality and bright perspective. Often, Faye's other friends would question her as to why she was friends with Apocalypse; they were so different.
When she turned fifteen, Apocalypse began having dreams about a mysterious land. She would be walking through a peaceful village when suddenly it would erupt into a wild fire. Nothing she did could stop it, and by the end of the dream, she was enjoying watching it burn. Other people she didn't recognize were laughing with her. Mostly males. Apocalypse said nothing to her mother, but Loretta sensed something was wrong.
Two months ago, the attacks started.
.:Chapter 1:.
Crystal clear droplets fell from Apocalypse's eyes as she ran down the pitch-black sidewalk of her block. Thunder rolled ominously in the heavens and she choked back a painful sob. 'Why does this keep happening?' That thought spun around her head again and again and her conscience screamed at her.
Rain had begun to fall slowly and steadily by the time she had entered her shadowy house. Making sure no one was awake; she kicked off her sneakers, pulled off her sweater and ran into her room.
Making sure to close the door quietly so as to not wake anyone, she flipped on the light and checked the time. 2:38 AM. Faith clenched her teeth but picked up her phone regardless of the time and began to press the digits a little too harshly.
"Come on, Faye, pick up damn you." Apocalypse breathed into the receiver. The phone rang seven times before a tired voice answered.
"Yeah?" The voice was jaded, obviously from lack of sleep.
"Faye, it's me. It happened again." Apocalypse's tone was shaking wildly and she did nothing to stop it. Her body shook with it, suppressing the excruciating tears.
Faye immediately jumped to attention. "A-are you sure about that? You're not imagining things?"
"No, no!" Apocalypse nearly screamed, then tried to calm herself. "I was walking home from the bus stop. I was coming home from my therapist and I noticed it was getting dark quickly so…" Her voice went up an octave. "So I took a short cut through the park and… a man was sitting on the park bench." She paused, taking a deep breath and continuing. "He started saying, 'Hey baby, how much for one night?' And other things like that and I just lost it. Whatever is inside me took over and before I knew it he was pinned against a tree and… do you wanna hear this?" Apocalypse bit her lip.
"Well, um, just tell me the basic stuff, nothing too gruesome." Faye whispered, but Apocalypse didn't know why.
"I ripped off his skin first and then tore through his stomach and then the rest of his intestines. But this time was different," Apocalypse let out the tears quietly. "I watched while he suffered. He was still alive, Faye. He was still alive! I just laughed in a voice that wasn't my own and then all of a sudden this hole in the ground appeared. It was gigantic, as big as my house if not bigger. It seemed… bottomless. The man was begging but I forget what he said. Then something pulled him into the hole and that's when I went back to normal." She took a minute to release the rest of the built-up confusion by crying softly.
Faye was quiet for a long time before saying"Oh my god, Caly. I'm speechless."
"I can't even control it," Apocalypse whimpered, then put herself back together. "Can you sneak out? I need to talk to you outside. Please?"
"I don't know if I can but I'll try. Where do you wanna meet?"
"Down by that old abandoned dock. I'll be waiting, ok?"
"Okay." Faye paused. "It'll be alright, Caly. Try to stay calm."
Apocalypse could tell that behind Faye's unfaltering voice, she was in as much dismay as Apocalypse was.
-The Dock-
Faye stood alone in the dark, waiting, as usual. This wasn't the first time Apocalypse had asked to meet at the dock, but it never happened in the middle of the night… or day, however you want to think about it.
"Faye?" Apocalypse called, waving her arm at her friend. She was clad in a thin white cotton sweater and underneath it magenta tank top, along with some comfortably fit blue jeans. Apocalypse jogged up to Faye with a pale, drained expression.
"Are you okay?" Faye asked, her voice showing limitless concern.
"No, no I'm not okay. This is the seventh time this has happened," She cried, holding the tears back as best she could. "What if next time, it's you who I kill?"
"Ok, don't talk crazy, Caly," Faye placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "We'll figure this out. What if we go to the authorities? In the long run, it's the best thing we can do. They can help."
"How?" Apocalypse cried then ran her fingers through her layered locks. "We can't go to the police. Do you think they'll believe us if we say that I'm the one who's killing these people because I turn into a possessed satanic monster who rips out their innards and then sends them to Hell? No, we can't go to the police. We just can't." Apocalypse paused to think. "We can't run away because then I'll keep killing people. You can't hide me because I might kill you. I doubt anything we do could hold me back." Suddenly her face darkened with an idea.
She turned to Faye, who was nearly shaking with woe. "Kill me." Apocalypse said firmly, looking Faye square in the eyes.
"WHAT? Are you CRAZY? Caly you have lost your damn mind if you think I'm gonna kill you! You're my best friend in the world and I wanna help you but not in that way." Faye folded her arms.
"If I keep breathing then I'll just keep killing. Trust me, you'll be the doing the world a favor." Apocalypse mumbled somberly.
"There's gotta be another way," Faye pleaded desperately. "Don't, please don't say things like that, Caly."
Apocalypse shot her a dark look. "Then what do you think we should do?" She asked, folding her arms and mocking Faye.
"I don't know, I don't know?" Faye groaned. "If only we knew why you were killing all these people then maybe we could help stop it, whatever it is."
Apocalypse hissed suddenly, gripping her sides with her arms. "Ow," She whined quietly.
"What's wrong?" Faye asked, narrowing her eyes and stepping away cautiously.
"Those, ow, weird markings, owwww, they're stinging," Apocalypse struggled with her words, nearly surrendering to the agony.
"Why?" Faye cocked a brow.
"If I knew why, I would tell you, dumbass," Apocalypse growled through clenched teeth. Faye cringed as she watched Apocalypse's face twist with torment.
"Well, is there anything I can do?" She asked, reaching out. Apocalypse just slapped her hand away.
"No, I'm- OW!" Her body collapsed on itself and she sighed, struggling to hold in her desperate tears. It was one thing to cry on her own, but to cry in front of someone else was too much.
Faye crouched on her haunches, placing a hand on Apocalypse's shoulder. "I feel so bad seeing you in so much pain, and I really wish I could take it away somehow but I don't know how and it's killing me." Apocalypse watched in surprise as tears welled up in Faye's eyes.
"I just wish that I could figure out what's happening. It's so confusing… I think I'm gonna go crazy," Apocalypse sighed, then winced as another shooting pain rushed up her spine and across her stomach where the markings were.
Out of no where, a blinding pillar of ultraviolet light shot down rapidly from the empyrean, encasing the two girls. They didn't even have time to scream.
Something tickled her cheek and Apocalypse grunted softly and slapped herself to relieve the itching. For a minute she just lay there, eyes closed, trying to figure out where she was.
'I smell… grass?' Her eyes popped open and she sat up abruptly, being rewarded with a stabbing pain in her head. The sun was shining brightly in the azure sky, and by its position, Apocalypse could tell it was around midday. She was lying in an irenic valley abundant with oak and weeping willows. Tiny, cheery red and yellow flowers bloomed and ruffled in the crisp spring breeze. It was something out of a painting.
But what shocked her most was seeing a round bluish gray sphere hanging close by the sun. Squinting to see through the bright sunlight, she recognized it as her home planet. 'What the HELL!' Her mind yelled, but her mouth said nothing, it just hung there half-open.
Turning her head to her left, Apocalypse spotted Faye, who was on her back, breathing deeply and evenly, her eyes closed.
"Faye." Apocalypse gently shook her friend. "FaaaaaAAAAye." She shook a little harder. "Faye, FAYE!"
She jerked awake with a rather amusing squeak and gasped. "Caly… what… happened?" Faye blinked confusion plain and simple upon her face.
"Dunno. But what I DO know is, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Apocalypse gave a sarcastic smile, well, as much of a smile as she could possibly give, which wasn't much of a smile after all.
"This isn't funny, Caly. What the hell happened?" Faye snapped.
"Do you seriously believe that I know where we are?" Apocalypse's tone was glossed with exasperation and she knocked hard on Faye's skull. "Use this, you dumb red head."
Faye snorted in a rather un-Faye-like manner, then stood, helping Apocalypse to her feet. After a long debate about where they should go, the two decided to begin walking East.
"And what makes you so sure that East is the right way, Caly?" Faye poked her back.
"Ow. Don't. And it's just a hunch." Apocalypse said absent-mindedly. For a long time, neither shared any words. Apocalypse noted how much her mood had changed upon their arrival. She had forgotten about her last victim. There was something different about this place, something familiar, yet she couldn't place it within the depths of her mind. It was almost as if she knew before, but had forgotten it.