Elder-Craft
Book 1:
The End Begins
Chapter 1:
From Fine to Fire
Subject:
James
My eyes open slowly, dry and seeming to be hard. I try to blink, but it does nothing for me at all. I look around my room. I see black, nothing, the light of the world still unable to enter.
I sit up and close my eyes tightly. Concentrating I open them and can see my black leather futon couch next to my white and brown wooden bed. My rooms famous rubble of junk I am forced to sleep enclosed in by my parents just huddles over everything. I see my puppy laying on her good side, her right arm popping out of its socket every time she would breathe in. I see her stretch as I do, pushing my thin tan blanket aside.
I stand up and my bare pale body shakes slightly as a blade of cool air passes through my broken window. I look at the crudely boarded window and see that air is entering from the bottom quickly, and that frost is slowly creeping into my room forming a web around the window sill. I look up at the ventilation vents as it develops the same pattern. I look at my pup as she chases a mouse into the rubble.
I step forward onto the hard splintering floor. I press my feet down firmly and walk down the first flight of stairs to the landing where I pick my clothing for that day. Black shirt with a Nike symbol on the left shoulder, my favorite pair of black cargo pants, some gray boxers and black socks. I walk down the last flight of stairs to the door. I open the door and feel the sudden blast of hot air from my family's heaters and central heating. I feel the soft bright green carpet against my feet. I see my family in their beds and the low dim red of my mother's clock. Four fourteen, I am late.
I rush into the bathroom and lock the door as it shuts. I step into the shower and turn the water on, its warmth bathes over me and I feel the rush of the flowing water. I quickly soap up my body, cleaning the dirt and grime of the night off of my body. I shampoo my hair and let it stand as I let the water run across my back down to my ankles. I lean my head back and let the shampoo get flushed from my hair. I turn the shower off and wipe the water off of my toned body. I step out and dry off. The Towel slowly brushing the water off of my body or collecting it for it's evaporating collection.
I walk across the warm tiles and grab my clothing. I sigh and pull my boxers up pressing it against my skin firmly. I pull my pants up and button them, I pull the black belt around and buckle it. I pull the shirt over my head and brush my long dark brown hair back. I stare at my self in the small mirror above the ceramic white sink, coated in grime from toothpaste and spit. My stomach turns over and I turn away. I grab a bag above the cabinet and remove my blue toothbrush and Crest mint toothpaste.
I brush my teeth and spit out the bubbles. I gargle and spit out water and sit on the toilet. I pull my black socks on and stand up. I walk out and sit on the carpeted stairs and put my boots on. Suddenly I hear my puppy and my mother's husky start growling and a thud. I crawl down the stairs quietly as possible. I see in the pitch black of the morning that four thieves had broken in the house.
"We should have done this earlier." The first thief says.
"Yeah well we were up until two in the morning for that guy to fall asleep." The second large thief stated.
"Well now we got to rush."
"Oh fucking well."
"Geez...I'm starving." A third one said as he walked past me in the glass door towards the kitchen. As soon as I saw them all looking away I snuck out the stairwell and behind the giant green couch. I slowly crept into the kitchen and stood behind the thief. He turned and the light from the fridge showed my scowl and shadowed my eyes. I jabbed his throat and began to choke him in a sleeper hold. As he fell into a slumber I stole his mask. He was a young twenty some odd old man with pale skin, and blue eyes. I put the mask on my face and push his thin body underneath the open dishwasher. I stand up and walk over to the thief that is unscrewing the TV stand.
"Heh. These guys got some nice stuff." He chuckles as the other two left the room, one heading downstairs, the other out to the truck.
I nod, he turns and see my eyes and his widen and I clench his throat, squeezing it until he falls limp and I drop him the thief that entered the basement rushed from the fuse box in the far wall. I rushed silently to stand out of view behind the door so as it opens I slam it into his skull, knocking him unconscious. He begins to move and I kick his limp body down the four steps to the filthy,shit-stained landing.
I hear the door of the truck shut. I run into the foyer, hiding behind the coats, he opens the door looking at the floor and shuts the door. He shuts the door and looks up and sees his colleague unconscious on the floor. He backs up near the coats, and I grab him and pull him in and slam his head against the wall, making the pound echo through the house.
I drag all the thieves to the middle of the living room and tie the together. I call the police and wait. Finally my mother stomps down the stairs, "What the hell is the fucking matter with you! You woke up you...What they fuck!" She steps back and her eyes widen.
I walk past her, look at the clock, five fifteen, and continued out the door. I open the door to a young Russian decedent police officer. "They are tied up." I say to him and walk past.
I continue towards my school, walking past dead cats, and rats running scared. I see a woman getting thrown around by a dunk boyfriend. "Drunk this early should be a crime." I look away in disgust. I continue and slide down the large hill leading to the Harris parking lot. I see a man getting robbed just as I reach the pavement. I see him run and turn back to shoot, but he sees me.
I walk through the parking lot, watching the shadows as a mugger follows me, thinking he is hidden, but in fact he is a wonderful open target. I pull out a pair of steel precision scissors. I see the glitter of the steel of his gun and I launch my scissors into his wrist he lets out a screech as I charge him and slam his head into the tree stump behind him on the hill. I remove his ammo and throw it into the yard at the top of the hill and take back my scissors. I turn and see a man exiting his car with a baseball bat. I continue through the white and gray covered pavement. I climb the snow hill and see the number 18 bus pass. Two minutes until the nineteen shows up. I begin to run as fast as possible and cover the 80 yards in less then a minute wearing my thick leather jacket and my all-weather trench coat. My forty pound backpack on my back. I turn and see the large blue of the bus.
Perfect timing. I get on the bus and search for my pass. Left. Right. Upper, inner upper, upper inner left. Found! I show my pass and I take my seat. I look and I feel my flesh hiss. Dawn. Light. My eyes began to burn as the pink fingertips of morning touched them. I turn away and pull the rope. The bus stops and I exit a block from my school. The bus continues forward and I walk down the side street and found the parking lot of my school. I look and see a girl with lightly tanned skin behind me.
"Hi there." She said sweetly. "how are you?"
'leave me alone.' I think to my self, "I'm fine." I say kindly.
"My name is Flora." She smiles as we continue down the street.
'Damn it. Leave me the fuck alone.' "That is nice."
"Whats yours?" She asks as she twirls her hair.
'Fuck you is my name. Please stop the flirting.' "Name is James."
"Where you going?"
"School." 'Why is she bugging me?'
"Oh. I'm heading to work." She says with a chuckle and brushes her hand against my leg as she rubbed against me.
'I don't care.' "Where do you work?" 'Why did I ask that?'
"I work at Sticky Lips BBQ." She said with a smile and hop as her arms crossed in front of her body, obviously trying to make her A-cup breasts look closer to C's. "How about you come with me and we can have some fun behind your school before I go to work?" She says as sexy as she can muster, which is surprisingly a lot.
"No thanks." I cross my arms.
Her eyes widen and then droop as she scowls. "Well you're no fun."
"I guess I prefer to not commit adultery."
"Fine then." She frowns and turns down Atlantic Ave. And I head down Ohio St. towards my school entrance.
As I continue through the student parking lot, and into the staff parking lot I hear screaming. I see a grown man making out with a teenager. I see a group of girls staring into strobe lights as they feel on their own bodies. Finally near the radio tower I see a girl running.
She is wearing the uniform for a seventh grade student. Her hair was long and brown, her skin a deep tan, and behind her was a few men. They tackled her down and began kicking and punching her. She screamed, "Help me! Someone! Please!"
Walking by, a teacher looks and covers his ears as she screams again for help, "Shut that fucking mouth you whore."
The boys continue to beat her and finally break her left arm, making her scream bloody murder. I still get closer I see them better. One of the boys reveals his unit which was solid but a pathetic four inch at a max. She laughed painfully and he pressed a knife to her throat. "Shut up bitch. I prefer to do this clean but I can add another hole for me to fuck." She squirmed and slapped him. "Oh you are feisty." I am feet away now fist ready. "I like that." he raises the knife to stab her and I grab his wrist.
"Then you will absolutely love me." I squeeze his wrist tight until the knife drops. I send a hay-maker into his nose. I lift him over my shoulder and slam him. The other boys either split or charge. Two with knives come right at me, I duck from one, but the second knife cuts across my left shoulder blade slightly. I roll from the first boy's kick. I lunge at him tackling him to the ground and continued through with a somersault. Spin around block two jabs from his knife. I send a fist into his gut and a knee to his chin. The original bastard thug come running at me and I send a one-two combo into his chin and he sends a series of wild hay-makers as the other two get up and raise their arms above their heads, looking like monkeys preparing for war.
"I am going to fuck you the fuck up you fucking bitch!" He jumps back and begins to fiddle around his pants in the back.
'A gun? You cheating bastard.' "Wow. Such great vocabulary." I charge him as he pulls out the 9mm peashooter. I roll and grab his knife as he fires a series of rounds. Missing me clearly. I jump as my roll finishes and stab him in the shoulder deep. My eyes widen and pupils dilate and contract rapidly as my hand feels the trickle of his blood. I close my eyes and calm my body as I twist the five inch blade against his shoulder blade. I hear his screams as the other two run for cover from my insanity and their "friend's" insane shooting as he blindly moves. I roll off him and pick myself up when I hear a series of clicks and his eyes open to find my devilish grin.
I crawl to the girl and lay my trench coat over her as I carry her into the school, passing the over hang of Entrance 1, seeing the forum room. I enter the only entrance students my touch. I turn from the four columned Commons and headed toward the Lunchroom away from the Gym. I turned to my left again and straight.
I reach the large forum room. To my left I see the original entrance to the school of glass and metal with concrete walls on the sides and another set of glass and metal doors leading to the icy world. I look in from of me and I see the front desk , It is four feet high and heavy Mahogany wood. Behind it are pipes, tv's for security tapes in the halls, and a fat man who's job is the spend his day at this desk to great, and judge the entrants to see if they can come in. I turn to my right to head toward the Nurse's office hall and I see the two stairwells that lead to the auditorium balcony. I see the large glass wall that leads to the frozen garden in between the forum room and the cafeteria where thousands of students are convening to eat, socialize and be might assholes to each other.
I continue to carry the girl into the Nurse's office where they see her and immediately have me carry her to a sort of operating room. I lay her down on the soft bed and she holds onto my arm as they begin to set her arm and she screams. I stand there a silent guardian as I see a wall of ice wind strike at the school. I hear the children exclaim their disappointment that it stuck so late, locking them in school.
I see the ice and snow build up quickly, I look at the calender, February 15th, its a Friday, and I am ready for the weekend. I smile as I think of my joyous plans. I suddenly start to smell the strangest combination of scents. "Does anyone else smell that?" My voice asks with out my premission.
"No...what is it?" One of the nurses asks.
"I smell Copper and rust...Chocolate fudge...and..."My eyes widen, "Death...decaying flesh!"
Suddenly a scream sounds from the office entrance.
"Please stay." The little girl asks as she tries to pull me in for a kiss.
'Why are girls all over me today?' I chuckle, "I'm to old for you." I run into the entrance room as others rush out. and standing in it's disgusting beauty is the legendary, Zombie. "Holy mother of my grandfather's fish!" It was green skinned and was wearing a blue shirt with dark blue pants. It shambled in a blocky manner and I grabbed a rusty IV stand and bashed in its skull. It rolled on to its back and sat up. I swung again and sent blood splatting against the wall. Run out of the room shutting the door. I turn and see people running scared in the Forum room, screaming for help.
I charge into the forum room just to dive and dodge a series of arrows from skeletons. I ran at them and swung the weak IV stand, shattering the rusted part off, leaving me with a four foot long metal stick. I stab the eyes of the skeleton I stood over and ducked to dodge the arrow from his accompanying partner. I run at him and send a series of blows to his obviously exposed ribs sending shocks to its fragile and now broken spine.
I look right and see a group of children cornered by the green-skinned zombies. I run at the hoard and dive in,tackling three, impaling another. I sweep kick two more zombies and stab them in the throats. I smile as they gag on their own blood. I turn and see a group of gray skinned thin tall bright eyed undead monsters in ancient armor.
"How...My god...these." My eyes widen and I run back a little. The monsters draw their weapons and run at me. I duck underneath the swing of the first blade. I use what is left of the breaking IV Stand to block against the next attack and I sweep his legs. The next moment I look and see three arrows flying at high speeds impaling my shoulders. I fly back a few feet, landing on my back. I roll out of the way of a stomp and I kick the Nordic armored monster. I stand as quickly as possible and attack the weakened beast. I jump and slam my knee into the chin of the downed undead attacker. I send a hay-maker into his throat, dislodging it from it's base.
It begins to shake franticly as it slowly dies. I see the others look in anger. They begin to shout with anger and fury. "Niid! Fahdon!Aus ahrk kren sahlo bron." hear their voices as they get louder. I see them stomp, so I prepare. I grab the dead one's blade and turn to the children to see they had been killed by a hoard of zombies. I lower my head and say a silent prayer. I turn back and ready myself. Suddenly I see in the corner of my eye a wave of pure energy. Then through the hall came a body limp as it slammed and broke from the unrelenting force.
I see the summoner of this power, standing a tall six-nine against my six-one. He dressed in sharp and hardened armor with a bull horned helmet and armor made from large scales. He lifts his twin axes and roars in a furious rage as if he found something horrific.
"Time to die." I charge at them with blade ready and I swing the heavy twenty pound blade at them, which is blocked and a volley of arrows from the three sharpshooters pins me to the wall. I pull off the wall and kneel down I charge again and the captain runs forward, grabs my weak body and throws me against the glass and metal of the exit. I look out the glass door and see carnage, hell unfolding in the blizzard, blood splashing against the floor and walls. "This isn't how I will end." I turn back and charge.
The gloating captain turns and with his undead smile, shoats at me. "FUS!" I am launched back a few feet and land safely. I charge again shouting loudly, and he again shouts, "FUS! RO DAH!" Sending my now limp and helpless body tumbling and driving through the glass and bending the metal frame into a cozy coffin for me to sleep. I feel the glass impaling my sides and forcing the blade from my hand as the metal in my calf tore at me. I let out a helpless cry and hang on the frame. The archers prepare aim and I feel a coolness taking my pain away. I feel the lavish and tenderness of a caring woman's kiss against my bleeding brow and the firmness of a man hand on my shoulder telling me to awaken. I hear the knowledgeable voice of an elder and then the voice of a friend shouted.
"JAMES!" My eyes open faintly and my vision is blurred as I see my glasses fall onto the floor. I look upon the fury of a pair of saviors. The first large and pale lifted and slammed one of the archers into the heavy wooden desk. I see the second darker use a staff like weapon slash the neck of a second sharpshooter. "Matthew! Give me cover as I get James down." I see the large one say. Suddenly he is struck with an arrow and the sharpshooter is surrounded by two more blade wielders.
"Jon!" The tall lanky staff-wielder says.
"Matt...Jon..." I mumble lightly as my eyes widen as I realize my two friends had actually come to save my sorry excuse for flesh.
"I'm fine Matthew." He gestures to the undead. "James we are here to help."
"Run..." I gasp as my vision clears a bit. I see as the captain of the undead begins to get annoyed. He grabs one of his soldiers and backhands him. He walks forward and shouts. "FUS! RO DAH!" The force bends the metal and launches Matthew into the wall, his shoulder slamming hard against. Jon launched into the metal frame is propelled sideways into the concrete wall in the in between of the glass doors.
"NO!" A sudden surge of insane anger rushes through me. I begin grabbing and yanking everything until I slid off the impaling wall. I land with a hard drop and stand. The adrenaline of the anger stopping me from stopping. I grab the sword I dropped.
I run forward and slash the throat of the backhanded undead freak and his cold and black blood sprayed everywhere. I saw the beauty of the ink like life giver as it splashed against my hand and my face. My expression goes from one of anger to one of pure surprise. "Blood." My blank face contracts. "Blood?" I open my eyes and my vision is pure, crisp, clear, my mouth watering, and my ears hearing every drop of the reanimated body's blood drip. I slowly let a blade carve a horrid smile across my face. "Blood!?" I stomp my foot and cover my head in fear, in joy, in grief, in oblivion. I laugh manically and horrifically as if I myself became the Mad Mage himself. "BLOOD!" I begin laughing and throw my head up my eyes burning, my body pulsing, my blood boiling, my muscles steel, and my skin tingles as my vision reddens. "Give. Me..." I look at the overlooking overlord, "Give me...YOUR BLOOD!"
I charge at the group of undead soldiers. The first victim was the bowman as I slashed at lightning speeds at his knees, elbows, shoulders then at his throat. I continued through him and slashed at the now scarred swordsman. He defends my blade but the force sends him careening and I send the blade in a flash against his back. I smile devilishly as his blood sprays my face with a cool refreshing spring water mist. I push his body aside and continue towards the Overlord. "FUS! RO DAH!"
His voice bellows as I run through the energy that sent his soldier's corpses, armor and weapons towards my incapacitated allies. I spin and my blood drenched trench coat sends a ring of crimson around me as I send my blade into his side and I tackle him to the ground. I steal his helmet off his head and see him trying to mutter through the pain. "What are you!?" My voice roars into the face of my attacker.
"Mey! Zu lot. Zu dilon." He cough and blood spat out. "Drik nax zu viir. Drik vol zu funt." He gargled out of his mouth as blood trickled. His fear-filled eyes tear up and he mutters, "Dr-Draugr. Zu med zol. Nu hio krii zu." He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Draugr...I knew it." I look back and see the minor draugr and I look back at the draugr overlord. "Time to die." I lift the horned helm above my head and slam it down into the eyes of the Overlord. I stand and begin to walk back to Matthew and Jon with my head down, vision and flesh, and senses back to normal. I look up and my fears are realized. "Not you too!" I see a horrifying four legged six foot tall green and black fleshed black eyed and toothless frown of a fear instilling creature. "Shit!" Suddenly the flash of green and black mist, as the red and white flame engulf me as I see two more behind the explosion. I turn and prepare myself as the second blasts me into the courtyard in between the cafeteria and the forum room.
"No...please..." I see the green-skinned zombies, the skeleton archers, and the demonic draugr rampaging through the student filled room. I lift my head and see the last one inching closer. I stand on the concrete bench I had landed on and prepared as the flash engulfed me sending my near lifeless corpse onto the roof of the school, twelve feet above the ground.
I begin to crawl the the edge and I see the parking lot that I saved that girl in now a grave of dozens of students and families around the school. I feel the cold of the blizzard on my flesh. I feel the cold of death inching closer. "Not yet." I hear an unfamiliar woman say as I feel her warm kiss against my brow. "Now go. James. Go." My eyes open with a new light, and I am ready for this new challenge, and this new destiny. "Go in our names." Her warm embrace slowly disappearing but the effects still with me, I stand reborn, and ready.
Thanks for reading, I know its been a while for all my loyal fans. Thanks for the wait. been hell recently so I've been busy. Now that I can do a lil planning for my stories again, expect continuations of Together At Last to be coming soon, and A Rose by Any Other Name, to follow as well. Thanks again and Askk Hio Pah.