It is the apocalyptic world set far into the world. In the future. 2231. It was a time where humanity is struggling to survive and a new group known as the Abnormal are rising. There are no superheroes or supervillains. Just people with strange new abilities as they struggle to adapt to an evolving world. The atmosphere is dark because it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The main character is a man who starts off narrating what's going on. Who he is. What the story is about. He is simply called Cade. His power is unique. He can manipulate certain metals into projectile weapons. He can control bullets or create them from any kind of objects he needs to form projectile weapons. His weapon is a shotgun and a shinwa sword. He has a partner or a sidekick. A Native American who has the Werebeast physiology. He can transform himself into any form of creature at any time. He has a Native American tattoo or sigil drawn on his features.
Cade had a friend, but due to a falling out he drifted apart. He has a power. A very strong kinetic power that could rip apart any atoms whenever he wants to. It is due to his emotions like whatever he is feeling.
It seems like the end of civilization after a third world war. Many nations across the world broke down. There aren't anyone left alive to lead the new world. The United Nations no longer exists. China's power diminished. Russia just collapsed. With no one left to lead, couple thousands of survivors tries to cope, but there are constant rioting and murders without a law to interfere. It is anarchy. Chaos. The setting is dark because the sun always seem to be blotted out by an ominous cloud cover. To make matters worse, their children who is born in this era gain strange abilities and powers. They are a new group of proto humans known as the Abnormal.
The consequence of the war is that humanity is dying and their children are taking the new world by force.
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Book One: The Beginning of the End
Chapter One: The End of the World
The world is Earth. The year is 2231. It was after World War III. It ranged across the entire globe across from the far north of Alaska, North America the far south of the tip of New Zealand. All the countries of the world was involved. North America, United Kingdom, France, Italy, most of Europe, Africa, Korea, and the Oceanic countries were one group. Allies. South America, parts of Russia, China, India, the Middle Eastern countries and some small European countries were enemies of the Allies as they banded together to go against them. Some of the counties like Mexico, Japan, Antarctica, and Canada were nonexistent. Didn't involve themselves in the war. They were neutral.
The Allies were called this. Allies. The enemy that weren't part of the Allies were aptly named the Nemesis. The war between them were great. Long. Terrible. There many casualties. The war on both sides weren't won and many blood was spilt. It was a long war that began at exactly June 29, 2171 and ended at exactly July 3, 2224. Several times along there were attempted treaties signed by warring parties, but in the end the war only continued through more blood and betrayal. Over time, the war became pointless. The only reason the war ended was because there was no one left to continue it.
From a quarter of a billion of people on Earth since the beginning of the war and now the world populated after the war was now a quarter of a thousand. No more. They were all scattered across the globe. Many countries of the world was now empty. Many places across the globe were now ghost towns. No one stood up to lead a new world and no one will. There was no point. The clouds that covered the world was partially radioactive. Ominous. Orange colored and blocking the sun as its energy rays seemed to radiate or glow among the sulfuric clouds. No one knows how they started, but it was rumored that someone nuked the clouds with a radioactive compound and it made like that.
Since the end of the war, many huge cities across the dead post-apocalyptic world are desolated. Dead. Void of people. Only scavengers or mutated creatures roam them. No one was there to stand for the dead. The survivors who survived stay true to the one rule. Only the strongest survive. With no law to watch them, the strongest of them fed on the weak. Made them follow without question. Some of the people who live in places like New Vegas or New York. It was the same for the entire globe as pockets of humanity still lived.
The world changed since the last days of the world. It had been seven years. Since then, the people started to change. At first, the transformation wasn't apparent. Slowly, when the mutations started manifesting into powers, the people began to call themselves abnormal. They were beyond normal. Because of the air, people slowly started changing. Transforming. Some became beasts, but others stayed human with strange new abilities. Some could control the elements while others simply manipulated with energy. All sorts of energy. Some became telepathic while others had super-strength and their flesh transformed as they grew muscles without any effort.
There were rumors that one man did all this at the start. One man's ambition poisoned the atmosphere in order to see what happens. It was unforeseen and too late to go back, but it has been done. This man who caused the birth of a group of super-humans called Abnormal was named General Viktor Sloan. When he realized the result, he vanished from the world and allowed his creations to fester across the Earth. To poison the ground and caused the general decline of normal humans while increasing the amount of Abnormal humans to flourish among the general small populations in several cities or towns.
That was only fifteen years ago and eight years before the end of the war. Since then and for the next seven years after the war, the general population of Abnormal increased and each took advantage of their powers to either control or aid others. There is no one left to lead. To unite each man and woman together. It was chaos. Anarchy.
Cerberus. This was one name to be feared. No one has seen him. Not even his agents. Cerberus. Named after a three headed dog. Guardian of the Gates of Underworld. It was said that he was the strongest telepath alive, but no one knows of which side he is on. Good. Or Evil. All they know is he is secretive. There is a rumor. The one that he knows the location one and every Abnormal or Human left on this world. But it was unconfirmed.
There was only one person to see him and that was his closest aide. Partner. He called her Vixen. She was the owner of the Hellfire Club. It was a small complex near New Vegas in Nevada which took the place of the old, destroyed town that used to be Las Vegas. She was a spiteful, cold woman that took control of her own place. If anyone crossed her, they would answer her. She worked for Cerberus and if Cerberus asked her to do something, she would call for mercenaries to take care of a job. Usually, this job would entail the person to seek and retrieve something or it would simply mean a hit job where the hired merc would become assassins for money. Other times, however, Cerberus would ask this person to scout lands to find information.
I am his scout. His employer. Vixen hired me. Fierce and hot-headed but easy on the eyes. I wouldn't dare cross her and she has a thing for tough, lonely men. Like me. It was easy for her to hire me because Cerberus knows me. I never met the man and yet he knows me. He knows that I traveled the world and knew that I would run into the Hellfire Club one day. It seemed crazy at first, but all the things Vixen said to me. It was uncanny and near creepy. When she offered me a job, I turned it down. Walked right out of the bar.
The next day, Vixen's mercenaries found me. They were strong and I could handle myself. I fought them, but in the end I was overwhelmed. Vixen approached me and coldly told me that there was no way out. She tossed me her first order and that was cross the country to New York. That was only three years ago. Cerberus was looking for something or someone. People were vanishing without a trace and he sent me to discover what happened. What I found was chilling. New York City was gone. The entire population had vanished in thin air and I had no answer.
I tracked the culprit for several weeks but it vanished. Since then, I have been working for Cerberus. Searching for the answers. What I don't know will probably change my life. My name is Cade. Skylar Cade. The real story begins now. Near Los Angeles. The mystery returned and this time I was ready.
A lone, dark wolf lumbered across the Mojave Desert along the border of California. It stepped onto the fallen sign in the middle of the wind swept sand covered road. The road was long and broken. Unused. The wolf continued tracking across the desert. It looked around seeing some small animals but it continued ignoring them. The air around the lone animal was cold. A bit chilly and the atmosphere was almost dark with little light. It was mid-afternoon and yet the sun glow continued to make the sulfuric clouds stuffy.
Cold vapor escaped from the wolf's canines as it stopped atop the mountain near a dead tree and a couple of shrubs. Its eyes watched a lone man slowly continue to walk across the desert. The man stopped for a moment and turned as the wolf managed to hide from him. The man was blindfolded. A small strip of worn cloth was tied across his eyes. He turned and continued his destination toward a city in front of him. Los Angeles.
He was a tall, lanky man who wore only the clothes that he could wear and he carried nothing. No backpack nor any arsenals or a knife. Not even a hat was resting on his shaved head. He was covered in a cloak with the hood over his head. The blindfolded man continued walking toward the city with the wolf not far from the man just tracking him. No sounds came forth from both and the man continued breathing as the cold vapor continued in and out of his mouth. He continued to radiate no emotions or feeling the chill in the air not any difficulty of walking while blindfolded. The man was an Abnormal and he was alone.
Meanwhile, the small suburban town near Los Angeles was abuzz with activity. Several vendors were across the streets selling things. They were travelers and they traded whatever they could find. Materials, food, even water. Currency was still alive in this poor, broken economy of the world. Children was running on the streets playing with each other and laughing. Some parents were watching but many children of this world was broken. Some were orphans and were lucky enough to survive even with their powers. Most of the people in the city were Abnormal. Beyond normal.
A woman continued walking along the bazaar just browser the street vendor. On her hand she was holding her child. The little twelve year old girl with a navy strip long brown hair looked around in awe and wonder with her iridescent eyes. She could smell every little thing and she was hungry for food. Her mother never had enough money to buy everything, but she only had enough to keep them going. The mother picked out two star fruits from one vendor and offered the other one to her child.
She smiled watching her child eat the sweet, tangy fruit. When she looked up and took a bite out of it while watching some kids play, she noticed a stranger coming into town. There was something odd about this tall, lanky man. He was blindfolded and his aura seemed strange. Maybe even dark. The mother could see a dark aura that surrounded the stranger. Soon, she recognized him from somewhere. Gasping with fear, she pulled her daughter out of sight and ran from the stranger.
The kids stopped playing when they noticed the stranger that stopped at the boundary of the small town near the city. The man removed his hood revealing his scarred features, his shaved head and a single cloth blindfold tied around his eyes. The wind continued to play with the strips of cloth that dangled from the man's bandaged arms. The bazaar activity seemed to stop when all eyes were on the man. Even the vendors stopped shouting and selling to look at the new stranger.
The man moved forward slowly one by one. His cloak continued to sway in the wind with each of his steps. Tensions were rising in the cold air surrounding the town on the desert streets. He stopped before several kids. One of them was holding a ball and was staring at his blindfold. The man moved his arms and untied his blindfold removing them. His eyes were shut. With the strip of worn cloth dangling from his fingers, it flew free falling onto the desert.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open to reveal dark discs. No pupils. Just simply dark. The little boy holding the ball gasped once and vaporized. Vanished into the wind. The ball fell and bounced on the desert ground rolling off. The man looked around the kids and they started vanishing too. The people saw what was happening and panicked. They were screaming running around. The blind man with the vacant, emotionless eyes looked around and the people continued vanishing into nothingness. As if they never existed in the first place. There was nothing evil emanating from him. Nothing sinister about it and that was what made it all troubling. The man continued forward walking feeling nothing. Just no emotions or the feeling of being evil. He was just this. A simple, tall and lanky man just walking through town as the people continued vanishing before his very eyes. His cloak continued playing in the wind.
Meanwhile, inside a dark building, the mother and her child huddled in fear. The mother soothed her daughter speaking, "Hush, do not be afraid. I will keep you safe. Stay here and do not come out until it is safe."
She started to leave, but the twelve year old grabbed her mother and whimpered. The mother offered her comforting, brave smile stroking her hair assuring her, "I will come for you. I promise."
The little girl nodded and watched as her mother left the dark, bombed out shelter closing the door behind her. It got dark again and the little girl huddled close still cold and scared. She was alone again.
The people continued screaming while vanishing in mid-air every time he looked at them. He turned a corner and stopped right there near the alley. The same woman from before stepped out of her hiding spot and turned when she gasped with fear. Taking out her gun, she pointed at the man and screamed, "You will not take her! You tell Crimson this! I will defend myself if necessary and I will die before he will touch one hair of my daughter!"
The man continued staring forward not moving. The woman stepped forward and clocked her gun. She yelled and pulled the trigger, but the man turned looking right at her with his dark discs. The woman continued yelling as she vanished into nothingness. Her gun fell onto the ground and fired as it recoiled. The man continued forward toward the city and by the time he reached city limits, the military was ready for him. They opened fire on him, but he felt nothing and the military continued vanishing before his own eyes as he continued his search into the city looking for something.
It was dark. The full moon was out but blocked by the clouds. It was nighttime. A lone wolf continued lumbering across the town searching or hunting for something. Or someone. The town was empty. Vacant. The stalls remained empty and some food was spilled. The wolf wandered over and took a bite from one of the fruits. It seemed to be an omnivore. Suddenly it stopped when it sniffed. It smelled a lone human.
The little girl came out of her hiding place and was staring at the wolf with her iridescent eyes. She looked afraid and alone. There was fear in her eyes when she saw the animal. The lone wolf simply stared back with cold vapor still coming out of its canines. Suddenly, it turned to an uneaten star fruit, picked it up between its fangs and lumbered slowly toward the girl. The girl gasped with fear backing, but stopped when the wolf paused.
It tossed the fruit toward the girl and sat down waiting. The star fruit rolled toward the girl and the girl warily picked it up while staring at the wolf. The wolf let out a small whimper still watching. The girl stared back and turned to her fruit. Biting into it, she took in the same juicy tangy taste of the fruit that she enjoyed before. It was still fresh. Slowly, the girl walked toward the sitting wolf. The wind continued dancing among her navy stranded brown hair. Carefully, she offered her hand and the wolf sniffed it. It licked her hand gently and the girl giggled as her fear slowly vanquished.
She cried a little with joy as she hugged the wolf close not wanting to let go. Offering her fruit, she let the wolf continue to eat the juicy pulp. After a while of petting and whispering into its ears, a sharp whistle cut through the dark air. It summoned the wolf as it ran off leaving the girl scared. The lone wolf suddenly vanished into the darkness. She whimpered as tears started falling from her eyes. Finally she cried as she sat with her back against the wall and huddled up with her head buried. Her crying continued in the dark night with her eaten fruit forgotten.
Fifty miles away from the town and next to the broken road was a broken down gas station. It was empty. Vacant and boarded up. Two horses was tied next to the pole near the empty refueling tanks. One man rested on the chair as he was leaning the chair against the concrete wall. His cowboy hat was covering his face and he was enjoying his little nap. It was completely dark and somewhere far off in the desert a wolf howled. The wind shifted for a moment and another man stepped in front of him. He looked a bit tanned with long dark hair. His cowboy hat was a little bit bigger with some feathers hanging from it.
A snort uttered from the seated man as he uttered with a groan, "What is it, Wolf?"
The man spoke with enforced sincerity in his tone, "We must go now, Skye."
Cade grunted with a slight annoyance and spat back in a gruff tone, "Now? What's the hurry?"
Wolf continued, "Because if we don't go now, it will be too late. He is close."
The man grunted again sitting his chair back up and moving his hat out of the way. He spat on his side and spoke, "You saw him? Through your visions again?"
Wolf nodded looking to his right, "I did. I saw everything of what happened. Also. He was blindfolded."
"Blindfolded," Cade asked thinking and Wolf nodded, so Cade grunted for a final time before getting up and patting his shoulder with his gruff response, "Ready the horses. We will get to Los Angeles by early morning."
Wolf nodded and turned away. Cade grabbed his shotgun and checked his ammo. Placing his gun on his back next to his sword, he rushed toward the horse his friend was holding for him and got on. They both started riding along the broken highway toward the city in a quick pace.
My name is Skylar Cade and this is my story. Listen because it might be our last chance.