Author's Notes & Disclaimer: Characters appearing in this story are owned by their respective authors/creators. Likewise, any references to fictional events, locations, equipment, etc. are owned by their respective copyright owners. The characters HT, Lilinette, Bethany and Dasan Teki (name actually given by Slop Doggy) are OCs created by me. I authorize the use of these characters to other authors of the CoA and are free to do as they wish, but please refrain from using these characters in an abusive manner. Any similarities to actual people, living or dead, or events are purely coincidental and any similarities to other media are also purely coincidental.
The following is the introduction chapter for my "Coalition of Authors" character, HT (Hollowfied Tweaker). The character is slightly based on myself with regards to a former career in Law Enforcement, the passing of my wonderful, loving wife and the emotional impact her death caused me. The other stuff of course, is pure fiction. Certain parts of this chapter were very difficult for me to write as I was partially re-living parts of my past. Please note that this intro is actually darker than I had originally envisioned, but will become less so as the story moves forward. I wanted to finish this intro in one chapter, but eventually decided on two, after which I will continue the regular storyline. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this intro chapter for my character.
CoA: Hollowfied Tweaker
Chapter/Intro 1: Yesterday
"Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly,
Why she had to go,
I don't know, she wouldn't say,
I said something wrong, now I long
For yesterday."
- The Beatles*
El Dorado County, California.
It's been raining nonstop now for the past week and soon, the cold weather will come and eventually blanket this region of Eastern California with snow. Lilinette has always loved the snow. She loved how beautiful the area looks immediately after the first snowfall. The white cotton-like formation of ice crystals covering the ground and trees which lay undisturbed, gave the area a tranquil feeling that always relaxed her, gave her comfort when she was troubled and soothed her soul. It was her favorite place in the world. She's always disliked the hustle and bustle of the "City by the Bay" and on many occasions, has shown a great deal of interest in moving to the Sierra Nevada.
HT loved Lilinette dearly and has always tried everything he can to make her happy, which was probably the main reason he decided to surprise her by purchasing a home on the shores of majestic Lake Tahoe. This large lakeside house was an anniversary gift for his beloved wife of five years. He remembers how happy, excited and overjoyed she was when he first brought her here and gave her the keys to their new home. She had so many plans, so many ideas, she wanted to make this house as beautiful as possible, with new furniture and decorations. The excitement and joy which filled her eyes made all the hardwork to acquire this place, well worth it. They were suppose to start a new life here, start a family. Now, their would-be castle sits all alone...empty and deserted.
Behind the house near the rocky shore, HT has been seated near one of the many boulders which lay scattered along the edge of the lake for what seems like an eternity. In front of him is the grave in which he buried his late wife. For hours, possibly even days, he hasn't stopped staring at both the picture and inscription written on the black marble tombstone which reads:
In Loving Memory
Lilinette F.
Died - August 18, 2008
Beloved Wife and Best Friend
You will always be Loved and Remembered
As the rain continues to pour down relentlessly, HT looks out into the turbulent waters of the lake and remembers the time when the picture on the tombstone was taken. He took it two summers ago when they spent the whole day sailing on the lake. The lake's color was a beautiful deep blue at the time, not the melancholy gun-metal grey waters which currently pounds the shoreline. He remembers her so vivdly as if the photo was taken just yesterday. Her lovely light brown hair was flowing carelessly in the wind as her beautiful face glowed with elegance in the bright sunlight. He recalls at one point when she turned to him, gave him the most beautiful smile he's ever seen and said, "Thank you, Honey...I love you so much..."
Even the beads of rain which run down his face, can't conceal the intemperate feeling of sadness. He's angry at himself. He wanted answers, but couldn't find any. He doesn't understand why any of this had to happen, why the woman he loved more than life itself was taken away from him. Her death left him with a hollow heart filled with sorrow, lonliness, despair and regret. So much in fact that depression and thoughts of suicide have crept up from the deepest, darkest pits of his tortured soul. He blames himself soley responsible for her death and can't forgive himself for the selfishness that led to her passing. He lets his mind wander and thinks back to that dreadful day.
He recalls the argument they had in which he didn't want to shop at the department store that she had originally intended to go. After some time, due to her nature, she finally gave in and agreed to shop elsewhere. He remembers the sudden blinding light and defeaning explosion that erupted inside of the busy establishment which they entered. The terrified screams of people echoed in all directions. What the hell happened? He remembers getting up from the ground covered in dust and debris and drawing his sidearm. That's when he realized his wife was nowhere to be found. He begins searching frantically, but due to the ensuing chaos, finding her could take some time. He sweeps the entire north eastern side of the building, helping as many people as he can, but the search for Lilinette remains fruitless. He decides to search near the center of the store where the explosion originated. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew that she wasn't caught up in the blast because they were together at the time. Hastily moving toward the middle of the store, he encounters a small group of men wearing strange clothes and armor, equipped with unknown types of weapons. During his time in the U.S. Army with the Operational Detachment-Delta, aka Delta Force, he has seen nearly every weapon imaginable that this world has produced, yet he has never encountered hardware which these unidentified individuals carry. He quickly takes cover behind the nearest large object to his right to get an assessment of the situation. From what he gathers, there seems to be a total of four fully-armed men and a single female hostage. Each of them seems to be over 7 feet tall and weigh approximately 300+ pounds. Just who are these people...terrorists, militia? What the hell do they want? What's this about?
As the smoke and dust dissipate, he finally gets a clear view of the hostage, it's...Lilinette. She's become a captive in the grip of the terrorists. His heart races as the nerves in his entire body suddenly explode like a million needles trying to break out. He pauses for an instant as his mind races, unsure of what he should do next. For all the training he has endured, for all the tactics he has learned, in this single moment, he feels helpless. In the past, he was involved in many situations like this. He has always remained level-headed, cool, composed, able to get through each situation with no lives lost. This time however, things were different. Before, he didn't personally know the hostages he was trying to save and that's what gave him the edge, time and again. Now that it's his wife who's life is at stake, he panics and loses that edge. Nearly a minute has passed when finally, he decides to act. There's only four of them and his Glock 17 holds seventeen rounds in the magazine with one in the chamber. He believes nobody in the group is aware of his presence yet, giving him the advantage. As he press checks his gun, Lilinette notices him kneeling behind a large shelf of items and realizes what he is about to attempt. In that moment, their eyes meet and she looks at him as if trying to say 'No, don't do it'. He looks at her with great concern then decides to take the initiative. With great haste, he stands, bringing his firearm up to eye level and quickly acquires his first target. He aligns the sights, carefully aiming for center mass and places his finger on the trigger. A sudden bright blue flash momentarily stops HT in his tracks.
"What the hell?"
A brilliant, blue beam of light shoots out from Lilinette's hands, vaporizing the man in front of her which causes the remaining men in the group to bring their weapons to bear. Due to what he had just witnessed, HT is briefly taken aback and hesitates. He yells out, unintentionally giving away his position.
"LILINETTE!"
One of the men in the group is made aware of HT's presence and quickly turns and fires his strange weapon, discharging a greenish laser surrounded by sparks of electrical current. Time seems to slow down for HT as he watches the deadly light travel towards him, giving him enough time to say, "Oh, shit!".
"NOOO!" Lilinette screams.
With blinding speed, she moves from her present location and into the path of the oncoming attack. She is struck directly in the back causing her to be thrown forward and into the arms of HT. They both fall to the ground with a thud. Lilinette rolls over and shoots another beam of light at the group, but misses her target, hitting the far wall behind them instead. The leader quickly retaliates, shooting her twice in the midsection. HT becomes frantic and quickly moves to her location. He takes her, placing one hand under the back of her head and his other arm behind her shoulders.
"No, no, no, no,...sweatheart...why did you...?"
"It's alright darling...it doesn't hurt...really..."
"Don't talk, I'm gonna get you some help..."
"It's...too late...for me...save...yourself..."
"No! I'm not leaving you here! I'm gonna..."
"I...love...y..."
"Lilinette?...Honey? Please don't leave me...please don't...go..."
She closes her eyes. He can feel her slow beating heart suddenly stop as her arms fall limp to the ground. He holds her tightly in his arms and kisses her on the lips, but receives no response. He looks up and screams out in anguish.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Suddenly, in one fluid motion, he grabs his firearm from the floor and fires six continuous shots, hitting each assailant twice in the head. To his horror however, his assault is ineffective due to some type of energy shield which the men activates a split second before he open fired. He open fires again until the magazine empties and the slide locks back, but the bullets ricochet off the reddish wall of energy. In response, the leader runs toward HT with speed that seems too impossible for a man of his size and weight. He grabs HT by the throat, taking him off of his feet and slamming him hard into the wall.
"So, this woman, she is yours, huh? Then you must know the secrets. Tell me now, you insignificant worm! Or I'll crush your scrawny little neck!"
"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'M GONNA KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"HA! Don't make me laugh, maggot. You're as much of a threat to me as a blind newborn baby. NOW TELL ME THE SECRETS OF AUTHORIAN! WHERE'S THE BOOK?"
"Go fuck yourself!" HT yells, spitting then striking him in the face with a straight punch.
"Heh, nice love tap, I think you actually made me blink. Now it's my turn."
HT feels a sudden blow to his midsection accompanied by an intense sharp pain. He could hear the nauseating sound of ribs breaking and shattering as he vomits out large amounts of blood. He drops to the ground in excrutiating pain, holding his abdomen. He slowly glances up and yells out while more blood spews from his mouth.
"Fuck...y..you...go to...hell!"
"You first, runt."
The extremely large, burly man raises his leg and stomps HT's skull. Darkness and silence overtakes his senses as he passes out from the enormous impact.
He remembers waking up in a hospital bed at ICU, which he would remain as a temporary resident for the next few weeks. The recovery process was slow and painful, but eventually he recovers from his injuries. Shortly after leaving the hospital, he made plans to bury his wife behind their property beside the lake. He returns to work, but is never the same, going so far as leaving his Department's SWAT team, something he was a member of for five years as an Element Leader. A short time later, through unknown means, he acquires the video footage of the attack and repetitiously views the incident over and over. He counts four...four seconds that slipped through his fingers and changed his life forever. Four seconds is the time in which he hesitated to engage the unidentified men. Those four seconds caused the death of his wife. Maybe things would have turned out differently if he didn't pause. Maybe Lilinette would still be alive today if he didn't make such a grave mistake. Maybe...
His obsessive and eccentric behavior is only compounded by the ever increasing, intense feeling of guilt and self hatred. Due to Departmental policies and standard procedure regarding Law Enforement Officers being involved in any type of shooting, he is instructed to visit a psychiatrist and possibly a grief counselor. Neither of those did anything useful to remedy the collapse of his mental stability as he falls deeper into depression. Shortly thereafter, he resigns from the Sheriff's Department, even after his superiors, co-workers, family and friends attempt to dissuade him from making such a brash decision. Ultimately, he isolates himself from the rest of the world inside his Lake Tahoe estate.
A sudden flash of lighting and extreme clap of thunder brings HT's thoughts back to the present. Strangely, the rain has ceased and in its place, an intense snowstorm, causing most of the ground to turn white. He finds it somewhat unusual to have a thunderstorm in the middle of a snowstorm during winter, but not at all impossible. He looks down and picks up a handful of snow which has accumulated next to him. It's ice cold and causes his hand to go numb. 'She used to love this weather, particularly the snow,' he thinks to himself as he drops the clump of frozen water.
"Look sweetheart, it's snowing...I never really noticed it until now, but you're right...it really is beautiful. I wish you could be here with me right now so we can enjoy it together..."
HT can no longer find the strength to hold back his tears and for the first time in his adult life, he breaks down crying. The feeling in his heart becomes heavy and too unbearable to handle. At that point, he makes his decision and moves to the foot of her grave. From beneath his jacket, he pulls out a handgun, the same Glock 17 he had when his wife was killed. He ejects the magazine from the handgrip and removes a single hollow-point bullet. He racks the slide back, locks it place then places the bullet which he removed from the magazine, into the chamber. He depresses the slide release causing the slide to move forward with a loud clack. Slowly, he raises the gun toward his head and places the muzzle underneath his chin. He can feel the cold barrel pressing up into his throat as he puts his index finger on the trigger.
"...Wait for me Nette...I'm coming..."
Another flash of lightning followed by the sound of thunder causes him to pause for a moment. Suddenly, a bright yellowish light appears just beyond Lilinette's tombstone. He tilts his head down slightly and squints his eyes, trying to identify its source. He can barely make out the silhouette of a person, but suddenly, the light begins moving forward until the figure of a woman becomes visible.
"Who's out there? What do you want?"
He receives no answer.
"I SAID WHO'S OUT THERE?"
Just as suddenly as the light had appeared, it quickly vanishes and in its place, stands a beautiful, partially naked woman with blond hair who seems unaffected by the cold. It takes several seconds for his eyes to focus properly due to the sudden change in illumination, but what he sees, makes his heart stop.
"Who are you? You look almost like..."
"Lilinette?"
"Ye...yes..."
"Unbelievable as it seems...I'm her sister."
"What?"
"It's true."
"But...she never told me she had a...sister. Hell, I didn't even know she had any family."
"Well, on this world she didn't."
"...wha?...What do you mean 'on this world'? What world are you from?"
"Lauterania."
"Law-to-what? Are you insane or something?"
"I was fully aware of your possible reaction, which is why I'm going to show you instead."
"Show me what?"
The woman doesn't answer, instead she closes her eyes and begins to wave her right hand in a figure eight motion. She stops then positions it in a way that looks as though she's pressing the palm of her hand against an invisible wall. The air in front of her begins to sizzle and crackle then a small rip starts to form in the air directly in front of her outstretched hand. Through astonished eyes, HT watches as the small rip tears, becoming larger and wider, finally changing into a large hole hovering slightly above the snow-covered ground. His face changes to a look of bewilderment as he stares at this...thing which the woman has created.
"What the hell...is that? It looks kinda like a..."
"It's a rift in space/time. A doorway, if you will."
"A doorway? To what?"
"To a different world in a different universe. Far from your own...my world, as well as your wife's."
"Huh?"
HT slowly walks around it, noticing that it's only visible from the front and back, but nearly invisible from the side, just a sliver of light. He cautiously walks closer and tries to touch it, finding it strangely warm and inviting.
"Don't worry, it will not harm you."
"And I'm suppose to believe some strange person I just met. I might be crazy, but I ain't stupid. Hell, I don't even know your name and you want me to trust you...just like that?"
"My name is Bethany and yes, I want you to trust me...just like that. Come with me, let me show you who Lilinette truly was."
After taking a few moments to decide, he stares at his wife's tombstone then concedes, thinking his life can't get any worse than it is now.
"What the hell, fuck it...show me."
"Thank you. Here, take my hand."
The moment he touches her skin, all the memories of his wife come flooding back. The touch of her warm soft hand feels almost like...Lilinette's.
"Hold on to me tightly."
"Sure thing."
"I don't want to lose you during transit."
"...wait! WHAT?..."
In mere moments, they disappear into the rift. The dimensional "doorway" immediately closes and vanishes, leaving no hint that it was ever there at all. The snow continues to fall, covering Lilinette's tombstone and grave in a blanket of white, cotton-like ice crystals. Lilinette truly loved the snow.
"Cause I am hanging on every word you say and,
Even if you don't want to speak tonight, that's alright,
Alright with me,
Cause I want nothing more than,
To sit outside Heaven's door,
And listen to you breathing,
Is where I want to be."
- Lifehouse**
End of Chapter/Intro 1
* This quote is taken from the song, "Yesterday" by The Beatles
** This quote is taken from the song, "Breathing" by Lifehouse