Chapter 1: Origins
The rain came down in sheets through the large window. Inside, Dustin was watching the rain. It always amazed him, the rain, almost memorizing.
"Nice day huh?"
Dustin looked away from the window. He saw Jim, rain still dripping from his jacket.
"Hey, what's up?" asked Dustin as he was brought back into reality.
"Not much, Wes and me are here and ready." Jim said, placing his gaming bag down on the table.
"Good, we can get started."
"OK Guys begin!" Dustin yelled, has he checked the clock on the wall for the time.
Week after week, month after month, it was the same thing. Dustin always enjoyed card games, and of course judging them. It's the life he was born into, he thought. But it seemed like a rut. The epic battles that unfolded on the card table, he wanted to experience in real life. Dustin shook his head, throwing the idea out of his mind.
"So, Naruto again." Shayne said as Dustin sat across from him.
"Yeah, no use giving up on it. It's here for the long run." Shayne laughed "Ok so it can only go as far as the show does, what does that matter?" Thunder clapped hard in the air outside The Guard Tower.
"Rain doesn't look like its going to let up." Shayne looked out the window, Dustin noticed, in almost the same gazed way he had been looking outside before.
"I won." Ryan said as he grabbed his book bag that was sitting on the table to the right. "What is Shayne doing?" He asked as he saw him staring outside.
"The rain is brainwashing people today." Dustin said as he entered Ryan's results for the round.
"Brainwashing?" Ryan seemed confused. He then looked over Shayne's shoulder and just stared.
"Mental note, don't look outside." Dustin said, not looking up from his computer. But he wondered, just a little.
Lightning hit the ground close outside the Guard Tower, and the lights went off. There were no lights other then Dustin's laptop, and the darkened light coming from the window. Everyone was talking at once.
"Calm down everyone, Calm down." Dustin said as he stood up. They needed light to have some sort of order. Laptop was not going to last forever, and the window only helped a small section of the room. Zach came up to Dustin.
"What happened? Will the lights come back on soon?" He sounded worried.
"Not sure what happened, but let's just give it a few moments. For the time being, I want to find some sort of light." Everyone flipped open their cell phones, almost illuminating the room.
"That, oddly enough, might work, but only for a few moments. Zach and Ryan, come with me, we're going up front to see what they are doing about the lights." They walked up front, to a empty room.
"Where is everyone? I know I heard people up here right before the power went out." Asked Ryan as they walked up to the front counter. He was right, Dustin thought. The huge front windows let light into the darkened store to find it empty of life. They could still here the people in the back talking, not knowing anything of the confusion that was happening up front.
"All the cars are still in the parking lot," Zach squinted threw the rain, "I think." Again, true, Dustin thought. Even still, the employees were gone as well. Tyler came running from the back.
"Guys, we have a problem!" Tyler said, catching his breath.
"What's wrong?" Zach asked, just as thunder clapped outside, much closer then it was before.
"Everyone is freaking out, thinking we're…the...only..." Tyler stopped himself, looking around the empty front room.
"Ryan, go calm everyone down please." Dustin asked, trying to stay calm himself.
"Sure." Ryan walked through the near darkened door to the next room. The commotions seemed to grow with every second.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked.
"We don't know." Zach said as he looked around more, desperately trying to find something.
Dustin tried to wrap his mind around what has happening. The lights went out, so everyone who was in the front room ran outside? Dustin walked to the front door.
"What are you doing?" Tyler asked as he and Zach came up to him.
"Maybe the people up front went to look at the other stores to see if they have power." Dustin opened the door and stepped into the covered side walk. Zach and Tyler followed. "You guys can stay inside."
"Uh yeah we know, but you might need help." Tyler said.
They walked down the walk, trying to stay dry. The rain that did blow over into the alcove stung when it hit them. They came to the restaurant, empty. Then the Insurance office, empty. Then the bar. Dustin stepped inside. Empty again. He stepped out again.
"Ok so everyone we weren't with in the complex was gone when the power was cut off. Let's get back to the others." They ran back into the Guard Tower to hear the others in the back.
"Well at least they are still here." Zach said. Then, as if it was waiting for someone to say those words, lightning hit the ground. All the noise, all the talking, all the arguing stopped from the back room. The three of them looked at each other wide-eyed. They walked into the back room, now empty of life.