In the Northern Hemisphere of the planet called Earth, autumn was still lingering. Beneath those forests of fiery red and golden yellows, were the hints of winter. Snow dusted the mountain tops, chilly blows puffed the air, and frost coated and caressed everything in sight. The flaming leaves were still attached to the deciduous trees while needles were intact in their coniferous counterparts. The skies would vary from powdery blue with the piercing rays of the sun to the inkiest blacks and murkiest grays, obscured by wispy clouds. The temperature gradually dropped lower and lower, and desire for warmth increased. As Jon Snow would've said, winter is coming.*
But winter wasn't the only thing that gradually marked its arrival in autumn's presence; somebody appeared alongside it.
..Don't believe me? Then take a look at what was going on beyond the Big Apple...
-Busan, South Korea-
The ever-consuming flames licked and flickered around in the gradually dissolving house. A girl, possibly around middle school-age, was frightened and she whimpered every time a small burst of fire attacked her. Her clothes didn't burn but they were itchy and uncomfortable. Tiny streams of salty tears stained her cheeks, overheated by the fire. It didn't help that her eyes stung from the smoke and ashes, making it hard to see. Everybody else from her family managed to escape but why her? Why didn't she make it out in time, only to be trapped? And how did the house even end up on fire? Someone must've used a lighter and made it lit. Or maybe there was an accident in the kitchen...? If the house was in flames because of the latter, it would be unfortunate because she was looking forward to her mom's kimchi jeon for dinner...
A pillar of wood suddenly cracked and it fell down, landing straight towards the girl. With a startled scream, she backed away and tried to find an exit. But most of the doors were devoured by the menacing flames and other possibilities for escape were blocked by neighbouring fires that scorch and threaten to burn those who escaped the fiery prison.
"Annyeong... I'll help you get out. Just follow my voice..."
The girl looked around, startled at the sudden voice calling her. As she didn't know English very well, she wasn't sure what it was saying... maybe it was trying to help her? Nevertheless, she tried to figure out where the person was, despite the smoke and ashes affecting her once-clear vision. Her eyes stung so she slowly shuffled around, dodging whatever damaged areas the fire caused. The voice kept crooning words to her in English, sometimes with a hint of Korean, encouraging her to overcome her fear for a moment. Obviously, it wasn't easy but she just wanted a way out-
"Almost there! Just find the door without the flames..."
Without.. flames? She groped around for a door, only to find that there were only burnt doors or entrances. Most of them were white hot, black and crumbling, or engulfed in flaming wisps of death. How could she find one that's-
Her fingers scraped on what felt like stone, plaster, or splintered wood. The girl couldn't tell what material was it, but it formed a huge hole in the wall..
"That's it! You found it!" The voice cheered. "Now just grab onto me and I'll carry you down..."
Carry.. her?
All of a sudden, she felt slightly arms wrapped around her waist, cool and soothing on her overheated skin. Then there was the sensation of being lifted up and hovering down, down, down. The girl huddled closer to what she thought was a chest. A male chest. She very nearly blushed at the thought. Still, the mystery saviour carried her to the ground and the girl felt something brief but cold at the tip of her nose. It was like somebody pinched her nose, or maybe poked it? No, wasn't it being nipped?
She heard familiar voice calling out her name and the girl's eyes finally opened after being away from the fire and smoke. She saw her parents, black from the fire, and they ran towards her and gave her a hug.
Somewhere in the sky, the girl's saviour watched everything before it vanished...
-Redwater, Alberta, Canada-
In this relatively small town not far from Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, there was a thief. Yes, an average money-stealing thief, complete with a bag and a ski mask with holes. But this thief got big dreams. Big sinister dreams, that is. He planned to leave Redwater and seek for bigger goods in Edmonton, then Calgary, then all of Alberta... maybe even Canada and the rest of the world. Who knows? If he was extremely lucky, maybe he could even beat the Sinister Six, Doctor Doom, Magneto, or even Galactus. Slinging his bag full of stolen money from banks and wallets on his shoulder, he scanned the cold, dry landscape dotted with several houses; if he could just find the highway and hop on an unsuspecting car or truck, then he might reach Edmonton...
A blast of a chilly wind assaulted his senses, and he heard a laugh somewhere, chiming like bells as he wrapped his coat around his body tighter, as if it was meant to keep him warm. "GAH! Stupid wind.." The thief grumbled between chattering teeth.
"Hi there! Wanna play with me~?" A voice greeted him out of nowhere. It sounded innocent enough, like a child, but the thief had a bad feeling about the words it said...
SPLAT! Something cold and soft landed smack-dab on the face. White bits slid off from his cheeks and the contrast between the fading warmth of his face and the frigidness of the unknown substance was torturous.
"Ok! Who threw that?!" Already annoyed at the unexpected attack, the thief better figure out the culprit fast, even if he had to risk his life for the bag of money. As if on cue, the wind stopped blowing on him. But as a result, everything went dead quiet. Nobody replied, nobody screamed, nobody dared to move... was there even a person in this town other than him?!
"I did! But I bet you can't find me!" Hey! It was that voice again! Rather than the teasing voice it used earlier, the voice was actually mocking him. Daring him, even. To him, this was getting out of hand.
The thief growled and pulled out a switchblade from his jeans pocket, the dull silver blade brandishing out from its sheath as he pressed the button. He scanned the open clearing in front of him, which was vast as the prairies, and then he observed the neighbourhoods further away from behind. He even checked the open road on his left, which was empty save for the occasional car. Where did that punk go...?
"BOMBS AWAY~!"
"Wha-"
And then it happened; snowballs were flying in from different directions, all aiming at him. Like bullets or cannonballs, they hit their target perfectly, pelting him with icy accuracy and unavoidable speed. The thief landed on the ground, flat as a pancake, while the snowballs continued to cover his body into a mound as the pile expanded faster and faster. Every time he tried to rise up, he ended up being hit by a random snowball again, whether by the head or in the vital regions. He wasn't even sure where his loot was, but they probably got lost in the snow somewhere. They just kept coming and coming, never stopping until he was completely buried. It never seemed to end..
Sometime later, the police found the snowbound thief in that mysterious pile of snow near the road, his feet sticking out. Snow doesn't come until later in the month, but they decided not to question it. They just handcuffed him and escorted him to jail, not aware of the snowflakes swirling around in the sky...
*Yeah, it's that Jon Snow reference from Game of Thrones. I know you guys done it. -.-
Translations:
Annyeong - Hello (Korean; a more formal way to say it, as in for grown-ups and family members, is Annyeonghaseyo. Annyeong is also an informal way of saying 'Goodbye'.)
Eugene: So this chapter actually contains two scenes from outside of New York since it involved encounters similar to the ones Spidey and Batroc had, as well as that robber from the first chapter. It's more of a filler chapter than anything, but it'll be essential for later ones (you'll see why). I wish I could write more for different countries, but I got writer's block so that's all I got so far. Oh yeah, kimchi jeon is a Korean pancake-like or thin pizza-like dish made with flour batter and kimchi (a fermented Korean side dish, usually baechu kimchi/napa cabbage kimchi), but vegetables and/or ground meat (usually pork) could be added. You should try it some time; it's so delicious... *drools*
