It has been three weeks. Two three since that faithful concert where a demon was summoned from an unknown dimension. Angel had been there, at ground zero used as the key to opening the rift. Mok the madman super rocker who had drugged her and hooked her up via a control board to summon his demon. The horrible song she was forced to sing against her will. Toad, one of Mok's henchmen saved her and her former lover Omar at the cost of his life propelling his brother Toad to take action and kill Mok.
"It should've been done a long time ago" Angel recalled toad saying to her.
It was shortly after the demon have been defeated and Mok was exposed for the monster he was. Unfortunately he would not face justice for he was most likely dead in the other dimension. Angel only hoped that he was truly dead. Toad with now clear Conscience had given her the mansion and apologized for everything. Having taken his brother to be buried in the country with the rest of the family. She had wished them well. All she and the others had to do now is put together an album. No problem, right?.
1500 years ago.
"Hey Mark you ok?" The voice of his brother asked.
Mark gazed out the car window his expression almost dead. After what happened two days ago nobody would blame him for that. Mark had unwittingly found himself nearly at the center of in assassination plot. Being right where it happened watching the target getting ripped apart by bullets one after another. Blood spewing out from every orifice as senators body laid dead on the ground. A man who who is visiting a high school to show his support for the schools, it would become his grave. When it was all over everyone was gathered up and processed. Mark had been interrogated twice but The real killers were found shortly after proving him innocent. He was 20 years old which made him a tad suspicious on why he was there at all but as he put it, 'One of the teachers invited me and my band was set to play for the senator' he had told them. The teacher being a friend of his after high school. Getting his band some gigs to help out. It was said teacher that vouched for his innocence as well. Lucky he was proven innocent.
Mark simply shrugged. "I don't know. Every damn day it feels like we're getting closer to a full blown war" he stated.
His brother Davis reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, it does seem like that" He agreed.
Mark broke his gaze from the outside to the radio switching over to the hard drive. Selecting the music file from memory.
"For christ sake if it wasn't for Alan i'd probably be in prison right now" Mark dryly commented.
Alan was the science teacher which had vouched for his innocence and the one who had invited him. If not for him he would most likely be a deadman.
Davis grimaced. "Yeah. Sometimes it's hard not to believe the government doesn't control by idiots" he commented.
Mark chuckled dryly. "Don't forget liars" he added.
Adjusting the volume on the radio the music began to play. The heavy guitar blasted though the speakers. 'i've got a feeling' the first take of the Beatles rooftop concert. The sky was a dark gray thanks to heavy clouds. It casted a dark shadow over the land. It made things slightly more depressing than they already were. It already felt like the country was about to go to war there was no need for it to get even more depressing. The only way I could go worse is if the world in a fit of insanity launched every genetic bomb it had.
"I'm sure things will get sorted out" Davis said, noticing his brothers grim expression.
Mark hoped so. "I'm sure too" he faked some optimism.
They continued driving. The sky shifting to a dark purple as the winds all but died. Both men looked up in surprise. Davis slowed the car to a halt parking it on the side of the road. Mark opened his door and stepped out. Gazing up at the nail purple sky.
"Davis are you seeing this?" Mark asked his older brother.
"I am a little brother. I've never seen anything like it" he responded in awe.
It was an understatement. Mark held no doubt in his mind that nobody had seen anything like this. The sky continued to grow darker but they were unable to look away from it. Reaching into the car he grabbed a 35 mm picture camera. Taking the lens cap off he pointed it towards the sky and adjusted the lens before snapping a few photos. Davis looked over and gasped in horror.
"Mark!" He called.
Mark looked only too see rolling hills beyond. Suddenly he noticed the lack of weight on his feet. He looked down. Bellow him what's the car and his brother. Terror came over him. He fell forwards now he was hanging upside down but still floating upwards.
"Davis!," He reached out to no avail. "H-help!" he said but quickly realized it would be hopeless.
Mark was already 12 feet in the air and quickly rising. 15 feet, 18, 20!. All Davis could do was watching horror as his brother began floating away. There was nothing he could do at this brother slowly floated higher and higher away from him.
Mark was terrified. His entire body was defying gravity!. It wasn't normal by a long shot. His camera slipped from his grip and it quickly plummeted. Mark looked in horror. The thought of gravity suddenly returning to him sent a cold shiver down his spine.
"Oh god please let me down gently" he pleaded, tearing falling from his eyes.
He was reaching the dark purple clouds now. His gut twisting into a knot as he entered. Suddenly he was barraged with a kaleidoscope of light. Red, purple, orange green and gold assaulted his vision. Shielding his eyes he tumbled upwards through the thick clouds. Then without warning he was submerged in water. Hitting the bottom of what he can only assume that the pool. Moving his hands away from his eyes he looked around. Above a dim light filter from above. The surface of the water not even being a foot away. Standing upright he pulled himself from the water. Looking around some more he found himself in a fountain in what he can only assume that the dimly lit town square. His heart was pounding on his chest as he felt himself over. He was alive!. God knows where he was but he was alive!.
Slowly stepping out of the fountain he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know how but I hope it's the last time I go floating" he muttered underneath his breath.
Currently dripping wet but the air was surprisingly warm despite it being night. Where he ended up was a mystery. The future?, another dimension?, another planet?. Every possibility rattling off in his head. He was going to find someone. He can only hope they spoke English. Ugh my head feels like shit. He groaned.
Angel sighed to herself as Omar paced the inside of the control room. He has been at it for the past two minutes completely racking his brain. Not having to commit to a relationship during the making of an album was a massive stress relief. Sometimes he slipped back into old habits but he had gotten more mature since the concert. His orange hair slightly bounced with each step before grinding to a sudden halt.
Pinching the bridge of his nose his sighed. "I was off by a note," he grunted. "A damn note"
Angel looked at him reassuringly. "We can overdub it. At least we won't have to throw out a good backing track" she suggested.
Omar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but that can wait. I feel ready to crash and burn" he yawned.
Angel could see the tiredness on his face. She on the other hand wasn't so tired. Maybe a walk around town could help with that. She mused.
"Good night" She told him.
Omar flashed her a brief smile. "Good night" he returned the gesture.
He genuinely hoped that she would. Ever since the demon was defeated she often found herself drinking a lot of coffee to get through days. Once he was out Angel quickly made her way to the door for her long walk. Exiting the mansion the sea air greeted her.
Mark sat by the fountain drying himself off of the towel he had liberated from a clothesline. On the bench hung his shirt, socks and shoes. Slowly drying in the now cooling air. The smell to the air had a distinct saltiness to it. It was either the town or the sea being nearby. It was something he would learn soon enough. He's mine couldn't help tracing back to his brother. The thought of what happened to him after Mark began floating off. The absolute fear and terror on his face permanently burned into his mind. Mark quickly pushed it away. Focus, he needed to focus!. Wiping away the water from the body he looked down to his dripping wet pants. Deciding that the locals wouldn't like it if you was walking around stark naked. Wrapping a towel around his chest he tied it.
"Where is everyone anyway?" He muttered feeling as if he was being watched.
Suddenly police sirens blaring and Mark was encapsulated and bright lights. Groaning he heard something stopping not to far away. Mark was briefly blinded by the light as someone exited The vehicle.
"Oh my god!" A deep voice said in shock.
Mark's vision slowly cleared up and before him was a fairly large man in a police uniform... who looked more like a mouse than a man. Mark's eyes widened in shock. Wherever he was he wasn't home anymore. God knows where he was.
"H-hello officer. Is something the matter?" He managed to say.
The officer snapped from his daze. Looking at the human with surprise. Normally he would've busted a person for bathing in fountain but this felt very different.
"Bathing in a fountain is illegal," The officer told him. "How did you get here?"
Mark obliged him and told him the story about floating through the air into dark purple clouds. The officer felt himself shake upon hearing that.
"I remember that from human history class. Several people floated off into the sky and ended up in different times and places" The officer called his school years.
Mark felt stomach twist. "I'm in the future. How long has it been?" Mark inquired.
The officer name Quadhole rattled the numbers off his head. "just over 1500 years," he responded sympathetically. "April 9th 2030... two months before World War III"
Mark felt as if he had been shot. Those last words he feared the most. Stepping back to the bench he sat down. His expression wide-eyed and grim.
"Oh my god," he whispered. "We actually did it. We blew ourselves up"
Looking up at the sky he saw the dark clouds above. The feeling of death coming over him like a blanket. In that moment he truly felt dead.
Angel could see the police lights in the distance. Just at the centre of town. Curiosity getting the better of her she began walking over. Figured quad home was unjustly arresting someone or probably something a bit more justified. Reaching the end of the street she entered the square. There was a police car with its door open and the officer not even 5 feet from it. Someone was on the bench staring blankly up at the sky. He didn't look like to be any animal humanoid she had ever seen. The closer she got the more she realized that he wasn't an animal humanoid hybrid. It was a human!.
Angel stopped right next to the car as both Quadhole in the human acknowledged her presence. The human simply waved.
"Angel," Quadhole said. "Out for a night stroll"
It was something he was used to at this point given it had been only three weeks since that god-awful concert. Given the world to see if that night he dropped every charge against the band as a thank you.
Angel nodded. "Are you going to arrest him?" She inquired.
Quadhole shook his head. "Actually I'm gonna go. There's a homeless shelter on ninth Street but if you wanna take them go ahead" he said before entering his car and driving off.
Angel looked at the human who looked at his feel. He brought his gaze back up to her. She wore a black shirt with similar black pants and a belt. Over the shirt was a red and gold jacket.
"I'm mark" he said.
Angel stepping closer responded. "I'm Angel. So how did you end up here?"
He told her everything and by the end she was left stunned. She remembered it from human history class. Mark shivered as a cold breeze swept across the town square.
"Christ why did I end up in a fountain?" He grumbled.
Angel gently touched his arm to feel he was almost dead cold. She grimaced and gestured for him to get up.
She kept her tone soft. "Come on you can stay with me" she told him.
Mark reluctantly nodded. Angel then handed him her jacket. "Thank you" he then switched it out with the towel.
Grabbing his shoes he slid them on. Tucking his shirt in with a towel they began. The jacket was much warmer than the towel and eased his nervousness. Angel looked to be more catlike from what Mark could tell. The one thing he was certain about was she was as surprised to see him as he was as surprised to see her. He felt like his mind was running away from him. The adrenaline he had was beginning to fade away and he body felt heavier because it. He could notice people watching from windows with shocked expression on their faces. Humanity was dead and he was the only survivor as far as he knew. God knows what was gonna happen. He could only have hope for the best.
"So what do for a living?," Mark inquired softly. "I... used to be in a band. Had a nice job in town as a book store owner after the old man running it gave it to me after he died" He highlighted some parts of his life.
Angel felt her nervousness beginning to melt. Mark looked as if he was trying to make the best out of a bad situation. An unintentional time traveler walking with her. If anyone were to have told her this she would've laughed but now it wasn't funny at all. At least he escaped World War III whether he liked it or not.
Angel shrugged. "It's a long story" She told him.
Mark smiled sheepishly. "I've got time," he said almost boyishly. "Besides I'm not going anywhere soon"
That last part made her heart sink. For all intensive purposes he was alone and with the people now staring from the windows it was only a matter of time before officials showed up. What would happen to him from then on out would be unknown.
She decided to hell with it and began telling him about herself. "I was in a band when 3 weeks ago I was targeted for a ritual..." she continued, Mark giving her all the attention in the world. It felt nice to have someone pay attention like that. Someone genuinely interested in hearing what she had to say. Someone with a heart.
Both Mark and Angel reached the mansion to find everyone was asleep. Angel guided Mark upstairs to a guest bedroom. The mansion was far larger than he originally expected.
"Holy shit, this place must cost a fortune" he commented.
Angel agreed. "I can imagine it does" she replied opening the door.
Mark stepped in tracking and droplets of water. Angel stepped in slowly closing the door behind her. Flipping on the lights she then made her way to the dresser. Opening one of the drawers she found shorts. Pulling them out she tossed them to Mark. Keeping her back turned she waited for him to change. The very light clatter teeth could be heard from Mark. Wearing wet pants in increasingly colder conditions in the night wasn't exactly a good thing.
Mark then finished. "Done," sliding off the jacket he hung it on the doorknob. "I haven't felt this cold since last winter" he added dryly.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Angel turned.
Mark nodded. "I don't wanna be a nuisance" he replied softly.
There was a bit of hair on his chest and but he was relatively clean shaven for a 20 year old. She noticed he was lightly shaking due to the cold. The threat of hypothermia lingering in the back of her mind.
She stepped closer placing your hand on his shoulder to feel it was almost ice cold. "You're not a nuisance," she replied warmly. "You'll catch hypothermia if someone doesn't sleep with you" she added.
Right then Mark's face turned red with embarrassment. "I-I'm fine..."
Angel looked disapprovingly at him. "No your not," She said with slight embarrassment. "We're not gonna do it. I'm just keeping you warm"
Between catching hypothermia not catching hypothermia Mark relented.
"Alright you win" Lowering himself onto the bed he slipped underneath the blankets.
Angel turn off the lights and moved up right beside him. Mark's blush grew by tenfold. Stupid fountain. He thought in dismay. Angel pulled herself close making the heat hard to ignore. It was relaxing.
"Good night mark" she whispered softly.
"Good night angel" he responded slowly drifting off to sleep.
End chapter.