A/N - Hold up! This chapter needs trigger warnings for implied sexual abuse, parental abuse, and the apocalypse. I highly recommend skipping this chapter or coming back to it later if any of these topics upset you. Knowledge of this chapter (Chara's backstory) is NOT essential to the main plot, so there is no pressure to read it at all.


Alpha Timeline
August 19, 2019
Puyallup, Washington
7:34 AM

I awoke to my father shaking me early this morning. Normally, I would not have ever stood for someone waking me at 4 AM, but my father seemed adamant, anxious even, that we needed to leave now. I should have known then to be afraid; it wasn't like my father to show such visible and flagrant signs of fear. But he looked like death himself was coming to get us both.

"Are you still lying down, Charlemagne? We've got to go, now. Pack some clothes you don't mind wearing and come out to the living room. Make sure Madeline does too."

By this point, I knew I wasn't going to get any more sleep, so I begrudgingly obliged. I stumbled out of bed and picked out the clothes I could still stand to wear, and pulled out Madeline's old bright pink suitcase so she could do the same. It was weird. There were so many moments when I wanted to pack my suitcase and just leave town in the middle of the night, and it felt so weird to finally be doing so. Mother was already up too, digging through old boxes in the basement and pulling out old maps and camping gear. I wanted to grab some of my outdoor stuff too, specifically the kit I had made just for this instance, but with her down there, I decided against it.

Not even 30 minutes later, we were in the car speeding down Highway 18 towards Federal Way. This was so surreal. Where were we going? Why now? My dad would only say "away" as he anxiously looked at the GPS map in the car. Mother, who wasn't for listening to me, neglected to answer. I had decided to fall back asleep when I saw it. Felt it? A flash, then a boom, and then it was as if the world itself started to shake.

"Shit. Fuck." My dad cursed under his breath as he gripped the door hold for his life. Mother swerved and screeched as she tried to keep the car steady. Madeline and me both turned around to see a fireball to the north igniting the night sky, The more it grew, the more I could feel my heart sinking.

Madeline, still drowsy from being woken up, spoke up first. "Chara, this is just like my dream. an explosion over the trees."

"An explosion…what? What do you mean Madeline?"

Dad ran his hands through his hair. "Damnit Diane, when you said we had to go, you didn't say anything about a nuclear explosion hitting Seattle! Did you know!?"

"Of course I fucking didn't know what this was going to be! She only said she started having dreams last week! What were we supposed to do?"

"What were we supposed to do!? We could have warned everyone, we could have gotten our friends out, our families, your own mother! We could have saved people."

I swear I heard Mother's voice crack a bit when she responded. But honestly? I don't care. Do you know what she said? She had the nerve to turn to dad and say "There wasn't any other way." Disgusting.

I literally couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Wait, are you saying…"

"She's gone, Angeline. She told us to go."

I feel so fucking empty.


Alpha Timeline
August 19, 2019
Trout Lake, Washington
11:53 AM

The bombs didn't stop. On every radio station, from every website, news flooded in about what seemed like the destruction of the world. Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, Denver, San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., so many cities that I can't possibly name them all. In the time since we left, they're all gone.

A part of me feels like I should be angrier. Or at least scared. But I just feel empty. And alone? I don't know. Does anything really matter now that Grandma Clara is gone?

I'm going to go back to sleep.


Alpha Timeline
August 19, 2019
Pine Grove, Oregon
1:05 PM

I was awakened by what seemed like arguing between my parents. Typical. It makes sense that they wouldn't be able to cope with the stress of a crisis. It sounds like they're discussing whether to buy more supplies or not. I looked behind us to see the trunk filled to the brim with food and water – where they would have gotten it is unclear. But mother seems to be pretty adamant on getting more.

"We should be getting as much as we can! Who knows how much of a chance we have to stock up before this gets any worse."

"I disagree, we already have enough for months. You saw Hood River, it was chaos. So many people are going to need the stuff we have."

"What about us!? You're so concerned about the family but this is where you draw the line?" Ugh. I hate her voice.

Next to me, Madeline is reading. I'm grateful that she was always patient and kind, but especially now, I can't help but worry about her. I asked her "Madeline, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I've been reading Harry Potter for school. It's really interesting, I don't know why you don't like it. They're magic, like us."

I fought my initial gut reaction of dismissal for Madeline's sake. "It's fine, I guess . I mean, they get to be in a magical world. We…well, we get to be out here. It's not the same."

"It could be. Maybe we'll get to use our magic one day."

Yeah, maybe.


Alpha Timeline
August 19, 2019
Adin, California
6:55 PM

We just emptied the Fuel Commander of their last drops of fuel. I could see the owner roping off the gas station as we sped down the highway towards the South. I think it's become incredibly clear that we're not going to stop driving until we get to wherever we're going. Mother and dad have traded places and now he's the one speeding down the highway towards our supposed promised land. I'm so tired of sitting in this stiff chair. I'm tired of just munching on crackers. But I guess it beats being anywhere else.

I packed very little in the way of entertainment, but it's nice to see so much of the country. It's almost criminal how rich we are and yet how little we traveled. Mother seemed to do fine leaving without us, but dad almost always stayed with us. We never went anywhere together, unless it was to see Grandma. But do you know what? I can't really enjoy this. Because no matter where we go, the world looks ready to breathe its last.

It's cloudy everywhere. From the moment we started driving this morning, it hasn't stopped being cloudy. And the further we drive, the worse things seem to get. I can see the smoke from fires on the horizon, and the sky is unnaturally orange and dark. It's a grim reminder that devastation lies just over the horizon. Everyone on this trip so far has been mean and defensive, but I guess I would be too, if you woke up and suddenly the world as you knew it ended in your sleep. I can only imagine how these small towns are gonna fill up with people escaping the cities. And here we are, just another family escaping certain death. What kind of people does that make us?

This is exhausting. I may just try sleeping again.


Alpha Timeline
August 20, 2019
Buckingham Park, California
2:27 AM

Ugh. How do I even go about explaining this?

We're here. I think. We've finally made it where I think we were going the entire time. We've stopped in a town on the lakefront that seems super quiet (even though it's late). There's a Wal-Mart here, of all places, so we decided to try and shop there. While we're outside, there was this lady sitting on the ground outside. She had fallen down, and I couldn't help but think "Well, why not help her?"

Dad went into the store with Madeline to see what they had left, and Mother decided to stay and guard our car. I carried the water bottle I had been planning to drink in the car with me and took the opportunity to reach out and be helpful. I said "Hey, are you okay?"

She couldn't have been that old. Maybe like, in her 60s? But she had this soft, frail voice, and she said "Oh! What a sweet child! I had come here to look for some more food, you know, with the news and all, but I tripped on the way here. Now, I don't think I can walk at all." She motioned to her swollen ankle, which did indeed look awful. "It's a real shame, because I don't know what I'm going to do now."

It was distressing to look at her. I don't know why I did what I did what I did. I probably shouldn't have. I probably should have just said "I'm sorry" and kept going at all. But it was the middle of the night of the first day of the apocalypse. She was alone and scared and helpless. And, worst of all, she reminded me so much of Grandma Clara. I could feel my heart ache just thinking about her. So I did something really stupid next.

"I…I have some first aid skills. Do you mind if I look at it?"

The woman was understandably shocked. "I…um, sure. I don't mind."

I had only ever used healing magic on Madeline before. Never any other human, and certainly no one who wasn't already magic. But I breathed in and out and held my hands over her ankle, and little by little, I could feel it. I could feel it healing. It's so weird. When I try and use magic, I can always feel it wash over me, like a wave. It's not something I could see or describe to others. But I just know it works. I wish I knew more than healing magic. But for now, it's enough.

I held that position for about thirty seconds before the woman was confused enough to question me. God, I could feel myself getting so red. I didn't even think about how I would respond! How typical of me. I just got super flustered and said. "Your ankle! It's not fully healed, but you should be able to put weight on it now! Try getting up."

She looked really skeptical, but I insisted. And it worked! You should have seen her face when she stood up and was able to walk around. I know I'm not supposed to use magic but it felt…really, really good. She said "Oh! I actually can walk again! What a plesant surprise. And you did this?"

I know she was probably humoring me. Or thinking that she was playing along with some sort of act. But I stood up proudly and said "Yeah." And you know what? I honestly was proud to say it. "You can have this water bottle, just to be safe. Be careful out there, yeah?"

She thanked me and walked away, but not before I got a rude awakening for my actions. "Charlemagne! You did not just do what I think you did!"

Oops. My dad seemed pretty angry with me, and I guess he had a point. He had a couple bags of stuff with him, and Madeline was helping him carry some groceries too. I had no choice but to submit to his lecture.

"It's not as bad as it looks! She had no idea what I did, and she was old! There's no way she thinks it exists."

"That's not the point! You don't know what she could tell someone else. She could seriously endanger you if anyone else found out. You have to be more careful."

"Honestly Dad, why do we have to hide this talent so much? With the world the way it is, we could do so much good for so many people, yet you're always telling Madeline and me that we have to hide who we really are! It's not fair."

He sighed and leaned down to be at my height, shifting his bags of groceries so that he could put his large hand on my shoulder. "Chara, it's not fair. I'm sorry I have to ask this of you. But we've had this discussion again and again and the world ending doesn't change that. People aren't ready to see your talents. This world isn't meant to be a safe place for people like you and your sister. If people found out the things that you could do, there's no way that we could guarantee your safety. And we need you to be safe."

I looked away from him. On one hand, it felt so hard to not be angry at him for saying that. Who cares about the world, what about me? But then again, I can feel like dad really loves me, so much more than she does. So then, why? Why can't he just find a way?

"I bet Mother wouldn't say that about me. It's not like magic matters to her."

He sighed. "It's not that simple. Your mom…your mom has a lot to work through. But it's because of your mom that we can be here. It's because of her that I know we're going to be safe no matter what."

"Oh, and why's that? Is she going to protect us?"

Dad grabbed my hand as he led us back to the car. "Do you remember the stories your Grandma used to tell you? About the war between humans and monsters and how they were locked away by the seven mages?"

"Yeah. You would tell us those stories too, about how the mages saved humanity. Why is that important?"

"Well," he paused "What if I told you that the Mt. Ebott in that story is the same as the Mt. Ebott in this area? And what if I told you that your grandmother knew this and brought property in this area when she was young? Would you believe me?"

"WHAT!? Are you saying that monsters are real!?"

"SHHHHHH. Not so loud. It's supposed to be a secret. But there's a chance that the monster cave may be real. And if it is, we have a chance that no one in this entire country has to escape this mess."

When we got back to the car, he opened the truck and then hugged me. "Chara. You are the latest in a long line of magicians who, with their magic, once saved the world. Your power and your heritage is the reason that we have a future at all. I hope it never comes to this, but you may represent the future for all of humanity. That's why it's important, now more than ever, that we keep you safe, okay? I love you so much.

I blushed as I sheepishly hugged him back. "I love you too dad, okay, jeez. But where are we going to put this stuff? The trunk is full."

"Oh, I guess you're right. Gosh." He made a silly face and voice that never failed to make Madeline giggle. I always hated it when he acted funny though. "You'll have to hold it then, champ. That okay? We're almost there."

I faked displeasure as I climbed back into the car with Madeline. Looking like she never left, Mother was up front, scrolling through her phone as she waited for us to return. "Took you all long enough. Get anything interesting?"

"Nothing much," my dad responded. "They just had a lot of oddities left on the shelf. Nothing non-perishable but a bit of essentials. I filled in wherever we had our biggest gaps.

"Surprised they're still taking money. Or that the people here haven't picked it clean yet. What an oddity. I guess we'll be able to get what we want soon."

My dad frowned as he buckled his seatbelt. "Of course they're taking money. This isn't the city, things are fine here for now."

My mom scoffed as she began to pull out of the Wal-Mart parking lot. "Yeah, for now. We'll see how long this lasts."

As I'm writing this, we're being stopped by two security guards, who are angrily interrogating us for our identities as my mother talks them over, something about a house that we have here on the water.

"What number did you say it was? And this stuff's legit?"

"Yes, yes, of course! Everything will check out, and I have the paperwork right here!"

They drone off together, before the two security guards talk amongst themselves and finally come to an conclusion. They hand us back our papers and dutifully say "Welcome to Camp Buckingham."

We drive through the dark forest before finally pulling into our home, a medium-sized cabin at the bottom of the hill near the water.

I can feel every bone of my body aching from exhaustion, but I'm fully prepared when Mother says "No one goes to bed until this car is emptied. And no more water for you Angeline. I know you gave your bottle away tonight. That sort of behavior is going to be unacceptable here."

I'm so pissed at her and I know I'm supposed to mind myself but I just don't have the energy to care. "It's Chara. And fine. I don't need your stupid water anyway."

"Excuse me, young lady!? Keep that up and you'll be drinking from the lake. That is not how you talk to someone who just worked to save you like I did. Do I make myself clear?"

"I'm, I'm -!" I could feel my frustration rising before my dad turns to look at me, disapprovingly. Madeline is waiting too, and looks scared. I can't hurt her. I was angry and frustrated, but I can't…! "I'm not a girl. But yes ma'am. You do."

UGH. We just finished and I'm so tired. But I had to get this out. Living here is just going to be even worse than living in Covington. Except now, we have nowhere to go. Tomorrow, we have to report to the clubhouse for a community briefing and it just makes me think, what exactly is happening here? How did my parents know? What's going to happen to us?

I'm too tired to think about all of this stuff. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I'll deal with this tomorrow.


Alpha Timeline
August 25, 2019
Camp Buckingham, California
10:15 PM

I don't think life is ever going back to the way things used to be.

It's hard to get a grasp on everything that's happened. It sounds like nuclear war occurred overnight. And despite our ability to block it out (my grandma apparently never invested in a TV), we can't escape the news on our peninsula on the lake. Every major city in the US is gone. The country is buckling under the weight of a paralyzing and collapsing society. Millions of people are dead and tens of millions more missing. The world that remains is witnessing the opening rites of World War III. And yet, here we are. Good ol' Camp Buckingham.

Our neighbors seem like stand-up people. Every weekend, everyone gathers at what I'm calling "Buckingham Palace," an old golf clubhouse that now functions as our community center. These people are a riot, I swear. Most of them had white-collar jobs before the war, and now that we're here, I can't say it's not satisfying to watch middle-aged men scramble to be useful. But even in the end of the world, it's those same rich assholes who get to dodge the worst work. The people with the biggest houses are stuck with the easiest jobs – fishing, boiling and distributing water, security, repairing boats and bicycles, and survival research. They're the ones in control. For everyone else, the "less educated" you are, the worse your job gets. The bottom of the totem pole is forced to scavenge other cities for supplies. And the worst part of all? Mother is in charge of all of this.

I farm. Most of the kids here farm. Some people are able to get out of it, but it's impossible to know what they do since I have to work all day. Dad is a doctor, and he's set up in a house down by the docks to act as our temporary clinic. He's almost always busy with the abysmal medical supplies we have and comes home very late. A lot of the men are just muscle, guarding our stores of food and the water treatment plant we somehow ended up with. And the women? They're the ones managing us; the workers, the food, the colony. It's almost like they predicted the apocalypse. Oh wait, they did. Another magical feat these pitiful people have Grandma Clara and Madeline to thank for.

Every day, I wake at sunup, and after what seems like a gloomy hour eating crackers, I go out to the old golf course and other open fields to help the kids prepare it for food production. Never mind that winter is coming and we don't have a fucking clue what we're doing. Never mind that the rain falling is most definitely irradiated and that we haven't seen the sun in literally a week. We're told we have to work or we don't eat. We get a small break for "lunch," and then we're forced to work until the sun goes down. After that? Well, you better hope the power is on. But it's not even like that matters anymore. We don't have a TV, our phones have stopped working, we have no internet, and no radio. All I can do is sit here, read, and write. The only saving grace about all of this is that Madeline gets to work inside if I commit to work the fields permanently. Fine. I guess. Don't drag her into this bullshit.

I actually went and confronted her. Mother. One day, after finally being allowed to leave the fields with dinner, I stormed into the clubhouse and called her out on all this bullshit. The work system, the control, the nepotism, and the fact that they routinely put people's lives at risk by forcing them to scavenge before letting them into camp. And do you know what her and her little board did? They threw me out. Her own child. Even now, I can feel my eyes feel with hot tears as I remember what she did to me. I'm still so livid. But I'm not surprised. She always hated us.

Can…can I be honest? After that, I did something I probably shouldn't have. I don't know what came over me. But for a moment, as some guy tried to drag me out of the clubhouse, I felt myself become…light? nimble? I don't know how to describe it, but in that moment, I felt like I was powerful enough to defend myself. I threw a grown man twice my size over my shoulder and broke a table as I walked up to Mother and yelled in her face. "My mother is a fraud! She is an awful, rich, white, suburban monster from Seattle who's coasted on her laurels and her money her entire life! She didn't predict this apocalypse, my grandmother did! And because she got a few things right, you're going to let this sham of a person lead this camp? You're all fools being fooled! She's going to lead us all straight to hell."

That certainly shut them up. But before I knew it, I had a gun pointed at my head and a few of the board members had backed up at the sight of my power. Mother was the only one to look me dead my red eyes and say "Welcome to hell, sunshine" right before I was knocked out and dragged back to my house. Not only did I wake up with a headache, I still haven't eaten today, which probably won't happen at this point.

I've never seen my dad openly sob before. But when he got home, I could tell how livid he was.

"Charlemagne, I can't believe what you did today! Not only did you use magic, you badly injured three guards! Unbelievable. I had to convince a lady that you weren't "The Devil's Messenger" earlier, so that she wasn't going to hunt you down. You can't do this stuff anymore."

"Dad, I couldn't help it!" I pleaded. "They were trying to hurt me! And you know why I did it! I didn't have any other way of getting through to Mother! She never comes home anymore. I never get to see her. And when she does, she always ignores me! She acts like she has nothing to do with me when in reality her kids are suffering!

"Chara, do you know how close you came to getting killed today? DO YOU!?"

"I don't care! If it means I don't have to live in this hellhole, what's the point? I don't think I can live in a world ruled by her anymore. I can't do it."

"Chara please, don't say that. You and Maddie are all I have, please."

"If that's even true, then why do you stay with her? If you know how bad she was, why didn't you leave!?"

"BECAUSE I COULDN'T! I…couldn't…"

My dad told me everything. About how he met my mother and how they fell in love. About grandma and the stories she told him about her past. About how mother was bitter when I inherited grandma's red eyes and Madeline inherited grandfather's light blue eyes while Mother's eyes were brown. And about how grandma believed that the barrier to Mt. Ebott would soon break and our family would be the only chance to save humanity from the magic of monsters. Worst of all, he told me that if he had left her, Mother would have kept him and us from seeing grandma at all. Mother is the reason we're here, not only safe and fed but also at the base of the only area where no one would ever find us. He had to stay in this hell, for me.

I promised him I wouldn't cause any more trouble, but I don't know. Can being eaten alive by monsters truly be worse than this? I'm a little more willing to take my chances now more than ever.


Alpha Timeline
September 16, 2019
Camp Buckingham
9:12 PM

It's been cold these past few days. Sometime last week, our electricity finally turned off and didn't turn back on. While it was nice to finally stop receiving news from the outside world (and immensely satisfying to hear Mother grumble about "How the food has really gone downhill"), the lack of power means no oven and no heat. Now, the only thing keeping me from getting cold are the two sweaters I happened to pack before I left. But after today, I only have one. I actually gave the other away, can you believe that? His name is Lemel.

It feels weird to be making friends now, during the end of the world. And it's not like I have many, given people are afraid of my red eyes. But Lemel's a 15-year-old black boy who's been working the fields with us since we got here. Apparently, as Camp Buckingham was getting started, his family asked if they could live here, since this is pretty much the safest place around. And because they, and so many other asylum seekers, didn't own property here, they have to earn their way into camp. Whether that's through work, or otherwise. I feel sort of bad for them, because it looks like they lost everything. Yet everyday, Lemel goes to work without complaint. When I asked him why, he said it's because this beats scavenging with his parents, and judging by the fires we see from across the lake every night, I can't blame him.

Right now, Lemel's family is squatting in homes to the Southwest of here, at the base of Mt. Ebott. He doesn't have any heat or a fireplace, so I gave him my relatively new checkerboard sweater to keep him cool at night. It's…a little tight. But he played it off with a smile.

A smile…it feels good to smile again. It's so bleak here. Not even Madeline laughs like she used to anymore. So maybe this is a good sign.


Alpha Timeline
September 24, 2019
Camp Buckingham, California
6:34 AM

Lemel confided in me that his family was out of food. His parents saved up whatever they scavenged in order to be turned over to the settlement, but that left them with increasingly little to eat. Meanwhile, while the food here isn't exactly great, we were definitely not starving. Matter of fact, I know that we have more than we could need right now. So we decided to take some for ourselves yesterday.

Late yesterday, after the end of our shifts and after the sun had set, we decided to sneak down to the warehouses at the Marina, where the food is held. The Marina lies at the northern edge of the peninsula, and it's directly adjacent to a field that I sometimes work on, so we already had an excuse to be there. Once we were inside the Marina, it was just a simple matter of Lemel distracting the guards while I dealt with the lock. How? I learned something new the other day. I can make knives turn red. I was clearing land near the old golf course, and in a fit of frustration, my saw turned red and cut through an entire tree in one push, like it was paper. Of course, I had to pretend otherwise, but it felt nice to know that I had a way to defend myself in this shitstain of a world.

Anyway, I got the garage open, and grabbed enough food that Lemel's family should be fine for the next week, when we were caught by Arthur, the man in charge of distribution for the entire settlement. He honestly couldn't stop us if he wanted to. I was armed and could easily see him despite the darkness because he and his men stupidly held lamps out in the open. I gave Lemel the food and told him to run. I would have done the same, if he hadn't said what he did next.

"You know, he'd never make it out of here with that, right? My guys could easily stop him."

"Says you. But don't think I'm letting you get past me to even try. You can't even see me."

"I can't see you, but there's someone I can see. Bring her out."

I can't articulate what happens next in words. He…he had Madeline. He touched her. And my fucking mother let it happen.

So, today, I start work as a security guard for camp. I report directly to Arthur. Madeline will take my place in the fields. And I can only shudder to think what will happen next.

One more thing. It was cold and snowy last night, so Madeline came to my room for warmth. Before I went to bed, she asked if I could sing to her. I don't think I've tried since we got here. I honestly didn't feel like it. But she was so tense. She laid with her back to me, and I remember lightly stroking her arm as she shuddered and tensed up at first before trying to relax into my arms. I relented and sang her the song that grandma used to sing to us:

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But till that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by

We both leaned in and gripped each other tight as we cried ourselves to sleep.

I don't care what it is, or what happens. But someone, please, rescue me from this hell.


Alpha Timeline
September 27, 2019
Camp Buckingham, California
5:23 AM

That's it. I can't take this anymore. I've decided. I'm going to kill Mother.


Alpha Timeline
October 2, 2019
Mt. Ebott
12:32 PM

It's too late. There's no going back now.

I worked on my plan for five days. In the morning, just before sunrise, there's a change in guard so that the night watch on the council's house can change. That was my chance to strike. While the change is happening, I would have sufficient time to break in from the back and slit her throat, quickly, and quietly. I can be back in my house before anyone notices that a simple field hand is gone.

I asked Lemel to help me. I thought about enlisting some of the other old fieldhands too. I told them everything. About the abuse. About the nepotism. About Mother. But they all turned me down. They really enjoy living in this crapsack of a world this much, huh? It's not like it matters, I guess. Lemel got what he deserved for not helping me. If he loved the abuse, the beatings, the adult scum in power at this awful place so much, I'm happy that he got to die with it. Fuck him. Fuck everyone.

I don't understand. I offered to do them a favor. I offered them freedom, a better way forward than this mess. Who cares how old I am when I can clearly show I'm the one that can change things? And if nothing else, the tyrants who rule this place don't deserve to live. How can they just submit to live in suffering? Why would they choose this over literally anything else?

This morning, I put my plan into action. I moved in the cloak of darkness down the ring road connecting all our houses, staying close to the trees so I wouldn't draw attention in the middle of the road. I was halfway to the council's house when everything went wrong.

Councilmember McKenna, that sanctimonious zealot…do you know what she did to wake the camp when she saw me move past her house? She lit it on fire.

Lemel had been caught. It turns out that McKenna's daughter saw us and him talking to the other field hands and reported us to her bible-thumping mother. She was so convinced that I am clearly the harbinger of the End Times that she spent the past five days waiting for the opportunity to catch me in the act. I then found myself in an unwinnable situation where I pinned in by the local militia and a certifiably insane women with a bible and a knife. She threw a rock at me and it hit me square in the head. I fell to the pavement and tried to assess my options as this lady continued to close in on me.

"Behold! I have captured the Beast, the servant of Satan that wishes to lead us on a path towards death and destruction! Look at it, and bear witness, as we perform God's work and cleanse this demon from the face our planet."

"You're absolutely insane! Get away from me!" I held my knife out in front of me as I backed away from her slowly. When I realized she wasn't going to stop, I attempted to get up and to stab her myself, but I was grabbed before I could reach her. I now had no other recourse of retaliation as her modest house on the hill went up in flames. It wouldn't be long before what felt like half the settlement had gathered to witness my public execution.

"How did you find me!? How did any of you find out about this plan? I never told anyone any details. This should have been impossible."

"Well Beast, you have your friend to thank for coming to the word of God and turning against your wicked ways. I think his name was Lemel?"

"NO! What did you do to him!?"

"He repented for his sins and was punished for his actions, of course. But none of what happens next is any of you concern."

"You bitch…"

The security guard holding me scoffed as one of his buddies was eager to punch me in the gut. "Huh, it's this kid, huh? The one always in the striped sweater? Man, how did we not know earlier?"

"I don't know, but the red eyes are such a dead giveaway. I can't believe we let her live."

I was too busy recoiling and gasping for air to respond. The pain of a gut punch was unlike anything I've ever felt before. It felt like my chest was collapsing when I was suddenly dropped and stepped on by the guard. When I was able to open my eyes again, there she was. Mother.

"Mayor Savard, we caught your little demon child attempting to assassinate you this morning. She had a knife and was on her way to the council's mansion before Councilmember McKenna burned her house down."

That look of contempt on Mother's face. I hate her so much. As the guard continued to press on my side, I screamed and clawed at the pavement in a rage as I tried to get free and end that woman's meager existence. The cause of a lifetime of suffering was in front of me and I could do nothing to stop her.

"Of course it would be my fucking child. Angeline has always been a nuisance, I can't honestly say I would put murder beneath her."

That sycophantic zealot jumped at the chance to end my fucking life. "Please Diane, please let me have the honor of killing this demon. I would want nothing more than to perform this act in service of the Lord."

"Yeah Mother, wouldn't you love to be rid of me, you totalitarian excuse for a cuntbag! You could never live with the fact that I would always turn out to be more special than you. You could never accept me for who I was! It always had to be about you!"

Mother laughed. "Angeline, Angeline, how conceited of you to think this about you or your magic. I don't care about your supposed powers or heritage. This is about you thinking you're bigger than me or anyone else. It's all my stupid mom's fault for putting those lies into your head. But don't worry, you will be reminded of your place in this world. You aren't special at all.

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT GRANDMA LIKE TH-" One of the guards kicked me in the gut, causing me to stop in my tracks. I squirmed under their boot and retched as my mother approach.

She quietly whispered in my ear. "Your magic is mine. This is my birthright. And I'm never, ever going to let you think for a second you earned it, or deserved it, because it has been and always will be mine to take. You and Madeline will be mine to control until the day I decide I'm done with you."

I knew it. That woman, that fucking woman.

"We need to keep Angeline alive" my mother said, walking back to join the line of the other councilmembers. "Under no circumstance will she be allowed to die. Am I clear? Anything else you do to her is fair game. I don't care."

More than a couple of me behind me let out sighs of excitement. I had just about given up hope when the man who was holding me down was body slammed to the ground by my dad, of all people. He took on several of the guards as I retreated to the back of the group and looked on in horror. Admist the scuffle, he kicked me my knife and I used it to slash a man who had ran at me clean through his torso. The security members settled down as I tightly gripped the knife and my dad surrendered himself at gunpoint.

"Chara, go! Please, don't stay here. Just go!"

"What are you talking about, dad!?" I can't leave you, I have to stay here."

"No, Chara, listen to me. You need to leave now! Do not stay here. I can't protect you anymore. You have to get out of here."

"The hell she will! Angeline, if you so much as turn away from us, I will have them kill your dad right here, doctor be damned. Is that what you want!? More blood on your hands?"

"Chara, don't listen to her! We talked about this! You know what you have to do! Ugh-" Some of the security forces began to take turns shutting up my dad. At first, my mind was completely clouded by terror. I had no idea what he was talking about. But then I remembered – Mt. Ebott! He wants me to go to Mt. Ebott. Our plan all along was to find the monsters if the camp ever fell. Mother doesn't believe in them, so she would never expect me to go there. My strong impuse to run, however, was tempered by my attachments. What would happen to dad? And to Madeline? Could I really leave them behind?

"I…I don't know if I can do this, dad. I don't know if I can leave you. You've always been so kind to me, you don't deserve this. And Madeline – "

"Chara…" My dad struggled to get words out through coughing fits. "…I love you so much. I always have. You're such a kind and wonderful child. I'm sorry that I….that I couldn't be a better father to you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when it mattered…so please…"

"Dad, what are you talking about!? You…you were wonderful…" I couldn't stop myself from crying at the sight of my broken father. I took a step forward before my body froze at the furious look of my mother set against the flames of McKenna's burning house and the early morning light.

She raised her arm and pointed to me. "Don't let Angeline leave at any costs. Aim for their legs."

A bunch of men clicked the safeties off on their guns and cocked them so that they would be ready to fire on her mark. I was paralyzed. I truly, in that moment didn't know what to do. But then, I didn't have to choose.

My dad turned to my mother and finally, finally said "Diane, it's Chara. Their name is Charlemagne Savard."

The next minute felt like mere seconds. I pivoted on my feet and ran down the dark street at full force, tearing down the pavement and into the thicket besides the woods where it would be harder to target me in the dark. My mother, in her frustration, took the sidearm of the guard next to her and before I could see the result, let loose the first bullet. I couldn't turn around. No matter what. I couldn't look back to see what happened. I couldn't tell Madeline goodbye. I just ran, and ran, and ran, until I found myself staring back at the camp, the smoldering flames of the house illumining another cold, overcast morning.

It's about to rain. I need to find shelter before the irradiated water poisons me any more than I already am, but the tree cover around the rim of this mountain is so thick that I feel like I'm going to have difficulty finding a good place to rest. But I can't stop. I am the hope for all of humanity. And I won't stop until I've found Mt. Ebott and eradicated the monsters.

And once I'm done, I'm going to make her pay for everything she's ever done.


A/N - Whew, that was a tough one. I originally didn't have anything this elaborate planned for Chara's past, but I wanted to really talk about how humanity might change (and how that might affect Chara) in the days immediately following the end of the world. Chara's about 13 years old in this, and will begin the events of Undertale at that age too. In the present day, both Frisk and them are 17.

The next chapter will come out sometime in Mid-June. I promise it will not be as nearly as intense as this lol. To every single solitary reader still reading this story, thank you. I'm so grateful for your support.