The Hell of a New World
It's said that the West was built on legends. Tall tales that help us make sense of things too great or too terrifying to believe. This is the legend of the Ghost Rider. Story goes that every generation has one. Some damned soul, cursed to ride the earth, collecting on the Devil's deals. Many years ago, a Ghost Rider was sent to the village of San Venganza, to fetch a contract worth 1000 evil souls. But that contract was so powerful, he knew he could never let the Devil get his hands on it. So he did what no Rider had ever done before: he outran the Devil himself. There's no conscience, just hunger. The Rider's gonna come out. And when he does, he'll destroy whoever's got it coming.
Years back, a man by the name of Johnny Blaze signed a contract with the Devil to save his dying father. The contract went into effect and cured his dad, but that day, he died in a motorcycle accident. They say deals with the Devil are made using the terror in someone's heart, and that people will do anything to make them true, even at the cost of their own life. When Johnny made that deal, his world changed, he changed. With his father gone, he continued living, but he was now protected with the aura of a demon. It kept him out of harm's way, kept him from dying. After all, a spirit can't die.
Even now, history has spread the myths about Ghost Riders and their pacts with the Devil. Many believe them to be untrue, just myths and legends. The thing about legends is...sometimes, they're true.
-1000 years after the contract of San Venganza-
"Mom, can I go out with my friends?" The boy asked, swinging his keys around his finger.
"Yes, just be back by sunset."
"Thanks." He said before walking out the door, keys in hand.
He strode down the sidewalk and met up with his friends at a café not far from his house.
"Yo, Levi-bro!" A girl shouted, running up to hug him. He gladly hugged back, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a warm embrace.
"Hi, Isabel, Farlan." Levi said as his eyes settled on a tall figure leaning against the wall.
"How's your Mom?" Farlan questioned, pushing off the wall to walk over to his friends. Levi let go of Isabel and faced towards Farlan.
"She's good. I think the baby is having a toll on her health, but I've been doing my best to help her out."
"Ah, is there any way I can help?" The taller boy offered.
"Not really. I don't think she would want you to help her; she's pretty independent if you couldn't tell." Levi joked, setting a hand on his hip.
Farlan placed his arm around Isabel's shoulder, allowing his weight to shift onto her.
"Hey! You're too heavy!" She protested. She was only a little taller than Levi, so Farlan's weight pulled her down.
Levi moved over to the café's entrance, gesturing at his friends to follow him. He opened the door for them, then trailed in after. The little coffee shop was bustling with life, serving the noon lunch rush traffic plus the regular customers. The three walked up to the counter and ordered their drinks: Vanilla Mocha, Isabel's; Honey Latte, Farlan's; and Caffè Americano, Levi's. As they took their seats and waited for their coffee, Isabel started playing I Spy.
"Ok, ok! I spy with my little eye something...black!" She squealed as her eyes landed on something.
Farlan was playing along, but Levi wasn't interested in her childish game. He scoffed, setting his hand under his chin, he patiently waited for his coffee to arrive.
"Um...hmm..."
"Do you give up yet?" The playful redhead questioned.
"Ugh...yes."
"It's Levi-bro's hair! It's black, see?" She said while pointing at Levi.
"Ah! How could I have missed that?" Farlan said, sounding defeated.
The two friends continued their game until the waitress brought the drinks. After that, they spent the time talking about anything and everything they could think of. All the while Levi was peacefully sipping on his coffee. Once their drinks were empty, the three left a tip for the waitress and took their leave. They walked down the sidewalk, Isabel skipping next to Farlan, with Levi walking slightly behind them. Farlan eventually suggested that they play at the arcade for a few hours, then call it a day.
After leaving the arcade, Isabel was carrying a huge stuffed tiger and Levi had a couple of cat keychains. Farlan wasn't so lucky, but Levi ended up feeling sorry for him and gave him one of his keychains. Once they reached Isabel and Farlan's place, the trio said their farewell's and went separate ways. Levi strolled back to his house, half anticipating his mom to be standing on the front porch with a paddle because it was a little past sunset. She was always really strict when it came to timing, that's why he was slightly concerned when he didn't see her outside. He stepped onto the porch and opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. He definitely didn't want to wake his mother if she was asleep, she was expecting after all, so she needed her sleep.
He tiptoed into the living room, getting ready to walk upstairs, until he saw a pair of feet stretching past the kitchen archway. Levi's blood froze and his limbs grew heavy, he didn't know what to think. His mind was racing, he wanted to run towards the person, but he also wanted to run away. Was that really his mom? Of course it was, he knew his mom's attire like the back of his hand. She always wore a white summer dress, black stockings, and lilac slippers. And that's exactly what he saw: lilac.
Mom...
The boy ran over to his mother, rolling her over to see if she was still alive. He hovered his hand above her mouth. There was a light puff of breath every few seconds; she was definitely breathing. He shook her shoulders, hoping that would wake her up. It worked, thankfully. The young woman opened her eyes before rubbing her temple.
"Mom?"
"Oh, Sweetie?"
"Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She said as she stood up.
"But...you fell."
"I'm perfectly fine, it's probably just the baby."
Levi stood up after his mother. He followed her into the living room and sat down in front of her.
"Mom, are you absolutely sure that you're ok? You've been losing weight recently and you don't even have the energy to stand anymore."
Her son was so worried about her. He wanted, no, he needed to know what was wrong.
"Mom, please? I have to know!" He pressed on.
"Honey, I'm alright." She tried to persuade him to back off, but it didn't work.
The two argued like that for a few minutes, until Levi's mother decided to go to bed. She told him to do the same; after all, he had a barrel racing competition tomorrow. Levi was a rodeo rider, he worked with horses on a daily basis. One day, when he was young, his mom put him on a pony and he got the hang of it immediately. He was a natural at horseback riding. He'd won several trophies from competitions, and even got a medal from the top barrel racer in the country: Erwin Smith. He was Levi's hero, he idolized him as if he was a God. Especially since Erwin was the best in a sport that was mainly dominated by women. He held nothing against females, he just thought it was the coolest thing ever because Erwin rose to the top without any help. All of his endorsers left after he'd said he wanted to compete in the nationals, amongst the best women in the region. Everyone said it was impossible, yet he did it anyway, and he won. He won even though no one believed in him, and Levi wanted to be just like him.
After his mom had told him to go to sleep, Levi trudged upstairs, took a shower, and laid down. He tried to find peace, but he was restless. He was way too worried about his mother to sleep. The house was quiet so he'd guessed that his mom was already asleep. He peeped out of his room and silently walked downstairs to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a pack of hotdogs and began munching on them to settle his stomach. He walked over to one of the barstools and sat down. It was so peaceful at night, there was no noise, no light, just sleeping beings. Well, all were sleeping except one.
As Levi was chewing on his hotdog, a white piece of paper stuck under the cabinet caught his eye. It stood out against the darkness, glimmering in the moonlight. Levi hopped off the stool and grabbed the paper, slowly opening it as he ate. What it said left him speechless.
Mrs. Ackerman
The doctors at Sina Medical Institution are willing to help you. However, we must have your consent. Your case of Eclampsia is the worst one we've ever seen. If not resolved, it will result in death, for you and your child.
Sincerely, Dr. Zoe
.
.
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Agh! Cliffhanger! I'm extremely inspired for this story though. I love Ghost Rider so much. At first, Eren was going to be the Ghost Rider...but I changed my mind. Bye! ;)