Chapter 3: the Hunter, and the prey that got away
This dream...
I've had it before...
Millions of times, every single night since ten years ago...
It continues to mock, and torment me for what happened so long ago...
It starts with me, enjoying myself with my family, traveling to the movies to watch a movie I've forgotten the name of. We re driving a car, my family discussing amongst themselves, mostly about what they think the movie will be like, while I looked out of the window, thinking about the book I was writing, the movie would be fun, but I was more concerned with the book.
I suddenly looked at my family, and seeing their happy smiles, I forgot what would happen when I got out of the door, these were the good times, how could they end.
The car stopped, and I got out of the car, ready to enjoy myself with my family, the book could wait, at least for now.
The scenery changed, and I found myself in the middle of a battlefield, looking at the Charred corpses of my parents.
They were burned black, so I could no longer see their faces, but I knew it was them, for I had been witnessed to the explosion that killed them mere moments before...
"Why do you live?" I hear my father ask me, although I knew he had already died.
"Why do you still breathe the air you don't deserve?" I hear my mother ask, the words they used hitting me like a bullet...
I turned around, hoping to escape their torment, only to come face to face with my older brother, the glad expression he had in the car, having been replaced with a murderer's anger
"Why did you just stand there and watched as they took our nation from us?" he asks, his once cheerful voice, now fit for a soldier...
"I-" but more I couldn't say, as a bullet pierced his heart, and he collapsed on the ground...
Yet, even dead, I still heard his last question whirl around in my head
"Why did you abandon me Eirik?"
I looked behind him, seeing the man who once was the friend of the family, holding a still smoking gun, and a hideous grin to a job well done.
"You are a coward Eirik..." he said, starting to walk towards me, laughing as he did
"you always were a coward, and you always will be a coward"
I turned around to run, and the scenery changed again. I was in an empty city, unlike any other I've seen, watching a screen which showed my beat up little sister.
"Why did you Flee?" she asks me as a fire suddenly enveloped her arm, turning it into ash at the blink of an eye.
"Why couldn't you have more guts?" she asks as another part of her once beautiful body was reduced to nothing
"I, I-"
"Why didn't you help me when he killed me?"
and with the last question, her entire body disappeared in a burst of fire...
I fell down on the ground, broken, and defeated, my family's deaths continuing to replay inside my head, listening to the tormented screams of my family, the laughter of my enemies, and the insults and curses from both.
"I'm sorry..." I said, tears forming in my eyes, until I broke down completely and cried
"I'm so Sorry..."
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Eirik's home, Ruins of Bokn, Norway
28.08.2023
07.30 Hours
Eirik awoke, immediately trying to force himself into a sitting position, only to be forced back down by a jabbing pain in his gut.
The Nightmare had been haunting him ever since the invasion of Rogaland, and had only grown worse over the years, although it reached its peak seven years ago.
He took his left hand to his face, feeling the numbness from Ferdinand's punches as well as the tears from his dream.
He wiped them away before he opened his eyes, looking over the room he was lying in.
The walls were a mixture of old and new wood, having been forced to rebuild from whatever he could find, with many pieces put together with rusted nails, worn rope or some duck-tape they found in the ruins of the islands villages.
The floor looked no better, being built in a similar matter as the walls, with the exception that they weren't nailed to the ground.
The roof was the only thing that looked remotely whole, having somehow managed to survive the raids that always occurred, although one part of it had to be removed and replaced with a plastic cover.
The bed that Eirik laid on was the makeshift bed that the Brotherhood had managed to throw together, mostly worn and ripped plastic bags filled with leaves or at least something soft, and the blankets being whatever cloth they could find.
Other than this, the door, and the two windows that somehow survived this long, there wasn't really anything of note.
The door opened, and an all to familiar Female entered the room.
"Ah Eirik!" Lisa said, surprised that her patient already had woken up.
Behind her another little creature ran, immediately jumping up on Eirik's gut, somehow managing to land all her paws on his broken ribs, sending a painful jolt through his entire body.
Hope started Nuzzling her trainer in happiness, despite the obvious pain that it caused.
"Hope stop that!" Eirik managed to say, although Hope didn't seem to be listening, far to happy that her trainer is alive to listen to his pained yelps.
Lisa reacted, grabbing the Eevee by her furry cream colored collar, lifting her into her arms.
Hope struggled, wanting to go to Eirik, yet Lisa's grip on her was to strong, and she couldn't break loose.
Lisa immediately brought Hope out of the room, closing the door to prevent her from causing further pain to Eirik, although they could hear her wanting to come back in, scratching on the door like it was no tomorrow if she couldn't get in.
"again..." Lisa began as she turned back to her patient "she's way to attached to you..." she said, a small smile forming in her face.
Eirik couldn't help but give a little chuckle at the comment, it had always been like this, ever since hope had hatched from her egg two years ago, and the little fox had taken an immediate liking to Eirik, eventually reaching this point.
"yeah... but it is cute though"
"Not, when you're hurt..." Lisa pointed out, almost sounding a little irritated, although Eirik knew she wasn't.
"yeah..." he said, thinking back to when Eevee fist saw him, before he commented "but I think Ferdinand's actually warming up to me, he only caused half the normal damage he causes to me when he's that angry"
"And it continues to amaze me that you still breathe, when a normal man would have succumbed to these injuries years ago" Lisa said, thinking back to some of his earlier beatings, shuddering a the memories.
Eirik's mind flashed back to his dream at the first part of the comment, thinking of his mothers words
"Why do you still breathe the air you don't deserve?"
tears swelled up in his eyes, immediately flowing down over his cheeks, hitting the blanket he used.
"Eirik?" Lisa asked worriedly, snapping Eirik back to the present.
"what?"
"you were crying" Lisa began, obviously worried about her patient and friend before she asked "did I say something wrong?"
"No, I just..." Eirik began, trying to think of something to say, although he managed to hear the weak, cracked tone he used, clearing his throat a little, before he finished with "remembered something..."
Lisa looked at him, obviously expecting more of an answer, although she gave up after a while, merely sighing "okay" Lisa always wished to learn more of Eirik's past, and other than his entire family being killed in the Endwar, there was not much he had told her, while Tor refused to talk about Eirik's family, stating that if he didn't want to talk about it, then Tor wouldn't talk about it either.
"when can I start working again?" Eirik asked curiously, reverting to his golly self. He always seemed to want to work, never wanting to take a proper break, he would rest for ten minutes to eat, then he would always start working again with the house, or something else.
"if we're lucky, around two weeks" She began, thinking back to what she had managed to deduce from his injuries.
"you won't be able to move much for the next week, and you would be wise not to do anything rash until the bones have had the chance to heal properly"
Eirik gave a sigh before he said "man, two weeks of doing nothing, this will be boring"
"yeah, but it is necessary" Lisa said, sounding almost commanding in her tone.
"Yeah I know" Eirik said, having heard the same comment hundreds of times earlier.
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Chimcity, Ruins of Bokn, Norway
28.08.2023
20.30 Hours
"Come on Aksel, just this once!" Ferdinand begged the Gallade morph, seeming desperate to make his pal try out the game so many had started participating in.
"I see no point in doing it Ferdinand" Aksel replied, filing on his communication pad, the report he had missed during his encounter with the Shadow thief
The attack that the Shadowthief's beedrill had launched on him, had knocked him out cold for an entire day, although Doctor Chip had let him out due to the effects having worn of quickly after, it still meant that he had missed filing yesterday's report.
Ferdinand however had decided to take out his frustrations on the human... whatever his name was, knocking the living daylights out of the human, and now, as always, Ferdinand had returned to Aksel's house, wanting his friend to be the next one to try.
"you really are no fun Aksel" Ferdinand said, trying to pressure him to join that way, although it didn't work. It never did...
"Working as police rarely is, especially when you miss a report" Aksel replied, continuing to write what he remembered from yesterday.
"that has nothing to do with it!" Ferdinand said, trying to think of something to say to change the Gallade's mind "you're just to compassionate towards the humans, just like Cecilie!"
"it is not that, but a matter of honor, why would I beat the living daylights of someone who won't even fight back?" Aksel replied, turning to face Ferdinand, while putting his compad away, finished with yesterday's report.
"it's fun!" Ferdinand said, trying to defend his cause
"it's for cowards!" Aksel said, uncaring if he insulted his friend, the Machoke was starting to get on his nerves.
Ferdinand, obviously offended by the comment, asked irritated "are you calling me a coward?"
"you beat up someone who won't fight back, so, yeah!" Aksel pointed out, earning himself an angry glare from the Machoke morph
"it's a stinking human!" Ferdinand shouted, thinking about the comment, before he added "literary! the dude smells horrible, like he has been running for the two last months, without ever bothering to take a shower!"
"even if he's a human, that doesn't give you the right to beat him up" Aksel said, although he knew what Ferdinand's reply would be.
"of course it does, we're Better than them, we re stronger, faster, more beautiful" Ferdinand said, flexing his muscles at the last two words, as if to prove a point.
"stop flexing your muscles, it's frigging creepy!" Aksel shouted, he had seen enough of the Machoke's muscles for a lifetime, as sad as it might sound, at first it had been, completely ridiculous, while now it was more creepy, along with ridiculous.
"let me be me!" Ferdinand shouted, continuing to flex around with his muscles
"only in the gym, maybe, when I'm not around, or at your house, when you're alone, other than then, NO!"
"why do I even come here?" Ferdinand asked as he stopped, feeling a little hurt that his friend had forbid him from doing something as fun as flexing with his muscles.
"I ask myself the same question whenever you come, now go home before I have to chase you out" Aksel said as he used psychic to open the door out of the living room.
"Ah come on, it's only-" Ferdinand stopped as he looked at the clock, it was already way past eight, and Ferdinand had promised his wife to be home by seven.
"remember what Eve did to you the last time you came home this late? don't worsen the matter..." Aksel said, tempted to smile a little, but restrained himself, Eve never liked that Ferdinand was out this long, as it usually would lead to him coming back drunk out of his mind.
"ugh... good point..." Ferdinand said, his face paling a little at the thought, turning to head out the door, shakily muttering "bye... say hello to Cecilie and Mona for me..."
"will do" Aksel said, shutting the door behind Ferdinand as he left, before he silently muttered "goodnight..."
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Aksel sat down in his chair as he felt Ferdinand leave the house, taking a sigh, before looking at his living room.
Like most others it housed a couch, although Aksel preferred the green chair-couch for some reason, as well as a flat screen Television Aksel rarely used, he usually read the news on the internet, or was to busy to stop and watch.
There was a table, which housed a small mat and a vase, mainly for decoration, something his wife Cecilie had picked up. He tried as best as he could to spend time with his family, but being the chief of police was tiresome work, especially with that shadowthief around.
Suddenly his cellphone rang, although he merely raised his hand, flinging it over to him with Psychic, replying with his usual "Helstrøm's residence, Aksel speaking"
"Hey honey!" Cecilie replied, surprising Aksel in her cheerful tone, she rarely was that cheerful when she was on business trips.
"Hey Honey, what's the good word?" Aksel asked curiously, Cecilie had been chosen by her company to attend a meeting over in Hyamnar, over in the Arabian Provinces, and before she had left, she had complained at how the weather would be, even before she knew what it was.
"the heat's unbearable, but Mona seems to enjoy herself" Cecilie replied, she never did care much for the warm weather, as she found it easier to heat up on a cool day, than cooling down on a warm one. One of the many reasons they had decided to live in Chimcity; not to hot, and not to cold.
"Didn't you say something about the hotel you're staying on having a pool" Aksel commented, earning himself a giggle from his wife
"maybe..." she replied, although the laughter seemed to stop, until it became quiet at the other end of the line.
A little confused, Aksel started again "Cecilie?" he asked, although Cecilie didn't reply, forcing him to repeat himself.
"huh?" Cecilie asked as Aksel had to repeat himself a third time. She had lost total focus on the conversation, something that was very unlike her. She always kept focus on the present
"is something wrong?" Aksel asked, worried that his wife might be in trouble, or worse, that Mona, their only daughter, had gotten in trouble.
"no... it's just..." she said shakily, like it really had spooked her, whatever it was.
"just what?" Aksel asked, now worried about what was wrong. Neither he, nor Cecilie could see the future, like some Psychic morphs could, however, Cecilie did have some vibes of future events every now and then. Once she had a feeling that something would disappear, Aksel managed to loose his wedding ring when he was doing the dishes, it took him two days to find it afterward. Or two days ago, she had a Vibe that Aksel would get defeated and hurt.
It didn't hurt that much as Aksel had expected when he hit the wall that the Shadothief had sent him into, but it did knock him out so the Shadowthief could escape, which was a defeat in Aksel's book.
"I heard some rumors from some of the other attendants, about something big that would soon happen in Chimcity"
This comment was surprising to Aksel, the only thing that has happened in Chimcity the last ten years would be when the Shadowthief comes into town, and not even that is exactly big news that should worry one too much. Humans always managed to find their way into the city through a crack or something, but he was the one who made the most comebacks, and since the wall was completed, the only one that managed to sneak into the city at all.
"really? Like what?" Aksel asked, curious to find out more, if it was someone else she heard it from, she probably knew more than a single comment.
"They didn't know, but I get the feeling that it's nothing good"
Aksel gave a sigh, before he calmly replied "It's probably nothing Cecilie..."
"I know... I just can't get rid of the feeling..." she said, for some reason sounding far to worried than she should have, which could only mean...
Then Aksel understood, she hadn't heard this from another, she would have known more then, and she would have warned Aksel when he was at work...
She had another Vibe... Aksel thought to himself, although this presented another question in his mind. Why would she need to hide it like this... unless...
"look, if it bothers you that much, I'll look into it" Aksel said, finally understanding. Cecilie must already know more than she lets on, fearing that whatever she had found out could threaten the family.
"You would?" She asked cutely, and Aksel could practically feel her relief, all the way from Arabia
"of course, now do tell, when was it that you returned?"
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Author's notes:
Man... Eirik is messed up in his head, wouldn't you agree?
First of; Yes, I do realize that I didn't explain all that well in the first part, but it was a Dream sequence, where not all makes sense at first, nor is it forced to be that detailed (when is it ever well detailed)
Also, If you're wondering about the Norse Mythology thing I mentioned in the prologue, I'm not gonna dabble that much into it, save for some old curses, prayers and such, but I am gonna reveal that all of the current brotherhood has taken a liking to pray to them, although all has their certain way of praying...
finally, I do realize that I said in the Prologue about the conspiracy thing, but as I recall, I never said I wouldn't include a conspiracy, as I plan to make it one of the plots in the story, although that will be the main focus for Aksel and his family.
Also, for the record, the difference between a future Vibe, and an actual vision, is that visions show a clear, or at least somewhat clear picture of a future event, while a future vibe is more of a feeling that something is going to happen, as is explained; Cecilie had a feeling that something was gonna go missing, and she had a feeling that Aksel would get defeated and hurt
finally, here's this Chapter's Time line from 1995:
12 October. 1995: Battle for Las Vegas Ends in a Victory for the Americans, although at a dire cost, costing millions of soldiers and resources, and nearly the entire innocent population of the City.
24 December. 1995: the Morphs launch another attack on the still free areas of Nevada, along with the States of Oregon and Arizona. The US Moves in to Repel the Attack
26 December. 1995: the US army engages with the Pokemorph Rebels, only to find that the Empire in South America, launched a sneak attack on the Cities of New York, Miami, and Atlantic City.
28 December. 1995: Miami Falls to the Empire, while Atlantic city's defenses were faltering. Las Vegas is abandoned by the US, the Battle of Salem begins
30 December. 1995: Atlantic City is lost to the Empire, its entire human population being eradicated
1 January. 1996: in fear of a rebellion, Australia exiles the Pokemorph population, although this leads to a series of resistance attempts, the morphs eventually leave the continent.
6 January. 1996 New york City is turned into a wasteland, with the remnants of the populations hiding in Manhattan, forming several underground shelters, or outposts in the ruins of their once mighty buildings
19 January. 1996: the Battle of Washington Begins, the President and his Secretaries are Evacuated to Topeka, Kansas. General James Morris realizes that the battle for the US is lost, and starts Evacuating Seattle's population to Hawaii, secretly smuggling Nuclear Warheads to the Islands, as a last resort.