Escape

Through the empty streets he runs. The empty streets of the empty city. Tall buildings looming over him as he runs; a small figure against their towering size.

Glancing over his shoulder as he runs he sees no one, but keeps running; running from him.

The ground shakes and he stumbles to keep his balance; windows of the high rising buildings shake and shatter with the vibration. Glass falls around him but he keeps running as he dodges huge shards that explode hitting the ground.

He cannot stop; if he stops, it will all be over; he will destroy him.

Through the streets he races on, running around and over abandoned cars as the ground shakes and heaves; trying to slow his escape, but he determinedly keeps on moving.

Concrete and steel start to fall in great chucks along with the sheets of glass from the tops of the buildings as they begin to crumble down; a voice shouts out for him.

Looking back he sees another small figure far down the long street he had just run along.

No features can be seen, but he knows him on sight; he who has pursued him all his life; he who would not stop; he who would destroy him.

As the other figure shouts out for him again, the ground shakes anew and more buildings start to crumble and crash down, smashing the cars and lamp posts he passes mere seconds before.

The city core ends as he runs on and comes to a far spanning bridge, crossing over a large valley where the multiple lanes of a highway runs along side a winding river.

His chest burns as he races on to the wide bridge, bordered by high reaching wire cables, strung tight to hold the weight of the massive bridge.

Along the middle of the yellow lined road he runs, and the other figure walks deliberately behind him, the city's buildings falling down around him as his earth shaking yell calls out.

In the middle of the bridge, the lone figure slows and stops his run; panting he puts his hands on his thighs to catch his breath. He could run no longer; he would not. He would face his pursuer; face his destiny.

Turning, he stands up to the approaching figure as he steps onto the bridge. Their eyes meet; the same eyes; the same face. Mirror images.

Both outstretch their arms to the side as the thick cables of the bridge begin to waver. Cracks in the road split in jagged lines as the two figures yell with hatred and anger.

From far off the two look tiny on the massive structure that swings back and forth high above the valley as huge pieces fall off, splashing into the river bellow and smashing onto the roadway.

As they rage at each other, the bridge begins to break off from the edges of the sloping ground. More pieces fall as the bridge lifts into the air, the two men stepping forward, toward each other heavy-footed as the noise of their shouts is drown out by the ripping sounds of the steel support girders as they are rend apart from the solid ground.

Higher the bridge lifts as they continue to raise their arms up, until they are directly above their heads.

And then, as they both sense each others' next move, the two drop their arms and dash towards each other. The bridge, a full thousand meters in the sky, drops as suddenly as their arms.

As they run to each other, they scream out one another's name; the same name. And as they near each other bridge hurdles down toward the ground below.

When only a few meters separate the two, they both jump into the air with their fists clenched and pulled back to strike.

In the silence before their devastating blows land, the bridge smashes down upon the earth, erupting in a cloud of dust and debris that covers everything for miles around.

The dust slowly settles. Through the mists, in amongst the heaps of rubble, stripped wire cables laying gnarled and twisted, one figure stands atop a great hunk of concrete, looking down at his unclenched hands.

The only one there ever was. Me.

Little Memories

Little memories came to her, like remnants of past dreams flashing in her mind.

She lay on her back, the feeling of the ground beneath her, coming up slowly around her as the blue of the sky faded into view.

She watched with her mind's eye; memories of her childhood came to her. Licking the juices off her chin from a sticky sweet popsicle on a hot summer's day; the wind blowing through her hair as she glided along on her bicycle, passing lush, leafy trees that lined a dirt country road.

And then an electrical flash and a room amassed with computerized machinery and wires filled her vision.

She shut her eyes to the memory and tried to get back to another of her running through a field of wild flowers. The yellow pedals tickled the palms of her hands as she walked through the meadow; sweet breeze blowing softly on her smiling face.

Electricity ran through her again and the pain jolted her back to the room filled with machines. Faces of men standing above her with faces silhouetted; staring down at her with probing eyes that reflected light from the machines' glow.

Another shock and she was back laying on the ground, staring up at the sky, its blue hue dotted with the soft whiteness of clouds.

A muffled thumping sounded in her ears as she tried to move her head to see where the approaching noise was coming from.

Hazily, out of the corner of her vision a man came into view; his face shadowed by the sun's back light. His eyes reflected the bright day light and she felt a shock course through her body as she realized it was one of the same men from her memory.

He spoke kindly to her but she could not understand, his words garbled in her ears sounded far away. She tried to push herself away as he leaned in closer but she could not move. His hands moved towards her, passed her head, and then she felt a surge of energy pulsate for a moment then drain from her.

The sky began to drain away; her memories drained away. She could feel herself draining away until everything faded into darkness.

The man crouched down beside the slender woman that lay on the well kept grass, her limp body clothed only in clinical gown. Inspecting her bare arms and legs, cuts marred her fair skin, exposing not flesh but slivers of wires, clear and gray.

He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and touched her soft cheek tenderly. Gently he moved her head to the side and sighed as he saw the exposed circuits and wires inside the gash above her ear.

Her empty eyes stared out toward the tall glass building that stood a few dozen meters away. One of the seamless windows was smashed out a the top and a few figures in white lab coats looked down from inside the broken glass.

The man on the ground beside the woman looked back to the others joining him as they hurried out of the building's big front doors. They slowed as they approached and the couching man shook his head.

“The memories were too much.” he said with disappointment in his voice and the others rubbed their chins and heads as they pondered, looking from the girl on the ground to the broken out window high above.

The man straighten her head and looked into the robot's light-less eyes, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “But we'll fix you.” he said softly to her. “We'll make you perfect.”

Uncertainty

Standing in the shadow of the doorway, he hesitated before he moved out onto the balcony. His long cape hung from his shoulders, touching the stone floor, covering the rest of his body in blackness.

He had always felt safe wrapped in his luxurious cape; confident. No harm would come to him while en-wrapped within.

But now he felt a twinge of uncertainty. Not fear or any sense of danger, but a strange feeling that if he stepped out onto the balcony of the high tower which overlooked the great courtyard filled with his armies; all waiting for him to send them forth against his enemies, that he would become someone else.

It was an absurd thought, but it caused him to pause just out of sight, in the dark alcove of the arched doorway. What if he stepped through the archway and disappeared?

No, not disappear, but became someone else. The same, but slightly different. He ran his fingers thoughtfully against his softly bearded face.

He had conquered nations with his might; using his armies and magic to destroy all those that had stood in his way. However, had it all be real?

The thought came to him from somewhere else. It did not feel like his own, but he had had it and it was now filling his mind like darkness.

Of course it had been real. He had watched as cities crumbled; seen kings bow down before him in fear; heard them begging for mercy. Those memories were his and they had happened.

The remembered cries of his fallen enemies turned into the raising chant of his armies outside; calling for their leader to command them; calling for him.

He shook himself from the fanciful thought and straighten his head proudly. With a sneering smirk he flung his cape back from around his arms and stepped out into the light of the balcony.

Stepping out onto the ship's deck he stopped and looked around at his surroundings. He stood on the creaking wooden planks of the big ship, the noise of the water lapping up against its bow, as it lumbered along the deep blue waves of the sea; steady rocking as familiar to his feet as the salty air was in his nostrils.

The crew hustled about their duties nodding to him as he looked from man to man; ensuring that they were the familiar faces of his crew.

He did not no why they should not be. But for a brief moment he had had a thought that when he had stepped through the cabin door, it would not have been his ship he would have walked onto.

A silly thought, he snorted as he began to pace the deck, his wooden leg clomping along with its familiar rhythm. But still, he had a feeling of uncertainty.

What if when he went back through his cabin door, and he wasn't who is was anymore?

Power

Gerald could feel it. He could feel himself getting stronger, just as he had wanted. He had wished for it and it was happening.

As he stood in the little open area of the woods, surrounded by big, thickly-trunked trees, he could feel himself changing.

It was coming from all around; all pouring into him, power filling him entirely. Just as he had asked. With the power came a great joy that caused him to smile broadly and laugh out loud.

What luck to happen upon this secret area of the wood, untouched for so long, and to find the means to bring his wildest hopes and desires come true.

As he laughed with delight, he felt everything around him laugh as well. He could feel himself growing; swelling with the power he was receiving.

He tried to take a step but found he could not. He looked down and saw he was rooted to the ground. He still smiled but his laughter faded as he looked closer and saw that he was not actually rooted to the ground, but sinking into it.

The power kept filling him, but the joy he had felt slipped away and was replaced by panic as the ground opened more to consume him.

Gerald looked frantically around at the trees for something to grab a hold of, but found nothing. But then saw what he had forgotten, the little wood imp he had chased and caught. Still standing on the mossy stump with its little green cap sitting slightly askew on its knotty head.

It smiled and laughed as Gerald called out to it for help.

“Oh,” it sung in a mischievous voice. “But this is what you wished for, my lad.” it did a little jig and clapped its hands as Gerald sunk deeper into the earth.

Gerald could feel himself growing hot with the power that filled him. Too hot. He burnt the grass and ground where he sank. What was happening to him?

He felt apart of everything but somehow it all felt wrong; too hot to be right.

“What have you done to me?” Gerald screamed at the gleeful imp dancing upon the stump. He became closer to the ground and he could feel his body below disappearing into...

He screamed out and it shook the ground, the trees, the entire wood, everything around for miles with power.

The wood imp stopped dancing as Gerald tried to hold on to the surface that was slowly enveloping him. It stared with a sly smile on its gnarled face.

“Why I granted your wish, sonny.” its voice was mockingly chipper. “Your wish to become the most powerful thing in the world.”

Gerald screamed out again as he melted into the earth's crust, disappearing into the deep chasm that had opened up for him. His scream turning into a rumble as he flowed down, to join with the sea of molten lava that the surface of the planet rested on. Becoming one with it, all the way to the very core itself. Becoming what he had wished for; becoming the most powerful thing in the world.

Awaiting Giants

Long ago, a lonely giant roamed the fresh lands of the world. His head high up in the dewy white clouds, while his bare feet plodded along the soft land below.

He was lonely for, even though there were the animals; the birds, the deers, the dragons, and the unicorns to keep him company, there was no other giants like him. No one to talk to or wrestle with, or even fall in with.

After searching the whole of the world and not finding another of his kind, the giant sat down upon a grassy hillside and decided to wait. He would wait until another giant came along and found him.

He waited and waited and waited. Years upon years passed by. The land grew up around the waiting giant and he became apart of the hillside.

Humans came and built their homes around the giant, eventually growing into a great city. All the while never knowing that they lived upon the ever waiting giant.

He had never bothered to move, for what he waited for had never come. Alone he sat, waiting for another giant.

And alone he still sits, forever lonely; forever awaiting giants.

The Children of Zurn

Do you hear? Singing their low chant, each in turn. They have come. Come to cleanse the world, bathing it in their Dark Light. The Children; Children of Zurn.

They come by the thousands and grow each day by a thousand more. At first it was out of fear, that people began to join. But now, to the world's dismay, it truly is their Father Zurn, that the hordes of believers faithfully adore.

And those that do not join them and their Dark Lord, shall be destroyed. The fanatical Children, pulverizing them into the Void.

What shall we do, how can we overcome; this Cult of Darkness that threatens the Light? We must find a way, before all the world becomes night.

They say there once was one that stood against Evil's might. When the world was threatened to be plunged into a sickening, Amber Light.

A warrior had come, traveling with a fierce panther, sleek and black. Together they fought their way across the accursed land. And together they beat the enveloping Amber Light back.

Come, o warrior of legends been told. Come, with your feline companion. Be brave; be bold.

Save us, before each and every village does burn, in the dark flames set, by the Children; Children of Zurn.

The Phoenix Princess

Once, when the world was young and new, a powerful wizard fell in love with a beautiful princess. He wooed her with gifts of jewels, priceless treasures, and promises of great power over the peoples of the land. But she did not return his love, for she could see that he was corrupt with evil in his heart.

Even when the wizard threatened to use his magic to cast the world into darkness forever, she would not relinquish her love to him.

Enraged, the wizard called upon his powers to plunge the world into an eternal blackness.

The princess then begged and pleaded with the wizard to take it back, she promised to be his bride, if only he would bring the light back. But the effort that it took him to shroud the world in its black veil, had been too great, and the wizard died with a twisted smile upon his lips.

Overwrought with guilt, the princess ran to the highest mountain top, and leapt into the eternal night sky.

As she ascended, her heart burst; burst into a fiery phoenix, soaring on high, illuminating the darkness.

The phoenix stayed aloft for as long as it could, bringing light back to the world for an entire day. And when it could no longer burn bright enough, it dived down into the horizon to rest; slumbering with a warm, pale glow that softened the pitch of dark.

Once it had rest, the phoenix arose, once more ablaze with light for the dawn.

Thus it was, that the world had been immersed into darkness by anger and greed, and saved from its dark fate each morning by the broken heart of the Phoenix Princess.