Chapter 21: Ripples and rumblings
The visor shut off, blinding him with the darkness of its inactivity. Immediately, he took it off and set it down on the bed, a horror ridden look in his eyes as he stared into space.
The bridge had fully formed, the merge was about to begin, how long until the world was thrown into complete and utter chaos. His questions were answered sooner than he had hoped when he heard the awe of his neighbors outside, He begged fate that it would be nothing, that maybe it was fireworks or a parade or something mundane but when he stepped out the door the dread sank into him comfortably and made itself home.
There were large ripples in the sky showing inside them a dark almost purple void, countless now took the positions of clouds as the occupiers of the sky, Everywhere he looked, no matter how far into the rumble, He looked to his side and his neighbors had their phones out taking pictures and laughing like this was in some way amusing. Jeremy and Gerald, barely acquaintances but they had a friendly relationship, they greeted each other If they ever crossed paths and on some occasions they'd even had a full conversations, he was a decent guy, Why weren't they running, why weren't they scrambling or at the very least scared, what was with that stupid look of amusement on their faces—He cut his own thoughts off because He’d probably be doing the same if he hadn't met Vrey and Daragura.
Trying his best not to panic he walked back into his house, put on a shirt and jacket, filled his backpack with as much non perishable food that he could carry without hindrance, picked up a reusable water bottle and headed for the door but as he got to it he paused and turned back to look into his apartment for what may be the last time, the world was about to change completely, every norm was about to be rendered insignificant but he couldn't help but feel empty as he was about to leave the place he'd called home since he'd left that dreadful orphanage .
“Goodbye.” He said quietly then walked out and closed the door behind him, his neighbors still stood and at this point he couldn't help but think of them as idiots.
“Go in—” He was about to tell them, but stopped when he realized, it would be a waste, they wouldn't believe him and honestly If he was to be in their position, he wouldn't believe him either. So with a regret filled sigh he turned and was about to walk away when the earth rumbled suddenly, Rylan staggered but stabilized himself with the railing of their shared walkway, He turned to see if they were ok but as if in slow motion, he Jeremy fall over, Rylan's body reacted before his mind could, dashing to where he had been, covering the distance between them in an instant, he stretched out his hand but gravity acted faster, Jeremy’s palm brushed his but the contact wasn't enough to stop his fall. Rylan watched as he descended down five floors, his deafening scream his only company till he hit the tarred floor of the parking lot and went silent. Rylan's eyes were wide, it took his brain a few seconds to catch up with what had happened but when it did—
“NOOOOOOO!!” The scream ripped through him and without another thought, he ran down every step that led down till he was at the ground floor, his speed didn't dwindle, he still had hope that maybe Jeremy was alive but as he got closer, the sheer amount of blood slowed his steps as he stepped into the red puddle, He fell to his knees inches away from Jeremy's lifeless body. A lifeless look in his open eyes, Rylan placed two fingers on his neck hoping to feel a pulse but there was nothing, Rylan straightened as he stared at this almost stranger, wide green eyes that retained the fear he felt moments before he no longer felt anything.
Rylan closed his eyes and let out a small prayer, he didn't know what God he was praying too but he hoped whichever it was would accept it. He looked up at Gerald who still stood with a terrified look etched across his face, from here Rylan could see how tightly he held unto the railing even if the earth had stopped shaking, Rylan wanted to say something but no words came to him So he closed his eyes and ripped himself away and as if on cue the earth bgam to rumble again but this time it was far far worse, Buildings crumbled as the earth beneath them shifted, sudden cracks split the road destroying vehicles that passed, poles fell taking others with them, Lights flickered off and on but the most prominent sound wasn't the rumblings, it was the terrified screams of Men, women and children as the world around them actively crumbled.
The world of Arkana was being born and this was merely the price. He took a step forward and the rumblings stopped just as the ripple in the sky tore open and beasts began to pour through.
“RUNNN!!” He screams an order to everyone that still wandering around and without waiting for them to respond he bolted in the direction he was facing, no direction no destination.
The beasts crashed violently into the ground, the weaker ones dying on impact and the luckier ones using their carcasses to soften their landings, the ground shook beneath them, an announcement of the terror about to unfold. Ghastly, demonic, hideous looking creatures of every size and color, immediately they started attacking and he stopped dead in his tracks.
He stared at his feet that refused to move.“Fuck.” He said with a quiet sigh, he couldn't run, He couldn't leave them. “Fuck!” He cursed loudly as he did a complete 180 and ran straight at a beast rapidly approaching a
group of people.