Chapter 2: Hell on Earth

PRESENT DAY

Crows hovered above the dim hue of street lamps that night, undeterred by the smell of gasoline and burnt rubber. It was as if they knew…

The crows… they knew.

What else? Was it raining?

He always thought it was raining.

…no. No rain. Only snow.

And blood.

And the deafening bang of gunshot.

You did the right thing, Alex.

“OJII-SAN!”

Alex woke with a jerk. His PlayStation 5 controller slipped from his hand and landed on the hard wooden floor with a thud. He sprang upright on his chair and frantically looked around, still dazed, slowly becoming conscious of his phone ringing.

“Hey Mom,” he breathed.

“Alex, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you since forever! Are you alright?”

Alex checked his phone to find nine missed calls. “I’m fine, Mom. I was on my computer and I must have dozed off.”

“Hard at work?”

Alex thought about what to say. “No, playing video games.”

His mom chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to put you on the hook. Did you respond to the email?”

Typical Mom, thought Alex. She wastes no time coming to the point.

“Which email?” Alex tried to dodge.

“The email,” said Mom. “There’s only one email I’ll ask you about.”

That damned job interview. “I’ll get to it by the end of next week,” said Alex without a shred of conviction in his voice.

She paused, probably massaging her temple like she always does when something stresses her out. “Alex, they’re expecting a timely response. I put in a real good word for you. Such opportunities are rare, and the job is right up your alley.”

“It’s corporate finance, Mom,” Alex reminded her.

“Yes, but, close to fifteen percent of their clientele is from home décor, which is an artistic industry, and not very different from video games since video games are also art.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Mom, I—”

“Look, Alex.” She let out a long sigh before continuing. “I’m proud of you, no matter what you do. And if you want to spend the rest of your life finding insects in video games—”

“Bugs,” Alex corrected her.

“—bugs, insects, whatever. That’s your decision, and I’ll support you no matter what. But you and I both know that you’re more than overqualified for this. Alex, you’ve got incredible capacity to bounce back, once you see the error of your ways.”

Alex winced at that last part.

“You’ve done it before,” she continued. “After that… dreadful night, you never engaged in violence again. You earned your place back in high school, worked your way through college, and graduated top of your class. I don’t understand why you’d do all that just to scrape the bottom of the barrel at some video game startup.”

“Because I like it, Mom.”

“That’s not the point,” she said. “What I’m trying to say is… I’m proud of how you turned your life around then. And I want you to do it again. Respond to the email. Live up to your potential, like you were meant to do.”

Alex stayed silent. There was no point discussing this over the phone.

“Just think about it,” she prodded on. “You don’t have to say yes right away. Take the day, and make up your mind by tomorrow. Don’t wait until next weekend, that’ll be too late. Okay?”

“Okay, Mom.”

“Okay. So. About the high school reunion. Did you go? Did you have fun?”

“N—Yes. Yes I did, Mom,” Alex lied.

“Okay,” his mother sighed. “Good. At least you’re trying to have an active social life.”

Alex shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

“And finally, Alex…” Her tone changed. Alex knew what was coming.

“Call your father,” she said. “He misses you.”

“How is he?” Alex asked.

“He’s fine. You can talk to him right now if you like—”

“No.” Alex cut her off. “Not now. Maybe later.”

“When? It’s been more than two weeks—”

“I gotta go now, Mom. Kenny’s calling me right now. I’ll talk to you about this later, okay? I promise.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “You take care, Alex. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

He hung up. There was no incoming call from Kenny. He hated lying to his mother, but he really did not want to discuss his father right now.

Alex looked at his gaming controller crash-landed on the floor, hoping it wasn’t broken. He was planning on getting a few hours of Doom in, at least, before heading out.

Or he could just stay in and play all day.

Tempting.

But he had promised Kenny, hadn’t he?

His phone rang again. This time it was Kenny.

“Remember, it’s a pact,” he said through the phone. “And pacts are sacred.”

“Can’t we do it another time?” Alex sighed.

“Look out your window,” said Kenny.

Alex found Kenny looking up at his first-floor window, waving slowly. “Don’t you bail on me again,” he said with a smile that somehow seemed both welcoming and sinister at the same time. Welcoming if Alex complied, sinister if he refused.

“I’ll be down in twenty,” said Alex over the phone. As he disconnected the call and moved away from the window, he heard Kenny shout from below, “Don’t make me come up there and drag you out.”

Alex looked in the mirror, about to get dressed. Out of habit, he noticed that the faint red hue around his pupils had almost completely disappeared.

Twenty minutes later, Alex was dressed in his bomber jacket and bike gloves and met Kenny downstairs, who stood leaning against his Harley. Alex kicked his 2023 Triumph into life and set off on a motorcycle ride through Sol City Nature Reserve with his childhood friend, as he had promised he would.

Alex lived close to the coast on the west end of Sol City, while the nature reserve was all the way out the east exit. Which meant they had to ride through almost the entire expanse of the city to get there.

Sol City was a modern American utopia. There was almost no poverty, except on some parts on the outskirts and the deep alleys of Old Town. Almost no crime—at least on the surface—except for the occasional petty thefts, and the once-in-a-while murder. But they were all resolved in no time. The city council was not corrupt. Everyone was welcome here.

Alex had originally moved here just to attend university, but the city had grown on him. It wasn’t too far from the suburbs both he and his parents grew up in. And everything he needed or could ever want for was around him, which was little else than comic book stores, gaming cafes, and convenience stores.

The sun gleamed through the tall buildings nestled between lush green trees that were intentionally placed, which somewhat counteracted the pollution. To further promote the idea of trees as carbon sinks, the city council constructed an expansive central park, which was a perfect circle surrounding the city council building.

As Alex and Kenny flew past the edges of the park, Alex noticed that a sizeable crowd had gathered around the council building, with carnival music blasting through giant speakers and balloons of varying sizes drifting in the air. There was a sort of celebration ongoing; or a music festival, perhaps.

Kenny opened his helmet and mouthed something incomprehensible, pointing at a banner on a nearby building that said “Founding Day 2024!”

“Let’s speed it up,” Alex mouthed to Kenny, gesturing with his wrists. He didn’t want to be slowed down by any surprise crowds.

They sped past the park, dodging streets that looked like they could get busy. They were soon out the east exit and into the nature reserve.

The air was much cleaner here; soft and rejuvenating. He could hear the birds whistle through the dense woods, amidst the distant rustling of dry leaves. The sun striking through the gaps in the green cover overhead was nothing short of therapeutic.

He may have preferred staying indoors and slaying demons on his PlayStation, but now that he was here, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

Kenny gestured to follow him. After a few sharp curves through the dense flora, they arrived at a clearing atop a small hill. A viewing deck was on the farther end—with concrete flooring, benches, and thick steel rails—offering a full panoramic view of the sprawling city. Alex and Kenny decided to park their bikes and rest.

“Wait, is this…?” Alex asked, a faint memory slowly resurfacing.

“Yes,” said Kenny. “The same one. We came here on a school trip in eighth grade. That jerk Mark was threatening to fling a few nerds over the railings, so you beat him to a pulp.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, I remember. Mr. Willoughby punished all of us.”

“Yeah, well,” said Kenny. “He wasn’t exactly the brightest.”

They took the benches with the best view. Kenny took out a couple cans of ginger ale from his backpack. For a few minutes, they drank in silence.

“So, how does it feel?” asked Kenny.

Alex inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. “Like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. If only for an hour.”

“Hmph. I told you it was a good idea.”

“Yeah, well. You were right. It’s just that… sometimes I just feel… glued to my chair.”

Kenny chuckled. “Don’t we all?

They drank silently for a few more minutes.

Then, Kenny spoke. “So there’s a martial arts camp in our high school next month. Maybe you can go, show them a few moves.”

“That’s swell,” said Alex. “But I don’t fight.”

“Come on, Alex. You were one of the best.”

Alex clenched his jaw. “Still… I don’t fight.”

They drank in silence again. Alex noticed a couple of squirrels briefly arguing over the ownership of a nut, eventually deciding to settle their differences over a not-so-friendly tussle. Meanwhile the nut rolled downhill, so they paused the tussling and chased after it.

Alex was bemused.

Kenny cleared his throat. “So the real reason why I asked you to come with me here today is—” He stopped abruptly, unsure how to proceed.

Alex looked at him curiously.

Kenny continued. “—is that I have an announcement to make. I’m going to ask Madeline to marry me. Tonight.”

Alex’s face lit up. “Kenny, that’s wonderful news! Congratulations!”

“She’s gonna be home all day today, getting bored, missing me—” Kenny chuckled, thinking ahead, “—she’ll never see it coming! Once we’re back in the city, I just got a few more things to pick up, and then go surprise her in the evening, with this.” He revealed a shiny diamond ring. “I’m thinking sunset is a good mood.”

“She’ll say yes, no matter what time of day it is,” said Alex, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you both.”

“Thank you, Alex. I can’t believe we’re finally here.”

“Me neither.”

They gulped down the remainder of the ginger ale and tossed the cans into a dumpster nearby.

“So…” Kenny began, this time a little uncomfortable. “About that job.”

Alex lent back and ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh don’t tell me my mother put you up to this.”

“She knew I was meeting you today. We… may have spoken on the phone.”

“Jesus.” Alex sighed.

“I don’t see the problem. It’s a top-tier position, your mom used her best connections. And the pay is off the charts.”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t care what the pay is.”

“Really?” asked Kenny, amused. “What happened to becoming the two richest people in the world so that we could start our own private space agency and colonize mars?”

Alex chuckled, recollecting the memory from when they were in middle school. It was all so different then.

“I gave up on that dream long ago,” Alex said. “Now… I just want to be left alone.”

Kenny thought about his next words carefully. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, I know he liked video games too but he wouldn’t want you to just stay cooped up in your room all day and ignore the world.”

Alex leaned back once again and looked up at the clouds. It was true. He wouldn’t have wanted this for him. He wouldn’t have wanted… a great many things.

Alex felt his eyes moisten. Tears streamed down his cheeks; he couldn’t control them any longer. He bent forward and buried his face in his palms.

“It’s okay,” said Kenny, gently rubbing Alex’s back. “I miss him too.”

“It was my fault,” said Alex, echoing his own words from eight years ago. “It was all my fault.”

“No,” said Kenny. “It was their fault, and theirs alone. You can’t continue blaming yourself.”

“I should’ve been strong enough to take them out.”

“Alex, the guy had a gun.”

“That shouldn’t have mattered.”

“Jesus, Alex, you’re not a superhero.”

“Well, then, I should have been!”

Kenny remained quiet, unsure of the state of mind Alex was in right now. A brief but uncomfortable silence crept in between them.

“And since I clearly wasn’t,” Alex continued, “I shouldn’t have tried to act like one.”

“Alex… I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry, Kenny. I shouldn’t have dumped all this on you, not today.” Alex was smiling again, if only for Kenny’s sake. “Can we just go back to planning your propo—”

Alex was suddenly interrupted by a… what was that exactly?

“Kenny, you saw that?”

Kenny frantically looked around, confused. “I saw it. What the hell was it?”

“I don’t know! Some kind of a… a flash?” said Alex.

A flash that blinded the sun for a split second? How can that be?

“I know it sounds crazy,” said Kenny. “But it felt like all light was sucked out of the sky for a second there, and then put back in. Like someone switched the sun on and off again or something. Like a light bulb.”

Alex observed the city skyline in the distance. A thick mass of dark grey clouds had gathered above the city center. It looked like it was about to rain heavily, but only in a small, targeted spot.

A fairly strong breeze brushed through his hair, and it felt oddly warm. Alex looked at the large expanse of trees between them and the city. The tree tops had now begun to rustle; slowly at first, and then violently. Soon, a few hundred birds emerged out of the trees and flew away, in panic.

The birds. They always know.

“Kenny,” said Alex, panting. “I think something bad is happen—”

CRACK!

It happened again, only this time, it was here to stay. All sunlight felt like it had been sucked out of the sky, just like Kenny had described.

But now, they could both see the cause behind this weird phenomenon.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A thick bolt of lightning had struck the center of Sol City from the dark clouds that had gathered above it earlier, splitting the sky in half.

Unlike normal lightning, this one was bright, neon red. It was so bright that it dimmed the sun, covering the entire sky in a red and black hue. Also unlike a normal bolt of lightning, it was almost perfectly vertical, and it did not disappear in a fraction of a second. It was here to stay.

To Alex, it seemed like someone had opened a portal.

Alex shook his head. Why would he think that? Was he losing his mind? Was any of this real?

Alex and Kenny glared at this unusual spectacle in awestruck silence. Soon, they saw explosions erupt from the buildings and streets close to the city center. They then heard screaming.

This was not some weird natural phenomenon.

Someone—or something—had attacked the city.

As the same realization hit Kenny, he gasped in horror.

The only word he managed to get out was about the one person he cared for most in the world: “Madeline!”

Kenny bolted for his motorcycle in a state of panic.

“Kenny, wait!” Alex called out as he followed him. “Kenny, we don’t know what this is.”

“I don’t care what it is!” Kenny bellowed before kicking his bike to life and zooming toward the city. “I’m getting her out of there!”

Alex swiftly got on his own bike and followed suit.

His heart pounded through his chest, exactly how it did that night eight years ago—when he first heard that deafening bang of gunshot.

***

Kenny zoomed through the curved path through the forest at breakneck speed. Alex closely followed suit.

They soon reached the east exit of Sol City, but then they had to come to an abrupt halt.

The entrance to and exit from the eastern part of the city was jam packed. Hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people were on the street trying to scurry out in mass panic and hysteria. In the background, smoke, fire, and explosions erupted from inside the city.

“There’s no way we’re getting through here,” said Alex to Kenny as he halted close to him.

“We go all the way around and take the south entrance,” said Kenny. “Most of the crowd will be running east. The south entrance should be way less crowded. Once we’re through that, it’s a straight path to the council building, and my home.”

Kenny could be right. The southern part of the city opened toward the coast. If people were running out in panic, in their cars and on foot, they’d head for the east exit, not the south. Coming out the south exit would be a long way around, therefore totally unintuitive. So once they realize that everyone else had had the same idea, it’d be too late. They’d all be packed in a jam. Which is exactly what they were seeing right now.

“Come on!” said Kenny before zooming away toward the south entrance. Alex followed.

It was as Kenny deducted. The south exit was far less crowded than the east. However, it was still a challenge to push through the slow-moving stampede. Kenny went straight in, without hesitation.

It felt like swimming against the tide. Alex tried to keep Kenny in sight as much as he could, but it was tough. When they were near what seemed to be the end of the crowd, Kenny zoomed through a quickly closing gap.

Alex tried to follow through, but a massive truck claimed the gap before he could reach. Dammit. He was stuck. And Kenny was out of sight.

It’s alright. He just had to carve a new path around. And once he did, he’d be out of the deadlock in no time.

It was going to be okay. He wouldn’t be too far from Kenny.

Alex calmly looked around and finally found another gap about to close. He accelerated as quickly as he could and squeezed through just in time.

He was out.

The streets were clear now, but also eerily empty. Most of the people must have surely evacuated in time.

Right?

Alex looked around, slowly absorbing the state of the city. Idle cars on the street were on fire. Windows of most of the adjacent houses and buildings were smashed, with chunks of shattered glass spread on the ground, amidst elaborate streaks of some reddish liquid, which was everywhere.

Blood.

The hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood up. What the hell happened here?

A loud zap from the stabilized red lightning dead ahead pulled Alex’s attention away from his thoughts. It glowed bright against the darkened sky; its outer edges quivering and waving like bolts of electricity around a tesla coil. It also seemed to be getting progressively brighter as Alex got closer. He gazed at the sheer immensity of the bolt, which, from this distance, felt truly larger than life.

There was no time to linger. Kenny surely hadn’t slowed down. His house was straight ahead, near the circular central park—which probably was the source of the red lightning.

They were headed straight toward the epicenter of whatever kind of disaster this was.

Alex gulped, bracing for whatever was coming next.

Still a couple blocks away from Kenny’s house, Alex suddenly hit the brakes. He spotted Kenny’s bike lying flat on the ground near a totaled car. Alex got off his own bike and examined the scene. Had Kenny skid on the slippery road and crashed? He was going too fast after all.

Alex looked around, trying not to panic. Kenny should be close.

He looked toward Kenny’s house and let go a huge sigh of relief. He spotted Kenny standing on his own two feet. Which meant he wasn’t injured.

“Kenny!” Alex called out as he ran toward him, but it was as though the voice never reached him.

Something was wrong.

Alex stopped and observed closely.

Kenny stood still in the middle of the street, glaring at his house. He looked shell shocked.

Alex inched a little closer, and he could finally see what Kenny already had. There was a huge boulder where Kenny’s house was supposed to be. Judging by the roughly round hole in the adjacent building, it looked like it had flown all the way from the park and crash landed on Kenny’s house, reducing it to rubble.

Crushing everything, and everyone, inside it.

Kenny wouldn’t move. Somehow, Alex needed to get him out of here as soon as possible, but—

Thud.

Alex felt the ground tremble.

An earthquake? No. It was more like… footsteps.

Something incredibly huge and unimaginably terrifying was approaching them.

Alex once again ran toward Kenny, but immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

A creature, about fifteen-feet tall, had just turned the corner, and was slowly making its way toward Kenny. It had bulging, yellow eyes and a protruding snout, similar to an alligator’s. It seemed reptilian, with thick black hides covering strategic parts of his body, as though he were wearing black scale armor. Its own scales were light red. Like a demon’s.

It walked on his hind legs with a forward hunch, while his muscular fore arms shuffled the upper floors of the decrepit buildings, looking for something.

It stopped looking once he spotted Kenny.

Its pace increased as he walked toward Kenny, a newfound determination in its step.

Chills ran down Alex’s spine. He needed to get Kenny out of here.

Alex tried to move again, but his feet suddenly felt heavier than steel. He tried to move, but his whole body seemed to have frozen in place. He was stuck. Immobilized by fear.

No sound escaped his mouth when he tried calling out for Kenny again.

The demon slowly moved closer to Kenny, like a predator stalking an unaware prey. Alex’s mind began to race faster than his heart.

He had to do something, quick. Or else…

Or else Kenny will be eaten.

“No!” said a dark voice from somewhere inside him. The voice did not feel foreign to him. It was his own. But different.

“You don’t have to do anything,” said the voice. “You cannot do anything. Remember what happened the last time you meddled?”

“That was different,” Alex argued.

“It was the same. Try playing the hero again, and you’ll only make this worse.”

“How can it get any worse?” Alex asked. “The demon is almost on top of him!”

“You’ll make it worse by dying alongside him!”

Alex shuddered. “I can still save him,” he protested.

The voice chuckled. “You are still the same kind of fool,” said the voice. “Nothing’s changed from back then. You couldn’t save him then; and now, you can’t save your friend. But you’re lucky. The beast hasn’t noticed you, yet…”

The voice now merged with the thug’s voice from eight years ago. It was as if they spoke in a coarse, hybrid, and unholy unison:

“All you have to do is run away.”

“No!” Alex screamed.

Loud enough for the beast to hear.

The beast demon was upon Kenny, but he was momentarily startled by the noise. Kenny’s knees finally gave up, and he collapsed on his side. The demon noticed and seemed confused seeing Kenny drop on the ground like a dead fly. It picked up Kenny’s body with two giant opposing fingers. The large nails pierced Kenny’s sides, spilling out blood.

The demon tossed his body aside, discarding it like it were some piece of unwanted trash. Kenny’s body crashed on the rubble of his own house, motionless.

Alex remained frozen. The fact that Kenny was probably dead seemed to have registered somewhere in his brain. But nothing felt different. He wasn’t crying, like he had the night Ojii-san died. He wasn’t running to Kenny’s side in panic, trying to resuscitate him. He couldn’t do any of it.

He couldn’t even move a muscle.

The only thing that was different was that the demon’s gaze was now on him.

Alex managed a few deep breaths. If this was it… if this was how he was going to die…

He’d rather go down fighting.

The thought seemed to have spilled a warm calmness through his veins. Slowly, he regained control of his arms—which he now rested on his sides—and clenched his fists.

He had no idea the kind of opponent he was facing—what its moves were, where its weaknesses lied.

But it didn’t matter. He will figure it out. Or he’ll die trying.

Calmness, once again.

The demon noticed that Alex was willing to put up a fight. Suddenly, he seemed way more interested, excited even. His pace steadily increased; he would soon begin charging at Alex.

The calm spread through Alex’s veins like wildfire. He felt the same heat that he’d felt eight years ago—when that brute’s final blow was going to finish him off—radiating through every cell in his body.

He was ready.

And he was sure he was facing certain death.

A different kind of heat whooshed from behind him, leaving a white and blue streak in its wake.

Alex had barely noticed it. But the speed with which it passed him knocked him off balance.

It crashed through the demon beast with immense force, leaving behind a gaping hole below its thick chest and above its gluttonously large globule of a belly.

The demon looked confused once again. He tried to crane his neck down to see what had happened to him, but before he could lift it back up, his body collapsed on the street with a loud thud.

He was down.

Whoever—or whatever—had killed him, now rose from behind the demon’s collapsed body. It hovered above it, examining it, floating in the air like some kind of a—

Superhero.

His body was made of white metal. He had thin streaks of blue light flowing everywhere on his smooth, slender body, but mainly concentrated around the center, where his chest should be. The streaks of light were particularly bright there, emanating from something that looked like a hexagonal sigil, digitally engraved within his metallic torso.

He could have easily passed for a sentient robot, thought Alex.

But was he?

His head was made of the same white metal as his body, but with a wide circular gap of black in the middle, made from glass, presumably so that his eyes could see through. Not so different from a bike helmet.

The actual hero must be inside the white suit of armor!

Alex’s gaze shifted at the demon’s motionless body. It was dead, no question about it. The flying hero had killed him in less than a second. He had arrived just in time to save Alex’s life.

Alex wanted to thank him.

The superhero noticed Alex moving toward him and gestured him to stop. When he spoke, his voice sounded robotic, and a blue light emerged from the black glass on his helmet, waxing and waning as he spoke. “Run away,” he told Alex, in a calm yet authoritative tone. “This is not a video game.”

Alex never thought that it was. Maybe the hero had seen Alex manning up against the demon earlier and thought he was an insane person.

Well, could you blame him?

Still, Alex didn’t appreciate the tone.

Alex nodded to him in response, and the superhero steadily gained altitude. He turned around and effortlessly launched himself mid-air, flying straight toward the red lightning.

Alex dropped to his knees. This can’t be real. None of it can be real. He was definitely home, still asleep on his chair, with his controller in hand.

All he had to do was wake up.

But what if it wasn’t?

If it wasn’t, Kenny lay dead there.

The warm calmness was instantly swept away. He spotted Kenny’s body lying on the rubble, still motionless. The cold, dreadful, and paralyzing fear was back.

But it didn’t win over him this time.

Alex ran to check on Kenny. He was badly bruised, and one of his arms seemed to have twisted, possibly broken. There was a lot of blood on his sides where the demon’s nails had pierced him, but there was also…

A pulse.

Alex let out a huge sigh of relief. Kenny was still alive.

All he had to do now was carry him out of here.

Alex hesitated. He wasn’t sure whether that’ll be a good idea owing to all the bleeding. Maybe calling an ambulance was better.

An ambulance? What was he thinking? The entire city seemed to have been wiped out by actual demons. Were emergency services still operational?

What if they weren’t?

Alex began to panic again.

But it was washed away almost as quickly as it had arrived. Alex heard sirens approaching from behind him. Thank god, he thought. They were here.

He turned around to grab their attention; but instead, he found himself face-to-face with a smaller, much quieter demon, about a couple meters away from him. It had clearly planned to take them out stealthily.

Suddenly, Alex heard what he could only describe as a war cry. “Keep your hands off my citizens, you devilish abomination!”

It worked. The noise caught the demon’s attention and it turned away from Alex.

It let out a piercing shriek before it was silenced forever. A fire truck had come to a swift halt nearby. Someone very large had launched themselves off the fire truck and struck the stealthy demon on the head with a red axe, splitting his body in two.

Alex watched as the large man recovered himself from the strike. The butchered demon’s blood sprayed on his face, but he was smiling. Maniacally.

The maniacal smile disappeared as the man regained himself. He turned to Alex and spoke in a calm, measured voice, “Your friend is injured, but it looks like he’ll make it. Don’t worry. I’ve got EMT coming in.”

What was going on?! Was he also a superhero?

“What are you?” asked Alex, gazing at the absolute giant of a man. He was probably six foot five, heavily built, dark brown skin, and hair cut so short that he appeared bald. He wore a tank top, and he looked military. But something about him was off. What the hell was that smile back there?

“I’m not some alien psycho, if that’s what you’re wondering,” the man replied. “I’m Dan Connors, United States Military. Pleasure to meet you.”

So the military was finally here.

Dan stretched his hand out to help Alex up. Alex took it, but instantly regretted doing so, since it was moist with demon blood.

Nevertheless, he helped Alex get back up on his feet. “What are you two doing here anyway?” he asked. “This area had already been evacuated.”

Alex felt a rush of relief flow through him. If that was the case, then there was a chance, however small, that Madeline had made it out.

“We were just… coming back to get someone,” Alex explained.

“Futile effort,” said Dan. “But noble.”

The EMT had arrived. They were now checking Kenny, prepping him to be boarded into the ambulance.

Alex walked further out into the street and turned his gaze toward the red lightning. It was still there; solid, unwavering. The fight wasn’t over yet.

Alex observed a bit more closely. Only now did he notice that there was a small cloud of thick, brown smoke covering the spot where the central park should be. The street with Kenny’s house on the side led straight to the council building at the center of the park. But neither the park nor the council building was visible, both veiled behind the smoke screen, which was almost four storeys tall, and wide as far as the eyes could see.

The smoke cloud on the ground mimicked the thick grey clouds high up in the sky. Alex was sure they were linked, somehow, with each other, and with the red lightning. And this was all going down in the council building straight ahead, now shrouded out of vision.

The armored superhero from earlier had flown straight in through the smoke.

Was he okay?

Had he managed to defeat whatever monstrosities lay behind the smoke screen?

If he had, why was the lightning still up? Why hadn’t the smoke cleared?

Was he in some danger?

Alex owed the hero his life. Would it be crazy if he were to go after him and try to help him, any way he can?

Alex gazed at the brown smoke screen at the base of the red lightning. Every cell in his body seemed to be compelling him to go toward it.

Snap out of it, Alex! This is exactly the kind of shit that’s landed him into trouble all his life.

The kind that might just get him killed, today.

“Man, what a sight,” said Dan. Alex had barely noticed him walk up beside him. “It would’ve been beautiful, you know, under different circumstances.”

“What is it?” Alex asked.

“We don’t know,” said Dan. “The smoke screen covers the central park like a dome. No ariel surveillance would reveal anything, once it gets here. Unless we get an AC-130 Gunship with heat vision, now that baby’s something else. But getting her here would take even longer.”

“I thought the military was already here,” said Alex, confused. “Didn’t you say you were military?”

“I am, but,” Dan began to explain, “I’m not on duty. None of us are,” he said pointing at his crew who seemed to have been following the fire truck in a jeep. A group Alex had only just noticed.

“We were here on vacation, you know, Founding Day and all, when shit hit the fan,” Dan continued. “We’ve been helping with the rescue effort, while also contributing to the city’s defense.”

“All clear,” said a voice over the radio in Dan’s hand. “Roger that,” Dan responded. “Great,” he said to Alex. “Looks like this fuckwat was the last one. At least on the outside,” he said, pointing at the smoke screen.

Alex gazed at it once again.

“Call me crazy—and you’d probably be right—but…” Dan began, studying Alex’s face. “It seems to me that you can’t stay away from this one, can you?”

Alex looked at his feet. “I don’t fight,” he declared, more to himself than to Dan. “I’ve learned my lessons.”

“So you say,” said Dan, “and yet, your body says otherwise.”

Alex looked down at his hands—they were trembling. His entire body was trembling.

Was it in excitement? Or in fear?

Was it something people felt when they were about to do something incredibly stupid?

He looked at the smoke screen once again. His very soul seemed to be gravitating toward the red lightning and the brown smoke cloud, wanting him to pierce the veil and peek inside.

Wanting to make sure that someone who had saved his life hadn’t met a gruesome end.

Just like Ojii-san.

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head. “I can’t explain it,” he said. “But it’s like every muscle in my body wants to go in.”

“So why don’t you?” Dan asked. “In my experience, I’ve never gone wrong trusting my instincts.”

Alex gazed ahead blankly. “Every time I try to fight, or play the hero… bad things happen.”

“I’m not asking you to do either of those things,” said Dan.

Alex turned to face Dan. He wasn’t aware that Dan was asking him to do anything at all in the first place.

“Look,” said Dan. “I told you earlier that we’d been helping with the city’s defense, but the truth is, the city had no defense. All this demonic bullshit was way out of their league, and ours. We were getting our asses kicked on all fronts, until he came along.” Dan pointed toward the armored superhero. “He wiped the floor with them. Those demon motherfuckers—they didn’t stand a chance! Oh you should’ve seen him. Cruising around, fucking lasering them down to ashes and smithereens. It was quite the sight.

“So we followed him. He took out the bigger demons, and we cleaned up after him, finishing off the smaller pests, and providing rescue and support to anyone who needed it along the way. We lost a lot of lives today, but we still managed to get a lot of good folks to safety. Only—”

Dan shifted uncomfortably. He turned to look at the smoke screen himself, and continued, “—Only that we’ve been ordered to not try and cross that. A wise move, given that we know absolutely nothing about what lies beyond. The National Guard, along with the Military, are on their way, but any incoming ground forces face obvious resistance with so many civilians blocking the exits. I believe it’ll be another thirty minutes or so until they get here. God knows how many lives we’ll lose by then.

“I can’t risk sending my men in with zero intel.” Dan’s expression turned intense. “But if you tell me that there’s even one person trapped inside there who could use our help, then hell. I’m willing to risk getting court martialed to get them out of there, not to mention, my life. But I need the intel first. Understand?” Dan studied him closely. “Recon and report, that’s all you gotta do.”

Alex exhaled and felt his beating heart. “So no fighting?”

“Hah! You talk like you stand a chance against those vicious spawns of hell!” He laughed, the maniacal expression from earlier was back. “I like your spirit, but no. No fighting. Recon and report. That’s it.”

Alex remained silent.

Dan’s radio buzzed again. “More demons spotted in old town.”

“Looks like it’s my cue.” Dan turned to leave. “You don’t have to do it. But just in case you’re just as crazy as me… well, at least we’ll get something out of it.” He threw his radio transmitter at Alex, before hopping onto the fire truck. “And if you end up dying,” Dan shouted after the truck began moving, “I’ll make sure they remember you, and your valiant sacrifice!”

Alex stood alone looking at the transmitter, then at the smoke screen, and then at the red lightning, all over again.

What if he died as soon as he crossed the veil?

Somehow that seemed to him like a ridiculous thought. Something inside him, not very different from the voice that spoke to him before, told him that nothing beyond that smoke screen could harm him.

But the same wasn’t true for the armored superhero. Somehow, he didn’t seem to fit the equation. Like he was the odd one out here.

He was going to die.

NO! Alex gasped. He had to go save him; he owed him his life.

But he’d promised. He’d promised he would never fight again.

Every time he tries to do the right thing, something bad happens.

Right?

Alex grasped his knees and tried to breathe. His instincts were at war with his thoughts.

“Ojii-san,” he breathed. “What do I do now?”

As Alex remained immobilized, this time by doubt rather than fear, a hole popped open in the bubble that was the smoke screen cloud. Something emerged from it, flying toward the sky at first, then curving its path and falling on a downward trajectory, on a collision course with the ground.

Alex realized that he was standing directly underneath its crash-landing zone.

He sprang sideways and dodged just in time. The concrete on the ground cracked, small pieces of rock flew everywhere like bullets. Alex had taken refuge behind a thick concrete slab which tanked all the fallout. Then, he peeked out.

It was the armored superhero, crash-landed on the ground. His body had dug a small ditch in the concrete by the sheer impact of the force with which he’d crashed.

The hero turned his head around and spotted Alex.

“You,” he said. “I told you to run away, didn’t I?—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Something massive had just landed on top of him, with an even greater force.

Alex caught sight of a thick and elegant metal armor covering a massive leg that was bent over the armored hero’s throat, pinning him down.

A demon.

But this one was much larger, and far, far more threatening, than the braindead beast that had attacked Alex earlier.

Alex gasped for breath.

No time to debate anymore. The fight had come to him.