Climbing from the hatch Michael fell in a heap on the floor. Laying there in a daze he stared at the bright light overhead.
Well that happened
He could feel exhaustion creeping over him as the adrenalin drained from his body. With a tired sigh, Michael once again rose to his feet.
Surrounding him were the four white walls of a security room, the same security room found outside every exit of the drains. The wall directly in front of him had a steel door with no handle. Above the door was a small camera blinking with a red light.
Crossing the short distance Michael pounded on the steel door with his fist. Wincing he shook his hand from the pain, the exhaustion made him forget the scrapes he had gotten earlier in his fall.
With a loud clang, the door in front of him slides sideways into the wall.
Leaning against a wooden desk in the middle of the white room in front of him stood a young man in a leather jacket dyed blue, his arms crossed in front of him. A guard for the city, one he didn't recognize.
Only working in one section of the Drains for Katalyst Michael had gotten used to the regular guards stationed at the exits he frequented. From the stories they told, were retired hunters working for the guard enjoying an easy job. He had never seen a guard working the security check younger than fifty.
“Well if it isn't just the waste of space I was looking for, you finish up playing in the drains?” The guard said with a smirk on his lips.
Who is this asshole and where is Jerry, didn't he say he was on guard duty for this section.
Letting out a sigh Michael ignored the insult. He had dealt with his fair share of bullies growing up, this chump didn't even rank the top ten. Instead, he straightened his back and made his way towards the desk across the room. He hoped the new guard would just let him mark down his harvest in peace and get home to a hot shower.
Suddenly a hand grabbed Michael's shoulder and spun him around.
Holding Michael by the shoulder the guard's face turned a bright red. “You deaf, I asked you a question.”
“I don't want any trouble, just let me by.” Without thinking, Michael jerked his shoulder to try and back away, but the guard's grip was a steel trap. The Mana running through his body made him orders of magnitude stronger than Michael.
Michael had instant regret. He didn't know why he pulled away, he chalked it down to the exhaustion slowing his mind to sludge. He couldn't even compete with a middle schooler strength-wise, let alone a fully grown man.
The rifts didn't just change the world's weather. They also released Mana back into the world along with the monsters they released. Ancient legends of monsters and gods had become true once more.
The Mana changed everything it touched. For the creatures of the world, it made them stronger, faster, evolving at a visible pace. Some gained abilities and powers like the monsters released from the rifts. Like the Glim spider's web’s ability to entrance any who looked upon it.
For humans some awakened magical bloodlines, entire families changing overnight. Others gained powers and mutations. The one truth across the board is every living thing on earth became more after the emergence of the rifts.
Well everyone that wasn't Michael.
Michael felt the guard's hand squeezed painfully into his shoulder before he was sent flying through the air. Narrowly missing the edges of the security door he smashed into the wall beside it. Feeling something crack in his back, he let out a pain-filled gasp.
Walking towards him with slow, deliberate steps the guard laughed. “I finally found you, took me almost a month but I tracked you down.”
Coughing Michael looked up as the guard loomed over him. A cruel smile was spread across his face.
“Great, now who the fuck are you, and what do you want?” Michael knew he had never seen the man before, he didn’t know why he would be tracking him down. He could think of a hundred reasons someone would track him down, and none of them were good.
Reaching down the guard grabbed Michael's shoulder in a vice-like grip. “Want? You want to know what I want?” His fingers dug painfully into Michael's shoulder. “Do you remember that rift that opened near the wall last month? The rift that spit out those fucking snake things, the ones that could fly.” Staring into the guard's eyes Michael saw he recognized his lack of recognition. “No of course you don't remember! You are just some rich prick playing at being a hunter.” Flexing his fingers deeper into his shoulder, Michael could feel them tear through his work shirt into his skin.
“What I want is for the senior guards to go back to the wall.” He punctuated every word with a slap. “What I want is my smiling little brother back.” Slap! “What I want is for him to be able to walk again.” Slap! “What I want is for him to stop waking himself up screaming his throat raw.” Slap! “What I want is for you to feel the pain he went through when he was asleep and that monster ate his legs!” Slap!
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Michael was in agony his back possibly a broken mess, his vision was going black and all he could taste was blood in his mouth. Spitting out a dribble of red onto the floor Michael responded with the only thing he could think of, “what the hell are you talking about? I don't have any guards.”
The guard stared back, his eye wide with anger. “I don't care if you admit it or not, I know the truth.” The guard's hand, slick with Michael's blood burst into flame.
The guard reached for Michael’s face with his fiery hand “It’s time for you to feel some of the pain my little brother feels.”
Just as the hand was halfway to his face Michael heard a voice from behind the psychotic guard.
“Enough!”
The guard froze momentarily, his hand outstretched. Before quickly lunging forward to slam his burning hand into Michael's face.
As Michael felt the impact he finally succumbed to the darkness creeping over his eyes.
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Waking up Michael felt like he was floating on a warm fuzzy cloud.
Opening his eyes he saw that he was lying in a hospital bed with an IV attached to his arm. Lifting the covers with his bandage-wrapped hands, he found himself naked except for the huge amount of gauze wrapped over his shoulder and around his chest.
Listening he could hear the faint murmur of voices.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he bundled the sheet around his waist. Looking around he saw a side table with a lamp and a chair sitting in the corner. And two doors, one near the bed and the other on the far side of the room. No sign of clothes or a hospital gown. He was in one of the medical rooms of the company he worked for, Katalyst.
The murmuring got louder before the far door opened.
Standing in the doorway in full fatigues was his cousin Stephanie. She smiled at him. “Hey cuz.”
Michael stared.
She quirked her eye at him.
Michael kept staring.
He didn't know if it was the copious amounts of pain killers coursing through his veins or the sight of his cousin standing in the doorway. Or even the thought that the young guard could have been telling the truth. He felt it begin to rise in his chest. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Michael projectile vomited across the room directly at his cousin.
With a loud squeak, she leaped backward slamming the door shut behind her.
Michael chuckled. It's the small things.
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Leaning back against the bed with just a blanket around his waist to cover his nudity Michael watched as an older man in a janitor uniform clean the last of his mess from the floor. In the door stood his cousin once again. She held her nose and stared murder at him.
The vomit had given Michael ample time to consider everything he had thought he knew. He didn't like his conclusions.
Watching the old man shamble from the room he looked at his cousin. Tightening his hold around the blanket he squared his shoulders. He wanted some answers and he was intent to get them.
“Why are you here Steph.” Michael stared at her accusingly
Taking a step into the room she crossed her arms, her nose twitched from the pungent smell of vomit still lingering in the air. “I swear Michael if you do that again I'm going to finish what that guard started.”
“So that was your voice I heard, I thought it sounded familiar.” His eyes narrowed. “So…is it true what he said, that guard?”
Watching him warily she responded, “Mostly, from what I understand.”
Michael didn’t believe it. He left the Family almost ten years ago with the help of his grandfather intent to leave it all behind. They couldn't have been controlling him this whole time…could they?
He thought about all the times his father tried to manipulate him growing up. The different power games he played, bullying him to his way of thinking.
Michael felt dizzy, sitting back against the bed he put his head in his hands. He had been a fool. How many choices were really his, or was he just led to them like a horse to water by his father.
Uncrossing her arms she asked him with confusion lacing her words, “Did you really think they wouldn’t keep tabs on you? Keep you safe?” She took a step closer. “Did you really think he would just let you disappear?” She reached out for him before letting her arm fall. “Look we can talk about all this on the way back but we need to get going before the storm gets worse. We already waited too long to leave as it is.”
Lifting his head Michael looked back at her “Get going where?”
She looked at him with a sad face. “Michael, I have orders to bring you home.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry I don't have a choice and you know it. Don't make this harder than it has to be.”
Taking a step back into the hallway she waved her arm. Re-entering the room two men in full combat gear followed behind her, swords at their hips and rifles across their back. Following on their heels was the familiar sight of his crush Astar her Auburn hair up in a bun bouncing with every step. She carried a folded pile of clothes in her arms topped by a syringe with a plastic cap.
Pulling the blanket tighter around his waist Michael blushed. He had been flirting on and off with Astor for the past year every time he was at the company HQ. He always made a point of stopping by the medical ward to chat her up
.
Astar swerved her way around the two men in combat gear. Putting the pile of clothes she carried down on the bed beside him she winked at him.
“Hey, stud!”
Michael blushed harder.
“Hey Astar,” he responded weakly.
Pulling the syringe from the top of the pile she pulled off the cap and waved it at him. “Alright handsome bend over for me, I have a surprise for that sweet tush of yours.”
His face glowing crimson Michael slowly rose to his feet and lifted the side of the blanket, careful to keep his front covered. Astar watched every moment, barely blinking.
“Hurry the fuck up Michael we don't have all day” his cousin huffed at him from the side as she turned away.
“Aww don't say that I like it when he goes slow, more to watch,” Astar said with a laugh. “Besides I don't get to give one of these very often, wouldn't want me to miss.”
Michael felt like he would burst into flames from the amount of heat radiating from his face.
Turning around he offered her his left butt cheek. With a wolf whistle, she stabbed him right in the meat. Wincing from the sting of the needle he turned back around after she removed it.
“So, what was that?”
“Penicillin,” she replied. “I already gave you the full cocktail of antibiotics in your IV but I figured better safe than sorry. I heard about the rat.”
“The rat but how did you….”
“That's enough, time to go,” Stephanie said, interrupting his question.
Michael watched Astar sashay from the room. He felt an ache in his chest. He hoped his suspicions were wrong.
“It’s time Michael get dressed,” Stephanie said as she walked from the room behind Astar.
Glancing at the two goons Michael raised an eyebrow at them. “Can you at least turn around?” Neither one so much as blinked.
Sighing Michael dropped the blanket around his ankles and pulled on the boxers. They were stretchy with little hearts on them. Next he pulled on the blue jeans. Wincing he threaded his arms through the black tee shirt. Lastly he pulled on the gray sweater, nearly drowning in the fabric, it was huge.
“Alright, Assholes let's do the thing.”
Time to get some answers.