The sun had already set, but the clouds were glowing a hot pink color. They were a perfect contrast against the deep blue heavens above. The faint scent of the pine trees filled Pepper’s nose as the sidewalk brought him close to the tree line. He tilted his head back and took a few long deep breaths.

His feet ached from standing all day. He let out a moan as he rolled his head in a circular motion. Almost there… just another paycheck or two and then I’ll have enough for my upgrades.

Pepper looked ahead to the next intersection. He decided there was no point in waiting to have his dinner at home. He turned his small backpack around and retrieved the Rocket Burger meal he had made for himself before leaving work. That was one great thing about KT—she let all the employees have free meals. Regardless of what Tamin’s father had to say about it.

Pepper began to take a few bites out of the double bacon cheeseburger. The cheesy and greasy goodness covered his face, and he used his zip-up hoodie sleeve as a napkin. He had just leaned in to take another large bite when the warning alarm roared to life in the distance.

“No!” he cried out. His head snapped from side to side. The audible ring of the danger tone began to grow louder as newly stationed speakers came to life near him. Pepper’s eyes locked onto the next intersection, and he saw the red LED light on top of the stop light start pulsating into the evening sky. The speaker rang out and he dropped the food bag, spilling tater tots in front of him.

Pepper launched himself into a sprint. He aimed for home, but then he heard the electrified tearing sound of the rift portal opening up. Though the portal was a mile away from him, its massive size and the energy emitted by it was great enough that the whole neighborhood knew when any activity occurred there.

He was closing the distance to the intersection when the explosions from the massive defensive turrets fired off. Cannons fired in rapid succession and the ground thudded under his feet as he tried to pick up his pace. He cinched his backpack tighter and was about to kick his run into the next gear when the intersection erupted into a massive fireball.

The sound of twisted metal and thudding chunks of blacktop and earth filled his ears. His eyes widened in fear, and he skidded to a stop. He blocked his face from the intense heat of the fireball and turned around to shield himself.

Pepper’s hands began to shake. His memory replayed the scene of the schools therapist. She had stood in front of the school assembly and taught them how to cope when a demonic attack occurred. Take long deep breaths, focus on a single focal point, rub your fingers into the palms of your hands to physically feel something, then take the first step.

Pepper’s hands felt slick from the grease of the fast food. But it started to work. He stayed focused on the red car parked at the side of the street across the intersection. The plasma flames that burned in front of him had now died down enough that he could make it across. He took a step forward and then another. The thud of the pavement underneath his feet gave him the motivation to get back into a sprint. The imprisoning fear that had come over him began to fade away.

Pepper made it past the next intersection before another explosion erupted, this time behind him. He didn’t dare turn around to look but remained focused on the direction of home. He had closed the distance until only the final block remained before the firing stopped and the all clear tone sounded.

Pepper staggered to a stop and leaned over, resting his hands on his legs. The adrenaline began to ease and the exhaustion of the intense moment started to wash over him. He stood up and looked behind him. He gasped at the sight of a line of houses on fire. An entire neighborhood block had been destroyed.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Pepper stood there for a minute and took in the sight, then turned and started to walk home. He had not seen any explosions near his house. That reassured him that his family were okay. Additionally, his mom had insisted that they build a safety bunker under the house. It had taken Pepper’s dad two years to build it to his mom’s satisfaction.

He finally arrived home and could hear his mom wailing and yelling. His father acted as a buffer, the same way he had all those times before. Pepper chose not to walk in the front door but rather walked down the side towards the backyard.

He turned the corner and found his younger sister, Megan, sitting on the back stairs. “Hey, Meg.”

She slowly turned her head towards him. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. There was a slight sniffle in her voice. “Hi, Pep.”

He walked over and stood in front of her. He had to reach down and pick her up, but once he did, she wrapped around him like a spider monkey. His hand slowly rubbed her back. “You okay?”

“I am now,” she muttered back.

“You want to come help me in the workshop?”

“Yes please.” She squeezed him and then sniffled on his shoulder.

Pepper normally had a firm rule of no family members allowed in the workshop. But every once in a while, like tonight, he made exceptions. That and it never seemed to work, as he felt his family was constantly invading his workspace.

There was an old recliner chair in the corner of the room. It was a part of their old couch set from two years back. Pepper had had to plead with his dad to let him keep the recliner for the workshop. It was his favorite spot in the world, and tonight it was Megan’s tower of safety.

He gently lowered her down onto it. “All right, let me grab you a blanket.”

“Pepper?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I sleep with Mala?”

He looked down at her giant brown eyes and sighed. Quickly glancing over at his workbench, his eyes locked onto the twelve-inch clay figure he had carved years ago. It was a replica of what he hoped to one day actually build. The golem he would use for fighting in the Golem League. But at this moment, it was going to be the defender of a princess against monsters and nightmares.

Megan wrapped her arms around the hardened clay and clung tight. Pepper wrapped a worn-out blanket around her and did his best to tuck her in. He made his way over to a small refrigerator and grabbed a drink and two individually wrapped mozzarella sticks. A quick glance back at Meg and he saw she was struggling to stay awake. Though it wasn’t her bedtime, the trauma she had endured had appeared to speed up the process.

Pepper turned on some music and started to look over his golem while chomping down on the cheese. His stomach grumbled, and he hoped the small snack would do the trick. He reached over to grab one of his chiseling tools and noticed a movement behind him.

His dad had just leaned against the door frame by the time he had turned around. He nodded down towards Meg. “Thanks for watching over her.”

“Meh, it’s no big deal. Kinda comes with the position of being older brother.”

Trent smiled. “That is something your older brother would say.”

Pepper lowered his head. He just didn’t feel comfortable looking at his dad. The topic of his older brother was hard for both of them to talk about. It was also part of the reason he wanted to leave home. He wanted to become a Golem League gladiator and show his brother that he could achieve the dream.

“How’s Mom?” he finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

His dad shook his head. “I dunno, son… I just don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like I’ve tried everything, but even everything can’t bring back that which was taken from her. Taken from us.”

Pepper tapped his tool in his hand, not knowing what to say. He finally turned to the only thing he did know. “You going to be able to make it to my next club matchup?”

The question seemed to help distract his father’s thoughts. A small smile appeared on his face. “That’s in a few days, right?”

“Yeah, down at the fairgrounds. I should be in arena 3.”

“I’ll do my best to make it, Pep.”

“Sweet.”

“You okay if she stays here with you tonight? Or do you want me to take her inside?” Trent motioned to Meg, who was knocked out in the recliner.

Pepper sighed. “Nah, she can stay. I’ll hook up my camping hammock and crash here with her.”

“Okay, son. Thanks again, and I am glad you made it home safe.”

“Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight, Pep.”