Chapter 2: Kane

It was their first Demi capture in ten years. Their first victory in ten years. His first victory. Kane couldn’t stop smiling for the duration of his shower. Maybe he could be the one to bring the next Demi in or – even better – take it down. Only a few weeks remained until the recruit induction ceremony. Soon enough, Kane’s name would echo throughout the auditorium along with Abel and the rest of their friends. They might even get elected to join the Ares division and fight the Demis firsthand.

Kane smiled as the thought dwindled in his mind. The quiet expanse of the locker room always brought peace at night. Most recruits would shower before dinner, but Kane always showered afterward. The crowds were minimal, so he could sneak to his favorite spot in the back of the showers and soak in his own thoughts. His third favorite pastime.

The water shuddered to a stop, interrupting the memories he had yet to make. He looked down at the timer above the nozzle. It said he still had a minute left, but he paid it little mind. Instead, he pressed a button on the side of the shower. The walls of the shower opened, ushering in air and heat alike. After he finished drying off, Kane grabbed his clothes which laid sprawled about in a sink toward the front of the locker room. He pulled his black jeans up and his black shirt over his head. His dad’s brown leather jacket followed shortly after. Its warmth made his over-trained muscles aware of their tears. As he bent down to grab his dirty uniform lying scattered across the floor, he glanced at his watch through his black hair. His heart skipped a beat. Shit. Late again. His legs carried him past a few naked trainees, out of the locker room, and up the stairs. He rushed up several flights, passing door after door within the recruit’s dormitory. A group of girls even pointed and chuckled at his speed. He turned a corner and fell toward his room’s door. He fumbled with his A.D.A. Identification Card and slapped it against the door’s entry scanner. Before it lit up bright green, Kane slammed the door open.

“Yo Kane! I was just-“ a blonde man said from inside.

“Sorry Bracken, not now!” Kane said as he tossed his clothes into the room. Before Bracken could say anything, Kane slammed the door behind him and rushed downstairs into the open lobby where recruits milled about. Kane turned the corner where an older woman with short brown hair sat and fiddled with a group of heliograms at the front desk. While many opened to files or documents, one displayed the popular sitcom, “My godfather is a god?”. Kane brushed past a group of recruits discussing Doros development with an agent from the technological division. “Hey, Mrs. Enid!” Kane shouted. “I need a P.T.L.- “

“Already got it, kid,” she said without looking away from her sitcom. Kane looked across the desk. Mrs. Enid had already prepared his P.T.L. request. Kane held out his I.D., but she waved him on. “Go. I’ll be done with it before you even touch the gate.” Kane patted her desk and rushed out into the open campus of the Anti-Demi Administration Headquarters. The interwoven white buildings stood both tall and wide and blended together much like a maze. Hundreds of windows reflected the setting sunlight on the trees hugging their walls. Kane’s steps grew lighter as he watched them glisten. Recruits ran across the North Lawn throwing a frisbee as agents walked to and from buildings which glowed blue and green from the light of heliograms. Kane spun around, taking everything in before launching himself toward the northern gate.

It took twenty minutes of passing complex after complex before he reached the gate. It towered overhead, spanning a football field in size and sat surrounded by large white walls too difficult to climb over. Suddenly, a hand slapped across Kane’s shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going this late?” a taller, balding man said.

“Somewhere your big ass nose should stay out of, Mr. Morel,” Kane replied with a smirk.

“Let me guess. Late to see Salene again?” he asked, responding to Kane’s smirk with a sly grin. “She’ll dance her way into another man’s arms if you keep it up.”

“Still doing better than you did with your wife. How’s the divorce going?” Kane snapped back.

Mr. Morel tried to keep a stern face but fell into a deep, guttural laugh. He signaled for the gate to open. Before Mr. Morel could talk back, Kane darted out onto the streets of Zone Seven.

The silence of the city always echoed in the night. Ever since the collapse of the American government and the establishment of A.D.A. headquarters in Zone Seven, many people moved toward the larger outer city of the zone or left out of fear of it becoming a hotspot for Demi activity. Though a decent population remained within the small inner city, quiet still penetrated the atmosphere. The setting sunlight remained the only proper company Kane had when he went to the café. The tall buildings stood worn from lack of use, and – even if in use – it didn’t seem like anyone cared enough to manage them. Apartment complexes either glowed with families or with memories of those who had gone. Offices and restaurants bustled with activity, but, if you turned a corner, others would lie dormant with an open sign which hadn’t flipped for years.

Though, it still proved to be doing better than the middle city. As Kane rode the heliotrain for an hour to the border between the middle and inner cities, dozens of people morphed into a few, and none of them spoke. As he got off the heliotrain, a cobweb slapped him across the face. He wiped it from his eyes. Several homeless people littered the border station. They each laid on benches and covered themselves with trash bags to keep warm. Cats chased mice and slung them back and forth, splattering blood onto walls. How sickening. Kane rushed to a homeless man and gave him the spare bit of cash he carried before darting out into the edge of the inner city.

Turn after turn, Kane picked up speed. And every step along the empty street served as a reminder of the world they lived in. The border streets sat littered with more trash than people, and skinny dogs ate away at what scraps they could muster. Missing posters lined the power lines as the buildings stood rotted and looked as if a giant had bitten a chunk out of them. Kane’s heart sank as he ran by. The Demis didn’t even need to be there to ruin everything. Damn them. Luckily for Kane, one place remained which maintained its remnants of peace and prosperity. One place where lights still danced, and people still smiled. As he rounded the corner, a bright neon sign which read “Kathy’s” came into view. And there, at a lone table in the café’s corner, sat a red-headed girl who made Kane’s heart stop. The café’s wooden frame, though split in many places, still stood strong against the stone of the apartment complex above it. The fire inside reflected warmly off the glass and – combined with the sunset – set the entire place aglow. Yet even though Kane walked toward such beauty, his eyes still sat fixed upon the girl at the table reading a book. Other than her, the place stayed empty.

As Kane walked in, a smiling old man who looked a lot like Santa Claus walked to the front to greet him. His brown overalls clung to his chest. He even wore his usual red striped shirt and brown pants. “Come on in, Kane,” Mr. Mosiah said with a gentle wave. “She’s been waiting on ya.” He pointed with his thumb at the girl sitting at the table and nodded to a coffee on the counter with Kane’s name on it. The steam had already ceased pouring from its lid. Kane snatched the lukewarm coffee and shuffled over behind the girl with the hair he couldn’t take his eyes off of. He placed his cup on top of her head to greet her.

“You’re late, ya know?” she said without looking up. Her voice sounded stern, but her lips parted into a smile. Before Kane could react, she turned to punch him in the stomach. She stopped before she met his shirt, causing Kane to flinch and spill droplets of coffee onto the floor. Kane grunted from the blow that didn’t come and regained his posture.

“What the he-“ Kane started, but he froze. With a wide grin, the girl turned around to greet him. Her gentle face had several freckles flocked by a beautiful red blush. Though her hazel eyes hid beneath their lids, they still glowed along the frame of her pure smile. For a second, Kane couldn’t speak. This is beauty. After coughing and adjusting his jacket, Kane let words pour from his lips. “You should have seen it, Salene. For the first time in ten years. Ten. Years. We finally got one of them.”

Her expression grew soft. “So, you get off work, are late to see me as per usual, then wanna talk about work?” She turned back toward the table, picking up her book and reading one last sentence before sliding a bookmark into the next page.

“Well yeah. Isn’t it amazing? We finally got one,” Kane said. He rounded the table to sit in front of her. The air smelled of burning wood and cinnamon as he slid into his chair. The steam swirled from Salene’s coffee and danced with the smoke escaping from the fireplace. Despite the creaking of the wooden beams, the coffee shop had proven its strength to the gods for forty-five years. The front counter still sung the song of boiling coffee as Mr. Mosiah hummed his usual cleaning tune. Cheap, yet bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling along the way to the back. The warmth of the coffee wrapped its arms around Kane, the aching of his muscles dissipating with each passing second. Maybe this is why Mr. Mosiah refuses to use datapads and heliograms, Kane thought. They would taint the atmosphere.

Before he could finish taking in the sight, Salene let out a sigh. “How about we talk about something other than work?”

Kane blushed and met her gaze. “Yeah, sure.” He glanced around. “So… how was your day?”

“Ah, your favorite question!” Salene smirked. “That was my favorite thing about you when we met. How original you were and all.”

Kane leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head. “Then you also know how much I love to hear your original answers.”

Salene’s cheeks returned the blush as she kicked his shin under the table. She leaned forward and sighed. “I’m still having no luck with that stupid journalism internship. They said they want people with degrees. Can you believe that?”

“No way! A top position at the Zone Seven News Network wants a degree? That’s baffling!”

Salene snickered. “Ya know, guys that usually agree with their girlfriend’s end up sleeping much more soundly at night.”

“Is that a threat?” Kane said. He leaned closer to her.

“Hmm… maybe.” Tension brewed in the air between them, causing Kane to blush harder. Salene smirked in response and leaned in, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I keep telling you that there’s always positions open at the A.D.A. for free-lance journalists,” Kane said, the blush still staining cheeks.

“And work in the same place as you? You trying to make our relationship unstable?”

Kane slung his arms behind his head and sat back in his chair. “You’d be making a majority of our income. I’d see that as a tremendous step toward a happy relationship.”

Salene chuckled, taking a sip from her cinnamon coffee. Every time she drank black coffee, she’d gag. If it had too much sugar, she’d get shaky. She’d eventually settled on pouring an insane amount of cinnamon into her cup to mask the flavor. It made Kane and Mr. Mosiah laugh whenever they’d see her do it.

“You say that like you don’t get all of your living expenses paid for by the A.D.A. You’re still technically the breadwinner.”

“The A.D.A. doesn’t give me any bread. What are you on about?” Kane asked, chuckling at his own joke.

“Ha. ha,” Salene said. “Making dad jokes already? You got something you wanna tell me?” Salene eyed him.

“Hell no. Not at this age,” Kane said. Not in this world, he almost said, but it would have ruined Salene’s mood. Though he had never ruined it before, the risk far outweighed the benefits. He’d be an agent soon, out in the city hunting the Demis. She would have a hard time keeping up her smile, worrying about him coming home every day. Or worse…

As if she could see every thought swirling throughout his mind, she leaned forward and wrapped her hands around his. Kane’s chest grew warm. “Hey, don’t get lost in your thoughts again with me here. I deserve some attention before we leave,” she said. Kane glanced down at his watch. Time had slipped up on him yet again. He smiled, though his eyes gave way to his guilt. “Come on,” Salene said. “You can make it up to me tomorrow by showing up a little earlier.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kane sighed. “I’ll walk you home, at least.”

They gathered their things and walked to the counter to pay, but Mr. Mosiah marched over and waved them on. “You know you two don’t need to pay me, young man.” He patted the counter and turned back to sing his cleaning tune. Kane and Salene smirked at each other. When he became enveloped in his cleaning groove once more, they slipped some change into his tip jar. Before he could contest their charity, they darted to the front door.

As Kane stepped outside, a wet thud sounded from where his foot met the ground. He looked down, eyeing the puddle he landed in. A droplet fell on his head from above. Then another. Kane glanced up. The sunset no longer shone in the sky. Instead, grey clouds and rain covered the space. Kane’s heart sank. “How romantic,” Salene said, pulling out her favorite red umbrella. Kane stared at her and smiled. He didn’t need to miss the sun. It still shone brightly before him. With her, he could almost forget the world they lived in. The world which took so much. With a smile on both of their faces, they began their trek back to Salene’s home.

___

The walk home echoed with laughter and the splashing of puddles. Occasionally, Salene would jump into a puddle to splash him, and Kane would jump into the same puddle to splash her. The cycle repeated for an hour. Heat rose in Kane’s cheeks and his heart melted at the sight of her every jump. No matter how Kane’s mind wandered, she could trump those feelings. She was the sunset in his sky, and no grey clouds could cover her joy.

Finally, they reached the living district. It laid closer to the inner city of Zone Seven under the dome of immediate protection from the A.D.A. If Kane could choose to live anywhere, it would be there. Lawns stayed trimmed and old Christmas lights, which had yet to be taken down, sat strewn about with signs reading, “Happy Holidays!” However, finding Salene’s house proved to be a problem. They all looked identical, and Kane’s directional capabilities always lagged, so she’d end up having to escort him half the time. Her house sat in the middle of the neighborhood, inlaid with a light red brick. Its carport sat off to the left of the front entrance but lacked the car. Its height rose to only a story, which was barely comparable to the mountain of wealth her parents stood on. Though, their bedroom laid empty most days. Business trips took up most of her parents’ schedules. Still, Salene and her little brother lived peaceful lives despite their absence. A gate surrounded the neighborhood, and A.D.A. security patrolled the area nightly, so the safety of the place hardly proved to be a problem. They even had a public pool in the center. Salene always talked about using it, but - come summer - Kane would always be on an intensive training regimen. It also blocked him from seeing that art exhibit she always talked about. Maybe next summer.

As they arrived at the front gate, Kane glanced at her, waiting for an invitation. Instead, a kiss met his lips. “I’d invite you in,” Salene said, “but I told him I’d play action figures with him tonight. Apparently, there’s a multi-generational war going on in his world?”

“Well,” Kane said, “You better perform your duty well.”

“I will try, commander.” Salene saluted, letting out a chuckle and shoving the red umbrella she held into his hands. She ran through the gate and up onto her porch. As the gate closed behind her, her front door opened. A tiny figure peaked through and pointed up at her. She kneeled down, smiled, and ushered him back inside. She turned one last time to Kane and took one finger, pointed to her eye, to her heart, and back to him. I love you. Kane smiled gently and did it right back, mouthing the words all the while and throwing up the number two with his fingers at the end. I love you too. He stayed put with a bright expression until the door shut behind her.

The grey clouds covering the sky became noticeable once more. The splattering of the rain drowned out the joy across Kane’s face as he looked back toward the wet ground. There goes his sunshine. He sighed, turning away from the house. He needed to visit his mom today. Who’s to say she even got her groceries? Kane’s shoulders ached. After a quiet moment, his legs began to march toward his home.

The silence of Zone Seven hummed its tune on Kane’s walk. Only the rain kept him company. After rows and rows of empty offices and apartment buildings, Kane reached the once most populated area of the inner zone: the market square. In the middle of a collection of apartments, there sat a fountain. Around it laid many empty food stalls where merchants used to work. Back when Kane was little, they would host dances and movie nights, but now, an emptiness took over its once vibrant aura. Only a few performers still lined the square. The bronze man sat as still as a statue, his hand stretched out for coins. The violinist strummed his usual tune: Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. No coins sat in his case. Yet, they both smiled because–across from them–there stood a mother and daughter. The little girl danced in a puddle on the ground in front of her mother. Though anyone could see the bags under the mother’s eyes, she still smiled. All for her daughter. “I see you, sweety.” Kane basked in the innocence. If only moments like that could thrive in a world filled with monsters. Maybe then they wouldn’t need to check under their beds at night.

As Kane turned to continue walking through the market square, something brushed past his shoulder. Before he could blink, a flower shoved its way into his vision. Light pink hues filled its center and white lined the petals. Kane stared for a moment, unsure of how to react. A hand clung to the flower. He followed the white glove up along the black suited arm until an odd shape filled his vision. A mask. They had painted the mask white with long, claw-like black markings where the eyes would have sat. Kane stared at the figure for a moment, eyeing his form. How can this guy see? Though the situation made his skin crawl, Kane lifted his hand toward the flower. Maybe he’d give it to Salene later. Kane reached for it, but the figure pulled it away. He spun around, his arms snaking throughout his body before stopping several yards in front of Kane.

Kane finally got a good look at the figure. He loomed over Kane with a height surpassing even Ares, but his physique proved to be lankier. His arms drooped down by his side down to his knees. His legs proved to be an even greater match. They could have covered at least the length of a car. He wore a long, black coat tailored to his fit, and his crimson tie sat loosely upon his chest and looked like a stain against his white, collared shirt. His sleek black pants matched. He wore one white glove, but on the other hand sat a black glove. Even an old-fashioned top hat with a white stripe around the middle sat upon the figure’s head.

The figure snaked his lanky arm up to where his mouth would be, as if chuckling. He glided toward Kane, his arms making an awkward jogging motion, and leaned over, pulling the flower back out and handing it to him. Kane accepted, his form unphased. The figure shifted upward and pulled another perfect flower from his coat pocket. Before his legs moved, his arms already snaked their way toward his chest, preparing for his awkward jogging motion. He shifted his gaze past Kane and marched. As Kane turned, concern wracked his body. The masked man headed toward the mother and daughter. Kane stared, unsure of what the future might hold.

Though the figure’s legs stretched, his steps made no sound. The little girl didn’t even notice him until she splashed some water onto his black pants. She glanced at the tall figure, her gaze innocent and inviting. Even the mother stared, entertained by the figure. The figure leaned over and bent far down to greet the little girl and give her the same flower he gave to Kane. The little girl glowed with excitement. She splashed in the puddle harder than before, her feet dancing amongst the droplets. She grabbed the flower and immediately turned to show her tired mother.

“Thank you, sir,” the tired mother said, nodding toward the figure. “She doesn’t get gifts like this very often.” The figure nodded and swung his arm around in front of his chest. His right foot followed and crossed over his left. He leaned over, took off his top hat, and bowed. The little girl clapped with so much joy, even Kane couldn’t help but smile. The weight on his back grew lighter as he admired the new performer for his work. Still, his mask made Kane’s chest tighten. He shook his head, ridding it of any thought of the man. Kane turned and made his way out of the market square.

___

Kane’s mom lived between the populated inner city and the near abandoned middle city. Both worlds enveloped her, yet she acted as part of neither. Kane doubted she even knew where she lived, as she hardly left the house. Weeds sprung up like tendrils from the lawn wrapping around its frame. Some of the wood decayed along the right side, and moss grew from the cracks. The carport had caved in on itself, so her car found itself parked along the street. Even it had blended with the parasitic grass from the front yard.

Kane made his way through the jungle of grass covering the walkway to the front door. Every step he took made the weight on his shoulders grow. The creaking of the steps leading to the front door only added to the pain. I’m home. After staring at the door for a minute, he reached for the handle. A bracing sigh escaped his lips. He didn’t need to worry about having a key anymore. The place remained unlocked, no matter how much he begged. Kane swung the door open. “It’s Kan-“ the smell of cigarette smoke cut him off. It seeped from the walls. Kane glanced around, plugging his nose. Dust had collected across the furniture; it had even laid its claim along the hand-railing connected to the stairs that led to his old bedroom. Before he could motion to say something again, the clattering of glass against wood came from the kitchen off to his right. He creeped toward the sound, the smoke growing stronger with every step.

He braced himself as he walked along the wooden wall toward the kitchen. At any point, he expected there to be a corpse around the corner. He stood around the corner of the dining room for a moment, gathering his sanity. Kane let out a sigh before launching himself off and around the wall. A plume of smoke came from the center of the room. His mother coughed as she choked down another puff of her cigarette. A sigh escaped from Kane’s lips as he wiped his brow. The dining room table sat decorated with cigarette butts. The flowers that once bloomed in their vase at the center of the table now matched the wrinkles on his mother’s skin. And the black that once flowed from her scalp now resembled the falling of snow. Even her night gown had holes in it. Though she only had forty-two years on her, she looked like Kane’s grandmother.

“I have groceries,” she said. The emptiness in her voice disguised the truth well. Kane walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. Beer and some microwavable meals laid unorganized at the bottom.

“Next time you’re going to lie about it, at least sound convincing,” Kane remarked. His mother shrugged and took another drag from her cigarette. Sitting before her was her favorite “#1 A.D.A. Wife” mug. The coffee in it had to be at least a day old. “Do you want me to get you any?” He attempted to be gentle, but his voice grew shaky.

“There’s enough in there to last me the week.” She flicked the cigarette from her hand into the trash.

“Bullshit there’s enough.” Kane slammed the fridge shut. His hand trembled. “You know I can’t fucking help you unless you help yourself.”

“Never asked you to.” She searched for another cigarette, but the package laid empty.

“You don’t need to. I’m your son.”

She pulled another package of cigarettes from the dresser behind her. Not a word slipped from her mouth. Kane walked over to the table and sat across from her. He wiped his spot clean of cigarette butts and eyed the mug in front of her.

“You just gonna keep holing yourself up in here?” Kane asked. His mom continued to fiddle with her cigarette pack.

“Why not?” she asked, eyeing the rain outside.

“Because you’ll end up dying alone in here if you don’t at least try to live.”

“Better that than end up like your father.” She eyed Kane as if expecting a reaction.

Kane bit at his lip and glanced up at her. She used to be the loudest at his games in school, cheering him and Abel on like the Olympics were in season. She used to take them to the zoo on his birthdays to stare at the zebras for hours. They would even go get ice cream at a local place within the inner city of Zone Seven. She kept up the act for years after Kane’s father’s passing. Yet one day, she stopped. The weight of the past ten years must have come crashing down on her all at once. It made Kane’s heart ache to see the woman who raised him become a corpse. Kane swore he wouldn’t get mad at her, yet it seemed like she yearned for him to leave. Was it for his sake? Or her own? Either way, she didn’t want him there, and that twisted Kane’s heart.

Kane sighed and glanced once more up at the fridge. “I’m getting you food.”

“No.” She took a drag from a new cigarette.

“No?”

“No.” She blew the smoke in his face.

“Fuck. This.” Kane couldn’t help it anymore. He stormed off toward the door. Yet, as he reached to turn the knob, his mother’s voice echoed throughout the rickety house.

“Go ahead, end up like your father.”

Kane slammed the door. His hand grappled his pants leg so hard his knuckles turned white. He didn’t pull out the umbrella and instead let the rain drip across his body. Turn after turn, Kane rushed back toward the A.D.A. Headquarters, not bothering to look up. Soon enough, Kane found himself surrounded by the familiar buildings of the market square. He rushed along, his feet splashing hard against the puddles.

Splash. Splash.

Yet, as Kane stared at the ground below, his heart skipped a beat.

Splash. Splash.

He stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing the water snaking its way across the ground.

Splash.

Why is the water red?

His eyes shifted in and out of focus. “Wha-“ the words barely escaped his lips as he followed the stream of red. The violinist’s song did not echo throughout the square. The masked man did not dance across the puddles. Not even the little girl splashed in the rain. Kane turned around the corner of a food stall towards the center of the market square and glanced up. Tears filled his vision, blurring the scene before him. A body laid sprawled out in the fountain overflowing with blood. The figure contorted in such an odd fashion.

Kane backed away, his heartbeat flooding his senses. The scene of the girl and her mother played in his head. Another innocent story ripped from the pages of the future. This is hell. His eyes contorted as he took in the scene further. His fists clenched into such a fashion his nails nearly shattered under their embrace. I can fix this. I have to fix this! Thoughts raced through his mind, yet no solution came. An innocent woman laid dead in that fountain, and there he stood without an answer. Without any clue of where the daughter could have gone besides… Him. Each breath he took burned his lungs. He pulled out his Doros as his eyes darted across the market square.

“Where are you? Where the fuck are you?”

Yet, after no luck searching, he cursed and shifted back toward the scene. The masked man was gone. A tear fell across Kane’s cheek as he tucked away his blade.

“Damn it… damn it all.”

He glanced up at the steel sky, its tears falling upon him. With his hands shaking, Kane reached into his right pocket and did the only thing he could do.

“Hello? Yes… I’d like to report a Demicide.”