Ten years ago, an unprecedented change in humanity changed the course of our evolution forever. An anomaly that developped trough evolution, to push our heights even further. Left and right, a new sixth sense wich was named "Door" appeared alongside our five others.
These same doors tend to manifest in very peculiar way, akin to our fantasy books. Granting those that were born or acquired them strange abilities. They tend to vary from useless to extremely harmful. I've even heard there exist an encyclopedia out there trying to document all those abilities.
"I wonder if that'll make a good article..."
With how much they cut on our salary last month due to our porr performaneces, I wondered If I still had the right to write. Between having to take care of my brother and the incessant bills, it was a tough call to even continue working in this company. The days of my youth were way long past, not having the choice anymore but to accept I couldn't afford to leave this company for another one.
"You worry way too much, Sanders."
There it goes, that woman again with her incessant ramblings about nonsense and diabolical habits of making a fool out of me. Ever since I started working here, she never left me breath for even a minute.
"And when it comes to you, you don't worry enough. I mean, what are those obscene titles ? "
I pointed her to one of those web articles she was so famous for. Those kind of articles could only interest those girls that based their whole personnality and life on their astrology signs.
" OMG! Famous figure from Eurasia having an affair behind her husband back! "
I read out loud the dumb title she had came up with.
It was obvious this woman had never any interest in integrity and true journalism. Even though her formating and writing abilities were top notch, she was using them for crap like this.
" This one was a banger."
She said, proud of the devil's work. I knew full her tactics was to appeal the crowd that fantasize over materialistic and nonsensical matters.
"Are you a journalist or some paparazzi ? Come on, be decent. Who'd want to read that ?"
The smug smile of superiority carved itself onto her face as she tapped on my back.
"My articles get one millions clicks and views, sweetie. Jul you shouldn't be that jealous."
I didn't want to admit it but she was right. I could only sigh in disapointment.
"People only care about drama these days..."
The disapointment in my voice was immeasurable. I couldn't deny the facts.
"And I like the money those dramas make me."
She said, making a shady sign with her hands. I knew she liked money, but even then there's liking it and "liking it". I wouldn't even have put it past her to put money over people lives.
"Soon, i'll be filthy rich and would finally have more money than that asshole I divorced! This heartless bastard! This spineless coward!"
There we go again. I really felt for her, since the guy was actually a douchebag but Vulpin had a tendency to talk about how she hated him everyday.
"It was like, boom, now I have supernatural powers, I feel invicible. This door stuff rots your brain,i'm telling you."
She had a point, a lot of the people that were blessed with these powers only ever used them to commit acts of violence. The superpowered terrorists attacks was a common in society nowadays. Meanwhile, while the threat of superpowered individual was simply growing stronger, the government wasn't lifting a single finger. While we had to live our lives in constant fear.
"He only ever cared about the kids he already had with that other woman after that. He said our kids weren't valuable enough for him to even entertain the idea of even loving them. Why did I even fall for this absolute bastard ? I mean, he doesn't even look that good to begin with, he's even horrible in be..."
I felt like she was diving into a too deep territory. It was not in my plan to hear about the appearance of various forms and boy parts.
"Okay, I get it ! Stop right there, I don't wanna hear about your night escapades."
She knew full well I wasn't well versed in that stuff to feel confortable talking about it and yet rubbed it in my face. Altough, I was fully giving her my support when it came to this guy. I had heard from her he was the leader of the most prominent gang in New York. I mean, why go for a gang member in the first place ?
Love of this kind was such a strange concept to me. I mean, how do you even fall for someone. It always seemed useless to me.
Wanting to put topics like those aside as fast as I could, I decided to make small talk. I mean, I already finished thiis article so I have nothing better do to
"Putting that aside, how are your kids, Margaret ?"
Her incessant rage about her husband ceased as soon as I brought up her kids, a giant smile now replacing the burning ambers of anger.
" The more she grows up, the more Maggie takes from me. The other day, she wanted to be filthy rich and bath in dollars."
This woman and her kids... It was such a headache. This was definitely not something a normal kid would ever say.
" No normal three year old has dreams of this nature!"
What in the hell was that woman teaching her kids ? At least, it was better than them living with their dad , I suppose.
"As for the other twin, he was so cute the other day! When Maggie fell while playing in the playground, he said he was gonna protect her for the rest of his life so that accident like that will never happen again. I was so proud of my little Staxx. Altough, now that I think about it he never says anything when he falls himself"
That name...
"I still can't believe you named him Staxx."
" It sound like stacks and i love stacks of cash. So I named him after stacks of cash but with my own twist."
So shameless. Her sense of shame was lacking to say the least.
"Well,you weren't lying when you said your little girl take after you. Her visions of what she wants in the future are quite interesting to say the least."
She started chuckling, mocking me for my comment. Tapping my shoulder with her elbow.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"You shouldn't speak so poorly of me when you set a bad example for your little brother. Also, Doulas, do you have a right to criticize my naming when you named your brother like that and you always get into fights with thugs for one reason or another."
"Someone has to teach those rug rats a lesson ?"
"Rug rats? Who says that ?"
An alarm interrupted our conversation. I recognized that alarming ringing all too well, it was the sound they used for states of emergency. People liked to call it the "bell of the end", fully embracing the fact that once they'll hear it, it would be the end.
Not too long after, it was followed by the voice that announced the imeding doom of this building.
_ATTENTION TO ALL OUR PERSONNEL. RED ALERT! A SUPERPOWERED TERRORIST ENTERED THE BUILDING! TRY TO FIND REFUGE AS WE TRY TO CONTACT THE AUTHORITIES THAT ARE SPECIALISED TO DEAL IN THIS MATTER_
Margaret went into an immediate panic, taping frantically on the desk. It was clear she wasn't great at dealing with stressful situations, on top on having two children who couldn't afford to lose their mother. I could see her delicates fingers trembling to the sounds of the explosions and screams of terror
"Shit! Shit! Shit! I want to see my two little angels again! Why is this happening!"
" Absolute power corrupts, Margaret. The guys that are leading those attacks must feel like gods right now, omnipotent and unstopable. While, we, who weren't blessed, are only mortal. Amortal cannot defy a god."
I resolved myself that it was the end of the road, nothing less, nothing more.
At this point, this is the end, we can't do anything against them."
She slapped me so hard her hand started trembling. Even trough all her fear, she had the courage to go up against my own tremor.
"Jul, I know what happened to your parents, it wasn't your fault. Just focus on what's important now! Who are your brother and my child gonna turn to if we're dead!"
Her words were so harsh yet so soft. In the end, she was right, I couldn't afford to die in that place when I strive to create a better tommorow for my little brother.
"You're right, Margaret, I was acting like a fool."
"No.I was acting like a fool. Putting my own fears over my duties as a mother."
She gently took my hand, offering it the warm comfort of hers. This was one of her qualities, when she wanted be a good friend, you could never ever deny she was one.
"Come on let's g..."
All the hope she had made me feel vanished in an instant the moment i saw the gruesome sight of blood coming out of her head, as her body levitated above the ground, carried by the weight of the heavy figure behind her.
I didnt't even have the time to grief , as the towering figure behind her dying body stood tall. It was the suff of nightmare, a giant doll made of wood stabbing trough her chest a huge pair of scissors, stabbing again and again in a vile act of cruelty.
"Margaret!"
I shouted, as what remained of my friend fell flat on the floor.
As the doll pushed her to the side like a vulgar piece of meat, she uttered to me her last words.
"Look after Staxx and Maggie for me,Sanders."
The ever burning ambers of hatred and resentment took over me, while this monstruous wood doll towered above me. Slowly revealing a rather frail main.
"I'll fucking kill you."
Only bloodlust was left amidst the sadness, they couldn't get away with killing my best friend. How dare they do that to Margaret! She had never hurt anyone. As rage continued to burn me, I could hear multiples screams all around the dirrent rooms of the buildings. How could someone ever enjoy causing so much pain and suffering.
"Woman, you cannot do anything. You guys that weren't blessed with our genes should never walk on this Earth as if it was yours. Clowns that cannot even use doors should all die so that the true era of humanity could begin."
In a fit of rage, I punched the wood doll wich head exploded into pieces under my fist.
"If there's one thing someone in the office knows, it is to never piss me off."
I said, daring to defy his wrong principles.
"You're wrong, those things are curses that eats up at you the more you value it. You're just a weak man that need to attack the weak to fullfil his desires."
I continued to punch the wood doll, repeatedly, pouring all my angers hitting my fists.
As far as I remember, my parents and my friend always said my strenght was an anomaly. Despite not even being born with a door, I was capable of breaking surfaces like wood easily with my bare hands. However, I had never realised it was because I was..
Confused, I looked at my hands in disbelief to notice they were wraped in some sort of thread that wasn't here before. I could even notice a strange thread coming from the nail of my index finger.
I was slowly starting to understand. In the end, I was never normal like I always pretended to be.
I was like him, like them.
As he slowly made the doll stand back up, the explosions in the buildongs had slowly started creating fire in the area.
I made my way to the guy, as he sent his doll to chase me, taking the opportunity to open a bag at his feets while I was desperatly trying to dodge his giant doll assault. Carefully spreading the thread as I ran around trying to dodge the massive pair of scissors the doll was trying to cut me with.
"(You fool! That's it, focus on the doll and forget about me. The fear that instill the puppet is only a trick for me to plant this bullet into your head.)"
It was clear he was searching for something to deal with me in that bag, as his movements were becoming more frantic and agitated the more he searched. However, there was one thing he didn't consider. Wood and threads are flammable.
"This one will be for Margaret."
As the doll closed in on me, I used the proximity to my advantage,sliding trough the opening of it's legs and immediatly standing back up. Taking the opportunity to put my full force into a palm strike on the back of the wood doll, psuhing it in the fire that had already started spreading. A weight this massive would never be able to get back up it fell,especially carrying these massive scissors.
As the doll burned into the fire, I generated thread with my index and made it descend into the pit of fire.
As we both started coughing due to the effects of the spreading fire, we both turned back to face each other, my thread still burning as he presented a gun right to my face.
He looked horrified as he realised during his little detour into his back, I had already taken care of his doll. His face deformed by the panic. It was as if he saw a monster standing right in front of him. I couldn't deny the fact that seeing in such a position was a great pleasure to me, he needed to pay for what he'd done.
The fear dictating his aim, I was able to easily dodge his shots and close in the distance enough for me to be able to apply the burning thread to his face.
I watched, content, while his head was burned by the flames.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! HELP ME!!!"
How ironic was it that the last words such criminal would say was a cry of help.
If he was willing to forsake the lives of others for his own gains, why should I ever respect his toughts and desire as if he was a human being. He was scum.
Nothing less, nothing more.
Looking around, I was finally able to locate Margaret body lying in the corner of the room, landing near the desk she had been soorking for years on in a strange twist of fate.
Wanting to give her a proper funeral, I went other there to get her body.
"Margaret...Margaret! Margaret! Margaret!"
What was looking directly at me on her desk was the haunting picture of our friendship. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, the emotions submerging me. But, I had to move forward or this building would also be the end of me.
So, I took her lifeless body, gently placing it on my back. I had to get out of there, no,we had to get out of here.
Alas, a lingering tought was still in my mind, carving itself more and more as the steps got us more and more close to the emergency exit.
Those powers, will they turn me into a monster ? Will I slowly lose my sense of morality in exchange for becoming gifted ?
OCTOBER 9TH 2025- GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL "NEW DAYS TIMES" INCIDENT
As we investigated the buildings, we found the remains of an actively sought for criminal in the staff room. The face of the subject was unrecognisable, however we were able to determine it's identity trough DNA tests. We could recover all the bodies of the staff except for two employees. A rookie who had made their debut 1 year ago,Jul Sanders and the infamous retired model Margaret Vulpin . We could identify those were the two missing bodies trough the databases of the enterprise. An active search has begun for the both of them, as the chance they are still alive is not negative. Survivors in these kind of superpowered attacks is an uncommon occurence, if there's even a chance she is still out there somewhere, we of the newly formed Advanced Forces want to mzke an offer to her.