Ken couldn't believe how normal things seemed as the caravan drove to Lowes in South Reno. It was the store which opened up earliest. Even after going through McDonald’s drive-through for breakfast they were still going to have to wait 20 minutes for the store to open.

Everyone was talking doomsday preparations in the back of Chris's Cargo van when Tim piped up. “I just realized. We have your proof of magick, and we have that thing in Somerset but we don't have any sort of proof that everything's going to fall apart here. You are asking as many people as you can to take a day off of work, spend every penny we have AND go into debt to prepare for something that MIGHT happen.”

Tim spread his hands to ask for peace when everyone tensed up to argue. “I'm not saying we shouldn't prep, but how sure are we of what's going to happen here? It's a very different thing to prepare to help our society verses assuming society is going to fall apart. We are acting like everything we know is doomed. What if it's not?”

Ken thought for a second and said. “You know? You're right. We don't know what we're preparing for. I'm sure we really need to prepare, but I don't know for what exactly.”

“Could you use a crystal ball or something to look into the future?” Angie asked.

“Hrm... or something.” Ken opined thoughtfully. He pulled out his 3rd eye crystal. “Could everyone sit in a circle with me and hold hands?”

After some jostling everyone found a way to make it happen. Ken put the crystal into the center of the circle and asked everyone to stare into it.

Ken started chanting a rhyme he made up in the moment, “Our near term dangers. Show us now. What to survive. Show us how.”

Hesitantly the group started repeating the chant with him while staring into the crystal. For a minute the chant got stronger and stronger as each person relaxed into the group energy. Somewhere along the way they had started rocking back and forth.

They weren't seeing anything though, so while still chanting Ken tried to reach out to the crystal to connect the same way he'd done with Melanie earlier. As soon as he connected he felt a LOT of magick flow out of him and into the crystal. After a moment of this it was like the crystal reached back into HIM, and suddenly he was in his future:

...

Ken was standing on a pedestrian bridge at the university watching a Flying Dragon attack Army National Guard units on the Downtown Casino Rooftops a half mile away. The muted sound of roars and automatic weapons fire boomed like a distant thunderstorm. He was bleeding and something was wrong with his leg, but he felt strong.... so strong.

...

Ken was lying on a bed in a warmly lit room he didn't recognize. Wood panel surrounded him. He'd never felt this sick in his life. His bowels ached like someone had stirred them up with a branding iron. He was so weak; it was a struggle to move his chest enough to breathe. Other beds and cots filled the room with was moaning, vomiting or shaking people trying to stave off the inevitable demise looming over each of them.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“We helped them.” A voice he didn't recognize was wailing, “Why would they poison the weekly shipment?

...

He was a passenger in the van. It was loaded full of fruits & vegetables. They were driving back from California. Ken didn't recognize the driver, a small wiry man who looked like he'd done too much meth in his past.

On the road ahead of them someone had setup a toll booth. As they slowed, the booth attendant a swarthy, full bearded man with long curly black hair came out unarmed with two odd raised fists (His fingers were wrapped around his thumbs), as they got closer the attendant seemed to recognize the driver. Without moving his left fist, the attendant's right fist flicked his thumb out.

The driver had only time to cry out “Oh Shit it's...” as gunfire tore through him spattering blood and brains everywhere.

The Attendant's left fist was still held up oddly with no thumb when he called to Ken “Step out of the Van!”

...

Ken was flying over the Verdi Valley. He felt his mind connected to a yellow glowing ring he was wearing. With simple pushes of will, the ring would adjust the course and speed of the flight. As he flew he avoided the occasional arrow or bolt of energy flying toward him. Below him an army of a few thousand Native Americans camped. Heads of the dead from previous victories against Reno militia were piled into mounds. Seagulls, Crows and other Raptors feasted on the remains.

...

“Why did she leave?” Ken heard his voice say. “I love her. I NEED her.”

“No.” Melanie said in a patronizing tone. “She enchanted you. You don't love her!”

“How could you know how I feel?!” he cried in anguish. “You don't know how much I need her. I can't live without her!”

Ken pulled magick in a desperate attempt to weave it into an explosion. Somehow Melanie drained the magick faster than he could pull it.

How could she do that? He was better, faster, stronger! Maybe it had to do with the voodoo doll she was holding. Yeah. That was it. It had some of his clothes and hair.

Desperately Ken lunged for the doll. Melanie hit him with a bolt of force, but it wasn't hard enough to stop him. He grabbed the doll, and pulling the energy up, he crushed the doll's heart.

Crushing pain exploded through his chest, causing him to cry out in agony, but he could only smile. It was only right that he die this way. Sasha had already killed him by breaking his heart; he was just finishing what she'd started.

...

Ken came out of his vision. Angie stared at him angrily. Chris was outside vomiting. Tim was rocking himself, sobbing ceaselessly. Sam looked at Ken as if he'd somehow betrayed him. Jared alone looked calm... almost determined.

Jared spoke first. “Did you see him?”

“See who?” Ken asked.

“Sith Lord dude wearing white with an apprentice.” Jared said. “He was telling us we had to move and let the tribe have our land or else...”

“I saw the tribe. They made piles out of the heads of Reno Residents.” Ken said.

Angie spoke up. “I saw you fly away from us when the Tribe attacked. We were dying. You promised to send help, but it never came. You abandoned us!”

“They were raping her.” Tim sobbed. “They made me watch. There was nothing I could do.”

“Raping who?” Jared asked concerned.

“My sister.” Tim replied tears of anguish streaming down his face. “I wasn't strong enough. This gang had kidnapped her. I had tried to save her, but they captured me during the rescue and made me watch. I wasn't strong enough to do anything.”

Ken looked down at his phone. It was 6:30.

“We're late.” He said. “I'm sorry for what we just saw, but we are late. I know more than ever that we need to prepare. I want to hear what you saw later, but now we have to shop. Can we all talk about this later and get the stuff we need now? Preparing now is how we'll change those futures.”

Everyone looked ready and committed. Whatever they had seen removed any questions. Together, most of them headed out to shop. Tim stayed behind with Sam to help Chris get cleaned up. They would rejoin the group later.