Chapter 6

Ryker

I could see the others being deposited under me in orderly rows, and as soon as their feet touched the landing surface, they started to move again, seemingly regaining themselves. As I was put down by the powerful distortion, I felt control flow into me. I stumbled before catching myself and immediately took a defensive position, scanning my surroundings. All I could identify was the throng of people gathering into clusters to find any comfort and support they could. I took a deep breath and examined myself. I was still wearing my work clothes, had my wallet, my keys, and a 6-inch pocket knife. Looking closer, some people even had backpacks, purses, and all sorts of valuables clutched to their chests. For a few minutes, I quietly watched the others. I have no idea what these things want with us or how dangerous they are, but I know what people are capable of. Once again, like I have some power to manifest shit onto my own head, I noticed a commotion not far from where I stood.

It was a large man, nearly my size, yelling at a group of three women and one man. "If you don’t hand over that pack, I'm going to take it off your corpse. LOOK AROUND! It's the end of the world, and you neeeeed someone strong like me." He reached out and grabbed the woman with the pack by the throat and pinned her against the wall. Before I knew it, I was sprinting in their direction. The man in the group was struggling to pull the brute off the woman, but he wasn't even half the size of their attacker. As I approached, I could see the people around the confrontation cowering away. When I was but a few strides off, I slowed my pace, and my right fist struck out with every ounce of strength and momentum I had, impacting the man’s right side where his kidney resided. A rush of air could be heard leaving the man as the power of my strike sent him sliding across the floor. He could be heard groaning from where he lay for just a moment, then he was back on his feet. I had to give it to him; the bastard was tough. His eyes were wild, and his teeth bared like an animal, but I had seen worse, and fear had no hold on me in that moment.

Our eyes met, and he rushed towards me with a wild abandon. He made a desperate lunge for my middle, but I side-stepped and sent him sliding across the floor. This time I wouldn't wait for my opponent to recover. As he pushed himself up on one hand, I sent my knee directly into his face and felt bone and cartilage give under the weight of my blow. His body went limp, and he crumpled into a bloody heap at my feet. Motionless, no rise or fall of his chest could be seen. For the first time ever, I didn’t hold back, I didn’t pull my punches. It was so easy, I killed him. I knew I was supposed to feel some kind of regret or sadness, but in that moment, I felt two things, Rage and satisfaction.

I stood, stunned and confused by the contradictory thoughts and emotions, but one thing was certain: everything was different now, and if humanity doesn't adapt to our new reality, we won't make it. In this new world, people like that had no place.

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A small hand rested on my shoulder, and when I turned around, I found the woman standing in front of me. No tears in her eyes, no fear, or confusion—only determination shone in those blue eyes. For a moment, I was taken aback. Her neck was red and inflamed, but she acted as though she didn't notice.

"Thank you for your help. My name's Amy," she said.

"I'm Ryker. You don't need to thank me; that meat had it coming."

"Be that as it may Ryker, I am grateful. You didn't have to step in like you did. Nobody else was going to. I'm just thankful. Everyone is scared, and we should stick together."

"I agree Amy. There's no telling who is behind this or what they have planned."

"Ryker, I would like you to meet my friends. This is..."

The floor rumbled, and a chorus of screams started anew. Then, one wall of the room shimmered, revealing a picture of Earth. Hundreds of ships the size of Rhode Island surrounded our planet. The ships started glowing in concert, and my entire body vibrated like a tuning fork as everything distorted on the screen. Greenery moved, oceans bubbled, and, just like Jeff and all those people before, everything started to come apart and stream into the ships.

"Oh my God. They're harvesting Earth. They're taking everything."

Within minutes, all the ships started floating away from what was left of my home. All life and everything required to sustain it was gone—animals, plant life, dirt, and the oceans—all gone.

Then, the image on the screen changed to the silhouette of a massive figure in armor. At first, I thought it was a man, but as it turned around, I couldn't believe it. A gasp echoed throughout the chamber, and the same word was repeated in hushed tones: "demon."

Standing tall, the being was well over 7 feet, with red skin, ram-like horns, and a physique that suggested it never skipped leg day. The image blurred, leaving only the demon's face visible, and then it spoke.

"I am Viltrix, and you will soon learn to revere my name. Everything and everyone in the known galaxy belongs to me. Unbeknownst to your kind, I have allowed your species to exist and flourish under my protection for thousands of years. Now it is time for you to repay this kindness. I took it upon myself to rid your population of its weakness and strengthen your species."

A grim realization settled over the crowd, and angry protests were heard. "You killed my mother!" "My son! My son!" "HOW COULD YOU!"

With a wave of the demon's hand, those who spoke went stock still and rose into the air. A sinister smile adorned Viltrix's face as he spoke. "I thank you for volunteering. Understanding one's place is an important lesson, best learned by example."

All at once, the floating people were pulled in every direction until they popped like a soap bubble, and the air was painted red. All that made them human was on display, and thousands of people retched around me. Within seconds, they dissolved into a familiar mist, sucked into the walls without a trace.

"All rebellion will be greeted with death. I have ruled for two thousand years, and all that have opposed me have been eliminated. Your planet is gone, your home destroyed, but not all is lost. Through this tragedy, humanity has a chance to be greater than it once was. There are two paths to freedom set before you now. You can choose to pay your species' debt through servitude, or one of your kind can simply take my head."