2030: The Awakening of Thomas Riker

[Ultimate Houde]

I thought that was my last stand. I had made my peace, I had talk to my God, I had said goodbye to my wife. I was going to sacrifice myself to save her and my unborn child. We had spotted a human encampment nearby, and making our last run towards it when they attacked, the demons. I knew we weren't going to make it, and I knew that I could slow them down.

So I said goodbye forever, and stood my ground. Facing the snarling faces I thought of the time before this, before the insanity of the demons and there coming. I was a simple Supermarket manager, and now here I am, facing demons of legend.

The three that had been dogging us laughed at my pitiful attempt to stave them off. I held the empty pistol in front of me, declaring I would shoot any that stepped forward. The bulging one that looked like a frog laughed, it's companion, one that resembled a humaniod fly from that film of the eighties, also laughed, stating that I had no chance, and my wife would die before she reached the encampment, and then they would eat the unborn child.

That was the last straw, I had already lost one child to these monsters. I threw the pistol at them, knowing the futility of the attack but not caring, and charged them.

I expected to die. I should be dead.

But do the dead hurt this much? Why does my mouth taste of iron? Smacking my lips, groaning, I plead for some water. Suddenly, the wonderfully cool liquid pours down my throat, and then, coughing, I drank too much too quickly.

"Calm down, don't drink so much now, slowly, you lost alot of blood before I got you out of there. Relax, you're safe."

I thank the man with a grunt, and opened my eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the light. I see him framed in a halo of light,blond short hair, and hardly any stubble. I my mind's eye I vision him as an angel, then my vision clears, and I see him as what he is, a simple human like me. Or so I hope. I guess my anxiety shows on my face, as he answers my unasked question.

"No worries, I'm not an enhancer, and I don't eat flesh at all. I do have some rabbit I'm cutting up right now if you want some though."

I nod my thanks, and let a smile grace my lips. I hold out my hand, and mutter my name, "Riker, Thomas Riker."

"Hello Riker," the blond man with pearly white teeth says, "I'm Luke, simply Luke." He shakes my hand, and he is extremely warm.

I felt it not nessecary to question the fact that the front of his shirt was caked in blood, assuming it was from either me or the rabbit he was cutting up on the cutting board. I smiled, wondering if this is an angel, my guardian angel.

My name is Thomas Riker, and welcome to my hell.

I should have died.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Once I was able to, I drank the rest of the water, the taste of iron still wasprevalent in my mouth. Luke filled up the glass, using an old filtration system, and handed me the filled glass.

"Go slowly." he warned.

"My mouth tastes funny." I replied, gulping some more water, as much as my stomach would allow.

Luke gave me an inquistitve look, "Maybe you suffered some internal bleeding from those demons that attacked you. You should take it easy."

I wasn't about to tell him I felt the best I had in years, so I decided to change the subject to something I felt was more pressing. "My wife?"

He paused in his chopping of some turnips, and then resumed. "She made it to the encampment."

"Good," I replied, smilingly, "How far is that from here?"

"You can't go there now friend, you need to heal before I let you out."

I gave him an odd look, "What were you before?"

"Before the demons came ten years ago?"

"Yes."

He arched an eyebrow, and gazed upward, weighing his thoughts most likely. Most people were hesitant to say what they were before for the simple fact of someone else judging them prematurely. I pictured this man as a buisness man of sorts.

"I was a CEO, of a big tobacco company you could say."

"Oh," was my reply, and I was at a lost of how to continue. Instead I tried to stand up out of the cot I was in for God knows how long. Testing out my feet, having them feel odd, like they belonged to someone else, I lurched forward.

And fell flat on my face.

"Whoa whoa, hold on there bucko, let me help you to the table." said Luke, coming over and helping me on my own two feet that felt like someone else's. Guiding me to a chair at the table top, he let me down onto it. "Okay?"

"Yeah, I still taste some blood in my mouth I think."

He muttered something I didn't catch because of a sudden spell of vertigo. I decided to ask another question. "My wife is safe in that encampment, right?"

Luke looked sad when he answered, "I'm sorry, they are enhancers, hence why there's little amount of demons around."

My face showed my shock, enhancers, they are only a step up from demons. These enhancers ae demon flesh to gain demon like powers reflecting those that they ate. This had massive side effects, such as dementia, or the mutation of limbs, or the sudden urge to kill humans. They tend to stay with themselves, hunted by humans and demons alike. I tried to stand, but my legs didn't respond.

"You must rest, hopefully you'll be fine by the end of the week."

He told me other things, but my brain filled with a red fog, and I ignored him. I wanted to save my wife, and that's what I focused on. Luke put a bowl of rabbit stew in front of me, "Eat up, you'll feel better."

I ate in hopes it would remove the taste of iron in my mouth.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

A week had passed since I was able to walk without asistance. Luke would watch me at first, making sure I didn't injure myself anymore than I already was, watching me like a newborn lamb. He guided me into doing stretches, strengthing myself with exercises, and then doing oddjobs around his cabin. It was during these oddjobs I noticed something; A strange metal object sticking out of the ground.

"Well, you're an odd metal object, aren't you?" I said outloud.

Luke surprised me when he spoke directly behind me, "I've noticed that around here before, I've tried to pull it, but it doesn't budge." He plucked a yellow flower, and cradled it in his arms. I watched the flower and was amazed that it looked so wilted in his hands.

"What is it?"

"No idea Riker, but feel free to unbury it. Once you can, I'll let you leave to go find your wife." He dropped the yellow flower to the ground, and stepped on it as he walked back towards the house.

That mention of my wife reminded me of her vividly in my mind's eye. Her hazel eyes, her flowing dirty blond hair, her perky breasts, I quickly grasped the object and pulled.

Just as quickly I fell to the ground, hitting my tailbone, causing a sharp pain in my butt to shoot up my spine.

"Think outside the box," said Luke before walking his way back into the house. He slammed the door shut behind him. I let him have his peace since he gave me whatever room I needed. Smacking my lips, licking the sweat off my upper lip, I tasted a faint taste of iron, but now I was used to it. Looking at my only tool, a shovel, I took the blade and dug into the earth around the object.

It was nice and mindnumbing doing the same thing over and over again. Luke had left, like he does every afternoon to check the snares for food and came back with something this time, I paid him no attention, I had dug four feet by now and discovered what I was digging up. It was a sword.

It was Big. That's the only way to describe it, Big. Six feet long I'm assuming, a foot long hilt, and flat. It was a Big Sword.

I started to refer to it as such in my head.

Big Sword.

Nightfall was coming. Luke always said to come in by nightfall. I needed to get this out before then, I didn't want anything to steal it from me. I dug with renewed vigor.

The taste of iron was almost gone in my mouth now.

Finally I was able to move the big sword, and I did, lifting it with ease out of the hole. I felt invincible holding it out at an arm's length.

I was holding a massive sword out at arm's length. The exercises were working wonders. I felt so much stronger. I hurried to get back inside the house, and Luke let me in with a surprised look.

"That's a big sword."

"Yes it is," a simple reply but it was a Big Sword.

"And what are you going to do with it?"

The answer was on my lips before I had time to think about it, "Rescue my wife with it."

"In the morning, you can go." said Luke with a geniune smile, "Let's drink the night away shall we?

 

[Ultimate Houde]

My head was pounding, and my mouth was felt like it was full of cotton when I left in the morning hours. The sun had just risen a few hours before, and Luke gave me the directions to go. Resting the Big Sword on my shoulder, and taking a canteen of water, I went forward in this desert wasteland. The hole I had dug the day before was still there, and my reference point to where I should go.

"It's about three miles from the hole to the East. Just walk towards the sun and you'll find it." said Luke to me right before I left.

"Oh great," I muttered, shielding the light from my eyes, "I have a hangover when I'm going to get my wife back." I put one foot in front of the other as I walked forward. Nothing was really about, a rabbit watched me, a coyote followed me a bit, and a hawk flew above me.

My head still hurts, and it's almost middday. I gulp the last of my water, wincing at the warmness of it all. Wiping the sweat off my head, I continued forward.

I didn't know three miles could be this long. The desert started playing tricks on me with mirages and so forth. I tried to ignore them, but one of them sang at me in a high pitched voice.

I looked at the beautiful female floating towards me, singing. Her voice sounded like cool water to me, telling me to accept it for what its worth, telling me to lay down with her, telling me to let her heal my pain.

My eyes watered, and then I saw her for what she was, a demon, a hideous ugly demon. Wielding my Big Sword, I held it out in front of me, and called out a challenge. Her song changed to a scream, knocking my backwards a step, I smiled, my workouts with Luke had made me much stronger, and I lunged forward into the soundwaves. Her voice grew frantic as I came forward, swiping the Big Sword in a wide arc, and I seperated her head from her body.

The skull rolled across the ground.

"You okay out there?" sounded a voice from my right. I held up the Big Sword, wondering if this was an illusion or a mirage. The person came within my vision, and I held my eyes open, letting them water to see if this was something else.

It was a human, he was with two others. The said they came from a village nearby, their scouts were dying out here, so they came to investigate.

As for the rest, I didn't hear it, I passed out.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

The coolness on my head pissed me off, and I struggled to remove it. Soothing words, female words, drifted into my subconscience.

My wife?!?

Ignoring the pain, my eyes shot open, and I looked at the person wiping my forehead. She was blond, and had blue eyes, like my wife's. Or did my wife have hazel eyes, I'm not too sure, it's been so long. I try to lift my arm, though it feels like it belongs to someone else, I try to touch her face.

"Please, don't struggle, it'll make it worse than it already has to be."

I blink, I must have heard this wrong.

"Please, relax, you need to rest, you were dehydrated."

Well, that sounds better, and my arm drops, I pass out once more, wondering were my Big Sword has gotten too.

---

The next time I wake, it's during the night, as too what time, I have no clue. I hope I am inside, because Luke says it's bad to be out at night. Rubbing my eyes to remove the sandman, I try to focus them on the task at hand, which is seeing what room I am in. Gazing at the room, I deem it's an infirmary, and I also spot it, my Big Sword, laid upright against the wall. I stumble from bed, feeling the tightness in my arms, and I reach the Big Sword, and feel it's weight in my arms.

It makes me feel better.

Better is good.

"That's a very big sword, you got a name for that?" asks a voice from the doorway. I turn around and look at him, arching an eyebrow of mine. I inform him it's simply called Big Sword. He smiles and responds, "I ate your wife."

My eyes blink, and I look at him again. "What?"

"My name is Gene, plased to meet you.."

"Riker, Thomas Riker."

"We had a Riker pass through here last week, a hazel eyed beauty. She tasted good."

I flinched, the Big Sword moves on its own, and circles around, separating this man's head from his shoulders. Then I blink and look at the head on the ground. "Sorry, I think I'm confused."

The head smiles, "It's a miracle you're alive. You should get back into bed, you'll feel better in the morning." The headless body helps me back into bed, and my eyes close from heavyiness.

---

Screaming awakens me in the morning, someone is screaming nearby. There must be trouble, I try to get up from my bed.

A fist slams into my head, knocking me backwards, disorientating me even further. "This man killed Gene, it's obvious, his sword there must have chopped off his head!"

My hut was full of people, some of these I could tell were enhancers, horns protuded from their heads, wings grew out of some of them, the speaker had goat legs. "He killed Gene!"

"Then he must die as well."

Soon, I walked out of the hut into the morning, my hands covered in blood, my sword covered in blood, my head no longer hurting me anymore. I walk forward, straight to what I presume is the chief's house. These people hurt my wife, and they shall pay.

I no longer taste any iron in my mouth.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

How are people enjoying this?

 

[Seldes Katne]

Is this finished, or is there still more to post? I'm finding the story very dark and am a bit confused about the setting. Is this a post-apocolyptic Earth, or an alternate Earth, or something else? (Or will we find this out later in the story?)

The writing is good, and for the most part I'm not having a problem following the story, but parts of this make it seem like some sort of hallucination or dream the character is having.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

It's actually done

This is a version of an Earth being razed by demons for ten years. I had aspirations for this ,but other stuff got in the way for me to further flesh this out.

This was one character description, a man who has been enhanced against his will, and is completely insane because of it. I had four other descriptions in hand, plus two more people without descriptions.

One was a thief touch by a demon so she could never die, but this also meant she couldn't feel, but whne she meets a young girl, she realizes she can feel the girl.

The young girl is the glue that holds the group together.

There was also a master assassin and his two young pupils he saved during the initial outbreak of the demons. The two young girls are pretty damn good at doing in demons.

The last character for this group was a hermit. Together they would find out what happened between their own mysteries, the reason why the demons showed up, and why this young girl they all stumbled upon at the same moment really represented.

An ambitious project to be assured, and one I did not have time to complete. But yes, this story is complete, finished, and suppose to leave the reader confused on what exactly happened.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

My bad, here's the last section....whoops

I approached the hut, my Big Sword out in front of me, singing it's own song of death. Two burly guards, one with purple skin, the other with a crossbow, stood in my way.

"Caused enough problems mister." said the one with the crossbow, letting the bolt fly.

My Big Sword moved on it's own accord, blocking the bolt. The man hurriedly went to add another bolt. The man with purple skin held up a pistol.

"Block this."

He underestimated my strength. I threw my Big Sword into the man's chest, impaling him in the chest with it. He staggered, and then fell backwards. The man with the crossbow dropped it and ran, I let him go. I no longer had a quarrel with him. Pulling my Big Sword out of the dead enhancer, it caused a new rush of blood to spew out of the dead body. I smashed the door open with my fist, and walked in. The cheiftian was there, along with two more guards. These guards both were enhancers, even though they didn't look like it, I could smell them. I shout a random insult at them, but they don't move forward, instead they both pull out machine guns.


"Enough of this madness." said the chieftian. He looked normal, but I kne whe enhanced also. I could smell it like rotten apples from his breath. "Why do you do this?"

I inform him of how he killed my wife, and slaughtered my unborn child, and most likely ate their hearts.

The chieftian gives me a look of sadness, "I did not kill you wife. I helped her on her way, gave her two of my best scouts to accompany her. You must be her husband."

Lies, I knew he killed her. The two guards had relaxed their grips on their guns, and I moved forward, faster than they thought possible being as big as I am. But a body can do things under pressure. My Big Sword cleaved one man in half, and chopped off the arm of another. Cursing me, the enhancer fell backwards, his arm severed at the elbow, the gun with it. I held the sword poised to strike down the chief. He remained unflinching.

"I see you have enhanced as well. I smell it on you."

I reply he know nothing. Iron floods my mouth once more, the taste of it making me uneasy, and even more confused.

"Your wife is going to Tennessee, she will meet you there, she thinks you're still alive."

I slam the Big Sword into the chief. He looks shicked for a moment, then a serene smile replaces it. He reaches out and touches my arm, the one that is stained with his own blood. "I hope you find her, and with it, peace." The light fades out of his eyes. The moment he collapses and dies, the iron taste stops in my mouth. My head begins to clear, and I see.

A decimated village.

Two dead females surrounded their chief, one bled to death, the other cut in half. No guns are present.

I run outside with my Big Sword, and look at the carnage I caused this town. There was no enhancers here, only humans. I begin to cry. The town is in ruins, demons storm it, and I try to defend it, the village I helped destroy, I try to defend it.

I fail.

I end up retreating, and running away. The demons ignore me, more intent on the razing of the village to care. I end up miles away, and collapse. I am tired, and sleep overwhelms me.

I should have died.

---

Far away from the Thomas Riker's position stands Luke. He looks down at the decimated village being ravaged by his warriors and lets out a smile. This village was a pain in his side, somehow thriving and causing him to lose troops, so he decided to take a risk and use his own heart to enhance a human. Controlling the human, for no human would ever be able to resist him, he used him to gain access into the village and to kill their chief.

Luke laughed.

A swarm of insects landed on the ground next to Luke, and reformed into a demon. "Master, the human collapse ten miles away from here, shall I go dispose of him."

"No, he may prove useful again," feathered wings erupted from Luke's back, "Let us use this new strategic postion to deal a more severe blow to Abaddon's troops, and hopefully drive him out of this part of the country Beelzebub. And plus, it's always a pleasure to deal a blow to humans, thinking they can live in our new world."

Beelzebub grinned, as much as could anyways, "Yes Lucifer, I will send out your word." He became several smaller insects and flew away.

Lucifer grinnned, his fanged teeth showing in the setting sun. Yup, he thought, this is the good life.