Burning Phoenix - Saga 1

(Solmonath 28, 56 / 3:06PM)

A mother's love has no bounds…

No matter how torturous a search can get, a mother’s will is like a will forged out of iron…

Iron so thick that it can block all hate, crush all evil, and lastly…

(Mary) Have you seen my son Luke?! He has light brown hair and he is barely a middle schooler! Have you seen any boy—

Iron so brittle that if it were to bend, it would be shattered into thousands of pieces…

As Mary stopped a nearby stranger, for the hundredth time.

(Random stranger #1) Look ma’am, this is a big city. How am I supposed to know what your kid looks like?

(Mary) Please take a look at this picture! Do you have any way this kid went?!

(Random stranger #2) Ma’am, I was just listening with my walk-man to work. Sorry lady, but please let me listen to Metallic in peace…

As the stranger brushes off against her, Mary’s shoulders start to slump, her hands holding her face. It had been almost 4 hours since she kept looking for Luke, and there was still no sign of him.

She knows that Luke wanted to explore downtown, or rather, try to hang out with his best friend Fred, but for some reason, she couldn’t find him…

(Mary) All these idiots listening to Michael Jackdaughter and Princess, too busy in their world…

Mary then continued to run around the city, looking for any clues that she may be able to find Luke.

But the small and thin buildings combined with the density of the downtown center made Mary sweat a couple of drops down her face, partially because …

(Mary’s thoughts) Joseph told me that he’ll call me in a bit right around this time. God, please help me find Luke—

Unfortunately, Joseph decided to call, at the worst time for Mary…

Mary brought out her big bulky phone from her pocket and brought it up to her ear (pants pockets are abnormally large).

(Joseph on the phone) Mary, did you find Luke?

Mary started to tear and whimper a little as she still couldn’t track down Luke. Unable to say the words that burned the bridge between her heart and vocals, she couldn’t utter a word.

(Joseph on the phone) M-Mary? Mary? Are you there? Hey, say something!

Joseph’s loud voice caused Mary to flinch, bringing her back to reality. Even though her voice and face were quivering with fear and hopelessness, her heart managed to cross the vocals.

(Mary) J-Joseph … I … I … I’m sorry…

Mary started to break into tears, but Joseph remained calm and cool despite the overall pressure and stress that he had in his voice.

(Joseph on the phone) Listen, Mary, I know this may be hard, but … meet me west at the end of the city…

(Mary) W-what? What are you saying? Joseph. Joseph!

For a 180, Mary went from breaking down in tears to being overly furious.

(Mary) Luke is still out there! Do you want your only son to be lost in the big city? I’m doing my part in searching for our son, but why aren’t you?! No … I’m not meeting up with you…

(Joseph on the phone) Don’t do this on your own Mary! You need me—

Mary then angrily hung up the phone, putting the cell phone back into her pocket, not wanting to pick up the phone anytime soon.

(Mary’s thoughts) I’ll find my son even if it kills me…

As Joseph was hung up, all his frustration and anger exploded out from within him.

(Joseph) FUCK!!

He then flipped over an office table in the heat of the moment, objects like pencils, papers, and many other office supplies scattered all over the room.

Enraged, he kept kicking the table legs that held the metallic table in place. Even if his kicking did nothing to the table itself, one of the legs was dented and almost broken…

To hold a table, 4 legs support the top…

Several workers noticed the sudden outburst of their mayor, the once calm and collected mayor that positively solved any issue. The workers then quietly stared at the mayor, hoping that Joseph came back to his usual normal self.

(Government worker #1) Sir, do you need some fresh air?

(Joseph) … get my limo ready …

(Government worker #1) For what sir?

(Joseph) … I’m going to the heart of the city.

Melancholy, Joseph walked out of the room, sliding his sleeves up and adjusting his suit…

(Joseph) Why can’t people keep my promises…

______________________________________________________________________________

(Solmonath 28, 56 / 3:47PM)

How long was he out?

How long did he remain unconscious—

No, he wasn’t unconscious, but rather…

(Luke) grunts … ow, where …

Nothing but darkness and dust, Luke was enclosed in something. He had to remember what just happened.

(Luke) Wait, am I … stuck … how did I … get trapped … What happened?

Previously.

When Gary was about to pick a fight with Stan, a sudden flash of bright light shined the roof of the building. And then came the shockwave, then a second later, the debris.

But what happened to the others?

Just as the raining debris fell on them, the kids on top of the wood were free from the raining hell of metal … but they weren't safe with the encasement…

(Luke) If I, Fred, Stan, and … Gary were on top of the wood, then where …

Did his friends and rival go?

(Luke) Fred! Stan! Where are you guys?

Still trapped, but yet not crushed, he yelled more to see if his friends made it.

(Luke) Anyone! Say something!

He kept looking around, but no one said anything, not even a breath exhaled…

(Luke) shaking his head … N-no. they’re not dead, they're not dead, they're not …

Shaking his head even more, he struggled as he tried to wiggle his way out, but to no avail, he felt the pressure of the debris still trapping him.

But a miracle appeared for Luke because he felt the debris begin to lighten. The lightening of the mass began to decrease more and more, and sure enough, he was free from the weight that pinned him down. He looked up to see who his rescuer was.

(Luke) S-Stan! Fred! And … hey Gary.

Luke gave Stan and Fred a big hug, as thanks for saving him. Stan didn’t return the hug, but just let Luke do what Luke wanted to do.

As for Gary, even though Gary subdued his anger to help Luke, Luke still held a little grudge, so he kept quiet.

But that hug was cut short.

(Stan) Hey, we need to get out of here.

(Fred) But what about our friends—

Just then, the wall that separated them from the main building came crashing down. As the four boys looked upon what lay bare on the main building floor, it was …

(Stan) Oh my god…

(Gary) No… no … no…

(Fred) gasps

(Luke) Is that…

The rest of the group of nerds and geeks, all of Gary’s followers, Stan’s friends, Fred’s role models, and Luke’s enemies, were all …

Dead, pelted by metal shrapnel and sharp metal.

(Stan’s thoughts) Damn it all!

Gary starts crying uncontrollably, as the nerds who looked up to him were all dead right before him. As Gary cries, Fred takes several steps backwards to give himself room to bend himself in all fours. His body swelling with sweat and odor, his mouth and stomach moving on his own as they torture his throat with the acidic juice that came forth from Fred’s mouth.

For Luke, his eyes widened with shock and horror, in denial that something like this happened, as he looked up to the roof—

Speaking of the roof … there was no roof …

And why was there something—

(Stan) W-what … is that?

The four boys saw with helplessness and despair as the sight in front of them was unrealistic and impossible to comprehend. It was enough to completely change the dramatic scene that unfolded with the deaths of club members.

It was …

(Stan) A monster?

______________________________________________________________________________

Taller than half of the buildings, the monster was a force to the eye's proposal to glance.

(Fred) That thing … has got to be 200 meters at least …

(Luke) All that fire…

As Fred recovered from his spewing session, he estimated the height by just a simple glance.

The monster had so much flame to it, that it looked like it was spewing out solar storms as if a sun would do.

Its appearance was gigantic, and it had devilish horns, orange icy eyes, long hair, slender arms and legs, and a slim waist …

(Stan) That chest … it looks more feminine than masculine…

(Gary) W-who cares! That thing … that thing …

Gary’s whole body shook with fear as he saw the devil’s wife himself.

(Gary) T-that thing killed our friends!

And the monster looked down at all the civilians and onlookers that watched in utter despair and shock.

Like cattle, the monster started to move, and sure enough, screams and shouts were heard from far away.

(Stan) Everyone run!

Stan directed them to run away, with no other option but just to tuck their tail and cower as the monster started moving.

But Gary was hesitant.

(Gary) But what about our friends? What about our friends' families? What would they think—

(Stan) I’m sorry Gary, but we have to go!

Stan held a firm grip on Gary’s arm, making Gary run as much as his chubby body could work.

(Stan’s thoughts) Why is this happening? Why us of all people…

Luke looked back, and the monster stopped as if it was … enjoying the chaos that she inflicted…

(Fred) Luke, just run! It’s never a good idea to look back while running!

But Luke continued to look back, and sure enough, the monster suddenly used its fiery right hand to grab a piece of a metal building. Almost like a kid playing with Play-Doh, the monster then threw a barrage of burning hot debris and metal onto anyone unlucky.

______________________________________________________________________________

Screams and shouting that sounded like banshees and wraiths filled the entire city.

(Cat human male) Daddy will always be with you. Daddy will always be with you. Daddy will always be with you—

The cat human in question held something light in his arms as he ran. A little cat human girl, most likely an elementary schooler, looked as if she was cold as ice, her eyes losing the spark of humanity, as if her father…

Was carrying the already dead remains of his daughter…

(Regular human child) Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

Another elementary schooler, this time a boy, happened to stand near a pile of debris that looked as if it crashed onto the pavement, but something was off about the pavement.

A pool of blood spread all over the debris, and the way the kid kept on crying for his mother …

Scenarios like this happened all over the city, and Luke and the others only catch glimpses of these unfolding.

(Luke’s thoughts) I don’t want to die … I don’t want to die … I don’t want to die …

Luke kept thinking to himself, in that he didn’t want to end up being bridal carried by his friends, or being crushed beneath burning debris.

(Stan’s thoughts) I don’t want to—no, we’re all going to live. I will be getting us all out of here…

Stan’s goal of making sure Luke, Fred, and even Gary lived to see another day was one that Stan will not fail. Not wanting guilt to puncture his future, he wanted to have success in trying to live a normal life after this …

But this is just too crazy.

(Gary) I can’t run anymore. Maybe I’ll—

(Stan) Don’t give the fuck up! If we take a break for one second, we’re all dead!

(Fred) Even I … pants … can’t … pants … run—

(Stan) Damn it you guys. Just keep running!

As the boys ran, the monster unleashed hot metal scrap that seared the recently smokey sky.

Unfortunately, one of the fiery debris that was thrown managed to hit right next to the location where the boys were running…

(Luke) Aaah!

All four boys tumbled down, tinnitus again ringing the insides of their ears.

(Fred) panting deeply

(Stan) aah, everyone get up! Fred, cough out the smoke!

Fred was unlucky enough to inhale dangerous burning dust into his lungs. He didn’t have the stamina since the dust was probably the burning monster's ash and smoke.

Fred still was panting deeply, obviously, he was in no condition to run at all…

(Stan) Fine, have it your way!

Stan then gave Fred a piggyback, and luckily for Stan, Fred was pretty light to carry. Since Stan had so much adrenaline, he was keeping up to the pace with Gary.

(Stan) Where’s Luke?

(Gary) I thought he was with you?

(Stan) Luke! Luke!

A choice to make, Stan could either look for Luke or go on to save both Fred and Gary.

(Stan’s thoughts) Why?! Why?! Why?! Do I have to make a choice? Why me of all people!?

Stan stood for a couple of seconds, pulling his hair with both hands as he didn’t know what the correct choice was. If he saved Luke, he would not be full of regret later in life, but if he abandoned Luke …

(Stan) I’m sorry Luke …

Stan continued running forward with Fred barely conscious on his back and Gary clinging to shared breaths of smokey oxygen…

(Stan) I hope you at least make it out alive…

Completely abandoning his short term goal, Stan had no choice but to submit to the cruel reality.

From there, the three boys ran, not looking back.