ALL NOVEL The Future Past
FATE, what is it exactly? I’m not sure I’m even close to figuring it out but I can tell you that it is pretty much to blame for all of my problems. But is it all that bad? I’ll let you be the judge of that with one simple question—do you believe in fate?
I don’t. . .or. . .at least I thought I didn’t.
I could feel the rage boiling inside of me, threatening to rip me apart but not as much as I wanted to do the same to him—the reason I was stuck here—entangled in all of this mess.
My rage had grown so much that anyone could literally see it spewing out of me, transforming into an incredible aura of green energy as it enveloped my whole body, equipping me with armor unlike anything I had ever seen.
Now, I would have been beyond thrilled to be having such an experience—something that not so long ago had seemed like utter nonsense had it not been for what lay ahead—which brings me back to my starting point . . .my rage for him.
You’re probably wondering who is this him that I keep talking about. Well, I would try to describe him here but I’m afraid my loathing for him would only convolute the story into nothing short of complete confusion. But I can tell you this—imagine the worst thing you’ve ever laid eyes on your entire life, then double it-no—triple it by a thousand and picture it with all of its ugliness coming at you, ready to end your life in an instant. That’s the exact situation I was currently in.
My seething rage did not stop there. No. It continued to ripple down through my chest and to my arms where what had initially been an old weapon of mine transformed into an incredible instrument of death, forged for destroying one thing and one thing only. . .him.
Our eyes finally met and it was at that moment I realized there was no turning back. It was either him or the fate of my own future. A future I had gone through hell to ensure I still had.
He let out a series of laughs, all filled with mockery and devoid of any sense of humanity, matching his eyes which were two red glowing spheres of darkness on a hideous face.
He began to speak. Either I had been turned deaf with rage and a hunger to kill or from the rumbling thunder from above that had the skies flashing red with lightning—I couldn’t tell—his words never reached my ears.
With my weapon at hand, I charged, summoning all the strength I could muster as rain poured down and wet the battle ground.
He charged back, coming at me with his towering height, his form ablaze with cosmic flames that had caused so much destruction and pain. But that would end there and then; I vowed to myself. I could not and would not let him take anymore.
The distance between us began to narrow down as I took great strides before finally leaping into the air and my adversary did the same. I yelled out something that must have sounded like a war cry but the thunder had intensified and the only sound that could now be heard was the whooshing of my weapon and the guttural roaring coming from him.
A loud blast followed upon contact. The sound of metal clanging against metal. The impact turned out to be far greater than I had anticipated. I was thrown backwards, flipping in the air several times before crashing into a set of empty market stalls where I must have hit my head and almost zoned out, willing myself to stay awake until I could catch that distinct growling sound and heavy steps of something approaching fast in my direction. The ground shook beneath me.
Before I could react, I felt a firm grip on my arm and was rolled over so I was lying on my back and the drops of rain splattered all over my face, blurring my vision but not enough to make me miss the unmistakable blade coming down on me as he roared, towering over me. . .
I’ve heard people say that your life flashes before your eyes right before you die and judging by what happened next, that may not have been far from the truth.
I never would have thought that before that day I would be fighting for my life instead of stressing about Calculus homework. So, how the hell did I end up in an absurdly futile battle against perhaps the most terrifying being to ever exist?
My name is Desmond Turner and to answer that, I’m gonna have to take you a couple of days back. Back to where it all began. . . Stonewall High.