29th February, 2032.
"Luke Albin, sir", I said awkwardly.
I was in the office of my old commander, finally signing off and retiring from the Canadian army.
It'd been just a couple months ago that the third world war had ended, I had finally got time to spend with my family but we were called back by for private meetings.
The white haired man stared at me, his wrinkly eyes carried years of trauma and experience and the way he stared at me showed he was deep in thought although it wasn't uncommon for Mr. Reynolds's to be.
"Why'd you decide to retire so quickly, you're barely twenty four", he said staring back at my information. "Well I'll be damned, today is even your birthday".
I let out a slight chuckle, "Yeah I suppose so".
"Why retire so early, your well built, yiu sustained no major injuries from your time and have no mental traumas upon being in the army for about six years".
"Honestly it's a miracle your this well off, shouldn't you strive for more??".
"I…um", I tried to say my voice hanging in my throat.
"Since I was little, i always felt like the world was picking on me. No father, over worked mother and three younger siblings I felt I had to take care of".
"So I studied hard and I worked part time through my teens, once I realized the money I had saved up in high school and the fact I got into a top university…I was happy".
Then I looked up at him glaring into his dark eyes, "For the first time in a very…very long time, I was happy. Then my mom got cancer, we tried to fight it but she didn't make it and we had no money left after the treatment".
"I abandoned home and rushed into the army, sending my entire money back home then I lasted war, hunger, pain".
"I joined the army not because of the country or because I wanted to, i did it because it was the best way to keep my siblings in fed and in school. Now, I'm going to return and live a happy life".
The man dropped my information sheet on his wooden desk, gazing at it while scratching his pale white forehead then he got up and stretched his hand to me.
"You have served this county well, go take a much needed rest".
I sprung up to my feet and shook him back firmly, "Thank you sir".
I left his office feeling like a huge weight was finally off my chest, stopping at the convenience store to buy some ice cream.
Passing by the mirrors, I gazed at myself. My brightly shaded dark skin paired well with my black messy hair and darker eyes.
I tugged at the collar of my suit loosening my collar and then took a deep breath and gazed at the sky, life is only getting better from here.
That's when I noticed smoke, in the sky, the direction was by what I'd believe to my home. A huge sense of dread washed over me as I began running home, I know it's probably not them but still, still.
Knowing how God always treated me, considering how bad my luck was, my siblings were still in the house, I had to know.
Katie, Alex. Please be okay. God please.
I ran to my street and saw a large crowd around my home, a new furnished duplex we just recently moved to.
Although now, it was burning from head to toe. I could see fire fighters trying to calm the flames. I pushed through the crowd of people urgently and jumped over the barricade before being tackled by some oncoming police men.
"Let me go!! My family, my family is inside!!", I begged, tears welling in my eyes.
"We can't allow that sir, our men are doing their best!".
"Please!! Please!!! Let me go find them".
I squirmed and pushed but even with my built frame, I stood no chance against four cops.
Eventually the police men came out with two people, my siblings, my family.
Two twins born on the same day, two twins who struggled through everything the world gave to them and two twins who died on the same day.
I finally pushed free of the police, right as they were putting their bodies in seals. I managed to get close enough to see them before I was tackled down again.
Their beautiful dark skin now charred with dark burns, my sister's long hair now burnt all the way revealing her burnt scalp.
My brother still had some exposed skin around his eyes which were not almost watery and looked almost mushy.
I fell to the floor head first, shock sending me in and out of consciousness, my heart hurting like it was in hell and before I knew it, I had blacked out.
I woke up in the hospital bed, looking around my empty room and slowly climbing off.
I first stumbled with my feet as I tried to reason everything that just happened, I felt increasingly numb by the second.
I walked outside and standing not to far away was a doctor, bald, dark skinned and with round black glasses.
His jaw seemed to tighten as he saw me and my heart seemed to drop.
He walked slowly, almost cautiously up to me, his shoes echoing off the strangely empty hospital walls.
"Mr. Albin?", he asked.
"Y…yes".
"I'm very sorry for your loss".
I felt my heart shattering again with his words, tears rolled off my cheek as I sunk to my knees.
"The hospital has already run the autopsy for the bodies if you wa…".
His voice softened and quieted as I began walking away, slowly, tiredly. He didn't bother to stop me, thankfully.
I felt nothing anymore, not pain, sorrow, maybe just tiredness.
I looked up at the moon which illuminated the night sky, does God hate me?? I questioned as I slowly continued walking.
All that work in the military, all that time studying, all the money I made so these guys could have a future.
"What was it all for??", I muttered catching weird glances from passers by.
Then I let out a gut wrenching scream, like a wild beast, with no restraint or care for my own vocal cords. I could feel the weight of eyes on me then I continued my walk, stopping at where my own legs stopped.
The side of a bridge, the streets were still busy and the cars were still moving but I paid them no mind.
I climbed the pavement of the bridge and looked down at the water far below me, I wasn't scared, not anymore at least.
"…someone stop him!", a voice called out.
"Wait is he really gonna jump??", another blurted.
I let the wind wash over me one more time, soaking in the breeze ss my last sliver of enjoyment.
"I'm sorry, Katie, Alex".
A with that I fell head on into ocean waters, the impact sending me into a slight daze ss pain surged through my entire body.
My head was agony and my spine, ribs and various other bones ached. Finally water filled my lungs and as I plunged deeper into the water.
Then it all just stopped, I found myself in a void, I couldn't even think. It was just darkness, pure darkness.
I couldn't hear, see, feel or even breath. Maybe God finally rewarded me with this after all that suffering, maybe it is an upgrade.
Then something pierced the darkness, a bright light enveloped me and before I knew it, I was floating in what looked like the cosmos.
Streaks of purple, blue and red illuminated the sky and bright lights followed along with it. I was hovering and I could see more around me but I lacked a physical body.
In front of me though, the first thing I saw was a giant dragon. It was so far away that I could barely make out any of its details.
Along with it, a man with deep black hair and what looked like pale skin. There was also another one with flocking bright white wings but that was all I could really make out of him.
As I was in this place time seemed to stop as all three people stood in place, launching attacks at the one in the centre.
He was completely black, like the void I had just come from but it was like the silhouette of a man but this time he had sharp white eyes which looked at me??
"Eim te Lit ne waen ji ony ke thy waq is".
The voice was like thunder, my eyes spun as I felt myself being pulled away then everything just went black.
End Of Chapter 1