John Williams
Stories
9
Chapters
3,072
Words
1.2 M
Comments
0
Reading
4 d, 2 h
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An End, a New Beginning Somber silence reigned supreme over a small, yet beautiful hillside facing east. Roughly a hundred people stood in concentric circles around a central clearing where two coffins were being lowered slowly by a harness, low sobs the accompanying symphony. It was a beautiful day by all other accounts -- cloudless, not too warm, just windy enough to keep the people cool. Yet, all those things mattered little in the face of the harrowing reality. Cain and Emma stood just outside…-
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Pretty Little Lady August, the 8th, 2026 She could still hear them -- even in this deep, obscure hell shrouded by tall, dead, and charred trees. All around was a rocky, steep decline with boulders the size of five grown men obscured by even more ridiculously taller trees, each as thin as a child's arm, yet virtually impossible to cut. "This fucking dress..." she cursed as she slipped and rolled down for a good few moments, getting even more cuts that had long since begun to burn her alive. What…
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A Human Heart (IV) Rick sat in a small corner of the courtyard, drinking a glass of whiskey slowly, his eyes curled up in a smile as he watched his kids arguing over something in the distance with Sarah, his wife, sighing and trying to interject helplessly. He brought up his status window and sighed, looking over the numbers, the skills, the titles, and the items. There was a pair of devils in his heart, whispering and tempting, trying to outpace one another in their coaxing. One pleaded he quickly…
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A Human Heart (III) It wasn't difficult to get away from the hubris of the swarmed city, Cain realized as soon as he started edging closer to the National Forest. Though it wasn't completely void of life, as many opted out of entering the Tower that daily killed thousands, it was remarkably... silent, at least compared to how densely it was packed beforehand. Perfect to clear his thoughts, regain some clarity and perspective -- at least until he reached his destination, which was a mile or so into…
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A Human Heart (II) Cain rang the bell, lazily yawning and flicking cigarette's ash carelessly onto the tiled floor beneath. He grumbled, wondering what devil possessed him to wake up before eight in the morning, scratching his belly as he picked up on the approaching footsteps from the other side of the door. Anger was quite evident on Emma's face as she opened the doors, staring at him deadly, her ruffled hair haphazardly tied into a ponytail, faint traces of wrinkles present on her face. She wore…
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A Human Heart (I) The world changed. Completely so, Cain quickly summarized. It wasn't just L.A., and it wasn't just the U.S. It was everyone. Despite it being just short of two months since the Towers descended, the fabric of day-to-day life had shifted wholly from 9-5 jobs and scramble of rushing places to the complete obsession with the Towers and what they entailed. The notion of the global economy had utterly collapsed, with several governments already having rolled under the surging number…
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Vyle(II) Cain found himself speechless, incapable of even producing a coherent thought past 'What the hell is going on?!'. Vyle must have noticed it as well and maintained the silence, springing into reality two porcelain-white cups of tea and pouring almost water-like liquid into them, though it steamed profusely. Silence reigned for good ten minutes before Cain snapped back into reality, warily staring at the still-smiling Vyle. The cups still steamed, appearing not to have cooled in the…
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Vyle (I) The party of eight sat in a circle, doused in somber and heavy silence. Most either had their eyes closed or were looking to the side, though, quite frequently, they would glance at the blanket nearby as though trying to peer through it, yet not daring to. Cain and Emma sat to the side, the latter resting her head on the former's shoulder, hand in hand. Cain reached into his inventory and took out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one up quickly. Rick raced over and practically tore the pack…
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When the Skies Weep (III) Cain glanced hollowly at the horrified Jamal before spinning forward and walking toward the creature. His face remained expressionless, the look in his eyes dulling with each passing moment. It was therapeutic -- always has been -- conditioning his mind not to process any of it. He ignored the unmoving body to the side and slowly charged the remnants of his Mana into his barely-functioning left arm, walking up to the creature and swinging his arm in a downward arc, slashing…
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When the Skies Weep (II) A sound of thunder ripped through the realm of darkness, followed right after by a resounding choir of screams as the ground beneath the party began to crumble. Cain gritted his teeth anxiously and began charging Wind into his limbs, flapping out relentlessly and tossing everyone out of the epicenter. Accompanying a deafening thud, a pillar of crimson-violet light erupted out, smoking the world into a temporary lull. Emma and Rick heaved to the front with anxious…
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