The Dawn of Destruction, Chapter Eight (Clean)

                     The Dawn of Destruction

Interitus 1 – Book One

            Chapter Eight

 

            It was a cool and cloudy morning. Through the blinds of her apartment window, Naomi watched people amble slowly through the streets outside. Because of the early hour, she hypothesized that they were headed to their jobs; they were headed to fulfill another day in their endless cycle to nowhere, but she could tell by their expressions that they also loathed their inane routine. Naomi closed the blinds and checked the clock; it was 8:30 AM. She sighed and trudged toward her shower, hoping that it had warmed up by now.

            After slipping off her very long shirt, Naomi walked across the tile and stepped inside her shower. She immersed herself into a world of warmth; she could practically feel the exhaustion from the trainyard fight pour off her body and down the drain. She sighed with relief, knowing that today was the day she had to act with a clear head. Today was the day that she would show herself as a prophet of God for all to see. After all, the spectacle of just one miracle could counteract years of skepticism. A single supernatural event could secure her as the one true shepherd for the scattered sheep. But for this to work, she planned to acquire the support of Priest Antonius—a man who had recently become the city’s most respected religious figure.

            Naomi splashed soap upon herself and gently rinsed the bubbles from her body. As she carefully scrubbed the few cuts she had received in her fight, she contemplated the next necessary step. In order for this undertaking to work, she would have to be the center of attention. However, this scared her because of her reticent nature. And though she knew she was not the same shy girl she used to be, a part of that anxiety still lingered inside her.

After Naomi finished her shower and dried herself off, she stepped into her bedroom. With an apprehensive glance at her mirror, she reluctantly decided that her form could work in her favor to capture the attention of the pedestrians. She knew that it could also serve to sway favor with the priest, if she were to encounter him. If she dressed in a way to accommodate this goal, she figured that she could use the shape of her body to catch his attention, just as she had captured many wandering eyes in the past.

            In order to accommodate this goal, Naomi put on a shirt which was several measurements too tight to hold her large chest. It was a black tank top that left her arms and over one-third of her cleavage exposed. After contemplating between a skirt and skinny jeans, Naomi elected to wear a knee-length black skirt.

            A short while later, Naomi left her apartment and got on a bus that would bring her to the downtown area. As she glanced out the window, she realized that one part of her plan had already succeeded; many sets of eyes were already on her. When the bus arrived at a place where people shuffled in and out of buildings, Naomi stepped out onto the sidewalk. There were fewer pedestrians than she expected, possibly because of the recent shooting, but there were still enough people to witness her miracle. However, as Naomi readied herself for her first public performance, countless questions shot through her head. While she could physically feel her apprehension, she knew that every second lost was a second wasted. Still, she felt like she stood upon a diving board in the sky.

            A taxi slowly parked on a street corner, interrupting the flow of traffic. The bus slowly started to drive off. Many pedestrians crossed the street at the intersection up ahead. Naomi looked around quickly and decided that it did not really matter where she performed her miracle, as long as it was seen. For that reason, she walked up to a spot on the sidewalk that was not blocked by parked cars.

After taking a deep breath, Naomi noticed that many people were already casting glances in her direction. Many did not even attempt to hide their stares, although this worked to her favor. Naomi closed her eyes, envisioned a pillar, and pulled together the fingers on her right hand. The ground radiated with a bright glow, and then a long pillar slowly ascended from the concrete until it reached a height of ten meters.

            The aforementioned spectators watched her Create this pillar with exclamations of shock and awe. The vehicles in the streets all slowed to a stop. Before long, people began flooding from the buildings onto the streets. The crowd was fixated on this tall pillar, but their gazes slowly turned to face Naomi standing atop it. While most of them had witnessed her demonstrate a supernatural power, no one knew what to make of the situation. The mere revelation of this power alluded to a precarious truth—that the future course of the city, the planet, the entire species could be determined in the next thirty seconds.

            “God has spoken to me and lent me His power so that I could reunite humanity under Him! He has decided not to punish the skeptics among you; He aspires for a world where we, as a single race, can strive for greatness in His image and influence. God may not walk among us, for He is something that we as people could never hope to understand, but we can reach the Lord through me as His vessel. Miracles are all around, believe! Believe, all who are faithful,” Naomi decreed to the crowd of fixated eyes.

            After a moment of stunned silence, a voice shouted forth, “It’s the second coming!”

            Another voice said, “I knew He had not forsaken us!”

            “It’s a miracle. She’s come to save us!” yelled another.

 As several shouts of glee emerged from the crowd, Naomi Created a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her right hand. She then threw them into the cheering people, while white flowers spontaneously appeared through the cracks in the streets and sidewalks. Naomi then used her Creation of energy to levitate her body, lifting into the air over her pillar. She smiled, knowing that her power had changed the world in just a matter of minutes.

The people in the crowd had transformed their apathy into fervor. Almost immediately, they became vocal supporters of Naomi’s religious revolution; it was like their entire lives had changed when they witnessed her power. Creation was all the evidence anyone needed to believe her. And though Naomi watched the crowd of people tap away on their phones to share the news, she did not let her sudden popularity dissuade her from her mission. She reminded herself that the human species was still beyond repair. However, she mentally applauded herself since everything had gone exactly as she planned. She would be the prophetess until conditions were ripe for the human reset.

“Let the disciples hear my name—I am Naomi Ohayashi! Please, bring me to Priest Antonius!” she shouted to the surrounding mass of excited bodies.

            The media quickly covered this emerging story, hoping to outrun social media and the Internet as a whole. In just hours, every local News station broadcasted the same story told by different people. They interviewed witnesses who had allegedly seen the prophetess and her miracles, but the details all seemed to say the same thing. The message was brief but speculative, in some cases even alarming, so that the few viewers would feel compelled to follow the story. However, this was not the only major development being broadcast over the airwaves.

***

“Although the authorities are unsure on the exact time of this incident, there was a catastrophic trainwreck involving the revolutionary Solar Rail last night, resulting in the death of approximately three hundred passengers. Investigators believe that someone deliberately caused the train to derail, based on evidence and ballistics sprawled across the wreckage. The devastation is widespread, and the location is overrun with unique underground tunnels. City officials released a statement earlier today; they are unanimously convinced that the only person physically able to do this is the same man who made news earlier this month, after ending the San Diego shooting. Although this culprit was previously unidentified, a cab driver claimed responsibility for transporting this potential superhuman and his African-American accomplice. The cab driver has asked to remain anonymous. He identified this evildoer as Seth Freeman, San Diego resident. We will be sure to update the viewers immediately with each development in this story,” the news reporter announced.

            Phil and Seth glared at the television in Seth’s living room with gaping mouths. Originally, the news had only been on in the background, but it caught their attention when the announcer mentioned the Solar Rail. Seth gripped his head in his head, trying to figure out how they managed to pin the trainwreck on him and his power.

            “Man, I knew that punk-ass taxi driver was a snitch from the moment I seen him.”

            “I can’t believe it’s really come to this. Holy hell, man. My life is over! I threw my life on the line to stop evil people, and now I’m being blamed for this? They’ll kill me! I’ll be a lab rat at best. I can’t stay here,” Seth muttered in disbelief.

            “And did that hoe on the news just called me African-American? Too afraid to just say black; it’s a damn shame. Tryin’ to sound all formal and fancy and shit, think she better than me just ‘cause she all political correct and usin’ big words and shit, this is why I hate the news! Ain’t no one tell it like it is,” Phil complained at the television.

            Although Phil’s rantings usually cheered up Seth in times of turmoil, his grimace only elongated with each second. He felt absolutely defeated by the lock in which his enemy and his circumstances had entrenched him. The only advantage he had gained was that Naomi believed he was dead, which meant that she would likely act more carelessly. She might even make herself vulnerable, thinking no one left could hurt her. However, if Seth were to step out into the open, even just to defend his name or explain the truth, he would lose his only advantage over her. Whether by the people or Naomi himself, he would be slaughtered in no time, and all his efforts would amount to nothing. He had no chance to defend his honor. As he fought to calm himself down, Seth reminded himself that he only wanted to protect people; it didn’t matter if they loved or hated him. But for the sake of safety, he knew he had to flee as quickly as possible. People would locate his home in a matter of minutes.

            “I’m gonna buy a plane ticket for far away with a fake name, and then we have to leave. The crowds will storm this area as soon as they find out where I live, which has probably… already happened, honestly. We gotta act fast,” Seth said.

            “Oh, tight, man! Where we going?” Phil asked.

            “I don’t know. We definitely have to leave the country. And you’re not coming with. I love you, man, you know that, but I need someone here to be my eyes and ears. Can you do that for me?” Seth said as he ran upstairs to the computer.

            Phil looked disappointed, but Seth did not have a single moment to spare. He turned on his computer, opened an untraceable browser through a proxy, and entered the web page for the San Diego International Airport. Having already used a virtual credit card in the past, Seth hurriedly entered his pseudonym and tried to pick a worthwhile location. His blue eyes slowly scanned the list of flights for options.

            Harold’s words resounded through Seth’s memory—many peaceful decades in mountains that rake the sky. It sounded safe. In addition, if he could actually find Harold, there was a possibility that Seth could get more help. Seth wondered if Harold had meant that he lived in the Himalayas. He typed in the destination to verify that it was even within reach, but fortune smiled upon him. At 4 PM that day, which was only about three hours in the future, a flight would leave for Hong Kong. From there, it would refuel, pick up some passengers, and then continue flying to a city in northern India. The Himalayas were only a couple days’ travel from there, meaning he had a real shot at reaching his destination.

            After finishing the transaction and printing his ticket, Seth rushed down the stairs. While holding a folded jacket, Phil met him by the door and said, “Hey, you should consider wearin’ this hoodie or some shit while we in public. People less likely to recognize you when you coverin’ that afro, y’know?”

            Saying nothing, Seth put on the hoodie and quickly grabbed a pair of large sunglasses. He then ran into the kitchen and pulled open a stuck cabinet, grabbing a large portion of the cash he had hidden. Phil watched in the background as Seth stuffed the money into his hoodie’s zippered pockets. Once this was done, the two friends finally headed for the door.

            As they stood outside the house, not even seven minutes after the trainwreck broadcast, Seth gave a glance of farewell to his family home. He knew that this was probably the last time he would ever see it, considering that reporters and investigators were probably closing in by the second. He could hear the ocean waves from just a few blocks away; they offered a certain tranquility, but more importantly, they hinted at a safe path through which he could travel to the airport without being noticed. However, this plan hinged on the beachgoers being unaware of the broadcast. As he contemplated his route, Seth decided he would walk on the easement between the street and the sand. This way, his extra clothing was less likely to raise suspicion. It would also insulate him from the autumn air.

            And so, Seth left his previous life behind. The days of 10K races and visits with old friends were now a thing of the past. A comfortable home life, running with his best friend every night, the days spent at the beach—it was all coming to an end. He would have to wander the shadows, at least temporarily, until he had a surefire way to defeat Naomi. As the two friends walked along the beach, Phil sensed that stress had forced Seth into silence, and so he chose to fight it.

            “You see that girl over there? She fine as hell,” Phil remarked, motioning toward one of the women sunbathing upon the beach.

            Seth chuckled lightly.

            “And you see her? Man, she look so good… you wait here, I’mma go talk to her,” Phil joked, evoking stronger laughs from his friend.

            “You would not believe the nasty shit I would do with her right there,” Phil said, motioning toward a very elderly woman who dipped her feet in the water.

            Seth unleashed an almost-boisterous laugh which he suppressed with his hand just to detract attention. Phil smiled while pleasantly watching this release from his friend, although this distracted them both from their surroundings. While he was distracted by Seth’s attempt at suppressing his laughter, the old woman took it upon herself to approach and strike Phil in the side of the head with her purse. The force was enough to knock him onto the ground, where he stared up at the furious old woman with wide eyes. Phil then began laughing with a ferocious intensity. Seth collapsed at his friend’s side, shaking with laughter. Phil always had a talent for making things better, but this also gave teeth to Seth’s depression; he knew he would be miserable without his best friend.

Nevertheless, he stood up and reached down to help his friend before the old woman could attack again. After a short but intense sprint down the coast, Seth and Phil both slowed back down to a walking pace. They resumed laughing once the old woman had stopped chasing them.

            Still breathing hard from the run, Phil said, “I don’t want you to go. You my best friend and my brother; brothers can’t be separated!”

            “I know, but this is different, man. I need you to be my eyes and ears; otherwise, we’ll never know what’s going on. My name is tainted, and Naomi wants to make everyone think she’s a prophet. This could get really ugly, and I need to know how ugly before I can do anything about it,” Seth replied.

            Though Seth tried not to show it, Phil knew he was also torn by the inevitable separation. As they walked along the coast for minutes in mutual silence, Seth noticed a sign shortly ahead near the edge of the beach. It listed various destinations and distances, the nearest of which was a prominent beach. It was only a short distance further south.

            “We’ll be there soon,” Seth said.

            “How you know that?”

            “The airport is only a few miles from the beach, so we’ll be there in no time if we cut across,” Seth said.

            “Man, there a thousand different half-breeds out there, and I went and made friends with the one who swallowed a GPS. You some good shit, Seth. You some good shit.”

            The distance passed quickly. It took over an hour to reach their destination, but when they arrived, Phil and Seth stood outside the airport doors. They gazed at the building with bittersweet grimaces.

            “I’m gonna miss you, Phil,” Seth muttered.

            Phil grabbed Seth in a sudden embrace.

            “Don’t use any of that formal shit on me, man. We like brothers. Don’t you forget that while you gone,” Phil said, while a single tear approached his chin.

            “I’ll text you as soon as I land,” Seth promised, struggling to hold himself together.

            Tears lightly coated Seth’s eyes as he turned toward the glass doors. He slowly stepped inside and glanced over his shoulder at Phil, who stood beside the street, somberly watching cars come and pass. As glass and people filled the growing gap between the two, Seth saw Phil’s eyes light up with a devious grin. Phil must have already figured out some way to make this bearable, Seth hoped.

            Seth managed to easily pass through security, since he always had a bit of a talent for smooth-talking people. Every worker he encountered looked bored or dejected; they seemed to do their jobs on standby, making them vulnerable. As a result, Seth struck up friendly chitchat by finding common interests with the male workers. The female workers were more difficult to distract, but he ultimately reached his gate with an unverified flash of his identification. Seth had feared that the authorities would warn security to look out for him, but so nothing had come of it. Nevertheless, as Seth took his seat on the vacant plane, he realized that he had no reason to contemplate the circumstances of his success.

            When Seth boarded the airplane, he found his way over to a window seat in an empty row. The flight was delayed by fifteen minutes, since the staff apparently did not have enough people to quickly load the luggage. After about ten minutes had passed in still silence, Seth watched a muscular worker trudge through the aisle with a tremendous suitcase. He was brawnier than almost anyone Seth had seen outside of the internet or television, and yet he still struggled to carry a hefty suitcase. He carried the luggage to the seats only a couple rows behind Seth, and then he opened the overhead compartment. Because the flight had many vacant seats, Seth figured there was room in the overhead compartment. The worker gradually lifted the heavy suitcase into the compartment, and then he cursed under his breath when it was actually able to fit.

            As the worker scurried off the plane, Seth returned his gaze to the airplane window. He stared out at the life he was leaving behind, but it soon became too much for him. He closed the window and stared ahead, contemplating the choices that led him to this place.