《Our New World》


 Chapter 1

    "Hey... radio girl?"


    "My name is Patrice."


    "...Okay, Patrice... How do I do this one? I''ve heard that people who take the drug can be cured. So, I don''t need to kill him, right?"


    "He ate someone."


    ............


    Thin raindrops were shattered into a fine mist by the wind, rolling off of me when they had made a big enough bunch.


    Moss stained the parking lot in front of me with thick green patches. So much, that the area smelt of excavated earth. Knockers had been abandoned for five years now, only the outermost parts had begun reconstruction.


    My goggles had fogged up with my breath. I had been standing here for a while now. Trying my hardest to get myself to move forward, and I had yet to succeed.


    "Bullet-proof, bullet-proof..."


    My chantingearned me another step, and the thought that radio girl would soon call for an update, or to be sure that I hadn''t been eaten, yet, made me continue. Towards where I would be.


    The pavement and ramps were cracked.


    My home was vacant and only a few miles from here, I''d stop by after, hopefully.


    I took a deep breath.


    My bioenergy, moved away from my heart, along its blood vessels. Portioning evenly between muscle, organs, bones, cartilage. My body grew.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I had been six foot flat, two-twenty, all muscle, and other stuff. Right now, I was about six-five, three thirty. If the registration office testing was to be beleived.


    My sock-like costume had somehow held water, despite supposedly being waterproof. As it grew taut, the outer layer became dry.


    I didn''t need to check the rest of the five stories, I could hear his reptile-like heartbeat, through the water.


    "David Finston." I called him by his name. Hoping, I''d get a sissy ''yes'', in reply. He''d been a male receptionist. Maybe some of it still flowed in him.


    He rose slowly, sticking the upper part of his body out. Finston''sscales were small, dark, and tight; his looks had more in common with alizard, then a gator. His size was comparable to the other though. As more of him left the water, I shifted into a peek-a-boo stance.


    "Mr. Finston, don''t make me hurt you, sir."


    Finston shattered the water as he left it. He ran on all fours. Swinging at my head with a greenish tinted claw. He whiffed, as I ducked under, bringing an uppercut beneath his jaw, which was open, ready to take a bite of my head.


    The blow landed solidly,more thenI wanted it to. A few of his porcelain white teeth shattered as his momentum had been canceled and turned around. He slid, cleansingsome of the filth around the cesspoolas he did.


    "You can''t win this fight,sir. Stand down."


    He held his broken jaw as he stood back up. As a teapot-like whistle came from his throat, I switched into an orthodox stance.


    Carelessly, he rushed me. His claw came from below this time. They were spaced so far apart, due to how large his hand was, that it almost caught me, mid sidestep. The force of his whiff left him wide open, again. So widely that I could almost hear myself apologize for what I would do. I gripped his outstretched arm, thugging him toward me. My right-straight connected, sinking into his skull; severing its connection to the rest of him.


    There was a dull snap, like wood that hadn''t properly dried before being broken.


    His head was behind, I imagine, like a hoodie.


    My power had side effects. The most important being my lack of emotion.


    "Radio girl, call the cops, please."


    "Okay."

 Chapter 2

    Four cop cars drove up with their lights on, despite the lack of traffic to part. The rain had stopped but I still smelt it on the wind. This time of year was winter. Donnelly had already experience snowfall by now, and we had only gotten some cold wind in Auburn. My nerves had made me sweat a little, as I had slightly powered down. I had undone the zipper of my suit to dry my t-shirt. I preferred the cold, really.


    They stepped out and began to question me. I knew the protocol, it was apart of my own training, though I did do an awkward job of answering certain questions. Mostly, because I hadn''t been active long enough to be familiar, so they were mostly strangers to me; except one. Joe Cormick, a former classmate, stood at the back as the youngest. I hadn''t seen him in years. His face was still too slim. Though it had matured, noticeably. He had even grown a beard. I took off the mask to finish the questioning, and to talk to a familiar face.


    "Okay, that''s enough. Stop by the Registration Bureau to pick up the bounty. But, I think my boys could use a drink? This was about twenty thousand? Jeff?"


    "No, twenty-five thousand."


    "Only one?" Joe wanted two at a minimum.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I agreed. That amount of money was a lot for a day''s work, a lot for three month''s, even. Police officers and heroes had a close relationship, I''d do my part to keep it that way.


    Since the questioning was finished I could leave. I told Joe I''d see him tomorrow, walked a little distance away from them and their cars, and left.


    Cars drove by from the north. Workers returning from Donnelly in the evenings. Knockers, I felt, had been chosen as the first district to be repaired because Auburn had the habit of showing its best foot to Donnelly''s rich inhabitants. Even Donnelly''s workers would show some prejudice, to those of lesser standing. The average inhabitant of Auburn didn''t own a personal vehicle. Relying on public transport, to get around was the norm. They were very reliable and much safer than traveling alone. But having your own vehicle was a status symbol, which most of the people who could afford it, couldn''t resist.


    I hadn''t been here for a while, now. Grass had grown up around the apartments, almost reaching their lower windows. I stopped often on my journey; becoming distracted by places and things I hadn''t seen in years. The only thing that mattered to me, that wasn''t here was my school.


    After detouring, I reached the turnoff I had been moving towards. The white, rough terrain juxtaposed harshly against the dark tar, of the main road to Donnelly.


    A white cloud of dust fell in my wake. The wind from the lake blew it into coils; hopefully, none of it would get onto my suit.


    There was a hill to my left, two houses were on it. Which made me sigh at my sentimentality and a bubbling anxiety in the pit of my stomach.


    I was almost home.

 chapter 3

    The house was up on stilts to avoid high tides. Its stoop ran the entirety of the front, ended to its left, and wrapped around the home to the right. That area was now covered in bushes, mitigating the wind from blowing the leaves and dust that were piling up. My dad''s wooden chair was still out on the front stoop, some of those leaves were sitting in it.


    He was in jail right now for something he didn''t do, and which he assumed I had.


    When I was younger my uncle would''ve been my idol. He had money, a bike, he had jewelry, the man was a wonderer. He was my perfect future self, or what I had imagined myself being. He''d been to places that weren''t even mapped, yet, or if they were, weren''t disclosed to the general public. He was empowered like me, me not knowing I would be, allowed him to be who I looked up to. I found out he sold drugs and wanted a part in it. Thankfully, he had said no.


    They weren''t the sort to give someone power. They were for numbing or hiding.


    But, maybe it had been my invitation, or, thinking back, maybe it was this type of decision making that made my father dislike his brother. Either way, almost being caught by the local cops, he stowed his drugs beneath our wooden cabin. He knew its layout because he''d grown up in it; so well that we didn''t notice, before the cops brought their dogs, with a search warrant.


    The floorboards creaked as I walked in.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    "The house was empty."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Edward Corrington was my closes friend, and also my roommate; he and his girlfriend. They were a young white couple. A handsome, dark-haired man, and a glasses-wearing brunette-beauty. Their looks went well together.


    "Yeah. I went down there, forgot to tell you, sorry. They were old stuff, anyway... Deer shit was all over the place, anyway. Let the fuckers keep it."


    "Come on."


    "What?"


    "Be considerate. I''m sure he lost a lot of important stuff."


    "I am. He needs to hear this. The guy has a tendency to get stuck in his head." He looked at me. "How''s the pasta."


    I called him an ass and shook my head. With a friend like Ed, I didn''t need enemies. I complimented Miley, that it tasted nice. It was a white sauce pasta. The sauce was a little thin, but, being a former cadet, made me happy for anything with sodium. The carrots were sweet but soft.


    The apartment we stayed in was a two bedroom, and part of a duplex. One of the rooms-- theirs --had a bath. I would use the guest bathroom-- which wasn''t a problem since I had met the couple here. Though Ed would rub most people the wrong way, they had been kind by letting me stay. And I would be moving out tomorrow, so they would no longer have a maid.


    I looked at the dishes, still filled with food. I would clean these... and they would be my last, I swore to myself.


    After we were finished, I spoke to them, about me leaving.


    "Oh," Miley said. We hadn''t interacted much, but we got along well enough.


    Edward said, ''Oh'', too.


    "So I need some reimbursement. You eat a lot. You aren''t moving out broke, right?"


    "You know, Ed, if I didn''t miss you, I would''ve kicked your ass by now?"


    "I''m insured."


    ..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    "I''m gonna be on tv, later."


    Both said, ''When?''


    "Around eleven. I think."


    They mumbled at the same time, saying they''d be busy tomorrow.


    [author]Please comment to let me know if you like the novel so far. My first novel had consistency issues, and spelling errors, if you see any, don''t hesitate to point them out.


    The next chapter will introduce the first conflict, other than the lizard, count on it to be a longer chapter.[/author]

 Chapter 4

    They were now asleep, I could hear them snoring. Without my powers, of course. The couple only owned a couch, still wrapped up in plastic. I brought the whicker chair from the table in the kitchen and placed it on the carpet.


    "Goodnight, Auburn."


    The news reporter was female and about thirty-seven. Her assistant was a young male. His tie could have been made better, and he seemed a little nervous to be on tv.


    "We''re happy to inform the inhabitant of the third ring''s outer district, that the suspect of the missing persons'' cases has been dealt with by the proper authorities."


    "The suspect had reportedly taken a drug known as Demon''s Blood. This drug was first seen in Stanton, in use of the Native Races, in the Founding Wars. Authorities have yet to report on how it has gotten so far north, and into the hands of humans."


    "The suspect was taken down by Auburn''s twenty-third hero. We supposedly have images of this new hero?"


    It showed me, still masked, on the upper right corner of the screen. The officers body cameras were probably active. I wonder which ones were on the payroll?


    They kept it going as tonight seemed a busy night. The banquet would be held next week as a prelude to Donnelly and Auburn officially accepting Stanton as an equal, the week following. Stanton had been the first of the cities where different races cohabitated. The other races had, in the last three decades, taken posts within Stanton''s native political circles, and even some military positions.


    Hopefully when they sent those students over I wouldn''t have to play a part in it. It seemed almost guaranteed something would happen with the recent increase in illegal activities.


    I stopped listening after they started a sports segment. I had a lot to do tomorrow.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Most criminals weren''t humans, those who were, were rare, so most crime tended to the extreme in Auburn. This was because of multiple reasons, the first being, humans had only been introduced by the thousands in this world about two hundred years ago.


    The wars when we had arrived took the lives of many of the younger generations. As those who lived became older, the generational gap had only increased. Though recently the impacts had been mitigated by the portal in Donnelly''s increased activity, thanks to advancements in technology, on the other side. Though the effect could still be seen. There were old people all around Auburn, most of its inhabitants were above forty.


    After moving my things out of Ed''s apartment I met my landlord and got settled. The home seemed too big, but vacancies were common in Auburn, so I got it for cheap. I didn''t have a lot, especially after the robbery, so I''d unpack them later.


    There wasn''t a lot for me to do but patrol so most of my day was spent on roof tops. The weather was inconsistent recently, giving us thick winter clouds one day, and warm summer-like temperatures on others. This was why I hadn''t worn my suit today and had instead chosen to keep its mask and gloves, wearing both with blue jeans and a black V-neck. I mostly monitored arguments between farmers, and the fish market a little distance from the sea. I kept radio girl on the line in case of urgent; while I was grocery shopping.


    My shift ran from 9 to 10, by the end of which mental fatigue had built-up and I could use a drink.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    They were all there. By the time I had arrived the buses had stopped running, so I had to walk over. I wouldn''t use my powers off-hours, by way of self-discipline, and in this case, I actually didn''t need to. Only living a few blocks away from this bar-- Reise''s. This was the second ring. Used mostly for residential and consumer purposes; the adult district, in a way. Though kids were allowed in, up until eight o''clock, as theatres and gyms were in the ring too.


    A loud chatter filled the place, contrasting harshly on my ears against the nearly vacant quietness of the streets. Joe met me with a wave and a beer.


    "Money man! Have a beer, you''re buying, anyway."


    The bartender pointed to me, and I nodded and sighed.


    "Oh, it''s you."


    The corporal who had asked for the drinks sat at the bar out of uniform. They always seemed so different when they weren''t, right? Almost unnatural.


    He shook my hand.


    "I didn''t recognize you, without the extra you."


    We talked about little things, at first, and naturally moved onto Finston, and the drugs that he''d taken.


    "I heard they''re made with magic. If you can believe it?"

 Chapter 5

    The smoke made me cough despite myself. I had asthma when I was younger, so I stayed away from smokers even now.


    I smiled at his inquisition. Knowing I''d been trained in Stanton, he probably wanted a story?


    "Ha, yeah. You know what we want, right? So, how long are you going to keep us waiting?"


    He was old enough not to be held at bay by fake expectations, such as not asking twice. This wasn''t the first time I had seen this as an issue. There were too many old people in Auburn or too many cops.


    "Yeah, it''s made with magic. I heard it from the defectors. Did they say its corrupted magic, or something? It''s actually supposed to be a mixture of animal blood and ritualistic transfiguration."


    "Transfiguration?" Joe asked.


    "Yeah. A type of magic. Like from one thing to the other. I think they use animal blood as a symbol, like black is rotten, or blue or high-lighted colors are unnatural; so their bad stuff if you see them out in nature."


    Joe and the corporal nodded to each other. The corporal said.


    "You know we''re scouting you?"


    "Why."


    Although I had already guessed it, I asked, just in case.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The bartender walked to the other end of the counter before he spoke.


    "Hovering is almost finished scanning the surroundings of Auburn and Donnelly. We estimate by Wednesday we''re going to go after the group."


    "Yeah. But do you guy know who they are exactly?"


    "That easy?" He questioned.


    "You should think about these things. I wouldn''t let my daughter do it."


    Joe said.


    "He''s Kimberly''s old-man."


    "Oh, Kim! So you''re Corporal Smith?"


    "Yeah. I''m Ian. Next time ask for a name before you agree to go drinking with someone"


    "Yes, sir. I still agree."


    I drank more that night than I had aimed for. By the end, I stumbled my way home. Finding the new apartment was hard and it must''ve been three by the time I had got in.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I activated my bioenergy while in bed. Not because I felt threatened, but to get rid of my hangover. My wardrobe was simple, a lot of different colored t-shirts, about five jeans, and a pair of red shorts. Back in Stanton I would wear the cadet uniform, a camouflage outfit with a hat. My new wardrobe was temporary and I had bought it while low on funds.


    I went to sprint on the beach and getting there was an exercise in itself. So much, that I did so on a twelve percent power-boost. The middle ring was the biggest. At about four miles in thickness and twelve miles in circumference. The outer ring was scattered, but less dense, and to the north, crowned by a particularly large cluster known as Knockers.


    The sprint to the beach lasted an hour and along the Green, Tea Sea lasted two. The name was suitable, I''d sit down and watch the waves fall into white foam before leaving, on almost every run.


    By the time I had arrived back to my apartment, it was eight. Just as I left the apartment, the radio girl rang my ear-piece.


    "Sock-puppet, Hovering has caught abnormal activity in the second rings outer perimeter, south-sought-west. Please get over there as quickly as possible."


    "Alright."

 Chapter 6

    The city wouldn''t be maintained and would be repaired by necessity. It was one of the oldest districts in Auburn. The houses were all similar and had been made with cheap practicality in mind. This house was green, and just barely; the weather had worn it to a pale imitation. Wind and time had taken all of its windows, light shone in. Showing floorboards that were cracked and dampened because of an earlier rain. Because of the cracks and holes in the floorboards, no puddles had settled on the upper floor. Their shapes were peculiar, seeming deliberate, in the pattern that were shown from up above.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Water could be heard dripping into the dark basement. Between the cracks, eyes would look up. They were silver, harsh, and different from every other look between those cracks. There were no shuffles or splashes to be heard from below. Only chanting. Voices rose; those of men. A flat tenor at first. More would join into a disjointed harmony, like waves into a fog; the third eruption was in agreement with the discordance; no doubt be the sound of oars slapping those waves. They were now noises, no longer voices. No longer human.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

 Chapter7

    It was midday and most people were at work right now, any vehicles moving around were people doing their own. They would be flashes as I ran by on the main road.


    "Hurry over. Our new systems are picking up more and more mana readings. There will be backup...There''s something wrong."


    The buildings around got smaller and older as I ran along. Falling from four or three stories, and new, down to single storied buildings with holes in their roofs. They were so close together, like dead cockroaches, how parts of each would be found on another.


    There was no bad weather to make the situation feel appropriate; that would be spooky. But the silence was unnatural, proving that being alone was unnatural. This feeling was even more than snow and dark clouds while heading to your doom.


    I stopped at a building that was painted white. Its had paint that flaked and would probably be chalky to the touch. Though, if someone were to live in it, the paint would not be their main concern: there were windows missing, some were just holes in the walls, now. And the missing roof would be a problem for anyone.


    "There''s someone moving north on foot between the houses. Let the cops know he''s not empowered."


    "Right away."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I wore a white t-shirt, the mask, and gloves; I just wish I had put on the suit today. For some reason, it just felt like the right time. So, for second time in three days, I walked up to a creepy, likely, dangerous place.


    The stairs creaked at a different note than those of my home. Maybe they were different nails or screws in their stead? I held the railing to spread some of the weight, as I let out about seventy-percent of my power going up them. There was no door.


    I could see it well at 6''10. There were sigils. A design of leaves caught in a wind.


    "I found the magic problem. There''s a pattern carved into the floorboards... radio girl you should call for more back-up, and make sure no one jogs this way. Something''s turning up in the basement, I''m taking the building down."


    "I''m on it... Wait! Don''t destroy the building! There might be something we need there!"


    I rolled it around in my mind for a time. It would be safer to destroy the place, it might even kill the abomination below...


    "Alright then, I''ll wait outside."


    It sounded like bones rubbing together, inside of a shack of thick liquid. The air smelt like puss, so that was a possibility.


    "B rank, if anyone''s available,"


    "Alright, Firebreather will be over in a minute."


    I sighed as I waited on backup. I saw the street pole, walked over, ripped it away from the sidewalk, and began to mold it into a spear. A black one.


    The rattling got worse and I heard it rise up, on what sounded like four legs. No six.


    "It''s coming up."


    "...Flee if you can''t holdout; use discretion."


    The creature''s head was a skull. An oversized imitation of a human''s. Again, it seemed weird to see certain things in the wrong places. They could make the weather seem odd. It was too sunny for this thing to exist now.

 Chapter 8

    Strings of flesh hung like locks from the creature''s skull and they swayed in the wind. It looked to the sky, to the noon''s sun. On Its perch, its teeth chattered, as it twitched occasionally. Beast-like and six-legged, I had counted correctly.


    Claws propped it up, I could see them where the door would be. It was as tall as the building would''ve been if it had been whole. Its big head was about sixteen feet up. Even with the power dulling my emotions, it gave me pause and I looked in wonder at such a thing.


    "It should be raining right now, maybe a little bit dark, too?"


    I threw my spear slanted upwards, through its skull. I had aimed so it would land to the west-north-west and far away from the fishermen''s fleet in the opposite direction.


    Bones cracked when it turned its head too quickly; probably breaking a few in the process. It looked to me, with the hole already half closed. Starring for a time, and charging. The wood was decayed, and the building shattered and left sawdust to be pulled along as it moved.


    A clawed hand blocked out the sun. It brought down a blow that sent me half a foot deep through tar to the white soil beneath it. My arms were crossed into a guard, which shattered under the pressing force.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Another hand chopped me across the waist, sending me flying for a hundred feet and onto a sidewalk. I heard it run across the pavement, and by the time I had looked up, it stood over me. The other limbs were anchors, both that were thrown back, caused its body to grow taut. The muscles were oddly shaped, and the body reminded me of a wolf, with too many limbs and odd hands to boot.


    I rolled to the right, but the blow-back from his attack had picked me up, sending me flying, again. This time, with pavement, concrete, and sand. All of this was enough for me to become a mason. I caught myself this time on both feet.


    The first blow had caused me to activate my powers in their entirety. He came up quicker this time, but with the boost, he seemed to meander in my vision.


    His palms were wide open, he swung a pair from the left. They would hit hard, but his palms were wide and slowed by the air. I stepped away from both and countered with a right; which twisted his head until I heard it snap.


    The head kept spinning and righted itself to stare at me. He swung from below nest. I stepped back and avoided it, and when it pursued, gave a booted front to the white bone face.


    The spinal cord compressed as the kick stopped it dead. I connected with a spin kick, catching the thing firmly with my shin, which sent him through two buildings. Both of which fell, the last, on top of him. Because we were near the sea it was a little windy, so the sawdust, of the fallen buildings, were caught into the rims of my goggles.


    A flame streaked across the sky. Stopping above the creature''s landing point and let down a plume of orange-red flame.


    Sawdust and small clumps of wood were burned into embers and the remains of my shirt were burned away.


    ''Firebreather.''