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Warning As with my previous stories, this one contains several elements inherent to a break with social normities. These include, but are not limited to: Diapers and their usage for their intended purpose Non-consensual mental regression through various means (Including possible drugs, hypnosis, and/or surgery) References to surgery to achieve various nefarious goals Humiliation Punishments (often unfair, degrading, and/or humiliating) Coerced or manipulated actions through possible means of white lies, gas lighting, or incentives Mild language or use of expletives Depictions of death, illness, or handicaps Political themes associated with revolutions or desires of change or freedoms Literal age regression Depictions of younger children and babies (formerly adults) Graphic imagery associated with any of these warnings This story has not been labeled as mature, due to a lack of specific acts to anything overtly sexual; however, some fetishes maybe touched on in this story more than my previous ones. Still, as usual, this warning serves as a 'turn back' point for any readers who do not wish to read about the previous warnings. Lastly, this list here is subject to change during the course of writing this story. While most of the plot is ironed out, more warnings may be warranted later if needed (though may not be added). If I deem any chapters to be too ‘triggering,’ I will issue another separate warning beforehand. Hey everyone and welcome back! It's almost been a month since I lasted posted regularly with my previous story, and it's definitely been an interesting start to the year so far. Can't say I'm a fan of everything going on, but this story has been a nice place to find some refuge. Also... I swear that I really will get around to updating the DD Reference Guide. May is way too long. Now, as per your previous polling, this story won out over the other two. So far, it’s about 22 chapters total, but this might be subject to change. I need to see how a few things play out after I‘ve fully written and edited a few critical chapters that may need more room to breathe so to speak. As such, it very well could be more. Additionally, I don’t see my work backing down at all and I do have a few trips planned out coming up here, so I will try my best to commit again to at least three chapters a week. More could drop occasionally, especially with some of these chapters having already been written out, but I can’t commit to that fully at this point. Looking ahead, as usual, I will post another poll with three stories in the mix for my next story in chapter two. There are a few things going on this weekend that could delay this but I’m hoping to post chapter 2 by Monday night at the very latest. Last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of this next story of mine! Chapter 1: Breaking News! It was just like any other spring day in April. The flowers were beginning to pop out and a nice gentle breeze occasionally wafted through the already warming days. Pollen was on its way in large numbers, and I knew I would soon be able to put away even my lighter jacket from my list of things I carried with me outside of the house daily. Nearby, green stems of the plants ready to bloom soon were further signs that change and the truly warmer months were on their way. Being a Sunday, I was well on my way over to joining my parents, and my younger brother and sister for our weekly family dinner. None of us were truly the best communicators out there, so starting when I went away to college, we all at least attempted to attend a regular family meal to keep everyone in the loop on each other’s lives. Journeying from my apartment on the other side of the city, I usually took the freeway that curved around the south side of the main downtown area, but some kind of accident forced me onto the main city streets today instead. Listening to my classic rock station, as soon as I began to pass by some of the taller skyscrapers, my radio suddenly sputtered and crackled. “We pause your regular scheduled program today to bring you an emergency news report. Residents of major cities are advised to avoid downtown areas if all possible,” the almost electronic voice sounded out. I rolled my eyes, seeing the tall skyscrapers starting to grow in numbers and height all around me. Not the largest city in the country, but definitely a major one. “Great… now you tell me… where were you five minutes ago?” The classic rock station then resumed, but despite the heavy bass and solid drum beat echoing in my car once again, I simply couldn’t get my mind off what I had just heard. The last time an announcement like that had been made, the president was in town for some political rally, and the time before that was because of some high terror alert made from some terrorist group. Not hearing of the president or any other celebrity coming into the city today, my hands grew sweaty on the wheel as my mind reeled with the possibili… “Hey!” a voice shouted out in front of me. I immediately hit my breaks and popped out of my own thoughts long enough to see a police officer only about a foot away from the front of my car. Visibly angry, they marched right over to my window and gestured abruptly for me to roll it down, which I did promptly. “Didn’t you hear me before? Didn’t you see me waving at you for you to stop and go the other way?” “No…,” I admitted. “I’m sorry officer. I just heard on the radio about not coming downtown and I was thinking about what… it… could…” I stopped as my eyes drifted just beyond the officer and to the several other police swarming the main downtown area. The once pristine and normally peaceful park at this time on a Sunday just outside of city hall was now littered with dozens of military men and even more police… all setting up barricades or patrolling around… each seemingly ready to react to something. “Uh… the president wouldn’t happen to be coming here today, right?” While looking a little annoyed still, the officer saw where I was looking and then eased up a bit and sighed as she moved a stray hair of her back behind her ear. “No, sir. A fringe group posted a video on their website this morning threatening several major city centers with a demonstration of some kind. Government agencies have listed the threat as credible, so we’re rerouting all traffic coming through here over to West E Street. You know where that is from here?” I nodded. “Local and all, so yes. That’s just two turns away from this intersection up ahead or the one just behind me now.” “Very good, sir,” she said, her face now looking more apprehensive than angry or even annoyed now. “Please reroute over that way with the intersection behind you. There will be signs taking you all the way… just in case.” I nodded again. “Thank you, officer. I’ll get a move on right now…” Without rolling my window back up, I started turning my car wheel to the right to eventually make my U-turn and then get over to West E Street as instructed. Before I could make a full rotation though, the police officer came back to my window “Oh, and sir?” I stopped turning my wheel as the officer clearly forgot to mention something important. “I advise you go to your destination and stay there for a while this afternoon. Your own residence, a friend or a family member would be best… especially away from the city if possible… understand?” “Thank you, officer… just heading over to my family’s house now actually. Over in the Eastern Hills district,” I clarified. About 60% of the neighborhood had a good view of the city, even with all the trees now, but it was still considered outside the main boundary of the city. “Very good, sir,” she said, looking a little relieved. “On your way then.” Her smile put me at ease, but her underlying show of relief and all the other precautions I was now seeing to my rear back in the main part of downtown did not. Still, I drove off, and sure enough, a myriad of signs directed me right over to West E Street, which all then directed me to the beltway. Fortunately, the radio message seemed to do the trick and as I tracked over to my parents’ house, the roads started to become significantly emptier. Eventually pulling up to the house though, I could see my mom pacing back and forth on the front porch, clearly worried that I hadn’t arrived at my usual time. “And just where have you been?” she asked, flipping to me quickly, allowing her hair with her slightly graying roots to flap about in the air. It was always nice to see her and the rest of my family each Sunday, but unfortunately, her tone told me she was both nervous and frustrated with my tardiness. “Sorry… had to take a detour getting over here,” I noted. I guessed her real source of distress was hearing about the warning to stay away from the downtown area, but knowing her, I didn’t want her to worry needlessly about my safety in confirming that I had literally just come from there. She glared at me, but then just waved me inside. “Fine, fine. You should account for all that before you leave, but…” She then sighed and shook her head, seemingly letting my tardiness go. “Just… come inside, Pete. Dinner’s almost ready and the rest of your siblings are already here.” Locking my car door, I nodded and headed inside without further comment. Almost immediately, Amanda ran up to me and did her best to jump into my arms. My younger sister had been a bit of a whoops with my parents, now clocking in at 4 years old, compared to my younger brother Lucas’ 22 and my 28. “Petey!” she squealed. “Youwe here!” I smiled and nodded before nuzzling my nose into hers. “That’s right you little munchkin! All the traffic in the world couldn’t keep me away from my favorite sister!” She giggled in my arms, appreciating my affection and being known as ‘the favorite’ of anything. “She is your only though…” Amanda and I stopped and looked over at our sullen brother, Lucas. Freshly returned from his relatively nearby university for our dinner only and entering his master’s program this year for engineering, the burden of his work had made him surly and had rubbed off the more playful edge he had when he had first left for college. I missed the kid who used to beg me to play tag with him sometimes… “Well… looks like the party pooper is here and in usual form, right sis?” Amanda nodded, likely just to his label as a ‘party pooper,’ and pouted in his direction. Noticing, I couldn’t help but crack a small grin at her tiny fierceness against my brother. “Oops. Looks like you made her mad, bro. I think someone needs to say sorry, huh? What do you think, nugget?” Again, Amanda pouted, even crossing her arms this time, and nodded defiantly. Lucas rolled his eyes but ultimately relented and came over to give us both a hug. Being the older brother of the two, I felt it was my responsibility to keep them civil whenever I could… even if that meant putting my foot down occasionally. Mom and dad did a pretty good job themselves at keeping the order between us, but busy with dinner preparations tonight and at other times, I took over that role nearly seamlessly. “Kids! Dinner’s on!” a voice thundered from inside the house. Unmistakably our dads, his voice was pleasant but overall commanding. It meant get in the kitchen now and don’t dawdle or risk incurring your mom’s wrath over a potentially cold meal. So, scrambling apart, I set Amanda down, and the three of us darted into the kitchen without delay. Quickly serving their own plates, my mom helping Amanda out first before helping her into her booster chair and my brother piling the Bolognese high on his plate, my dad looked at me with a single raised graying eyebrow, his forehead wrinkling precipitously as he did so. “You avoided the car accident on 62 and went downtown, didn’t you? Your… detour, huh?” I sighed and nodded, knowing I could never keep a secret from the man in my life. He just had one of those uncanny knacks of being able to figure out the truth and know it before anyone else. Lucas and I still wondered if his old government job was really a cover for him being a secret agent or something and that’s where he had learned his skills at… but we had never dared to ask him. Still, regardless of how he got them, I didn’t want everyone to know about the little secret he had just pulled out about me and where I had really been today. “Don’t tell the others, please, Dad?” My dad smirked and then quickly shook his head. “I might be an adrenaline junky still, Pete, but I’m not crazy. If your mom knew… whew! She’d find some way to make sure you never drove over here again, or at the very least… find some way to make sure you checked in with her every five or ten minutes in coming over here for the future. So, no. I won’t tell her. I don’t think either of us want to see her like that, right?” I rolled my eyes, but I knew he wasn’t kidding about what she would do. “Right but… ugh! She’s just so…” My dad smirked and nodded his head. “Yeah, but give her some slack. She means well and all. Just wants you kids to be safe… her mother hen instinct is all. Can’t blame her for that…” I shook my head and that was that. Some might have considered that a lie of omission with my mom, but I still had made it here in one piece and dwelling on it anymore would have just been a waste. Serving my own meal, I quickly took a seat in between Amanda and Lucas, still sensing the tension and prickly demeanor between the two. Lucas was a man of science and numbers. Everything was a calculation to him, while Amanda was still at the age where magic was real, and everything could be solved with a good hug or a kiss. Unfortunately, Lucas was short on both lately. Still, the weekly family dinner proceeded as usual and seemed liked a pleasant exchange of the latest news from each of us. Lucas was having problems with one of his professors while Amanda had a sudden aversion to broccoli. Dad was settling into his new position as the head of a security company and mom was doing her best to close a deal on a particular lavish house in an up-and-coming neighborhood located just north of the city. Finally, though, the conversation turned to me, and I could almost predict the first question coming from my mom. “So, Pete… no Molly today?” she asked innocuously, but probingly. “Did you two…?” She didn’t finish her question, but the implication was clear about my current girlfriend. “No, mom. We didn’t break up. She’s just traveling right now for her job. Some photo shoot up in the mountains for the magazine.” My mom nodded and accepted the answer, but I could still see her hesitation about Molly… the same she had harbored when I first introduced her to my family a few months back now. I felt great about her and that our relationship was moving right along, but my mom thought she was too flaky or some nonsense like that. Annoying, but still, my mom had the decency to not interfere with our relationship or pick it apart… unlike two girlfriends ago that is. The conversation then moved on to discussing the future as usual, but about halfway through discussing our summer beach trip, my mom stopped and glared at my dad. “Honey… do you really need to keep the TV on in the other room? It’s very distracting right now. I don’t think we need to be listening to commercials about a deal for some half-priced pizza.” “Half priced?” Lucas perked up. My dad grumbled though, and Lucas resigned himself back in his seat, though I could still see his mind was racing on a deal like that. Turning his attention back to my mom next, our dad cleared his throat first. “Well… I think we need to keep it on. There’s problems out there, babe, and we need to be prepared.” He paused and momentarily gulped. “Uh, if it makes you feel better though, I can turn it down if you…” “No,” my mom quickly voiced. She was clearly annoyed with the TV, but she knew an unwinnable argument when she heard one. In this case it was her own comfort weighed against the safety of the family, and safety always seemed to win out in her book. “Keep it on. We need to hear if there’s an announcement…” The tension lingering in the air a little still though, my mom especially hating to back down from any argument, no one spoke for at least the next few minutes. Wanting to bring back the smiles however, I remembered a joke I had heard from one of my coworkers in the office just last week. “Hey… what kind of cheese do they eat on Sesame Street?” The mere mention of the show’s name made Amanda perk up and Lucas sigh while he rolled his eyes. He knew the set up of a ‘dad’ joke when he heard one. “I don’t know,” my dad responded, being at least a good sport about it. “What?” A cracked a tiny smile. “Cookie Muenster,” I said, even using the character’s voice for the punch line. Amanda laughed, but probably more from my silly voice than the actual joke itself. “Oh, god… really, Pete?” Lucas groaned. I only shrugged back. Corny, yes, but also effective. It was just enough to get a few other jokes going around the table, and gratefully, everyone out of their previous funk. “Okay… how about this one…” my mom finally piped up, joining in. “What bird leads the orchestra?” Lucas scratched his head, and I leaned forward to think about it. “I dunno… what, mommy?” Amanda questioned first though. “Well, I’ll tell you,” our mom said after a second, looking around the room yet likely seeing the rest of her family stumped. “The…” Before she could respond, a high-pitched beeping started to go off. Looking around the table at my stunned family for a moment, likely as a result of the stark realization over the noise, we all got up and quickly ran to the living room to confirm our fears. ‘Breaking News!’ The television screen flashed the message prominently, and the high-pitched beeping noise was replaced by a loud, long beep that then echoed throughout the family room. Amanda quickly put her hands over her ears and started screaming. My mom, seeing her distress and wincing a little over the alarm herself, quickly went over to pick her up and comfort her. “Does it have to be so loud?” Lucas then asked, his own hands going up to cover his ears. Instead of the pain that our mom and Amanda were showing, his was more of one of annoyance. Our dad nodded. “It’s important,” he said, his voice cresting just slightly over the incessant alarm sound. “It’s a one size fits all. When your mom and I were younger, they used a similar one to announce about a nuclear bomb. Tested them all the time and we all had to practice those drills in case one ever went off.” He smiled triumphantly, but none of the rest of us were smiling though. Realizing what he had just done, his face quickly turned to panic, and he tried to fix his glaring mistake… but it was too late. “Wait! Nuclear bomb? Is that what’s happening?” Lucas asked, now panicking more than ever, his usual calculating demeanor temporarily going right out the proverbial window. Not sure what was happening myself, I could feel my heartbeat begin to increase as well. “No, no!” our dad tried to retract, our mom slightly giving him the stink eye as well over his grievous error. “It’s just one thing of many that they use the alarm for… I’m sure that everything is alright and that we’ll be perfectly safe here in our…” Before I could step in to bail the poor guy out, the TV screen flashed a few times and switched to a large group of people huddled around a podium at the front of the room with the presidential seal clearly displayed on the front. A large balding man then stepped up to the microphone and began to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, twenty minutes ago, the president announced he was declaring a national emergency. A domestic terrorist group, known simply as ’87, named for the year the constitution was written, stole and threatened the release of a potentially dangerous virus this morning. I regret to inform you that they have now acted and have begun releasing this virus across the nation in a series of unprovoked and unwarranted attacks. Shortly, the president will address the nation. For now, we encourage the public, especially in or near city centers, to stay inside.” I watched my family react to the unfolding events in various ways. My dad was as stoic as ever, having worked for the government for years, yet I could still see the ounce of fear behind his focused eyes that now replaced his previous one of panic. Conversely, Lucas was panicking even more now in his own unique way that he had picked up back in middle school. Small, twitchy finger movements and darting eyes made him appear to be calculating the net worth of everyone on the planet and every possible outcome ever conceived, but I knew he was just trying to rationalize inside his own head about what was going on. Our mom seemed frightened and shocked, and limply held her right hand over her mouth, as if about to muffle a scream. Having sat her down during the announcement, her left hand tightened around Amanda’s, which to her credit and without the alarm anymore, seemed the calmest of everyone. I suppose it’s true that ignorance is bliss… Looking back at the screen, it first noted that the president would soon be on to address the nation and secondly that ‘We ask the nation to remain calm, as your government tries to prevent or, in some cases, respond to these attacks. More information will be broadcasted to your local news stations as to what you should do now and if there are any further effects or attacks you need to be aware of.’ The screen beeped along for about another minute but then flashed again and switched to a local news channel where a nervous looking anchorman and woman were perched behind a desk. “That was just the Secretary of Health, joined by members of the FBI, CDC, and NIH. To reiterate, the president has now declared a national emergency and will address the nation within the next few hours. God help us all…” As opposed to my nervous family, I simply sat in my recliner chair and numbly thought about all the implications of what I was now seeing. I thought about Molly, all tucked away in her mountain retreat taking photos of birds or models or whatever else the magazine she worked for wanted. Not being outdoorsy in the least, I teased her that she would never last up there in the mountains, but now, she was seeming like the safer one of the two of us now. Looking back up from my thoughts, my family each stood in stunned silence. There had been some outbreaks and terrorist attacks in recent years, so some of the news felt familiar, but looking back to the TV, I knew that something about all this was just different this time. The news anchors around here had always seemed steadfast or sometimes even saddened, but never truly panicked. Despite such a human response, it was unsettling to see them fumbling through the papers in their hands, as they continued to break the story as it unfolded. One by one, more cities were now listed amongst those attacked. “Oh god… Houston now as well,” the anchorwoman said, reading the prompter and occasional pressing her fingers to the earpiece feeding her live updates. Having transferred from there last year, I could just make out the tears forming in her eyes… likely thinking of all her old coworkers now being affected by whatever was happening to these affected cities. “It will be okay, Sally,” the anchorman said, clearly trying to calm his coworker down. “Just focus on the news and…” It was now his turn to press the earpiece further to listen to the next update. “This just in… government authorities are now considering placing the entire country under Martial Law until this crisis is resolved and the perpetrators are taken into custody. There seems to be some kind of interference and loss of signal wherever these terrorist devices are going off… but we’ll bring you every update that we can. For now, we ask that you please do not provoke the authorities and remain in your homes…” Suddenly, a flash of orange burst outside, contrasting heavily against the pale blue sky. The TV still ran, but now panicking and likely fearing the worst, my dad went into survival mode. “Quickly! Get down and cover your heads!” Everyone ducked and took cover… well, everyone except me. Stupid, maybe… but I loved war movies. My dad introduced to them me when I was far too young, at least according to my mom, but nuclear bombs were commonplace in several of them. As such, I knew that they released an EMP… which meant no electricity, and no TV. Now seeing a positively ghostly figure of both anchors, their lights flickered briefly on the screen, but the program remained on. “Pete!” my mom screeched, temporarily looking up from her own cover to make sure that the rest of her family was safe. “Get down!” I shook my head. “It’s okay, mom. It’s not a nuclear bomb or anything. The TV would have gone off.” I then gestured to the screen, still brightly lit. “See?” My dad, getting up after placing his own body over my mom and Amanda, looked up as well. His instincts were more of fight or flight but looking around and seeing none of the disruptions I was insisting about, relief washed over his face. “He’s right, Karen. There would’ve been more if it was a bomb like that.” Helping both her and my sister up before Lucas, I could still sense his caution though. “Then what did we just see, Gregg?” she asked, her panic still hanging around her densely. “What was that flash? If it wasn’t a nuclear bomb going off then wha…?” She didn’t get to finish her question. Before she could, the house shook terribly, like it was being hit by some kind of vibrational wave. Harkening back to those war movies, it usually only meant one thing when accompanied by a flash. Maybe not nuclear, but there had been an explosion of some kind. “What was that?” my mom asked, her panic increasing even more now as she clung to my sister. For her part, Amanda was now clinging tightly back. Lucas just looked stunned and confused. “I don’t know,” my dad admitted. “Just stay inside and don’t panic or an…” Right then, loud machines began to echo from the outside and I couldn’t even hear more of what the anchors were saying anymore. Picture frames and vases began to tremble from whatever was happening outside. It was hard to miss and everyone, even my sister now, was looking to the front bay window looking out toward the street where we had initially seen the orange flash. With the recent growths in the trees though, the downtown area beyond and most of the sky could just be made out. Dust of some kind seemed to be swirling around the whole area, but I couldn’t make it out further. So, curiosity getting the better of me, I bolted to the front door. “Peter!” my mom shouted out to me, now using my full first name. Serious, but if I lived here still, I knew it meant I was only flirting with danger and a possible punishment. “Get back here this instant. They said not to go outside still!” I heard her, but it was too late for me to turn back now. I was too curious by then and the fluttering and rumbling all about the living room wasn’t helping either. My hand already at the doorknob, I simply twisted, pushed, and then exited the red-painted front door of my childhood home. What I saw, I guess I should have expected from the news, but I was still unprepared for it. I was immediately greeted by dozens of scurrying soldiers being offloaded by a parade of trucks and even a single Humvee driving up our street as well. Our house and neighborhood being perched on a large hill that overlooked much of the city and corresponding valley suburbs around it, I was finally able to get a good view of the whole situation. Normally, it was the perfect place for sunsets and to watch the storms roll in, but now, it gave only an ungodly view of the thundering group of helicopters and jets flying by and then surrounding several of the visible homes and nearby skyscrapers downtown. It appeared like every end scene of the world or wartime invasion film I had ever watched. Worse though, it reminded me too much of some of the conflicts that Molly had taken pictures of overseas and showed me afterward. But those places were at war… ‘Were we at war now as well?’ I wasn’t sure, but a few of the military leaders barking out orders to their men quickly took my mind off it. Knowing Molly would never forgive me if I didn’t capture at least a little of the action, I pulled out my smartphone and took a few pictures of everything unfolding around me. After snapping a few choice shots, I noticed the soldiers seemed distracted, and the loud humming and rumblings of the tanks and nearby helicopters drowned out any other sounds around me. My curiosity only intensifying, I stepped off the front porch and began walking towards the soldiers to ask what was going on. Each soldier was staring at downtown and toward one of local mountain ranges nearby. I hiked there several weekends during my time off and never could get enough of the views from one of the observation towers they had added up there in the 1930s. Now, I had to imagine the view was quite different. Right as I got up to them though, they all began to move out. Now invested and even more curious, I continued walking with the soldiers until I got to the end of the block. They seemed far too distracted to notice me, but as soon as the column stopped, another group of soldiers finally spotted me and began shouting. “Get him! Get him back inside now!” Realizing I had made a huge mistake of even coming out here, I raised my hands and tried to quickly walk backwards and back to my parents’ house. I started to move even faster when they started pointing their guns at me. I guess that wasn’t even fast enough, as soon, a sergeant broke off and pointed at me in annoyance. “You! Get back inside now. Don’t you know there’s a national emergency in effect right now? Or that Martial Law is going to be called into play any second now? Don’t you know what’s happened today?” Weighing my options, I decided to play dumb. Martial Law had never been put into effect during my lifetime around here, so it was at least somewhat plausible, even though I knew that it had meant to stay indoors as just one of its stipulations. “I heard that, but I’m not sure what it is or what I should even do. Do you know?” The sergeant groaned and then pointed his weapon back up the hill from where I had just come from. “It means get back inside now and not asking any more questions. Got it?” “Yes, sir!” From my dad’s experience and stories with them in his old job, I knew to not mess with any soldiers when they were on a mission or given direct orders. Giving them signs of respect or following their commands may have cut my investigation short and I could miss out on some extra photos of history in the making, but I wasn’t stupid. Seeing even their panic, I knew this was not the time to argue. “I’m going back home right…” “There’s another! There’s another!” a solider shouted. “Look!” Another flash of orange lit up the sky, but now being outside and away from some of the trees, I was seeing everything in real time now. A large, thunderous concussive explosion then went off and both the sergeant and I looked to the source of it. Due to my neighborhood’s perfect positioning up on the hill in the suburbs yet still being close enough to the city, it took only a few seconds for us to spot a second, but this time, much larger plume of orange smoke quickly covering the whole downtown area now. It swirled and puffed around the glass and steel giants and seemed to emanate from one of the taller buildings we could still see from here. By the second it seemed though, the whole of the city seemed to be swallowed up in this strange new mist. Looking back over, the sergeant looked panicked for a moment of sheer terror, but as the orange mist began to swirl and then cascade with the wind right toward us, he seemed to come to his senses. “Gas! Gas!” he yelled while simultaneously uncasing a gas mask from on his person around his belt. The nearby soldiers I had been following previously began furiously tearing out their own gas masks from hanging bags on their gear. It was tremendous commotion, but within a minute, each soldier had been masked and gowned to the point where not a single centimeter of their skin was showing. I stood there dumbstruck but realizing what I was witnessing, I managed to capture a few shots of them in the chaos, not wanting to miss this opportunity. But the sergeant, now gowned and masked as well, saw me still standing in the street and marched right over to me. “You! Get out of here. Now! Run as fast as you can into your home! Go while you still can!” I quickly deduced from his panic and the soldiers’ suits and masks that they knew more than the general public. Further, what they knew seemed to imply that whatever the orange mist was, was also likely deadly or hazardous in some way that I didn’t want to find out. Remembering back, the news did state that the ’87 group had stolen some kind of ‘dangerous virus,’ but only the depths of my late-night horror movie watching binges could comprehend or imagine what that meant precisely. Snapped out of my curiosity and reverting to sheer panic now, I began to turn to head home. Seconds and only a couple of steps later though, the spring breezes picked up and I smelled something almost sweet. Citrus maybe… I wasn’t sure, but I had to see where it was coming from. Turning around, to my horror, a large dust cloud of a reddish and orange hue lingered in the air only blocks away now. Seeing the giant cloud forming, the sergeant turned back to me. “Run! Run!” he called out to me again, this time the panic thick in his slightly muffled voice from the gas mask he now wore. Finally understanding the seriousness of it all, I panicked and tried to run as fast as I could, but luck was not on my side today it seemed. After only a few paces, I tripped on a piece of uneven sidewalk and fell face first onto the pavement. Before I had a moment to think, I was being pulled up by an unknown force. I could only hope that I wasn’t totally screwed now, but I soon began to see small whisps of the gas starting to creep around me like long tentacles from a monstrous kraken of some kind. It seemed to spell my doom, though I was pleasantly surprised that once it touched my skin, I felt no pain. No blisters or even a sting of any kind. It only seemed to almost be magnetized to my skin and even a tingle, but a shake from whoever pulled me up, knocked my fascination away. “You! You idiot!” the sergeant yelled, keeping my limp body aloft still. “This is why we said to stay indoors! The ’87 group planted multiple devices beforehand and another one just went off!” I knew he was right, but I was grateful that he at least still seemed to care for my well-being, despite my massive idiotic curiosity. His kindness, or at least decency showed further when he even handed me a mask. I immediately put it on, though I noticed the orange mist still followed and curled around my arms and a tiny trickle of blood now remained on my hands. I only saw both events for a moment, but it was still enough for me to panic. “Which one?” he asked gruffly as we finally reached the top of the hill. I pointed ahead to my parents’ home, where I then noticed two figures with cloths over their mouths were frantically running around and yelling. What’s more… they were yelling my name. The mist hadn’t touched them yet, but it was getting close and seemed to follow close behind us now, seemingly having difficulty making the climb up the hill. “Pete!” the woman yelled, who after running closer, I recognized as my mom. “Is he yours?” the sergeant asked, almost seeming disgusted as he gestured toward me. “Yes” my mom answered. “Thank you so much, sergeant.” My dad working for the government over the years had introduced my mom to several military men and women and she quickly made it a task for herself to memorize all the insignia and ranks in all the branches of service. “Just doing my job ma’am. But now… get inside. All of you!” My dad jogged up and joined us before pulling my mom and I back up to the porch. Looking back briefly, I wondered if the sergeant knew something more about this gas than he wasn’t letting on. Looking at my arm, it had touched me and yet I wasn’t blistered or even burned, but at the same time, every facet of the sergeant and his tone seemed to imply the inherent danger of the gas still. “Go inside, now! Take a shower immediately. Stay indoors and wait for further instructions. Hurry!” My mom and dad gripped my arms and guided me quickly inside. I momentarily felt faint, but the sensation passed once I was safely inside, and the door slammed shut. “Geez, Pete,” my dad said with annoyance once we were firmly indoors and with the door shut. Nearby, Lucas was huddled on the couch with Amanda wrapped tightly in his arms. “You just had to go outside and… let me guess. You just had to satisfy your curiosity… again, right?” Knowing he was probably thinking back to that one trip to the aquarium where I nearly fell into the tank of sharks when I was too curious then, like he always did, I once again just nodded sheepishly while I took off the mask the sergeant had given me. Despite the reason why I even had to wear a mask, it was nice to breathe in the air inside again, especially now that the mist had reached outside of our house. Curiously though, I noticed that the blood that had previously been on my face from my fall, had now vanished. “Hard to miss the event of the decade,” I replied casually. “I mean, you’re probably going to remember this day forever. Right, Lucas?” Lucas rolled his eyes and turned away from the TV briefly. “Sure, whatever, Pete. You put yourself and our parents at risk while I stayed here. Look, I can even still be informed inside and even know more than you do.” He then gestured toward the T.V., which was still blaring a ‘Breaking News!’ alert across the ribbon at the bottom of the screen. Further, new photographs and shaky camera footage was now being shown of the orange mist in several cities across the country. One by one, it seemed that somehow, most major population centers had been hit by the orange bombs and gas. “We’re not fully sure what this orange mist is,” the anchorman admitted, “but we are being informed by direct communication with the government that all citizens should avoid contact as much as possible. While not deadly, government officials have noted that the substance can be both ‘toxic’ and ‘hazardous.’” “That’s right,” the anchorwoman continued. “We have been informed that though the gas being released is not harmful to the skin, there are yet unidentified long-term effects which may occur soon after contact. If coming into contact at all, we recommend an immediate shower.” “I just hope these masks worked at least a little bit,” my dad said, removing his medical grade mask covering. He had bought it when his work took him to China last year and they were experiencing some type of mass outbreak of the flu. My mom had insisted, and my dad put up no resistance to her demands; none of us ever really did. “I hope so, Gregg,” my mom wished as she pulled her mask off as well. Sighing deeply, I saw Amanda quickly take notice of our mom’s distress. “You okay, mommy?” she asked, now pulling away from Lucas and gazing up at our mom in both fear and curiosity. Clearly worried and maybe even a little exhausted, our mom smiled down sweetly at her. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just had to go get your brother. Speaking of which…” my mom then almost snapped to now face me head on. “I’m pretty sure that sergeant outside and even the new anchor said to go shower once we were inside. So, you better hurry it up and go shower immediately, Peter Crichton… or else.” ‘Oops. I’m in trouble now…’ Not my full name quite yet, but full first and last name wasn’t a good sign either couple with the tiny threat of ‘or else’ as well. I was in her crosshairs now, so not wanting to add to her stress further today, I merely saluted and ran off to go shower as ordered. The hot water and intense scrubbing felt nice, but my mind still swirled around what the orange mist even was. Regardless, utilizing the clothes I kept here in my ‘just in case’ bag, I was quickly redressed and joined my now huddled family on the couch. With my dad now in the master bathroom showering, leaving Lucas in his usual spot and my freshly showered mom as well sitting on the couch with Amanda napping beside her. Soldiers still occasionally walked the streets outside clad in their biohazard suits and masks, despite the orange mist having largely dissipated by now. If anything, though, helicopters only seemed to have increased their presence. Sighing at the whole scene and the unfolding news of panic all around the country, I sat back in the other single chair in the room and looked over at my family. With Lucas’ pensive stare and my mom’s worried one, looking down, I couldn’t help but slightly envy my little sister. Despite her reliance on my parents and her lack of freedoms, I did wish I could enjoy just a small part of the same obliviousness that she obviously had. Without a doubt, the country had been attacked and streets that should have been filled with Sunday afternoon traffic, were now only littered with military force. For her though, sleep mattered more. Amanda, my dad, and I could sleep through anything, but I doubt I could simply fall asleep so soundly through all of what was going on like she was now. News footage was as grim as ever with residents of cities across the country panicking and getting blasted by the orange mists. A lot of them seemed kind of young, but I simply passed it off as unruly teenagers or people with curiosity like me ignoring the orders to stay indoors. ‘I really hope I don’t live to regret that decision…’ Suddenly, anchorman stopped the anchorwoman as he put his finger to his earpiece once more. “Yes… yes…” He removed his hand and first faced his co-anchor right as my dad walked back into the room, his hair still damp from his own shower. “Sorry, Sally… but I’ve just been informed that the president will now address the nation. We go to his office live now.” The TV switched to shot of the president of the country, sitting behind his desk in his office. The just graying figure looked at the camera with a grim but determined face. “My fellow countrymen… it is unknown what the long-term effects of this mist could be but rest assured that your government will offer the needed support and guidance in the coming days to overcome this historic but tragic day.” Practiced as ever, President Walker showed just enough emotion to show his humanity while coupled with just enough strength though to show that he wouldn’t take this attack lightly. “These are unprecedented times, and I have decided to declare Martial Law. So, for those not already, it is the policy of this nation now for all residents to remain in their homes for the remainder of the night. For those still in offices, stores, or other places than their homes, we encourage you to stay where you are. Military efforts are being utilized to move you safely to your destinations until the air has been deemed safe by CDC officials. I’m not sure what today will come to mean, but I as your president will be staying with you all throughout this ordeal. Thank you and I wish you all a sincere good night and good luck.” Sighing, and not knowing what the future would hold, I stood up and then walked over to the bay window. Peering out and viewing my watch, I saw that I would usually be going home in the next hour or so. Seeing the shrouded city bustling with helicopters still, however, I knew ‘usually’ wasn’t going to be a very common word for a while in any of our lives. Further, hearing the president declare Martial Law, I also knew I would be staying at my parents at least for tonight whether I wanted to or not. I hoped it wouldn’t be too long, but another soldier marching down the sidewalk made me think twice about that hope. “Hey mom?” Sighing, she looked back over at me. Not sure what else to do but hoping to end the day on at least one good note, I knew what I had to ask. “What kind of bird does the orchestra?” Smiling, she nodded right as Amanda stirred awake… almost like she was just as curious to hear the answer herself. “Well… it’s a conDUCKtor.” Normally, we might have all groaned, but tonight, each of us let out a tiny chuckle. For such a bleak afternoon, it was a tiny ray of light. Not sure what was next in all this mess, I knew those moments would become even more precious. I’m not sure why, but something told me that the orange mist released today, wouldn’t soon be gone out of our lives.

Here is the first chapter of my brand new story - Elysium! Just a heads up... the first chapter is kinda heavy. But it's needed. There will also be content warnings throughout the story, but I'll make sure to flag them whenever possible. Now... Elysium... This is what happens when I put a lot of myself into a story. Infernum and Arbitrio were the first ones where I put a lot of myself into it... but this one feels a lot more personal than any of my other stories, so I really hope you like it. It's also a lot longer than my usual stories (Probably aiming somewhere around the same length as Little in Love or Love in Dimensions). It's different in a lot of ways, so I hope you enjoy all the differences to my usual stories. I know this genre is a little overdone in our circles... but this is a story I needed to write. You'll see why as it goes on. Enjoy! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Especially when it comes to new stories! Chapter 1: The Edge Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess ------------------------------- Tw: Depression, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide ------------------------------- Just one more step. Just the tiniest bit of momentum. That was all that was needed. Was I being selfish doing this? Maybe. But it’s not like people will care for more than a week at most. They’ll get over the initial shock and go back to living their normal lives. I was always just a background character to their stories anyway. Always was. Always will be. At least since I lost Mum anyway. They’ll be like ‘Oh, did you hear about Noah? He jumped off the bridge and died. Such a shame. Had so much life to live.’ The same useless shit people say whenever someone dies. Everyone says the same rubbish especially whenever someone kills themself. That ‘they wish they had seen the signs’, ‘wish they had done something’, ‘they were struggling’, ‘at least they’re not suffering anymore’… and it’s all bullshit. They don’t care. They just feel bad that they didn’t give enough of a fuck about someone who was struggling to do anything before it was too late. It takes the tiniest amount of effort to reach out to someone struggling like this, but none of them can be bothered. I bet they’ll say the same things about me. But I think I gave them enough signs. If they can’t read them… that’s their fault. I pretty much plastered them on the walls in bright red paint in all caps… but they were still oblivious to the message. Even if they did read them though… At this point, when I’ve reached rock bottom… what could actually help me at this point? Therapy? Ha… sure… I’ve tried like four different therapists and not one of them could help me. Meds? Doc won’t prescribe anything else because nothing seems to be working. Mental hospital? I’d rather di-... yeah… that’s why I’m here on this ledge… I stared out at the empty road below. Thankfully… no traffic this late at night. No one’s oncoming car to accidentally fall onto. Which is good, because I already feel pretty fucking guilty for ruining the day of whoever finds me… But hey, at that point I won’t have to worry, I won’t be around. Part of me worried that maybe this isn’t high enough. Because I had heard somewhere that people had survived large drops… and if I do take that final step, I want it to be exactly that… final. I don’t want to survive it. That will just lead to… complications. Locked away for a while ‘for my own safety’. The thought of that sends a wave of terror through my whole body. One of my biggest fears is being locked away, unable to escape. It’s why I’ve put this off for so long. I could’ve attempted something before… but I was worried of failing and what would happen if I did so. But now I’ve reached absolute rock bottom and I’m like 99% sure I’m done with this life now. So as my foot hovered over the large drop in front of me, my hands tightly gripping the railing behind me, balancing precariously on the edge of the bridge… I tried to mentally prepare myself. It wasn’t too late to back down though. No one would know… it’s the dead of night. There are no cars, no people… it’s a quiet little English town after all. And I picked this spot in particular so that no one could stop me, that there would be no-one around to stop me. But if I backed out… I could just go home, and no one would have any knowledge of what I planned to do. Which means no-one is doing anything drastic to keep me safe that would end up with me getting much worse. No… I’m ready. I’ve contemplated this for years. Even before I lost my Mum in my teens. Even before I told my Dad about all that stuff… before he kicked me out. I was always depressed. Always wanted to stop existing. It was never a ‘I want to die’, it was more of a ‘I don’t want to exist’, or ‘wish I had never been born at all’. Now it’s different, of course, I mean it’s why I’m balancing here on the edge of a bridge. It wasn’t all bad though. I loved my childhood. Mum made it special. She was my support… my best friend. I loved her so fucking much. Then… she was just gone. Dead. And I was left with Dad. That’s when it all went downhill. Grades slipped, Dad got aggressive. Never violent, but definitely more aggressive. You could tell he didn’t love me the way Mum did. I was just this dumb kid of his, some failure of a son. And he loved to remind me. Then when I told him about all the things going on with my life… he reacted a lot worse than I’d hoped. Kicked me out. Haven’t talked to him in years, but hey, good riddance I say. Mum hated him anyway, it’s why they separated when I was very little. When I had to move in with Dad after Mum died… I think another little piece of my soul died. I’m still surprised I got into university despite all that. Barely scraped through too, earning myself a useless degree that may have actually hindered my job prospects afterwards. So my education was ruined, as was any job I worked after I left Uni, as were all my relationships. Relationships… Ugh, this is the worst timing for me doing this, isn’t it? So close after Abigail broke up with me. She’s… she’s going to blame herself for this. Sure, she broke my heart into a billion tiny pieces, but she didn’t push me over the edge. Even if she did turn all our friends against me. No, I was ready for this for a long time, even back when we were dating. I just didn’t want to hurt her. And now look at me… I liked her. A lot. But I was always holding myself back with her, keeping a large part of myself locked away in fear of how she’d react. Hell, pretty sure that’s part of the reason she broke up with me. She said I was always so ‘mopey’... which she’s not wrong about, but I think she knew I was bottling things up around her, keeping her from seeing what was going on with me. She always had this big plan. She wanted me to propose soon, then we would get married, have kids… typical heteronormative crap you see on TV, with me as the loving husband who comes home after a busy day at the office. White picket fence and all that. But I didn’t want that. Well no, that’s not entirely true, I like the idea of it… but it wasn’t… me. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m not even… No, but anyway, I wasn’t right for her, she deserves her dream. So I’m glad she broke up with me. She deserves better. I just hope she doesn’t blame herself for what I’m about to do. No. I’m ready. One final breath. One final step. One final thought. Better make it a good one. …Nope. Can’t think of anything. Mind is racing too much to pin a thought down. Ah well, go out the same way I came in, eh? And with that last deep breath, I released my tight grip on the guard rail, the blood rushing back into them after they had turned white just moments ago. Momentum took over. It was out of my hands now. A stillness radiated my entire body. I was ready. This was actually happening. This is it. “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YE’ DOING?” Something that felt like talons dug themselves into my shoulders, gripping tightly onto my shirt, and yanked me backwards back over the guard rail, tossing me like a ragdoll onto the pavement behind me. I crashed onto the pavement with my arse taking the brunt of the impact. Then my mind and thoughts rushed back, realising I wasn’t dead. “I…” Everything was spinning. I couldn’t focus or think. I had been at peace, ready to end it all, but then something, or someone, came along and literally yanked me from my fate, and now my mind was trying to catch up with my situation. “Hun… were you seriously about to do what I think you were about to do?” came a soothing voice, from who I assumed was the woman who just prevented me from doing something very stupid. At least I assumed it was a woman from what her voice sounded like, with the slightest twinge of a Scottish accent in there. Though it must have been some woman to have been able to throw me back over that guard rail… “I…” Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to admit the truth, lie, or simply just run away. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t focus. All I could hear was this soothing voice. So I couldn’t even put a face to it. “Sweetie… are you okay?” she said, crouching down in front of me. “I… umm… I’ll get back to you on that one…” I replied, finally managing a full sentence. “Hopefully sooner, rather than later… because you were one second from ending up as paste on the road below!” It was weird hearing such a lovely, almost maternal voice form such crude imagery, but it made me laugh a bit. “What’s so funny?” she asked. “Paste…” “Is your head okay? I didn’t knock it too hard, did I?” “No… I…” My vision started clearing as I looked up at who would normally be called a ‘saviour’ in this situation, though right now… I saw her as more of a hindrance to my overall goal. Freckles. That was the first thing I noticed. Well that and the very red hair. Like… proper ginger. She couldn’t look more stereotypically Scottish if she tried. Her voice definitely matched her appearance, dressed in jeans and a simple amethyst-coloured blouse under her black denim jacket. “Good. Because sometimes I don’t know my own strength. Now… are you going to tell me your name first?” “N… Noah.” “Well N-Noah,” she replied, imitating my stutter, “Care to tell me what you were about to do?” “I think that… is pretty obvious,” I replied, smiling awkwardly. “I guess it is. And why in the world would you do something like that?” “Because…” “‘Because’? Just ‘because’? Oh come on, sweetie… give me a better reason than that!” It was always hard to tell people this. To admit what I want. “I… want… I mean… I don’t want to be here anymore…” “And why is that? Did something happen?” “No. I mean yes. But I… I’ve been wanting this for a long time. Please. Just let me go. You shouldn’t stop me…” That’s when she took my hands into hers. “Sweetie, I’m not going to let you do anything drastic right now. You’re not in the best place, and I’m here to help, okay?” She sounded so… genuinely nice? Like sweetness personified. Even her words in her soft spoken accent made me instantly drop my guard around her. Which somewhat scared me… I nearly always have my guard up. “I… don’t think you can help.” “Try me.” “No. I… I don’t want…” “...To bother me? Shush. Now tell me, precious, what happened to cause such a little cutie like you to take the most drastic action he could possibly take?” I really don’t know what it is about this woman. She… she melts away whatever protection I had guarded myself with. Her voice, her mannerisms, that cute freckled face of hers… “Come on, petal…” “I… don’t even know your name…” “Ceres,” she replied, smiling down at me. “That’s a very… unique name.” “Well I’ll take that as a compliment then, but only because you’re cute,” as she said this, she sat down in front of me, not letting go of my hands as she parked herself on the cold pavement below. “I’m… not…” “Not cute? Lies. Look at you. I bet your girlfriend is all over you.” “D… don’t have one…” “You don’t? Well sorry, sweetie, but I find that hard to believe.” “I’m too depressed for her,” I replied, hanging my head in shame, trying to look anywhere but at her face. “Her? So there was someone? Is this what it’s all about?” “No. Yes. I mean… part of it.” “Then tell me more.” “It’s just… I’ve felt like this for a long time. Since…” “Since what?” “Since I lost my Mum,” I sighed. She went silent for a second. “Ah. Yes. I know how much that hurts. No Dad to help?” “No. He… didn’t like who I was growing up to be. I wasn’t his clone, so he didn’t care. I was always too much like my Mum.” She squeezed my hand, causing me to look up into her beautiful green eyes. “Oh sweetie. I understand your pain. But that doesn’t mean you go taking a step onto the motorway below like that. Are you in therapy? Missed your meds?” “None of it works. Tried it all.” She looked at me, no smile on her face anymore. As if she was trying really hard to read me. She was thinking about something, but I couldn’t even begin to guess what it was that was going on in that head of hers. “Right. Come on. Come with me.” Okay… I wasn’t expecting that. But hey, as long as she doesn’t call the police or for an ambulance… maybe I can get away with just slinking off home once she’s given me a talking to, and no-one in my life will be aware of what nearly went down tonight. “I… okay…” “Good boy. Let’s go sit on a bench and you can talk about what’s bothering you. Spare no details.” ------------------------------- “So depression, dead end job, no girlfriend, bad degree, shit dad, lost your Mum, facing homelessness, and nothing the doctors are trying is working? Is that everything?” “That… is pretty much it,” I replied, shrugging at her, not knowing what else to say. Ceres had found a nice little bench in the nearby park. It was just as dead as the bridge was, probably due to it being like… 3am. She had sat me down, wrapped her jacket around me (as I had been stupid enough to come out wearing just my t-shirt and jeans. Sure, it’s only the start of September, but it’s still pretty bloody cold at 3am in the UK, no matter what time of year it is), and barely released my hands from hers the entire time. I hesitated at first. I didn’t want to go and bother this complete stranger with all my issues, even if she had just technically saved my life. Despite wishing she hadn’t done so. But something about this woman, who looked not much older than 30, made me feel so… safe… that I eventually just blurted out everything, just one big stream of consciousness. I was worried maybe I had overwhelmed her, but clearly with her little summary… she had listened to everything. Not that I told her everything. There’s some stuff that I’m not even able to talk to myself about, let alone a cute stranger who just prevented me from ‘becoming paste on the road’. “Right. Well whilst I can see why you’d want to do what you were about to do… I still think you’re an idiot for attempting it.” “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be all nice and reassuring? ‘Idiot’ isn’t very nice, is it?” I asked, smiling cheekily at her, the first smile I had managed since she saved me. “Excuse me…” she said, trying her best to hold in her laugh, the one you could clearly see bubbling at the surface. “I’m very good at what I do. Not my fault some cute idiot decided to do something stupid and change my plans…” That’s when a wave of guilt hit me. The one I had hoped to have missed… after I had done the deed. “I… oh… sorry…” I replied, hanging my head in shame. “Oh shush. I was only on my way home from work.” “Still… sorry. You should be home right now.” “No, Noah… none of that bullshit with me, okay? You were in a low place, I understand that. Hell, I understand getting to the point where you’re teetering over the edge… but I will not have you putting yourself down just for slightly inconveniencing me. I’m just happy I got to stop you before you became vulture-chow.” “We don’t get vultures in England…” “And apparently you also don’t get jokes…” she said, nudging me playfully. “Sorry…” “What did I just tell you?” “S-... ah… yeah… Fine. No more apologies. For now,” I replied, pouting slightly at this cute girl. “Good boy.” Shivers ran through my body when she said those two words. And for a moment there… I swear she could tell. But it wasn’t good shivers. It wasn’t bad. It was like… a mix of both? “Now, sweetie. I’m a bit worried about leaving you alone right now. Have you got anyone you can call?” “No,” I snapped back at her, maybe a little too quickly. “No one?” “I… no. Sorry. I’ll be fine, you can just let me go home.” “Via the motorway?” she replied, pointing in the direction of where I had nearly jumped. “Oh I don’t think so, sweetie.” “I’ll be fine…” I groaned. “Look, I’ll give you my number. If you need someone to talk to, or have a drink or something, you just call me, okay? You’re not a bother. And I want you to be okay. You’re a cute guy.” I grumbled a bit, before she finally released her hands, reaching into her shoulder bag with both of them, before pulling her phone out with one of them. “Right, come here. I’m giving you the biggest hug ever. That way you’ll want another one, and be a lot less likely to go stepping off bridges…” Hey, I wasn’t going to argue with this woman. First off, she’s cute. Secondly… she gives off this vibe of ‘do as I say, or you’ll regret it’. Thirdly… I was still calming down after everything, so if I was going to try this again… I’d need a few days, I think, to get my head back to normal. And fourthly… and most importantly… she hadn’t called anyone. She hadn’t called the police. Hadn’t called to get me locked away for my own safety. She was just… letting me go. This was the best thing that could have happened once she saved me, and I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As I stood up, she held out her arms, creating an opening for me to hug her. Slowly shuffling forward, I got closer and closer until she took the lead and stepped forward, wrapping her rather strong arms around me, squeezing me tightly. I wrapped mine around her waist and embraced the hug. With my head pressed against her chest like this, this hug felt like the best thing in the world right now. The best thing I had experienced in years. I felt all the sadness I tried bottling up, all the anger, all the pain, everything… come rushing forward, flooding my body with emotion. I began to cry into her shoulder. “There there, Noah, let it all out. You’ve had a stressful life from the sounds of it. Just let it all out. Forget about it. You don’t have to be big and strong with me.” Her words, along with the soft, comforting accent of hers… made me feel smaller than ever. Even as she stroked my blonde hair, which must have come untied from the ponytail earlier, I felt smaller than ever, despite her only being a couple of inches taller than me. And I’m 5’9! Yet I felt two feet tall compared to this woman somehow. “I… sorry I’m such a mess. You… you shouldn’t have to comfort me like this.” She squeezed me tighter, then moved her mouth closer to my ear. “Sweetie, I am so glad I ran into you tonight. I think fate brought us together. Because I think I can help you.” A small little pinch. In my upper arm. That’s all that was felt before the world… and my body… got really heavy. Before the world started spinning. Before everything felt… almost good for once. And then… the lights went out. ====================================================== Sorry for the really heavy start to this story. I promise you it gets easier. It's a very emotional story, and may have some darker moments like this. But I promise you, it's worth it. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, despite this! Like I said... I put a lot more of myself into this story... Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one). The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar! ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!). Thank you to all my subscribers for their support over the past few years! Seriously, your support means the world to me. New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!