Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 55 - Blunt Force Trauma

As Leisure Day dawned on Sunset Valley, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  Forgoing his usual holiday plans, James declared that this season's party was just for him, and nobody else was invited.  So there.

He spent the morning swimming in the backyard pool, then relaxed and got some sun in the afternoon.  He had to admit that it was refreshing, not wondering what anybody else thought of him for just one day.

Omicron, who had ditched the house as soon as James started going on about nobody else being invited to his party, spent the first part of the day at the summer festival in the center of town.  The snow cone operator, aware that it was Omicron's birthday tomorrow, gave him a free purple berry snow cone as an early birthday present.

He soon got bored of the festival, and headed down to the ocean for a swim.  It was much more relaxing there, away from the noise and bustle of the town.

As the sun began to set, he headed back home to get the fireworks Epsilon had given him.  The fun wasn't over yet!

Nobody thought anything of the full moon slowly rising over the hills east of town.

Omicron was careful to remember everything Epsilon had cautioned him about firework safety.  Light the fuse, move quickly and carefully to a safe distance, cover your ears, and watch!

He grinned as he watched his display light up the sky, one of the first of the evening.  He wished that they sold fireworks during every season, instead of only summer.

The fireworks Epsilon had bought weren't the fanciest, but they shone just as bright as the rest of the displays now being shot off around town.  He'd have to remember to thank her again for that, when she got back after this term.

After he'd exhausted his supply of explosive entertainment, Omicron headed inside to get ready for bed.  He'd finished in the bathroom and had just shut his bedroom door when a loud thud came from the living room.  Shaking his head, he started to tug his shirt off, pausing when three more thuds came in quick succession.  What the hell was James doing out there?  He yanked his shirt back on and went to investigate.

As he was walking through the kitchen, a book whizzed past his head.  He only managed to dodge it by pure luck, certainly not any skill.  Frowning back at where it impacted the far wall, he called out.
"What the hell!  Stop throwing books around, I'm trying to get some sleep."

Another thud came from the living room, so he sighed and peeked through the doorway, immediately stepping back, his eyes wide.  A third - fourth, fifth, there was no telling how many had already been thrown! - book hit James on the shoulder, hard.  Beyond him stood a ghostly woman, but ghosts weren't actually real...were they?

As he watched, another book whizzed past his father, who dodged this time, and the ghost woman looked past the old man, her wicked smile growing as she spotted Omicron.  He stepped back against the kitchen island, unsure what to do, until he was distracted by a mewing and the sensation of something rubbing past his ankles.

He looked down to Epsilon's cat.  Was now really the time?  Something about the look in the cat's eyes drew his attention, though - an uncanny sort of intelligence.  Had the animal always looked like that?  Another thud came from behind him, and with another meow the cat turned and darted for the backdoor.  Omicron didn't think twice about following it.

Behind him, the ghostly woman raised a pointed hand, black smoke issuing from the tip of her finger.  James followed her finger, gasping as his feet left the floor as he slowly rose towards the ceiling.

As Omicron stumbled over the back fence, fleeing the house, a shout of fear was cut short by a crash.  He felt like he was going to be sick, but he kept going, following the cat.

It led him up the hill towards the family crypt.  Omicron fell down more than descended the stairs, his grip on the railing and center pole the only things that kept him mostly upright.  He quickly activated the lock and pushed the first door open.  But the second door seemed to be locked, no amount of pushing helping even as the cat slipped through the grating and continued into the catacombs.

Breathing heavily, he turned, sinking down into the corner in fear as he saw what had followed him from the house.
"I was only sent here to kill one tonight," she said, the otherworldly voice echoing in the stone chamber.  "But why stop at one when there's such a convenient opportunity right in front of me?  You could have inherited his...tendencies, after all.  Why take that chance, hmm?"
"W-w-why?"  He was shaking so badly that he could hardly get the word out, huddled as far away as he could get.
"Why?"  She laughed harshly, transparent lips curving into another cruel smile.  "Because he aided and associated with those who would be cleansed from this world.  That simply can't be tolerated.  Now, are you going to hide in the corner like a coward, or come face your death like a man?  Because I must say, it simply won't be any fu-"

She stopped short, her cocky grin melting into an expression of uncertainty as she stared past Omicron into the chamber beyond.  What had confused her soon became apparent as more ghostly shapes floated past the boy, taking up three guard positions just past the door.

The four ghosts stood there for a moment, sizing each other up, and then the lone male ghost laughed, a hearty laugh of amusement that echoed around the chamber for a few moments even after he'd stopped.
"What's so funny?" Omicron's attacker demanded, her look of confusion turning into a frown.
"The irony of the whole thing!  You, of all people, going along on this crusade."
She started to speak again, but she cut him off.
"Ohh, people talk.  Not to me, but to the wife, you see."  He guestured behind himself to the ghost standing with crossed arms.  "And we know aaaallllll about you, Myra Carter!  Every detail of your life, all the time you spent, ah, how did you put it?  Assisting and associating, that was it, with the ones you now claim to hate."

This was utterly surreal.  There was no way this was happening.  Who were these people?

"You're just so full of hate," the man continued, not letting the woman get a word in edgewise.  "Hate-hate-hatey-hate-hate!  And so you think that you can just barge through here and just beat up on whatever you want, because it makes you feel better.  And I'll tell you what, because this'll really make you mad.  You.  Can't.  Have.  Him.  Ha!"
The angry woman stammered, clearly flustered by this man, but he wasn't done talking yet.
"I know I'm more stubborn than you, so I could wait all night until you had to cross back over, but frankly I don't want to spend my night doing that.  Boring!  So I'll just go with this.  What would Frederick have said, hrm?"
The question had an immediate effect on the ghostly woman, recoiling back in horror.  Then, she let out a screech of frustration before shooting straight up through the stone ceiling.
The man dusted off his incorporeal hands.  "Well, she won't be back!"

Omicron stayed still as the ghosts retreated through the door, not entirely sure what had just happened.  As the man floated past him, a ghostly whisper reached his ears.
"It's a pull door, son.  You've gotta pull it."

He dragged himself to his feet, feeling as if he was in a dream, and pulled on the handle.  Oh.  He stepped through into the next chamber and looked around for any sign of the three ghosts, but the only one remaining was the one who the man had identified as his wife.
"Hello, Omicron."  She broke the silence, her voice gentler than Myra's, but still eerie.
"H-hello."  He was shaking, the adrenaline that had kept him going leaving his system.  "Please tell me I'm dreaming."
She shook her head.  "I'm sorry, you're not.  This - all of this - is really happening."
"What's happening?"
"The dead are crossing back to this realm.  We've always been able to observe, but now the barriers have been broken and our effect is more tangible.  It's a horrible thing, and should never have happened.  All the hate..."  Her voice trailed off as she shook her head sadly.

"Why are they doing it?  She said something about my Dad, and..."  He stopped talking there, fighting back the tears.  He hadn't liked the man, but he couldn't be happy about anyone dying, even if they were a bad person.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but he's gone.  He'll be with us soon.  I'll do my best to keep him from following the path of hatred, even with his death being so sudden and violent."
He was choking up now.  "I just left him in the house.  I should have stayed, tried to help."
"No."  Her voice was firm.  "There was nothing you could have done, except for what you did.  Only the dead can defend against the dead.  Stay here, until dawn.  Then you'll be safe, at least for the day."
He nodded.  "One more question.  Are you...my ancestors?"
A slight smile touched her lips as she nodded.  "Yes.  We will protect you as much as we can, but we aren't strong spirits, fueled by rage as the others are.  We can't stray far from our graves.  If you need aid, you must come to us.  And now, I must go, but we will be watching.  Until next time, my dear."

After the spirit faded away, he waited alone until he heard the first birds singing outside.  Only then did he stretch his stiff limbs and climb the stairs, exiting his family crypt into the world of sunlight.  He could hear sirens, but they were distant, nothing to worry about.  He began to trudge down the hill, shoes squeaking against the dew-covered grass.

Today was his birthday; with everything that had happened last night, he'd almost forgotten.  He supposed that his first act as a legal adult would be to make some calls, and officially add another casualty to what he knew would be a long list.

~ * ~

I don't know why I subconsciously hate Leisure Day.  It's just always unfortunately timed.

The third ghost who guarded the crypt is Crystal, who died a few days ago in-game.  James didn't care, so it never made its way into the story, but now you know.

For those keeping track, the Seer's prophecies from way back near the start of this generation have all been fulfilled now, possibly not in the ways expected.  I've been planning this for a long time.

Next chapter is the official beginning of generation 3.

Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 54 - Time Management Skills

FYI: this chapter gets a bit sexy in the middle. No explicit nudity or exposition, but the prudish may want to stay alert.

On the morning exam results were delivered, Epsilon hadn't even showed yet - in fact, she was still on the toilet - when her housemate Tiffany came barging into the bathroom.
"Epsilon?  You in here?"
Annoyed, Epsilon responded.  "Kind of busy, here."
"Oh, sorry, it's your exam results is all.  I'll just leave them on the sink!"  The slam of the bathroom door signaled Tiffany's exit from the room, and Epsilon finished up quickly, washing her hands before opening the envelope.  Her expression swiftly turned to one of horror.  That couldn't be right!

A quick shower and change of clothes later, she dashed into the kitchen, nearly slamming into Brendan.
"Woah there!" He laughed, then his expression quickly sobered, noting the look on her face.  "What's wrong?"
"I got a B!  That's never happened before, ever.  How did I mess up so badly?"

He reached out and took her hand, holding it still.  The touch was calming, almost as if her rapid hand movements had been accelerating her mental distress, or maybe that was just Brendan.
"Relax.  It had to happen sometime.  Not only are you in a difficult degree course, but you were taking the maximum load they would allow you to take.  Getting a B was pretty amazing, to be honest.  I know a lot of the students here would have flunked out."
"Yeah, but-"

He interrupted.  "No but.  A B won't kill your internship this summer, and you know what to expect, so you'll do better next semester."
She nodded.  What he was saying made sense.  She still felt as if she'd failed, though.
"Come here."  He pulled her close in a hug, and she nestled her face into his shoulder, letting him hold her.  They stayed that way for several long moments, until he spoke again.  "Don't you have a bus to catch?"

"Mmm," she confirmed, muffled by his shoulder, then started to pull away.  He responded by pulling her close again, this time kissing her gently on the lips.
"I'll see you when you get back?"
"Yes.  And thanks, for everything."

After term break was over, Alpha rented a small house just outside of the heart of campus.  Money was still tight, but she really needed the privacy if she was going to focus enough to do well in her class this term.  Her and Brendan had discussed renting a house together, but they'd ultimately decided that they weren't ready for that yet, so he chose to stay on at Malan Hall, for the next term at least.

Now that she wasn't a first-year student anymore, she was allowed to work in the labs, conducting her own experiments as well as assigned lab work.  The machines were almost always whirring away, whether by themselves or under the watchful eye of an anxious student.

She was also the first to arrive to lectures and the last to leave.  She often got strange looks from the other students, but the empty lecture halls were great places to study, free of distractions.

Her free time spent with Brendan was drastically reduced, unfortunately.  She could tell that it bothered him somewhat, but he was supportive, and she tried to make every moment they had together count.

Everything felt easier this term, as if she'd made it over the hump the previous year, but she refused to get complacent.  She would get an A this term, and nothing would stop her.

The night before final exam day, Epsilon was busy studying, as usual, not noticing that Brendan had finished reading his novel and was now pacing the kitchen.  She only noticed her boyfriend when he planted his hands firmly on the table and looked down to her with a somewhat bemused expression.
"Baby?"
She looked up, startled.  "Huh?"
"What are you doing?  You're not going to get a better grade by cramming the night before your exams.  At this point, you either know it or you don't, and all you're doing is stressing yourself out."
She opened her mouth to protest, but he reached across the table to her textbook and gently closed it, setting it down.
"I'm serious.  Go get ready for bed, I'll give you a massage or something before I go back home."

She gave him the usual look of protest before taking his hands and letting him draw her out of her seat into an embrace.  He was right, and his plan sounded good, though there was one thing she would change.
"You should stay," she whispered.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah.  You know we'd talked about maybe staying together, next term, so it makes sense to work up to it a bit."
He gave her a quick peck on the lips, then drew back, smiling.  "Sounds good to me.  My first exam isn't until after lunch, so that gives me time to run home and get ready.  Come on, let's go to bed, you need sleep."

She hadn't known that he slept in so little, but she wasn't exactly modestly dressed herself.  She'd toyed with the idea of wearing one of her gym shirts to bed, but she'd gotten out of the habit of wearing much now that she had a room to herself, and she didn't mind him seeing her in her underwear at all.  It felt exciting though, and she couldn't quite keep from imagining how it would feel for their skin to touch as they slept together.

He was leaning against the headboard, so she settled in next to him, leaning back against the wood as their arms found comfortable positions.  Still, something seemed to be bothering him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, fearing the worst.
He reached around to the back of her head, fumbling at her hair.  For a moment she wasn't sure what he was doing, then it became obvious as her hair fell down onto her shoulders, the clip placed on the bedside table.
"You weren't really going to leave that in all night, were you?"  The teasing smile was back, and Epsilon laughed, shaking her head.
"No, I just didn't think to take it out yet.  Sorry, I was just worried that-"
He cut her off with a finger to her lips.  "I told you, stop worrying.  If you're going to worry, I'm going to leave."

"Okay."  She smiled, then settled against his shoulder, feeling his hand slide down her side to rest at her waist.  Her breath caught a little at the sensation, but she controlled her breathing, at least until Brendan chuckled.
"You don't have to pretend it doesn't feel good."
She blushed, which just made him laugh a bit more, his hand moving around to her back as he held her closer.  They lay there for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Have you ever...?"  His question trailed off, but he didn't have to finish it - she knew what he meant, and shook her head.
"No, you?"
"Yeah," he admitted.  "Does that bother you?"  His expression was serious now, looking down at her.
"No.  You're older than me, I always figured you'd have experience.  Why would it bother me, if it was before we met?"
"It was," he assured her.  "High school, the first time, and a few girls since.  I don't regret it."

"Why should you?"  He smiled again at her words.
"I really don't, and I'm glad you're okay with that.  You know it doesn't make me love you any less."
"I know," she said quietly, pulling him down to kiss him again, her free hand moving down to fumble at what little clothes he was wearing.

He pulled back so he could see her eyes.  "Epsilon.  Are you sure?"
She nodded.  "Yeah.  I've waited long enough to be sure.  I want this, with you."

He nodded again, lowering her gently to the bed.

It was all a bit blurry after that.  All Epsilon was sure of was that it had felt amazing, even the part she'd known would hurt.

Even she couldn't worry about the next day's exams, not tonight.

The next morning, she sat up, and immediately wished she hadn't.  She had a sick feeling in her stomach, and something behind her eyes was starting to throb.  Of all the days to come down with something, why today?  She gritted her teeth and stood, getting dressed in the dark so as not to aggravate a possibly-murderous headache.  She glanced back at her sleeping boyfriend as she exited the room, smiling weakly.  He was probably going to catch this too, since she'd surely been contagious last night.

She only felt worse as the day went on.  The sick feeling, though it never developed into acute nausea, stayed in her stomach, spreading up to the back of her throat as she moved to her last final.  The pressure in her head also increased, barely affected by the painkillers she took with lunch.  She got a text from Brendan right after, asking her to wear something nice and come to an after-finals party that evening.  She supposed she owed it to him to at least show up for a few minutes, after how she'd never gone out with him all term, even if she went home right after.  As he'd said, he was waiting for her outside the club.
"Are you okay?"
She shook her head.  "I'm coming down with something.  You've probably got it too."
"It was worth it.  Seriously, though, did you want to go lay down?"
She shook her head.  "I'll just stay for a bit, I know I've been a complete shut-in this term."

As they entered the club, somebody handed Epsilon a drink.  She took a sip of it then looked to the glass, surprised by the bite of the alcohol.  She'd never drank before, but even though she was already sick surely one drink wasn't going to make things any worse?  She was here to have a good time, for a few minutes at least, and she was going to make that happen.

The bar area was starting to fill up as Epsilon and Brendan danced to the music.  It was loud in here, and the beat of the bass was making her head pound.

She stepped off the dance floor to get a drink of water and stumbled.  Brendan came up to her, steadying the young woman as she rubbed her forehead.

"Look, you should go home.  I'm sorry I dragged you out here, you need to sleep."
She nodded.  "You're right.  I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded back and kissed her forehead, only letting go of her once he was sure she was steady on her feet.

As she walked home, the pounding in her head continued getting worse.  The summer night air, almost unbearably humid, made her feel as if she was trying to breathe underwater.  Suddenly, she stopped dead, letting out a low groan.  She'd promised Natalie that she would check on her experiment that night, and start the next stage for her.  If she didn't go do that, half a term's worth of work would be ruined.  Sighing, she changed direction, walking slowly along the seemingly-unending sidewalk to the lab.

She shielded her eyes against the harsh lights of the lab, recording the numbers off of the displays.  She hoped everything was right, because she couldn't even think straight.

After she hung up the clipboard, she turned to leave, then stumbled sideways.  There it was again, like back in the club.  It was as if gravity changed direction for a moment.  Then it hit again, and she gasped, swaying back.

Even in the air-conditioned lab, the air was suddenly hard to breathe, the sickness rising inside of her.  She gasped for a breath, and found one, accompanied by a ripping sensation as if the world was suddenly made up of an infinite number of fragile curtains, that had all torn at that exact moment.

As she continued to fall backwards, the back of her head hit the experiment containment chamber, pain exploding through her skull.

Not right.  It's not right.

Nothing hurts anymore.  Nothing feels like anything at all.  That's definitely not right.

This isn't right either.  Where's Gregory, Shadow?

WAKE UP!


She opened her eyes.

~ * ~

What.