34 FAS (1/2)
Ed and Yuki crashed through the 25th floor of a nearby building and tumbled on the ground. Both were knocked unconscious as small bits of lightning danced over their bodies.
…
An hour before the nightmare attack.
A man who looked to be middle-aged was sitting in his living room drinking a beer. He had spiky blond hair and wore a bright orange t-shirt. It contrasted heavily against his black jeans. His blue eyes stared outside, bored as could be.
”Earnest” A high-pitched voice rang out. His mother stood in front of him while smiling. She looked even younger than him. ”How's the job hunt going?”
”Going great. I start next week.” He replied.
”Really?! Great! I'll cook something special up for dinner!”
”Sure.” He smiled while nodding.
'I didn't really find a job though…' He had a secret he kept from his mother, though she probably knew anyways since it was obvious. He was an esper and a damn powerful one at that. Many organizations tried recruiting him when he awakened his powers, but they all failed. He was labeled as the fastest esper alive. The government practically begged for him to assist during nightmare attacks, but he firmly refused.
'If only my power was actually superspeed' He sighed. 'I'd probably be more loved than OP Baldy. Being a celebrity sounds kind of fun, I guess.' Suddenly, a loud siren began going off through the city.
”Eh?” His mom popped out from the kitchen. ”Is there a mutant flood? We should evacuate.”
”Right.” He nodded in agreement. He would never risk his mother's life over something like this. Other people that lagged behind when the sirens rang out every few years pissed him off more than anything.
The duo immediately rushed out the home and began to head towards their local shelter. There were several massive underground shelters throughout the city that could shield them from such attacks. They headed for the most northern shelter since it was closest.
Others could be seen doing the same as them. Some rushed in panic, but most were extremely calm and leisurely. It was rare for a mutant flood to ever get past the many lines of defense a big city like Atlanta had.
They reached the shelter within 15 minutes and went inside. It was completely hidden underground with the only entrance being some steps. The inside looked like a giant steel and concrete dome. He pulled his mother towards the back and secured some blankets before it began getting crowded.
A soldier arrived at the shelter and demanded silence. It was hard to hear him in the back, but his voice echoed off the walls. ”The Lightning Nightmare will be here soon. Please stay away from the walls due to the conductive properties of electricity…” He continued to explain some more things they should take note of.
'The Lightning Nightmare?!' Earnest's eyes widened in surprise. 'For such a thing to attack my home… Is it karma for refusing to help others in need when I had the power to do so?'
He pulled his mother closer to the center of the shelter and they huddled together. The sirens couldn't be heard very well underground, which was nice. However, the many people chatted away and their voice echoing off the walls was a very loud and frustrating experience.
Time continued to pass and they could hear loud thunder outside. 'Has it arrived?' The ground shook several times as they waited in the dark. The attack continued for nearly an hour when the ground shook extremely heavily compared to the previous times. Loud creaking and crackling sounds rang out from the northern part of the shelter. A huge silver fist that flowed with plasma and electricity could be seen tearing through the shelter wall.
The light from the fist was practically blinding. Snakes of electricity shot out and killed all those near the fist. A lake of plasma formed on the north side of the shelter before the fist slowly lifted back up.
His eyes widened in shock as this occurred. He kept a hand on his mother's shoulder, ready to save her should the need arrive. When the nightmare's fist pulled back, large debris fell to the floor before revealing the sky.
Espers could be seen flying in the sky while desperately putting everything on the line to protect them. Some were zapped to ashes without accomplishing anything.
”FUCK!!!” He heard a man in the air yell. A youth with a burn-scar over his left eye hovered there with flames shooting from all four of his limbs. He looked panicked at the nightmare in front of him. It was charging a silver lightning orb that was aimed at both the flying youth and the shelter. Suddenly, a large explosion of green flames appeared in front of the youth as he shot off in another direction. The wave of fire also slammed into the nightmare, delaying it for just a second. The nightmare lifted its arm to adjust aim towards the youth as he flew away instead of aiming at the shelter.