Isaac Woodman
T2 2025 - Just why, that was supposed to be the end of it all, but why ? I looked around at the surroundings. Trees of a different colour blocked most of the sunlight, only allowing small rays of amber to penetrate the roof of rustling leaves. The eeriness of the surrounding was only further punctuated by the swishing of oddly coloured leaves that flitted down around me. Five years, we were only supposed to find out about this in five years, why now of all times ? I stood, stretching as I did so. The jungle stared back with indignation as I sauntered forwards, not planning a route, just being guided by the direction of the sunlight. In the far distance, screams echoed, losing their potency as they reached my ears, they were too far away to save. They should have been safe, I stopped them from leaving, I saved them all.
"You know why, people needed to die." The voice was undoubtedly my own as it rang in my head, it sounded hoarse and aged, not just by years but also by experience. "Your interference caused this, your need to change the past caused this." I turned to see a figure I was much too familiar with. His unkempt hair fell down his face and back like long, grease ridden tendrils of black, the brown unseen under the copious amounts of dirt, dust and mud. As he kept pace with me, I could see the scars that I once had, some long, some short, some looking like mini craters amongst the uncleanness of the skin. As I stopped to take it in, he turned, showing me an expression of despair and sorrow. "You know as well as I do that you can try to change the future, control the situation as you like, but you seem to forget that tales like this have been told before. Useless optimism won't save everyone, and because of your control of this situation, you may have inadvertently killed more people than you otherwise would have if you had just let the prior situation unfold without interfering." He made no attempt to mock my actions, his features not showing an ounce of contempt at the situation. His words reminded me of how I used to be and I pointedly looked away from him, only to find him leaning against a tree.
"Just go away! At least I'm trying to do good this time! Instead of wallowing in self doubt and pity, like you."
"Like you? We are the same. And the fact that you are seeing me as a physical thing proves that." He combed a hand through his hair, revealing an aged face all too similar to my own. "I am you, and you were me."
"Exactly. Were. I have since moved on, trying to do better, trying to change the future."
"Pfft, Change, no, you fled from the future, instead of trying to save it the first time, you had already convinced yourself that we, humanity, had failed."
"No, that wasn't-"
"Don't lie to me, I'm as much you as you me." He sighed aloud.
"I didn't flee the future, I, I only made steps that could ensure our survival if-" I paused searching for the right words, finding it difficult to justify myself.
"Don't abandon him then, your, atonement, the so-called saviour."
"I won't abandon him, I will guide him, make him more powerful. That's how we win."
"You saw the same thing I did, that being, was death, you are simply lying to yourself, but if you want to delay the inevitable, then go ahead. I can't stop you, but I won't need to. I am a part of you whether you like it or not."
"I am not-" I was cut off by a tremendously bright pillar of flame that even shone through the trees. That must be Jacob, I thought to myself and as I turned back to the older version of me, he was gone, disappearing with the eruption of fire. I sighed aloud as I trudged forwards, wading my way through the forest, heading towards the explosion of flame.
Jacob Malnew
Blood seeped from various wounds as I concentrated on maintaining the pillar of fire and the surrounding inferno which kept the beasts out. I breathed out with exhaustion, the air too hot and humid to breathe properly. I collapsed to the ground, extinguishing the column of fire.
"You okay ?" Henry asked and I weakly raised my arm, then resigning to a nod as I saw my lack of a hand. I'm not too sure of how much time had passed, but the smell of charred flesh was growing ever pungent in the grass clearing as numerous corpses of beasts roasted in the surrounding wall of sapphire flame. Their blood bubbled with the fire, barely loud enough to be heard over the cackling flames and the snarling beasts that lurked on the other side. I looked to Harold who was sweating profusely, much like Henry was. The both of them looked uncomfortable from the sweltering heat, but Henry understood and didn't complain. Harold seemed to understand also, the predicament dawning on him. He kept stealing glances to the wounds that covered my body, then looking away after I saw him watching. He had no tears left to weep and those that did fall free from his eyes became victim to the heat, evaporating shortly after. "Is there anything you want me to do?" Henry shouted over the cacophony of different sounds.
"No, I, the fire, as long as they don't come in, then we are fine." I said, finding the energy to speak exhausting. "I, I don't know, how long I can, maintain it though." I scanned the silhouettes that were barely visible through the roaring flames, their snarling forms were circling us like sharks, probing for a weakness in the cage. I lifted my hand, shooting a swirling torrent of flame at a gathering of beasts, causing them to split up as the fire washed over them.
"Aaah!" Harold cried out as a smouldering beast forced its way through the inferno, its fur emitting clouds of black smoke. The beast, abandoning its desire to live, stepped ever closer, roasting with each passing second. Henry pulled the child away from the approaching beast, which dropped dead a few seconds later, parts of its skeleton visible from where I stood. Another beast entered the swirling cage of flames, following the same path as the beast before it, falling dead just behind it. They can't be. My fears manifested as I witnessed another beast follow the same path as the two previous creatures, collapsing above the second body.
"Henry, they, they are trying to create a wall," I stated, my words barely audible due to my increasing exhaustion. I wanted to sleep, but each time I closed my eyes, I saw the shredded bodies of Henry and Harold, above them, a group of beasts enjoying their meal. I shook myself awake, keeping focus on the fire. I looked over at Henry who was tentatively pulling the bodies away from the wall, every few moments muttering fuck to himself as he breathed on his hands.
"Uhh, Jacob?" Henry said, uncertainty in his tone.
"Yes," I looked over at him, it felt as if I was moving through molasses.
"They've gone, I can't hear them anymore." Now that he had stated it, the ever present snarling had quietened, their silhouettes also no longer visible. That's either a good thing, or - I was shocked out of my thoughts by an unknown voice.
"HELP MEEEEE!" I didn't recognise it, but my body moved without thought. Using what little energy I had, I walked through the wall of fire. Two things came to my attention, the first was a blessing. The numerous beasts had fled back into the jungle. However, the threat that had just left was immediately replaced by the appearance of a new beast that was chasing down the figure, presumably the one who screamed for help. He started running towards us and the thing chasing him bounded after him, its bipedal legs shaking the ground with each step. The Tyrannosaurus Rex left a trail of destruction through the forest behind it, it's almost 7 meter tall body was taller than most of the shrubbery that now hung loosely from its musculature. It looked identical to the pictures from old history books or its appearance in movies, bar a few differences. Its leathery skin was a deep shade of blue, and its jaws contained teeth that were serrated, like the corpses at our feet, the T-Rex also sported two large canines that ran alongside its mouth when it's jaw was closed. It skidded to a halt, its large nostrils sniffing the air, before turning its large brown eyes to the cooked meat that surrounded us. I immediately willed the fire to dissipate as I turned to Henry and Harold.
"RUN!" I ordered and Henry immediately grabbed Harold by the hand pulling him to his feet and dragging him behind him. I followed Harold and Henry, not once taking my eyes off the charging T-Rex. I sighed aloud as it planted its jaws into the dead, ignoring us entirely.
"Isn't that a T-Rex?" Henry questioned once we were a safe distance away. I nodded, not feeling as drained as I was earlier, now that I wasn't concentrating on maintaining the wall of fire. I winced as a wave of pain racked my body, the brief reprieve of tension reminding my body of its wounds. I collapsed to a knee wheezing as the cuts continued to bleed through the now shredded scars of the t-shirt. "Are you ok?" Henry asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, just, just give me a minute." I looked over at the T-Rex, it seemed like it was enjoying the platter of corpses that had been left for it.
"Thank you, thank you," the stranger said through crying eyes. He collapsed to the floor, breathing out loudly, the running obviously drained the stamina he had.
"Don't worry about it," Henry said on my behalf.
"if, if it wasn't for you-" he looked over at the feasting T-Rex, gulping with relief, "that may have been me."
"Did you head towards the pillar of fire then I assume ?" the man nodded in response to Henry's question. "Thoughts so, Did you see anyone else ?"
"I was with a couple initially, but -" he shot another nervous glance at the T-Rex, "they were both trampled by, that."
"Quick question, Mr ?"
"Sorry, It's Chris, Chris Gwillim," he stuttered as he spoke, the fear of the situation still gripping him.
"I just have to ask, do you have a watch on?" Chris shook his head and I heard Henry swear under his breath. "Can you walk?" he asked and I tried to stand. It felt as if a sheet of ice had enveloped my muscles, freezing them in place. I strained as I willed my legs to move, but the agony kept me rooted to the spot.
"I, I don't think I -" the roar shook the air all around, as four sets of eyes turned in unison to see the bloodied mouth of the T-Rex roaring at the silky clouds above. It turned then, narrowing its eyes in our direction. "Henry, Harold, Chris. Get out of here." I ordered and Chris had already fled, running to the forest on the left.
"But, what about-"
"Just go, I can't feel my legs, but I will at least buy you two some time. Get out of here!" I turned to see Harold, his face showing hesitancy and I could tell that he was thinking of something, anything that could get us out of this situation.
"I'm sorry," he said, it was barely a whisper, but I heard him tell Harold to follow him. I breathed out, feeling the sensation of violent fire and when I found it, It roared to life in my hand. The swirling orb of flame grew larger and larger as I fed it. As the T-Rex advanced, I breathed in and out slowly, letting the fire sap more and more of the residual power from me. Even though a secondary part of my ability allowed me to negate the heat of fire, allowing me to hold it like an object, I could still feel the immense heat as the orb changed colour as the temperature rose. Grass burned beneath me, radiating out with each passing second. The T-Rex's thunderous footfalls seemed to count down to my demise and I met it head on. As the powerful jaws went to snap down, I pushed the miniature sun into it, detonating the orb on impact. It roared in pain as I was sent cascading backwards, I screamed in agony, my arms twisted in the wrong place and my vision was turning red as blood seeped down from my head, coating my eyes. The pain, was what kept me awake, one half of my mind wanting to shut down and the other wanting to stay awake. Through the veil of crimson, I saw the T-Rex, the explosion had ripped through its skin, exposing most of its skeleton and tightly knit muscles. Blood washed out from its wounds, coating the blue hue of its skin a sickly indigo. It looked at me and I could almost see its indignation and wrath. Darkness slowly took hold then, grabbing me and dragging me into a tranquil serenity. The vibrations of the earth were comforting, as the pain was gone.
Sebastian Vassinari
As I saw the T-Rex start its charge, I gripped the loose vine of the tree ever tighter. I understood the situation, as I saw Henry leading Harold by the arm, saw Jacob struggle to stand and saw him resign to his fate. I felt a tear drop down from my face as I felt a fire under my skin, just out of reach. I extended a hand, searching for the right answer. I have to do something, I couldn't just let him die. I focused on the T-Rex and as I was about to grab one of it's legs, a heavy hand shook my concentration.
"Don't," the command was direct and emotionless. I turned to see Isaac holding a makeshift spear.
"If I don't do something, he will die." I could hear the quivering of my voice as I started to concentrate once again.
"Don't you dare," Isaac sounded angry, but the anger was not at the dinosaur, but instead focused on me.
"Don't you dare what!" I spat back, keeping an eye on Jacob. "Why can't I do something?"
"If you do that, you will ruin everything! This sight," he pointed at the clearing with the makeshift spear, "will become standard, for everyone. Everyone will lose someone, I guarantee people already have. You. You need to be ready to abandon friends, If we fail, If you fail, we are resigned to a dead world. Where suffering is constant, where situations like that," he gestured at the massive explosion which sent Jacob flying backwards, "will be a bliss, since that means they can end it all!" The anger and contempt in his voice seemed to poison the air around him, and he breathed out slowly. "You can never make a move, when you see your friends in danger, family members about to die, you still must not use that power of yours. Instead, you have to learn how to order and use people to do that for you." Isaac stepped forwards out of the tree line and onto the grass plain. "This will be a true challenge to you, I hope, I -" he sighed aloud once again. "Hope you understand that." Those final words of his, that last sentence, wasn't the same anger, it was a plea.
"I-" as I went to speak, Isaac was already gone, sprinting towards the T-Rex.