The Station, as it was called by those in the neighborhood, was a convenience store run by a little old Taiwanese woman everyone called Mrs. Lou. No one knew if she was married, but she acted like everyone's mother. She had emigrated from Taiwan decades ago and had been running her store ever since.
The group entered her store smelling a bit from the earlier workouts, the bell on the door alerting Mrs. Lou to the customers. As soon as the little woman caught a whiff of them, she shouted in her thick accent, "Why do you smell so bad?" Byron smiled, "Sorry, Mrs. Lou. We just finished working out and need some snacks. And grab as many energy drinks you own."
Mrs. Lou sighed and waited for the group to finish their shopping. Gabby finished early with several bags of candy and was chatting with the old woman. "How is your son doing?" she asked. Mrs. Lou answered, "He is doing fine. He is working at NASA now."
"That's awesome! How did he manage that?"
"He sent in an application and they hired him!" Mrs. Lou said beaming with pride. Ellis picked up several bags of chips while the two women talked. He made his way back to the counter when the door dinged again, and Gabby visibly got stiff. "Shit," Ellis cursed and walked faster to get to the smaller girl.
In his view, a large man in a fedora. He walked up to Gabby and stood uncomfortably close to her. His trench coat didn't reach his ankles. An obnoxious anime shirt was clear as day for everyone to see. It was Harold.
When Ellis finally reached Gabby, Harold hand a hand on her far shoulder and was trying to gently walk her out of the store. Mrs. Lou, the saint she was, was quick to keep things from escalating and stalled long enough for Ellis intercept and cut between both of them. "Hey, got your favorite chips," he said just to break through the tension.
Harold was a large man. He stood a head taller than both Ellis and Byron. Despite being somewhat overweight, it was clear by his physique that he was also rather strong. He smelled horrendous and his beard was not well kept at all. "Hey, we were talking here," Harold said with annoyance in his voice. Ellis turned to him, "Sorry about that." Harold moved to be on the other side of Gabby, but found Byron to be there with Lisa, credit card out. "How much for all of this," he asked and slid the card to Mrs. Lou. It was then Harold turned his attention to Lisa.
"I don't think we've met," he said holding out his hand, "I'm Harold." Both Ellis and Byron closed ranks around Gabby, who was visibly shaking. They trusted that Lisa could handle herself. "I'm Lisa," she said and shook it. Harold took it and raised it to his lips to kiss it. Lisa feigned gratitude, but rolled her eyes when Harold wasn't looking. Both Ellis and Byron slowly walked Gabby out of the shop while Lisa kept Harold distracted.
It wasn't hard. Lisa was rather beautiful with a very fit build. She wasn't as well endowed as Gabby, but it was enough to turn heads. Especially her blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Lisa told him about her fencing and Harold made some comments that insinuated that women couldn't handle swords and that a katana was better that any other sword.
Byron got his car unlocked and Ellis sat with Gabby who was breaking down in tears. Whatever Harold had done to Gabby, it was enough to make the already timid girl, push herself deeper into her seat and try to hide from the world at being touched by him. It didn't help that she was still feeling stress from midterms and the potential failing scores hanging over her head.
Lisa finally joined them in Byron's car and went looking for some hand sanitizer. "Fucking asshole," she muttered, "If he ever pulls a katana on me, I am going to shove it up his urethra." She looked behind her into the back and saw Ellis comforting Gabby. "Scratch that," she said, "I'm going to kill him now." Byron put a hand on her shoulder, "Not here, there are cameras."
"What the fuck did he do to her?"
"We don't know. All we know is that he caught her alone. She got out of the situation thanks to a passerby. Now we try to keep close in places Harold frequents."
"And you're not going to do anything about him?"
"What can we do? He is careful not to stir up too much trouble and there is almost no evidence to his terrible acts. And when someone calls him out, he just shrugs. Not even Mrs. Lou's lectures will get to him. He just does not care." Byron explained and started the car. Harold exited the Station with a bag in hand and winked at Lisa. She smiled back and then slouched in her seat.
It was a quiet drive back to the house. Gabby had visibly calmed down. The car remained silent through the entire ride. Up to when Byron pulled into the driveway. His vehicle was the only one there. No one else owned a car. He stepped out, "I'll get the game set up." Gabby exited the vehicle without saying anything. Lisa and Ellis carried the bags of food and drinks into the house.
Byron set up a table in the main room and began to set out a different game to what they had agreed upon. It was a resource management game where players had the ability to attack and steal from each other. Ellis thought it would be a good choice given the circumstances. Before the game could begin, everyone scattered to get ready for the evening.
Byron took a shower. Lisa put her fencing gear away. Gabby vanished into her room. And Ellis went outside to the backyard to meditate.
It was something he did at least once a day. Every morning to get himself in the right headspace for the day. And the evening when he needed to calm down and relax. There was a large stump where a large tree once sat. He removed his shirt and sat cross legged on the stump. His tattoos open for the whole world to see.
The sky was still drizzling and the air had become noticeably cooler. Goosebumps formed on his skin. He breathed in deeply, held it for a heartbeat, then let it out. His mind went back to the Station and what he wanted to do to Harold. Seeing that smug narcissist laying bleeding on the tiled floor would have made his day, but he knew it was not the right way to go about things. He kept his breathing steady. His thoughts fell on Gabby, sitting in the car crying in silence. Soon that imaged faded and his mind was finally clear. He let it relax, process the day. He felt a connection with the world around him whenever he did this. Like the world itself was holding him and telling him that everything would be alright. He felt something else that night. A stronger connection with something new.
He had heard that meditation was the key to enlightenment, but he didn't know if it was that. Yes, he thought he reached greater power or understanding, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like a mother holding her child and making them feel safe for the first time in a long time. He felt a sensation enter his chest. It was warm and comforting. He felt a love that he never knew existed. And then he was snapped out of his reverie by a tap on his shoulder.
Lisa had been trying to get his attention, "Hey, were ready." Ellis looked around as if her had just woken from a very real dream. "Sorry," he said, "I'll be right there." He stood and collected his wet shirt from the ground. The two of them walked into the house and Ellis notice that Gabby wasn't there. "Where's Gabby?" he asked. Byron shrugged, "She's not coming out of her room. I think she needs a bit more time."
Ellis sighed and said, "Give me a minute." Then he knocked on her door. No answer. "Gabby, it's Ellis. Are you alright?" she asked. No answer. He tried to open the door, it was unlocked. Gabby was laying in her bed with her back to the door. The room was completely dark except the LED light of her phone. He head the sound of music coming from her head phones. He sat on the edge of her bed, which made her jump. But, he waited for her to recognize it was him. She turned around to where she was facing him. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. She shook her head. Ellis ran his hand through his wet hair, "Alright, we're waiting on you then."
He sat with her for a time. No words were shared between them. What could he say to make her feel better? "Hey," he finally said, "You're safe around me, okay. I'm not going to let him hurt you again." He held her hand and she squeezed it tight. It was as if she needed something to hold on to. It hurt, but he ignored the pain. It was what she needed in that moment. Her grip subsided after several minutes and she finally sat up in bed. Her eyes were puffy, but she looked like she was feeling better. "Alright," she said, "What are we playing?"
Both Ellis and Gabby joined Byron and Lisa in the main room. The two who were waiting were oddly awkward around each other. Ellis had a good idea. He was sure he saw the two separate when he walked in. The game had been set with everyone's faction set out before hand.
The game began with simple claims for resources. Gabby scored the first Victory Point in round two. Round four and five devolved into a series of skirmishes and thefts that caused both Ellis and Byron to fall behind. Lisa was playing aggressively, targeting everyone who looked to be winning. Gabby shined near the end of the game when she claimed victory under everyone's nose's. What had happened was she lined up objectives to complete them all in one turn. Despite claiming the first couple of Victory Points, she fell behind in the track. Lisa's aggressive behavior allowed her to pull ahead quickly. And Ellis and Byron were neck and neck near the end of the track. But Gabby's own management of her resources and how she was able to track everything on the board, allowed her to steal victory. After final scores, both Ellis and Byron tied for second with Lisa coming in last.
"Goddammit," Lisa said in defeat. Both Byron and Ellis bumped fists. Gabby had a mischievous grin. Everyone laughed at Lisa's expense as she cleaned up the game. It was a rule they had to make things more interesting. Whomever came into last place had to do what the winner said for the rest of the night. Fortunately for Lisa, Gabby is a benevolent dictator.
For the rest of the night, Lisa was made to do push ups, hold a squat and then act as a seat while Gabby watched TV. Ellis took the moment to put his feet up on Lisa who was on her hands and knees. They were watching the new show that Byron wanted them to see. It was good and they were enjoying themselves. All of their worries slipped away into the night. Eventually, Lisa was released from he duties and she took a seat on the couch near Byron. Ellis sat on the other side while Gabby took their only recliner. They were halfway through the third episode when the power went out.
Everyone looked around in the dark. Ellis pulled out his phone. It too had no power. "I thought I charged this," he said aloud. Lisa spoke, "I don't think it's just your phone. Mine's out too."
"Same here," Byron said and everyone became worried. Byron was religious about making sure his phone had good charge. The man was addicted to it. It was too dark to move around easily and Ellis was making his way to the kitchen to find a flashlight. He found one, but it too had no power. Ellis's heart began to race. "Are we under attack?" Gabby asked. Her voice was squeaking. Then both the TV and everyone's phones came to life. A message was scrawled across the screens accompanied by a voice. It was loud and spoke with authority, as if it was made from thunder, "The Fourth World has ended, now begins the Fifth World."