Chapter One

The Begotten Storm

Rain glaze the street with a fresh paint of liquid mirror, that reflected the sky that thunder in rage of a cage beast. Lighting surged through the darkened clouds. The storm anger, refracted with loud booms that echo throw the concrete jungle of building riddle in form of labyrinth. God's eyes burning red, blaze through the crimson moon, His mighty hand that collapse universe began to in verses, to crush the earth but wisdom held his fierce hand at ease, for his world was true; it must prove itself to be given grace again. Thunder echo in the sounds of distant drums of war that a few want but many cannot escape the slaughter that will come, in the name of peace.

Six o'clock in the morning the night still own the earth and it cast it black shadows all around that move through the storm as figures of old, lurking, waiting in the stillness of the night. Rain was heard through the narrow streets covered with tree on the side, making way to old brick buildings stuck in time. Birds still in their nest hidden away from the roaring wind followed by drizzling that came at ease. High heals could be heard walking in unease matter, cutting swiftly through the shadows of the trees that lean toward this young lady in a jeans and black hooded leather jacket. Leaves' of the tree made way to tear drops that brush the wind against each other.

She look down the dark street and the bus stop was a block away under broken light the flicker in the abyss of the shadows that played tag with themselves. The city of beauty was quiet on this Thursday early dark morning. Her slim and fit figure move fast in the night, the lack of light made her heart bound harder, but she took a deep breath of fresh air, the smell of rain reminder of her time growing in her small town. Covering as much of her white uniform for not get wet as she was heading to work at a coffee shop. As she arrive to the bus stop the skyline of city made it hard for any light to pass through, make the buildings curl over as to swallow her in the dark corner of this city that never sleeps.

High beam light pierce now a little through the hard rain that began, a slow steady pace it moved, she became at ease looking at her nave blue Swatch it was right on time the bus, she smile letting her worries leave shoulder down. When the lights pass the end block she could make out it was a big new white van and the window were a totally polarize, her heart began to beat again the beat of small drum, look at her watch she turning quickly and made her way down the street to the gas station where her best friend works.

Her heels began to tap away at the water faster, as the van slowly crept, making noise as the van swam through the street in a carefree way. She kept turning her head back as the van steady creeped on her, like a snake moving smoothly ever so slowly to wrap it prey at once. Then all of the sudden the van turn off it's light and began to speed up entering the block, she began to run on her heels and scream into the inferno night, but screams but a norm in this city, it the essence of what the night brings. Her vocals bounced off closed windows, where people ignored the night, most shelter away looking at movies, partying away and gaming, trap in the screens that they could not here her or did not care.

She remember there was an alley at the right hand side in the middle the block that made way to small out door car chop shop that they use at night for parking garage, behind an old metal fence with a green cover. She began to sprint on heels as fast as she could, as she turn right, her right heel snap causing to twist her right ankle, almost falling in the ground but caught herself with her right hand. She kicked off her heels into the side street and began to run bare foot, not knowing she was running over small broken glass and shredded metal.

The van came to a thundering screech, in front of the alley the van door open made way to two craze men jumping out running out after her, one was slickly skinny and the other was extremely over weight. She turn only once, and look at the fence that only had a loose chain on it, with a quick and swift movement she began to move under the chain and into the garage it was extremely tight, as began to come out she realize that right side of the jacket was caught on the broken right side of the fence. Struggling to get free, her whole body was through but she could not make it through, she began to panic and cry. And cry were met with laughter as the running turn into a hard walking, sounds of nails to a coffin, she began to tear up even more.

She felt her jacket be pulled with hate, jerking her neck that cause her to hit the side of the fence pole, that knocked her to a daze. She frantically began to kick the gravel and her tears could not stop. They let her go like a fish and knock back into the fence, trying to her knock her out cold, sudden her pale eyes reacted and she grab the left side of the fence that was hooked on broken cement wall, and took her right arm of the jacket. This cause the men fall back and they began to pull harder. As she realizes her right arm and hand were free, her Swatch was ripped apart into the water rocked, breaking time… She tore of the jacket with her right hand and free her left arm.

Thinking she was free they grab her by the back of the jean pulling, she began to bight her lips and pulled with her legs, but the two try to grab her waste and try to pull her hair.

"No!" She yelled in a war cry.

Moving head all around until she pull so hard, that her jeans tore from the bank send, the madness into the ground. She fell forward scrapping her face on the rocks and her right side of her lip began to bleed bright red, the fence began to ring out as the men with rage began to kick and pull the fence. Now her long black her now wet, cover her face as she trying to get up slowly not realize that she was still free she was shocked and her mind began to race as to glue all the piece together of what happen, as if she had turn into another person that helped her pull self out of the clutch of something evil. Opening her pale eyes, she looked around the small parking a lot and she hurried under brand new white Jeep and she lady under coldness of the gravel rocks, as she saw her jeans torn and lay in the front of the fence kept ring, until the stay neighborhood dogs began to bark and move close to scene to see what woke their hunger.

Steps of them where heard as they ran off, and slamming the van door but the van did not move as if something was happening inside, all of sudden the van pealed away to the west side of town, as the dark night cover their escape in the abyss of the city.

Laying faced down under the Jeep with her face cover by arms and the slight smell of oil, the wet rocks were cold on her bruised face that accepted this coldness of this world. Half and hour stayed like a statue that looked into Medusa eyes, but in her mind so many things began to race in head, she was not scared but she was angry that she had no strength, and this anger erupted for this happens every day in every hour in this city, she was tired of living in fear. Tire of hearing a motorcycle and looking behind her, tire of all the police officer hitting on her during her working, she was tired and wanted to leave this prison that has her stuck in chains. Stuck in a work with no future and her only escape are photocopies of books that she can buy, because the price was too high for her salary. It was endless loop, that nobody can get out of, and she was done.

The sun light crept under the Jeep and tap her shoulder and she realize she had fell asleep for a second, exhausted she moved out the car and move on all four to her jeans, the alertness began to pump once again, as she reach for her right pocket she trying turn on the phone but it was crack and the screen was black, she saw her reflection off the phone and began to cry again, she move quickly to left side of the parking lot and curled up and began to shed tears of lost hope.

Her weeping suddenly stop to a purring of all white cat with a black tale, that made way to her right knee, as she look down. The cat suddenly jumped on her right shoulder and began to purring in her face, she never really like cats and this was a small kitten. And the cat rubbed it whiskers on her face and she began to giggle and laugh because it tickle.

She slowly lifted it into the sun light and look at its green eyes.

"You look hungry," she said while her pale eyes widen with hope.

"Oh… I see that you're a he. With no collar are you homeless?"

The cat began meowed and began to purr even loader, and again went to rub his face against her. Her tears subsided and made way to pearl white smile.

"My name is Maria, and my good friends call me Mari. Can we be friends?"

Her tone was less tense, and her muscle began to relax. As time stop and well as her anguish, all the pressure and the sadness, through so many countless battles in her life it came to end of an opening Jazmine, blooming bright after the rain and she finally felt a little peace so many looked for. She began to hug the cat, as if it mended her broken heart with gold.

"Now, what to name you?"

She looked around the parking lot that all for side were parked cars all new, but on the far right of entrance was old beat-up Monte Carlos with big box of tools and gears, look like it was being restored.

"Let's call you Gizmo!"

With funny jump it laid between her scrapped legs, and laid there in peace and Gizmo looked up in to the sky. Maria raise head to the sky as well, the light of new son made way for a new life, a new son a new battle, where she would not be a victim. Her pale eyes had enough! She took a deep breath, taking the fresh smell of rain that cleaned the city for one night of crippling depravity.