Earth's Fall- Day 1- 3:26PM- Needlehead Park, Capricio City, Capricio, South Wing.
"All right Jaden, playtime's over." A young woman stepped into a sandbox stretching out an arm to her son.
The little boy hesitated, "Really?" He wailed. "Can I stay for a little while?"
"I'm afraid No" His mother snapped back. "We need to get you out of those dirty clothes and get ready for your Math tutor," She said, squatting to meet her son's gaze. "You don't want to miss maths class do you?"
The little boy looked sad and disappointed. He dropped his sand bucket and got to his feet. "Can my friends come too?"
He noticed his mother's scorn expression, "I'm sure my teacher won't find it-"
"Jaden! How many times will I tell you your friends can't come?!" His mother yelled. The boy looked down. The woman took a few deep breaths before patting his hair. "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have yelled at you."
The boy nodded and she hugged him, "Tell you what? Why don't you go greet off your friends and I'll ready the car, mm?" He nodded once more and she gave him a peck.
"Mom? What's that?" The little boy asked, pointing to the sky.
"What's what?" She asked in return, turning to meet his gesture. She couldn't believe what she saw. It was an asteroid, at least that's what she presumed. A long stream line of smoke was painted in the sky led by a weird looking blue rock.
"Cool! An asteroid!" The boy proclaimed, "I have to make sure my friends are seeing this." He started towards the fields but was held back by his mother.
"Come here Jaden, we're going home, now!" The woman said with all sternness and the boy was smart to not argue. The asteroid emerged bigger and bigger, it had started to steer up a lot of people's instincts, because everyone was eventually running for their lives.
"Mom! What's going on?!" The boy yelled in all the commotion, he looked back to catch a glimpse of the extraterrestrial body. It was closer now and already braced for impact.
Total Casualties: 4, 109, 840, 560 people
∞
Earth's Fall- Day 8360- 6:02PM- Tundra highroads, Tundra, North Wing.
Levi let out a loud series of coughs. He noticed that the old lady sitting next to him on the bus adjusted her position, edging closer to the window.
For Heaven's sake, it's not contractable by air, he thought. He didn't blame her though; she was old. It was better to die an honourable death than a painful one.
Damn! It hurts. His breath seized every now and then. Though he was trying his best not to make the other passengers uncomfortable, he felt like the virus, the elephant in the room. No one needed to say a word for him to understand; he could feel it. He had always felt it all his life.
"Mayskeep?" He could hear the driver ask. Levi raised his hand in conformity. It appeared that the Driver didn't see his hand, "I said Mayskeep?" He asked more loudly.
"Yes... Yes sir" Levi's tiny voice broke up from the third row. Finally, everyone had the chance of an excuse to turn and see the imp. My, my, did he have a little voice for his age.
Levi ignored the stares, when last did any of them see someone with Lead Syndrome? It's not like their opinion of him mattered. He was going to die in the coming days.
The Bus came to a stop at a T-junction.
"Alright. Mayskeep." The driver proclaimed from the front.
Levi got up and picked up his sack bag. He took one last look at the old woman. Sure, I guess you'll be more at ease now eh? He thought. He made towards the door of the bus.
Great. Why in seven hells would he be the only one dropping at Mayskeep?
"Take care!" The driver waved before zooming off. Levi watched the bus disappear. Now that was a rare good fellow, he thought.
He turned to face the street, and a rush of nostalgia washed over him. Everything has changed but he could still make out similarities with the memory in his mind. It has been seven years since he left this place, seven years since he left his father—though 'ran away' is a much more accurate description.
Levi pondered as he took painful steps, hoisting his bag over his shoulder." Why did he leave his father in the first place? Because he never gave him attention? No, it's not it, he thought. He was angry, angry at his father, that's why he ran.
All his childhood and memories were built here and he threw it all away. He wondered how his father was fairing, if he was happy. Was he making a mistake coming here? What if Dad is happy and he shows up just when he's about to die?
Levi wiped away the free flowing tears from his cheeks. No, he needed to see his father, he is the only person and family that he had.
The moonlight had just started to light up as he took deep breaths of the cool Atlantic breeze. He could see a few people staring at him from their homes.
Levi recognized the cluster of crawling plants and, as he moved further, everything felt like he had never left. Except for the fact that he couldn't fish out his family's little shade of a home.
"Hey, you boy! Watchu doin' there?" The voice of an aged woman called on him. Levi turned to see an old woman in her night robes.
"Noth- Nothing."
"Nothin'?" She took a long look at him. "You look old enough, thought you'd be in The Academy?" She called out in a surprising loud voice.
"Academy? What Academy?" Levi replied, unsure if she was just a crazy grandma. But the woman merely muttered under her breath and moved to leave.
"Wait!" He called after her. The old lady turned. "Umm, I'm looking for a man who used to live her-"
"You mean Jean Parker?" The aged woman cut him off.
"Yes..yes yes." Levi replied with relief.
"Oh! Haven't you heard? He died 2 years ago from a gas leak... Horrible story."
With that, Levi felt his heart rate spike, his breath hitch, and he blacked out.