Falber City: Cry of Innocence (#2)

FALBER CITY: CRY OF INNOCENCE

Issue 2: Null's Bad Day

Apartment Complex 12: Emmisaries Meeting

The bullets zipped through the shadowy figure and hit the back wall, leaving it performated. The shadow showed the large holes inside itself, but as suddenly as they appeared they closed.

"Oh hell, I hate Shades", said Null, lowering his gun slightly and assuming a defensive stance. The Shade burst forward towards Null and showed itself to be a thick black mist. It lunged at Null with fists coming from random directions; each one striking hard against Null's head and chest. Suddenly one struck for Null's stomach, going deep, but before the fist could draw back Null grabbed it.

He pulled hard on the fist which revealed an arm. Soon enough an entire man was ripped from the mist, leaving it to dissipate. The man, thin and riddled with scars, landed on the floor beside Null. Without hesitation Null gripped his revolver tight and put three rounds into the man's chest. "Ahhh! Stop! Please!" screamed the thug.

"Where is the other emmiss...", Null shouted before being tackled by the large, disfigured man-thing. It's skin was leathery with bubbles occassionally popping all over his back and legs. With his tentacle hand wrapped around Null's throat like an octopus wrapped around it's prey, he lifted him high off the ground and placing his back against the ceiling.

"Well, since you pretty much killed my bargaining plan I'll just have to satisfy my need to kill your ass. But first....", the massive freak opened a metal suitcase. Inside was one capsule which held a yellow liquid, a note, and a syringe.

"This should be a nice little demonstration!", howled the massive freak as he used the small, puss covered arm on his lower back to inject himself with the chemical. He suddenly grew larger. "Heh, heh, heh, heh!", the monster cackled as his teeth turned into fangs and his spine grew large bone spike plates that covered his back. His eyes turned pure yellow and glowed with an evil radiance. He grew to the point where Null was pushed through the ceiling.

"Shit! What the hell have they been cooking up?!", thought Null as he grasped the gigantic squid hand to avoid passing out. The creature was more squid than man now. It brought Null in front of his face. "I've always wondered what would happen if I popped an Officer's head off. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!", bellowed the montrous abomination. Null reached down behind his back and carefully slid out his sawed off shotgun, "Any last words?", asked the monster, it's sarcasm hanging around him like a rotten odor.

"Yeah, what's that over there?", Null asked, pointing with his eyes.

"Huh?", the monster grunted as he looked over his shoulder.

This gave Null just enough time to line up his shot, "Also, what about this?", said Null with an evil smile on his face.

As the monster looked back at Null he was greeted with hell. Null shot a hail of small metal balls straight into the monster's right eye, reducing it to a mushy pulp. "Rrraaahhhhwwwwnggg!! Aaaaaahhhhh!!!", screamed the monster as it grasped the leaking mushy sack that once was its eye. Yellow juice slopped onto the floor by the gallons, slowly filling up the room.

The monster whipped Null all throughout the apartment complex. He crashed through wall after wall until sixteen apartments were destroyed. Null saw the yellow eye goo on the floor burn the furniture and eat away at the concrete. So Null decided to fire another round at the soft squid hand that had now moved to grabbing his torso.

"I am....going to... fucking...kill you!", roared Null as the beast thrashed him about like a rag doll.

"Nah man, screw... you!", said the monster as he threw Null like a baseball through the wall. Null crashed through multiple walls before reaching an open parking lot. He soared through the night air for a moment and then hit a brick wall like a pancake. He slid down the wall, leaving a splotch of bright red blood on the wall. Null then landed into a dumpster. He passed out to the sight of a full moon and the sound of neighoring destruction and cries of pain.

Rear Parking Lot: 8:00 am

"Hey mister. Are you ok?", called a soothing voice that echoed into the distance of black that was Null's mind.

Daddy, daddy, don't let them take me! Daddy! Daddy, get up! Echoed another long ago voice. "Sandra?", muttered Null. Daddy, help me! Da....!!! shrieked the voice as the sound of bubbling liquid and laughing men overpowered it. "Ahhhhh!", Null yelled as he awoke with dried blood stains across his body and an ever present cold sweat.

Wiping the dried flaky blood away from his eyes Null was greated by a young girl. She was about 15 years old and she had straight dirty blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. She had an athletic build and was shoulder height to Null. Her eyes were large and an unusually bright blue. Her face was fine featured with hints of being a beautiful woman when she grows up. Null's first thought was that an angel had come for his soul, but the pain reminded him that he was still alive.

"Well, I guess you are alive", said the girl as Null started to get up. As Null got out of the dumpster he fell, feeling a deep burning sensation in his right leg. "Whoa! That's going to need some medicine", said the girl. "Here, let me help you", as she put his arm over her shoulders and began to drag him. Null looked down and saw the dried yellow liquid still crackling on his leg. It had burned right through his jeans.

"It's not very often I find another normal looking person like me out here. What's your name? Where do you live? Are you from the outside? What's your... Oh, what am I doing? You need help". As the girl ceased her onslaught of questions she threw Null into the back of a truck and began to hotwire the ignition. "By the way, my name is Sarah".

Sarah... you should have left me to die, was Null's last thought before sleep overtook him.

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Falber City: Cry of Innocence

Prologue

Dusk.   The air was brisk and the city was barren.   Ironically the town was named after the tribe of natives that used to live on this land.  It was called the City of Fallen Timber or Falber City for short.   Strange things happened in this city.  The locals blamed the dead beneath their town. Others think the government lacked the care to enforce safety on radioactive dumping.  Nothing is certain other than Falber City’s blood drenched past.

In the past gang violence led to heightened security which forced the gang members to go….crazy.  The gang leaders thought it would be a good idea to weaponize the aged radioactive plasma, to even go so far as to mark their territories with the stuff.   Needless to say that they weren’t careful with the toxic sludge.  They spewed the muck everywhere, killing hundreds but mutating many more.   Their first target was the Central Police Department, then the Southern Police Department and so on, until an epidemic could be seen as far as Tombstone Park.

As the radiation spread across the city the National Government immediately detected the problem. They quarantined the entire city, locking in 2.6 million people and sending in their so-called “specialists” to deal with the “issue”.   Yeah, issue… this isn’t an issue.  This is an all out war with mutated freaks and monsters.   The only thing keeping this city from destroying itself is us.  The Fort Wesley Police Department.   I am Jeremy, code name NULL, and this is my story.

FALBER CITY:  CRY OF INNOCENCE

Issue 1:  Old Beginnings

Apartment #216:  Null’s home

“Ugh…what?”, groaned Null as he crawled out of bed to the loud ringing of his alarm.   Null let out a deep sigh as the thought of going to work made his trigger finger ache.   As Null makes his way to his window he is greeted by the sight of the blood washed street below and the ever present dome-like force field encasing the city above.  The sun makes it shine and extremely noticeable. 

“Well, at least they died quietly…hopefully quickly too”, Null said as he yawned on his way to the closet.

Street: Uptown

Ripped up jeans, white t-shirt and a black leather overcoat partially covering Null’s bullet proof vest. Everything an agent needs to survive the streets.  Null walks with his hand on his revolver at all times. His eyes shift to each individual that comes close.  A truck with a mounted 50 caliber gun speeds down the road. Bullets tearing up store fronts just across the street from Null’s position.  He draws his gun and fires four slugs. Two hit the gunner, crippling him.  While the other two pierce the drivers skull and right lung.   The drivers dead leg slams on the gas, causing the truck to accelerate to 100 mph.  As the truck crashes into a far off building Null holsters his gun and continues to walk; his gaze fixed on the victims caught in the crossfire of the blood-crazed drive-by. 

Downtown: Fort Wesley Police Department

Null walks to the back of a broken down abandoned apartment building.  He enters the 14-digit code and walks inside.   He’s greeted by a large man.  The man is rounded and burly but holds an impressive physique. 

“Hey Null, where’ve you been? You missed all of the boring stuff”, the big husky man bellowed with a gleeful demeanor.  

“Sorry, Break.  I was…uh…oh, hell. I killed three thugs that destroyed the stores on Hemming Street with a mounted MG-42”, replied Null with a smile on his face that quickly turned to sadness.   “But not before they tore apart a least a dozen people outside, probably more inside the stores”. 

Break tried to comfort Null, “Don’t worry man. One day we’ll retake the city… one piece at a time”

Null turned to face Break as tears welled up in his eyes, “Yeah, well…. How many people have to die until we can retake the city.  Those goddamn freaks keep killing women and children…. And for what?!  Just for fun? Or is it some chemical fuck-up in their head?!”

Other officers stared as Null grabbed his assignment folder and walked out. 

“What’s wrong with him?”, asked Shed. 

Break simply replied with a grim look, “Last month Null had the Redwald Grade School assignment.  You know, the one where we found our first mutant cannibals”.

“Oh well…. Sucks to be him”, said Shed. 

Break grabbed Shed by the collar of his bullet proof vest, “It’s because of that case that I lost a good friend…..and a good partner”. 

Downtown: Broken Suburbs, 4:00 pm

                Redwald, thought Null.  Dear God, if there was any form of hell on earth it would be there.   I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Memories…flashbacks…whatever you want to call it bombarded Nulls mind. 

In the pitch black darkness of the night Null places the breaching charge on the brick wall outside of the school.   The explosion rocks the school inside, collapsing the entire wall inward.   The explosive light blinds the thugs inside as the bricks break across their skulls.   

As Null breached the school wall he climbed over a mound of brick and was greeted by a horrendous sight that was seared into his mind…his memories, forever.  He saw small bodies, peeled apart and impaled on crudely made tools; spiked cages holding skewered dead children.  In the center of the room was a large vat of boiling liquid. The screams of children filled his tortured mind as their flesh was boiled, melting off of their little bodies before his very eyes.

Immediately, as the screams caught Null’s ear, he shook off the memory and reached into his file.  He sat on a nearby bench as he read, “Objective: Break up the peace talks between the Black Out’s emissary and the Blood Drunkard’s emissary.

Hmm… according to this information the Black Out’s emissary has ghost abilities, while the Blood Drunkard’s emissary has a low grade super strength and medium grade durability.  Null sighed heavily, “Well, I guess I’m going to get my ass kicked”. 

Downtown:  Apartment Complex #12, 11:00 pm

There was blood on the moon tonight, a full and eerie glow, as the two emissaries entered the complex.   Unluckily for them Null was close behind them, tracking them.             Gang, monsters and scum, I don’t give a shit what anyone calls them, thought Null as he entered the complex.  He drew his revolver and loaded  some armor piercing rounds.  He followed the emissaries up to room K-64.   Null could hear the lock being thrown on the door tight.  Null raised his revolver, took a deep breath and kicked in the door.

As the door frame gave way the lock snapped without any trouble.   Null entered quickly and opened fire on the distant shadowy figure therein.

TO BE CONTINUED…