//------------------------------// // Chapter I: Where It All Went Wrong // Story: Life Is A Game We All Must Play // by Bambi-Fuego //------------------------------// Chapter I: Where it All Went Wrong It's the year 2031 and in the last fifteen years everything went to hell. World War III, Britain is at war with the Republic of Ireland, most of the continent of North America will be uninhabitable for the next few millennia and then these things started appearing. My name is Richard Daniels I'm 21 years old and this is how my life took a turn for the worse. It started as a normal day, I woke up around 8:30 I didn't plan to wake up that early but I forgot to turn my alarm clock off the night before so I started the day in a not-so-good mood because I'm NOT a morning person. Anyways I turned my alarm clock off, put on my glasses then proceeded to turn my bedside lamp off, now I'm not afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of what resides in the dark. Now this, this is where it starts to get weird. As i already noted that things started appearing well said things are some form of supernatural but they're from a completely different universe entirely I wish I was joking. Ever since a certain bomb was created they started to appear. From what I've been told when the bomb explodes it rips a hole in the space time continuum, not too sure just what the fuck that is but Jamie said it did and he is the smartest person I'll probably ever know, so supernatural occurrences happened near where the bomb had gone off. Just to clarify Jamie Dow is my best mate I've known him all my life and I trust him with it. But I digress. Anyways I walked out of my room to find Matt was already up, nothing new he's always up early. Also because it is relevant I live in a house with three other people Matt, Jamie and Pete, it's cheaper on the rent so I can't complain. "Good morning Bambi, didn't expect you to be up this early on a Wednesday." He had a smug face on because he knows I'm too big of a fan of my nickname, which I got courtesy of my fiancé, Faline-Alexander Henderson. "Shit, hold on I'll be back in a minute." I walked back into my room, went into my set of draws and grabbed a black, woollen band and put it on my right arm just below where the sleeves on my t-shirt. The reason I did that is because 4 months ago a good friend of mine died by the hands of the fucking Irish when they attacked Newcastle, his name was Kevin but everyone called him Spyder, crazy fucker mind you but still a good friend, it was on a Wednesday so a small group of us wear a black band on our right arm every wednesday to remember him. I walked back in to the living room, I picked the short straw so I got the dinning room which is now my bedroom. "Anyone else up yet?" I asked. "Nope. Oh by the way, Happy birthday" Matt replied "Thanks, also shower's mine." I said already halfway up the stairs. Ten minutes later had me feeling awake and in a change of clothes, which was a pair of jeans a Fire Trap t-shirt which was covered by a black hoodie, when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." I said. I opened the door where the was a man holding a parcel. "Package for a Richard Lee Daniels." Lee is my middle name just to let you know. "Yeah, that's me." "Just sign here please," I did, closed the door, took the package in and opened it. "What is it?" Matt asked. "You nosey bugger." I opened it and took out it's contents which was a lot of polystyrene, a set of darts with customised flights, a shirt and a note which read 'Happy birthday, Jamie' I took one look at the shirt Jamie I fucking hate you sometimes. The shirt was black with the letters TGP on both sleeves with a picture of a head of a stag on the back, the flights had TGP on each side of the flights. I put the note down and walked up the stairs got a jug from the bathroom, not sure why it's there, filled it up with ice cold water, proceeded into Jamie's room and poured the cold water on his head "Wake up you bastard," needless to say the water did just that. He woke up with quiet a shock. "I see you got my present,". "Yes, I did. And thank you." The reason I did all that is because that is my darts shirt for when I do tournaments because I am rank 27th in the world for the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) and that is the best in life I will probably get thanks to my fucking eyesight. I need glasses otherwise everything is a blur, just everything and I hate it so much. But I get by just like everyone else. I was walking out the room when Jamie stopped me. "Daniels wait," He calls me Daniels because he couldn't say Richard until after he could say my last name and he's never changed. "I got you something else as well." He grabbed something from under his bed and passed it to me it was a yellow metal stick with a lead coming out the bottom probably to let it keep attached to your wrist. "What is it?" "Hold down the button for five." I hadn't noticed to black button on it until Jamie mentioned it. I held it down for five seconds and then i was glad i had the other end pointing away from me. It was a climbing pick, I guessed it was for ice but I'm happy with this either way because I love four things: Darts, my fiancé, my sister - I'm very close to my sister and there isn't anything I wont do for her, and climbing indoor, outdoor I love it. "Cheers mate," "Don't mention it, but don't expect shit like this again until your 40. Your 13th, 18th, 21st and 40th birthdays are the only important ones you have." "I know. Now get up, the shower is free but I give Pete ten minutes before he gets up so take it while you can." I walked down stairs but I didn't even make it halfway down before I heard a mirror smash and a very loud "HOLY SHIT!" from Jamie, like before I mentioned the things, they are the reason I'm afraid of what's in the dark and they're the reason I'm terrified of clowns and the nursery rhyme 'Ring a Ring a Roses' they fuck with your life and they've just fucked with Jamie and we need a new mirror, I'll let you do the math. After that nothing eventful happened until half past one "So you're not going to wish me a happy birthday?" I asked jokingly. "I might tonight." Faline said with a seductive tone. Bambi's getting laid tonight. I don't like it when other people other than Faline call me Bambi but it's okay when I do it. "Ahem. There's a little kid here." My sister commented. "Yes, but he's not even 2, he can walk but he can't talk and he wont know what she means." I might aswell describe what I look like and I'll probably describe a few others while I'm at it. I've got light brown hair, I'm 5ft 11, I've got very pale skin because I don't tan very well and it's annoying, my eye colour is hazel, I wear glasses also I have 2 tattoos one of St. Helens R.L.F.C and Newcastle United. Jamie has dark brown hair, 6ft 1, skin a bit darker than mine, green-ish grey eyes, and he's got a goatee. Faline has blonde shoulder length hair, 5ft 10, same colour skin as Jamie. Emily has light brown hair like me but it goes down past here shoulders, also 5ft 10, same colour skin as me (runs in the family), hazel eyes, and I know she has a tattoo somewhere but she wont tell me so I don't know where. My nephew has light brown, though not a lot of hair, not very tall, hazel eyes again and that's about that. "Okay you win that one. Anyways I can't stay long, I've got a train to catch but I thought I might stop by and my baby brother happy birthday." "I'm 21!" I protested. "You can be 72 and still be my baby brother so don't fight it." If I live that long. And I wont even bother trying to argue because I'll know she will win. I noticed my nephew was hiding behind my sister holding a card. I smiled. "Is that for me?" I asked him. He nodded slightly, walked around my sister, he took his time but he eventually gave me the card. On the front it had 'Worlds No.1 Uncle' on the Inside it had 'To Uncle Richard. Have a happy birthday love Louis' Louis, pronounced Lewis, is my nephew's name. "Thank you Louis" to my sister "What time is your train?" I asked her "Half past three." "Well it's quarter to two now" Then I realised I need to call a taxi to get to work. "Shit!" "What?" Faline asked "I'm going to be late for work" "Well I'm sure Alice will let you off," Alice is my boss and a very close friend and she is unique and I mean that. She has Alexandria's Genesis, and she is the only ever recorded human to have it. Alexandria's Genesis: It only occurs in women, very pale skin, eyes are naturally purple which turn darker as you age, no hair on your body with the exception of eye lashes, eye brows, nose hair and head hair which is usually black or very dark brown, constantly fertile, never has a period, never gets ill and lives for up to 150 years. "Well I hope so. Faline I'm guessing I'll be seeing you to at the pub tonight." By the way I work at a pub. "Yes you will. Probably around half six-ish." The rest of the afternoon went by normally along with some of the evening. If you've been to Newcastle before the major changes which involved the 10ft steel outer-wall, the 15ft steel inner-wall with a 5ft steel mesh wire on top of that, the steel gates which only allow four ways in and out of the city, the watchtowers in and around the city and HMS Northumberland patrolling up and down the river Tyne you wouldn't recognise a city that was once on the top ten places to go for a night out, also there is a curfew and half past ten Sundays to Fridays but it's lifted to 1 o'clock on Saturdays because despite the war, we still get pissed on a night out. The reason for the changes was because ever since London was raised to the ground, Newcastle is the UK's military HQ because it's on the coast also it was either this or Holyhead. About 9:50 the pub I worked at was relatively full and I could tell it would be long before I get some drunken banter. Oh there was a curfew at 10:30 and anyone caught outside after that was dealt with accordingly. I was outside taking a smoke break because I needed it, I gave up on trying to quit a while ago even after both Faline and Emily had tried to get me to stop. I was outside cig in my mouth, messing about with the safety on my SIG P226 pistol which was stuffed down the back of my jeans because it's the easiest place to put it. It's not much big but it gets the job done, but that's nothing compared to the UMP 45 that Jamie carries around with him in his rucksack. I own a firearm and almost everyone else in Newcastle does as well, the military don't like it but when the Irish or some other country attacks, the military with the Newcastle Militia (it's unwritten but if you own a firearm you're part of the militia and you can fire at the army attacking you) fight back with extreme force and there's a fifteen minute window for the militia to scavenge for ammo and more guns, though high calibre rifles, rocket propelled grenades a light machine guns are off limits. "Richard," Alice said. I hadn't noticed she was there. I don't see the point describing what she looks like since I've already done that with describing Alexandria's Genesis other than she's my height and has black hair. "Yes Alex?" also another nickname. "I'm out for a few day which you already know about, keys are you know where, not expecting any deliveries but if there any you know what to do, try not to burn the place down I put my heart and soul into this place and I think that's it." She covered everything and she defiantly has put her heart and soul and a shit ton of money into that place I look back now and it's a shame what happened to it. "How you getting up to Berwick? And why?" That's where she was going. "Jamie's giving me a lift since he's going past there while he heads to Glasgow. And it's my... my dad's funeral." And that's why I don't like asking to many questions, always ends up with the worst possible scenario. Alice's dad, Derek, was canny bloke and I didn't expect him to die so early, I'm sure he was only 54. "I'm sorry. Hope it wasn't a painful death." From what I've heard Berwick hasn't had it easy since the war started. "He died in his sleep." "So," I kind of wanted to change the subject, because I fuck up with situations like these, "What time you heading off?" I asked. "As soon as Jamie's finished his pint," so more or less now. "Also, smoke break over." I was hoping I could get way with staying out here a little, obviously not. Nothing else worth noting down happened between then and closing time. All I wanted to do was go home and claim my present from Faline, basically fuck her brains out. But that didn't happen, instead Ireland paid a visit. The sound of the air raid siren filled the skies, "Oh that's just fucking lovely!" Matt so happened to take the words out of my mouth. I already had my P226 out in my hand, Matt and Pete both pulled out their guns from their rucksacks, MP-7 for Matt and a MPK5 for Pete. Faline, who was also with us, Didn't have one. "Where should we go?" She asked. "Just head to the wall and we'll go from there." I said, usually I would stay and fight but right I was not in the mood. I felt my phone vibrate twice, I figured someone had just sent me a text but I was too busy at the time to check. So of to the wall we went. When we eventually got there we were alone, we could hear fighting going off on the opposite side of Newcastle and we were faced with a problem, the wall it's self. "I got an idea." Pete's idea was quite simple I jump onto his shoulder then he lifts me, I'm standing on his hand because the was it too fucking high, I jump from his hands and use the Ice Pick Jamie bought me to dig into the mesh wire, tie the cord around my leg so I could lift Matt over so when it's Faline's turn she doesn't hurt herself, Matt climbs over and braces himself to catch Faline, repeat the process with Faline, then Pete jumps to grab my hand I haul him over then it's my turn. Like I said the plan was relatively simple and it should have worked perfectly. But when it came my turn to climb over I couldn't get my leg out of the cord so while I was trying to get my leg unstuck I heard a bomb go off, remember this was the bomb I've mentioned a few times. So that made me rush about, making me careless, oblivious to the word around me. The bomb's radius isn't large enough to cover a quarter of Newcastle but I still quickened my attempt to get my leg free. Remember that the bomb rips a hole in the space time continuum, I still have no fucking clue what that is, the portal it so happens to propel out at very fast speeds somehow managed to get through Newcastle without colliding into anything and went straight into my direction. I did manage to see it coming at me but by that time it was far too late. "Oh fuck no!" was the last words on my world I ever got to say.