The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

A Strange Day

One would care to be digested in the thought of the mysteries the world holds. Whether it be how it started, how it ends, and even the meaning that the world held before its pending demise. Various mysteries across the cosmos could overload one's mind with knowledge and understanding, yet it is so oblivious to a species known as humans. A species that has searched far and wide but has failed to make contact with any other life form other than its own. Lonely as they may seem, it is all nothing but a blatant lie bestowed upon humanity by the Gods. A world so far yet close mirrors their own. A world known as The Mind World.

"Nathan!!!"

Nathan was suddenly interrupted from his sleep by a loud squeaky voice, which had scared him, resulting in him falling from his bed.

He looked up to see a 13-year-old girl dressed in pink pajamas. She had mousy drab, mid-brown hair, and pale brown eyes.

"Ow... geez Liz! Could you not wake me up so obnoxiously? It's not fun to be scared out of your dreams and end up flat on the floor ya know..." Complained Nathan as he comforted his bruised forehead.

"But big brother, it's your special day today! Let me sing the best song for today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY-"

Nathan quickly covered her mouth with his hand. He did not wish to hear that awful celebratory song.

"Liz, please no... No birthday songs. You know that stuff makes me feel awkward."

"Hmph! Fine, you're such a killjoy. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

"Hey now, that's uncalled for."

"Yeah... Yeah, whatever. Mom's waiting for you downstairs with breakfast. Hurry and freshen up and get down with us."

"Fine, got it... and, Liz, thanks."

Liz then gave Nathan one last annoyed look before walking out of his room leaving him alone to freshen up.

Nathan then stretched his skinny arms and arose to his feet as he thought about the dream he was having earlier.

Nathan sighed, "The Mind World... huh? If only something like that was real."

Nathan then proceeded to the bathroom and began to clean himself up. He stopped and looked into the bathroom mirror, allowing his sister's words to taunt him about not having a girlfriend. He washed the oil and grime away from his face and took a good look at himself. His hair was a smooth-brown color, shaved in an undercut hairstyle, complementing his cool dark brown eyes and his perfectly refined straight-shaped face.

Nathan was in no way hideous or afraid of how he looked, but he was not very outgoing about it either. His only physical flaw was that he had a perfectly average body type which had refused to gain any muscle build-up whatsoever.

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend," he mocked at his sister's words as he cleaned himself.

Nathan had many flaws apart from his skinny body type. At school, people treated him as an outcast because he acted differently from the rest. He didn't believe in how modern society worked and wished to see it change someday. This fueled him into wanting to become a hero who could change the world— this and his nonexistent father 'James'.

Fifteen minutes later, he appeared before his mother and little sister wearing a thick, red and white jacket with black jeans and white sneakers.

"Happy birthday, honey," said Nathan's mother as she hugged him.

"Thanks, mom... I appreciate it," Replied Nathan, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment.

The three then took a seat around the table filled with exquisite food. The delightful smell penetrated Nathan's nostrils like a knife to a cake. The table was filled with pancakes, eggs, sausages, macaroni, syrup, cheese, and fruit.

"Mom, this is a bit much; don't ya think?" said Nathan hesitantly.

"Mom's just trying to fatten you up, big brother. We know you've been trying to gain weight to attract more girls!" Teased Liz.

"I'm not that skinny!"

"So honey, what do you plan to do today?" Said Nathan's mother saving him from his embarrassment.

"I don't know. Sindy and Andrew said they wanted to take me to see a movie with them, so I guess I'll be hanging with them today."

Nathan's mother smiled as she knew that Sindy and Andrew were just the types of friends Nathan needed. She could rely on them to be with Nathan even if things were to get rough.

After another fifteen minutes, Nathan had eaten his entire share of breakfast and was ready to head out.

"Mom, Liz, I'm going to go now. The movie starts at noon so I better get going."

"Okay honey, please be careful and be back before 5 pm so we can celebrate with a party. All the neighbors and our family members are coming, so don't be late!"

Nathan gave one last wave to his siblings and left to meet up with his friends.

"Do you think not having a father around affects him?" Queried Liz to her mother.

"I think it affects us all, sweety... But we're better off without that monster in our lives anyway! It's about time we got over him for good..."

*****

The sky was clear, the air was fresh and the atmosphere radiated peace. It was a perfect day and all he could think about was how much better it would become as he enjoyed it with his best friends.

As Nathan walked to the bus stop, where he was supposed to meet up with his friends, he noticed a dark cloud in the sky. The cloud emitted a strange aura that gave Nathan the chills. It was smaller and lower than any cloud he had ever seen. Bits of lightning flashed inside the cloud, but there was no sound of thunder.

Nathan shivered, "Geez that's creepy..."

Just then, Nathan saw a spark of electricity arcing upwards right in front of an unknowing, elderly woman looking to cross the street. Without even thinking, he dashed at the lady pushing her out of the way along with himself.

A powerful bolt of lightning had struck the spot where the lady had stood, barely missing them.

"Are you okay?!" Asked Nathan worriedly.

"Yes, thanks to you young man. I'm not sure if my old body could handle any form of electricity as it is!" Replied the elderly lady.

It was almost out of nowhere when people began crowding to ask what had happened. Surprisingly, none of them had seen the bolt of lightning.

"A huge bolt of lightning almost hit this lady, so I did my best to get her out of the way," explained Nathan.

A look of confusion came over the faces in the crowd.

"A bolt of lightning with a completely clear sky?" asked a bystander beginning to question Nathan's sanity.

"Yes! Look, there is a dark creepy-looking cloud in the sky."

Nathan had to do a quick double-take. To his and the old lady's surprise, the cloud had vanished as if it was never there, to begin with.

"Come on kid, don't make stuff up just to play the hero. You could have easily hurt this poor lady with your fantasy nonsense!" Lectured a man from within the crowd.

Nathan was too lost in thought trying to figure out what had just happened, to pay attention to the man speaking to him. He picked himself up and brushed the dust and dirt from his clothes before responding;

"I'm sorry; it won't happen again," said Nathan apologetically to avoid any more problems.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at the bus stop, where he met both Sindy and Andrew.

"Hey guys," greeted Nathan.

"You're late, what happened to you? You have a little dirt on your jeans," complained Sindy as she cleaned Nathan's jeans with a handkerchief.

"Dude, we'll hear you out later. For now, we got thirty minutes to get to the movies or it's as good as missed!" Stated Andrew.

The three friends quickly got onto a bus and headed directly for the theatre.

On the way, Sindy playfully elbowed Nathan and handed him a wrapped gift.

"Happy birthday, Nate!"

"Aw Sindy, I don't know what to say."

"A simple thanks would suffice."

"Thanks, Sindy. I appreciate you."

Sindy smiled warmly at him, making him a little flustered. He hadn't realized just how cute she was dressed up. She had light golden blonde hair, with added brown colorings at the ends. Her eyes were glossy blue with a medium-light skin tone. Her face was smooth with red-stained lips from her lipstick and small gold earrings. She wore a red blouse with white polka-dots, white jeans, and white open-toe slippers; designed with flowers showcasing her red painted nails. She had completely matched Nathan's colors and it made her radiate divinity like an angel.

"Sindy, you look stunning!" Complimented Nathan.

Sindy blushed, "Thanks, I was hoping it wasn't too much."

"So Nate..." started Andrew joining in on the conversation. "What about me? You only complimented Sindy man. I'm hurt."

Nathan took a look at Andrew. He had bleached blonde hair— shaved in an undercut just like Nathan's, dark-brown eyes, and wore the smile of a trouble maker. He was slightly muscular and wore a plain-blue long-sleeved shirt, black jeans, and blue sneakers.

"Yeah dude, you look pretty cool too," replied Nathan honestly.

"Am I better than princess over there?" teased Andrew.

Sindy rolled her eyes, "Oh Andrew shut up... More importantly, Nathan open your gift!"

Nathan did not know what to expect, as Sindy could buy the weirdest gifts. He then gently unwrapped the box and slid it open. Inside it, Nathan found a silver half-heart necklace embedded with the name ~Sindy.

"Wow Sindy, this is really neat!" said Nathan with his voice filled with appreciation.

"Oh? So who has the other half?" Cheekily asked Andrew.

"It's right here," stated Sindy as she revealed the other half of the necklace that was neatly concealed within her blouse. The necklace was embedded with the name ~Nathan.

Andrew smirked, "That must have cost quite a bit princess. You really poured your heart into it, didn't ya?"

"Andrew, shut up! It's his birthday so of course, I would."

Andrew then gave Nathan a quick wink. However, Nathan was much too dense to catch on.

"Sindy, I appreciate it, but I kinda feel bad since it's just me and you. The three of us are best friends, so I think we should get a piece for Andrew too."

A look of frustration washed the face of Sindy.

"Geez, you're such an airhead sometimes..."

Nathan didn't hear the whispered comment of Sindy due to the wind coming through the window.

"Nah man, am good. That's for you and Sindy. I already know that we're besties so I don't need a necklace to prove it... Besides, my gift is taking us all to the movies to catch 'that' movie."

Nathan and Sindy had no idea what movie they would be seeing as Andrew wanted it to be a surprise. Suspense crept up on Nathan as he really wanted to know, but he kept himself disciplined and decided to go with it.

"By the way guys, today the weirdest thing happened to me!" started Nathan as he explained what had happened between him and the elderly woman earlier.

"Woah, you sure you didn't just halluciNATE?" Laughed, Andrew.

"Dude I'm serious, I wouldn't make something as crazy as this up."

"Well, whatever it was, no point in dwelling on it now," exclaimed Sindy.

Sindy and Andrew both knew Nathan could be a bit superstitious at times, due to his fantasy of becoming a hero, but he would never blow it out of proportion to the point of drawing the attention of large crowds.

After a twenty-five-minute bus ride, they had finally arrived at the theatre. They hurried over to give in their tickets when Nathan noticed something. The small dark cloud was back, but this time it seemed much more aggressive. Lightning danced inside the cloud and the atmosphere began to react to it. It was almost as if the sky was becoming darker with each passing second.

"Nathan! Come on, what are you loo-", Sindy briefly cut her statement, as she too could now see the cloud.

"Andrew, you're seeing it too, right?" quickly asked Sindy.

"Yes, unfortunately, Nathan isn't crazy."

Nathan glanced at Andrew. "Unfortunately?"

"Umm, not the time. Let's get inside quick boys."

The three rushed inside the theatre, handed in their tickets, and took a seat, ready to see the movie Andrew was hyping, trying to ignore the fact of what they had just seen.

"So, the movie you wanted us to see was The Tragic Hero?" murmured Sindy.

"It's a good movie and besides Nate has never seen it," replied Andrew enthused.

"Shh- it's about to start guys!" quieted Nathan.

[5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. MCs product- KABOOM!!]

A giant tremor shook the entire building, causing immense panic within the theatre.

"Oh my goodness, what the hell was that!?" panicked Sindy.

"Perfect timing to ruin the movie... I want a refund!" complained Andrew bitterly.

"Nate, I'm sorry this is happening right now, but I'm sure everyth-" Sindy stopped and took a good look at Nathan. He was drenched in sweat and seemed completely spaced out.

"Nate? Nate? Nate?!"

"He's not responding, what in the world is going on man..?" cried Andrew.

Sindy grabbed onto Nathan's face and looked him straight into his eyes. His eyes seemed completely dead and he was as pale as a ghost, with a roasting fever.

"Oh gosh! He's burning up Andrew!" screamed Sindy.

Nathan began to whimper, "Gu-Guys, I don't feel too good..."

"We need to get him out of here and to a doctor like right now!" declared Andrew.

Just then, a voice began speaking over an intercom.

"Everyone, please evacuate immediately and find a sturdy shelter! A powerful storm surge has come over the vicinity and the country has declared this a state of emergency. Caution is advised!"

"Bro, wasn't it like totally clear five minutes ago?" questioned Andrew worried.

"Let's just get out of here. There is a medical clinic a few blocks from here. We should be able to make it in about two minutes if we hurry..." explained Sindy.

The two helped Nathan up and moved to the exit of the building. What they saw upon reaching the exit had made them tremble in their garments. The winds were so powerful; it was uprooting street signs and public trees, sending them flying like a scene from a movie. Lightning arced through the sky forming many different patterns, that would dare challenge any artist, but the most frightening thing was the color of the sky. It was as black as night, that it had tempted Sindy and Andrew to check the time on their phones.

"What do we do now? There is absolutely no way we can make it through that alive!" dreaded Andrew.

"I don't care! I'm getting Nate to a doctor, even if I have to do it by myself. I'm not leaving him like this!" demanded Sindy.

"Don't be crazy, you'll kill him before the fever does woman! I'm not letting you take Nate with you!"

Just then, they noticed something which made Sindy's heart skip a beat. Nathan was nowhere to be found.

"No... no... no... no... no... no... no! Where did he go?!"

"Crap, are you freaking kidding me?! Nathan bro, where'd you go?!"

Sindy and Andrew panicked searching for Nathan but were unable to find a clue to his whereabouts until they heard people screaming.

When they got to where the commotion was coming from, Sindy was sure she would die from heart failure. Nathan was out in the open, walking aimlessly like a zombie. Without a second thought, Sindy and Andrew dashed out into danger to retrieve their friend.

They grabbed onto his arms and tried pulling him back, but he refused to move as if he was glued to the spot.

"Damn, what the hell are they feeding you? You won't budge!" grunted Andrew.

"Come back, please Nate! It's dangerous out here!" said Sindy as desperation took her over.

"I-I-I'm hearing this voice calling out to me to 'come'..." groaned Nathan.

Exhaustion had overcome the two friends and they were no longer able to pull Nathan. It was as if some supernatural force was gluing him to the spot.

"He's not making any sense, but I'm not letting him go, Andrew!"

"Neither am I!"

Determined and hopeful for help, the two friends tightened their grips on Nathan's arms. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, the earth shrieked, the temperature felt like ice, the wind blew like a raging hurricane and the atmosphere began to fade. Sindy and Andrew looked up afraid and bedazzled, as an arc of lightning caught their eyes heading right at them with a huge flash.

[KABOOM!! BZZT!! BZZT!! BZZT!]

And just like that, they were out with a bang.