Fall Foretold

Sandman

".... They call me the drunk diviner but I had to stop drinking, this time. I mean, you have to know what you're doing, these days, or you'll die in a bottle of vodka"

The stranger walked back to the seat and sat down, slowly sipping from the glass. "I'm Juan. Juan Guerrero... The story?"

"So the unchaining happened", the drunk diviner began. "The devil's daughter has set the beacon free. Now, monsters are pulled into Sterling. The tattoos- or runes, as they are called- will become cult attributes when the Clique lead their packs. Without a rune, you may not be able to survive in this new society of ours"

"What's with the runes?"

"The runes are created when you sell your soul to one of the Clique members. Once you have a rune on you, you are doomed to rot in hell... but for the long time you have to live, you can live a free and luxurious life. Since the rune is a sign of future doom, the tattooed ones won't be tolerating someone like you without tattoos. You can't enjoy the luxury of this time and escape the doom of later"

The door opened and Mario walked in.

"My old friend and master", the drunk diviner welcomed. "That is the great game master, Mario. King of Diviners"

Mario walked in and sat beside Juan, hastily, like he was hungry. "Give me something. My mouth's dry"

"He's mouth is always dry", the drunk diviner said, serving his new guest. "Pardon me, Sir Mario. Meet my new friend; Juan Guerrero"

"The sandman?", Mario said, shaking hands with the stranger. "Wrong time to walk into Sterling, man. I assure you. Nowhere Land is better for the moment"

"I can see you know a lot about me", Juan replied. "I'm here on vacation. Danger just seems to follow me like my shadow. I see you have no tattoos. You should be striving to end this"

"They don't need me", Mario replied. "It will end in weeks and the prophecy is fulfilled... That's if the Shadowmask don't give up"

"Yes", the drunk diviner supported. "If he does, the Antichrist will continue to spread beyond the city and if the next man for the prophecy fails too, everyone may wear the rune or die in the struggle"

*****

Roddy Ranch, an Asian- American tycoon and colleague of Romero, was back in town. He didn't return as a tycoon but as a god.

His arms were spread out, making holes open, sporadically, in the ground, spitting out huge standing rats. He laughed, hysterically, as he tested out his new abilities.

"I have eyes on him", Stan said, floating in air, with a sledgehammer in hand. Since the unchaining, he was able to fly.

Roddy Ranch moved swiftly, amidst buildings, escaping Stan's sight. "He's escaping"

A huge rat jumped at him but he was able to strike it down with his hammer. It wasn't as easy as he had thought. It took over three hits to kill one rat. A rat jumped on his back, digging it's fangs in his shoulder. He grabbed it and smashed it on the ground. His hands stuck to the slime on the rat's skin. He grabbed it's jaw, tearing it in two.

"There are four rats left", Cedric communicated with John, keeping his eyes on Roddy Ranch. "Get them. I have my eyes on the Rat King".

Roddy made a rat jump out of the ground at Cedric. Cedric caught it, tearing it apart, quickly. He ran towards Roddy, who wasn't running, jumping at him with his fist. Roddy flipped backwards. A rat tail emitted from his back, holding Cedric by the neck.

Cedric grabbed a hold of the tail and pulled Roddy, slamming him on the ground. A bolt of lightning fell on Roddy's hands and he shot it at Cedric, throwing him back.

"Cedric? Are you there?", John lost communication signals. He had his hands on the special tracking gun Cedric gave to him. A huge rat had almost escaped, running between buildings, but the glasses helped him to keep track. Immediately the rat appeared by the window, he shot at it, putting the rat down. "I've killed the last one. Cedric?"

"I lost him. He's got lightning powers"

*****

"Guys?", Stan called, speaking to the others. "This rat guy; is he capable of molding people in sand?"

"How do you mean?", Lucifer asked.

"You might have to come see this for yourself"

★

"Listen up, you people of Sterling", a lady in black clothing and a fake crown, addressed a crowd of wild people. She sat on a black horse with ghostlike creatures, gathered around her. "You are under the rule of the beacon, now. The unchaining has happened and there is nothing you can do about it. Without the runes, you cannot survive amongst us for the beacon has commanded it... Until every living being in Sterling has a rune, we might not feel the sun's heat, ever again. Fight! Fight for sunlight! The beacon promises wealth and abundance... You can't escape the city for the beacon has locked you in. Fight everyone without a rune, for they seek to share the abundance of the beacon without making the sacrifices you have made. Fight!"

The people ran in different directions, armed with weapons, attacking everyone without a rune.

Juan walked out of the bar. He kept his eyes on the skies, as he walked on.

"Aaah!", a war cry stopped him, suddenly. A log of wood fell on his head, blowing him up into sand. He reformed back to his human body. His arm turned into sand and enlarged, crushing the men, one by one.

A man shot at him, putting holes in his sandy body. He turned back, throwing sand from his bare hands at the men, covering their bodies up and tiling them to the ground, keeping their heads open. A man jumped at him, stabbing his neck, repeatedly. Juan grabbed a hold of his neck, turning it to sand. The man's head fell off his body, as the Juan crushed the sand.

★

Cedric kicked the head twice. “This is not the rat King”, he said

“There are other members of the clique”, Stan said, pointing at the others who stuck to the wall, covered in sand. “They are probably in town, already”.

“That guy over there”, Lucifer said, pointing at Juan, who was escaping on a floating layer of earth.

They ran after him, quickly catching up, as he was careful to not get lost in the strange city. Stan slammed his hammer on the sandman. Juan replicated the hammer in sand with his hand, making it slightly bigger, and slammed it against Stan, throwing him backwards. Juan dropped his huge hammer hand on Cedric who caught it. Juan enlarged his second arm, throwing another punch at Cedric, who caught it in his second hand. The weight of Juan’s sand arms pushed him back, slowly.

Cedric pressed hard on Juan’s sand fist, tearing down his huge moulded arm. Cedric ran forward, punching down Juan’s sand, and jumped, throwing a kick at Juan’s chest. Juan fell back and stood up, immediately. His arms enlarged again and held Cedric’s arms, tightly, lifting and slamming him on the ground, and leaving moulded sand to keep him on the ground.

The Shadowmask threw a fireball at the sandman but Juan had created a shield with his sand, preventing the hit. The Shadowmask rained fire on Juan but he grew stronger, as his sandy body glowed sharply. He enlarged his arm and slammed it on the ground, flooding the streets with sand and making the Shadowmask fall. More heavy sand covered Joe, keeping him from standing up, as the sandman flew away on his layer of earth.

“Lucifer! You won’t stop him?”, Cedric asked, struggling with the moulded sand over his arms.

“He’s just a Nowhere man. Not an enemy…. Get up”

★

“So how’s the outside?”, the drunk diviner asked, as Juan walked in.

“Empty. Violent. I might be leaving soon”, Juan replied and sat down.

“I told you. You should have stayed in Nowhere”, Mario said. “You won’t set these people free?”

Juan looked back at the men he had kept on the walls. He closed his fist and the sand fell off their bodies.

The door opened and the men ran out, as Stan walked in.

“I’m not here for a fight”, Stan said, raising his arms in air. “The Shadowmask will find a way to defeat the beacon. Before he does that, I have to kill the devil’s daughter”

“Come”, Juan said. “Let’s have a drink”

Stan sat with them. “Alcohol is no good for us, these days”

“Alcohol is no bad for someone who will just watch it till it ends. That’s me”, Mario said.

“I want the chains of hell”

Juan laughed. “Who’s going to give that to you?”

“I believe you know a lot about it. I need the chains of hell to defeat the devil’s daughter”

Mario stared at him. “Only one person can give you the chains of hell and it will darken you. You will end up working with the devil’s daughter”

“Not if I get a sand baptism”, Stan replied and looked at Juan. “That’s why I came here”

“I see you know a lot”, Juan said. “What’s your plan?”

“You have to be around when I meet the beacon”, Stan said.

“What if he sees us coming?”

“You’ll wear an incense mask”, Mario said. “He won’t see a backup coming”

Stan continued. “So, immediately I get the chains and walk out of there, you have to get to me and do the sand baptism”

“On one condition”, Juan said, taking a sip from his cup.

“Name your price”

“A bag of gold when this is over”

“Done”, they shook hands.

★

“Our Father, who hath in heaven”, the priests were muttering, silently in unison, where they knelt before the altar. “Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thine will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread….”

The priests repeated, as the thunderings continued on the outside. A crowd of tattooed people had gathered, outside the church, with weapons, striving to enter. An invisible mystical border had been created, preventing them from entering the church…