Update and News

So, some setbacks on Finished. It will not be published.

Instead, I have begun a new project.

Crash of Thunder.

It is going to be most likely submitted to a publisher, but if it fails, I will self publish it instead. It's a novel that follows the story of two brothers living in Syria before, during, and after the civil war, and their stories as refugees. I still have to find a publisher and submit my manuscript to them, but hopefully that will be done soon. Editing must be done, of course.

Unfortunately, this is the problem with being an author. You scrap projects. You start projects.

Also, I am trying to launch a website. When I publish my new book, I will probably link the website to the blog so that it will be easier for you all to get to it. I am still working on the King of Shadows and the whole trilogy that follows. So far, progress has been good.

Thank you all.

The King of Shadows: Prologue

The throne, a magnificent color indeed, had never worn away or lost its glamor. The gold shone through the throne room, halting the servants to gaze at its beauty. Indeed, this was the throne that the pharaoh was to sit upon. The pharaoh entered the grand throne room. His black cape flowing behind him, almost as if the wind was blowing. His golden headdress was as magnificent as his throne.

The pharaoh adjusted his golden accessories. A golden Ankh necklace lay around his neck, a symbol of eternal life. He sat down on his throne. One hand rested on each arm rest. He was absolutely bored. As a the young pharaoh he was, there wasn't much prospect in protecting or working for the people. His father had taught him the importance of protecting and preserving his country, but he didn't see any of it being of great importance.

The pharaoh was only seventeen years of age. His advisors questioned making him pharaoh, but the young man argued that it was not only divine right, but that Tutankhamen was only nine when he was crowned. Nobody dared to argue about the new pharaoh's age after that.

Outside the palace walls, the chants of millions of people could be heard cheering Amenhotep's name.

"Your majesty, the celebration preparations have almost been completed," one of his advisors explained.

Amenhotep studied the advisor curiously.

"And your point is?" He spat.

"I apologize for bothering you, my pharaoh, but I do not believe I understand the context of your question," the advisor replied.

Amenhotep disinterestedly played with his many expensive jewels, which took his slaves months to forge.

"I have no wish for any celebrations," Amenhotep finally said.

"Why is that, your majesty?" Asked one of his magicians of his court.

"Ahmose wishes to know why. You want to know why, Ahmose? I'm sick of this this throne already!" Amenhotep thundered.

"Are there any issues with your coronation?" Ahmose felt annoyed. He had served more than four pharaohs, and he had never been disrespected the way he felt now.

"My father died yesterday at the hands of something we know not of, and apparently, there aren't any issues," Amenhotep sat on the edge of his throne, his hands gripping the armrests harshly.

"I apologize my pharaoh. I shall postpone the celebrations to give you time to mourn," Ahmose nodded at his fellow magicians.

"Good."

Seti, one of the other magicians who had always held a grand respect for Amenhotep was concerned. Never had the young boy acted the way he did now.

"Are you faring well, you highness?" Seti bit his lip.

Amenhotep said nothing.

"If you want the celebrations to commence, hurry up," his voice broke the shroud of silence that had overcome the throne room.

"Yes my pharaoh," Ahmose rolled his eyes.

Amenhotep stood up abruptly and left the palace. He emerged into the light of the desert sun. Instead of the sand of Egypt, he saw the lush green gardens of the palace. The grass, crisp and fresh, smelled of morning dew.

The vibrant desert roses seemed to welcome the pharaoh as he walked by. In the center of the gardens, stood a handcrafted fountain.

In the center of the fountain, three gods, Anubis, Horus, and Ra, stood. They were holding up a large sphere. Water spouted out from this sphere. Amenhotep came near the statue. He looked into the ruby red eyes of Anubis.

"I don't get why you took my father from me so soon! I'm not ready to be pharaoh!" Tears trickled from Amenhotep's eyes.

He felt hopeless. He knew that he would never be the pharaoh his father was. He let the thought dwell in his mind, and depress him.

He knew that typically, a pharaoh would be celebrating and enjoying their coronation, but he could only think about the hardships he would face.

Amenhotep gazed at the garden, he rested his arms against the fountain. His thoughts wandered to the food that he was about to eat. Distracted and tired, he began to walk back to the palace. He tripped over a rock, and met the ground. Instantly, large beams of light shot up from the ground behind Amenhotep.

He turned around frantically. He was laying on his back as he watched the scene unfold. The large red beam of light was followed by a few smaller, yellow beams. He felt the shock and fear fill his heart.

"What in the name of Horus is that?" He shakily stood up.

Almost instantly, a large figure emerged from deep within the Earth. Anubis.

Anubis' deep red ruby eyes stared directly at Amenhotep. His jackal head was dark. His large fangs showed as he snarled. He was wearing a bottom tunic and traditional shoes. His large scythes rested at his sides. A large golden scale was in his hands.

"Anubis?" Amenhotep felt his voice quiver.

"My pharaoh, beware the great power you have unlocked. Beware the shadows that come with my power. Beware the darkness that lurks for you."

Amenhotep felt like he was about to pass out of fear.

Then, Anubis opened his mouth, and uttered the words that would haunt Amenhotep for the rest of his reign.

"Beware the shadows, keeper of the Ankh. For you are their king."

Update

Hello again! I just wanted to let you guys know that Finished is very close to being published. I will try my best to get it online this week, but if that doesn't happen, I'll try to get it on ASAP. I have started a new series, well a trilogy really. It's the Shadow Trilogy and so far the first book has been completed. The second book is in the first draft stage.
The plan for the names of each book so far:
Book One- The King of Shadows
Book Two- The Black Pyramid
Book Three- The Dark Guardian

It is about my take on Egyptian mythology. I change up a lot of the mythology part to fit my story ideas, but it isn't very different. The synopsis of the first book is that a normal kid named Joseph Rose stumbles upon an ankh, an ancient Egyptian artifact, in his own home. He finds out that he is something called the king of shadows and he meets the Egyptian Guardian of the underworld, Anubis, who is plotting his revenge against the Guardian of cats, Bastet.

There's a lot more to the story, but that's all I can reveal without spoiling the entire book.

Have a great day!

Announcement:

Hey again!
Just wanted to let you guys know that I have an instagram page as well! I also update on there, so if you prefer social media updates, follow me at @thestoryvillage on instagram. I post some of  my personal favorite chapters on there and many other things. I also will update this and my instagram as many times as I can.
Thanks, and I hope everyone has a great day!

Update:

Hello again! So I'm proud to announce that Finished is finished! I have decided to upload previews of my books (Probably the first thirteen chapters, depending on the book) on this blog. I am currently using Blurb to write my books. Finished is in the editing phase, and to be published phase. I am planning on selling my book as well. It has about twenty two chapters, and the pages are TBA. As I get more information, I will update this blog.

Well that's it for this update! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their day!

Finished: Chapter 13

The woods were cold. At least at night they were. I snuck out in the middle of the night when no one was looking. I hoped that this Gizmo guy was asleep and not waiting for me again. I remembered all the things I decided about him. I slowly crept through the dark, and only the moon was my guide to light. Gizmo seemed to be nowhere, and that gave me hope that I could escape. I had to return to Cleveland. As crazy as it seemed, I had to prove my innocence, give my mother the idea I was still alive. I could imagine her right now. She was so bony when my father disappeared. She lost weight, never ate, never slept, nothing. It was like she was a walking soul less body.
My sister and I weren't sure what to make of it. We thought she was being selfish and not caring to us. When I grew up and first entered the Advanced School, I had a realization that she was just mourning. Eventually she stopped mourning and became her old self. But at her age, which was about thirty at the time, it seemed weird for her to have gray hair. She dyed it eventually to match her old hair color, but she was never the same.
I leaned against a tree to rest after the long walk. I couldn't sweat, not in the cold at least. I was never vaccinated for hypothermia. That vaccine was for people above the age of twenty because of how strong the drug was. I was turning eighteen soon, but it would be another three or four years until I could get the vaccine. If I sweated a lot while I was cold, I could get hypothermia, but maybe the metal parts of my body could help prevent that. I heard a rustle in the leaves, and confirmed it was just wind.
"Going somewhere?" A voice called out.
Gizmo.
"Yeah, and you?" I asked, jokingly.
"Coming to stop you," he hissed.
"Look Gizmo, you don't get it. I can't go back," I said.
"Not for that, coming to stop you to give you advice," he rolled his eyes.
"Why?" I asked.
"I'm getting a bit old to be fighting someone who killed two men," Gizmo threw his gun to the side.
"I don't think I could kill you, just injure you," I said.
"No I think you would do a good job taking me down," Gizmo laughed.
I found it sad that we were having a good time talking about me killing Gizmo, but it was his jokes.
"You should keep going, keep yourself warm. Hypothermia can happen if you work too hard as well Joel," Gizmo explained.
"Look, don't tell Markus I escaped, I need to get out of here," I said.
"What will you do when you're out?" Gizmo asked.
"Go back home and prove my innocence, Mikey is still alive," I said.
"Well, I have a tip for you. Map out the place, grab Mikey. They won't believe you if he's not there," Gizmo said.
"I can't map anything out," I said.
"Here," Gizmo handed me something.
"What is this?" I asked looking up at him.
"Paper," he said, "You map things out on this."
"Oh," I replied.
"And use this pen, you write with it," he added.
"Thanks," I said.
"No problem, also, try to wear less flashy clothes," he laughed.
"Oh," I said looking down at my neon shirt.
"Black is good," he replied.
"What about camouflage?" I asked.
"You see that house, well when you're ready, knock on it. I live there. I'll lend you some camo clothes," Gizmo said.
"Why do you live there?" I asked.
"Looks can be deceiving," he said.
"So that town is not real?" I asked.
"No, Markus planted it there to distract people from the real attraction," Gizmo said.
"Thank you Gizmo, I really appreciate it," I nodded and started back for the building.
"Just remember, the house with the brick chimney," Gizmo called out.
"I will!" I shouted in response.

The next morning, Mikey and I were sitting at a lunch table in the mess hall.
"I was wondering what happened to you," Mikey said.
"Oh well, while you were dead, I became a wanted fugitive, cyborg, killer, anything else?" I asked.
"Yikes, you've really changed," Mikey said.
"Look, it's been a rough time," I said.
"I can see that, but how did you become a fugitive?" Mikey asked.
"The police thought I killed you," I replied.
"Seriously? I was never dead!" Mikey replied.
"That's why I have a plan," I lowered my voice to below a whisper.
"For what?" Mikey lowered his voice as well.
"To escape," I replied.
"You're crazy!" He said.
"No, I'm sneaking out every night. I'm mapping out the entire area. We're in Minnesota. Once I've mapped the area, I'm taking you and getting out. Back in Cleveland, I'll use you to prove my innocence, and then life resumes back to the way it was. You and me in school being the best of friends," I said.
"That seems so simple. Markus has eyes everywhere," Mikey said.
"He will not get in my way," I answered.
"It also sounds like I'm a tool in your plan," Mikey said disappointment in his voice.
"What?! Who gave you that idea?! Don't you want to help me prove my innocence? The only way to do that is to bring you and show that cop that I never killed you!" I said.
"Then get rid of the heart preserver. That's what they used to try to kill me Joel. You can't have it," Mikey stated.
"I know, I'm getting rid of it soon. I just need it for a few more weeks tops. At least until I can map the place out," I said.
"I just think it's a really far-fetched plan," Mikey said.
"Mikey, it's my only hope of getting out of here. Plus we can bust Markus' plan to the government," I said.
"Haven't you considered that this place is the government's foundation? The slogan!" Mikey pointed to a screen displaying it.
"I know, I know about the stupid slogan, but companies like this, they keep things secret," I said.
"I know, but they might be funded by the government," Mikey said.
"We can't consider all of these things Mikey. I'm sure that this cyborg thing Markus has going on is just another one of his dirty tricks, nothing anybody knows about," I said.
"Joel, this just seems like so much to accomplish, I don't know if I can do it," Mikey hung his head.
"Don't be ridiculous! Of course we can pull this off!" I grinned.
"No Joel, you don't get it. We can't do this, Markus will kill us both," Mikey looked around.
"He won't kill me, he can't," I said.
"What makes you so sure?" Mikey raised his eyebrows.
"There's something holding him back from killing me, I just don't know what," I said.
"What do you mean?" Mikey asked.
"Look, Markus had several thousand chances to kill me. Here I am, standing before you, alive and kicking. Markus could've killed me yesterday, this morning, last night, you name it. Yet, he didn't. Either he can't do it, or he's just waiting for the right moment. To be honest, I'm not sticking around for that moment," I said.
"Joel, don't you think you'll be putting your mother through a lot?" Mikey asked.
"I've already put her through too much. I have to go back. I have to Mikey," I stressed.
"Alright... let me see what I can help you with. Markus lets me have some free time usually, so I can get started on your map," Mikey explained.
"That'd be great. I'll map at night, you map in the morning. This way, we can both be sure of the area," I said.
"Gotcha," Mikey said.
After that we parted ways. I went to get a drink of water, and Mikey went on his free time. I noticed Markus walking through the halls. He was on the phone with someone.
"He mustn't know. One slip, and my plans go down the toilet," I heard him say.
His plans... they had to be for me. I knew it. Unless he had a new guinea pig, which then would make my escape out of here ten times easier. I walked past him without giving him a glance. I had always thought Markus was an unusual name for him. Lucifer would suit him better.

Two hours later, I was sitting watching the television in the mess hall when Markus walked in.
"Enjoying  your time?" He asked.
I said nothing.
"It's impolite to not respond," Markus added.
"Welcome to my world," I spat.
"Why is it that you show so much disrespect? You know my jurisdiction allows me to kill you anytime I want," he said.
"You know, that sounds much better than spending an entire lifetime here," I replied.
The television clicked off, and Markus stood in front of me.
"Yes?" I asked.
"I have gone over the footage of you killing Sparks, and something catches my eye every time. The fact that the heart preserver worked without you even touching the button, did you even use it?" He asked.
"Yeah, I used it on him, his heart was in there," I said.
Nothing to hide from him.
"Interesting. Did it prick your finger?" Markus asked.
"You know, I don't think so," I replied.
Markus' eye widened.
"What?" I asked.
"Excuse me, I have to go," he abruptly stood up and ran out of the room.
"What's with him," I shrugged.
I looked around and saw no one, then I turned the television on once more. They were talking about something that caught my attention. I turned up the volume and listened.
"The hunt is still on for the missing boy, Joel Green. Police say he killed fifteen year old Mikey Ramer, who was taken to the hospital, in what appeared to be in critical condition. He was later announced dead. Police say that Joel was taken in for questioning, then took off. They have linked him with the killing of a man named Hollis White, who was killed on his boat in the Cleveland Marina.
"Police think that Joel was originally going with Hollis to leave Cleveland, then killed him. Evidence of how is not clear yet. Brent, do you think we have a serial killer on the loose?" The news reporter asked.
"Well Joy, I think that we might actually have one on our hands. Now the government probably knew how to contain people like him, but this boy might actually be a depressed patient, we don't know, and depression was eradicated years ago... so I don't think this kid is mentally challenged, he might just be crazy," Brent replied.
"This has been floating around the news for several weeks now, and no leads on where he is. It's almost like he's vanished," Joy said.
"True, we will hopefully get more updates," Brent said.
I looked at my hands. Could I really be crazy? I mean I killed Ron and Sparks, but that was for a reason! I never touched Silent Night, or as they call him, Hollis. Ron and Sparks did, and I gave them what they deserved. I felt horrified at my thoughts, I couldn't believe that I thought killing was justifiable. I had no right to take the law in my hands, and yet I did. I wanted to scream, but that would be weird. I closed my eyes, and felt tears roll down my cheek. I was actually surprised that I could still cry. I wasn't insane, I still felt somethings. The media has always been criminalizing certain groups, or people. I was up on the spotlight, and I was being criminalized. How would I explain that Mikey wasn't killed. On second thought, how the hell did he get out of the hospital in the first place?!
I stood up, muted the volume, then looked around for Mikey. I went to the main level where the entrance was. Mikey was just walking in, covered in leaves. His eyes were the size of boulders, and he was scratched up.
"Did Gizmo attack you!? I swear if that old geezer laid a hand on you-" I began.
"Before you speak," Mikey held his hand up. "I was in fact attacked by a rabid bear."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.
"I was walking around, and a bear attacked me. In fact, Gizmo saved me," Mikey said.
"Oh," I laughed, relieved that my friend was alright.
He slipped a crumpled piece of paper into my hand.
"I did it," he whispered.
"Thanks!" I beamed.
Mikey at least was fulfilling his promise to help me, I couldn't wait to get out of here.

My eyes were hurting about half way through the day. I was tired and ready to sleep, but something was bothering me. Markus had disappeared after he talked to me, and now he wasn't here. He had been gone all day really. I wondered what bugged him so much after I responded to his question. I closed my eyes, and then reopened them. I looked back up at the television. The blank black screen was intimidating me. I clicked it open. Some stupid news reporters were talking about me again.
"Calm yourself Cleveland," I spat.
"Whatcha watching?" A voice came from behind me.
I turned to look over my shoulder. There was a woman standing there. She had long flowing blond hair, gray eyes, and she was tall. She was wearing a t-shirt that revealed one shoulder, and ripped jeans. She was wearing hover-boarding shoes. Her shirt had some words written on it, probably in French.
"The news," I blankly replied.
"Cool," she said, smiling.
Her teeth were very white. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing any makeup from what I could tell.
"I'm Lori. What's your name?"
"Joel," I replied.
"Joel, hmm interesting name. Well, nice to meet you Joel," Lori laughed.
I looked back at the television, not sure what to do next.
"I never really liked the news," Lori said as she sat down.
"Really? I hate it," I responded.
"Why do ya hate it?" Lori asked.
"Oh, many reasons," I rolled my eyes.
The news reporters were talking about me again, showing a slideshow of me, being normal. Now I killed two people, and I was half machine. Great way to turn things around.
"What happened to you?" Lori asked.
If she saw the story on the news, she made no attempt to ask about it.
"Oh, I was brutally attacked by trees and a guy named Gizmo," I said.
"Gizmo? That old geezer?" Lori asked.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"Okay, origin story time, be prepared for a really boring thirty minutes!" Lori announced.
"I've got all day," I grinned.
"Alright, so I was five during a raid on my town. Some reformed viking losers were attacking my home in France. My parents tried their best to get me out safely, but they were captured. So was I. They executed both of my parents in front of my eyes. I will not go into detail about that. They kept all the little boys, but killed all the girls. Well, I made it out alive somehow. I escaped with the help of a teenager who was up to be killed. He got me out, and I wish I could've thanked him. I never liked to talk, and so I never told him thanks. I kinda regret that.
"So I ran off, the viking guys, they never found me. I was glad about that. Being in France was difficult. There were gangsters during the Seven Terrible Raids. I was almost kidnapped. Anyways, eventually I began a journey to Belgium. I kept thinking about my parents. I was afraid that I would be killed the same way, and eventually flash backs started to come. I wasn't sure what to do about it.
"I finally made it to the Belgium border. That's where I met Markus. He was a border officer at the time. At first he never believed my story about the vikings, but eventually he let me through. I felt free for the first time! I felt alive. I knew I survived the Seven Terrible Raids. Oh yeah, those were over a few years. I lived through two raids, which happened in one year. Markus took me to the hospital. I was treated for my wounds, and a mental doctor checked me out. I had a rare case of PTSD. I was not even sure what that meant. Luckily for me, they spoke French, and so did I.
"If you don't know, PTSD is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I got lots of flashbacks during my day. Things that reminded me of what happened the day my parents were killed bothered me. Sometimes it was bad enough that I would start shaking and crying. It would take me a while to calm down. Markus took me in. He was good to me. I was thankful for that. He was like a father to me. I knew he would never replace my parents, but he was good enough. After a lot of therapy and drugs, my PTSD was gone. I knew deep inside that I wouldn't really recover from that day.
"Eventually, Markus took me to a place called America. Which really explained why he made me learn English before we left. I didn't want to leave, but he really had adopted me, and I wasn't old enough to be on my own just yet. He took me to a place called Minnesota, which is where I live now. It wasn't hard to get used to living here in America. Everyone seemed to be diverse, like I saw on television. I always had a French accent, still do, which some people mocked, but I took no offense to it. I sometimes made fun of Americans myself, so I guess I had it coming.
"So, I became older, had my share of American life, and then Markus moved to Cleveland. He got married, settled down, I felt a little unloved. He had two kids, I was just a side note from then on. He had blood related children, I was just some French kid. So I moved out. I went to the Advanced School, then to college. I got a degree in surgery, the end. That's my life story. Now your turn," Lori said, ending with a sigh.
"Oh, you want me to tell you mine? Okay I guess. I was born in Cleveland. My dad was a scientist, and my mother was an doctor. My sister was born three years after me. I was a smart kid. My dad always stayed on top of my studies. I went to the Advanced School since I was eight. Two years after my fifth birthday, my dad went missing. Police and detectives tried their best, but eventually they filed the case away. A cold case. My mother was devastated, but eventually we moved on. I made lots of friends, but I had only one real best friend. His name was Mikey. Mikey was a goofball, surprising how he made it into the school.
"It was a few years later that things start to get interesting again. It was the final day before break. Mikey and I met up after school, and then we were followed. I noticed, but at first didn't care. Eventually it got creepy, and they cornered us into an alley. They killed Mikey, and left me. Police found me, and thought I did it. They arrested me, but I escaped. Then I was a fugitive. I met a dude named Silent Night, but the same creeps who killed Mikey found us. They killed Silent Night and captured me. That's when I came here. I met Markus, who began to experiment on me. That's really my whole life story, I haven't lived very much," I explained.
"Well, yours is definitely tragic as well," Lori laughed.
I actually caught her accent this time.
"Markus is a freak though," I said.
"What?" She looked at me surprised.
"He turned me into a cyborg, oh yeah, turns out Mikey wasn't dead," I added.
"Did they ever find your father?" Lori asked.
"No, never. He just vanished. Gone. I sometimes wonder if he was killed, kidnapped, or he ran away. Which running away almost made no sense to me," I said.
"Yeah, it's weird," Lori shook her head.
"As harsh as this may sound, I wish I knew what happened to my father like you do," I said.
"I suppose," she replied.

Finished: Chapter 12

I had passed the force field a few miles back, not caring that there might have been a security system. I knew that if Markus had wanted me so bad, he would have to prove it to me first. Saying is not the same as doing. I knew that from experience. I stopped at an empty field on the side of the road. There was really large corn everywhere. I realized these must have been GMO corn. GMOs were really popular nowadays. I hid between the stalks of corn. I laid down and looked up. Since there were no lights in sight, I could see the stars and the moon. The moon, somehow, stayed alive while the sun decided to go away. The stars were shinning below, creating an eerie, but calming glow. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't fall asleep. I stood up, sleeping was wrong. As much as I was tired, I needed food and water. I had to find a way to survive. I looked around, on the ground was a burnt, torn sign. It read:

Welcome to fabulous Minnesota! The snow is cold and the summers are warm!

I wasn't in Cleveland anymore. I was somehow in the state of Minnesota. The sign was completely wrong. There was no snow anywhere anymore thanks to the war. I looked closely at the sign. The art was old. I tried to find out when it was made. I realized that this was made in 3030. My eyes darted around me. Before I hadn't noticed, but there were burnt buildings, homes and stores.
I walked towards the wreckage. Burnt skeletons laid everywhere. It seemed like whatever happened here, was terrible, and it happened a long time ago. The building structures were wood. During and after the war, they were all a new type of material that could withstand any type of natural disaster. I walked through what seemed to be a town. The buildings were wrecked. I closed my eyes and squatted next to a dead body. It seemed old, decayed, and the skeleton was breaking apart.
"What happened to you guys?" I asked.
I stood up and kept walking. The area was a barren wasteland form what it seemed. I walked through a mass of burnt homes and other things. I looked behind me. Lights were blazing from a distance. Markus knew that I was gone, he saw Sparks and knew that I did it. Now he was probably sending a search party. I wouldn't allow him to take me back and experiment on me any longer. I kept running through the burnt city. I now saw what happened. Tanks, planes, and other military vehicles were destroyed, strewn all over the place, and burnt.
The body of someone was hanging out of the top of a burnt tank. I felt like throwing up. These people's lives were destroyed by a terrible war, and these soldiers were sent to their doom. It didn't look like it was the tanks that destroyed the place, it looked more like a giant bomb was dropped on the place. That was probably what happened. I stepped on something. I lifted my foot, there was a human skull laying there. I screamed, a bit too loud for my ears. I started running, tripping, falling, and bumping into large items strewn everywhere. I saw fragments of bullets, human bones, things like that.
Death was everywhere, and I realized that wonderful society I lived in was just a cover for all the destruction that happened over a thousand years ago. How did all of this survive after a thousand years? Better question is, why is it still here?
I found myself running into a tree. On impact I fell backwards. My head hit square in the middle of a thick, bushy tree. I raised my hand to my head. When I removed it, the machine fingers were covered in a bright red liquid. I grabbed a leaf nearby and wiped the area. Too much blood. I'd have to wait it out until it became only a mere scab. No medicine, no band aids. I felt like I was living in Hell.
My biggest problem was facing the fact that every bad thing that happened to me was apparently "a living hell". In reality, my problems were really small compared to a lot of people out there in the world.
I read about people who were starving everyday of their life. People who were 'less fortunate' than us. School taught us that the United States was the only perfect nation, but I knew that every nation had a problem. I closed my eyes, reopened them, and looked around. I was all alone. No animals, no chirping birds, not even a bug. I looked back at the tree that I smashed into. It was a dark oak hybrid. Trees were now hybrids with other trees to create one perfect tree species. They never shed, and stayed the same all the time.
I had little time to react to the bullet that was fired. It smashed into the tree, indenting it. I crawled back, then stood up. I stumbled and bumped into the tree next to me. Someone found me, and now they were trying to kill me. Another bullet fired. I hadn't seen guns in forever, but it looks like they were back in style. The second bullet nearly skimmed my leg, it missed by three inches. I looked frantically around. I felt like screaming, but my vocal cords weren't responding to my brain. It seemed like my body was going into panic mode. My legs shook with pain, and my heart wanted to explode out of my chest. How could I beat someone I couldn't see. I wasn't as afraid when I was attacking Ron and Sparks. It seemed like this person trying to kill me was significantly more experienced than me. I felt a sharp bolt of pain shoot up my upper leg.
I fell to the ground, now blood was falling from my legs. I heard another shot fired, this one hit my upper arms. The guy was aiming for my flesh, not my machine parts. I struggled to get up, and limp through the forest. The shots were being fired from what seemed like everywhere. My head felt like it was spinning around in circles. The world around me seemed to be warping, twisting and turning. I felt faint headed. I stopped to lean against a nearby tree, but instead of meeting the bark, I fell face first on the ground. Sharp thorns met my face, and I whimpered in pain.
 I felt so strong earlier, and now I feel like I'm nothing. Tears rolled down my cheek. I shakily stood up. The pain I felt from the bullet was now more of a burning sensation. I silently screamed, my voice wouldn't work right. I lifted my sleeve and saw the place where the bullet hit. It was a neat circle of bright red. My blood was strange, I know that blood was usually a darker red than anything else really.
That really didn't matter to me right now, all I cared about was surviving. I knew it was hopeless though. My head was now violently pounding. Before it was just a small pulse, but now it was worse. I felt afraid, alone, terrible, fatigued, dizzy, sweaty, I literally felt like my soul was slipping from my body. Not sure how I came up with that one.
I shakily sank to the ground. I leaned against the tree, breathing heavily. I felt my eyes closing. I forced them to open, just in time to see a pair of black boots standing in front of me.
"Next time you want to escape, you should remember that I exist," the voice said.
My vision was blurry, but I could feel the person's arm grab my own arm roughly. He made me stand up, and cuffed my hands. I felt my eyes close, and after that I couldn't remember anything.

When I woke up, I was strapped to a bed in what looked like a hospital room. Machines, tubes, and wires were hooked up to me.
"You're awake, good," Markus' cold voice said.
"I found him trying to escape sir," the man who tried to kill me from earlier said.
"Who are you?" I asked weakly.
"Shut up,"
"Now, now, Gizmo, you can't be this harsh on him," Markus laughed.
"I'll be whatever the hell I want," Gizmo said.
"Go back to work," Markus hissed.
I could tell that Markus was now annoyed. I turned my head to the side and saw a glass bowl. In it were two large bullets. They were covered in blood. I knew that that was my blood.
"How did I survive?" I asked, nervous to hear the answer.
"You're a fighter, that seems to be something. I don't think you would've died if Gizmo found you even three hours after he shot you. I have a theory that you are too strong to be killed by simple man made machines Joel. No, you'd need the power of a thousand soldiers to get you to the ground, and even then you'd still live. You are a remarkable human being," Markus explained.
"Did you order Gizmo to kill me?" I asked.
"That means nothing," Markus brushed it off.
"No, I said: Did you order Gizmo to kill me?" I asked firmly, and this time I wanted an answer.
Markus turned around, and stared at me for a long time.
"No," he finally said.
"I have a hard time believing you anymore," I spat.
"I said no! You stubborn little nuisance! You kill two of my best workers, run away, and after all I've done for you Joel! You're ungrateful-"
"Ungrateful!" I felt like killing him now, "I am UNGRATEFUL?! I was forced to be tested on! I was attacked by your goons! You ordered Mikey to be killed! You've been running a corrupt experiment right under the government's noses! And you call me ungrateful!"
Markus pounded his fist against the medical table, then he huffed and slammed the door as he stormed out the room. I loosened out of the straps, and began destroying everything. I smashed the tools, broke the glass, I let all my rage out on the room. I grabbed the glass bowl with the bullets, flung the metal shards at the door, and then threw the glass bowl on the floor. I stepped on it, screaming with every step.
I had officially lost it. I was sick of Markus and his silly mind games, I was sick of everything. I longed to be home with my mom, I wanted my father back. I wanted to see my annoying little sister, I missed my creepy sun, my robot assistant, Mikey, my school, that robot principal, everything. Strangely enough, I missed the old man at the motel, Silent Night, and even Ron and Sparks, whom I killed myself. I wanted to be my old self again. My scraped metal fingers represented who I was now, and I could never go back to the way I was once. I would never be able to go back in time, and fix everything I did the day I met Ron and Sparks.
I wished I could go back and not stop at all those stores, go straight home, avoid creepy men, tell the authorities. I wished I called the police instead of stand there forever staring at my fallen friend. I regretted everything in such a short span of time. I sat down on the bed and tore at the pillow, tears streaming down my face and pooling on the ground. The glass that I smashed was strewn everywhere, the beautiful crystals that made up such a large ugly bowl, destroyed by me. I was a destroyer, I let so many things happen, and I couldn't even escape. If only I hadn't stopped at that destroyed town, I would've escaped. I suddenly realized what I was forgetting. My hands searched my pockets, and sure enough there were the weapons I took. None of them searched me. I felt a sliver of hope. I still could escape this prison. I heard the door open, and I looked away, ashamed at the damage I caused.
"What happened here?" A voice called out.
"Go the hell away," I barked.
"Markus is gonna be pissed!"
"Good! Let the dog feel my wrath. Oh and tell him his precious antique chair will be history if I don't get out of here," I shouted.
I looked at the figure standing at the door. The hair and eyes were all so familiar.
"Mikey?" I asked.
The person gasped, and started out the room, running.
"Wait!" I shouted chasing after him.
Sharp bolts of pain shot through my leg and arm, but I was too excited to notice them. Eventually I caught up to him.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Mikey! It's me Joel! Don't you recognize me?" I asked, excited and nervous.
"Joel? You don't look like Joel to me..." Mikey said.
"No Mikey it's me! I've missed you so much! I thought you were dead!" I laughed, the tears now of happiness.
My heart filled with hope and joy, surprise, sorrow, it all came at once.
"How are you still alive? You were dead! Mikey, I thought you were gone!" I laughed.
"Surprise!" Mikey waved his hands around.
"How did you survive?" I asked.
"I don't know," Mikey said.
"I don't care, I just want to know how you're feeling!" I grinned.
"What the hell happened to you?" He asked.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, a little afraid at that point.
"You might wanna look in the mirror some time man, because you look freaking hideous!" Mikey said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Now I was afraid.
"Come with me," Mikey said.
We entered the bathroom. I felt my heart beat rapidly.
"What is-" I said staring at the mirror.
I felt my hand shoot up to half of my face. The skin and flesh now was replaced with metal. I screamed at the sight, but my scream was more mortified than anything else. Half of my face was metal. My eye was red, there was an absence of an eyebrow and eyelashes. My mouth on the metal side was a straight, skinny rectangular line.
"What did they do to me?" I asked, not even recognizing my own voice.
I heard the artificial voice interfere with my real voice. I tried crying, but tears only fell on one side of my face.
"Joel, what did Markus do?" Mikey asked, touching my elbow.
I felt rage replace my fear. Markus would have to pay for what he did to me.
"Come. With. Me," I said firmly to Mikey.
He didn't question me, which I was glad of.
"We have a lot of catching up to do," Mikey halfheartedly grinned.
"I don't have time for catching up Mikey. I have to get out of here," I said.
"Didn't you try already? You'll just get killed by Gizmo this time," Mikey said horrified.
"Mikey, if I had a plan last time I would've made it, but now I have a plan. This time nothing, not even this Gizmo guy, will stand in my way," I hissed.
"You've changed, other than your face," Mikey said.
"I know, I think I like the change," I stated.
"Joel, didn't you kill those two guys?" Mikey asked.
"Why do you care?" I looked at him.
"Because, I mean, I'm just concerned that you've become a crazy psychopath," Mikey said.
"Well I'm not," I replied.
Mikey said nothing after that. Honestly, I know I changed, for the better maybe.
"We're here," I announced.
I knocked on the door.
"Markus open the door or I'm gonna destroy it!" I warned.
The door swung open, revealing Markus. His human face looked like it wanted to kill me. His robot one, that one had no emotions anyways.
"What do you want Joel?" Markus asked, a hint of anger in his voice.
"What did you do to me?!" I pointed at my face.
"That is just a part of the Phase," Markus said.
"I agreed to just a little bit of me being a robot. I didn't agree to my face becoming one! I will kill every single one of your workers here, unless you can turn me back!" I shouted.
"Joel I don't believe you have it in you," Markus said.
"I do, believe me hell yes I do," I stomped my foot.
Markus, for the first time I think, felt fear. For the first time since he met me, he was truly afraid of what I could do. He knew that once I killed Ron and Sparks. He confirmed it when I survived two sniper shots, and still ran for a while. He never knew what I could do, and now he was going to pay.
"Let me see what I may do," he managed to say.
"Oh no Markus, you're going to do exactly what I want," I spat.
I was tougher than when I first arrived. I was a scared little brat who was concerned about being a lab rat. Now I was a lion who wouldn't stop at nothing to get out. I wasn't afraid of Markus anymore. He was weak. He liked to intimidate, and that wasn't working on me anymore. I knew I was stronger than him and all his workers. Like he said, it'd take an army to bring me down.
"But you don't understand Joel, I need you-"
"No, I don't think you heard me then. I want you to give me my face back. I'm not going to be a freak like you, no not in a million years," I said.
Markus went over to his desk, he opened a drawer and pulled out a small tube. It looked like tiny pills.
"Since you volunteered to test out my newest creation, here," he handed me one.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Joel, this is my newest experiment. Reversing the effects of cyborg transformers," Markus said.
I was skeptical, but I actually liked my arms and legs.
"I just want to change my face," I stated.
"All right all right! Just take the freaking pills already!" Markus hissed.
I swiped the pill from his hand and downed one. Instantly I felt a shocking, yet calming sensation overcome my body. It was like the opposite of becoming a cyborg.
"Why would you make a reverse pill Markus?" Mikey asked.
"Simple, I'm not satisfied with what it does," Markus said.
After the episode passed, I reached up to my face. I felt my flesh and skin again. The robot face was gone. Now I was better.
"Joel, your face is back!" Mikey laughed.
I nodded, then gave Markus one disgusted glare, and walked off. I had to get out. I know I've said it before, but now I was serious. Markus made one grave mistake. That city was just a cover up, because nothing from thousands of years back could've survived this long, especially in Minnesota, one of the most growing states ever. And his second grave mistake was allowing Gizmo to shoot me, because now I knew where he shot from, and now I knew all his weapons.
Gizmo used an antique gun, probably from the 30's. Now by that, I mean 3030's. It had a large shotgun like bullet, and the bullet was cheap. It wouldn't be able to kill me, just spook me. He fired at a northwest tree, northwest to the tree I was at. He was a bad shot, and couldn't aim right. I figured he was blind in one eye, and most likely on the verge of being deaf. He wore very bright clothes for camo, and his boots were antique as well, easy to spot their prints anywhere. In order for him to find his way places, he had to know where he was.
This was done by him marking the trees. Something I hadn't really paid any attention to was the scraped trees. They were done by an ax or hatchet. Easy to recognize. He liked to hunt, and he lived in the fake town back there. Gizmo was smart, but not enough to outsmart me. I would be able to recognize him. He was probably in his fifties, an old soul for sure. His voice gave it away. He wasn't a cyborg, his voice was normal. I would be able to detect the artificial tone in his voice from a mile away if it existed.
Markus either wanted me to know all this, or he just underestimated me. I knew he wasn't convinced I was smart, but when the time was right I would get out of here, and he wouldn't know what hit him.