Shadow of Death Chapter One Only by Garrett Curbow (reading in the dark txt) 📕

Chapter One

July 21st, 2214

            Avalon Jones didn’t want to wake her handsome, sleeping son, Seth. Seth’s legs were curled up to his chest and his arms flailed to the sides. Her husband, Johnny slept on the couch. Today was flight day, and Avalon had to be ready for the hover boards’ take off by 5:00 am. 

            Grabbing her worn cap, she ran out the door. Her home was three stories high and was elevated 300 feet above the ground. She Avalon had to take an elevator every time she entered or exited her home.

            The ground below her had been rebuilt from the War of Rulers, when a Japanese man succeeded in overthrowing the Earth. Now the Japanese Emperor, his name still unknown by the public, rules Earth.

            The elevator stopped when it was 100 feet off the ground. Outside waited her flying car and butler. “Good evening madam.” Avalon smiled at Mr. Samuel. He handed her a cup of coffee, as she sat down in the passenger’s seat. “Ready?” asked Samuel.

            “Ready,” she says. Samuel was always kindhearted to Avalon, and he was a loyal butler. He pushed his foot down on the gas pedal and the flying car zoomed forward 200 miles per hour. The wind blew through her hair and she tried her best to put her hair into a bun. A bun would look good with her pantsuit and long boots.

            She had long silver earrings that dangled all the way to her shoulders. Black eyeliner was put around her eyes, so she looked like a professional pilot. Modern day planes had no wings and they were cylinder shaped and white. There were no windows, and no engine. The planes that Avalon flew could go up to 2,000 miles per hour.

            When Samuel stopped the flying car, Avalon exited it onto a giant floating hovercraft. There were lanes that planes could take off on. Avalon tucked her head in her arms to block out the sound when a plane flew out to take people to a faraway place.

            A man awaited her at flight 23. A line of people entered the plane through the doorway, which was the only way in or out. “Hey Avalon,” the man said. “Today you’ll be escorting these people to Japan.” She nodded and entered last into the plane. Avalon made her way to the cockpit and sat down. There were only two buttons and a joystick to steer with. Avalon pressed her index finger on the GO button. The plane hovered above the ground and shot through the sky. All she had to do now was move the joystick the way the plane was to go.

            There was no noise until the plane landed gently in a runway somewhere in the North. Through the plane’s front window she could see a long line of people exiting. The majority of these people were Japanese and Hispanics.

            When a man standing outside gave Avalon the signal to leave she pressed down the go button once more and the plane struck to life.

            She took about eight trips around the globe to deliver people to their destinations. Without realizing the time she glanced at her watch and read what she saw aloud. “10:00 pm!” Avalon left the airport and waited on the hovercraft until Samuel came to pick her up.

            The flying car zoomed by her and Samuel reached his hand for Avalon. Avalon was pulled into the car and they headed back home.

            Samuel helped her down and onto her front porch. “Goodbye ma’am. I’ll see you tomorrow evening for your flight.” Avalon nodded and started walking towards her front door. The golden handle was odd looking on the red door, but felt perfect in her hand.

            “Hey mommy!” Seth yelled and wrapped his arms around her legs. She grinned and picked up her son. Her finger’s ruffled through his dark black hair. Him and Johnny both looked pure Japanese. Johnny embraced Avalon with Seth still cradled in her hands.

            Johnny grabbed Seth from Avalon and carried him to Seth’s baby blue bedroom. All Avalon could hear was her son saying, “Goodnight pap!” Seth giggled maniacally.

            “Goodnight Seth,” Johnny responded.

            Johnny walked into their family room and prompted himself beside Avalon on the velvet couch. “So,” she said, “what news did you hear about today?”

            Johnny was a reporter, so he heard about new things that involved the Japanese Emperor. “Oh,” he said, his voice was strangled and he tried to hold back his words, “yes I did.”

            “Spit it out,” said Avalon laughing a little. Johnny’s face was hot and timid. His cheeks turned rosy red. Avalon leaned closer to him and put her arms around his back. Johnny pressed lips to hers. Their skin was miss-matched and tacky, with Avalon pale as her bed sheets, but they didn’t mind, just as long as they loved each other.

            “There are rumors that the Emperor is in the process of creating a new law that will be sent out to Pangaea.” Ever since the continents joined back together The Emperor named Earth what it used to be, Pangaea.

            “I think that all of the Japanese, Whites, Hispanic, and African-Americans will be separated into three different corners of Pangaea.” As every single living person knows, in the center of Pangaea is the city where The Emperor lives in his giant skyscraper.

            “But,” Avalon protests, “that means you and Seth will be separated from me forever!”

            “We will find out some way to communicate,” Johnny said, his brow was furrowed and his expression serious. “Even if they don’t provide the things we will need to talk.”

            “Yes,” said Avalon lightly, “but at least you and Seth will be together in the same place.”

            “And maybe I was wrong, or over heard something false,” Johnny reassured, moving away from Avalon.

            Her hands fall away from him and she walks silently down the hall and into bed. Something terrible has happened.

*

            Samuel waved at Avalon, as she exited the car once again. The long cylinder shaped plane waited for her six isles down the hovercraft. When she entered the plane the leather pilot’s seat was soft and plush under her.

            The plane started to hover off the ground slowly, and then its pace hastened quickly. The sky was dark and gloomy, and tiny drops of rain skimmed across the windshield. A few crying babies could be heard from the cockpit where Avalon drove.

            The storm grew heavy in an hour or two. She was relieved when the plane rested on asphalt somewhere in South Pangaea. They passengers quickly exited and she lifted back into the nasty weather.

            Hard rain sprayed on her plane and made a sound like bullets on metal. She could barely see in front of her. All she knew was that she had to head to the airport in which she came.

            Lightning struck down and barely missed the plane. Avalon used one hand on the joystick and used the other to hold a parachute.

            Bright lights shone ahead of her and they grew larger and larger hastily. A white cylinder came into eyeshot and she let go of the joystick, strapped the parachute around her arms, and then she jumped out of the moving plane.

            The explosion from the plane’s intersection threatened to burn her heels. She could feel her bun flying out of place, and Avalon tucked on the parachute cord so it spread out like a giant blanket.

            The wind made her hair blow wildly and pieces of metal flew down around her. They burst into flames when the metal hit the ground.

            What if that happened to me? Thought Avalon.

            Her thoughts ran through her brain crazily. The ground neared closer and closer to her.

            If I lived she thought then it would take me a few minutes to reach the airport.

            The impact of her feet cracking on the hard ground made her brain go fuzzy, and her vision darkened. Medics would surely come for her. They would surely know about the crash. The medics would surely tell Johnny why she might be dead.

Publication Date: 05-15-2013

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