Gods game chapter 8

The sunlight was blanked out by vast clouds floating in the sky. The crows chirped an eerie cry which echoed throughout the mountains. The air was filtered by the foul stench of blood and death. Amongst the numerous corpses I laid their cuddled in a small ball weeping and wishing for someone to save me. Enemies who were once comrades in arms slaughtered each other, all with one goal in mind, me. Soldiers chased after me sending armies after armies for my head, all of which were easily enough beaten but they had a vast army. The one's who protected me didn't do so out of loyalty or affection for me personally but for the blood flowing through my veins, the blood of a king. When the hours of weeping had passed I left behind the red stained life and began to set on a path I chose, a life not chained down by expectations or death, but of freedom. I was only 7 during this time.

Ten years have passed since then and I now live a life of solitude and pace, attending to a to a bakery whose owners had taken me in 10 years ago.

"I'll take four mini rolls, please." Spoke an old lady with wrinkles covering her entire face but holding a kind smile.

"Of course. Anything else?" I replied with a cheery voice.

"That would be all."

"That comes to four dollars thank you."

This daily life of working in a bakery was one I had gotten use to quickly. It only took a mere week to learn the entire menu as well as the getting the hand of doing things around here. I had working here, although the luxury and accommodations was not even close to what I had in my childhood it was also not as suffocating and hellish as back then.

"Damian" a voice shouted.

My name, Damian, the name I had kept but last name I had thrown away in order to not attract attention. Looking towards the voice speaking my name I spotted my friend, no girlfriend Rachel.

"Hey!" I greeted showing a huge smile as I pulled her into a hug.

"How's your day been?" She asked, giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Extremely fun."

"That's what you always say." She sighed.

"Whenever you're working you're always smiling, it's creepy." Rachel continued.

"What can I say? I love my job" I replied.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only person to say that."

"Anyway, I'm not gonna be done for another hour or so, so why don't you go chill something,"

"Working overtime again? Whaaaatever. I'll see you later then." She gave another hug then quickly walked away from the bakery, turning around and giving me a smile accompanied by a wave. I smiled back.

I love my current lifestyle. Joyfully living my days working at a bakery as well as having a an amazing girlfriend. Although I didn't have many friends or go to school like most kids, I didn't care, I was grateful enough for just having this.

To everyone around me they knew me as Damian Alexander, the adopted son of the the married couple Julia Lawrence and David Alexander the couple that were unable to have children. When they had found me roaming the streets of the city Axios, they took me in, a blood stained child and washed me. They didn't ask any questions, only taking care of me with a grand smile and hints of tears within their eyes. I loved them like they were my own parents, they were my parents.

Not wanting to throw away my gleeful lifestyle I never once used my ability. Everyone around me say as a mere rank 1, a normal person without any special abilities, and I planned to stay that way.

Another customer walking in and I once again put on a grand smile.

"Welcome!"

"Hey Louis" I greeted with a smile.

Louis was another worker at Julia's bakery alongside me and five others. Louis was 23 and dreamed of one day working at his dream workplace, RAO, the Ranking Administrative Office.

Louis gave a slight grumble. He never liked his job at the bakery and showed so by barely greeting us employees and sighing whenever he entered the bakery. But when serving customers he became polite and smiled a lot, a common thing to show towards customers.

"See ya mum, dad." I shouted

"Keep your voice down!" my mother had replied from the kitchen at the very back room of the bakery.

Exiting my eyes instantly became locked on to a certain limo riding through the streets accompanied by four other black cars riding alongside it. A flag was stuck on to the limbo, waving through the sky I was unable to take my eyes off it. The black flag with a red bird in the middle, the flag of one of Zahards family members, Katherine Zahard an 11 year old and was one of three daughters of the Zahards current leader Laure.

Looking through the window of the limbo I was able to see her, Katherine, briefly our eyes met, I immediately turned away only slightly looking as the cars began to disappear into the distance. Only now did I notice the loud cheer of people celebrating the appearance of a Zahard member, even if they didn't to see her in person it was still something worth celebrating about.

I felt a slight tap on my shoulders, turning around I spotted Rachel and instantly my worries began to fade, my heart no longer beating out of fear. Smiling I left alongside Rachel enjoying what was left of this sunny day.

"Let's go watch a movie." Rachel suggested.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Let's watch Godzilla. It looks good." She smiled.

"Sure I guess."

The movie lasted a long 123 minutes, the cinema crowded with friends and families. I wondered if the outside world was any different from this, did they even have cinemas? I never wanted to leave Utopia, to go to a different country, the thought sent chills down my spine. Perhaps it was the unknown that scared me or the thought of leaving my cheerful life.

The day ended soon came to a close. I entered my house, it wasn't big it was a one story house with only three bedrooms, two toilets, a living room and a kitchen room. The house was dark, my parents hadn't gotten off work yet. I climbed into the my bed, wrapping myself under the warm embrace of three layers of blankets. Closing my eyes I pictured the blood stained battle field, the stench, the scenery and the corpses, I remembered it as if it had happened yesterday.

Another peaceful day working at the bakery. Starting bright and early in the morning at 8am, hours went by until it was already 2pm. A total of thirty four customers had entered and purchased something, it wasn't much but it was at least something.

The doors to the bakery opened and a man wearing a grey suit with blood shots eyes entered. Like usual I greeted him,

"Welcome!"

The man ignored me, looking towards the food he began to stuff his face full of bread and other delicacies. With surprise I quickly ran up grabbing his shoulder

"You have to pay for that." I intimidated

He turned around, mouth full of breath and drool slowly dripping down, his red eyes piercing through my own eyes. Suddenly he threw a quick punch hitting me square in the face, sending me colliding into tables full of all sorts of breads.

My vision blurry I witnessed my father, David attempt to stop the man but him too was sent flying across the room. My parents were both weak, only being one bars they were pacifists never wanting to fight.

"David!" Julia screamed.

I quickly picked myself up, charging towards the man I tackled him. I put all of my force into this but found no affect, the man was un moveable as if I was tackling a statue. He grabbed me by the shoulder sending me up into the air and throwing me smack down into the ground.

I made violent scream feeling bones begin to crack. The backside of my heard was wet, the smell was all to familiar, blood. I had begun bleeding from the backside of my head, was this how I died, is this how it ended.

The cries of my mother sent chills throughout my body, my father quickly rushing towards the man holding a bat screaming and yelling. With one punch from the man the bat was broken, but it didn't stop there, the fist kept on flying towards my father instantly knocking him out cold.

Vision blurry and slow breathing, I shakily raised my hand, was I about to use my ability? If I did, how long would it take them to find me? Minutes, hours, days? I couldn't worry about such trivial matters I had to do something. Concentrating on the man and him alone, I felt the surge of power I had once forgotten so long ago. I was ready, with one push I could send him packing, just once push. I released, he flew backwards with amazing force colliding into the window and out on to the streets. I heard a loud cry of civilians, bystanders who watched as he tore apart my family and I.

A few seconds or perhaps minutes passed and paramedics arrived, lifting me on to stretcher. I heard a familiar voice, Rachel. I couldn't hear what she was saying, it was all a mumble but there was panic in her voice and tears streaming down her face. Behind her, I glimpsed the crazed man who had done all this, seeing him lifted up by Utopian security guards and handcuffed.

As I was put into the ambulance, I felt the warmth of Rachel's hand on my own. She was traveling with us to what was most likely a hospital. Despite the bad hearing and mumbles and pain there was one specific word I could heard, "death." Silently, I fell into a deep slumber shrouded in darkness.

Awakening in a hospital room I heard the beeping of a heart monitor and felt the cold embrace of the air. Looking around I spotted a somewhat tall man with deep blue eyes and bright blonde hair, he had changed in the last 10 years I hadn't seen him, but I still knew who it was.

"Hey there little bro."

"Jonathan..." I whispered.

"yup, your awesome big brother." He smiled.

"So... After all this time, you've finally found me."

"Yeah. It's been ten years but now you can finally come back."

"What if I don't want to? I've been living a great and peaceful life. I don't think I'm ready to give it up yet."

"You've changed, a lot. The old little kid you would of obeyed and do everything he was told to do, no questions asked."

"It's been ten years now. Can't expect me to be the same forever." I mumbled

"It doesn't matter. You're alive and that's amazing. For the past ten years everyone's thought you were dead. Including father."

"I don't care. I don't care about the family, I don't care about my lineage and I don't care about father. Where's Rachel?."

Jonathan gave a slight sigh "you're talking about that blonde haired girl that was with you all this time crying,"save him save him" ?"

That sounded something like Rachel would do. The thought of it brought a smile to my face.

"Yeah, that's the one."

Jonathan suddenly began to laugh, wrapping his hands around his stomach. "She's a commoner Damian. We do not date commoners, we use them but we don't indulge them. That is what we nobles do."

"I'm not a noble. I'm a commoner, living a commoner life and earning a commoner salary." I replied with spite in my words.

"No you're not Damian. You're a noble, child of the greatest force in this entire country, Zahard. Damian you are a Zahard prince. Don't ever forget that."

I closed my eyes,i didn't want to hear any of this. I knew however that now that they knew about me, I would have to return to that suffocating castle full of nothing but depression and sadness. I would once again live a life without freedom.