Eric took a long drag of the Synth-paper wrapped cigarette. Trying to ignore the sharp, stabbing pain in his right lung. It hurt ever since his time in the service, back then they made them travel in tunnels, trying to avoid the worst of the fallout. But still the air that managed to seep down there was basically Acid Gas.
That was also when he had stopped smoking, but today he made an exception. He thought the pain wouldn't matter in a few hours. He thought nothing mattered except that next puff. At least that gave him a memory of a simpler time.
A time when his biggest worry was shortening his reload time from 3 seconds to 1. So that the endless horde of Monsters would slow a few more seconds. So that maybe reinforcements could arrive. Maybe he could live another day. Maybe a couple more people could get out the city in time. A tight smile found its way to Eric's lips, stretching the skin over his hollow cheeks.
He released his breath, and the smoke floated upwards towards the grey sky. Seemed like a storm was rolling in. Hopefully things would be well underway when it hit, and he would be 8 stories under the earth.
The red ringed tip of the cigarette was pressed into the brick wall and Eric stuffed the rest of the pack into the pocket of his old Khaki jacket. He stepped out the alley and around to the Glass doors of the brick building. Inside the lobby sat a large Synth-Wood desk, behind which sat a young brunette woman, with a blue uniform on.
As he approached the desk the woman greeted him with a smile. It was a common reaction, people were quick to show respect to those who had earned silver hair due to age, not stress. It was common to be asked for advice or wisdom every time he left the house. One of the reasons he didn't leave the house that much.
"Good evening sir, how can I help you?"
Eric cleared his throat, a deep bile rising up with it.
"In accordance with the 10th special Directive. I'm here to submit myself as a carrier of the nightmare spell."
The woman blinked several times, her dark blue eyes staring at the bags just under Eric's eyes.
"I'm sorry? You must be mistaken sir, the Nightmare spell doesn't effect anyone over the age of-"
"I haven't slept in 10 days." Eric interrupted.
"Pardon?"
"That's also when my symptoms started to show."
The woman's pupils shrunk to the size of an ant, and her eyes traveled over his disheveled appearance. She was a young woman, early 20's, she couldn't have been around more than a couple months. This was probably her first time dealing with an infected.
"I… I see. One moment sir."
With a trembling hand she picked up the desk phone and pressed a large red button on the console.
"Code black in the lobby! I repeat Code Black!"
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Not 5 minutes later was Eric being strapped into a chair in a bunker 8 stories down. The sound of thunder still managed to barely penetrate the earth and reach his ears. Storm must've started.
The large iron door slowly began to open, and in stepped an older man. Not nearly as old as Eric himself, but old enough for the years to show on his face. He was flanked by the young woman who sat at the desk, who was carrying a clipboard.
"Sir." The man nodded, and Eric nodded back. A show of mutual respect, this man may not have been through everything Eric had, but he had definitely seen his fair share.
"How much longer you think you can stay awake." He asked.
"I probably got another few minutes in me." Eric said coughing.
The man nodded.
"You got a name?"
"Eric Bradford."
The girl quickly scribbled that down onto the clipboard.
"Well Mr. Bradford, you've certainly stirred up a mess. No one above the age of 18 has ever contracted the Nightmare Spell, we don't know what to expect, or if you'll even survive if you conquer the nightmare. It's generally thought the spell chooses younger hosts because their bodies can handle the formation of a soul core."
"So I'm dammed if I do, dammed if I don't?"
"Not necessarily, the problem is we don't really understand how the spell works as is. But we're treating this as a T-Level scenario. 2 Ascended are en' route, and Saint Tyris from the White Feather clan has agreed to lend support should the nightmare last longer than a week."
Eric sighed.
"So basically asking me to hold on as long as possible before kicking the bucket?"
"Pretty much."
"Great."
The distant crash of lightning rattled the foundation of the Police station.
"Any advice?"
"Check your runes first thing. Your aspect will be crucial to however you manage to clear the Nightmare, remember there's no useless aspect, only abstract ones. And always punch down. If you can manage to pick off a few weak creatures you may get lucky and obtain a memory."
"I'm 68, how much farther down can I punch?"
"The body you'll be put in won't be your own. It'll be similar, but it will have its own set of limitations, don't put a limit on yourself before you know your situation."
"Got it…"
An unstoppable yawn escaped Eric's lips.
"Guess I'm more tired than I thought…"
The man nodded.
"We're on standby. Whenever you're ready."
Eric nodded as his eyes began to drop. Just before what may have been his final moments on earth, he heard the distant clap of thunder.
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End of Chapter 1! Trying something new here, given that our main character won't be introduced to the main cast for some time, he's got to get through his own nightmare after all. I have a lot of plans for this so I hope I manage to fit all of them in, next chapter will be out when it's out.