《Kenji and Jester》Chapter 2: Wasted
Advertisement
"Kenji!" the voice shouted to which the Asian man turned to the source. As his head turned there he blinked to which his surroundings completely changed. Kenji was now back in college, he was now facing his friends but this was not possible, it must have been two years ago.
"Kenji? Wana tab mate?" A young man in a green hoodie offers. "Seems like a stressful day for ya."
Kenji blinked twice. "Brian...? I-." Kenji stutters. Slowly he tried to take in his surroundings, questioning himself how he was back. 'Is this a dream?' Kenji thought. 'It can't be real.'
"You're with Eric right Kenji? The course leader? I bloody feel for you mate." A female in a red jacket inhaled but only choked on the smoke as she inhaled. This earned her a good laugh from the other two apart from Kenji. "Fuck me!" She cursed and handed the lighter back to Brian.
"Ah heck! You wasted a good puff, Missy..." another friend called Dave laughs.
"I've never taken you for a smoker, Heather," Brain said.
"I found out that it relieves stress." She coughs, "I don't smoke too often though, Mum will kill me if she finds out."
Kenji remembers Heather's words well, ironically Kenji also started smoking because he wanted to relieve his stress but slowly it became an addiction.
"Kenji, I never asked but why are you taking the same course again?" Brian curiously asked. "I've never taken you to be a fed."
"I know right." Heather added, "What happened to the old Kenji Gordon we used to know, huh?"
Kenji's face gradually frowns with the mention of his old self. Kenji almost forgot those questions since it was two years ago, he remembered the response as well and it didn't go so well. Kenji isn't like that anymore and he doesn't want a reminder of it.
Advertisement
Kenji took a breath, "Times change, I guess."
At that moment at the corner of Kenji's eyes, he swore that he could see a flicker of light causing his eyes to twitch.
'What the hell?' Kenji thought. He looked around to see what could cause the light to shine. The skies are dull so the sun couldn't be the problem and nobody would be flashing lights randomly.
Seeing Kenji in an odd state, Heather tapped on his shoulder to grab his attention. "Kenji? Are you alright?
Kenji then snaps to his female friend with a slight hint of confusion. "Yeah I'm fine," he replied. "I'm just stressed -." Suddenly a shining ray blinded the Asian man. His body felt light as well as his mind. Kenji also felt motionless due to a lack of feeling of his surroundings, almost like he was floating.
"Wake up..." a voice echoed.
"What?" The light flickers around his body and slowly it forms multiple symbols around Kenji. Most of them look like a mixture of Chinese, Korean, or Hebrew.
Again, Kenji blinked and suddenly he was now staring mindlessly into River Tyne, leaning at the edge of the rail with a bottle of Strongbow in his hand. "What the hell-" before he could finish his sentence, his mind abruptly interrupts him with a flash of memories of his past to the present.
"What about Korrina?" The voice echoed through his mind as it mimicked Brain's voice.
"Korrina." an echoing voice repeats over and over in his head. Kenji's mind was bombarded with memories of him and her from the first day they met to their recent time together. Kenji could clearly remember her smiles, smell and tears before she plunges down the concrete stairs. The sound of cracking and bashing continues to haunt him to this day.
Advertisement
"Your fault, your fault." the voices repeated several times.
Unknowingly to Kenji, his face and eyes were violently twitching and shaking every second he thought of her. He unconsciously turned his head to the left and right as his mind was desperately trying to suppress the voices.
"How could you do this?!" Heather's voice echoed through Kenji's head. "Kenji! Kenji! You can't run from this! KENJI!"
'It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault.' he mentally repeats.
"If you think an apology will be enough then you're more delusional than I thought!" Dave's menacing voice shouted through his ears. It felt almost as if someone had put a microphone into his ears and played it on the maximum volume.
Now with pain slowly rushing into his mind, suddenly his body felt numb and his hand tightly gripped on the rail. Then his leg slowly vaulted over the rail to Kenji's dismay. "Wha- What the actual Hell!" Kenji had no control over his body and now the Asian man was in a state of panic.
Kenji vaulted over the rails to where his body leaned down towards the river. Kenji could swear his mind was dazed by the sheer height of the bridge.
"N-N-No, What the hell?! What the bloody hell?!" Kenji's face turned pale as he shifted his head down to see the tyne river. The breeze of the wind blew at his body, giving the Asian man a nasty chill. One by one his fingers started to let go of the railings.
Seeing the situation becoming more and more daunting, Kenji could only close his eyes in fear and hoped that this was only another stupid nightmare.
"Please!...Please!" Kenji's cowering voice echoed loudly but nobody was there to hear his begging.
"Wake up...!" The voices echoed in a deafening volume. At that moment, Kenji felt light almost as if his body was in an empty void. He had his eyes tightly shut as his mind rapidly flashes his memories while his fingernails dig into his palm he clenches his fist as he waits for the Inevitable pain to be felt. Kenji swore he could see his entire memories flashing at that point, all those times,
Wasted...
Advertisement
The Lions of Dawrtaine
Hallon Nilsdotter was born in 1268 and trained in the magics of the shamans of old Sweden. Now, in 1924, she hunts for the Calamity, a prophesied disaster. Along with her spirit allies and the young scientist Milo Rabbit, Hallon forces open a tear in the boundary of their universe to travel to another. An old war has ruined this land, breaking its weather systems, and a new war is brewing between the Untainted and those who show strange mutations. On the run after being identified as abnormal, Hallon and Milo must navigate this new world of machine guns, gas attacks, and fallen spirits. All the while, the Calamity looms over them. ----- The book is complete at 46 chapters, although I may revisit with short stories in the future.
8 197The Vengeance of a Lord of Agony
This is the year 2400. 150 years have gone by since humanity first reached the stars, and 120 have passed since the last time mankind was united. Now, the galaxy is divided. Now, it is the age of the warlords. Alexander Wolf is the son and heir of Gerard Wolf, Lord of Obsidian and Imperial Count of the Holy Phoenix Empire. He was the successor to a solar system and the 250 billion people that live there, as well as Battlefleet Obsidian, one of the mightiest warfleets in the entire galaxy. Yet across the span of one night, his proud family was engulfed in the tides of treachery. His home was set ablaze, with his family massacred to the last. With his last dying breath, Alexander Wolf begged for salvation, and his prayers were answered. Now, as a Lord of Agony, Alexander Wolf vows to bring torment and death to all those who wronged his family, and if that meant a thousand worlds had to burn for it...then so be it.
8 112Stolen Wonderland
Everything in existence possesses two sides, but only one side will be known across the world while the other lurks in eternal damnation. The world of Triea fights against an unending tide with the sliver of hope to reclaim the rightful place of the light on the land that was once theirs. Everyone shares the same dream to step on the lost land as liberators. A young man named Konnor will take part in the effort to reclaim their old home as a child blessed by the gods, a new status thrust upon him but still has the determination to embark on a new path. Unbeknownst to him, his home had to sacrifice too much to maintain the flames of hope alive. Very soon, the sparks will cease, and one side will claim total victory over the other once and for all. Also available on ScribbleHub. Cover art made by me.
8 143Gloryland
**for Quravin** It's the summer of 2010, and Evan Barker's older brother Jason has just committed suicide. His devastated parents are reeling from the Recession, his friends are shiftless drunks, and his younger sister has been committed after discovering Jason's body. In an attempt to assuage the trauma his family has experienced and break away from his own shitty existence, Evan decides to grab his portion of the modern American Dream by trying out for that year's American Idol auditions in Nashville. Never mind that Evan's a 21-year-old virgin with a self-image as poor as his social skills. Never mind that he's never even attempted to sing before. In 21st century America, anything is possible, or so Evan's been told by a cultural upbringing of "Follow your dreams" and "Everyone is special" and "True love awaits". Speaking of true love, Evan asks Lily Trent to accompany him on the journey. Lily is a childhood acquaintance with whom he's recently reconnected and developed a crush on. Lately Lily's been working as a stripper, a cynical and jaded young woman who may or may not have her own motivations for joining Evan on the trip. Evan hopes the time alone will spark reciprocal affections in Lily, and an improbable come-from-nowhere triumph on national TV will not only free his family from their blue collar burdens, but win him the respect and love he craves-- not just from others, but from himself. Together, Evan and Lily discover why learning how to fail may be their generation's greatest lesson. Cover art by Gerry Siorek
8 206Arrogance and Erin
First Impressions are important. First impressions lead to a mutual dislike between Erin and the 'dream boy' her mother drowns on about. But when lost in the woods, impressions tend to change. For better? For worse? Or never again? When Arrogance and Erin mix one can never really know.
8 59Midwestern Girl With a Hand for a Map Who Doesn't Even Know What a Lobbyist Is
My favorite stories to tell that might be acceptable for a general audience.
8 138