Raising Sera- Lineage

by Andre Ellison

  "Do as I say now..." the doctor directed. "I want you to get the boy."

  Sera looked over at Damien as a piece of fruit dropped from his mouth. She did not move.

  Dr. Belmont looked over at Hunter. "Insubordination will not be tolerated," he warned Sera. "Neither is repeating myself."

  Sera suddenly gripped her chair. Her face went flush as her internal body temperature spiked up. "What did you do to me," she screamed, stammering her words.

  Dr. Belmont took a step closer to her. “Obey my dear child. The pain will soon subside.”

  "Leave the girl alone!” Carlos exclaimed. “C’mon now boy! Get me outta this freaking circus!”

  Damien rushed towards his grandfather. Sera went transparent and grabbed the boy.

  "No," Carlos hollered standing up with his cane. With a knee-jerked wobble, he landed on the floor. "Give me my boy back!" he pleaded.

  Sera covered Damien’s mouth as his muffled cries echoed throughout the office.

  Dr. Belmont snapped his fingers at Hunter.

  Hunter picked up the paperwork from his desk then lowered himself in front of Carlos.

  "Here!” Hunter uttered with a smirk on his face. “You already lost one family member if I can recall... Do you really want to carry the burden of losing another.”

  Hunter dropped the stack of paperwork in front of Carlos’ face.

  “Sign the contract."

  “My boy...” Carlos pleaded. “Damien say something!”

  Hunter helped the old man up from off the floor.

  "Enough with the magic trick, Sera... Show him the kid."

  Sera appeared with Damien as Hunter instructed. She held one arm behind the boy’s back as she covered up his mouth with her other hand.

  Dr. Belmont reached inside his suit jacket and handed Carlos a pen.

  "Do it," the doctor demanded.

  "You pieces of shits! I hope you drown in your filthy water."

  Carlos reached for the pen. He held it over the paperwork but paused abruptly. He looked out the office window and noticed a trickle of water slid down the side of the building. Hunter and the doc joined him as more water fell from the sky.

  "Water..." Hunter uttered as he approached the window in his office. "It's coming from above us!"

  Dr. Belmont approached his son. "Fascinating," he replied.

  Hunter looked out into the city. He watched as the people of Advent City gathered outside from their homes. Within minutes, the civilians below began to dance and celebrate. "We need patrols out there... NOW!" he yelled.

  He approached his desk and picked up the phone. "No one in Central District is allowed outside."

  Water fell rapidly as it crashed against the window.

  "It seems you boys just got bullied off the block," Carlos laughed. "Water is opened sourced now!"

  He grabbed the documents from off the table. Ripping them in half, he chuckled.

  "I'm not signing a damn thing," he continued.

  "Kill him," Dr. Belmont ordered his guards.

  The two men in black suitspicked up Carlos and snatched him from out his chair. Damien cried out as they threw his grandfather to the floor.

  "Well, ain't this a bitch," Carlos howled, struggling with the two men.

  "STOP IT!" Damien insisted.

  The two men took aim at Carlos.

  "Wait," Hunter exclaimed as he stared out the window. He took a step back and braced himself against his desk. With trembling hands, he watched as the people of Advent City scattered in discord as an enormous tidal wave towered over New Gate. As it crashed over the main wall, the water demolished District 3 and 2.

  A tremor shook the building and Damien broke free from Sera grasp.

  "The pressure of that water is going to tear this place apart!" Hunter shouted at his father. "We need to get Sera out of here!"

  "Release the globes!" Dr. Belmont insisted. The overhead sprinkler turned on and showered him in the face. "We can still save Advent if we demolished those pillars."

  "You wanna do what now?" Hunter shouted back.

  “I saved the device. Use the switch," the doctor ordered. He threw his son a set of keys.

  "What are these for?"

  "Just open the bottom drawer of your desk!"

  Hunter dropped to the floor as the building shook again. He crawled his way to his desk and opened the drawer. As he looked in the desk he reached in and pulled out a sealed dead man switch. He glanced at his father with a look of discourage.

  "You kept this?" he repulsed.

  Dr. Belmont lunged at his son and grabbed the device. Without any restraint, he unwrapped the seal.

  An explosive charge detonated within New Gate. Shortly after more explosion ignited. As fires erupted in Central District, the series of pillars separating the two boroughs fell in ruin. As water flooded the city below, parts of Advent fell upon the Central District.

  The window shattered in front of Hunter. As water poured into his office, he rushed towards Sera but a wave of water splashed between them both.

  Carlos crawled to his grandson. Sera covered her face as another wave of water flung her into the far corner of Hunter’s office.

  "That was a shitty idea!" Carlos hollered out.

  “The city...” Dr. Belmont exclaimed. “...it's rising!”

  “Nice Work!” Hunter scoffed. “We need to get to the helicopter now!”

  He scrambled to his feet and then ran to Sera again. He stopped as a tremor shook the building and a makeshift crater rippled across the floor. He outstretched an arm but immediately pulled back as the floor beneath him fell apart.

  The flood receded. An aquatic warrior the size of a skyscaper emerged from its depths and grabbed the side of the Apex building. With a thunderous roar, the creature pounded the stronghold with its fist then leaned up against the building.

  With another roar, the figure submerged itself back into the watery abyss. As the flood passed through New Gate, a few more blocks of Advent descended to the city below.

  “I don’t believe that just happened,” Carlos uttered.

  “The building won’t hold up much longer,” Hunter exclaimed.

  "Let’s make haste," Dr. Belmont replied.

  "We can't leave Sera!"

  The walls in the office cracked. The floor in front of Sera fell beneath her. Hunter reached out to her as she slid to the floor below.

  "Carlos..." Hunter pleaded. "Can you reach her?”

  Carlos held on to Damien and refuse to respond. Damien looked up at him. He jumped from his grandfather’s lap and grabbed hold of the food cart. He rolled it towards the hole in the floor and pushed it down to the floor below.

  "Flip it over and use it to step on,” Damien hollered at Sera. I will grab you.” Damien looked back at his grandfather. “C’mon papa, I need you.”

  Dr. Belmont ran to the launch pad and climbed in his transport.

  “Forget about the girl,” Carlos ordered. He rose from the floor and limped towards the helicopter. "Get behind me now!"

  Dr. Belmont closed the panel door to the helicopter. He stared out the window as the old man approached him. Carlos flailed his arms wildly at the pilot. He turned around and waited for Damien.

  "Hurry up boy, catch up!"

  As Carlos turned around, the panel door on the side of the helicopter flung open. Dr. Belmont stood at the edge of the transport and pointed his gun at Carlos.

  "Change is hard...” the doctor spoke. ”...but a bullet doesn’t discriminate.”

  He pulled the trigger.

  Carlos dropped to his knees. His cane hit the ground with a resounding thud.

  "I have no use for you or your farm anymore."

  Dr. Belmont shot him again.

  Damien’s eyes widen as the second gunshot rung out.

  "No!" he uttered.

  "Sera, come on!" Hunter screamed as he leaped into the helicopter.

  Sera leaped onto the food cart and jumped into Damien’s grasp. Hunter stared at
Damien as he pulled up the girl. As Sera rose to her feet, she stuck up her middle finger as Hunter watched them both.

  A soldier onboard the helicopter prepared a rifle. He pointed it at Damien's head. The boy stood motionless as Sera noticed a red dot on his forehead. She went transparent and grabbed Damien’s hand. They both became invisible. Little footsteps splashed in the pools of water that scattered throughout the office floor.

  A rickety creek bellowed outside the building as the Apex sign from on top of the skyscaper fell from the side of it. Hunter leaped towards the door but Dr. Belmont stopped him as the sign crashed in front of them. He clenched his fist as the helicopter ascended. Dr. Belmont pushed him aside and closed the sliding panel door.

  Sera released Damien’s hand and they both appeared beneath the president’s desk. As debris fell from the ceiling, Sera reached for Damien’s hand again. Soon all went dark. A purple colored shroud appeared from the darkness. It surrounded Sera and Damien as they descended to the floor below. They both embraced one another as floor after floor of the build collapsed. Sera let out a scream until finally they stopped falling.

  ***

  "Why..." Damien spoke. "Why do you want to hurt me?”

  "I protected you," Sera uttered.

  "No!" he yelled back. He shook his head in disbelief. "You grabbed me... my grandfather, he died because of you.”

  "I don’t know," Sera replied. “I’m-”

  "Sorry!” Damien injected. “I helped you escape!”

  He rubbed his left arm.

  "I helped you as well,” she replied.

  He looked around the remains of the building. "That thing that you do...” he insisted. “How are you able to do that?”

  "I don't know..." Sera uttered. She looked down at her hands. "I just do it," she continued.

  Damien stared at her. Dust and smoke irritated his lunged. He coughed violently.

  "Are you ok?" Sera asked.

  "I feel like nothing even matters anymore.”

  Sera reached for his hand. Damien felt her palm against his and pulled his arm away.

  "I’m sorry," Sera uttered.

  Damien didn’t speak, he just nodded his head.

  Sera lowered her head as she stood beside him.

  "We have to get out of here...” he spoke. “...and find Ethan."

  "Why did you say that name?” Sera scoffed. She lifted her head up. “Better yet, I don’t even want to know?”

  "What?" Damien replied, irriration heavy in his tone. "Ethan is all that I have left... I have to find him now!"

  "All that you have...” Sera protested. “Wasn't it I who saved your life!”

  "What is your deal, girl?"

  "What is yours, boy!"

  They stared at one another in a deep pause. Damien walked away from her and marched towards the remains of the president’s desk.

  "Where are you going?” Sera cried out.

  “I just lost my papa... That's my deal."

  Sera stood there speechless as Damien crawled over the piles of debris.

  “But your just a kid,” she finally spoke.

  “I’m eight and I’m not asking your permission.”

  "He killed my mother!" Sera blurted out.

  Damien stopped in his tracks. "What did you say?"

  "Her name..." she continued. "I was told it was Angela... Ethan killed her."

  "The woman in Ethan's photo?"

  "Photo?" Sera asked, confused about what the word meant.

  "The picture he has. That woman... she's Angela."

  Sera approached Damien.

  "What is a picture?”

  Damien looked at her confused.

  "Ethan said she was special to him...” he replied.

  Suddenly he fell silent.

  “No,” Sera insisted. “Please go on.”

  “Look...” he uttered. “I don't know about your mom. Who she is or why you have crazy powers and stuff... but what I do know is that my mother was killed. And it was Apex who killed her."

  Damien continued to rummage through the desk. He glanced back at Sera direction. He noticed she was gone but quickly turned around. Sera appeared out of transparency behind him.

  "Whoa there!” he screeched. “Don’t just do that!”

  Sera flashed him a sly smirk.

  “All I know...” Damien continued, “...is your family is weird.”

  Sera didn’t respond.

  "Seems to me..." he added. "...your family is the cause of both of our problems."

  "They’re not my family..."

  "Is that why you gave them the finger?"

  Damien picked up his amputated hand.

  “If it was me...” he uttered, “...I would've gave them two?"

  "I'm not even sure what you’re talking about... but it felt good to do it!"

  Damien laughed out loud.

  "Fine..." Sera uttered. "I agree to help you find Ethan... but only after I learn the truth about my mother and what happened."

  Sera looked out upon the destroyed city. With no particular direction to go in, she turned to Damien. "Any idea where to next?”

  Damien shook his head. He looked at the ground and noticed a pen laid amongst the ruins. He sorted out the rubble and picked it up.

  "Didn't that old guy used this?" he said.

  He took a closer look.

  "Hey! It has writing on it!”

  "What does it say?" Sera asked.

  Damien observed the pen.

  "Dr. Edward Belmont...Chief of Science and blah, blah, blah... With all my love, Sarah."

  "Sarah?"

  "Yeah," Damien confirmed as he turned the pen over. "That's about it."

  "All those words and not one thing that can help us."

  "Well, it has his name on it."

  Sera looked at him confused. He looked at the pen again then turned towards the desk.

  "I saw a map.”

  “A map?” Sera repeated him.

  “A map... you know... a map! It was over there in the desk.”

  “Will it help us?”

  “It could be useful?"

  "What are you waiting for?” Sera ordered. “Go!”

  Damien approached the desk. Sera followed as Damien pulled out a drawer. The map was intact. He put the pen in his mouth as he held up one side of the map while Sera picked up and held the other. They noticed a series of ‘X’ markings on all of the major providences in the world. He signaled Sera to take the pen from his mouth. Sera gave him a look.

  "Take it," he mumbled.

  Sera refused. Damien spit out the pen. He pointed to a location on the map.

  “Here!” he exclaimed.

  "What am I looking at?"

  "The only location outside of Malshante that doesn't have an X marked on it."

  "What does it say?"

  "Ridgehill. I've never heard of it before... but it sounds like a place only a Belmont could live in.”

  Sera looked at him and shook her head.

  “I don’t know...” she insisted. “Is there any place else?”

  “I did delivery with my grandfather...”

  Damien paused.

  "I'm sorry,” Sera apologized again. “If you believe it’s the place then that’s where we’ll head.”

  Damien turned his face.

  “What now?” Sera insisted with slight irritation.

  "I know what my papa would think... The last thing he would want is for me to go searching for Ethan."

  He looked up at Sera. "But he is not here... so I am going to find him!"

  "We will find him!" Sera confirmed. "We know where to go... the question is how do we get there?"

  Damien shrugged as he looked around the area. He patted Sera on the shoulder and smiled. She looked at his hand.

  "Don't start getting weird on me," she warned him.

  "You can turn invisible..." Damien blurted out. "Being weird is your thing."

  Sera removed his hand.

  "Can you fly?" he c
ontinued.

  Sera looked at him confused. Damien shook his head then looked up at the sky. She looked the same way he did.

  “If you are this lost about what I said...” he confessed. “It’s probably a fat no!”

  “Flying is good, right?”

  Damien walked over the wreckage of the Apex building. “Flying is very good,” he replied.

  Sera followed behind him. The two of them continued forward, leaving the city limits of New Gate.

  Derailed

  All inmates selected to board the Apex Express Transit were subjected to full cavity searches. Before heading towards Obsidian Ward, (A prison inside a living volcano) fingerprints, retinal scans and blood samples were collected from the prisoners.

  The train contained various levels of offenders ranging from petty thieves to murderers and worst. It was the length of seven railcars with four of the seven units used to house the criminals. The other three cabinets were for authorized personnel and Apex officials.

  At its final destination, level-four criminals were rumored to be exterminated in the fire of the volcano. The allegations of these rumors has brought charges to the Apex Corporation. Due to the connection between officials and some public figures, findings have been denied countless times as well as charges dropped. Political fallout has occurred from the accusation that the President of Apex, Hunter Belmont, has cruelly murdered his own citizens whether guilty or not.

  ***

  Sweat dripped off of Ethan's face as a tingling sensation shot through his legs. The level-four railcar was narrow and fill to capacity. Secured to a harness with his hands fastened to a chair, Ethan's face was covered by headgear that played white noise continuously. Ventilation came thru a grated vent as no windows were in the compartment. Two Apex guards stood on each end of the railcar, all four guards were armed with automatic rifles.

  Ethan coughed.

  A fifth soldier entered the railcar and approached one of the guards. Holding a briefcase in his hand, the soldier handed it over.

  Ethan coughed again.

  Both of the soldiers glanced at Ethan as they swayed with the motion of the moving train. As the soldier left the guard at his post, the remaining guard held the briefcase in his hand and approached Ethan. He switched off the white noise pulsating in Ethan’s ears. He then laid the briefcase on Ethan’s lap and lifted it open.

  "Had enough yet?” The guard taunted, “We're only getting started."