Chronicles of the Storm: Prologue
#1 of CotS
Just a teaser/prologue of a project I've had in the works for some time. Still just a work in progress, hoping to get more done soon.
The end of the world began with overcast clouds that crept across the skies. It wouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary if it hadn't happened world wide. Weather and wind currents remained the same under the dull gray skies and no explanation could be found. People tried to expose the cause, as if their attempts would cause the clouds to lessen and disperse. The clouds only grew thicker as time went by. As did the purported theories and conspiracies.
"Mankind's pollution must be the cause of the phenomenon." Industrial complexes were brought to a halt overnight much to the chagrin of their corporate masters. Yet the clouds remained.
"_Rival countries are blotting out the skies in an attempt to hold the world hostage."_But the only demands made were for someone to fix the global crisis. And it seemed idiotic that anyone would threaten to smother their own country along with the rest of the world.
"_Aliens are causing it! They want to invade and steal our planet!"_Many who brought this concern to light were swiftly laughed out. Few could stand to listen to arguments so farfetched.
_"GOD is angry," came the doomsayers. "It is HIS will that the skies blacken as a sign that these are the end times."_Masses flocked to those who stood upon this platform. Promises of safety from the coming retribution flowed freely. Prayers for absolution came from the more honest shepherds tending the flocks. Frauds and charlatans were pulled down as soon as they were discovered abusing those they had sworn to protect and comfort. Reports of mass suicides occasionally surfaced in the media bringing fresh bouts of fear to the public.
All the while the skies darkened more and more. And the winds went wild and the seas raged. Howling gales swept in from the dark frothing expanses followed by brief yet violent tidal waves. Tornadoes and thunderstorms danced a terrifying waltz above cities and plains alike. For months the savage storms continued their seemingly endless cycle.
It was thirteen months since the beginning of the long cataclysm before the sky was seen again. Everywhere the clouds opened there was a starry night sky, the likes of which had not been seen since the dawn of man. Those who saw the clouds open thought that mankind's prayers of deliverance had been answered. But what little hope had been kindled was soon short lived. Mere seconds after opening, viridian lightning cascaded from the tears.
Where the lightning struck, unnatural phenomenon occurred. Stone melted and most buildings disintegrated before the new fury of the storm. Trees warped and water boiled cold where the laws of physics ran rampant.
Very few people survived the lightning strikes, mainly by having the good fortune of being in shelter or by being far enough away. Those less fortunate were burned from the inside out. Their bodies were charred and grotesque, blackened and withered into empty husks. Twisted shells that hardly seemed human and still possessed a will to live. And something more.