Sitting on my hands, waiting for this M2 money supply bounce…. April?… maybe… 🚀🚀🚀🌕🌕🌕

Badass! Your fights are awesome, and it’s great how you always appreciate the fans. Your hard work and training shows!!

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XVII.

As they begin to head back, they stay in formation, making sure to cover each other’s blind spots as they walk. This time, they were going slower and more direct, as they used the houses to shield them. They knew that the sound of the previous action would be noticeable, and were preparing to engage more officers.

Outside, things were taking an even darker turn, as they came around the corner they saw 2 kids that had somehow been able to survive this far. They were about 300 yards away, and they knew they had to head their way. They passed the first garage, and turned back towards the house and followed the path. As they came around the second garage, Chesty raised his fist to have the team stop.

When they were able to get a better idea of what they were seeing, they noticed that these children were already past the point of saving. The boy was gnawing on a bird that had fallen from the sky, and the blood dripped down his chin. The little girl next to him was spinning in circles as she laughed and looked up to the sky. Her neck was bent to the left, and her fully black eyes were fixated on the sky. The boy’s legs were shaking as he looked at the group in front of them, but he could not react. The boy was clearly trapped inside the prison that his body had created for himself. Not knowing how to react, or out of mercy, they threw the children some bars and soda, and decided to carry on their way without stopping.

Around the next block, they see a few spots where houses had fully burned down. They chose to use the cars along the street for cover instead. As they would pass the cars, they stopped to steal the fuel, and used one of the water containers that they had emptied out, to fill up. With each stop, the minutes to siphon the fuel felt like hours. Exposed on the side of the street, with no visibility, created tension and fear beyond what any of them had experienced. Finally they made their way back to the house.

As they came in, they could barely walk forward, as the dread of telling her what had happened to her husband took them all by surprise. Trying to speak, their voices got caught in their throats, and only a whimper could be heard, until the next would try. Finally they were able to get the words together. The group huddled together on their knees and cried collectively, for they knew that this could have been anyone of them.

It was getting closer to the evening time, and yet time felt pointless as the hours passed in darkness. All they could do was sit together at the table, with blank stares into each other’s eyes. No one knew what was happening, they were all trying to piece together events, and make sense of it all. It would be the second night, and as the candle starts to fade away as it gets smaller, they realize this night would be no better than the one before it. They would have a reunion with the darkness that now haunted their every move.

The things they knew from their lives were all gone. Money was no longer useful. Kids would no longer have their innocence. Families were forever destroyed.

As they sat, they started to share their feelings with each other. The fears of how many had passed away, and the thoughts of the conditions of those that had survived filled their heads like a dark cloud. As they get prepared to sleep, and take turns watching guard for the night, the only thing that mattered to them was the children. They placed the kids in the sleeping bags, and pushed them all together in the middle of the room. The adults laid down around them, protecting them, and keeping them sheltered and warm.

As Buckley closed his eyes to sleep, he would twitch. His body was exhausted. But as he closed his eyes once more, the twitching felt worse. As he finally began to fall asleep, his head and neck started to shift violently, waking him back up. The pain he had jumped through his spine and woke him back up. He sat up, looked around, everyone else was asleep, even the one guarding the door. As he tried to scream out for help, he couldn't breathe. His head snaps back as he tries to gasp for air. His blue eyes slowly lose color as he takes a gulp of air. He lays back down, lays his hands across his sleeping wife and closes his eyes again.

***************

The End… or is it

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XVI.

It’s the next morning. All the people in the house huddled their sleeping bags together to stay warm through the night. Everyone expected for the sun to come up, but through the thin rows between the blinds, they could tell the sun is still not up. It's extremely dark, even though it’s supposed to be sunrise. The clouds of ash and smoke make it impossible to tell what is happening.

The families all open their bags and pull together breakfast made out of emergency supplies mixed with the items that were not spoiled in the fridge yet. They used a camp stove to boil enough water to mix in the dried packages. And sat together to pray. They were all grateful to be together after a long day, and happy to be safe. As they sat around, they shared some laughs, some hopes, and some dreams, taking the time to escape reality and break bread.

Even though it still looks like night outside, the men decided to head out to get some water because they didn’t know how long this would last. If they were going to survive this, they had to ensure they had enough water for each of them; and since water weighs about 8 lbs a gallon, they would need to all team up to carry it. They decided to head over to the local recreation center about a half-mile from the house. They know that they could get some water from the pool, and with the filtration system they had at the house, it would be safe to drink. They also emptied their packs, in hopes to break into any vending machines that were still stocked.

They headed out, and everything was eerily quiet. The sky was darker than they had ever seen, it was much worse than even the day before. They decided to stick along the main road, and walk in the middle. This would give them the best view of the surrounding areas, even though they felt they would be exposed. Chesty led the pack, and grabbed a stick off a tree to check any bodies for life as they went.

They made it to the recreation center fairly quick, as their adrenaline had them all pumped. As 2 went to the pool, 2 looked for snacks, and 1 stayed at the door to keep an eye out. The vending machines were nearly all broken and smashed, there were only a few soda and sports drinks that they could acquire. The others that went to the pool were also very quick, they filled the jugs of water by dunking them in the pool. Brought them to the door, and went back to fill another round.

Buckley whistles, they see the group of 4 masked men coming their way. They looked very similar to the guys they encountered the day before. They hid the water jugs and packs of food behind the check-in counter, and took positions preparing to fight. As Buckley backs to the office door, it swings open and he sees a figure in the corner. As he turns to look, he sees a lady hanging by her neck. He checked, and her body was cold, she must have been dead for many hours by this point. He grabs a fire extinguisher and takes his place by the door as the men start to come into the building.

The echo of the first shot rings out through the hall, followed by an immediate ringing in Buckley’s ear. The first man through the door falls over and curls up as he lays in a pool of fresh blood coming from his chest. The 3 remaining masked men pull their firearms and get into formation. They return fire and take down one of Chesty’s friends that came with us. They throw 2 smoke flares, and continue going forward.

Another gunshot, and the formation breaks, a pig mask is thrown to the ground as the man grabs his leg and screams, with a second shot his screams stop and he falls to the ground.

The 2 remaining masked men begin moving forward and start shooting back at them. Buckley is nearly hit, but his position is well covered. As they get closer to the door, he sprays the fire extinguisher in their direction, and the men cough. Another gunshot rings out, and another pig masked man flies to the ground grabbing his left shoulder. Buckley is face to face with the final gunman, and he quickly grabs the gun and pushes the aim to the side. The barrel is hot, and burns his hands immediately, but he is forcing himself to hang on. A final gunshot rings out, and before Buckley can react, the splatter of blood covers his face. He can barely breathe as he is now in a state of shock and he falls to his knees. Chesty’s years of service and top in class shooting, just saved his life. The others rush to attend to the one that was shot, but are saddened as they realize he is gone.

As Buckley slowly shakes his head in disbelief, he notices the masked man on the ground has some kind of patch under his shirt. As Buckley reaches out and rips it off the shirt under his coveralls, he recognizes the seal. The man was stationed as a zone guard. He calls out to the others, and they come down to check the rest. They all have the same patches and uniform under their clothes. Seeing this, they decide the best action is to head back to the house and bunker down, and the dread of telling the man’s wife that he was gone hovered over them as they headed out.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XV.

As they headed out behind the dumpster, they could see that things had changed. There were shadows now flying overhead, and things were getting worse. You could smell fire in the distance, and you could hear howling, screaming and crying from all directions. Across the basketball court of the school, you could barely make out the shape of the woman standing near the hoop. The crooked nature of her stance, and the clear extension of her shoulders looked like wings. As she stood, her arms twitched as she was hitting her hands against her head. Her legs appeared frozen, as this was the only part of her that did not move. A glass shattered at her foot, as a molotov cocktail was thrown from the other side of the yard. Her clothes and body quickly caught up in the flames.

Seeing the molotov come from the right, they knew they needed to head the other way. They crept along the edge of the building until they were directly in front of where they needed to go. Chesty whispers, ‘one, two, three;’ and they all stood up and ran together across the field to the row of houses.

They were instantly paused by the sound of the tornado sirens all going off at once. The announcement made over the speaker followed, ‘All government zones have been abandoned. There will no longer be guards at the zone entrances. Any and all citizens must shelter in place until further notice.’ In the distance, you could barely make out the scene of the tower being torn down as chants and cheers followed.

The few men left were right behind them, running across the field. Afraid of using their guns, and making too much noise, they decided to continue running. They made it into the neighborhood street, and only had a few more houses to go. They decided to turn right instead, and go down to the greenbelt and head up to the house that way to avoid giving away their position. Buckley took a glowstick, threw it in the other direction, in hopes to take them off the path, and they headed down to the field.

Finally, they get to Chesty’s house. It’s all dark except for a couple candles at the table. There were a couple families together already, and all the windows were boarded up. Now that they are back, the doors are locked up again, and 2x4’s nailed into the door jams. The other kids were all asleep on the couch underneath a pile of blankets. The living room was taken over by sleeping bags, and packs. They rushed Buckley over to the table to stitch up his wrist, while the kids fell over from exhaustion. The women went over to get the kids food & much needed water.

A swig of some rum, and a splash of alcohol on the arm, it was time to stitch up the wound. They only had a simple sewing kit, and a small needle. As the needle went into the cut, Buckley could feel the string dragging through his skin until the pain of the needle pushing it’s way back out blurred out his attention. Buckley needed a breather before they would do the much needed second round. As he opened his eyes and wiped his tears, he noticed in the candlelight that Chety had on red shoes, and as he nearly nodded off to sleep from the pain, at least 2 others in the house did as well. Chesty slaps his face, ‘get ready brother, and bite this belt if you need to.’ The second stitch was not any less painful than the first. The pain took what was left of Buckley, and his eyes closed.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XIV.

The street light up ahead was flickering. It was the only light for miles. It was next to the flagpole of the Elementary school ahead. Just to the right of the pole, they see a car that had crashed into the gate. There is still movement in the car, and the rush over to see if they can help. The smell of gasoline puts them on alert, they need to move fast. As they walk around to the driver side, they see the tires had been flattened and the wheels bent. They must have been trying to drive away on the flat tires for a while. In the distance they heard an engine, and it was slowly getting louder & potentially closer. They speed up their efforts. Chesty smashes the window and they work together to try and pull open the door. They hear the screams from the car, there is a baby in the back.

As they pull open the driver side door, they try to cut the belt, but it gets even harder since the car is quickly filling with smoke. They take a step back to figure out how to get into the back seat. When they turn back to look, BOOM, the car explodes. They are pushed to the ground from the power, and everyone is disoriented.

Before they can get their bearings, a black truck pulls up. The back is loaded with plastic crates, and the slight appearance of tire spikes hanging out of one of them. The men in the truck are masked with old halloween pig masks, that have been duct taped to their gas masks.

Chesty has to pick up Buckley and carry him with the family and run into the school. Buckley is paralyzed with fear. His body has shut down as the flashback takes over his brain.

He is floating over a car in the middle of the field. The car is burning and hands are reaching out the windows trying to get help. He looks to the right and sees himself as a teenager crying under a tree. Buckley tries to yell towards himself down below, ‘save them, save them, help them;’ but nothing happens. He starts to float higher into the sky and the car gets smaller.

Suddenly they are gone and his eyes spring open. Chesty grabbed some smelling salts out of the bag in order to wake him up. As Buckley takes a drink of one of the old sodas he packed, they start to understand the surroundings. With the school just around the block from Chesty’s house, they look to forge a path.

As they look out the window for an open path, they can see that down the street there is another group of people. They are armed with bats and molotov cocktails. They are being led by a German Shepard, hunting out the scent of those that left the car behind a few hours ago.

The doors at the back of the school swing open, and a group of 7 men come inside. They start yelling, hooting and whistling as they drag metal pipes and bats along the lockers in the hall. The first door slams as they check the class on the left, followed by each class down the hall. Hearing the doors slam at the other side of the building, they know they have time to escape. Buckley leads the group into the cafeteria knowing they must have a door for deliveries that they can use to get out.

As they quietly slide open the metal door covering the serving line, everyone jumps over into the kitchen and they quietly put the lock on the door once closed again. The plan is simple. Kids wait in the kitchen office, while everyone else checks for the exit and a clear path out. As the adults were looking around the back of the kitchen, the kids were hiding under the desk in the office. Once the exit was found, they formulated a plan on how to get out. They would exit out the back and go behind the dumpster on the right and from there they could go between the houses and in a few blocks they would be safe.

Before they could get out the door the group of men had found them. It didn't take long for them to get the door open and to be face to face with the family. Buckley knew his way around the kitchen, and immediately knew what to do. He pushed the kids underneath the stainless steel tables and told them to cover up as best they could. He took the bin of flour and threw it towards the group, giving them a few seconds to get ready.

The dog came towards them and jumped right at Chesty. As he turned he grabbed a cutting board and smacked the dog across the face. The dog hit the ground, snarled his teeth and growled. Buckley's wife luckily was behind the dog at this point, and grabbed a Large metal mixing bowl and used it as a shield. Chesty quickly grabbed a large paddle off the wall and continued to hit the dog pushing him back. Between both of them they got the dog into the walking freezer, shut the door and turned back to assist Buckley.

Buckley had been wrestling with one of the men, and pushed him back against the table. He used his knee to turn on the slicer. The purring and grinding of the metal slicer hummed until the blood curling gags came from the other man. His face and ear were nearly all the way off when with a final push Buckley was able to push his neck into the slicer blade.

Chesty took on the second man in line, who came after him with a kick. Chesty grabbed his leg and knocked him to the ground. still holding his legs he swung the man on the floor to the left, lifted him up by his ankles and shoved him in the steamer. He closed the door and turned it on full blast. The man crunched upside down could only knock on the glass for help.

One man went to check on the guy convulsing over the slicer, his eyes completely black, threw back his head and howled like a wolf. A few twitches of his neck he got down on his hands and feet and started running on all fours towards Buckley. Buckley's wife threw a gallon of oil on the ground, causing the man to slip. He fell over on his right side and knocked his head against the giant mixer. His wife grabbed the man by his hair, pushed his head against the mixer paddle and turned it on. The repetitive smashes of the mixer against his face Quickly put the man in his place.Upon seeing these a few others ran away, but one stayed.

This man could barely stand. He was in so much pain, he was vomiting and keeled over. He started to snarl, looking like a wild boar, he ran over and tackled Chesty. A knife fell out of Chesty’s pocket and Buckley went to reach for it, but he wasn’t fast enough. The man in the mask grabbed it and stabbed Buckley in the wrist. This gave Chesty the chance To use a pressure point since the man's attention was drawn away. He grabbed the masked man, stood up while holding him, and threw him on the table. The large buffalo chopper was in reach, he dragged the man across the table, put his arm inside and turned it on. As the man yelled, the screams echoed through the kitchen and sounded as if 1000 souls had died. The chopper pulled the man’s arm deeper and was slowing down as it stuck to his bones. As he tried to pull himself free, Buckley’s wife grabbed a knife and shoved it through his back. He was coughing up blood as he continued to scream until his screams slowed in pace. The smell of burnt electronics gave way to the machine being completely stuck and shutting down.

The kids crying in fear, were covered in splattered blood, as they were taken from below the table. They were going to make their way for one final push to Chesty’s house. Buckley only had towels to tie around his wrist as they got ready to head out.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XIII.

The family heads back down the course towards the tee box next to the creek. The creek runs along the golf course between the green and houses. The kids scream as a dog runs up to them. As the owner yells out a command, Buckley knows it had to be his best friend, since the dog responded to the command in Arabic; he knew it was “brother chesty.’

Chesty found them based on his ability to track where the last message was to his phone and he went out searching for him. His years of preparation for the inevitable, included many military items that were still operational. Grouped together, they are headed towards Chesty’s house.

They walk a few blocks south east, and when they hear a vehicle coming towards them. They quickly had to run inside of the house which appeared abandoned. They kick the door in, and get inside the garage.

The garage is empty, except for some old trash cans, and a few old tools. They take a few items and stack them in front of the door, in case anyone was following. The family ducks in the corner and tries to huddle for warmth, and to grab a snack & drink as the men figure out what to do. The door to the house creaks open, and a dark figure stands at the top of the stairs. Buckley & Chesty quickly aim their weapons. The figure ducks down to avoid being shot at. It was an old man. When they realized there was not an immediate threat, they put down the weapons and went to check on things. The old man looked quite shaken up over the whole thing. They lifted him back to his feet, when he told them that he needed help. The man cried out and pleaded, ‘help me please, my wife is very ill.’

They called over Buckley’s wife to get out the first aid kit, and asked the man to show them where she was. As they headed to the back room, they could hear the faint moaning from the lady, followed by heavy breaths. She was covered under multiple blankets, and huddled over in the fetal position. They asked her to turn their way, so they could help, but she did not respond. The sweat dripping on the back of her neck had stained the pillow, and it was obvious a fever had been causing this lady pain.

They asked the man to turn his wife over, so they could get a better look. As she rolled over from her right side unto her back, they could see her eyes were glazed over and blood dripped down her cheek. She had nearly chewed off her bottom lip, as she shivered from the pain. Her skin was pale, and the veins on her neck were bulging to the point you could see her rapid pulse. They both knew there was no helping her, they offered to give the man a bottle of painkillers, and they would be on their way.

As they turned back to get their family, the man hit Buckley on his back with a glass vase that was sitting by the bed. ‘You won’t help me?’ He screamed out, ‘No one can help me, not even God.’

Buckley did his best not to react to the man, and just kept heading towards his family in order to get them out. The man begins throwing more items at them, and getting more enraged. As he walked closer to them, his gait was beginning to limp. His eyes turned black, as he yelled out again, ‘you won’t help me?’

The man’s head snapped back as his arms twitched. He threw himself forward and bent at the waist. His back had boils growing on them, and quickly bursting. He raised back up, and once again headed towards them. They had gotten to the door of the garage, where the family was, and they told them to get ready to leave.

Chesty kicked the man in his leg, and he slammed against the floor. As he reached back up towards them, his neck twisted and his head spun upside down. He took one last breath, and he fell.

Buckley got his family, and they headed back out to the street, they only had a few more blocks to go until they were at Chesty’s house.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XII.

It was near 11:00 a.m. and confusion continued to grow. While outside people began to cough and the air seemed off, and a weird smell began to brew. Individuals starting to scream randomly in the streets. There was a video going viral online, where a man was convulsing and began to twist and contort. Other videos showed people having apparitions and yelling out strange things, while others were in trance-like state.

Children were starting to wander and having what seemed to look like stigmata. Those that were choking on the air, now began to bleed from the eyes. The bleeding was so painfully strong, that people were biting on their fingers, belts, or even on their tongues or cheeks to deal with it. Some looked as if they were going insane. It seemed like half the population were dealing with these issues because at least the other half was still actively sharing on the Flow.

It wasn't until 1:00 p.m. that day that lava seemed to fall out of the sky. During the earthquake a large hole opened up in the Earth's crust. The gravitational differences with the moon being so close, caused the outer layer of the Earth to shift in appearance. Compasses began spinning, and the magnetic field weakened. Dark plumes of lava and smoke made the air more dense. Now everything was covered in ashes, and the air became impossible to breathe without covering your face.

It was around 3:00 p.m. when the Flow started sharing posts of the faithful as they were locking down and boarding up their homes. The prophecy that stated ‘only blessed beeswax candles could be lit seems to be coming true.’ The lack of oxygen in the air was caused by the ever growing dense ash and smoke. Even electronics began to fail and dim.

Buckley and his family were headed out, they were going to make the trek to his best friend, Chesty’s house. For years his best friend had been preparing for the worst, and Buckley knew if they could just make it there, even if the worst was to come, at least they would be in good company.

On the drive, roads were blocked everywhere. People were fighting over gas, and siphoning fuel out of the cars that were stopped. Others set up shop on the side of the road and traded gas for food.

At that moment, Buckley had a realization; all the tragedy he had witnessed over the years, had actually been preparing him to protect his family now. His wife yelled at him to pay attention as they continued to drive south. Buckley squeezed a rosary between his hand and the steering wheel.

On I-25, a semi was turned over and blocked the right lane. Cars were parked all around the truck, as they ransacked the trailer for anything of value. The slow moving traffic was only sliding through in a space large enough for 1 car at a time. As they slowly rolled between the cars, the kids hid down on the floor between the seats. People knocked on the windows and tried to look inside to see if there was anything inside. Buckley held his 9mm firmly against his thigh, so it would be in clear view of those trying to peer inside.

Buckley tried to call Chesty to let him know they were on the way, but phones were still not working. The drive was taking longer than they had anticipated. The headlights barely produced any light, and the ash that covered the roads was mixing with the rain and turning into a thick sludge. As the tires spun, they headed up the ramp and continued until finally they got off the highway. Luckily, the car was still in 1 piece, and the ‘bug-out’ bags in the trunk were still intact.

The road up ahead was desolate. It was getting into the later hours of the day, and what little light was still relevant from the sun was now dissipating over the Rockies. As they continued to drive, visibility was nearly gone. The only way to judge the direction was to focus on the few homes that had candlelight and keep straight. As the homes passed, you could only see a glimmer of candlelight between fence posts. Buckley tried to keep equi-distant between the left and right sides of the road.

Boom, pow, crash; suddenly the car jumps and slides into the sidewalk. Buckley stepped outside to check the tires, thinking he ran into the median on the street. When Buckley looks down, he sees tire spikes. He quickly grabs his gun and looks around to see if there was anyone present. They hurry and clear out of the car, making sure the vehicle was to their back as their eyes adjusted to the dimming sky.

Feeling trapped, and given they can’t see very far, they figured someone would’ve heard the noise and be after them; or at least any goods in the car. The family packs up all the items they had because they were still a few miles away from Chesty’s house. They decided they were going to need to get there by foot. Buckley tried to call Chesty again; it rings once then goes off-line. He hands his wife an AR, he puts on two backpacks one in the front and one in the back, so his wife can attend to the kids. There is a golf course up ahead, a little bit away from the houses; and Buckley thought if they start to head that way it would be easier to spot any threats. They start heading down the street.

They get a few blocks down the street until they start to see a few random bodies. The stench of the vomit & blood stained the air. The smell was so strong, it bled through their face coverings. As they continued, their pace slowed down. They had to step between the bodies as they checked to make sure they were not moving. Every once and a while a breath could be heard, and the family paused to ensure they avoided any threats coming at them. The bodies, in some cases, looked as if they shapeshifted. The convulsions people were having had misshapen their spines, and their body shape was off. Many had bones, like their scapulas, tear out of their back.

FInally, they get into the open green of the course. One child grabs the rake, and holds it like a bat, as they continue forward. Up ahead, there is a small snack shack with a bathroom . Buckley breaks in to get some supplies and any packaged food & drinks they can find. Behind the counter, there were not many items still there. A few beers, a couple sodas, and some really old cookies. Packing these up, around back suddenly a rack holding some chips fell over. Hiding by behind the counter, Buckley peers over. It was just a dirty old cat that must have been hiding out from the cold. He finds a bottle opener with a knife, puts it in his pocket and heads out.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XI.

It was now only a few hours before the start of the night. His wife had been home preparing, and just finished making sandwiches, in case the power went out again. The phones shook, and the siren was going off early. It wasn't supposed to be until 7:00, and the family was not ready. Then, once again the president was on TV. Buckley immediately recognized where he was, it wasn't hard, he had been to the airport just down the road many times.

In the background, just faintly, you could see other press conferences occurring at the same time. Based on the small glimpse of the flag in the distance, along with the look, you could see that the Prime Minister was speaking. Even further in the distance, a black partition wall was blocking the rest of the view. Buckley’s wife was watching on her phone at the same time and asked Buckley, ‘why is the chancellor of Germany at our Airport?’ The president announced that the government officials from around the world are immediately going into hiding due to fear of multiple credible threats of a coup. All worldwide government leaders were now under protection, and even the Pope had fled the Vatican in order to join them.

The president continued speaking, ‘we are doing this out of precaution, just like our communities, the sun will rise and bring a new day tomorrow’

With Himeros underway, and government officials out of the picture, the global event was starting to catch speed. It started off with the usual suspects; young kids drinking, partying, taking hornets, throwing rocks at cars and kicking the homeless. As more videos started to be spread online, masked men were seen doing knockout videos, where random people were punched on the streets. It was very gloomy and in the comments section of the videos, people were noticing that it was now rainy in every major city in the world at the same time. Small strikes of lightning, a little bit of rain, not enough to keep people away. Looking at the videos, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but it was strange that the weather would be so uniform across the globe. Some people started asking each other online if they thought this was being staged, & the videos were being filmed in the same place. But other comments were clear to point out key landmarks, in different videos, from different angles, that proved that this would not be the case.

It was nearing 4:00 a.m. Most people didn't sleep that night, even those that didn't party. Society had grown fearful of what would happen if they weren't attentive and things went downhill. Those that managed to sleep, were immediately woken up by a violent shake. Thi ls earthquake felt like the whole world was off balance.

The news came on the TV with a massive alert. Himeros was done for tonight. Scientists detected large waves off the Pacific coast and there were fears of tidal waves and floods coming into California. Directions were to move towards higher ground. ‘This was not a drill,’ they said and continued on, ‘if you are on the west coast please immediately move east and get as high up as possible. Once again this is not a drill.’

Over the years people in Cali had become numb to the threats to the point that surfers went out that morning hoping for the largest wave of their lifetime. Most surfers could only dream of the possibility of a 100 Footers. Even if a surfer thought that they would die, it didn’t matter; they would go out with glory. But to their surprise, within a matter of a few hours they noticed it wasn't just a wave, it was a swell. This wall of water was much larger than any boat they could see in the bay. The wall of water they now faced was a cold dark tomb that would soon steal their fate.

Within minutes, cities flooded, people died and confusion spread. Once again, people shared thoughts and prayers on social media, while sending videos of the damage.

The sun was now up for nearly 30 minutes, but the clouds were extremely thick. Within another 15 minutes the sun would start to dim behind the dark wall of clouds. It was completely dark now, and an eclipse had just begun. Online and on the radio, scientists shared the news. Due to the earthquake, the gravitational pull of the earth brought the moon in closer and had now fully blocked the sun. People were sharing their ideas on the Flow, saying things like, ‘the night was so good God wanted us to party more.’ With the news spreading, once again people were running to the store to get any supplies that were left. Confusion took hold of everyone and all aspects of life, news articles, videos, posts, and blogs, they were all just theories. One thing was clear, people were so high on hornets, that no matter what would happen, people would still be excited.

Emergency alerts took over all phones. ‘The Red Shoes Army had just broken into the White House. three men were shot, six others injured, two police officers at the location were dead.’ As the news came out, most Americans were just happy that their president was safe during this incident. Once again people shared thoughts and prayers on social media and moved on.

Once again, the news alerts rang out early in the morning. It was on the other side of the Earth that there’s no communication. It seemed as if the sun had some kind of a nova event. It was the only explanation that anyone could come up with, because you could see the northern lights over the whole country. This multicolored glow lit up the sky, brighter than any normal day, and a few minutes later, it was back. The mix of the sun’s radiation and the off-cycle magnetic field, left a beautiful coloration in the sky. If the nova did occur, and this was the case, the other side of the Earth would be completely burnt. Fringe scientists had predicted that a solar nova cycle, averaging 12k years, was possible based on core ice samples; but these theories were highly debated.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter X.

It was a few months later when the New Era started to create zones. Each city had been designated as its own zone, and access between the zones was controlled. At this point, access to independent news sources became scarce, and no one had actually seen the president in months, causing people to question if he would ever come out in public again. But, ultimately people didn't care. They were so distracted by their phones, and at other times too busy standing in line for basic needs, to even pay attention. Suddenly in the otherwise calm, and boring daily line for bread, a lady yelled out to her husband to turn on the news. Immediately all the phones went off at once. The alarms were so loud it almost caused some ears to bleed. The New Era had just announced that they had to take stronger steps, in order to prevent revolution.

Homegrown terrorists, including some conservative or Catholic organizations, are spreading in the zones. The New Era rolled out the plan to implement curfews. On the first night of each month, in order to allow citizens a chance to breathe, they decided to also include a reduction of punishable crime. This was a compromise given to the population, allowing them one night a month to enjoy their carnal needs and pleasures. In return for this night, the rest of the month would remain compliant. Compliance was seemingly ‘code’ for keeping down public outbursts by individuals.

It was after the first night of what would be known as Himeros, named after the Greek god of lust, that the news the next morning. The New Era shared that the night was a great success, and it was great to see the joy that people had while enjoying the time of their lives. These carnal joys that people had, would end up expanding each time. Things like sex in the street, drug use, drinking, and large parties, allowed people to escape the daily horrors that had become their loves. It would go on like this for a while, with people using this time to build their social followings. Influencers would come up with crazy ideas, and extreme behavior, filming everything. This would give them a boost of viewers for the next 30 days. Slowly but surely, worse crimes would creep into Himeros. Harassing those in less fortunate situations, became some of the most viewed videos in the weeks after Himeros.

It was coming up to October 2046, and overall things have not changed. The times were hard, populations had decreased, sickness & malnutrition seemed to never get better. The New Era now announced that with the start of summer, it would be the biggest Himeros ever. Finally, after many hard months, it was time to both celebrate and share the joy that America had with Himeros with the world.

People had been wondering if this new idea would spread, and how it would change things across the world. Most users were excited about all the new social media content that would be created. Leading up to the night, people were preparing for the spectacle. Families had been storing up food, in order to have watch parties. They wanted to see what this worldwide event would be like. Kids, which had now been desensitized to the horrible events that they had witnessed, now prepared to laugh at what they would see.

Buckley headed out to the store, since he knew it would be a long night, and wanted to get supplies. A while back, on one of these nights, the power went out and it was extremely cold, and his kids were scared it would happen again. He took out what little money they had left to prepare. He also thought to himself a little second amendment freedom was a good back-up plan if things got even worse this time.

The man, standing at the counter next to him, noticed his purchase and started talking to him. He said, ‘you know this one is going to be one to remember, the government is finally going to pay for what they did to us.’ Before Buckley could reply, the man had walked away, and Buckly only caught a glimpse of his red shoes as he was headed out the door.

As Buckley went outside the wind began to howl, flag poles banging, and flinging debris in the air. The wind was freezing. Although it was a little colder than it used to be overall, this was different. This heavy wind seemed to bring a shift. The winds came in from the East, but normally dragged from the west out into the plains. Buckley could see clouds as the grew on the horizon. The air felt charged with electricity and the hairs on his neck were standing on end. As he started walking in the parking lot towards his car, he saw the man from the store drive by in his truck yelling out the window, ‘Viva La Revolution.’

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter IX.

It was 2026, the pandemic which had sheltered society had passed; but the isolation remained. As more people shifted into virtual relationships over real ones, Clout became your social status. The amount of followers and likes you had, controlled the amount of overall influence and the amount of reach you could maintain.

The world at this point had become a mono-culture. The days of the cliques were gone. No more jocks, cheerleaders, punks, or goths roaming the halls of the local mall. Buckley felt as if he was lost in how he fit in. He still had the drive to be unique in an un-unique world. The normal order of society that he grew up in was gone. This division and generational gap created a huge divided government.

All facets of the government were now controlled by the single dominating party, the New Era. This party controlled the investigative, legislative and judicial functions of society.

The change in the young created the highest ‘on-demand’ mentality ever seen. Patience and anticipation was gone. Anything that went viral, was shared on social media for no more than 12 minutes, received 200 million shares, and dissipated just as fast as it had been written. Just as quickly as it was gone, the new & relatively more important news of that day had been shared …a ‘celebrity boob slip.’ This was what the world had now become.

Buckley, who was still one of th few who didn’t subscribe to the traditional social news channels, came upon this forgotten story online. It read of an underground army that was being persecuted by the New Era for treason. This group was suspected of forming an alliance with other fraternities, including factions in Europe. The call sign to other members was the distinct red shoes. This sign was a direct homage to the Pope, and to symbolize ‘truth in the blood of Christ.’ The undercurrent for fear of revolution was worldwide, and any challenge to the power of the New Era was publically destroyed.

The red shoe army was now leading the fight on behalf of the people, implementing data leaks onto social media platforms in order to expose the dangers if things continued. The New Era knew how powerful this gorilla tactic was, since they saw their own rise to power mirrored in these activities.

Buckley is driving home along Pena Blvd, when the emergency broadcast signal comes on. The announcement included details of the immediate food & water shortage. Rations were being implemented, and fear engulfed Buckley’s mind as he thought about his family.

These thoughts quickly dissipated as 13 black sedans went racing past him, followed by a police escort. The group was racing to the airport. The final vehicle in the bunch had a presidential logo on the door, and flags on the hood. Buckley thought it was odd to see the president coming to Denver. But the immediate traffic stoppage pulled his attention elsewhere.

After the drive home took an extra hour due to the road closures, Buckley decided to head to the store. By the time he got there, things were already getting out of hand. The parking lot was a zoo, cars in every direction.

As he entered the store, the shelves were nearly empty; and those that had food were being grabbed as fast as the eye could see. Quickly the energy shifted in the store, and caused fighting in the aisles. All this immediately came to a screeching halt, when a gunshot was heard outside of the store. Three masked men killed a lady over a bag of groceries. Buckley needed to get out of here and go home.

When Buckley got home, he turned on the TV to show his wife what was happening. The red flash across the screen let them know breaking news was just coming in. The president was having a news conference. All the stations and channels were overrun by the same event. The President was live from an ‘undisclosed’ location. It looked like something out of a James Bond movie. The corridor behind him was all cement. The flags standing next to him barely covered the fully armed military guards in the distance. The announcement was clear. Due to the serious allegations and potential revolution, the New Era did not feel it was safe to import goods. The supply of goods that could aid in these events was to be cut off.

The New Era then suggested that individuals stay home at this point, and rations would be provided to your door within the next few days. ‘Stay safe, and we will protect you,’ they continued. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen ran a 1-800 number to call in any suspicious activities. Citizens were instructed to call if they noticed individuals that were acting or if they said something troubling. The reports were urged as a way to shorten the length of time the actions would occur. This would help prevent elongated shortages, they explained, allowing resources to be allocated swiftly until the threat had dissipated. The terms of the declarations also stated, ‘due to the high stress of these times, and allocation of law enforcement, they would no longer be fighting the ‘war on drugs.’’ This included those little yellow pills, which now had the street name ‘hornets.’ The resources that were needed to fight this war on drugs quickly went to providing daily essentials. Hornets became an immediate way to help those under extreme stress.

Within a couple days, there was a ring at Buckley’s door. It was a box with water, food, medical supplies and more. As he stepped outside to get the box, he noticed that it was much chillier than usual for the start of the summer season. ‘It also should not be this dark this early’ he thought to himself. Buckley decided to search online to find out what was going on.

In the news, near the bottom of the website, there was a small article about the core of the Earth. Buckley learned that the Earth goes through cycles, including the core of the Earth. Currently the core is slowing down compared to prior years, and occurred every 72 years. The article then stated that the magnetic field of the Earth, caused by the rotation, could potentially alter the earth's tilt. The magnetic field is vital in the protection from the sun's radiation. Buckley quickly dismissed this article, thinking to himself, ‘I'm sure this is just some quack study.’

That night Buckley couldn't sleep at all. He went downstairs and took some medicine to help him finally rest. Once he laid back down, he began to drift off. It was about 1:30 in the morning when once again the night terrors began. He knew that he was dreaming but he could see his room. He couldn't move his body yet his eyes were open. He could look around but he felt paralyzed, could not breathe, and once again this night paralysis would put him in a state of shock. He could barely move his fingers, even with all the energy in his body. His hands were cramping worse than had happened in as long as he could remember. Buckley lifts his hands up, trying to shake off the feeling of electric shock in his nerves, and sees blood dripping from his wrist. His hand was so tight he couldn't open his fist, so he took his left hand and tried to pry open his right hand. With his left hand twisting and digging into his palms, he was stunned at the sight of blood on his left wrist as well. Finally his hands opened and he was able to get a large breath of air. Buckly sat up in bed and realized everything was fine.

GM It looks like market fear is creepin up again. Perfect day to set some buy limit orders and stack. 🤑🤞

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XII.

It was near 11:00 a.m. and confusion continued to grow. While outside people began to cough and the air seemed off, and a weird smell began to brew. Individuals starting to scream randomly in the streets. There was a video going viral online, where a man was convulsing and began to twist and contort. Other videos showed people having apparitions and yelling out strange things, while others were in trance-like state.

Children were starting to wander and having what seemed to look like stigmata. Those that were choking on the air, now began to bleed from the eyes. The bleeding was so painfully strong, that people were biting on their fingers, belts, or even on their tongues or cheeks to deal with it. Some looked as if they were going insane. It seemed like half the population were dealing with these issues because at least the other half was still actively sharing on the Flow.

It wasn't until 1:00 p.m. that day that lava seemed to fall out of the sky. During the earthquake a large hole opened up in the Earth's crust. The gravitational differences with the moon being so close, caused the outer layer of the Earth to shift in appearance. Compasses began spinning, and the magnetic field weakened. Dark plumes of lava and smoke made the air more dense. Now everything was covered in ashes, and the air became impossible to breathe without covering your face.

It was around 3:00 p.m. when the Flow started sharing posts of the faithful as they were locking down and boarding up their homes. The prophecy that stated ‘only blessed beeswax candles could be lit seems to be coming true.’ The lack of oxygen in the air was caused by the ever growing dense ash and smoke. Even electronics began to fail and dim.

Buckley and his family were headed out, they were going to make the trek to his best friend, Chesty’s house. For years his best friend had been preparing for the worst, and Buckley knew if they could just make it there, even if the worst was to come, at least they would be in good company.

On the drive, roads were blocked everywhere. People were fighting over gas, and siphoning fuel out of the cars that were stopped. Others set up shop on the side of the road and traded gas for food.

At that moment, Buckley had a realization; all the tragedy he had witnessed over the years, had actually been preparing him to protect his family now. His wife yelled at him to pay attention as they continued to drive south. Buckley squeezed a rosary between his hand and the steering wheel.

On I-25, a semi was turned over and blocked the right lane. Cars were parked all around the truck, as they ransacked the trailer for anything of value. The slow moving traffic was only sliding through in a space large enough for 1 car at a time. As they slowly rolled between the cars, the kids hid down on the floor between the seats. People knocked on the windows and tried to look inside to see if there was anything inside. Buckley held his 9mm firmly against his thigh, so it would be in clear view of those trying to peer inside.

Buckley tried to call Chesty to let him know they were on the way, but phones were still not working. The drive was taking longer than they had anticipated. The headlights barely produced any light, and the ash that covered the roads was mixing with the rain and turning into a thick sludge. As the tires spun, they headed up the ramp and continued until finally they got off the highway. Luckily, the car was still in 1 piece, and the ‘bug-out’ bags in the trunk were still intact.

The road up ahead was desolate. It was getting into the later hours of the day, and what little light was still relevant from the sun was now dissipating over the Rockies. As they continued to drive, visibility was nearly gone. The only way to judge the direction was to focus on the few homes that had candlelight and keep straight. As the homes passed, you could only see a glimmer of candlelight between fence posts. Buckley tried to keep equi-distant between the left and right sides of the road.

Boom, pow, crash; suddenly the car jumps and slides into the sidewalk. Buckley stepped outside to check the tires, thinking he ran into the median on the street. When Buckley looks down, he sees tire spikes. He quickly grabs his gun and looks around to see if there was anyone present. They hurry and clear out of the car, making sure the vehicle was to their back as their eyes adjusted to the dimming sky.

Feeling trapped, and given they can’t see very far, they figured someone would’ve heard the noise and be after them; or at least any goods in the car. The family packs up all the items they had because they were still a few miles away from Chesty’s house. They decided they were going to need to get there by foot. Buckley tried to call Chesty again; it rings once then goes off-line. He hands his wife an AR, he puts on two backpacks one in the front and one in the back, so his wife can attend to the kids. There is a golf course up ahead, a little bit away from the houses; and Buckley thought if they start to head that way it would be easier to spot any threats. They start heading down the street.

They get a few blocks down the street until they start to see a few random bodies. The stench of the vomit & blood stained the air. The smell was so strong, it bled through their face coverings. As they continued, their pace slowed down. They had to step between the bodies as they checked to make sure they were not moving. Every once and a while a breath could be heard, and the family paused to ensure they avoided any threats coming at them. The bodies, in some cases, looked as if they shapeshifted. The convulsions people were having had misshapen their spines, and their body shape was off. Many had bones, like their scapulas, tear out of their back.

FInally, they get into the open green of the course. One child grabs the rake, and holds it like a bat, as they continue forward. Up ahead, there is a small snack shack with a bathroom . Buckley breaks in to get some supplies and any packaged food & drinks they can find. Behind the counter, there were not many items still there. A few beers, a couple sodas, and some really old cookies. Packing these up, around back suddenly a rack holding some chips fell over. Hiding by behind the counter, Buckley peers over. It was just a dirty old cat that must have been hiding out from the cold. He finds a bottle opener with a knife, puts it in his pocket and heads out.

XII.

It was near 11:00 a.m. and confusion continued to grow. While outside people began to cough and the air seemed off, and a weird smell began to brew. Individuals starting to scream randomly in the streets. There was a video going viral online, where a man was convulsing and began to twist and contort. Other videos showed people having apparitions and yelling out strange things, while others were in trance-like state.

Children were starting to wander and having what seemed to look like stigmata. Those that were choking on the air, now began to bleed from the eyes. The bleeding was so painfully strong, that people were biting on their fingers, belts, or even on their tongues or cheeks to deal with it. Some looked as if they were going insane. It seemed like half the population were dealing with these issues because at least the other half was still actively sharing on the Flow.

It wasn't until 1:00 p.m. that day that lava seemed to fall out of the sky. During the earthquake a large hole opened up in the Earth's crust. The gravitational differences with the moon being so close, caused the outer layer of the Earth to shift in appearance. Compasses began spinning, and the magnetic field weakened. Dark plumes of lava and smoke made the air more dense. Now everything was covered in ashes, and the air became impossible to breathe without covering your face.

It was around 3:00 p.m. when the Flow started sharing posts of the faithful as they were locking down and boarding up their homes. The prophecy that stated ‘only blessed beeswax candles could be lit seems to be coming true.’ The lack of oxygen in the air was caused by the ever growing dense ash and smoke. Even electronics began to fail and dim.

Buckley and his family were headed out, they were going to make the trek to his best friend, Chesty’s house. For years his best friend had been preparing for the worst, and Buckley knew if they could just make it there, even if the worst was to come, at least they would be in good company.

On the drive, roads were blocked everywhere. People were fighting over gas, and siphoning fuel out of the cars that were stopped. Others set up shop on the side of the road and traded gas for food.

At that moment, Buckley had a realization; all the tragedy he had witnessed over the years, had actually been preparing him to protect his family now. His wife yelled at him to pay attention as they continued to drive south. Buckley squeezed a rosary between his hand and the steering wheel.

On I-25, a semi was turned over and blocked the right lane. Cars were parked all around the truck, as they ransacked the trailer for anything of value. The slow moving traffic was only sliding through in a space large enough for 1 car at a time. As they slowly rolled between the cars, the kids hid down on the floor between the seats. People knocked on the windows and tried to look inside to see if there was anything inside. Buckley held his 9mm firmly against his thigh, so it would be in clear view of those trying to peer inside.

Buckley tried to call Chesty to let him know they were on the way, but phones were still not working. The drive was taking longer than they had anticipated. The headlights barely produced any light, and the ash that covered the roads was mixing with the rain and turning into a thick sludge. As the tires spun, they headed up the ramp and continued until finally they got off the highway. Luckily, the car was still in 1 piece, and the ‘bug-out’ bags in the trunk were still intact.

The road up ahead was desolate. It was getting into the later hours of the day, and what little light was still relevant from the sun was now dissipating over the Rockies. As they continued to drive, visibility was nearly gone. The only way to judge the direction was to focus on the few homes that had candlelight and keep straight. As the homes passed, you could only see a glimmer of candlelight between fence posts. Buckley tried to keep equi-distant between the left and right sides of the road.

Boom, pow, crash; suddenly the car jumps and slides into the sidewalk. Buckley stepped outside to check the tires, thinking he ran into the median on the street. When Buckley looks down, he sees tire spikes. He quickly grabs his gun and looks around to see if there was anyone present. They hurry and clear out of the car, making sure the vehicle was to their back as their eyes adjusted to the dimming sky.

Feeling trapped, and given they can’t see very far, they figured someone would’ve heard the noise and be after them; or at least any goods in the car. The family packs up all the items they had because they were still a few miles away from Chesty’s house. They decided they were going to need to get there by foot. Buckley tried to call Chesty again; it rings once then goes off-line. He hands his wife an AR, he puts on two backpacks one in the front and one in the back, so his wife can attend to the kids. There is a golf course up ahead, a little bit away from the houses; and Buckley thought if they start to head that way it would be easier to spot any threats. They start heading down the street.

They get a few blocks down the street until they start to see a few random bodies. The stench of the vomit & blood stained the air. The smell was so strong, it bled through their face coverings. As they continued, their pace slowed down. They had to step between the bodies as they checked to make sure they were not moving. Every once and a while a breath could be heard, and the family paused to ensure they avoided any threats coming at them. The bodies, in some cases, looked as if they shapeshifted. The convulsions people were having had misshapen their spines, and their body shape was off. Many had bones, like their scapulas, tear out of their back.

FInally, they get into the open green of the course. One child grabs the rake, and holds it like a bat, as they continue forward. Up ahead, there is a small snack shack with a bathroom . Buckley breaks in to get some supplies and any packaged food & drinks they can find. Behind the counter, there were not many items still there. A few beers, a couple sodas, and some really old cookies. Packing these up, around back suddenly a rack holding some chips fell over. Hiding by behind the counter, Buckley peers over. It was just a dirty old cat that must have been hiding out from the cold. He finds a bottle opener with a knife, puts it in his pocket and heads out.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter XI.

It was now only a few hours before the start of the night. His wife had been home preparing, and just finished making sandwiches, in case the power went out again. The phones shook, and the siren was going off early. It wasn't supposed to be until 7:00, and the family was not ready. Then, once again the president was on TV. Buckley immediately recognized where he was, it wasn't hard, he had been to the airport just down the road many times.

In the background, just faintly, you could see other press conferences occurring at the same time. Based on the small glimpse of the flag in the distance, along with the look, you could see that the Prime Minister was speaking. Even further in the distance, a black partition wall was blocking the rest of the view. Buckley’s wife was watching on her phone at the same time and asked Buckley, ‘why is the chancellor of Germany at our Airport?’ The president announced that the government officials from around the world are immediately going into hiding due to fear of multiple credible threats of a coup. All worldwide government leaders were now under protection, and even the Pope had fled the Vatican in order to join them.

The president continued speaking, ‘we are doing this out of precaution, just like our communities, the sun will rise and bring a new day tomorrow’

With Himeros underway, and government officials out of the picture, the global event was starting to catch speed. It started off with the usual suspects; young kids drinking, partying, taking hornets, throwing rocks at cars and kicking the homeless. As more videos started to be spread online, masked men were seen doing knockout videos, where random people were punched on the streets. It was very gloomy and in the comments section of the videos, people were noticing that it was now rainy in every major city in the world at the same time. Small strikes of lightning, a little bit of rain, not enough to keep people away. Looking at the videos, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but it was strange that the weather would be so uniform across the globe. Some people started asking each other online if they thought this was being staged, & the videos were being filmed in the same place. But other comments were clear to point out key landmarks, in different videos, from different angles, that proved that this would not be the case.

It was nearing 4:00 a.m. Most people didn't sleep that night, even those that didn't party. Society had grown fearful of what would happen if they weren't attentive and things went downhill. Those that managed to sleep, were immediately woken up by a violent shake. Thi ls earthquake felt like the whole world was off balance.

The news came on the TV with a massive alert. Himeros was done for tonight. Scientists detected large waves off the Pacific coast and there were fears of tidal waves and floods coming into California. Directions were to move towards higher ground. ‘This was not a drill,’ they said and continued on, ‘if you are on the west coast please immediately move east and get as high up as possible. Once again this is not a drill.’

Over the years people in Cali had become numb to the threats to the point that surfers went out that morning hoping for the largest wave of their lifetime. Most surfers could only dream of the possibility of a 100 Footers. Even if a surfer thought that they would die, it didn’t matter; they would go out with glory. But to their surprise, within a matter of a few hours they noticed it wasn't just a wave, it was a swell. This wall of water was much larger than any boat they could see in the bay. The wall of water they now faced was a cold dark tomb that would soon steal their fate.

Within minutes, cities flooded, people died and confusion spread. Once again, people shared thoughts and prayers on social media, while sending videos of the damage.

The sun was now up for nearly 30 minutes, but the clouds were extremely thick. Within another 15 minutes the sun would start to dim behind the dark wall of clouds. It was completely dark now, and an eclipse had just begun. Online and on the radio, scientists shared the news. Due to the earthquake, the gravitational pull of the earth brought the moon in closer and had now fully blocked the sun. People were sharing their ideas on the Flow, saying things like, ‘the night was so good God wanted us to party more.’ With the news spreading, once again people were running to the store to get any supplies that were left. Confusion took hold of everyone and all aspects of life, news articles, videos, posts, and blogs, they were all just theories. One thing was clear, people were so high on hornets, that no matter what would happen, people would still be excited.

Emergency alerts took over all phones. ‘The Red Shoes Army had just broken into the White House. three men were shot, six others injured, two police officers at the location were dead.’ As the news came out, most Americans were just happy that their president was safe during this incident. Once again people shared thoughts and prayers on social media and moved on.

Once again, the news alerts rang out early in the morning. It was on the other side of the Earth that there’s no communication. It seemed as if the sun had some kind of a nova event. It was the only explanation that anyone could come up with, because you could see the northern lights over the whole country. This multicolored glow lit up the sky, brighter than any normal day, and a few minutes later, it was back. The mix of the sun’s radiation and the off-cycle magnetic field, left a beautiful coloration in the sky. If the nova did occur, and this was the case, the other side of the Earth would be completely burnt. Fringe scientists had predicted that a solar nova cycle, averaging 12k years, was possible based on core ice samples; but these theories were highly debated.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter X.

It was a few months later when the New Era started to create zones. Each city had been designated as its own zone, and access between the zones was controlled. At this point, access to independent news sources became scarce, and no one had actually seen the president in months, causing people to question if he would ever come out in public again. But, ultimately people didn't care. They were so distracted by their phones, and at other times too busy standing in line for basic needs, to even pay attention. Suddenly in the otherwise calm, and boring daily line for bread, a lady yelled out to her husband to turn on the news. Immediately all the phones went off at once. The alarms were so loud it almost caused some ears to bleed. The New Era had just announced that they had to take stronger steps, in order to prevent revolution.

Homegrown terrorists, including some conservative or Catholic organizations, are spreading in the zones. The New Era rolled out the plan to implement curfews. On the first night of each month, in order to allow citizens a chance to breathe, they decided to also include a reduction of punishable crime. This was a compromise given to the population, allowing them one night a month to enjoy their carnal needs and pleasures. In return for this night, the rest of the month would remain compliant. Compliance was seemingly ‘code’ for keeping down public outbursts by individuals.

It was after the first night of what would be known as Himeros, named after the Greek god of lust, that the news the next morning. The New Era shared that the night was a great success, and it was great to see the joy that people had while enjoying the time of their lives. These carnal joys that people had, would end up expanding each time. Things like sex in the street, drug use, drinking, and large parties, allowed people to escape the daily horrors that had become their loves. It would go on like this for a while, with people using this time to build their social followings. Influencers would come up with crazy ideas, and extreme behavior, filming everything. This would give them a boost of viewers for the next 30 days. Slowly but surely, worse crimes would creep into Himeros. Harassing those in less fortunate situations, became some of the most viewed videos in the weeks after Himeros.

It was coming up to October 2046, and overall things have not changed. The times were hard, populations had decreased, sickness & malnutrition seemed to never get better. The New Era now announced that with the start of summer, it would be the biggest Himeros ever. Finally, after many hard months, it was time to both celebrate and share the joy that America had with Himeros with the world.

People had been wondering if this new idea would spread, and how it would change things across the world. Most users were excited about all the new social media content that would be created. Leading up to the night, people were preparing for the spectacle. Families had been storing up food, in order to have watch parties. They wanted to see what this worldwide event would be like. Kids, which had now been desensitized to the horrible events that they had witnessed, now prepared to laugh at what they would see.

Buckley headed out to the store, since he knew it would be a long night, and wanted to get supplies. A while back, on one of these nights, the power went out and it was extremely cold, and his kids were scared it would happen again. He took out what little money they had left to prepare. He also thought to himself a little second amendment freedom was a good back-up plan if things got even worse this time.

The man, standing at the counter next to him, noticed his purchase and started talking to him. He said, ‘you know this one is going to be one to remember, the government is finally going to pay for what they did to us.’ Before Buckley could reply, the man had walked away, and Buckly only caught a glimpse of his red shoes as he was headed out the door.

As Buckley went outside the wind began to howl, flag poles banging, and flinging debris in the air. The wind was freezing. Although it was a little colder than it used to be overall, this was different. This heavy wind seemed to bring a shift. The winds came in from the East, but normally dragged from the west out into the plains. Buckley could see clouds as the grew on the horizon. The air felt charged with electricity and the hairs on his neck were standing on end. As he started walking in the parking lot towards his car, he saw the man from the store drive by in his truck yelling out the window, ‘Viva La Revolution.’

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter IX.

It was 2026, the pandemic which had sheltered society had passed; but the isolation remained. As more people shifted into virtual relationships over real ones, Clout became your social status. The amount of followers and likes you had, controlled the amount of overall influence and the amount of reach you could maintain.

The world at this point had become a mono-culture. The days of the cliques were gone. No more jocks, cheerleaders, punks, or goths roaming the halls of the local mall. Buckley felt as if he was lost in how he fit in. He still had the drive to be unique in an un-unique world. The normal order of society that he grew up in was gone. This division and generational gap created a huge divided government.

All facets of the government were now controlled by the single dominating party, the New Era. This party controlled the investigative, legislative and judicial functions of society.

The change in the young created the highest ‘on-demand’ mentality ever seen. Patience and anticipation was gone. Anything that went viral, was shared on social media for no more than 12 minutes, received 200 million shares, and dissipated just as fast as it had been written. Just as quickly as it was gone, the new & relatively more important news of that day had been shared …a ‘celebrity boob slip.’ This was what the world had now become.

Buckley, who was still one of th few who didn’t subscribe to the traditional social news channels, came upon this forgotten story online. It read of an underground army that was being persecuted by the New Era for treason. This group was suspected of forming an alliance with other fraternities, including factions in Europe. The call sign to other members was the distinct red shoes. This sign was a direct homage to the Pope, and to symbolize ‘truth in the blood of Christ.’ The undercurrent for fear of revolution was worldwide, and any challenge to the power of the New Era was publically destroyed.

The red shoe army was now leading the fight on behalf of the people, implementing data leaks onto social media platforms in order to expose the dangers if things continued. The New Era knew how powerful this gorilla tactic was, since they saw their own rise to power mirrored in these activities.

Buckley is driving home along Pena Blvd, when the emergency broadcast signal comes on. The announcement included details of the immediate food & water shortage. Rations were being implemented, and fear engulfed Buckley’s mind as he thought about his family.

These thoughts quickly dissipated as 13 black sedans went racing past him, followed by a police escort. The group was racing to the airport. The final vehicle in the bunch had a presidential logo on the door, and flags on the hood. Buckley thought it was odd to see the president coming to Denver. But the immediate traffic stoppage pulled his attention elsewhere.

After the drive home took an extra hour due to the road closures, Buckley decided to head to the store. By the time he got there, things were already getting out of hand. The parking lot was a zoo, cars in every direction.

As he entered the store, the shelves were nearly empty; and those that had food were being grabbed as fast as the eye could see. Quickly the energy shifted in the store, and caused fighting in the aisles. All this immediately came to a screeching halt, when a gunshot was heard outside of the store. Three masked men killed a lady over a bag of groceries. Buckley needed to get out of here and go home.

When Buckley got home, he turned on the TV to show his wife what was happening. The red flash across the screen let them know breaking news was just coming in. The president was having a news conference. All the stations and channels were overrun by the same event. The President was live from an ‘undisclosed’ location. It looked like something out of a James Bond movie. The corridor behind him was all cement. The flags standing next to him barely covered the fully armed military guards in the distance. The announcement was clear. Due to the serious allegations and potential revolution, the New Era did not feel it was safe to import goods. The supply of goods that could aid in these events was to be cut off.

The New Era then suggested that individuals stay home at this point, and rations would be provided to your door within the next few days. ‘Stay safe, and we will protect you,’ they continued. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen ran a 1-800 number to call in any suspicious activities. Citizens were instructed to call if they noticed individuals that were acting or if they said something troubling. The reports were urged as a way to shorten the length of time the actions would occur. This would help prevent elongated shortages, they explained, allowing resources to be allocated swiftly until the threat had dissipated. The terms of the declarations also stated, ‘due to the high stress of these times, and allocation of law enforcement, they would no longer be fighting the ‘war on drugs.’’ This included those little yellow pills, which now had the street name ‘hornets.’ The resources that were needed to fight this war on drugs quickly went to providing daily essentials. Hornets became an immediate way to help those under extreme stress.

Within a couple days, there was a ring at Buckley’s door. It was a box with water, food, medical supplies and more. As he stepped outside to get the box, he noticed that it was much chillier than usual for the start of the summer season. ‘It also should not be this dark this early’ he thought to himself. Buckley decided to search online to find out what was going on.

In the news, near the bottom of the website, there was a small article about the core of the Earth. Buckley learned that the Earth goes through cycles, including the core of the Earth. Currently the core is slowing down compared to prior years, and occurred every 72 years. The article then stated that the magnetic field of the Earth, caused by the rotation, could potentially alter the earth's tilt. The magnetic field is vital in the protection from the sun's radiation. Buckley quickly dismissed this article, thinking to himself, ‘I'm sure this is just some quack study.’

That night Buckley couldn't sleep at all. He went downstairs and took some medicine to help him finally rest. Once he laid back down, he began to drift off. It was about 1:30 in the morning when once again the night terrors began. He knew that he was dreaming but he could see his room. He couldn't move his body yet his eyes were open. He could look around but he felt paralyzed, could not breathe, and once again this night paralysis would put him in a state of shock. He could barely move his fingers, even with all the energy in his body. His hands were cramping worse than had happened in as long as he could remember. Buckley lifts his hands up, trying to shake off the feeling of electric shock in his nerves, and sees blood dripping from his wrist. His hand was so tight he couldn't open his fist, so he took his left hand and tried to pry open his right hand. With his left hand twisting and digging into his palms, he was stunned at the sight of blood on his left wrist as well. Finally his hands opened and he was able to get a large breath of air. Buckly sat up in bed and realized everything was fine.

THE REUNION OF DARKENSS

Chapter VIII.

The years went on slowly, and relatively things didn't change much. There was the occasional news story that would shock the world, a civil war would start in a foreign country or a large terrorist attack would occur. No one would think twice, society was desensitized by now. With more violent games being created for kids combined with the overstimulation of social platforms, society just accepted this is the norm.

In 2020 things did take a large turn. The virus that shook the world, shut down economies. This immediately changed the way people interacted. No longer were people getting together or going to work, everything was done in a virtual realm. It shifted the culture in a huge way. Everything was easier in this artificial world. Even the basics like shopping, visiting family or even going to church became acceptable to do online. People moved to where they wanted to live versus where their family or friends resided. People wanted this pandemic to end, and for life to begin again. People desperately waited for the “return to normal " that had been promised.

The New Era was not pushing for this ‘return to normal’ but rather the switch to ‘new normal’. One of the few independent newsagents that still posted on flow weas sharing a story that everyone thought was just a conspiracy. The government was tracking everything. They were listening in on all the virtual encounters and conversations being had. The government tracked everything including your innermost desires. This data was stored and the New Era began profiteering by sharing data with ad agencies.

With all the social pressures, a law was passed that year to provide relief . Unemployment, food stamps, interest rate reductions, and even childcare were promised to be key functions. No one knew exactly who wrote the full bill, for it was too long to read. Conspiracy theorist independent journalists were sharing the idea that the law would shift the personal data that was stored. It would no longer be considered personal, and items like medical records were added into statistical data in order to prevent future pandemics. If any device that was connected to the internet, the flow would be able to access this information. In the details users were now defined as ‘willing participants’ and by using the platform you agreed to these terms.

The government also would retain fees paid for data from social platforms, like the flow, in order to pay for the agency created to track and monitor data. The debates in congress reinforced that this law was rooted in the safety of Ameria, in even more ways than just pandemics going forward.

The fear of homegrown terrorism and individuals that would cause anarchy grew. The more the news networks pushed the narrative the more this fear spread like wildfire. The New Era promised to the people that they found a way not only to keep social media safe, but help keep that safety in real life situations. They now had the agency, they had the agents, and they had the platform to make it happen.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter VIII.

The years went on slowly, and relatively things didn't change much. There was the occasional news story that would shock the world, a civil war would start in a foreign country or a large terrorist attack would occur. No one would think twice, society was desensitized by now. With more violent games being created for kids combined with the overstimulation of social platforms, society just accepted this is the norm.

In 2020 things did take a large turn. The virus that shook the world, shut down economies. This immediately changed the way people interacted. No longer were people getting together or going to work, everything was done in a virtual realm. It shifted the culture in a huge way. Everything was easier in this artificial world. Even the basics like shopping, visiting family or even going to church became acceptable to do online. People moved to where they wanted to live versus where their family or friends resided. People wanted this pandemic to end, and for life to begin again. People desperately waited for the “return to normal " that had been promised.

The New Era was not pushing for this ‘return to normal’ but rather the switch to ‘new normal’. One of the few independent newsagents that still posted on flow weas sharing a story that everyone thought was just a conspiracy. The government was tracking everything. They were listening in on all the virtual encounters and conversations being had. The government tracked everything including your innermost desires. This data was stored and the New Era began profiteering by sharing data with ad agencies.

With all the social pressures, a law was passed that year to provide relief . Unemployment, food stamps, interest rate reductions, and even childcare were promised to be key functions. No one knew exactly who wrote the full bill, for it was too long to read. Conspiracy theorist independent journalists were sharing the idea that the law would shift the personal data that was stored. It would no longer be considered personal, and items like medical records were added into statistical data in order to prevent future pandemics. If any device that was connected to the internet, the flow would be able to access this information. In the details users were now defined as ‘willing participants’ and by using the platform you agreed to these terms.

The government also would retain fees paid for data from social platforms, like the flow, in order to pay for the agency created to track and monitor data. The debates in congress reinforced that this law was rooted in the safety of Ameria, in even more ways than just pandemics going forward.

The fear of homegrown terrorism and individuals that would cause anarchy grew. The more the news networks pushed the narrative the more this fear spread like wildfire. The New Era promised to the people that they found a way not only to keep social media safe, but help keep that safety in real life situations. They now had the agency, they had the agents, and they had the platform to make it happen.

THE REUNION OF DARKNESS

Chapter VII.

On the news, the world became captivated by the image of a man eating the face of an elderly woman. This was shown on every station's live broadcast. The growth of cell phone technology and access to the internet, would put these clips in everyone's hands. This allowed individuals to watch these crazy video reports on repeat over and over again. The 24/7 news cycle combined with the growth of social media platforms had soon created a sensory overload for society. The dopamine hit that came from the palm of your hand could not come close to the joy and pleasures of living ‘real’ life. The only thing that came close to the on-demand culture that was brewing, was the little yellow pills. These magic pills seemed to both relax the mind, while allowing you to enjoy regular activities in an ultra pleasant state. Soon nearly every adult was taking these pills just to feel normal.

Years had gone by, and society seemed to be getting worse by the day. Cell phones now had more power, data storage, and faster processors than computers. Pornography, social media and large search engine platforms, monopolized all things in society. The monopolization of the platform began to reduce the diversity of information available. Kids were no longer studying or memorizing the basics; every answer they wanted or needed was at the tip of their fingers. The rise of influencer reach on the 3x4” screen began to be their teacher, role model, parent figure and religion all in one. The influencers told them what was the truth, and no one would question the validity of these claims.

The next year, the government created a system that they dubbed the ‘Public and Private Union.’ This union would combine social media and the government, in order to ensure public safety. The government would share information with social media companies and deem who was safe to post and those that posed a threat to society. The algorithms created by top government agencies were now able to predict outcomes based on previously posted content. In return social media would get the ‘inside scoop’ on any moves before the public release.

This Private and Public Union ultimately led to one of the largest censorship moves of our time. Control over the information pushed individuals lower into the relevance marks; allowed the New Era to control the narrative that the public would see first. The first impression, for the new generation, would instantly become their own truth. It wasn't long before the longstanding news organizations, both in print and on traditional media followed suit, for they were becoming irrelevant. Traditional media was seen as ‘late,’ and the stories they published were already out in the public square. Everybody soon got in line with the New Era, those who didn't were systematically brought down. The tactics of the New Era included lawsuits (extending into years), lack of access into the large events, and the delay of information. For most companies this was just too much to bear.

Underground forums started to grow, for there was a small percentage of people who still wanted to get independent information out to the public. These forums were not regularly viewed, and a lot of information was not trustworthy & sources often disputed. The New Era utilized the ‘new public forum’ space as a way to create its own version of the counterculture in order to maintain their dominance. At this time, the growth of AI was just beginning, and the thoughts of the ‘singularity’ was only science fiction. The utilization of bots and deep fake was only used as counter intelligence at that time, but with the help of social media this changed. It started out with a simple task of creating fake users that would share content. The AI would grow over the years and would create posts 24/7 using trend data. The AI was so great that it sounded as if a person created them. The network included other bots that would share, like, upvote, and give the impression that the posts were going viral. These bots artificially inflated the data to show that millions of people were viewing them. The ‘fear of missing out’ was taking over the youth, and had become a real mental disease. It wasn’t long before the kids would only try and keep up with what was cool, instead of trying to find out what was true.

There was a study produced by a scientist that looked at fleas. In order for fleas to move they had to jump in order to spread. The scientist put fleas in a jar and closed the lid. In the jar he gave them all the necessities needed to live. The lid of the jar was closed for 2 weeks, long enough for the fleas to breed a new generation or even a young third generation. After the short two week period, the scientist removed the lid and left the jar out in the open. The fleas in the jar would still jump, but they never got close to the level of opening. The new generation of fleas never learned they had the potential to jump higher than the lid, they never realized that they could get out. With the third generation the fleas didn't jump nearly as high as the previous generation. The scientists quickly learned that if you shut off the hope and limit the potential, it was only one generation before the new limits were the ‘norm.’

This scientist would eventually become one of the top CEOs for the new social platform called ‘Flow.’ This new platform was marketed ‘to be like water.’ Much like water the flow cannot be stopped, therefore truth will always be revealed, and this platform would not censor any users. Truth will find a way forward even when blocked. This new marketing campaign grew quickly by placing their ideals front and center. Users of the platform could also utilize the new functions to make money. Other users would tip or pay for monthly subscriptions based on the content that they chose to support. With the continuing destruction of independent news sources, the flow became the go-to source for ‘independent thought.’

At first things were going well for the platform. Everyone got their fair share, people were making money, and overall spending was great. It wasn't long before Flow began a new system of algorithms. These were created to provide users with the most relevant content, at the most relevant time. The AI assisted platform would assist a user after viewing content that they subscribe to, this algorithm would suggest and auto start additional content. Although most people saw the warning signs in this algorithm, most decided that by hosting the content that they wanted was more important than the flaws. Users would overlook the issues because there was nothing like it, and nowhere else to get the content they wanted.

It didn't take long for politicians to hop on board. The following election cycle would create the largest increase of stock price growth for the Flow. Politicians were promised they could speak directly to the voters, and voters could fund campaigns directly, without any outside influence. The algorithm was working while users continued to get relevant content. Even though sometimes it might not be what they originally were looking for, it was still relative enough to keep their interest. People would spend hours going through the Flow, like Alice in Wonderland they would be lost in a world in their own mind.

As the elections drew closer, a new record was created for the most watched video of all time. The New Era and their ‘promises to society’ video became an overnight sensation. Once again people had hope, people were ready for a new future, people wanted to be heard again. The new era talked of the ‘founding’. This was based on the philosophy that the New Era was ‘founded’ on true principles but that in the past it was led by human beings. That all humans are flawed, but we can overcome this together. The first goal was to admit the errors, and work together to fix them. The New Era further explained that was the right path and they had the direction for the world to move forward. The people would just need to believe and elect the righteous individuals who would bring the principals to the capitol.

THE REUNION OF DARKENESS

Chapter VI.

That next year it was time to reset for Buckley, along with the rest of the country. The government was changing and the people were too. The new political party, now officially called the ‘New Era,’ was growing in popularity. It had now been the first political party to grow internationally. Both the Canadian and Mexican governments had officials tied to this party. The New Era promised the voters to be transparent and honest. It would begin its reign with an audit of all the funds in the government, and all spending would be publicized going forward. The New Era was promising to get the country back on track, back to the promise of ‘for the people, by the people.’

It was all too good to be true, by the spring of that year the first documents were released by the New Era. The honeymoon of the election had soon dissipated. The people were no longer people dancing and cheering in the streets, so happy that the old regime had left. The fear that nothing would change in the past and the new joy that had overtaken the voter was quickly forgotten with the oncoming data leaks. In the days following, 3 former politicians would be arrested and these would be the first to be tried. The documents that had been released showed that each of these men made over $1.5 million in 3 years, working as freelance consulting. The fees paid to them were on green energy solar panels that were never even produced, and the government grants that funded them were paid out as bonuses to the board. The green energy focus of the US would come into question. The finger pointing of past regimes was the fastest way to remove the political competition going forward. The New Era was picking up seats with every election; and the people of this country believed that their voices were finally being heard. Justice had come to the White House.

With all the news changing rapidly Buckley was excited to graduate high school. This would be the time he could be out on his own, Forge his own path, possibly even break the cycle of the environment that had driven him to a dark place. His soul felt heavy over the years. The daily functions in his life had been slowly taking him hostage from the inside. The crushing spirit of those around him was a daily reminder that he needed to get away and try to refresh.

Soon after the political trials would begin, and the televised spectacles drew more viewers than the OJ trials. Society started losing more faith in the government that they had put into power. The prices of basic items, like prescription drugs, had outpaced the rest of the goods. Gasoline, milk, and wheat prices were also growing each year. The farmers began to suffer. The cost of fertilizer, water and parts for machines was driving them to reduce the total planted acres. The more people would work, the less they ultimately had.

The producers of medical supplies became the largest corporations in the world. Their stocks would become the base support for the new economic boom in all economic countries. The increase in life expectancy created a thriving market. Surgeries and procedures, once done on occasion, were now considered standard.

The new era party had grown its seeds deep into Europe. The European faction had its own constitution drafted. The plan was called the Global Reset and focused on a plan to shift the world economy into a cashless and uniformed currency. The New Era would control the utilization and implementation of the currency, to ensure the goal of reducing black markets would come to fruition.

Eventually, the New Era also owned all the loans, banks, and the Federal Reserve. The essentials of life were accessible only to families only if they borrowed against their future and took out loans approved. Those that had strong savings accounts, were forced to exchange their value in order to utilize the funds.

This shift changed the way society worked. Every item you purchased was now traceable. The people once again began to focus on fighting each other for basic needs through bartering systems. The amount of cash flowing through the economy was beginning to decline.

The daily medications, needed to keep your family members alive, began to rise by 30-40% each year, putting more strain on the middle class. People were starting to realize that the new ‘savior party’ seemed to be more inline with the super PACs than others before.

The following year, the New Era announced that the first drugs were to be decriminalized. These were only for medicinal purposes. The utilization of ‘natural medicines’ was the safe and cheap alternative to the much more costly prescriptions. This began the eventual rise of more drugs going on this decriminalized list. Substances including psychedelics, opium and more were deemed appropriate. Any drug that had the potential to cure pain or depression was first added to the list in progressive states. After the trial period in these states was over, results that proved to be successful, would be moved up into the larger programs nationwide.

The New Era also created its own new designer drugs, that focused on becoming a safe alternative. The epidemic was plaguing the nation with overdoses, and the new pills were non-lethal. The goal stated by the New Era, was to create a drug that would re-define the human connection between pain receptors, nerves and the brain.

The science and research published in the coming years would prove that the prescription companies were specifically creating bi-products that targeted the pituitary gland. The alteration of the hormones in the body would ensure that you would feel better. Many people would share results of weight loss, libido increases and overall wellness.

Online conspiracy theorists started sharing documentation and emails from leaders, within the New Era, that these drugs were meant to wither and shrink the minds of the users. The theory stated that these drugs were specifically created for reducing creativity and shutting down independent thought, and would eliminate challenges to the status quo.