Aberrant: Children of Heaven - Storm King

[The Story Guide]

He was having that nightmare again, the one he'd had since prom. It wasn't like a horror movie nightmare, he just kept going over opening the door and finding Laura and Alex in backseat of his car, dammit. Every time it cycled through he got angrier. Other nights he'd wake up with every muscle in his body aching from how tense he'd become over the course of two or three hours of this torture. Tonight was different, though.

It was like the nightmare was being played on one of those new HD TV's. Everything was super sharp and the colors were all dark bolds, it was surreal but in a different way than dreams were usually surreal. It was also storming this time. The winds ripped through the dream strong enough to feel like he was being pulled off the ground, and he could smell the rain that was right behind it. He walked over to the car.

They were there, inside, oblivious to him and the magnitude of their betrayal. He went to open the door, to grab them both and dump their asses on the ground like he had before, but the wind whispered to him. He didn't know exactly what that meant, but it was a dream, so he guessed he should probably do what it said. He took a few steps back and screamed his pain and frustration at the skies. And they responded.

A cyclone, impossible in it's precision, touched down directly over the truck, easily plucking the two ton automobile off the asphalt parking lot and sucking it up into the body of the whirlwind. People were wandering outside to stare at the storm, he could hear the screams as they watched the cyclone gain speed and strength, fed by teenage anger and betrayal. It picked up half a dozen more cars before making an abrupt change in direction - directly for the school itself. Juniors and seniors fled the building, brightly colored petals scattering in the wind.

Sebastian could feel the power of storm racing through him, one part of his mind horrified at what was happening and the other completely lost in the rush. The cyclone took aim, like a quarterback taking aim, and launched its ammunition of metal and plastic at the offending building. The gym was shattered in the first few volleys, the main hall and classrooms following quickly after. It took only minutes and the cyclone was spent, dissipating in strange almost-bow to the boy that had created it. The boy felt drained, almost suffocated, and for a moment he forgot that this was a dream.

,,

"Wake up! Sebastian, wake up!" His father's urgent voice was a far away noise, like a fly buzzing all the way across the room.

[Wa'ne]

"Laura!" he cried in sorrow, bolting straight up in bed and nearly knocking himself out on the rafters in an effort to run to the collapsed wreckage that seemed to translate into jumping out of bed. "What have I done! What have I done!"

He collapsed onto the floor/parkling lot sobbing, "I am evil...what is wrong with me...why me?"

"Sebastian, wake up, dammit!" This time the scolding voice of his father broke through and the dream dissolved, leaving a boxer-clad Seabastian on his knees, pleading to the Matrix poster on the ceiling.

"Coming!" he yelled down from his attic room, as he glanced at the clock and grabbed a pair of sweats from the end of his bed, using them to wipe away the tears as he flew down the stairs.

Lucy must've gotten loose again, damn bull.

Lucy, short for Lucifer in Sebastian's mind, was their prize bull, made them a lot of money in husbandry, but had a serious attitude problem that led to frequent escapes and general havoc. If it was up to Sebastian, the bull would have been turned into jerky a long time ago.

[The Story Guide]

The entire house was up, his mom shoving sandwiches, fruit and other edibles into more than a dozen brown paper bags. His dad was dressed in work clothes and had Sebastian's heavy coat and work boots out next to the dining room table. He tossed his son one of those Starbuck's coffee energy drinks when he caught sight of him, a sure sign that whatever was going on, he expected it to be an all day affair.

"No school today, son," he grimaced, "or for a while, probably. That meteor shower everyone's been going on about is playing screwy with the weather. Set off a tornado in town that took out most of the school and did some damage to the houses in the neighborhood around it. I heard on the radio some orphanage in Portland also got hit and put one of the kids in the hospital. Lucky for us, no one was at the school last night. The teams heading out there to help with the clean-up; Coach already called his buddy in the fire department to okay it. Grab some breakfast while I pack up the lunches your mom made, and we'll head out."

He wasn't looking at Sebastian as he spoke, instead he was putting the paper bags in one of the plastic utility crates found everywhere on the farm. When he finished, he grabbed the crate in one hand and a box of other useful tools in the other and headed out the truck, leaving Sebastian with breakfast.

[Wa'ne]

All the color drained from Sebastian as he mentioned the tornado. "Di..di...did he say tornado?" he stammered, catching the drink reflexively.

"Yes Sebastian, now hurry up before your Dad blows a gasket." his mother replied.

"Tell 'im...tell him I'll drive myself." he said quietly as he turned to go back up the stairs out of the kitchen.

The shock didn't wear off through the quick shower or the hurried breakfast or even the drive to the school. It took all his willpower to not call Alex or Laura on the drive and by the time he saw the sirens at the building he was a sweaty mess.

As he searched for somewhere to park in the mass confusion, a soccer mom and her Irish Setter walked by staring at the collapsed buildings and a memory triggered of a considerably more beautiful redhead, one that didn't treat him like a loon. He got out, putting on his heavy coat as he scanned the crowds, and dialed his fantasy girl's number while he looked for a familiar face.

Hello.. ye've reached Moira Fitzgerald. I canna come to the phone right now, but if ye'll leave a message, I'll get back to ye as soon as I can. Thank ye, an' Goddess bless. *beep*

Sebastian hung up, figuring to try later as he started walking towards the collapsed building, the images flashing between his dream and reality in his mind. Pulling out his Sidekick again, he called Coach, trying to find out where he should be.

[The Story Guide]

Coach took three rings before he got though; everyone was checking in now and getting their marching orders. He was mostly to the school when he got through and could see the flashing lights and gathered neighbors in the pre-dawn chill.

Sebastian and most of the others on the Varsity team were the front runners on the edge of the rubble, grabbing chunks of building and handing it off to the underclassmen that had shown up in hopes of a better chance of being on Varsity once the seniors graduated. It was back-breaking work, even the firemen were sweating. The cheerleaders showed up about a half hour later and set up a water table for the men. It was only eight when Scott found the live wire when he went to pick up a desk from the rubble. There was a sizzle and the smell of ozone, and then the half-back let out a screaming groan and fell over.

The paramedics were to him in a manner of seconds and managed to restart his heart before they bundled him onto a gurney and whisked him away to the nearest hospital. The site was evacuated and taped off, the volunteers questioned about any other grounded wires they might have seen. An hour or so later Coach gave up getting them back into help clear the area and told them all to take the rest of the day off, but tomorrow they'd be using their free time for some extra practice at Sharton Park. The groans and complaints were loud, but everyone could feel the relief at something normal after the surreal destruction of the evening and morning.

Sebastian overheard Coach telling his father that he'd be at the hospital with the Bount boy if he was needed.

[Wa'ne]

Though a short morning, it seemed to last forever, the hard work was nice, but it left him to his thoughts and the guilt and remorse just kept building. He couldn't shake the feeling that he caused this, the dream had just seemed too real.

On some deep down level beyond the pain, he was elated to finally have proof of his long suspected superstition, even if it was not the answer he wanted...but it was an answer.

When Scott had gotten fried, he almost felt that he had caused it, that it had been him who stopped his heart. Everything that was happening was because of him, and this time there was no doubt.

When the Coach had finally given up and told them to take the day, he was relieved, but also afraid to be alone...what if it happened again? Could it happen when he was awake? Why did all the air currents seem so clear to him? He could tell it was going to rain again soon, but the sky was clear. This all had him on edge and he needed to talk to someone, but Moira wasn't answering, his friends were one-step from the Devil himself, and his parents would think he was crazy.

Arby's!

If they thought he was crazy, what difference did it make? Zoey didn't really know him anyway and Valentine was two steps from a straight-jacket already.

A plan to vent formed, he approached his Dad to confirm, and with a hesitant nod and a promise to not let his chores lax, he was free for the afternoon.

Continued in Going Places