black suns and glass Aphenphosmphobia

black suns and glass Aphenphosmphobia PART 1

Astra

I hold my hand out from under a car that I was fixing for a friend
"Atlas hand me the screwdriver," I asked trying not to be crushed I heard the footsteps of my brother go and come back placing the screwdriver into my extended hand
"Astra are you sure this is a good idea for you to be doing?" he
asked I pulled my hand back under the car
"Yeah i'll be fine" I said to my brother I finish up what I was doing
before sliding out pulling up my goggles to sit on my forehead the outline of them around my eyes where the dirt and soot didn't get I stood up looking up at him "stop making me feel like i'm dying" I joked even though both of us knew I was your probably wondering who I am you probably don't even care my name is Astra im 19 and I work with my not so little little brother who is 15 in a engineering shop fixing up cars and other things that need to fix but i'm sick it's hard to explain but what i've always been told is such a fairytale of a story it's hard to believe they said thousands of years ago an illness took over the people of our town called the ink disease that caused people to cough up black ink like material then slowly their pours will ooze it out but then a magical being came and saved them I know it's crazy to think but it's the only explanation I got
"Yeah but I wanted to talk about something with you though"the
taller male said going over to the work bench grabbing three books I sat down drinking water as he put them down
"The illness apparently the being might be real and alive" he said
i flipped through the book all of it explained that there is such being but it's more of a machine a broken one at that the books explain how this machine works by taking the blood of a leviathan an immortal being that has the antidote in its blood
"This is all nothing but fiction"i said putting the book down
"I know but it's worth a shot"he said I sighed looking down
smirking
"Fine how do we know where the machine is?"i asked her pulled
out apiece of paper out of his back pocket
"This its a map," he said I looked at it blank
"Ok now you're really pulling my leg haha very funny"i said
sarcastically he gave it to me and shined a blacklight over it showing invisible ink
"Lets try it please?" he begged I sighed looking at the purple lit
map
"No we can't go, its to dangerous" I said he smiled I started
coughing crap this isn't Good I shook as I continued to cough
"Astra!" atlas says worried grabbing me as I keeled over
continue to cough the black ink like material came out like sweat while I also being hacked up as I cough atlas rushed into the other room grabbing what he normally uses water my satchel which consists of pills that feel like swallowing a rock and rags he kneeled down giving me the pills they aren't what stops it it's what soothes the pain I took it while he wipes my face clean I after I calm down he tries to continue but I grab his arm pulling myself up
"You shouldn't have to deal with me if mom and dad didn't die
you wouldn't have you wouldn't even know...imma take a shower" I mumbled he tried to say something but I was already out of the room I pulled of my third ruined shirt of the week it's only Tuesday I hopped into the shower and shook I washed off the remaining ink it felt like someone shot me in my lungs and stomach like someone is poking my pores with needles I slunk down to the floor of the shower as the same black material poured out my eyes but it didn't hurt any more that the others as it stopped I turned the water off and dried off I shook my head like a wet dog I got dressed and walked back into the shop I saw Atlas asleep I sighed going up to him waking him up
"Astra?"he said sluggishly I sighed he looked up
"Come on kid let's get you to bed"i said pulling him up escorting
him to his room
"What about you?"he said rubbing his eyes I shook my head
"Don't worry about me i'm fine," I said before leaving I go back to
the workbench that he stayed I picked up the book the which had the map sticking out I looked at my black tinted fingertips as I gripped the map sighing I guess it would be worth a shot I held onto the map putting it into the satchel that carried the medicine I looked around grabbing a book labeled the story of Camie Redstone bay by Camie Bastien a book about one of the most famous adventurers in the world this was my favorite book by him he pretty much was the only thing that kept me alive as a kid every year my grandfather would come down with two of them they were all random he could buy me the 6th and the 18th and never explain why I walked into my room and plopped on my bed quickly falling asleep