Pursuer's of the Heavens

Chapter 1: Treatment

As Layne squished into the plush seat and gripped the chair he sat upon, the magic medicine began its effects and leached into his arm. His grip tightened on the armrest as the plaster dug itself deeper and deeper into the bone. Layne's vision began to fade as he fell into a deep sleep, finally able to rest even for a little bit.

Layne awoke several hours later with the injury's pain finally subsiding. He sprung up with a skip in his step as he rose out of the chair and stretched, causing a few cricks and cracks to release in his bones. Layne's smile fell as he realized the gravity of the situation. He immediately began searching for a bandage in this office he stood inside, hoping to handle the plaster with a covering to protect his reputation. Managing to locate a hastily rolled-together cloth he wrapped the rough fabric around his bicep. Layne moved to the dark oak door and attempted to budge the handle. This only resulted in failure, as the door was locked, preventing his escape. He glanced around the room, silently looking for some escape opportunity.

The chair he once sat in was located in the center of the room with the darkened door being to the right of it. Bright, neon lights poured through the first-story building window, illuminating parts of the office Layne was stuck inside. After approaching and peering inside one of the many office cabinets all around him he spotted a tiny paper clip placed beside a navy blue, empty stapler that lay shattered inside the reflective, metal drawer. Bending the clip to his desired shape Layne stuck the newly made key-shaped paper clip inside the doors locking mechanism. Pushing the charred-like door open he emerged from the room unbeknownst to anyone and quickly but silently snuck through the twisting hallways of the hospital he resided in.

Spotting a meeting occurring in one of the rooms Layne crouched and snuck below the doors slightly-crooked window to avoid confrontation with any of the employees of the medical building. Approaching the entrance of the hospital he lowered his head passing by the receptionist booth so as to not arouse suspicion. Despite this the teller posted at the desk stopped him to ask "Are you just heading out?" "Yes Ma'am, that's all." Layne responded, while clearly looking exasperated. "Alright! We hope you have a splendid home recovery from our great services at the Acto hospital!" she responded in a sickly-sweet manner, smirking at him with a fake customer service smile. Half-sprinting out the automatic doors Layne once again took in the sights and smells of Prosperita.

Smog filled the solemn air as a majority of the citizens trudged home from their jobs in the city. Dark clouds filled the dwindling sky, almost certainly promising rain later that evening. Several vendors were all desperately trying to get rid of stock to have money for basic necessities in this sick society. "Come get 'ya hot dogs, 50% off!" and "Fresh veggies! Straight from the highest quality farms!" were some examples of their cries. High-rising skyscrapers towered over all who cowered beneath. Bright flashing colors of advertisements lit the square and figuratively blinded all who passed through the artificially cheerful place. The sidewalk Layne walked upon was filthy beyond belief, with people in ragged clothing lining the walkway like street lamps with their bulb missing.

Catching a peek at his jet black watch Layne saw it was near dinner and his daughter, Saria, would have arrived at their miniscule apartment from her school day and would be impatiently awaiting his arrival. Having realized this, Layne picked up the pace to return home in a timely manner.

Where is he? Saria thought to herself. He should have been back 30 minutes ago. She paced around the room, hoping to spot him walking along the half-chiseled concrete walkway outside their tiny abode. Ultimately deciding to not wait for her Father's arrival she began the small stride towards the cooking area to start a meal for them both.

Pouring a box of egg noodles and rinsing water into the pot and pressing the ultra-heat option they cooked to tender perfection. Saria first drained the noodles then placed them inside two bowls for her and Layne respectively. Melting the small stick of butter they owned and sprinkling fast food packets of salt upon them she sat to eat on the pull-out piece of wood they called a table.

Halfway through the solemn meal the door burst open and Layne stumbled into the main room. "Oh Dad, you're back." she said, speaking in a melancholic tone. "Hi sweetie! How are you?" He responded back. "Just fine, thank you." "Alright then, just making sure." After this exchange they sat for the meal prepared by Saria.

Not much else was said that night. Some half-baked attempts from Layne were made to discover the root of the problem; they were, however, not successful in breaching her defenses and towering walls that held Layne at bay. They both in turn scrubbed their bowls clean of any remaining grease left behind by the noodles and started preparing for bed.

Saria walked onto their stony balcony while holding a map of constellations in her hands, stepping in patches of moss littered around the extended platform due to her limited vision in the dark night. A light drizzle of gentle rainwater fell upon everything from the sky, leaving a feeling of dampness to rest on her skin. The moon attempted to shine through the smog surrounding the city in a bubble of toxic air, but was ultimately unsuccessful in this endeavor. Even with natural lighting being far from feasible, the wind found ways to seep past the poisonous cloud surrounding the place. The gentle breeze flowed through Saria's ginger hair, whipping it into the air akin to a horse's mane. Her bare feet were moistened slightly by the wet clumps of vegetation beneath her. She wore a light-purple tank top with a floral design imprinted on the front and back, with vines connecting the bouquets together. Her pitch-black shorts stretched down just below her knees, flapping softly in the breeze.

Frustrated, she gazed into the night sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of any astral objects floating above her. She threw the star map she held to the side in a fit of anger. Falling to the drenched floor her eyes welled up with fresh tears as she scrambled to follow the previously thrown object to prevent further damage from the rain, which was falling harder every second.

Mystified by the noise, Layne walked through the hallway leading to the balcony, treading carefully to avoid the creaky floorboards all around laid like land mines. He stepped in front of the sliding door separating him from the balcony and pushed it to the side. "What are you doing out here?" Layne questioned while entering the outdoor platform. "It's just not fair!" Saira screamed back, beckoning for a response. "Saria, we have been over this. I will not explain myself anymore to you." He shot back. "I have been outcast by everyone I know and love!" She screamed with no control. "Sweetie, you know that's not-" Layne was cut off. "No! I won't believe that any longer! It is true and you know it! I'm sick of all the glares, the backtalk, the whispers. Even the teachers speak about me behind my back! All because you don't consider anyone's feelings other than yourself!" She stormed back inside, making sure to forcefully bump her father out of the way. Layne, physically unmoved by the small girl's effort, stared at the sky, debating on the next course of action. Ultimately deciding to go to bed and give her some alone time he trudged inside of the apartment. Grabbing the lukewarm skull-shaped mug of chai tea he had prepared before Saria's outburst, he walked to his room to get some shut-eye.

His room was tiny, that much was clear from a quick glance. The squeaky birch door located on the outside led to the cramped bedroom where Layne resided. The desk in the corner was littered with papers and blueprints of rejected designs lying across it. A narrow shelf hovered above the desk on a couple of rusty nails holding a small handful of construction-related books. Placing the chai tea on the foldout table he used as a nightstand he laid on the mattress without laying the thin sheet over him to prevent overheating from the already sweltering room. Sweat beaded his forehead like jewels on a crown as he lay drinking the tea. Finishing the soothing drink he laid it to rest among the other used mugs filling the valuable table space and turned over to fall asleep. His mind began to drift to unconsciousness as TV static hummed softly in the background.

I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter/ prologue of my first long length work. Any criticisms and editing errors are much appreciated as always, as I desperately want to improve in my abilities. Stay tuned for next week for the following chapter. Signing out, CrazyCandles