Broken

Chapter One

[October 27th, 2015]

   Charles was just 17 when humanity was face to face with its greatest downfall and maybe its last moments. On this day people had killed the ozone layer just enough that it was too hot for anybody to go outside and things like plastic bottles would melt in a matter of minutes.

   Panic spread fast as the world was slowly engulfed in humanity's fear. News broadcasting channels' popularity shot up like a rocket with everyone waiting for an answer, and hopefully a solution. People were losing hope and were getting ready for their fiery Armageddon.

   And the disaster struck when Charles and his single mother were sitting in the living room watching the news broadcast not giving up hope that they could spend more time together ever since his mom had recovered.

   The ground suddenly shook unlike any other earthquake. The ground split and Charles' mother started screaming as the sky was a mix of the darkest shades of red. Charles went straight for the door as he noticed a pitch black cloud the size of many football fields followed by a siren and the screams of fleeing people. Then rain came like a waterfall and he heard people scream and cries for help as he notices the rain gradually turning into a dark black liquid. He poked his hand out to see what it was only to regret his decision by screaming in pain as the sizzling liquid was burning his hand.

Charles: MOM we gotta go the rain will burn us!

   His mom still speechless is frozen in shock, unable to move. Charles looks for an umbrella as the the ceiling starts to dissolve creating an opening for the burning rain. The rain reaches his mother burning her and replacing her fear with pain which brings her back to her senses. She gets away from the rain, able to run around the rain's opening that was increasing in size. She takes shelter with Charles under the tiny umbrella and one after another, they take a deep breath, and together they run out the dissolving house.

   Mom: Charles! The lake! It's clear!

   Her voice can barely be heard over the rain when Charles notices the rain has broken through their umbrella and their screams resume as they run faster to try and make it to lake but the ground breaks under the mom and she slips. In a matter of seconds, the mother is hanging over an endless sinkhole and Charles, desperately holding onto his mother. The mother could see that he wasn't going to let go, slipping closer and closer to the edge and was crying as his body was being burned by the rain adding on to the fact that he was gonna lose his mother.

Mom: Charles..just let g-

Charles: No! Never!

Mom: Tell your story

Charles: Huh

   The mother lets go of his son's grip and as she disappears into the darkness. She blows him a motherly kiss and smiles. Charles then runs to the lake, sobbing the whole way there. Then he jumps in and the burns ease as he sees his blisters all over the place. And as he looks in the depths of the water he sees the black shades come up towards the surface. As soon as he notices he swims up to the surface of the lake to see the surface had froze locking him in. He repeatedly punches and kicks the ice layer in a desperate fury to escape the deadly waters. Next thing he knows the black waters had caught up to him and had engulfed the lake that held Charles hostage.