Project Defender

I. Post-Massacre

Project Defender: Post-Massacre

Their world was unique.

But it honestly looked normal for starters, Grant Waters thought.

Surrounding him were buildings of different architectural styles that towered toward the skies. There were smoke-belching vehicles stopping on a red light, a bunch of school children crossing the street with the police officer guiding them along the way, accompanying another old lady to cross before the lights went green. There were trees that were planted by environmentalists that ornamented the concrete streets, with patches of flowering plants on the edges of the sidewalks, adding an aesthetic touch towards their quite urban city.

Yet, it was fairly...normal.

This was Emery Bay, a quite productive city that was beginning to blossom in the new Western Civilization. Grant grew up here alone, his parents (and older brother) didn't matter, he felt complete either way growing up with his mentor, Akira Mae Chang, a woman who Grant idolized for firmly holding on to her principles—that made her independent enough to build a university, Emery Bay College.

It was just around the corner, maybe three hours at most if you took a walk. But it was no denying how worth it the place would be if you saw the palace-like building in the middle of the woods. It was quite magical if Grant was to be asked.

He read somewhere in the news that Emery Bay was beginning to get a reputation from other city-states, probably because of its sudden growth among the small cities, but maybe because—

"Shit."

It was the first word Grant muttered in the afternoon. It could be worse.

An explosion rang somewhere near him. The sky-high buildings suddenly darkened, a metal plate covering each gleaming window for protection. The vehicles began turning around and away from the scene, while some of the drivers chose to abandon their cars as they began running away from the point of impact.

The crossing street children earlier began running away in panic, and if one would look closely, there was one kid whose hair changed colors in terror. The cop fired several shots in the air, the bullets exploding in the sky with a thunderous "boom". It was like a fireworks display, but it usually meant a sign of danger.

The elderly woman earlier began running away, and one would be surprised at how fast the woman ran despite her age.

Now, this. This was Emery Bay-normal.

The trees and plants on the concrete floor suddenly began wilting. The concrete floor darkened. Grant looked up to see a looming figure covering the sun, casting a shadow towards where he stood.

The café behind him suddenly closed, snapping him back from his reverie. He should be running away.

Heat exploded from his emblem, a small glowing item that hung on his neck that was in different colors. Today, it was a bright red.

Grant didn't know what it meant. But red was usually associated with danger.

So, he ran.

He bumped a few people running against his direction. He tried apologizing at first, but realizing nobody even cared—well, Grant would admit into running towards the horde of people himself, not caring if he was indeed going towards the direction of danger.

What else could he do? His home was that way!

A growl came from a nearby dark alley where he stood, making him stop. Now, he felt like a teenage girl in a horror movie. He willed his feet to keep running, but the heat from his necklace stopped. It should be a good sign, right?