Underdog: The Legend Begins

Flashback

I'm going to die.

These four words flickered through my mind as the enormous burning branch hurtled towards me.

My entire life flashed before my eyes as it slammed into me, sending me to the ground.

I saw my mom, smiling as she lifted me from my crib, my dad tossing me in the air, my big sister pulling faces to make me laugh . . .

I saw . . . myself in the mirror, furry husky ears peeking out from under a baseball cap, dressed in uniform for my first day of cub scouts.

My sister's highschool graduation. Tossing my hat in the air, cheering.

First day of fifth grade. Getting shoved in my locker.

All these things flashed by in an instant, but one lagged behind in my memory.

I watched as it broadened into a dream. A memory that played out like a movie, every detail coming into sharp focus.

I yawned, bored out of my skull.

Me and my dad had come to the bank to cash in a check and to open a savings account for me.

I would have been pretty excited, being ten years old and excited about going on car rides, even, but waiting in line for half an hour at the busiest bank in the entire city was enough to dampen even my mood.

The line only moved forward a foot once every few minutes and my feet were starting to hurt. Not only that, but it was freezing, and I hadn't brought a hoodie. Even dad was checking his watch every so often, looking around with impatience.

I saw a man shoving his way through the crowd, towards the entrance.

He wore a black windbreaker and a sour expression.

As he shouldered his way between me and my dad, something fell out of his pocket and clattered to the floor.

I picked it up. It looked like part of a joystick, but it was metal and had a red button protruding from the top.

"Sir?" I called to the man. "You dropped something."

"He turned and, seeing the device in my hand, hurried forward, snatched it from my hand without a word of thanks, and ran out the door.

"How rude," my dad muttered.

I wasn't really listening, because I was too busy remembering the man's face when he saw that I was holding his weird doohickey.

He looked afraid.

Terrified, even.

I was still thinking about it by the time dad tapped my shoulder and said, "It's our turn."

We walked up to the counter and dad handed the lady a check.

I watched them for a minute when a faint beeping reached my ears. I turned, listening for it.

The beeping quickened.

I located it behind a pillar.

It suddenly became a loud droning, loud enough for other people to hear, but they didn't have time to turn their heads.

All of a sudden the world was awash in an extremely painful outburst of noise and heat and light.

The next thing I knew, I didn't know anything.

    
The entire world was made of pain.

I opened my eyes but everything was hazy and dim. I could barely make out the outline of my arm hanging limp over a piece of marble.