Sprint: The Emerald Bullet

Event Horizon pt.1

He gasped waking up. He jolted up on his bed. He'd breathe heavily, as if going through that same situation in the dream himself. The thunder crashed outside,  light filling the bedroom and disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. He would look around, hoping that someone wasn't in the room with him. Fortunately there wasn't. He'd be comfortable with that and fall back asleep, back into his permanent prison.

The following morning wasn't any different. His grandpa had just left for work, as did his Mother. Mother was a police officer, a time consuming job. Especially in this city. The only people left in their large apartment was him and his cousin Angelica, who's job was being unemployed. That's what the whole family thought anyway. She would sneak out a lot. She wouldn't be back for at least days at a time. Yet everyone was, and always will be, comfortable with that.

He walked out of his bedroom, his backpack behind him. Phone in pocket, earphones in. The volume would be low, enough to hear a person.

"Jo?" Angelica said to him. Jo would take out one of his earphones and raise a brow to her. "You ready to go?"
"Uh yeah. Yeah, I'm ready." He replied, he would be nervous but not too much. This wasn't the first day of school or anything. It's just him, always nervous, paranoid. Never able to talk without saying 'um'. He hated that about himself. He hated a lot about himself. The way how only one eye is near sighted, while the other is perfect. How he talked, which made him sound more of a nerd than he already was. But it's time for school and, now, that is the only thing that matters.

It's been two years since there was a significant battle in Aspen. two years ago a group of heroes, who are still around today and known but not really spoken about too much, unless you were a child or a bored teen who had nothing better to do today, fought off another group of villains which ended in a lot of destruction and death. The heroes won, thankfully, but it triggered this feeling in Aspen. Everyone here feels a sense of paranoia and entropy. Crime was coming back, slowed down thanks to some hero interference but never really stops it. This feeling of pure hopelessness and just terror plagues the city. Despite so many efforts to try and at least give people something to look up to. That feeling everyone felt is what Jo felt as soon as he stepped out of the door. He made his head turn quickly, with fear, to see if there was gonna be a killer or supervillain coming to kill him. He hopped inside the car and listened to music.

He would look out the window and see the large, tall buildings. At least that was one of the things he could actually see through this rain covered window. This is the only thing he liked about Aspen. He would try and look at each window, the eyes getting hooked on them and Jo had to jump all the way to the next available one just to see the other windows. He wondered at all the possibilities within those rooms. A child speaking their first word, a man working hard, a woman exercising to look better, people having sex, doing drugs, or maybe nothing at all.

It was a few moments later until he got to his highschool. Kids all going into the same door to have totally different days. He wondered what his day was going to be like. He would step out of the car after exchanging I love yous and hugs, small pats on the back, but still hugs. He would enter his highschool. His  jacket drowned by the rain.

Hours later, it'd be chem. class. He sat next with his two best friends, Tony and Cassie. Jo sat on the other side of the table to them. Sitting right in front of the chemical cabinet and the window. They'd be talking about something they saw on the news, something to deal with a spacecraft. Tony began saying, "It's gonna have a light-speed engine once they use the MAM to merge with it to mess with the mass of the spacecraft-"
"Ok that's too much nerd for one day." Cassie said cutting him off. "Who even wants to hear about the creation of a spacecraft not even 5 years from now."
"Um, I like it." Jo said. He loved the idea of space and becoming an astronaut.
"Well yeah Jo but you're the biggest nerd in this room." Tony said jokingly. They all kind of chuckled. Tony had a habit for making everyone smile and laugh in some way. It's something everyone needed, that everyone wanted. Happiness. Cassie on the other hand helped out and volunteered. She may come off mad sometimes but in any and everyway, she is one of the most kindest people you will ever meet. They chuckled throughout most of the hour.

One of the girls in Jo's class would raise their hand. The teacher, Mr.Cornell, would ask what she wanted. "It's wicked hot in here Mr.Cornell. Do you think we can open some of the windows?"
She was right. The school was too hot. Aspen City was in the state of New York and it's early october. Things started to get really cool. Jo realized that from the start as soon as he came here from Kansas 4 years ago.
"It's storming outside. We can't, sorry." Mr.Cornell replied.
"Oh come on!" groaned a student. "It's barely even sprinkling Mr!"
Multiple students began to plead at Mr.Cornell, who was getting impatient.
"Fine! But as soon as the hour is over you close the doors." Mr.Cornell stated. Students began rushing to the windows to open them. A nice cool breeze began to enter the room. Some of the kids even sighed in pleasure to it. Tony would be the one type of person to open the window all the way. Jo would be right beside it, watching Tony walk back to his seat.

The open window, between Jo, and the chemical cabinet. Little did he know something was going to happen. Jo felt a tingle on the back of his neck. As if someone was touching him. Jo would turn around in a panic, looking at nothing but the cabinet. Cassie and Tony stayed talking, in their own little world. Jo then heard a tap on the window, the type of tap you would hear if someone was trying to get your attention. Jo would get curious. He would get up from his seat and stick his head out the window. He would look around only to see the courtyard and nothing and no one there. Jo would turn, preparing to walk back to his seat.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!" Everyone heard. Everyone would be spooked and terrified. Everyone turned to the window, where the sound came from, seeing only Jo. Jo would turn fast, because that screamed sounded too familiar. Then a flash. Lightning would strike Jo directly, the lightning making its way all the way to the chemical cabinet. The cabinet having all sorts of chemicals. Hydrogen Peroxide, Silver Oxide, etc. The containers broke, chemicals spilling all over Jo as he was being struck by the lightning. Jo saw all of this as if everything was in slow motion for him. He then hit the ground, burnt and bleeding. His vision grew darker as classmates rushed to his aid.

Then darkness.