The strong eat the weak. That was the lesson I learned that day. Throughout the years, I had numerous companions. That bastard, Brock became a warlord and was extremely powerful during that era.
I had attempted to kill him several times over the years and lost even more companions during those times of war. Of course his side had many losses too. But his ability was powerful and he had no shortage of henchmen.
It wasnt until, what we call "The Third Era" that he was defeated. It wasnt me that killed him sadly. The Third Era began about 75 years after the start of the apolacyspe. This was a time when Earth was invaded again, and yet another great change occurred.
(Well that doesn't matter. He's going to die by my hand this time.)
I had done my homework on him in the past but was only able to turn up that he was a lawyer before the apocalypse. I was currently looking through a directory looking to find his name and possible work address.
I had found three men with the name "Brock" in the list of registered lawyers. Two of them didnt seem to fit the bill, due to some of the information. But the last one gave me a good feeling.
********3rd POV*************
A tall handsome man in his early 30's with brown hair and wearing a collared shirt with a tie, was sitting at a desk talking with some men sitting in front of him. The other men were laughing at a story the first man was telling.
"...He says to me, "You dont care that I killed those girls?" and I say, "Are those girls going to pay my fee?"
The men laughed as if his punchline was the funniest thing on the planet. "Wow, Brock, that's cold. hehehe."
That's right. The man with the ill-mannered joke was none other than "that" Brock.
"I mean c'mon, why the hell should I care about them? Will caring bring them back? No! absolutely not!" The other men just nodded in agreement.
Brock finished chatting with his co-workers and went back to work. He had a case that he was working on, involving a rapist. As a defense attorney, he considers himself good at his job. Of course, he makes "Extra Commision" if he gets his v.i.p. clients free of thier charges.
"It's getting late." Brock yawned and realized he was the last one left in his office and it was getting dark outside. He shut off his computer and picked up his briefcase and keys and then left the building, locking the doors as he did.
In the parking lot a lone car sat. It was a very nice imported car that looked very sporty.
Brock unlocked the doors and then got in. He put the key in the ignition and tried to start it.
*click....click.....click*
"What the fuck?! Seriously?" The car had refused to start. Brock got back out after pressing the button to pop the hood. Brock lifted the hood and looked around.
"Fuck, what am I looking for here?!" Brock wasn't a mechanic but he was hoping it was something simple like tightening a screw or reconnected a cable. "I dont see anything..."
"Do you need some help, mister?" A voice came from behind Brock and he turned around. There was a teenage kid there. Under his hood you could see he had dark brown irises that might even be mistaken as black and dark brown hair. He had an average size for his age and looked to be around 17 or 18, also with slightly above average looks.
Brock eyed him suspiciously before replying, "What the hell can you do kid? Have you ever fixed a car before?" the way he was talking to the kid, sounded condescending.
"I have actually. I take automotive class and have worked on that model of car." The kid smiled, clearly wanting to be praised.
Brock just snorted, "Then prove it." he said as he stepped back.
The teenager walked up to the car and began looking around. "Ah, see here. One of your spark plugs is gone. See, right there!"
Brock stepped forward to look. He leaned over to see what the kid was talking about.
As soon as he leaned in, the car's hood smacked him hard, on top of this head. And immediately after, something hit him in the knee.
"Ahhhhh! Ahhhh!" Brock fell to the ground with his head ringing and his knee was split open. He screamed a howl filled with pain. He looked at the kid and began to beg. "Ahh pleas-"
His words were interrupted by something hitting him in the head and his lights went out.
****************************
Brock opened his eyes and squinted trying to adjust his vision. He looked around and then realized his arms were tied behind his back with rope to a concrete beam.
"W-What the hell is this?!" He frantically looked around for an answer. He heard the sound of rushing water and traffic from the city. He was under a bridge next to the canal.
"Finally awake?" A voice that sounded youthful rang in his ears and he looked up. He remembered what happened then. "What's wrong with you kid?! D-dont you know this is against the law?!" The kid was smaller than him and under normal circumstances Brock believed he could easily handle this brat but right now he was tied up and injured.
"I-I'll have you killed for this. You don't have any idea who my friends are, do you?"
"Shut the fuck up." The kid spoke but his voice carried a weight to it. Kind of like a beast looking down on a bug.
"You talk too much. A total coward that's all bark and no bite without your powers." The boy bend down to his eye level as he said this.
Brock was freaking out internally. (Is this really a kid? Did the cartel send him to silence me?! Oh god! I need to negotiate and save my life right now!)
"L-Look, I dont know how much thier paying you, but i can give you anything. I got lots of money saved up. I can a-also get you anything! Money, drugs, women, even little girls so please spare me!"
The boy listened to his rambling but his face was expressionless and his eyes were like dark torrents. While Brock was talking, the boy pulled out a roll of duct tape and then taped the mans mouth.
"Mhph-Mhph" Brocks muffled voice was pleading through the tape.
"I'm just going to consider those as your last words. They weren't worth much but that's about what I expected from you." The boy reached into a bag and pulled out what looked like earrings and put them on and then next he reached in and pulled out a dagger which blade looked like dark glass.
Brock's screams were muffled by the tape and the boy looked at him as if reading his mind and said, "Relax. I'm not gonna kill you with this... But you'll definitely wish I had."
Brock struggled fiercely but the ropes binding him didnt allow much movement. (Oh god. Someone please... please help me.)
The boy plunged the dagger into Brock's shoulder intensifying his muffled screams.
"Do you know what mana is, Brock? It's the energy produced by the world tree. When harnessed by mortals, it's used to create magic."
(Magic? This boy is insane. Why is this happening?!)
The boy coninued, "For people who havnt adapted to it, mana, which is magical energy, is sort of like radiation. Too much will kill you, but in smaller doses, the body can adapt over time. But what do you think happens when higher doses that aren't enough to kill you outright, begin flooding your body?" The boy paused and leaned forward to look directly at Brocks eyes.
"I'll tell you. The body begins to break down. First your organs would begin deteriorating. Your kidneys, stomach, heart and brain will melt under the strain of rampaging mana. It's not a slow process but it's not quick either." The boy showed a toothy smile and placed his hand back on the dagger lodged in his shoulder.
"Well.... experiencing something first hand is better than being told."
Brock's mind was in utter chaos. A heat began to form within his body. (What is this?! What is happening?!)
Brock starting screaming in pain but no one could hear it. His eyes felt as if they would pop out and blood started trickling from all his orifices. (It hurts! Make it stop! Make it stop!)
Hours passed but no one ever heard him.
********************************
Detective Sarah Duke. She was a tomboyish beauty with black short cropped hair and slender body. She wore a tan suit that accentuated her curves but also hid her small chest. She was one of the youngest women on the force that ever made detective. One might think of her as a pixie if she didn't always have a serious expression on her face.
She was currently driving to the scene of a crime where her partner, Ray Wilkes was waiting for her.
As she pulled up to a bridge located in district 9, a crowd of people came into sight, all outside a police line of tape. Officers and forensic team members were moving about here and there within. She parked her car behind the police cruisers and got out.
A pudgy man whose hair was bald on top strolled up to her as she got out of her car.
Ray Wilkes, her partner. "Duke!"
"Wilkes. What's the situation?" her words left very little room for casual conversation.
Wilkes spoke as they walked to the crime scene. "Looks like a murder. The victim has already been identified as "Brock Falkes", he's a scummy defense lawyer that's been known to get some of the worst criminals acquitted of thier crimes. I spoke with his colleagues and they attested he was last seen at thier office around closing time."
"Brock Falkes....", Duke remembered him. several of her arrests ended up pointless because of this trash. Thinking about someone doing him in, she could not help but smirk a little. It was only for a second but her face quickly returned to her normal expressionless appearance.
Wilkes continued not noticing her small moment of joy, "Yes... but the most surprising thing is the state of the body and so far forensics has no idea what killed him."
Duke arched her brow, "Oh? Is it that bad?"
"Well, it probably better you see for yourself..."
They just rounded the corner of the bridge and were now under it. Sarah Duke's eyes widened at what she saw.
A corpse with its arms tied back behind a concrete column, empty eye sockets with white goo pouring out of them. Presumably his eye balls melted? The flesh on the body looked mummified, almost as if someone found this body in a crypt and moved it there. The flesh was torn in many places and putrid black liquid oozed out.
Sarah Duke had seen many things in her short time as a detective but the sight of this almost caused her to lose what little she had in her stomach.
Wilkes noticed her scowl and realized she must be disgusted. Even he, who's been on the force for decades, had never seen such a sight.
"Well Duke, you're the lead this time. What's the plan?
She thought for a moment and began issuing orders. "Send a team to check out the traffic camera footage from all cameras between here and his last known location. Wilkes, you and I will head to his place of employment and question his colleagues as well as check any security footage they might have. While we are doing that, let's have forensics doing a thorough examination on the vic and we will get their findings later."
Everyone began moving to thier assigned tasks as Duke and Wilkes head to thier cars.
"I'll see ya there Duke. I'm gonna grab a bite on the way."
She waved her hand not really caring and started her car. (I may have hated that lawyer but I'll still catch his killer. I'll at least offer words of thanks after I put cuffs on you.) She thought to herself as she drove away...