Mundane

Prologue: A Gun is Fired and a Body Falls

Distress. Exasperation. Fear. Anxiety. These emotions raced around in Thomas's head until they became one big, tangled mess. He shut his eyes and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Honey, just relax."

Thomas turned his head to meet his wife's kind gaze. She put her small hand on his arm and squeezed gently. Her macaw blue eyes reassured him silently that leaving the palace was the best decision for both of them. Thomas bit his lip, and then faked a smile.

"Sorry Angie. I suppose I'm just not used to being around all these people..."
He murmured in an apologetic tone.

And he was right. His childhood had been spent in tranquil gardens and grand hallways. His old lifestyle was the opposite of any person who lived in Masstropolis West*.

Thomas put his tense arm through Angie's, and began the walk through level three's Saint Carleton's park. He shook his head slightly and tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Instead, he focused his thoughts on the scenery of the park. The plants were beautiful, despite being genetically engineered to grow without actual sunlight. The simulated seasons seemed to be successful as well. The leaves were just beginning to turn a golden brown, and children weren't yet wearing jackets. They played in small groups, some sitting on the carpet of grass,while others climbed on a jungle gym.

Thomas couldn't help but chuckle as their laughter reached his ears. A sudden wave of anticipation slapped him in the face;a sudden yearning to have his own child beside him.

With a sly grin,he turned to face his wife. Thomas gazed at Angie, her wavy locks glowing like fire as the late afternoon lighting glinted off of her hair. He put his arm around her shoulders, leaning in close,and let the floral scent of her perfume envelope him.

"I love you."

Angie turned to him slowly, her cobalt eyes glowing with words she couldn't possibly describe.

"I love you. And I love our child."

Thomas placed his hand on her stomach, where a bump was slowly but surely growing.

"She'll be beautiful..."

He pulled her into a tight embrace. For a moment, everything was as it should be: children laughed and played, parents watched with smiles on their lips, and two lovers soaked in the scene that was seemingly ordinary, but was a paradise for the pair.

Then a gun was fired, and the sound of bird calls was replaced with people shrieking and running for cover. The couple jumped as a bullet struck a young boy, and he fell off of the playground structure and hit the wood chips surrounding it with a sickening crunch. He remained motionless as thick blood dripped out of his chest and stained his light blue shirt.

A brown haired woman standing several yards away screamed,"Lawrence!", and ran to his side, making the useless effort to awake him from his eternal sleep.

A gunman with a black mask stalked into view, shooting down anyone close to him. The man was built like a brick wall, with meaty arms and broad shoulders. He had the insignia of a rebel group on his chest; he was probably trying to prove a point to the Empire... That humans didn't need to be ruled by anyone other than their own species. Memories of news reports
flashed through Thomas's mind; all were shootings, and nearly all had died.

The gunman's eyes landed on the couple; they were obviously not from Masstropolis West; Angie with her pale skin and fiery hair, and Thomas, who could have passed for average if not for his brightly colored eyes. He cursed himself for neglecting to put in his brown contacts.

Thomas whipped his head around to face his lover and squeezed her hand tightly. Suddenly, all the stress and and anxiety that he had hidden for many months became apparent. His eyes shone with unshed tears and raw emotion as he gazed into Angie's face.

"I'm sorry..."
He whispered hoarsely as blue light shot from his hands and wrapped around Angie's form. The booming sound of the discharging gun sounded from behind Thomas, and as if in slow motion, his body crumpled like a stack of cards.

The man with the gun stood behind Thomas's body, shocked. Angie remained motionless, incapable of movement or sound. Everything seemed to be muffled and fuzzy inside of the glowing orb; she felt as if she was a bystander watching a nightmarish scene transpire. Her knees buckled as the reality of the situation rammed into her. She wailed, a screeching and animalistic sound brimming with loss. She reached for her love, longing for his comforting touch, but Thomas's spell was too strong. The shield wouldn't disappear until she was out of danger.

The killer's eyes grew wide as he saw the magic, and he bellowed,
"What the hell was he!"

The masked man backed away, and then darted to a tinted Moto-Sphere sitting near by. The vector revved its engine; and drove haphazardly into the street, resulting in many other vehicles blaring their horns.

All that was left of the once peaceful afternoon were the sounds of moans and cries for help. Angie tasted bile at the sight of the crimson fluid coursing out of the red hole in Thomas's skull. She leaned over and vomited on the grass. She lifted her shaking hand wiped the spittle from her lips.

"This can't be real,"she murmured as she noticed that skin had been peeled back to reveal stark white bone.

"He would never leave me,"
She whispered as she saw the tear stains on his cheeks. Her throat tightened, and she dry heaved.

"Thomas can't be gone!"
She screamed, a scream for everything she had lost: a husband, a lover, their child's father, and her best friend.

Sirens sounded from afar, but Angie couldn't hear them; Angie couldn't hear anything. All she could do was stare into the glazed eyes that she had fallen in love with two years ago... Those stunning coral and violet colored eyes...