NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: When Morality Breaks
Despite being in the midst of all this dense cloud of dust and debris, I didn't feel a need to cough. I didn't even feel a need to breathe. There was never that crawling urgency at the back of your mind when you held your breath for too long.
Huh, I guess that's the effect of being Kukulkan.
Oh right, I'm Kukulkan now.
It was strange. I didn't feel any difference. I felt just as at home as I was in my old body.
Looking down at my chest, I found myself unable to actually see the boobs I could clearly feel were there. What I could see was the almost uncountable number of fine dust particles in the air, hundreds of thousands of them within every cubic centimeter.
My right eyebrow twitched. If I remember correctly, wasn't it one of Kukulkan's attacks wind-based? More importantly, wasn't Kukulkan's second personal skill being able to temporarily use the authorities of other Feathered Serpents?
I closed my eyes and imagined the air around me as something like an extra limb. Then, I imagined myself moving that limb, throwing it like a fist as though I was punching someone.
*WHOOSH*
The wind moved.
The authority of Quetzalcoatl became mine for a brief instant as the air around me blew as though a hurricane was going through the current area. The veil of dust that covered me faded into nothingness as they were blown away.
I shut my eyes not out of necessity, but out of habit as my long hair moved alongside the wind.
Once everything calmed down, I finally opened them to look around.
It was... almost frightening how much power I held.
Times Square was a wreck. The crater that I was in filled the street from one sidewalk to the other. Many of those famous advertisement boards that are hung on buildings were all destroyed except for one or two. The big Jumbotron that hosted the New Year Countdown at midnight every December 31st now had holes on it, presumably coming from debris smashing into it. I personally stood in the center of a crater where its diameter can be measured in how many cars can fit.
In fact, a lot of the nearby skyscrapers no longer had any windows. They were stripped bare to their metal and concrete skeletons by the sonic boom I created when I smashed down to earth.
A sense of surrealness took me. I felt like a Minecraft character in Creative Mode who had just detonated a huge chunk of TNT. All this destruction was caused by me.
There was nothing left of those molten meat.
I just killed hundreds of people. Mutated people yes, but still hundreds of them.
I should feel bad about it. I should feel sad about it. I should feel guilty about it.
Yet I don't.
Perhaps there's a way to reverse their transformation. The Waifu Catalog is enormous, and the chance of there being someone able to reverse this metamorphosis is pretty much a certainty given the vast infinities. Perhaps one of the T-X to T-Z could've reversed. But then, at that point, I might as well ask the T-Z to resurrect those who died.
But that's not an option for me at the moment. I didn't choose any of the binding options because frankly, I'm a free-will absolutist. Some may call me a monster. Some may call me negligent, but I'm willing to give up my life before giving up my freedom.
More than just the bindings being morally reprehensible, the story of When Day Breaks implies turning into a flesh monster somehow affects the Soul. In the original tale, there's a part where Dr. Igotta fails to bring back the ghost of Ari, her partner. Could I even turn people back if I stamp them?
Could I even stamp them, given how they're not even given names in the original story, just a part of that 6.8 billion whole?
I looked around me. This desolate city that was once brimming with activity, now brimming with monsters.
Flying up higher in the air, I slowly rose above the concrete jungle of skyscrapers and saw New York City in its entirety. I spotted the One World Trade Center almost immediately. Its iconic shape comprised eight triangles and its height made the tower impossible to miss. Next, I turned around and saw the huge patch of green that was Central Park.
Thanks to my excellent eyesight, I could see thousands of molten flesh blobs slithering about in the streets.
A single sweep of the city and I could see tens of thousands of blobs of these creatures, crawling, slithering, slobbering within the confines of skyscrapers.
It's been only minutes, so right before I head toward Central Park to rescue what little humans are still untouched, I fly down into a GAP clothing store untouched by my burst of power.
The SCP Foundation said that heavy clothing is recommended if traveling is a must. Given how this seems to be the middle of summer and how probably no clothing stores had any winter clothing, I think wearing quadruple layers of these T-shirts should be enough.
Despite how many media portrayed When Day Breaks as the sun turning the sky red, the reality is far more subtle and sinister than that.
The sky was the same unaffected blue as before the event had occurred. There's not even anything different about the sun.
If you looked at a picture of the current sky, you would not imagine that something bad had occurred. In this sense, you wouldn't know whether or not whatever caused the sunlight to mutate those things into monsters had ended and preferably continue to stay in darkness forever.
How cruel. How sadistic. Forcing people into the embrace of an eternal darkness lest they be turned.
I was about to grab some clothing before I face-palmed.
I have a pocket space. I can just store people there until I'm in a space place.
Taking off, the city became a blur as I headed north.
In less than a second, I was now flying above Central Park. Even from hundreds of meters up, I visually confirmed that the plants were all continuing to undergo photosynthesis by focusing on their pores. They don't appear to be affected, so I wondered why would the Foundation place a specific warning that 'forested areas' should be avoided in the original story.
"—!"
Wait a minute... It's not that the plants are unaffected, it's just that their rate of 'melting' has drastically decreased. Based on their current rate, I predict it'll take your average tree weeks before they're fully melted like the others.
Perhaps that's why the Foundation said to avoid forested areas because they'll turn into swamps of molten flesh that traps people.
Flying quickly over the Central Park Zoo, I visually confirmed that all the animals inside have been turned into flesh monsters whose skin drips like melted wax. They were indistinguishable from any other flesh monsters around the city.
I don't bother paying any more attention to them and instead look for survivors.
There has to be some, right?
Despite my attempts at reassuring myself, there's still a pit of unknown inside my stomach.
I continue flying across the place. All I could see was more flesh monsters moving across the grass, trees, and roads. All I could hear was their horrible sounds, those wet noises of molten flesh dragging themselves across the grass, leaving behind a trail of more disgusting wetness and moans. I noticed for some odd reason, that they're collectively moving north.
I licked my dry lips. If it weren't for a level of Stress Defense, I think I'd be crying and pulling out my hair right now.
It's... distressing. Being Kukulkan has given me excellent senses. I could hear the entire city of New York and beyond and all I'm hearing is more of the disgusting moaning sounds let out by these molten meats. I felt like a ship passing through an ocean of these disgusting sounds.
I think, if I had been human, I'd be vomiting my guts out in disgust.
I head towards the densest wooded area. Those trees should provide at least some cover from the sunlight. Maybe a family is huddled inside their tents, scared of every noise outside.
Deep down, I knew that it was a long shot. But still, I need to check everything. I can always deal with these abominations later.
I first checked the Ramble.
It was filled with more of those monsters.
I then head towards the North Woods.
Surely, I thought to myself as the greenery below turned into a blur with how quickly I was moving, surely there must be someone alive... right? Someone who is unchanged. Come on!
*Ba-bump*
I halted. Inertia became a quiet suggestion that was ignored.
Like a submarine surfacing, that sound of a single heartbeat pierced through this ocean of constant, chaotic, wet noise of waxy-flesh things that used to be human.
*Ba-bump*
*Ba-bump*
I frantically turned my head around to try and find the direction where the sounds were coming from. Rapidly, I narrowed the location to within the depth of a small waterfall.
A brief moment of hesitation was crushed before it could begin. The only thing on my mind was to save at least someone.
Descending below the tree line, I found many more flesh monsters surrounding the pond where the waterfall goes. I was immediately spotted and those flesh monsters almost ran towards me, their many limbs pushed their large amorphous mass in a chaotic and disorganized manner. It was as though each of those limbs all had a mind of their own.
"Join...ussss..." They said, their words broken up by disgusting moaning sounds, "Join us, it's not painful. It's so peaceful. There's no conflict where you're going..."
They sounded horrible. Their tone was off. Anyone hearing of it would know that something was wrong like an alien pretending to be human yet failing.
I was about to smash them to pieces with a single punch before it suddenly dawned upon me about the only other human in here.
They somehow knew...
A disturbing realization loomed overhead.
These things somehow knew my attacks and intentionally left a human alive to draw me out. They're probably using this human as a hostage to make sure I wouldn't pull out the 'big guns' so to speak.
They're smart. Whoever is controlling these amorphous blobs is intelligent.
This is a hive mind.
I felt a chill run down my spine. I quickly looked up at the sun high in the sky. The malicious sun. The infected sun. The corrupted sun.
Maybe that's why Dr. Igotta failed in that ritual to summon Ari's ghost in the original When Day Break's tale. When you get amalgamated into this hive mind, your soul is also consumed and becomes part of a greater whole. In that greater whole, 'you' stopped existing and became 'them'.
Energy condensed in front of me. They formed into a core of bluish-green plasma burning at a temperature equal to that of lightning.
Electricity arced and sparkled around the ball of plasma, illuminating the shaded area like a ghostly light.
As the sun of Mictlan, generating and controlling plasma is a breeze. In fact, I'm spending a lot of effort trying to output as little power as possible.
Don't want the human to boil alive inside this pond.
Then, I released the concentrated ball of superheated gas as a coherent stream. From the outside, it appeared like a laser too bright to look at as I burned all the flesh abominations around me while also setting fire to everything that could burn.
Oh shit.
The fire was quickly spreading. I think by the next minute it'll cover the entirety of the North Woods.
I didn't mean that. I really didn't. I just wanted a thin laser that'd cut those flesh monsters into ribbons, disabling them long enough I could leave with the human wrapped in layers upon layers of cloth.
The shade is also rapidly disappearing thanks to the fire.
The fire is also consuming large amounts of oxygen in the local area. The girl will suffocate if she stays here any longer.
Double shit.
I quickly dropped down to the pond.
With the water of the pond going up to my knees, I finally spotted the human with the beating heart I heard seconds ago.
Momentarily, I was stumped.
It was a kid. Blonde of hair, seemingly of half-Asian descent, no older than nine. She was in a protective fetal position, her head barely above the water as she rested in a tiny crawlspace behind the waterfall.
Poor kid. She must be terrified, hearing all those noises.
My expressions softened.
I pondered for a bit about how to start this. In any other circumstances, I'd ask them where their parents were, but I have a feeling that they sacrificed themselves to divert those monsters away.
I can't imagine the pain that comes with seeing one's parents turn into those meat lumps right in front of your eyes. The mental trauma must be unbelievable.
...And now I can't help but remember how if I captured someone using a binding, it'll give them the same defenses I have. I think one level of Stress Defense would be a godsend for this girl right this instance.
In a soft and gentle tone, I spoke.
"Hiiiii—"
Only for a raspy sound to come out.
Brows furrowing, only now did it occur to me how I was holding my breath that entire time. And because of the lack of air in my lungs, all that came out was a raspy sound like I hadn't drank water for days.
Taking in a deep breath, I restarted this conversation.
"Hey there, you alright? Don't worry, I'm not one of them."
I squatted down next to the girl, waist-deep in the pond, and waited for a response.
None came. She probably heard her changed parents try to lure her out, so she's probably paranoid, confused, and distrusting.
I... probably shouldn't touch the girl. But at the same time, I'm risking more people getting infected the longer I stay here.
Crap.
I mentally apologized to the girl before taking out my Company Smart Device and tapping on the app responsible for depositing things into my pocket space.
... It failed. I received an alert of 'unwilling subject detected'.
I froze at the sight of that. In my mind, I was always this 'savior' that people would be glad to see. Not once before right now has it occurred to me how I could easily be seen as a 'monster' with my superhuman powers.
Damn, I really should've taken the clothes from that GAP store near Times Square.
I was seriously regretting my decision. If I forcefully take the girl out she'll be turned in an instant.
I don't trust my strength to 'knock the girl unconscious', I might very well kill her by accident. Or at the very least, give her a concussion.
Rapidly, I was growing anxious. I wasn't panicking thanks to Stress Defense but I was certainly feeling my body heat up from anxiety.
Shit. Shit. Shit! Where would one find some covering around here??
I whipped my head around me. All I could see was dense foliage burning, smoke clouding my vision. I glanced at those fires crawling up and fully consuming those trees.
For some odd reason, I was reminded of a fireplace.
Fireplace... fire... fire... Campfire... camping... sleeping bags!
Didn't I pass over tents when I was flying north?
I blasted off before heading south. Blitzing across the sky, I found an orange tent beside a fire pit that was still burning. Around that pit stood metal sticks skewering marshmallows.
"..."
A family probably camped here before Day Broke.
I didn't stop to remark on the tragedy before ripping open the tent and taking out one of the three sleeping bags within.
With the proper protective wrappings acquired, I flew back to where that girl was.
Seeing how the girl was still in that same position as before and hadn't even moved by a bit, I decided to do things by force.
Forgive me, little one.
I unzipped the sleeping bag and wrapped it around her, capturing the blonde girl like she was prey and I was a spider.
Her muffled scream went right through the plastic-like material. I could feel her struggling within, trying to get out, trying to stay away from me, trying to get into the light.
I felt my heart break as I zipped her up. Blasting off into the air, only now did I realize in my urgency to find what few survivors remained, I neglected to find a fucking safehouse.
What would be an excellent safe house? The skyscrapers wouldn't work since they're very exposed to the sunlight. My mind raced at a million miles an hour as I concluded, for now, somewhere underground would be best.
So an underground parking lot?
No, that'll have too many hiding spots. Who knows if one of these horrid melted meat monsters could be hiding somewhere?
Same thing with subways.
A basement then. Preferably in a suburban house. Small enough to be easily cleared, and safe enough for the short term.
The girl continued to struggle inside the sealed sleeping bag, probably feeling very claustrophobic right now. No one could blame her.
I headed towards Queens.
That mass of suburban housing should work.
I passed by Mill Rock before entering Queens. Gazing down at the quiet street from above, I could only see masses of slobbering, slithering, groaning flesh searching for more people. I continued traveling, passing the 278 highway rather quickly before finally finding the suburban housing I was looking for.
They were townhouses, but they'll do.
I outstretched one hand, the other one still holding onto the sleeping bag like it was a bag of rice. A ball of plasma formed in my palm.
I aimed that ball of plasma down at the streets below me, one that's crawling with these fleshy beasts that once were humans.
Then, I unleash a glimpse into the fury of a star.
I 'pinched' the ball of plasma so that the released stream is much tighter and more energetic in a way similar to a water gun.
Though the plasma swept down the streets for only a fraction of a second, it became a river of red-hot molten asphalt. More important for me though, is that the windows of the nearby townhouses all shattered from the intense heat. The parked cars by the roadside turned into bombs as they exploded.
"God damn it."
I cursed. Even when I limited myself I still released too much power.
The girl howled louder, begging to be let out.
"You can't. It's not safe yet. I promise I'll let you out once it's safe."
The girl continued sobbing as my guilt started building up.
If this were in any other circumstances, I'd be a kidnapper.
I flew down to another set of townhouses in the street immediately parallel the one I destroyed. Carefully, I drifted down to the backyard of one of those townhouses with a red balcony in the backyard.
Forcing the locked door open, I was greeted with the sight of many used needles on the coffee table... and a busted open front door.
It seems whoever was here was already turned.
I had no time to waste. So I went to check the basement and thankfully found it containing no windows. Turning on the lights, I was a bit surprised by how it was still functioning.
Probably not for long, I reminded myself.
Finally dropping the bagged girl onto a couch in the basement, I gently unzipped her.
Immediately, I was met with the sour smell of pee. Afterward, I was greeted with the sight of an unconscious girl.
Guess I scared her so badly she peed herself.
Thumbing the bridge of my nose, I realized that from her perspective, today must've been absolute hell. More likely than not, she'll get trauma from it.
Fuck. I'm not a licensed psychiatrist. Or a therapist.
I... probably can't just leave her here like this. At the same time, there could be more people out there that require my help.
My hands brushed across my hair. My unnaturally smooth hair that which shone like crystals, the very opposite of what I used to have. It didn't even register in my mind right now that I was wearing Kukulkan's first ascension outfit.
I was too busy to pay attention to such superficial details.
Bloody fucking— fuck!
My fingers curled inward, digging themselves into my scalp.
In the end, I decided to move several furniture to block out all entrances.
"This is seriously messed up." I talked to myself as I stood at the frame of that busted front door, the empty sleeping bag wrapped around my waist.
Conflicted feelings fought a war inside me. My heart wanted me to focus on the girl while my brain wanted me to save more people.
After getting this body, I've never had any difficulties moving places. Not before now. Walking out of that house was the most difficult decision I've made, and this included my every decision before I signed on with The Company.
Taking off, I first made sure to pulverize any flesh blobs on the street in front of the house by ramming right through them like I was a truck.
After that was done, I accelerated at speeds that would crush a human and appeared right on top of the One World Trade Center a little over a second later.
Let's check the underground.