2 The World Goes Silent

I awoke to an empty bed. My sister had gone already.

She usually worked early to late, so it wasn't an uncommon sight.

My sister had laid a breakfast for me. Omelette and sausages. It was so good. My sister was the best food chef ever! I had 0 doubts.

After I had eaten, I had just sat, listening to the faint noises outside that I could hear before deciding to go exploring. Couldn't very well stay cooped up here on all days, could I? My steps had carried me down the hotel pathways and stairways, leading to the interconnecting streetways. The hotel was situated on a small hill, and the roads connecting to it usually had a hundred foot or so dip before rising up.

I headed down one of these roads, going downhill before walking back up. The breeze was better today. It always was. We were told that every year after the post apocalypse, the air cools off a little bit more and eventually, it'd return to normal.

As it turned out nowadays, winter, fall and spring were the rainy seasons. With varying degrees of humidity and downpours. It was said that back before PA, there used to be other things that fell from the sky. And there is records in dictionaries that further supports this idea. There used to be ice that fell from the sky and the people called it hail. Every time I imagined what falling ice must have been like, I couldn't help but think it'd be just as bad for it to rain rocks. How did people live with ice falling from the sky?

But it wasn't just what they called hail. There was also something called snow. A cold fluffiness which has intricate patterns on each flake. Something that sounded a lot more amazing than falling ice. You could literally build balls and people out of it! That's why there was snowmen and snowballs. I wondered if the built people could move about. 'I hope we didn't cause genocide..' I had thought curiously to myself.

It was still part of the chilly rainy months, so the sky was filled with clouds, that slowly glided across the horizon. The smell of rain was present too, and the dull amber sky that seemed to peak between the cracks of the clouds and let rays of sunlight shine like a spotlight beneath the cover of the clouds. The sight was beautiful.

This was my preferred weather. Not much heat, and very little sun. Almost all dreary clouds and downpour. Yes. I was practically skipping about the side of the streets in a joyful mood. Passing by alleys and crossing through crowds of moving people of various ages. I could see all sorts of succulent fruits and vegetables on wooden stands. Like hot apples and cucumburns. There was all sorts. There was wagons and carts being drawn across the streets. Nowadays, the few motor vehicles could not be permitted inside the city, and like horses of old, they had to stable the vehicles outside.

It was an unexpected side effect that transformed a lot of cities across Federal Gunsma. Perhaps we had become accustomed to vehicles breaking down and traveling on foot so much, because this tradition seemed to stick heavily. However, I knew very little about the customs outside of Gunsma, despite my travels. The customs of other countries that I didn't visit or move through hardly gathered my focus, but I couldn't deny that there was an idle curiosity.

The Federal Gunsma is a confederacy. Where there was only two forms of political powers. The national capital city was the federal citystate power. And each city had local authority for their own city state. In this way, all of Gunsma was unique and individually different from each other. Fairview was a major trading city, but it surely wasn't anything like the Capital which was Santa Rosa, located out west. Federal Gunsma actually took a bit of what was once the north american continent. In fact, Gunsma took the west of the continent, stretching through the old nations of the United States, Canada and even taking control of the ocean enough to include the islands of hawaii in its national borders. Where Federal Gunsma took the west, the Zuckerburg Empire took the east. It was smaller in landmass and usable area than other lands, but it was still quite expansive.

I was pretty excited as I wandered about the streets. I could say that I was poor financially, so I couldn't spend money anywhere and there were a couple of places that I could go that I would enjoy, where I wouldn't have to pay for anything in particular. The most obvious of which, was the local playground. It was pretty common for kids my age to play there. At least, the kids that were playing. There were a lot of families who prepared their children to for the Virtual World. To a lot of them, it was honorable and they had to defend the noble name that had been passed down to them from times of old. To an Espinar Sainz, however, there was no nobility or viscosity to that name. And so, my sister and I didn't care to train hard for it. I'd be just happy enough to work at a cafe or a laborers camp, as to ease my sister's heart.

However, that is not to say I didn't dabble into studying and learning about the Virtual Worlds and certain tips and guides from the past ones. It was more a past time, but it was a good one. It was always good to have alternatives. What if my deafness leads me to be ostracized in the work force? What if I am constantly outperformed and undervalued? These are some of the things that people have to think of even from a young age. And it was these thoughts that drove me into at least investing into an alternate job opportunity as an Adventurer. It was a capacity that could be fulfilled either in the Virtual World, the Real World or both. It was people who associated getting stronger and helping others. Occasionally, you are hired. In some cases, it was similar to lawyers of old. As all conflicts are resolved inside the Virtual World, then wouldn't it make sense to have a representative in the Virtual World that was both strong and dependable? At least, that's how I thought of it.

Since Adventurer's had a lot of value, it was a very competitive spot. However, for someone like me who had a limited physical advantage in the real world and in certain settings because of my hearing, I figured that an adventure would be a job opportunity that I wouldn't have a lot of disadvantage with. Plus, it would serve to satiate my wanderlust.

I had reached the playground quickly. On this playground, there were literally two sides. There was the old equipment. Monkey Bars, Swings, Slides and various other architectures that were common in the AD period. And on the other side, you had holo-courts and game simulators that had a little more comical sense to it. Most of the kids were playing on the game simulators. There was teenagers and the like playing an intense game of holo basketball on one of the holo courts, and on the other one was a young kid about my age, with blonde hair and a Caucasian complexion that was holding onto a bow in traditional, oriental robes. He had set the holo courts for archery practice and was carefully practicing his aim.

I had watched him for a second out of interest before finding myself moving to the older equipment. I had sat down on a creaky swing and let myself ease back and forth. It was nice. The breeze. The air. The sky that changed with the wind. I was not like a lot of my peers. Sure, I had a good understanding of technology, but I had a deeper interest in the world around me. Legends and lores. Explorations and observations. I was a curious kid that wasn't so easily satisfied by space war game or a fruitless sport. No, I loved learning and exploring. Just sitting here and observing everything was a joy in itself. The only bad takeaway was that a lot of the sound was muted, which made my appreciation of the world feel incomplete. But that wasn't something I could easily control.

I found that a group of kids had set up a wallball game going. Only they were using a fancy globall. I watched as they slammed the ball against the wall and caught it, at each contact, it changed colors and as if shedding off its skins, let whirls of color spread from where contact was made with it.

Time had passed easily, and as I looked about the playground from my more relaxed stupor, I realized that for the most part, I was the only one here. Except the boy from the other holo court. He was training diligently. Arrow after arrow, flying towards a target. It was amazing to watch. And I noticed that I wasn't the only one watching. There was even a small group. I had smiled, this was a good day. I had let my eyes wander to the sky. To the tan clouds and amber sky behind it. The soft outlines and shapes of the clouds seemed to have a calling to me. And that in itself drew my attentions for hours as I lazily swung on the swing set that creaked.

Eventually, after everyone who had been there from when I had arrived at the playground were gone, I felt that it was time to go as well.

I had walked back down the streets I had treaded about. It was easily a couple miles to the hotel, and I didn't want to make my sister worry if I was too late. She usually made time for me in the evening, and I treasured it. Perhaps more so after that accident. The sunset was hitting the skies. Turning the amber into a beautiful array of violet and orange. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was when I was viewing this, that I heard something.

"How do you like that, HUH? NERD? Got anything to say about hogging that court?" The voice, even whilst translated through my earbud sounded to be from a figure of questionable morals. In other words, a dirtbag punk up to no good.

I turned towards the dreary alley that the sunset had shadowed. This was where the noise was coming from and it wasn't hard to see why. The group that were watching the boy were grouped around, beating on the kid with their feet. They were just a bunch of punky teenagers.

Bullying wasn't unheard of. The world ended, but there were still bullies. Lousy little cockroaches, always surviving despite their stupid, egotistical mentality.

My heart felt restless. I wanted to do something. There was a kid being attacked. But at the same time, my brain hesitated. In this post apocalyptic world, there were a lot of reasons to walk away. A friend today, is a friend tomorrow. But an enemy today can mean no tomorrow. In fact, I wasn't the only one passing by. And from the glints of those who passed by, I knew that I wasn't the only one who saw this poor kid get beaten up.

It was a common thought. Don't trouble yourself in other's matters.

I almost followed the same. Thinking it'd be alright to walk away. But, as I paid a glance back over at the kid, I could see his expression. I related to his face. Pained and seeking help. That was my own face. My own pain. I felt it when I first lost my hearing, when I was being attacked by that hound.

I had moved before I had given it a second thought. Feet rushing forwards as I grabbed a pipe that sat next to a garbage pile and swung it hard at who I considered to be the leader of the bully's back, yelling out a word that I could not hear, but from the hoarseness of my voice, I could tell that it was quite loud. "STOP IT!"

The teenager leader turned around, cursing words I couldn't hear. And his two other lackies turned with their leader, forgetting the poor kid they had beaten so poorly. All of them stood at least a half a foot taller than me. The height difference alone was terrifying.

My heart beat hard, and my grip on the pipe tightened out of fear.

It was too late to regret, they were coming at me. I swung the pipe about threateningly, but they got through and wrenched my weapon from my hands.

One of them caught me by the neck and squeezed me up, while hanging me there. The other two were grabbing my arms.

I could see his lips move and with my intimate knowledge on reading certain lips. I could gather what he said. "Stupid brat.. Because of you, that twerp left. I hope you're ready to pay us." His words had my head raising, looking for the other kid. The fact that I could no longer see him made me smile a bit. At least I was of some use...

Before I could really finish that thought, I felt the feeling of a fist sink into my guts. Making my bend over in the pain, trying to wheeze for my breath that had been so swiftly knocked away. At least, my body tried to curl within the holds of the two very strong teenagers that were nearby.

They soon tortured me with fists, feet and even with the pipe I had used beforehand. They did all sorts of things and eventually, my conscious recollection of what they had done to me seemed to fade away. Pull of hairs. It seemed to get numb. Bones cracking. My vision seemed to blur. And with an intense, splitting pain in my head, I had blacked out entirely.

-~-~- -~-~--~-~- -~-~--~-~-

My consciousness seemed to awaken. Consciousness was something that even the deaf and blind noticed. My eyes hurt, and I had trouble opening them beyond a squint. It was more silent than usual.

There was an antiseptic smell in the air. A strangely familiar clean smell that I had smelled quite often. Amongst the smell of the chemical antibacterial, I could smell another familiar smell. A warm smell smelling of bread and spices from where she worked. I could feel her hair against my arm and chest. Her arms and head laid heavily on my chest, which caused me some type of pain. There was a strange salty smelling wetness on my body too.

'What was I doing yesterday?' My mind was hazy and my memory more so. I felt drugged and it made me feel a little sick to my stomach.

Then it dawned on me.

I was in the park, and I had left it. I had tried to help a boy in trouble, and got into some trouble. The faint feelings of getting beat and their expressions made me quiver in fear. I moved in shock, wincing in pain. But I just had to do more. I tried to open my eyes, painfully fighting the swelling sensation. I managed to open my eyelids to the point that I could see the clean white walls, and very simple decorations. I could see the monitors and the tubings going into me and my bandages.

I was in a hospital.

I couldn't hear anything anymore. Not the soft sounds that I could usually hear.

My head hurt really bad. My sister's tears were still wet on her cheeks and against me.

I couldn't hear anything...

Something had happened to me.

The world which was quiet, had gone absolutely silent. And the realization had me quivering in a fear or an absence of something I had so little of to begin with.