2 Chapter 2

Under a crimson sky, the remnants of a high rise building stood tall. A massive structure of broken glass, twisted metal, and broken cement. Atop this structure was a figure. A woman clad in red and leather. A rifle in her hand, she surveyed the land with its scope. Nothing but broken buildings were to be seen around her. Mangled cars and torn up streets. She reached for her belt and pressed a button on a small rectangular device.

"RJ, northern sector is clear." She whispered. She heard the voice in her head, as if the speaker were right by her ear.

"Natalia, we need you back at base immediately. Kurt is acting funny." said RJ's disembodied voice.

"On my way back"

Natalia was worried. Kurt is a Sensitive, someone who was in tune to this plane of existence. If he was acting funny, then something larger was going on. She remembers when she first arrived here, lost and confused in this wasteland. It was Kurt that found her. Explained her situation. And helped her get her bearings back. She worked with his group to protect this city, the only place that the Dread have yet to totally destroy. She shivered upon remembering the last time they encountered a Dread.

It was a colossal beast. It's head reaching the third floor of the buildings around them. It looked like a cross between a rhino and an octopus. Its powerful legs crushing the concrete beneath it, while its tentacles destroyed the buildings around. All of them fought hard, unleashing all the firepower they had. In the end, 15 of them were dissipated, a fate worse than death. They mourned their fallen comrades as the Dread slowly turned to ashes. Seeing its demise wasn't satisfactory, knowing that this beast had no value in comparison to the lives of their friends.

"Kurt was agitated before that Dread came too" Natalia murmured under her breath, as she quickened her pace and descended the stairs to get back to base. The thought that another Dread could come now, while they were low on firepower, was a very discomforting thought. She heard the slight klaxon in her head, the sign of an incoming voice

"Hey Nat, don't you thing we need to ask help from the nerds?" asked the voice of RJ.

"Ugh, I'd rather get dissipated" she answered

"Come on, it can't be that bad. I mean, they are able to protect their own sector"

"I know that. But the nerds are a pain to deal with. Either they attack you or think you are some sex toy for them to use" huffed Nat.

"Well, I mean look at you, hard to imagine how they could contain themselves" laughed RJ.

"Get out of my head now you bastard"

"Ok, ok, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood." "But seriously Nat, if this is another Dread attack coming, I don't think we have another choice. The Residents could help us, but we would all be dissipated before we could reach them for help" whispered RJ.

"I know RJ, we may all need to escape to Stormvalley for asylum." she sighed.

Nat unhooked the device from her belt and put it in her pocket, effectively terminating the conversation. She wasn't in the mood to discuss this any longer. She already knew what they needed to do if this was a Dread attack. As much as she hated it, this would mean an end to their independence. An end to their family. At the bottom of the stairwell, she approached a stack of boxes, behind it, her motorcycle was waiting. It was a simple looking machine, yet Natalia took care of it well. She knew that there were very few vehicles in this world. The last thing she needed was for a random person to take it for a joy ride and never be seen again. She straddled the bike, it automatically purred for her. She drove out of the building, heading south. Dust and pebbles flew around her as she sped up to get back to base. Riding was the only thing that gave her joy after the last attack. The feel of the wind as she jumped her bike between buildings. The thrill of reaching speeds she never dared in her other life.

It didn't take long for Natalia to reach base. It was a solid grey building made of concrete and steel. Kurt once told her it was brutalism architecture, harsh, sharp, and most importantly, strong. She never liked looking at the building, but the stories of how it survived the Dread war was enough for her to feel safety there. And with her family being there, it was home. Nat drove the motorcycle into the garage. It used to be a ground level car park, but they had closed off the space for added security, leaving only a portion of the front open. Just enough for the single vehicle they had. Two sentries stood on guard. Both men regarded her with a nod and a smile.

"Hey Nat, what's going on? The guys upstairs have been asking if you have come in like every 5 minutes" asked the tall blond man.

"Hey Sven, Kurt is a bit agitated"

Sven quickly lost his smile, and looked over at his partner, an Asian man with a bald head. He too now had a grimace.

"Is it a Dread?" asked the smaller man

"I don't know Kaito. But if it is, we better get ready to mobilize. We can't possibly win in our current state. Escape may be our only option" Nat responded with a grimace.

The two men looked at each other. They both knew Stormvalley was the only place they could escape to. Neither were thrilled.

"Talk to you guys later, I need to check on Kurt" she said with a wave as she passed them both and into the connecting hall towards the stairwell

God she hated stairs. Especially when your destination is seven floors up. Natalia knew that the top most floors, 8th and 9th were important tactical positions, it allowed them to see around the building for at least 5 blocks. They could take care of potential threats from a distance with their rifles. Kurt insisted that he needs to stay on the seventh, it was his personal space. As tiring as it was, everyone respected Kurt and respected his decision. After all, Kurt was the one who found all of them. The one who taught them how to use the weapons and communications devices. He was also the one to teach them how to meditate, and how this world works.

Nat opened the door on the seventh, and proceeded towards the main room. It could have been a large workforce area before, but now there were no partitions or dividers, just a massive open space that had Kurt's few furniture in it. And there in the middle of the floor was Kurt, meditating. His dirty blond hair hung limply around his face. He perpetually had a light stubble on his chin. Natalia though he was a handsome man, if only he didn't act like he was perpetually high on drugs. But that came with being a Sensitive. The energies of this plane was constantly surrounding him with emotions and sensations. Natalia remembered the time Kurt held her hand, and allowed her to experience what he does. It was nothing like she had ever experienced. Her mind was filled with random words, random ideas, and random equations. Her body felt multiple sensations, she felt a pinpricks in her chest, a rough touch on her arms, and pleasurable sensations all over. She had an orgasm in seconds of the experience. Kurt let go and laughed. How he could function while he was awash with all these thoughts and sensations was a mystery to her. So she can forgive him for acting like a drunk fool most of the time.

But now Kurt was silent. His body still and his face placid. Natalia took a seat on the floor across him. Waiting for Kurt to be done with his meditation. Kurt opened his eyes, they looked glossy and unfocused. He looked Nat in the eye, but it took a second for realization to set in

"Oh Natalia thank you for coming, I need you, we all need you now" he was almost sobbing.

"What wrong Kurt? Are we under attack? Is it a Dread? How big…" Nat was unable to finish as Kurt lunged forward and pressed a finger to her lips.

"No Nat. Not a Dread. Something far more dangerous if you don't get to it first" Kurt said as he leaned back, freeing Nat's lips.

"What is it then? What do you need me to do?" Asked Nat with eyes wide, 'what in the world could be more dangerous than the Dread?' she thought to herself

"An Influencer. A new Influencer has entered the plane"

Nat's eyes grew wider. Her heart beating faster. An Influencer. In this world, there is another name for Influencers; World Enders.