Zero (2)
The train suddenly stopped half an hour into the journey. There were only a handful of passengers on the train. The sudden change in inertia had jolted Kellogg out of his seat.
"Attention all passengers. Please remain calm and exit the train." the intercom in the train repeated.
"What's happening?" someone asked loudly.
"I don't know"
"Lets go outside"
When they stepped outside, the scenery was unfamiliar. It should have been buildings, but it looked like a barren landscape. While everyone was confused, someone shouted
"Hey Check the News"
Kellogg opened the news app on his phone. It read
{Catgirl Luna Levels a city}
{Catgirl or monster? The celebrity catgirl Luna leveled a city with a mere flick of her wrist.} {No survivors reported as the entire city was flattened into a barren landscape}
"No! My kids are still there!" someone screamed and ran towards the flatland.
It was unreal.
***
"They're still ok."
Kellogg was now running across the plain. The ground had small bits of concrete and glass.
He prayed and hoped that his parents were safe. For the first time in a long time, he felt really scared. He didn't respect them much and hurt them a lot of times, but still they were his parents. Now the years worth of guilt crashing down on him. His mother cries echoed in his ears.
"They're still ok."
The desperate attempt to stay calm was reaching its limit.
{You have reached your destination}
The phone buzzed.
His jaw dropped as he looked around. What should have been his house was now some rubble indistinguishable from the surroundings.
{You have 1 new message from Dad}
{I'm sorry son. I know you'll be angry at me because I slapped you. But I couldn't control myself.} {You are still our precious son. Your brother loved it when we did stuff together as a family. } {That's why we stay at home together on his day. But I guess that doing that won't bring him back.} {You're right I guess. Remembering him will only make us more sad. So next time we'll stop this charade. Tonight we're have a surprise for you. Get back soon alright.}
Kellogg. The meaning of the word was 'butcher'. Did his father expect him to be like this in advance and named him? Whatever be the reason, he realised that it perfectly suited him. He butchered (made a mess) his family.
His legs gave away as he finished reading the message. He couldn't even say sorry to them. Yet they asked for forgiveness from him even though it was his fault. As tears fell on the rubble, he realised something 'I truly am the lowest scum on Earth'.
***
Kellogg became the first post-human soldier in the world. He was the perfect harmony of man and machine. The pain of losing his family shook him to the core. He joined the resistance and became a cold blooded killer who killed anyone when ordered, without hesitation.
***
Shortly after the 'catgirl' incident, a new being came to Earth. Her name was Una and she was a demon. Humans no were longer idolising them. Una decimated Europe by reviving an extinct volcano. The after effects caused global cooling and spawned a new Ice age. The beings kept on coming and continents and countries were destroyed by the strong beings from the another world. This was called 'The Inhuman Exchange'.
That is until he came. Icarus, the demon. Icarus was different from the other seven. He was much stronger than the others and allied himself with humanity and fought against them. They were defeated and fled from this world. Finally 10 years after the first attack, humanity was united and triumphed against its enemies. A lot of friends and family were lost, a lot of dreams and hopes were shattered but the victory soothed the pain. Icarus didn't stay for long after the Inhuman exchange ended and left soon after.
***
