Raining numbers

August, an 11-year-old boy, is in battle with what appears to him as a tree monster. For a weapon he had crafted a cardboard cutout of a sword and some armor, because without it he would be in a drastic disadvantage. The demon stares at him with intent to win, August doesn't back down and places his sword down in the ground. "I will destroy your presence here and now!" he yells. August, stands with a firm posture, proudly defending his honor and his country as a hero would. The monster flings its branch toward August. August in a blink of an eye, pulls out his sword and runs toward the monster while evading its initial attack. He grabs his sword with his two hands and ... "SLASH" cuts through the monster's bark and with a final push he lets out a scream, "AHHH".

The monster, now sliced in two, appears behind the hero to have fallen in battle.

Suddenly a siren can be heard. August turns back around to see a cop is pulling up to the area, entering the battlefield. August without hesitation, without any thought, without any remorse to his surroundings or others, he takes off, running from the cop. The officer begins to chase him, but his third lunch is keeping his stomach from keeping up, but he doesn't give up. August in desperation tries to ride his cardboard sword down the hill. "It's the only way I can beat him". He thinks to himself. He tries and fails and runs downhill stumbling falling. He reaches the bottom and looks up to see if the officer is anywhere nearby. The officer rides the hill down with one leg kneed up and the other straight with the hill to keep his momentum going straight." Hold up son, I just want to talk to you about this ruckus your causing". August is too far to hear. "Fuck" says August while heading away from the officer to a corner of a park not too far from his current location. There he sees his majestic horse, Arthur. He climbs aboard and begins pedaling. The cop sees him climb aboard his bicycle and decides he is not going to chase a kid for causing a ruckus.

August begins to ride down a street named the 3rd. Takes a left into the 2nd and pedals until he climbs over the hill and follows it down to 4th street. Where he takes a right going away from the city. Finally hits a road called 1st street and goes off road biking hard up a very steep hill and finally reaching a very big orphanage. St. Louis orphanage it reads.

Before August can go inside the orphanage he runs over, now off his bike, toward a forest area away from the orphanage. "There, sister aqua won't be able to steal my stuff this time". He places his sword, bike, and cardboard armor in a small tent he made by the side of a tree not to far from the orphanage.

He begins heading back to the entrance when he hears the nuns talking about where august is.

"He wasn't at breakfast and it's already noon" one nun says.

" I don't believe that boy has eaten" another says.

" Have you checked his room?"

" It was locked".

" That naughty boy" one nun says.

" We are waiting for the master nun to get here with the keys"

august decides it's probably better to go around and can't get in since it's locked. A nun is throwing away the trash and he's trying to sneak past her, but another nun comes, and he goes back into hiding. They start smoking.

August looks hopeless and sees his friend " eve" he yells.

The nuns notice the sound and take out their Arabian swords. Eve is holding a window. He tried to get up the window but couldn't reach so he hid and told eve to hide. August goes around the corner and hears a car. The priest is there, and the nuns start telling him that august 's door is locked. August gets worried and starts biting his nails. The two nuns are now wearing turbans and are wearing desert getup. The door in the back then opens and the voice of the pastor is heard telling the nuns to head back inside. August sighs begins looking around for something to step so he can reach the second story window. "August" tells eve up here and she throws down a clean rope. Thank you, Rapunzel, for your hair says august while giggling. August grabs the hair and begins climbing the 50-story building. Slipping at the end but making it. "Where we you" she says. " Increasing one's strength" August says. So, practicing? She questioned. August nods. "Hurry and get in your bed, father's approaching" he jumps into his bed. Instantly the door opens, and the nuns call his name. "Yes sir?" He answers in a drowsy mood.

"Where have you been August" a nun said.

"Why here of course, where else?"

"Why didn't both of you come for breakfast," said the father.

"We slept late because of the battle," said eve.

"Who was battling," said the father.

"A knight fighting a dragon at the top of a castle" said august.

"Who won?" Whispered the father to august ear.

" The dragon was victorious since the knight was lacking in physical training and couldn't stand up to the magnificent beast and its sheer strength"

"Maybe the knight should practice more"

" The knight will come back stronger and gain the upper hand against its ferocious beast"

" I certainly hope so"

" Well lunch is ready, and I know the knight and the dragon are hungry from a long battle, so hurry it up and eat" stated the father.

"Yes, sir" august replied.

"Okay" said eve.

Somewhere across town

"May you point me in the direction of St. Louis orphanage sir" a strange man questions a store owner.

"Oh, it's at the top of the hill head down this street and when you see the stop sign painted yellow make a left and it should be a straight shot down that way"

"Thank you, sir," the man pays as thanks for the information and begins moving down the hill.

Back at the orphanage

"I heard that behind the orphanage in the woods to the right there lies a beast that stalks kids with its green eyes and if one gets to close it will snatch it away." A boy says while shivering.

"That's just a story that the nuns say to scare us" August says.

"Even if this monster existed, it wouldn't stand chance against me and my trusty sidekick". He looks over at Eve and smiles, while standing on the table imagining a sword and a full armor set.

"Sit down august we don't want the nuns to get us in trouble again" says the boy.

August's eyes begin to flicker. They appear to expand to the point where only green can be seen in his eyes. And begins bleeding.

Eves ears begin to bleed.

August falls of the table and breaks his ankle. Eve passes out on the table.

While august begins to lose consciousness, he sees the nuns rushing to help him.

Stars appear on August's eyes. August sees himself standing in the middle of space, looking at three different planets.

He looks amazed and in shock. A light begins to shine from his back. A voice can be heard whispering to August's ear.

August jumps from fear and begins running as fast as he can. Unknown to him, he can't move.

August notices and turns toward the light, not sure what to do.

The voice disappears and the light then turned into a man. August tries his best to find its face but it's almost as if his memory gets wiped every time he sees it. The body seems fused into the space.

"So, your name is August, number 3"

"Huh, number 3?"

"Have you not noticed your sign?"

"What sign?"

"Hmm" the man seemed to smile.

August turns around and looks at the planets then asks the man, "Where are we?"

"We are in your dream."

"My dream?"

The man kept quiet.

"Who are you?"

Again, no answer.

"You called me number 3, what does that mean?"

"It's your sign" he answered quickly

...

"Should I be scared of you?" August's eyes switch from a fear driven state to curious.

"There is nothing to fear from me, I am only trying to help you, but it seems it's too early. Goodbye August"

"Wait!" August screams.

The dream world seems to break down and August looks around then falls down into nothingness.

August wakes up sweating, and the glow of his green stared eyes dims down. Eve still asleep next to August. August sees Eve sleeping and snoring. He gets irritated and picks up the bed and drops her on the floor.

Eve stands up and her back is faced to August. As she raises, her shirt is stuck on her bra. August sees something strange on her back.

"...a snake?!?"

"SNAKEEE?!??" Eve screams.

"WHERE, WHERE?!?"

".... wait, Eve stop moving"

Eve stops fast but she still shivers and shakes.

"I'm going to lift your shirt" August states

"Wait..." Eve blushes.

August lifts her shirt and sees it is not a snake but a weird swirl.

".... when did you get this tattoo?" August asks, puzzled.

"Tattoo?... I don't have no tattoos" Eve blush seems to leave her face.

"It kind of looks like a 2"

"A 2?"

August rips of her shirt and sees a number 2 on her back.

"Ahhhhh!!!" She screams.

A nun walks in and sees August with pieces of Eve's shirt. Eve blushes and slaps August. The nun grabs August.

"Young man what are you doing?"

"You're going to the private room; you can rest there by yourself!!"

She then picks up August and carries him on her back. The whole time August is thinking about what the man told him.

He reminisces.

"Was the number 2 what he was talking about?" He remembers.

"Wait, 2? aren't I 3?" he thinks to himself.

The nun throws August toward a bed and states, "Stay here, you have to rest and don't go near Eve, we will find out how to deal with you later August."

As the nun leaves August gets up and takes of his shirt. He tries his best to see his back but to no avail. He puts his shirt back on. He goes toward the door to see if the nun is gone. He opens the door and sees the hallway clean and abandoned. He runs toward the right and gets inside the second door to the left. He rushes and closes the door behind him. He sighs in relief.

"Hey August" a voice can be heard from inside the bathroom.

August turns around.

Seeing that Eve is standing there with a new shirt.

"Sorry for destroying your shirt Eve" August says while kneeing down with one leg on the floor and one arm on his heart.

"I saw the sign, well the number"

"So, it was a 2 then?"

"It was, but it's written weird"

August takes off his shirt and shows his back to the mirror and sees that he has a 3 on his back.

"A 3!!" August looks amazed.

"When did we get these numbers on our backs. I didn't have mine yesterday." Eve asks August.

August puts his shirt on, "it's the name that the man in my dream called me" August realizes.

"What dream?"

"One I had after I passed out. He had told me that my name was 3"

"So does that make me 2?"

"I believe so"

August and Eve turn toward the door where they hear footsteps approaching the restroom. A fellow orphan kid comes in and sits on the toilet and sighs releasing a big fart. August and Eve are hiding inside the shower. Just sitting and closing their noses.

"Eve..."

"What August" they whisper.

"Choke me to sleep"

"Why would I do that" she says angrily.

"I want to see the man again maybe he can explain what is going on"

"I don't think it'll work"

"We have to try"

".... okay but how hard do I have to choke you"

"Just enough for me to lose consciousness" he holds her hand, "It's okay, this is necessary"

"Fine, just don't die"

"Okay but if I tap your..."

Eve grabs his head and places it in a choke hold.

"Wait" he says softly

Eve pressures his head and August begins losing consciousness and Eve let's go.

Letting August body fall into the bathtub.

Eve sees the boy wipe his ass and gags.

The boy doesn't wash his hands and leaves. Eve gets up and closes the shower sheet.

"It's better if I leave, he'll probably wake up in a little bit, plus what would the nuns think if they see us together in the bathtub" she blushes and hurries away.

August back in space sees the world and called out for the man.

"Where art thou"

"Show yourself so I can proclaim my confusion"

The man appears from the light and bows toward August.

"Hello 3, we meet again"

"Why do you call me 3, what does the 3 on my back mean!?" he screams.

"It just means that you are a chosen one, you will bring this world into peace and prosperity, and my world also."

"Your world?" August asks.

The man picks up August with nothing. He just appears to float. He turns August and shows him the worlds behind him.

"The one you are currently in is Aphrodite, Paz and Ichi are the name of the other two" the man explains.

"This isn't what I was taught, I had thought there was only one planet, Aphrodite"

"As all of Aphrodite believes, but the worlds are hidden from mere mortals. Something you used to be mere hours ago, but now you can see the world as it is at its truest"

After a brief pause from August, he asks

"What lives in those worlds?"

He stares at the worlds and with a slight smile says, "Every beast, monster, dragon, hybrids, people, you can dream of"

August begins looking at the world in awe

...

"August I am showing you this because I want something from you" the man asks with a serious face

"What do you ask of me?" August responds back

"There is all manner of evil creatures in this world, monsters that can destroy entire cities and some even the world with their vile intentions"

"... interesting..."

"I want you to free the world of the pain is harbors. I ask of you now August please save the world from the evil and shine through, be an inspiration to the people of Aphrodite" the man waits an answer from August. August looks at Aphrodite and the two other monster planets, Ichi, and Paz, and smiles with an adventurous look.

"I will rule these worlds and conquer all the beast, releasing the people from this evil" While August says this his green eyes appear to shift and turn expand and shrink. Glowing with a bright light, as if he could see the future.

The man smiles and notices his hand begins to fade.

"It seems my time is up I hope that you will save the world in a very pleasing way, goodbye"

"Goodbye" August says proudly and prepared for the challenge ahead.

August wakes up and sees that he's still in the bathtub. "I have to go find Eve".