Jack's Story (PG-13)

[Harthad]

This is a story told in 4 chapters. I think that some people out there know where I got the origins from.

CHAPTER ONE

The bank was unusually crowded today, it being the first of January, 2012. Bills needed to be paid, checks deposited and Jack was up to his head in business. He did his duty well, cracking jokes, calling each regular customer by name. But all Jack really wanted to do was to explore the world.

His green trench coat swished around his legs as he made his way over to Miss Williams' safe deposit box. He jiggled the handle two times. It wouldn't budge.

"Miss Williams, I need your key please."

The key was a foreign thing, with it's mini globe suspended at one end. The sweet old lady claimed that you could see the whole universe in that globe, but Jack didn't believe her.

The safe deposit door swung open and Jack reached inside to get the money.

"How much, Miss?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"You'll know when you find it, dear."

How odd, he thought. His eyes fell upon a globe filled with brilliant light.

"Is this what you wanted?" Jack reached out to take the globe, and the light shone brighter. It overpowered him, and he blacked out.

*

"Jack."

"Jack."

"Jack!"

Jack opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of the bank. No one was there. He picked his head up and looked over to his right hand. The glass globe was miraculously sitting on his opened palm. Jack sat up, wincing as he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. I must have sprained it or something when I fell, he thought.

"You have caused the destruction of the entire human race, Jack. Only you are left."

Jack whirled around. Standing there was a child, a girl with short brown hair and piercing green eyes.

"Um. . . who are you, and where are your parents?" he asked.

"I am not a human child, Jack. I am called the Guider. This is my preferred form."

Jack could only stare, his mind not processing this fast enough.

"Jack, you are the last of the Humans. You killed them when you simply touched that globe."

His eyes traveled over to the globe which was still sitting on his outstretched palm.

"It is no longer activated, and it never will be again. There are no more humans left. Earth is repairing itself as we speak."

"No no no no NO! This can't be happening." Jack stood up and started pacing. "This-this is all a dream. Just a dream. Just. A. DREAM!" he kicked the side of the safe deposit box. The child walked over to him and took his hand in hers.

"Jack, listen to me. You must accept the facts. You are the last of the Humans. Just as I am the last of the Guiders. . . . . "

She trailed off. Her saddened eyes searched Jack's confused ones.

"I know how hard this is for you, Jack. But you must trust me. Believe me, for the sake of the universe."

Jack pulled away.

"Whoa. I don't even know you. Why-why are you telling me this? The humans-we- are still alive. Look!"

He flung open the door to the bank. Cold air and sunlight greeted him, but there was no noise in the once busy London. No traffic, no conversations and no people. Only the cries of the birds resounded against the once full London. Jack's eyes wandered over the stores, windows and streets.

"This can't be happening." he breathed.

His shoes echoed against the roads as he took off away from the bank. The green trench coat flew behind him as he ran. Jack's mind was denying what had just happened. Jack ran and ran, searching for signs of life.

He didn't find any.

[Harthad]

CHAPTER TWO

Jack tripped on a grove in the street and fell flat on his face. He rose and looked straight into the eyes of a skeleton. It was dressed in normal clothes, a plaid coat and a watch on one wrist. Jack recoiled quickly.

"That-that's my friend's sister." he stuttered.

"Now you know the truth." Jack turned and saw the Guider.

"Why was that globe in Miss Williams' safe deposit box?" he asked.

"The one you call Miss Williams is the last of her race that seek to control. They are called the Prosperous. She will stop at nothing to kill you, and then so have the planet Earth at her mercy."

"Miss Williams? Kill me? She couldn't hurt a fly if she tried!"

"Looks can be deceiving, Jack." the Guider said simply.

"Come."

Jack followed her through the streets. The silence was disquieting. He saw skeletons everywhere, dressed as normal people. A poodle ran around a skeleton, sniffing and barking, it's leash trailing behind it. But Jack was most freaked out by a small baby skeleton. Knowing that he had killed them all was even worse.

*

The Guider and Jack stopped beside the bank of the Thames River.

"Guider, why was I not destroyed when I touched that globe?"

"The person holding the globe is resilient to it's function. However, that person's species, is not."

"Why did Miss Williams want to destroy humans?"

"She wanted you to know how horrible it is being the last of your kind. Also, humans killed her sister and she wanted revenge."

"Why me?"

The Guider faced Jack.

"You are everything humans need to be. Compassionate, caring and respectful. Jack, you must risk everything to save the humans. They must survive or my people will never exist to help. As long as there are humans, the Guiders can guide. If the human race becomes extinct, I will die. I am already fading."

Jack absorbed this new information into his mind. He put out a hand to steady himself against the railing.

"How? How do I save the humans?" His knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

"I'm just a human myself. I can't do anything special and even if I do have the qualities you mentioned, how will they protect me against Miss Williams?"

The Guider knelt down next to him.

"They will not protect you, Jack. This will."

To be continued. . . .