Feathers That Destroy - Aurora Kryan (bill gates book recommendations TXT) 📗

I was laying on the swing set swaying with the warm summer breeze stroking my dogs head with my hand as I went back and forth. It was a pretty normal boring day just like another. Oh wait today wasn’t a normal day it was “the end of the world” Yeah right people had been saying that for months now “today’s the day the world ends” I groaned and rolled off the swing walking out to the street to go for a walk with my dog Casper.

“Jasmine, honey don’t forget his collar!”

I turned and caught a black dog collar just before it hit me in the face. My mother smiled at me and retreated back into our house.

She’s probably of another one of her baking sprees

I guessed because of the apron she wore and the flour prints on her face.

“Yeah thanks mom.”

I walked backwards till my mother’s willowy figured disappeared into the house completely. After I slipped Casper’s collar over his big white head I spun around and ran right into someone. It was like running into a wall and I went flying back. There was a big thud as we both fell on the ground in opposite directions.

“Ow man watch where you’re going.”

“Sorry I didn’t, hey Cory.”

I jumped up at smiled at my friend as he pushed himself off the sidewalk. I noticed that he looked different today his messy black hair was actually neat instead of just brushed back. I also noticed that he wore a nice black jacket and was Gothed out. Black studded bracelets a necklace and even belt, his black shirt hugged his body and it too was black with a white skull on it.

The whole look was weird for him but he looked hot. He had finished dusting himself off while I was thinking and now he was just standing there looking at me. Casper whimpered from behind me being as uneasy as ever around Cory, there was something about him Casper just didn’t like. I placed my hand on Casper's head to calm him before I turned back to Cory.

“Dude Cory you got a date or something.”

“Na it’s the end of the world thought I’d look nice and go out with a bang. Besides I like this look.”

“You are so weird and come on what are the odds there actually right this time.”

“I’d say there g-“

Cory didn’t have a chance to finish because Casper began to bark like crazy over him despite my attempts to calm him. I crouched down to see if he had seen a squirrel or if Cory had gotten to him again and I had to take him back to the house. But that wasn’t it he was barking at the sky.

I looked up and saw something I wasn’t sure what it was because Cory’s arm was in the way and he was yelling get down as he pushed me down. Casper yelped as Cory fell on top of him but he was having none of that. Casper growled snapping a warning bite at Cory's face to get off. Cory complied wanting to keep his face in one peace I suspected.

“What the heck was that for Cory?”

“Your house!”

“What?”

He looked stunned and turned me to look at this burning wreak of what I could only guess use to be a two story house. A yellow two story house with a porch that had a swing on it, around the property was silly white picket fence and gate, just inside the corner of the yard would be a red dog house with clumsily write name hung over the entrance. In the kitchen would be a woman in her early forties cooking like a chicken with her head cut off. And her teenage daughter that lived with her was out of the house at the moment.

“My house!”

I took off at a dead run screaming for my mom to be ok, willing her to be ok. My mind was working so fast that I thought I heard Cory yelling my name and running after me. I thought I heard Casper barking at the sky still back where we had been talking like another day, I thought I heard an explosion there to and Casper stop barking. I knew I saw a man flying in the sky next me in everyday clothes and he looked bored of all things.

“Jasmine, no stop!”

Cory had finally caught up to me and pulled my arm to stop me as but I was still going forward one foot at a time. He pulled me into his arms wrapping them around my body. Breathlessly whispered in my ear ‘please stop I don’t want you to get hurt. I couldn’t stand it if you did. I care too much for anything to happen to you Jasmine please’ that totally stopped me.

Did Cory like me?

We had been friends since middle school and I didn't think he cared that much.

But I would worry about that latter. Right now I had to get to my mother. I still noticed the man that was flying next to me had stopped he was watching us waiting almost like he was waiting for something.

Something from me?

I felt like he was watching me or Cory I didn't know which but it was creeping me out.

I kept struggling against Cory’s arms as explosions went on around us, people screamed, the sky grew darker and darker it was almost like the sun was being blocked out. And it was. I looked to the side and saw the sun turning a bright red and then burn out into a dead black and faintly glow blue like the moon.

“Jasmine you have to stop ok your moms dead if she was inside she’s dead we have to leave or were dead to ok, ok.”

He hugged me tighter seeing I was coming to my senses some maybe enough to be reasoned with. I whispered the word ‘ok’ ans he let me go feeling the fight fall from me. I didn’t move I just starred at the flying man with a great hatred. It was his fault this happened he was the one who burned my house. My anger boiled to the point of bursting and the phrase “seeing red” had a new meaning for me.

I was seeing red and the man in the sky was my target. I scooped up a rock that smoldered near me getting ready to pitch it at his head. But just before I throw the rock I looked down at it for some strange reason. With a sickening feeling I dropped it and screamed bloody murder. I ran into Cory again and we both fell to the ground. it was becoming my new best friend I had never fallen so much in one day.

“What what is it Jasmine?”

“My, my moms, my mom’s skull!”

I pointed at the “rock” I was about to throw. With my face buried in Cory's chest I could feel him shiver and convulse holding back bile, bile that I couldn't and I soon shoved away from him and puked my guts out. He got up composed himself faster then I could pulling me up and supporting me best he could. I kept trying to walk to my house mumbling that it wasn't her it was someone else.

We both knew better. The skull had a golden hair pin with a heart shaped diamond melted to it. It was the same one of a kind hair pin I had bought her for mother’s day two weeks before. I scanned the sky for the man and wished he was there so I could throw something at him but he was gone.

A brilliant ball of light hit a little too close to home and Cory looked at me his eyes said we-are-screwed. And there was something else in them something I would never have noticed if I wasn't looking for it.

“We have to get out of her-“


And then just like out of some cartoon Cory coughed and his eyes went dark and lifeless as he fell almost face planting in the dirt. Panic finally caught up with me and I freaked out screaming his name and shaking him telling him to wake up. I think I even started crying as I tugged at his black shirt. I don’t know how long I did that before I punched the ground and cursed long sentences about the man.

And crying because I couldn't do a thing for Cory, it’s not like I could call 911 and an ambulance would come it was the end of the world. A woman from town ran by me man knocked me over. She didn’t say a word to me she just kept running till a ball of light hit and killed her. I felt sorry for her it was so close to me, a few had been but none of them would hit me and end this.

I just laid there where she had left me looking up waiting to be killed by whatever was destroying everything around me. I think two minutes passed by and another person ran by me. This time it was a man with a brief case. He got about fifteen yards father then the woman before he too became smoldering bone.

“Why don’t you kill me already?!”

I screamed at the man flying in the sky, he had black wings I noted, it was the same man from before, the one in black jeans and sneakers. He didn't wear a shirt and he was blond. I picked up a rock, I was sure it was a rock this time, and flung it at him.

He didn’t make an effort to move didn’t even flinch the rock just disappeared when it got close to the dripping feather in his hand. I probably had what was coming next but I hadn’t actually expected him to come down. He was right in my face next thing I knew and he was mad.

“You ungrateful little flea one of our own protecting you and you dare to throw a rock at me insolent brat.”

He punched me in the gut so hard it took me minutes to get even a little air back in my lungs. I was curled up on my side gasping, pleading for air but he wouldn’t have that. He lifted me by my shirt that expression of utter boredom still on his face. With strength I didn’t think he had he, but then again he had wings so who knew what he could do, throwing me across the street and into a wall of what use to be the old recreation hall.

He floated over to me staying in the air like being on the ground with me was to discussing for him. He looked down on me still looking bored but a hint of anger flickered in his ice cold eyes. I took in a rasping breath of heated pain. I must have hurt a few ribs when I hit the brick wall.

“I don’t care what the rules are Cory can take me to trial all he wants.”

“How do you know Cory?”