Manhattan Lost

Through The Fire and Flames.

June 8th, 2015. 5:15 pm. Madison Square Garden.

"I remember it well, almost as if it were yesterday. The crowd was tightly packed together, even in such a big venue. The music was great. Some local band opened, and they weren't all that bad. I'm sure they would've made it further. But the main act was what really did it for me. Superhero. Never met the other three, but that was the first time I'd seen my best friend in a good seven years or so, and of course it was at Madison Square Garden. His name's Zeke. He was the lead singer. He'd made it, and I was proud of him for it. I would've gone to talk to him if that day wasn't what it was. Because almost everybody in that building was dead within the hour."

"It was out of nowhere. The roof caved in, crushing a lot of people just with the rubble. I thought it was a bomb at first. A terrorist attack. But when I looked up, I wished that's what it was. But this? No, this was something much, much worse. It was like Godzilla or King Kong, or something. Something out of a monster movie. I got out by the skin of my teeth, before fire erupted out of the doors and windows. A shard of glass got me in the arm. It's still scarred over. I don't know how many others survived, but I know that wasn't the only one of them. All over the city, these things were attacking, for seemingly no reason. I hid out in Central Park. Nearly killed myself getting there. Running at top speed for two miles straight is taxing. But the payoff was worth it. I used the trees as camo and built a fortress inside the Belvedere Castle. The only times I ever left were to find food and weapons lying around in abandoned shops. Life was simple, and I liked it that way. But little did I know that things were gonna get a lot more complicated."

August 8th, 2020. 9:18 pm. Central Park.

The sky was pitch black. Night blanketed the destruction below, almost like a traumatized child hiding beneath a quilt from an abusive parent. Stars shone like holes between the fabric, and clouds rolling in from the west were reminiscent of the shadowed figures, with their raised voices loud as thunder above. But no blanket can hide the damage that's been done. Entire city blocks had been reduced to rubble, subway stations turned to sinkholes, and Central Park became more like a forest. New York City has been destroyed. Manhattan lost to the tyranny that these monstrous beasts have wrought down upon it, for reasons unbeknownst to the survivors of their onslaught. But one sole person has managed to escape the eyes of the beasts this whole time. His name? Connor Ishikawa. Connor remained hidden within Central Park as it overgrew due to the absence of its caretakers. Now, a jungle, Central Park served as the perfect place to hide from New York's new beastial rulers. Tall grass, overgrown trees, deep ponds, and belvedere castle at the center. A lonesome paradise.

In the current moment, Connor rested in a hammock set up on the castle's third-level balcony, overlooking the rest of the impressive structure, as well as the woods below. Though the chaos outside his forest hideaway made itself known in the loudest way possible, Connor took solace in the fact that none had found his home amongst the rubble. It was peaceful, quiet, and safe. A rare commodity in this world.

In his hand rested a book. A comic book starring his favorite hero: Cyberman. In this issue, Cyberman confronts his arch enemy after being seduced by her to create an evil clone of him. By far one of the least-liked issues among fans of the franchise, but one that Connor resonated with, as his own experiences in the game of love weren't too different from Cyberman's own mistakes.

"I know how you feel, Cyberman. Love tarking sucks." The man mumbled, referencing a common lingo within the comic's universe while keeping his voice low in order not to attract unwanted attention. An effort that would soon prove to be pointless, as a threat made itself known within the same minute. And make itself known it did, as the trees in the distance had caught fire. Screaming could be heard as well. Immediately, Connor leapt out of his hammock and armed himself. Thanks to the years of hiding and raiding the rubble outside, Connor was well armed. What wasn't stolen by tribes of survivors ended up hidden within Belvedere Castle, all for Connor to use whenever he felt like. So, equipped with over 100 rounds to spare for his 1911 pistol, and AR-15 rifle, Connor made haste to the burning trees, making the journey to the north woods as fast as he could. Though with the sheer distance, the weight of his weaponry, and destroyed bridges over the vehicle pass-throughs, Connor couldn't make it fast enough. And as once he'd arrived, the horror of what he'd found would haunt him for the rest of his days.

"AHHHHHHHHHH-" So cried out an innocent young man as his flesh melted off his bones within the shadow of a titan. A large, lizard-like creature with fire for eyes, and two tails. Like a twisted depiction of a dragon. Though Connor had no time to remain frozen in fear, as the beast had its sights set on another. A woman with black hair, wearing a golden crucifix necklace. Connor couldn't let another die such a gruesome death. Perhaps it was his morals, or perhaps a hero complex. Whatever the case, Connor had to do something fast. He quickly tried to get the beast's focus off of the terrified woman by firing exactly three rounds from his rifle. These bullets collided with the creature's jaw, and although it had no pupils in its fiery eyes, Connor could feel a gaze as piercing as the bullets he'd just shot. Immediately after, the beast charged at him instead. This would lead to Connor charging towards the beast, and moving into a forward roll so he could go beneath the creature, and unload his rifle into its stomach. A decent bit of damage, but far from enough to take the flaming monster down.

As the beast roared in pain from its injuries, Connor swiftly tried to reload his rifle. However, the beast had other plans. Tilting its head to see the man's position, it would let the loudest roar yet escape its scaly lips. It then began trying to stomp Connor, but the man swiftly rolled out of the way and began firing pistol rounds directly into the beast's mouth. Again, some decent damage, but nothing life-threatening. This flaming engine of destruction wasn't going to go down with just a couple of bullets. Connor needed to find a weak spot, and fast. Otherwise, the woman and he both would end up as dead as the boy who lay as a burnt corpse.

Upon escaping the monster's stomping attack, Connor attempted to fire at the beast once again. However, it was the monster who shot first this time. And Connor would almost immediately lose his gun, as one of the beast's quills launched from its back, and lodged itself in the rifle. What made it worse was when the quill began to glow. With wide eyes, Connor threw the rifle at the beast, assuming he'd just been tagged with an explosive. And sure enough, he was right. The gun exploded, sending bullets flying off in random directions, and one of which grazed Connor's shoulder. However, time wasn't on his side, so he'd simply have to grit his teeth and push through.

"GAH! Fuck, that hurt! At least it wasn't deep... Dammit, now what do I do, what do I do...?" Connor thought as he looked around the area, seeing little more than burning trees, the charred remains of the boy, and a cinder block structure. And that structure was the main thing that stood out in the center of this burning hellscape. A box of cinder blocks that acted as a pointless fort for a battle that never happened, but would now serve as Connor's saving grace. For as soon as he caught sight of the blockhouse in the distance, Connor realized just where in the park they all were. "Wait, deep! That's it! Time to take a dip, you flaming freak!" Connor thought, an idea jolting into his mind as his eyes darted towards the direction of the Harlem Meer, one of the three biggest bodies of water in the park. And luckily, Connor still had his handgun. So as the beast was distracted by the rifle explosion, Connor clutched his bullet wound, and ran off towards the lake, firing rounds and taunts alike to lure the beast to its watery doom.

"Hey ugly, I'm over here!" Connor called out, running off the very second he had the dragon's attention. And ran he did, as far as his legs would carry him, until he finally reached the lake. Once there, Connor would turn to confront the monster, only to be plowed into by the beast, sending both of them into the water. And at that point, Connor went all out. The beast's powers couldn't function properly beneath the water, so Connor now had the advantage at the cost of a broken rib or two. Regardless, Connor laid into the beast. Punch after punch to its face before gripping its neck with both his arms and legs, using the last of his strength to try and break it. A plan that was quickly met with Connor's back slamming into the lakebed, knocking the air out of his lungs, and rendering him unconscious. It seemed the beast had won, but it too was about to die beneath the waves, with the only method of survival lay in the human that had just tried to murder it. So, the beast played its final card in this twisted game of life.

The dragon's body began glowing bright orange, its light shining through the water that threatened to extinguish it as bright as the sun itself. Then, it started to soften, as if transforming into gelatin. A disgusting process, which only grew worse as the beast absorbed Connor within its gelatinous form. The unconscious Connor's body would then be invaded by the creature, with its energy seeping through his very skin, until the beast was no more, and the two had become one.