Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 53

In his youth, Ryan was a loner. High school was especially difficult, as most loners tend to stand out and eventually become the targets of bullies. So he made his best attempt to get lost in the crowd; to fly under the radar, as it were. However, this did not stop every girl in school from chasing after him, as he was also a rather handsome young man. Before he realized it, the four years of peer-to-peer torment was over and Ryan found himself in line to receive his diploma. But this was not enough. He had a flair for the artistic and, with his art skills, in the traditional sense; he applied to Clark University and majored in architecture. There, his passion for design took flight, producing unorthodox work that would later stand as monuments to the modern era. He had been in Troy for only three years when he was made a full partner in the firm he was first employed in after college. He married almost as soon as he graduated, and his first child arrived soon after--then, the second. But the hours needed for him to climb the ladder of success took its toll and his wife, having grown to feel neglected, filed for divorce. Out of resentment, his now, ex-wife kept him from visiting his two children. As young as they were, if he was kept from indefinitely, chances were good that they would grow up never knowing they even had a father. It was this that took the deepest gouge out of Ryan’s soul. He continued working, but the constant reminder of never seeing his children left him dead inside. He hired a lawyer, but the gears of the legal process tend to grind slowly. His ex-wife fought back, having him declared an incompetent father based on an overblown claim of child neglect. He was on his own and alone. Although he had become quite dashing since his days in high school, he stayed clear of most social activity. Finding the adjustment to life without his children, he opted for therapy. But reflecting on one's present circumstances also means delving into one's mistakes. And then there’s pain. True change never arrives without the price of some degree of anguish. This, of course, only served to drive Ryan deeper into despair.

It was on a clear day that Ryan found himself standing on top of the run-down tenement building with his toes creeping over the edge. He had had enough and was now looking to resolve his pain in the only manner he saw available. But as he poised himself to leave his world behind, he looked down at his watch, noting the time. For some reason, he removed his watch, tossing it behind him. He never thought about why--he simply did it. Some of the things people are acted out without purpose or explanation. If life is nothing more than a set of random events, then so too might our own individual lives. It then becomes a matter of managing the quicksand of chaos that tends to surround us.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan prepared to end his life when he was distracted by a sudden display of lights—a curtain of green drifting across the sky. He knew what it was, but why here? These things only manifested near the Arctic Circle. But the broad ribbon of light was met by the sound of screams coming from the direction of the downtown area. For a moment, Ryan’s suicide became overshadowed by curiosity as he ran down the stairs and outside, towards downtown.

Stopping suddenly in the street, Ryan’s senses were thrown into shock by the sight of the abundant dead strewn about the sidewalk. They were everywhere, many lying in a pool of blood. It seemed that one moment there was chaos; the next, there was quiet as the haunting sound of silence filled the air. Fearing for his life, Ryan ran the short distance to a nearby alley. As he glanced around the corner, he felt the warm touch of a hand grasping his. Abigail had been witness to the horrific scene of watching people drop in midstride and hid behind a dumpster at the back of the alley. This was the beginning of their adventurous life together, as well as their bond—lovers trying desperately to avoid those who had reverted back to nothing more than animals.