Blood flew out of the man’s mouth. The man who had punched him smiled. He had a dirty white tank top on with some blood stained onto it. His arms were speckled with blood after punching the man many times. He had slicked black hair with a golden chain around his neck. Hanging off the thin chain was a golden cross. He smiled as the man he had punched slowly looked at him with bloodshot eyes. The small light above them made it feel like the room was much smaller.

“Por favor, no hice nada malo, (Please, I didn’t do anything wrong,)” the man said weakly.

“No es lo que estás haciendo, es lo que me estás ocultando, (It’s not what you’re doing, it’s what you’re keeping from me,)” the man said as he cracked his knuckles.

“José, ¿qué quieres de mí? ¡¿No te he dado todo?! (José, what do you want from me? Haven’t I given you everything?!)” the man yelled at José. Suddenly, José punched the man again. The man yelled in pain and spat out blood onto the ground.

“No todo, Marcus. Aún no, (Not everything, Marcus. Not yet,)” José said as he smiled. Finally, he took a seat on the tall chair behind him. He grabbed a towel from a nearby table hidden in the darkness and wiped the blood off his hands.

“Entonces dime lo que quieres. ¡Te lo voy a dar! (Then tell me what you want. I'll give it to you!)” the man said as José looked at him.

“Bueno, qué tal si te pregunto esto: ¿Qué crees que quiero de ti? (Well, how about I ask you this: What do you think I want from you?)” José asked him, playing a little game. The man shook his head in anger impatiently.

“Ay, vamos, José. ¡Sólo dime! ¿Qué deseas? ¿Drogas? ¿Pastillas? ¿Balas? ¿Dinero? (Ay, c'mon, José. Just tell me! What do you want? Drugs? Pills? Bullets? Money?)” Marcus asked José impatiently. José looked at him, seeing that he desperately wanted to get out of there.

“¿Nos juras lealtad? (Do you swear your allegiance to us?)” José asked him. The room’s silence intensified as Marcus looked around like José was crazy.

“¡Por supuesto que sí! ¡¿Por qué no lo haría?! (Of course, I do! Why wouldn't I?!)” Marcus said, sounding a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, José believed him.

“Alright,” José said as he walked behind Marcus and untied his hands. Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the door opened. José turned to the door and looked at a woman looking in. She had a flashlight in her hand by her side as she looked at José and Marcus.

“José,” she said, and he nodded at her.

“¿Sí?” José asked her, wondering what she was doing.

“I brought him,” the woman said. José dropped his serious expression and smiled.

“He’s not freaking out or anything?” José asked the woman as he grabbed the towel and began to wipe off his hands as he walked to the door.

“He’s still outside,” the woman said. José smiled and kissed the woman on the lips.

“Gran trabajo Carmen, (Great job, Carmen,)” José said to Carmen as Marcus stood up and began to walk toward the door. José continued to deeply kiss the woman. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and shot Marcus in the head while continuing their embrace. Marcus hit the ground as José kissed her again. “Well,” José said as they left the room, “Let’s go see our new friend.” José turned around and closed the door, putting the bleeding body of Marcus into the darkness again.

If you don't understand this, it's fine. It's intended to connect to the larger plot.

Life seems to find a path to all the sinister and evil things in the world. Humanity is especially dropping the breadcrumbs for its inevitable demise anyway. I wish I could go back and stop everything before it happened. Still, I can’t control fate, and whatever destiny had in store for me was my future, and I couldn’t help it even if I tried. Our story is dark and violent, but we continued to persevere through it all. Even though it seemed like we were going to get ripped apart by whatever hid in the shadows before us, we fought. We sacrificed to obtain a better future for all of humanity and for the rest of time. We cried and died for this cause, but was it worth it? I can’t remember the last time there was peace. It’s all just been a rush, like a wave submerging a small child into the deep waves of the unknown of the sea, farther and farther into madness against the tide. Us humans were against monsters, an impossible war, but a single sacrifice to end all the suffering in the world would be caused by one entity; one to be remembered. It was inevitable for us to turn on eachother, it’s been foretold for years before ever since humanity came into existence. Through corridors of monsters with walls covered in blood, we fought again and again and again, but would all our pain and suffering match the true freedom we desired? The one question that had been circulating in my mind ever since that one day everything began to go downhill is one I never forgot, and I never will:

Why did I have to be the one to lose everything?

Context: In a strange nightmare, Agent 39 recalls his past memory. This takes place the night after his agency was invaded and his lover, Maya, was killed. He grieves and tries to move on past the agency, but he is dragged back into it. Also, everytime you see the many copied words, those are his hallucinations. This excerpt also hints at many things in the book, so don't fret if you don't understand some of it. Otherwise, enjoy!

this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nice. this is nic

Agent 39 stared out the window over the city. The window was stained with dirt and a bit of dry blood for some reason. His arms were on the windowsill. He watched as red and blue lights flashed on the brick wall on the building across from him. He moved his arms to let them sit out of the window. He brought back in one arm and reached to the dirty floor to grab a bottle of beer which he had almost finished. He brought his arm back outside and took a large sip of his drink. His eyes were sore and red from crying. He was defeated, weak, and feeling like he had lost everything. He looked down and saw more and more police cars drive on the road in the same direction like something had gone terribly wrong. Sadly, something had. An hour ago, his girlfriend and all his friends were killed.

maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya.

maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya.

If only he could see her one more time. But no, she was taken from him too soon. Agent 39 lifted his bottle once more to have another drink, but it was empty. He sighed and leaned back inside the window. He set down the empty bottle on the windowsill and left the window open, letting the cold air blow inside. He turned around and saw the stairs to the roof. He sighed as he trudged up the stairs, each step weighing him down like he was empty.

it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time. it’s time.

Eventually, Agent 39 reached the top of the stairs and was in front of a door. Like he was being controlled by something, he opened the door robotically and walked outside into the cool night. He closed the door behind him and looked around the empty roof. He walked to the edge and sat down, all alone.

she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone. she’s gone.

A lonely tear fell from his eye as he reached behind him. He pulled out a gun. He couldn’t live like this anymore. Everyone he had grown up with for the past 20 years were all killed in a single night, and he was the last one standing. He dangled his feet sadly as he held his gun. Was this really the end? His hands shook as he held onto the gun. He took a shaky deep breath. He wasn’t ready. Everytime he thought about throwing down the gun and trying again, she came back.

maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya. maya.

He set down the gun beside him and put his hands over his face. He began to cry. Police sirens wailed below him in the cold streets of the dark city. A fog clouded in his mind like a never ending storm that consumed all happiness out of his life after one night. How could he be this miserable? He continued to blame himself for their deaths which just continued to weaken him even more than he already was.

they’re dead because of me. they’re dead because of me. they’re dead because of me. they’re dead because of me. they’re dead because of me. they’re

Suddenly, he picked up the gun forcefully and put the tip of it under his chin. He closed his eyes as more tears rolled down. His finger was still off the trigger, so he could still save himself. He began to gasp for air as he couldn’t decide what he wanted. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked to where the hand was. He saw a transparent figure of Maya.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” she said softly.

“I was the one who killed you, this is what I deserve,” Agent 39 said.

“You’re still alive though, so forget about us and continue living,” Maya said.

“Continue living? Continue living with the guilt of all your blood on my hands?!” Agent 39 asked her. She was silent, not knowing what to say about this. “Maya, I love you and I wish you were here, but you’re not. These fragments and pieces of my life are spreading farther and farther apart, and it’s only a matter of time until…” he looked down at the gun in his hand, “I have to end it.”

“You are one of the strongest agents in the academy, and I know you can fight this,” Maya said. Agent 39 looked at her as she put a hand on his which was holding the gun. “Please, live your life and forget us. I don’t want you to blame this on you, because you are not the one to blame. Leave me and this agency behind and live in peace.”

“What if I fail?” Agent 39 asked Maya. “What if I get dragged back into this mess I’m in?”

“You’ll find a way out,” Maya said as she began to disappear into the night, “You always do.” Finally, she disappeared and Agent 39 reached out for her as she was dissipated into the dark night. Agent 39 looked at the gun below his chin and finally made his decision. He dropped his hand down and sighed. He turned around and dropped his feet on the ground. He stood up and slowly walked to the door. He opened it and walked inside, but held the door open. He looked at the gun and thought about what to do with it. Finally, he threw his gun to the roof and closed the door, sealing his fate.

click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack. click clack.

He looked around as he continued to type. Everyone else was working on their own paper. It had been a month since his fellow agents had been killed. Agent 39 sighed as he continued to type.

‘News of MultiLabs spreads more and more as the two genius scientists behind the legendary technology continue to work to provide for everyone. Many doubt that this will work, but it’s only a matter of time until we figure out if it’s good or not. That’s all we have for today, but make sure to check in tomorrow for more news. Have a good day!’

He looked at it and sighed. Was this what his life had come to?

glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug. glug glug.

The loud click sounded from the machine and he walked up to his car and pulled out the gas nozzle. He set it back on the wall and hopped in his small car. He pulled out of the station as another person drove in behind him. Agent 39 pulled up to the store and parked his car. He got out and locked his car as he walked inside. He waved to the cash register who kindly waved back. He walked around and bought some things. He paid the cash register and left the gas station. It seemed that his new life in Arizona was going pretty well.

are you worried, agent? are you worried, agent? are you worried, agent? are you worried, agent? are you worried, agent? are you worried, agent?

He raised his hand at the bartender and she nodded. She came over and poured him more of his drink. She leaned on the counter and looked at Agent 39 as he drank more.

“Anything else I can get for you, darlin’?” the bartender asked in a Southern accent.

“No, that’s all,” Agent 39 said as he pulled out his credit card. He paid for his drink and finished it. He waved to the bartender and she smiled back as she grabbed a slight dirty light blue cloth and began to wipe the inside of a small glass. Agent 39 walked past the other people in the booths of the diner to the bathroom. He pushed open the door and entered the room.

Inside, he saw two men huddled closely together. One was holding a small stack of cash while the other held several boxes containing some sort of capsule with a red gas inside. Quickly, they hid the items behind their back and nodded at Agent 39.

“What’s going on here?” Agent 39 asked them.

“None of your business, man,” one of them said as they stepped back away from him.

“What are you selling?” Agent 39 asked. They looked at him in confusion.

“You know about this?” one of them asked.

“Tell me about it,” Agent 39 said. They looked at each other; they didn’t trust him. “Come on, just let me see,” Agent 39 asked as he stepped forward but the two men stepped back.

“Get out of our way!” one of them said. They began to walk toward Agent 39 to leave, but one of them accidentally dropped the small case with the capsules inside. They dropped onto the ground and scattered over the ground. The men cursed as they dropped to the ground and began to quickly pick up the capsules. Seeing his opportunity, Agent 39 quickly bent down and picked one up and quickly walked to the bathroom door. “Hey, give that back!” Agent 39 closed the door and quickly walked by the others in the diner to the exit. The two men came out of the bathroom and yelled at Agent 39. Exposed, Agent 39 ran to the door and pushed it open. He waved goodbye to the bartender and she waved back. He shut the door behind him and ran to his car. He opened the door of his car and climbed inside as the two men ran to his car. He started the engine and backed up away from them. They cursed as I drove away from the gas station.

where did you get this? where did you get this? where did you get this? where did you get this? where did you get this? where did you get this? where did

“Where did you get this?” the detective asked him. On the table before Agent 39 was a nameplate that read, ‘Detective Tyrell Davis.’ Behind Tyrell was a picture of his family showing him and his wife who was pregnant.

“I stole it from some people selling it in a diner bathroom,” Agent 39 said.

“Which diner?” Tyrell asked him as he took notes.

“Uh, I think it was Mel’s Diner,” Agent 39 said. Tyrell nodded and gently threw his notepad to his table.

“Yeah, we’ve already gotten a lead on this before. Some guys came in a couple days ago, said they walked in on a trade of this stuff, same as you,” Tyrell said.

“Is it dangerous?” Agent 39 asked.

“Well, we don’t know and we don’t wanna find out. All we know is that this stuff is bad and everywhere,” Tyrell said.

“Why don’t we try to stop the trade then?” Agent 39 asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Tyrell asked as he put his interlocked fingers on the desk.

“We can track them down and try to see what it’s used for and then try to take down the whole system, right?” Agent 39 proposed.

“Well, we don’t know how nimble these guys are. It’s not like this is a drug bust or anything, it’s something else,” Tyrell noted.

“What if it’s exactly that? A drug bust? We will find out where the nest is and kill the rats behind it!” Agent 39 explained.

“This would be flawless if we knew where they were, but we don’t,” Tyrell said and Agent 39 nodded sadly, realizing that this would be impossible to pull off. Then, he thought back to before he interrupted the men in the bathroom. ‘Where are we meeting tonight, Herberger?’ Agent 39 remembered one of them saying.

herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater. herberger theater.

“Herberger Theater,” Agent 39 suddenly said.

“What?” Tyrell asked.

“Before I interrupted them, I remember them saying that they’re gonna meet at Herberger Theater! That’s, like, a couple blocks from here, right?” Agent 39 said.

“When is this?” Tyrell asked him.

“I think they said tonight,” Agent 39 said. Tyrell looked at his watch and noted the time.

“If we’re doing this, we better go now. You need a ride, or…” Tyrell asked.

“No, I have one. When should I meet you there?” Agent 39 asked.

“20 minutes sounds good?” Tyrell asked me. I nodded. “Dress formally, alright? We don’t really wanna cause a scene. Also, what’s your name?”

“Uh, it’s Ag…” Agent 39 stopped, remembering to hide his name, “Agam. Yeah, I’m Agam.”

“Alright, Agam, I’ll see you there,” Tyrell said as they both stood up. They both went out the same way and got in their separate cars and drove off.

Agent 39 opened the door to the roof and saw small raindrops begin to sprinkle. He saw the gun on the ground which was still there and walked up to it. He bent down and picked it up.

clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap. clap.

Agent 39 parked in front of Herberger Theater and walked outside. He jogged through the building rain and went under the roof of the entrance. Thunder quietly rumbled in the distance as Agent 39 looked through the rain for Tyrell. His suit was a bit wet, but it was fine. Out of the darkness covered by rain came a car. The car parked next to Agent 39’s and Tyrell stepped out, also in a suit. He ran up to Agent 39 and nodded at him.

“Alright, let’s go,” Tyrell said. Agent 39 nodded at him and they ran inside the theater. The doors were closed and no one was in the lobby. They ran around on the soft red carpet trying to find a way in.

“Up!” Agent 39 yelled as loud applause came from the inside of the theater. They both skipped stairs as they quickly ran up the stairs, knowing that they were almost out of time before the people would begin to flood the lobby again. Doors began to open above and below Tyrell and Agent 39 as they continued to run on the next floor. More and more people ran out as the agent and the detective became surrounded by people, bustling to get out.

“Do you see them, Agam?!” Tyrell yelled over the loud noise of the chatting people.

“No!” Agent 39 yelled as he looked around desperately. Suddenly, he saw the two men in suits from the diner. They were walking out quickly, trying to escape as fast as possible after completing their trade. “There! Get them!” Agent 39 yelled as he pointed down at them. They looked up at him and began to push people to run out. Agent 39 and Tyrell ran to the stairs past the people and finally ran outside into the rain. The rain poured down on them as they looked around. Suddenly, they saw a car speed through a red light, indicating it was the men. Agent 39 and Tyrell ran to their separate cars and sped after the two men. After speeding past many cars, they finally got close enough. Agent 39 knew what to do from the academy to end the pursuit and sped forward a bit more and crashed into their car. They crashed into a street lamp on an empty street. Agent 39 screeched to a stop as the men’s car flipped. Tyrell and Agent 39 got out and ran to them. They ran to the two men on the ground, but one of them suddenly turned around and shot Tyrell in the heart. “TYRELL!” Agent 39 screamed as Tyrell fell to the ground. Without hesitating, Agent 39 pulled out his gun. He screamed as he shot them both in the head. Their blood mixed with the rain as Agent 39 ran to Tyrell. He noticed something sticking out where the bullet had hit and pulled it out. It was an empty capsule with its red substance gone. Tyrell coughed up blood as Agent 39 held him.

“We got them…” Tyrell said weakly. Agent 39 nodded as Tyrell slowly went limp, “We got them…” Finally, Tyrell went still. Suddenly, one of the men coughed. Agent 39 stood up as lightning flashed behind him. He walked angrily to the man who was alive and flipped him over and saw his entire eye was gouged out from Agent 39’s bullet.

“What is this stuff?!” Agent 39 yelled at him.

“I-It’s a new formula that kills instantly!” he said as more of his blood flowed out of his body.

“Where did you get it?! WHO GAVE IT TO YOU?!” Agent 39 yelled at him, but he was very weak.

“R… Ra…” the man tried to say, but he died. Agent 39 yelled in anger as thunder rocked the city.

The door opened and a black woman stepped out. Agent 39, still in his suit which still had blood from the previous night, stood at the front door.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked.

The woman cried as Agent 39 watched her. “How could they do this?” she asked Agent 39.

“I’m not sure, but we still ended their trade once and for all,” Agent 39 said.

“No, no, I heard that they still had someone in charge who runs it,” the woman said. “His name is Sebastian. Sebastian Baranova.”

“I’ve never heard of him,” Agent 39 said.

“That’s because he’s barely known. I only heard about him while overhearing his conversation at the restaurant I work at,” the woman said.

“I’ll look more into that,” Agent 39 said as he stood up.

“What are all these boxes for?” Agent 39 asked the woman.

“We’re moving to New York in a month. Well, I guess it’s only me now…” the woman responded. Agent 39 nodded and turned to the door.

“You’re leaving already?” she asked.

“I have to go, I’m so sorry,” Agent 39 said. Before he turned around, he looked back at the woman who was pregnant. “What’s their name?” Agent 39 asked.

“Tyrell and I thought of a good one:” the woman said, “Xavier.”

“It’s a beautiful name,” Agent 39 said.

“Thank you for everything,” she said and Agent 39 turned around. He opened the door, but the woman stopped him. “Wait, what’s your name?”

Agent 39 turned around, and realized that he was done hiding. “Agent 39,” he said and she looked at him in confusion. He turned around and walked outside to his car. He decided to return to being an Agent, to continue hunting and searching until he found Sebastian Baranova. He would not stop killing until justice had been served.

once an agent, always an agent. once an agent, always an agent. once an agent, always an agent. once an agent, always an agent. once an agent, always an agen

Whole new world and realities,

Formed in this small little brain of mine.

My own universe comes together above me head,

Like I am God, and the characters are my people.

Creativity and Imagination are hard to come by,

But people who are gifted with this extreme talent

Have the force of a thousand stars.

A homage to them, indeed,

For we have made it this far.

For the past year, I could most definitely say

That I have experienced joy in writing.

A rare thing to say,

Especially as a kid in this dark world.

So full of cruelty and death,

It's hard to find light in a dystopia like this.

Writing takes me away from my life

And shows me what I can do.

It's like watching a TV show.

You watch one part, and you learn a lot.

But once you're done, you want more.

Unlike an ending that you don't want,

You can be flexible and truly write from your heart

While trying to explain the true immense power

Contained in your powerful mind.

Writing is a gift, but it is also a curse.

I am bound to these computer keys every day

To continue to write.

Will I suceed? Or will I fail?

I am driving right toward the train tracks,

But will I make it

Or will the train hit me, and I fall down again?

Only time will tell. Is this what I want?

Is this what I need? Well, I don't know that,

But I do know that even though I hate it,

It's my destiny... and it's my purpose.

"Smile. It's almost over..."

The following events are the retelling of a true story

My mom opened the door and looked down at me. This was 4 years ago. She welcomed me in, and I talked and chatted with my mom and sister for the rest of the night. The next morning, my mom gave me a list of chores to do while she and my sister went to get groceries. She also told me not to play on my PS2 until my chores were done, but I didn’t really mind. As I’m folding my clothes, I’m watching TV

Just learning some new stuff when I finally get bored and switch to the News channel. A breaking news story reads, ‘Local woman and daughter killed in car accident.’ At that moment, I realized that my mom and sister had died.

4 years later, still feeling full of sadness from their deaths, I feel that I want a taste of nostalgia, so I go to my mom’s house. It feels very empty without her. I went to my dusty PS2 and opened it. In the disc compartment was a note. It read, ‘Oh son, I told you not to play your PS2 before chores are done. Well, son, I love you to death and want to cut you some slack. You can play your game station until I come back with hugs and kisses :) xoxo -Love, Mom.’ I slowly began to cry as I set down the note, for she had never come back and... I never got my hugs and kisses...

“Take time to be thankful for everything that you have. You can always have more, but you could also have less.”

The pristine raindrops fell from the dark sky. They fell into small puddles on the ground as thunder rocked the city. The lights were dim in the city as the rain weakened their intensity. Some ended up in an alleyway, hitting against the curved loose corners of the large posters. Behind the large portrait, the slightly dry bricks behind the posters slowly felt small trickles of water roll down them after slipping in behind them. Thunder struck again, and a harsh gale blew against the poster, slightly unsticking it from the brick wall. The bricks were darker than usual, like they had been worn down by something. The poster on the wall had been put up a year ago along with thousands of otters along the alleys and streets of the city. People passed by them daily, knowing the harsh truth of what they said. No one had tried to take it down; they just accepted what it said like it was their creed to believe in. The moment some had the thought of disobeying the rules, they would be found and killed. It was that dangerous in this vile city, but people thrived somehow. The message on the posters wasn’t cynical or cruel; heartbreaking or triggering. The four words on them truly just let the truth of their harsh world sink into them like water. It seeped deeper and deeper into their minds, and eventually, they stopped trying to rebel. The four words were all that mattered. The four words guided them. The four words were what they were. Fate had given them these cards, and they had to play their hand. They might’ve not wanted it, but it was too late to think about that. They were already in the rabbit hole, and climbing out would be like they were burying themselves into the ground. Accompanied by the four words on which they based their lives was a picture of their leader. Comfortingly, he smiled. He had shown no harm or harsh punishment to his people, which was good. In truth, his people hadn’t seen him in over a month. He stayed inside his citadel in the city’s center, but no one had seen him come out. All they had heard were his screams, although there was no news of his death… yet. More raindrops pressed against their leader’s face on the brick wall as lightning struck the sky above. Their leader smiled at them, almost seeming sinister. Above and below him were the four words, plastered in red ink, reading, 'NOTHING EVER LASTS FOREVER.'

This book is called, 'Tristan Kumar's The Final Enigma.' This book is action, but this excerpt is more mysterious. Age range could be from 14-18 because it touches on some darker points. This excerpt contains 427 words. I am the author, and my name is Tristan Kumar. My project is a good fit because this is one of the most descriptive I've been. I can really go into pure detail if I need to, and this is a great example as I try to explain a new world. The hook is the detail where it subtly tells a story of their leader and how they can never break free from the prison of life they live in. It basically describes that there are many posters on a wall, in a dark city. The city is controlled by someone, and they don't know whether he's alive or dead. They can't break free, and they are always being watched. Target audience could be for action lovers, coming-of-age enjoyers, and even some sci-fi audiences. I have written a trilogy called the 'Dying Planet Trilogy' which I wrote when I was 13. After that, I started my largest work yet called 'The Final Enigma.' I am past the halfway point in my book right now. Although it seems kind of lame, I work off of Google Docs which is where I have written my other books. I am still a freshman in high school, and I love writing. Other than my previous books, I don't have that much experience. I like describing gruesome events sometimes and also the many dark parts of this world. I like to talk about the dark side of things, especially the fear of the world as a child with all its violent and ruthless components. It's morbid, but that's me. My hobbies are writing, while I also do some other things like cross-country and videogames (like every other 14-year-old) although I have put aside videogames recently to focus on my new book. My hometown was Dallas, Texas, but I currently live in Colorado Springs. I am 14-years old. I hope you enjoy!

(I have really wanted to publish my books, and I feel that this could give me a good chance!)

The pristine raindrops fell from the dark sky. They fell into small puddles on the ground as thunder rocked the city. The lights were dim in the city as the rain weakened their intensity. Some ended up in an alleyway, hitting against the curved loose corners of the large posters. Behind the large portrait, the slightly dry bricks behind the posters slowly felt small trickles of water roll down them after slipping in behind them. Thunder struck again, and a harsh gale blew against the poster, slightly unsticking it from the brick wall. The bricks were darker than usual, like they had been worn down by something. The poster on the wall had been put up a year ago along with thousands of otters along the alleys and streets of the city. People passed by them daily, knowing the harsh truth of what they said. No one had tried to take it down; they just accepted what it said like it was their creed to believe in. The moment some had the thought of disobeying the rules, they would be found and killed. It was that dangerous in this vile city, but people thrived somehow. The message on the posters wasn’t cynical or cruel; heartbreaking or triggering. The four words on them truly just let the truth of their harsh world sink into them like water. It seeped deeper and deeper into their minds, and eventually, they stopped trying to rebel. The four words were all that mattered. The four words guided them. The four words were what they were. Fate had given them these cards, and they had to play their hand. They might’ve not wanted it, but it was too late to think about that. They were already in the rabbit hole, and climbing out would be like they were burying themselves into the ground. Accompanied by the four words on which they based their lives was a picture of their leader. Comfortingly, he smiled. He had shown no harm or harsh punishment to his people, which was good. In truth, his people hadn’t seen him in over a month. He stayed inside his citadel in the city’s center, but no one had seen him come out. All they had heard were his screams, although there was no news of his death… yet. More raindrops pressed against their leader’s face on the brick wall as lightning struck the sky above. Their leader was smiling, almost evilly. Plastered onto the poster in big red letters were the words, 'NOTHING EVER LASTS FOREVER.'