Chapter 2: I’m Aurora

“And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other”
Matthew 24:31

Her slender body moved uncomfortably beneath the designer bedspread as the telephone blared once again. Exhaustedly, she directed the message to the answering machine.
  “Aurora! This is your mother calling again!” The voice boomed from the machine. “I know you left on bad terms but I am still your mother and you need to return my phone calls! After all that your father and I gave to you, how dare you still disrespect us? If you think you’re an adult and have control over your life you’re completely wrong! There are certain responsibilities that you will hold up to because you are part of this family! Aurora, you will call me back, you will move back home and you will get married! End of story! ” The message ended. Bringing the total to 19.
Behind her white floral eye mask Aurora’s eyes opened in burning wrath. “How did you get my number? Go to bed you old crabby bitch!” Aurora screamed. Turning uncomfortably, she reminded herself that tonight’s rest was essential for work the next day.  To be photographed, she needed to be up and at the Five Star Arts and Entertainment building very early. Of all the photographs she had taken, this was most important for her modeling career and she needed to look flawless. Aurora sighed heavily, brushing her hand up and smearing her guacamole face mask across her fingers and her white bedsheets.
“Damn it to hell!” She screamed. Ripping off her nightshade, Aurora stomped into her bathroom. Her full lips thinned in anger as she swung open the cabinet door and reapplied her facemask. 
        Even with her face caked in green sludge Aurora was stunning. Her skin was a deep and beautiful ebony, her dark hair was straight and just below shoulder length, and her eyes a piercing copper brown. Aurora’s beauty lived through her eyes, as her right was bejeweled with a small black beauty mark resting just beneath it.
Knowing that she was beautiful she decided to go with her strength as a college dropout. Aurora Haith modeled for a year and a half now. Though her parents had suggested she follow their example and pursue a more intellectual career, she declined and left Canada without a word to them or her fiancé. She preferred their ignorance about where she was going or what she was doing. Used to finer living, separated from her parents-- Aurora was forced to live frugally. The taste of elegance wet her tongue, though, and she was always willing to splurge.
Her dainty feet flittered across her fluffy white carpet, then the white tiles of her kitchen. Aurora’s apartment was small but her modern style expressed her flamboyance and elegance. With a clean white color theme, the living room was decorated with vases, paintings of African art, and glass tables. The center piece of the room had been a blown up semi nude photograph of Aurora covering her body—earlier work she favored. Most of what was in her apartment was what she stole from her affluent parents and loveless fiancé.  She lived alone, distant from her family and too ambitious for friends.  
 Searching through a refrigerator full of health food, Aurora grabbed a bottle of distilled water as a cold, tight, tremor ran down her spine. Then, more intensely it hit her again. Rendered lightheaded, Aurora placed the bottle on the marble counter. Then again.
Like she was struck by lightning-- she straightened out her back in pain. Her arms slapped to her sides and her fingers broadened. Her head jerked upward and her mouth yanked opened.  The pain was so great it froze her in a stunned silence. Something was running through her. Eyes dilating, another striking pain entered her skull. Before her eyes, visions trampled through Aurora’s head.
Hundreds of people ran the streets of a scoured Manhattan. Descended from a black sky, puddles of blood housed broken glass and debris. “God is dead!”, “He lives again!”, “Save yourself and die!” were written on desolate walls by the hopeless. People were rioting, screaming and fighting each other in bloody primordial war. Tanks and police cars raided the streets as natives were shot down, beaten and killed. Chaotically, images flashed before Aurora’s eyes. Men were burned. Humans were caged like animals. Winged beasts came from the sky, the earth and the water attacking and eating the people that ran the streets. Strange beasts threw men and women in the streets and defiled them. Unnatural sex ripped open and violated bodies and the lucky had died quickly. The others however, were left with enough vigor to watch their mutilated remains crush under the rushing riot. All were one in the eyes of the beasts—regardless of race, gender, or age.
A sour taste entered Aurora’s mouth while vision after vision hit her brain. The corner of her eyes remained open in shock as a red tear rolled down her face while the movie played inside her. It was powerful, definite and immense; Aurora’s fingers arched until her hands hurt. There was more coming. She could feel it and this time she could scream as blood ran down her face in tears.
A hooded man riding a white horse in the empty streets of Manhattan fired an arrow between the eyes of a tall brown-haired man. He fell lifelessly to the ground. Aurora stood not too far from the dead man as a second hooded man in red rode upon his red horse decapitated her with a small sword. A third man, young with curly black hair, fell quickly to the sword of a third rider in yellow. Then a blonde woman was chased down and turned to ash, disintegrated by means of a pearl, unbalanced scale.
Aurora fainted, bashing her head into the countertop as the foggy edges of the omen faded. She fell to the floor, her face covered in guacamole and blood.
Several hours later, consciousness entered Aurora’s body like an earthquake. She glared around, still breathing heavily. Everything seemed normal and nothing was out of place. The white microwave’s clock read 5:39, she had to be out of the house in 3 hours, which she knew barely gave her enough time to get ready. Pressing play on her stereo and walking to the bathroom Aurora listened to her own voice booming through the apartment as she did every morning.
“Good morning Aurora!” Her voice played on the CD. “Today is going to be a great day because you’re here to live it! Now its time to dazzle everyone with your charisma, grace and charm! People will be attracted to your positive energy! Aurora can if she believes she can!”
 Glancing into her bathroom mirror she looked back at herself covered in green and red. Aurora wiped the blood and guacamole from her face—nothing was going to stop her from taking those pictures, especially not some sleepwalking, crazy dream. Pulling her hair from her face Aurora smiled and spoke in unison with the CD. “Aurora, you are beautiful!”
Although she thought it pedestrian Aurora rode the train. A black designer skirt hugged her hips and chest tightly as she sat. Brown heels with large hoop earrings, matched her large leather purse and jacket. A disheveled man entered the almost empty traincar as she pulled out a magazine. She flipped through the pages studying the women in them when a nauseating smell flew up her nostrils. “Can I have a dollar?”
Her heart pounded, looking back down into her magazine she spoke,“ ‘Can I have a dollar?’ Wow. I wish it were that easy, but I have to work for my living. Why don’t you learn to do the same?”
The man looked down at her, holding the standing pole. Anger erupted within his body. “Can I have a dollar!” he demanded. 
 Aurora clenched her fist and closed her magazine, looking away from the man. “No, you can’t… Get out of here…”
The man growled as he grabbed the purse from Aurora’s tight hold. Using all her strength, she screeched before she kicked the man in the groin, pushing him to the dark blue bench across from her. She started towards the door connecting to the other train car. But before she had a chance to open it, he slammed her up against the wall.
 “Stop!” Aurora could feel all of her energy rush to her eyes—as if filling with boiling water. The man watched in awe as her pupils turned red.
 She felt like a heavy burden lifted from her as clear energy rippled from her body. It was as if the lights went out. Everything was still visible, just in a darker tint. The air was thick and electric. Aurora felt like she was breathing static.
The man stood there, not moving a single muscle. Aurora cocked an eyebrow, he was immobilized. White light rose off him like smoke. Biting her top lip, she squeezed pass the man and hurried to the other side of the train.
 Taking a deep breath as the sour taste of fear enter her mouth she glanced around the frozen train car for a moment. It was sudden but Aurora regained a burden on her body as the lights returned to normal. The train was moving and everything was its original color.
“Where did she…?” The man turned, no longer in his smoky white case. Falling into a fetal position, he began to whisper to himself things Aurora didn’t care to know. The train doors wheeled open and without hesitation, she ducked out. It must have been a tunnel, she told herself. Aurora took a cab to her shoot.
 Compared to her usual half-an-hour early arrivals, she was late. She entered the huge building made of glass and iron, completely ignoring the guards that protected it. On the elevator she pushed for the 5th floor and snarled as it continued upward.
“Why does everything always have to happen to me?” She stomped her feet as the elevator continued to the 13th floor. “Great,” Aurora muttered, walking off the elevator and pressing the down button. Pulling out her makeup, she began to reapply.
Just then a deep voice sounded behind her. “Excuse me, Ms…”
Aurora turned to see a young man standing before her. It was the man from her vision last night. Her chestnut eyes looked Neil up and down. Her hand slipped over her mouth and she stepped back a few steps.
“Do you know where room thirteen-o-five is?” Neil’s voice waved in confusion to her reactions.
Strokes of fear ran through her body and her heart jolted. “Do I look like I know where Thirteen-o-five is?” Aurora paused for a moment. Turning her head, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I said I don’t know where it is so I don’t see why you’re still standing here.”
 Neil frowned. “Okay, if you don’t know where it is…”
“I said I don’t!”  she snarled before turning away from him completely. “Damn it, I can’t deal with weird horses and dead people today, I still haven’t had my coffee! And I swear if people start dying, I am done. Done!”
“Whoa…what?” he gave a nervous smile, his adrenaline beginning to pump. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Dead people?”
Aurora’s eyes thinned as she stared him down. Neil’s adrenaline began pumping hard in his veins as a chair gently rolled over his side, all on its own.  “Ew!” Aurora lifted her hand and started towards the staircase.
 It was the second object Neil had moved that day. Flabbergasted, he followed grabbing her shoulder.
“Wait!”  Aurora turned and smacked him in the face before spinning on her heel and walking towards the staircase.
“Nice!” someone shouted.
“Stop!” Neil screamed as Aurora turned to him.
 Large brown irises coated themselves in crimson. It was happening again. Aurora exhaled as energy was pulled from her and the room became darker. Everyone that stood in the room had froze, bathed in a white smokey light. She pushed herself against the wall and slid to the ground. "Why does this keep happening to me?"
"Something tells me," Neil stood before her. "it's not all about you."
Aurora looked up to him sniffling and shaking, "You're not frozen? W-why does this keep happening?"
"Looks like we both had eventful morning..." Neil examined the frozen bodies covered in the glowing cloud. "I think you actually froze time. How long does this last?" He sat down beside her.
 "I-I don't know," Aurora wiped her eye with her coat. "Why does this keep happening? I can't stop it..."
"If you're really the one that did it you should be able to stop it..." He put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her from shaking. "Relax, breathe, and just do what you did before." Neil took hold of her hand.
 Aurora placed a shivering hand on her forehead. Taking a deep breath her eyes returned to normal and the room began moving again.
"See, every thing's okay." Neil reassured her.
"Is that why I saw you die last night?" Aurora sighed.



La'Von Gittens
NoV'al Publishing
Divine Apocalypse: The Beginning of the End