Life's A Vortex

I woke up to the blasting sirens in the midnight fog enclosing my house. Windows shaking, dog barking, dishes rattling. I thought an earthquake was going to swallow me whole. The fog was so thick I thought I would never make it to my outdoor bunker ready for the apocalypse we had all been preparing for. But who can really prepare for disaster such as this right? In the distance, I could hear Kendale shouting my name, so I told him to hurry before I seal the bunker door. Unbeknown to me, he came with an array of life threatening problems, I wasn't sure I'd live to tell my story.

As we were sitting in the bunker listening to the howling winds create the deception of whispering voices calling our names, we talked about how we planned our lives and where we were today. Kendale is my childhood best friend and he grew up on the same lot of land my family did. As we grew up, we began to grow apart. I moved away to study abroad and he moved to the big city to pursue his love. No, not a career passion, a woman he claimed to be in love with but everyone knew she was going to lead him down a path of disaster. Kendale was a gentle giant but began to grow ornery the instant he moved to the city. He said he only portrayed that so he can be seen as a tough guy in a tough city. But what he began portraying was actually beginning to turn him into a man even I, his childhood best friend, could no longer recognize. As I sit here on the floor with him, looking into his eyes, his soul is no longer the gentle one I know. I didn't know who I was looking at or speaking to any longer and it is silently breaking my heart. I went off to study abroad in Spain while he moved to New York City and in that time, we spoke often until one day we just didn't. No matter how much I kept in touch, his "love" Lorna, didn't want him having anything to do with me.

The first time I met Lorna, I thought her to be an odd soul who kept to herself with a snooty attitude. She was mysterious but not in a good way, there was something off about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. By the time I met her, it was too late to speak any sense to Kendale as Lorna had already enticed him with her charm. Although she kept to herself when we met, Kendale discussed all the ways she was this outgoing, life of the party woman who everyone wanted to be around. So I knew something was definitely off.

"Nori. Nori!"

I was so caught up in my thoughts and how we made it to this point I didn't realize Kendale was calling my name.

"Yes, Kendale?"

"Have you listened to a word I've said?!" I am staring at Kendale with no idea what he is talking about. He must've realized this because he began to explain as if he had already told me his story.

"I messed up bad this time Nori! I got caught in a web of li..." Out of no where Kendale froze as if he was glitching and trying to load. "Kendale! Kendale!" I'm freaking out yelling his name!

Eventually he lifts his head back up and there's a sliver of red in both of his eyes. He looks blankly at me. At this point, I am trying to run through my options. Do I try to help him? But this isn't normal so I should probably try and escape? But I can't! There's a whirlwind outside and I will surely be swept away in it. There is no escape in a bunker!

Kendale begins to speak again. "The end is here. Lorna and her troops are coming. They are behind this Nori! I have to choose between helping her or spreading the news to the world! Nori!"

He acts as if he is shutting down and then booting up, almost as if he is part human, part mechanical. He stands up, glances at me and reaches his hand out but quickly snatches it away. He then climbs up the ladder to the bunker door, looks at me one last time and leaves, closing the door. I hurry and climb the ladder to lock the door!

I'm shaking at this point because what in the world just happened?! All of a sudden, my cell phone begins to work and the caller id is unknown. Trembling, I answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Nori, it's Lorna, I've been trying to reach Kendale. Have you heard from him?"

Remembering what Kendale just said about Lorna, I try to steady my breathing. All of a sudden there is banging on my bunker door. I jump and the phone falls out of my hand. The banging gets louder but I'm not too worried because my father built the door to be impenetrable. But I know I can't sit here forever, I have to figure out what's going on.

"Nori." I hear a static, muffled voice from the ground. I forgot I dropped my phone. "Lorna, hi. What's going on?"

Lorna responds and says, "Do you really want to know? Make sure you're sitting down."

(End part one.)

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