Fire Angel: Genesis

By Paul English

FIRE ANGEL CENESIS
Haley Hunter has always been impulsive, frustrated over her family’s situation of having to live in an urban decaying, crime-ridden neighbourhood. It is this flaw that sends her out into the night after an argument with her father, where she is caught in the impact of a crashing meteorite and given the power to create and control fire.

Now endowed with this power. Haley sets out to avenge her friend. Serenity whi is critically wounded in a drive-by shooting, ordered by a meticulous mob boss to get Serenity’s father to co-operate with his weapon-smuggling scheme. Will be able to overcome her reckless nature to confront this threat?

This is only the beginning...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul English
• Release date: Aug 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370803903

Book preview

Foreword

Unique: something or someone that stands out amongst the rest. I guess that’s what I am, especially back in my high school days. While the other boys spent their recess playing soccer, I’d be off by myself reading or mentally plotting out whatever story I was working on at home. When we were fortunate to have a free period, while the other kids chatted quietly amongst themselves or flipped through magazines, I would read or draw while thinking of the story at home.

None of my classmates seemed to understand my passion. ‘Real boys don’t draw, real boys don’t write stories’ said someone who I had considered a friend for the past four years. Upon hearing that for the briefest moment I considered giving up my dream of wanting to be a writer, give up my love of telling stories. But I didn’t and now years later I sit here on the verge of getting my first book published with my second in progress, it’s been a long time coming but I am this close to the end of the tunnel.

It started in 1987, watching the pilot episode of Transformers at my Grandparents house. As the preview for the next episode played, something clicked in my mind about writing my own Transformers story on my grandmother’s typewriter, little did I know that it would start this passion of mine of writing stories.

In 1992 when I began taking an interest in reading comics, it sparked an interest and love for serial fiction, the constant continuation of an evolving story and character development. By 1995 I wanted to learn more about serial fiction and began watching Days of our lives to learn new plot devices of serial fiction, something I’d again be mocked for two years later in 1997 but again I didn’t give up on it till I was ready to leave soap operas behind due to their eventual ridiculous story telling.

It wouldn’t be until 2001, that I would begin confidently creating my own characters, until then I had been writing mostly fan fiction, while only slightly dabbling in original characters. It started with a few short stories and my first attempt at a novel, the latter didn’t turn out so well after ten chapters. After a year of not writing, I came back, inspired after watching an interview with the creator of Spider-Man, Stan Lee as he passionately told the story of how he came up with the idea of the character. I decided that I too, wanted to create my own superhero, Fire Angel.

Almost a year after having written Fire Angel as a series of short stories, I began looking into doing a writing course. It proved to be a new challenge, one which once again almost shattered my dream due to me wanting to throw in the towel on more than one occasion but thankfully my mother wouldn’t allow me and I believe God reminded me to take one step at a time as I climbed this mountain before me. One year later I completed my course and threw myself into writing Fire Angel as a novel. However, the challenges weren’t over yet, as there were constant delays and writer’s blocks which left me frustrated. Yet thanks to the encouragement from family and friends I made it and am in the process of being published. My goal, my dream is within reach.

1

Welcome to Heaven’s Grove - ‘Where angels fear to tread’. This was what one would read upon entering the neighborhood of Heaven’s Grove. For most people it didn’t bother them, since ‘where angels fear to tread’ was just graffiti to them. For Haley Hunter though, it was enough to cause her to slump into a heap of depression every time she came home, as this sign represented the very essence of where she was raised.

From her bedroom window, she watched as the setting sun began to reveal what she’d come to know as Heaven’s Grove’s true face. A dismal and lonely neighborhood with litter scattered on the sidewalks, unattended gardens and torn-up lawns, much like her parents’ garden and street signs defaced by even more graffiti. She wanted nothing more than for her family to be able to relocate somewhere better. Somewhere safer. Disheartened by the bleak scene, she rose from her bed where she’d been writing a letter to her older-self and drew her curtains for the night.

Lively pop music blared from her radio, something she usually enjoyed as it would normally cheer her up when she felt depressed. Tonight however, it wasn’t working. She switched the radio off, folded the letter and put it away in a little box of various mementos she’d been collecting and left the room. One of the questions she’d asked her older-self had been; was her life any better?

Haley crept down the hallway as noiselessly as she could, stopping to peer into her brother Thomas’ bedroom and gave an empathic smile at his small figure asleep in the bed.

Moving into the living room, she found her father sitting on the well-worn sofa, watching a news broadcast on their grainy television set. She let out a frustrated sigh upon seeing the image because she knew that the picture was going to give way to static at any moment.

The anchor man was in his late twenties, his hair neatly combed, his face portraying a genuine excitement that most reporters only pretended to show these days.

The person he was interviewing was a portly man in his mid-sixties. His curly hair and full beard were clearly graying; he had a serious official look about him as he adjusted his spectacles and waited patiently for the introduction.

Good evening, said the news anchor. I’m Howard Rodriguez, live from Studio thirty-two in Washington and with me now is Astronomer Mr. Barry Thom, who has come to tell us of a phenomenon that is about to occur. They have had reports of a large meteor heading towards earth. Howard then turned and gestured towards Barry.

Thank you and good evening, Barry replied, as he turned to face the camera, then cleared his throat before continuing. Our surveillance center has picked up a singular large meteor is in range of the Earth’s atmosphere. Now we don’t know if it’ll actually hit the earth, as it should hit the atmosphere and bounce off; however, we are warning people that should this meteor hit the earth, that we’re unsure...

It was then that the image faded to static.

The TV was an older model which Hayley’s father had brought out of storage, when their newer one broke down and proved too expensive to get repaired.

Haley heard her mother clattering in the kitchen preparing supper and smelt the mouth-watering aroma of fried mushrooms, onions and squash which wafted into the room, somewhat lifting her mood. A meal like this was a rare occasion as they couldn’t afford to have it as often as she would have liked.

She needed to speak to her father, as she had questions about the conversation she’d overheard between her parents the previous night, when they thought she wasn’t around.

We’ll get through this, honey. she’d heard her father say to her mother. I’ll talk to my personnel manager tomorrow and maybe get some extra shifts. He’s a reasonable man, so I’m sure we can come up with something. Please don’t cry now.

Making her way around the sofa to where her father was seated, Haley asked, Dad, can I ask you something?

Her father nodded, looking rather weary after a hard day’s work as he switched off the TV, annoyed that his program had been interrupted by the static.

She sat down next to him, the old springs creaking as she did. Last night, I overheard you and Mom talking. You mentioned asking your Personnel manager for extra shifts. Is there any chance of you being retrenched?

Don’t worry about it, kiddo.

Dad, I’m serious!

Haley, it’s nothing for you to worry about.

Dad! I’m not a kid anymore! Stop treating me like one! she shouted, which earned her a glare from her father.

Funny, you’re beginning to act like one!

That was it, she’d had enough. Agitated, she ran her fingers through her soft hair and jumped to her feet. Haley stomped towards the front door, narrowly avoiding colliding with her mother who was coming to see what all the shouting was about.

Haley Brooke Hunter, get back here! her father yelled.

Her only response was to slam the door behind her.

* * *

Heavy winds predicting an on-coming storm were blowing, as Haley, with tears in her eyes, ran to the bus stop. She knew the route like the back of her hand, having walked it every day to catch the school bus.

A bus was just about to depart when she arrived and she managed to jump on board before the doors closed, paying with what was left of her school lunch money. She didn’t know where she was going. She just had to get out of there.

There weren’t many people on the bus at this time of night, so there was plenty of space for her to sit by herself. With angry strides, she marched towards the back, not wanting to be seen and chose an empty window seat.

Hey kid, are you okay?

Haley looked up to find a man somewhere in his thirties standing next to her seat with a concerned look on his face. She turned towards the window.

Yeah, I’m fine.

Are you sure?

Just leave me alone, please...

I don’t think that would be a good idea, he said. Speak to me, I’m a good listener.

She didn’t respond and finally she heard the man leave as he returned to his own seat. She was grateful, as she really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

Staring out into the darkness, thoughts of everything that was going on in her life flooded her mind.

She remembered how things had seemed so much brighter when she was a little girl but as she’d grown older, the neighborhood had seemingly begun to grow darker.

She thought about how her father could be on the verge of losing his job, how her parents were already struggling financially, and then to make things worse, her little brother had a rare heart condition.

Then she noticed that something was amiss. The area in which they were travelling seemed totally unfamiliar to her.

Where are we going? she wondered. That’s when she saw that they were reaching the city limits as the sign ahead bid them farewell.

Oh no, I didn’t want to leave the city! Impulsively getting to her feet, she rushed to the front. Stop the bus! she yelled.

The driver slammed on the brakes and Haley scrambled through the doors as soon as they opened, disregarding his attempt to dissuade her, saying that this was not a safe area for a young woman to be on her own at night.

Haley looked around, trying to make out her surroundings. Everything here was in total darkness, which meant that this was the deserted part of Old Havencroft that she’d once heard about on a radio talk show.

…you know that part of town used be one of the most thriving areas of Havencroft until Heaven’s Grove became a god-damned war zone and forced all the companies to move into the city. Now what you’ve got are a bunch of homeless bums, gang bangers and other weirdos wandering all over the place out there! the DJ had said.

Before she was able to change her mind, the doors closed behind her as the bus began driving off onto the next city.

She hadn’t been paying attention to where she’d been going and was now lost and alone. It would be a challenge to find her way back home, not only because she didn’t know how to get back to Heaven’s Grove from here, but also because it was so dark that she couldn’t see which way she was facing. All she could feel was the strong wind blowing in her face. Gripped with anxiety and fear, she began walking in the direction from which the bus had come, hoping not to trip and fall on the uneven ground as the gravel crunched underneath her feet.

All of a sudden the sky was bathed in a fiery glow, so bright that Haley was now able to see her surroundings clearly.

What on earth...?

Looking up, she gasped in a mixture of awe and horror.

There was a huge explosion high above her as pieces of rock fragments came streaking out of the heavens, with a large chunk seemingly headed straight for her. It was then that she remembered the news broadcast. The meteor! Just missing her, the chunk of rock crashed into the earth with a huge impact, the force of which threw her a good thirty feet away. Her head struck the sidewalk and her world faded into oblivion

2

It was barely a quarter to seven the following morning and all of Havencroft was already abuzz with the news of the meteorite crash.

The story headlined the papers and every news channel was talking about it.

There are reports coming in that dozens of vagrants were killed as a result of the impact of the meteorite that crashed in the deserted area of Old Havencroft last night, while there was a single survivor, a Jane Doe, who has been taken to Mercy General Hospital, a news anchorman said. There’s much speculation as to why she was in that desolate area at all, as she didn’t fit the description of someone who was homeless.

Despite all the commotion throughout the city regarding the meteorite, things inside the hospital were kept relatively quiet and routine, as ordered by the doctor on duty, Dr. Robert Stevens.

Dr. Stevens sat at one of the tables in the staff lounge, warming his hands against the styrofoam cup of coffee set between them. He had a few minutes before doing his rounds, which gave him a bit of time to clear the remaining cobwebs that were still floating around in his head as a result of the little sleep he’d had the night before.

He had other things on his mind as well which he needed to discuss in private with his colleague and former student, Dr. Evelyn Davenport. It was then that his thoughts were interrupted by the doctor herself, as she walked up to him with a file in her hand.

Morning, Robert, here’s Mrs. Hillard’s file. The Sister on duty thought you’d like to go over it before you see her this morning, considering last night’s close call, she said, with warmth in her voice and placed the file on the table next to him.

Oh, good morning Dr. Davenport. Thank you, he said with a sigh, as he finished his coffee.

Robert, do we have to be so formal? After all, how long have we known each other? She then seemed to notice how tired he was and added with concern, You look exhausted and in fact, quite pale!

He was. While shaving that morning, he’d noticed a man in the mirror who appeared older than he was, with early graying hair and dark shadows under his eyes. And to think he was only in his mid-thirties.

Just one of the downsides of this profession I guess, he replied. He rose to his feet with a tired smile, unaware of the flirtatious affection in Davenport’s eyes. Despite his being tired though, he was still as enthusiastic as always to have been there that morning, eager to see what possible medical breakthroughs might be discovered.

Have you heard if there’s any change with my Jane Doe who was brought in by that trucker last night, by the way? he asked.

That’s what I came to tell you as well, Robert. The Sister said she’s awake and says her name’s Haley Hunter.

Hunter? Stevens knew that name. He looked questioningly at Davenport, trying to determine whether she’d recognized it as well.

She nodded that she had, but surely it had to be a coincidence, after all, Hunter was quite a common last name.

Excellent! That’s great news. Have we contacted her parents?

Dr. Davenport nodded in the affirmative.

Let me know when they arrive please, as I need to speak with them and Haley together.

Certainly. I’ll have one of the nurses come and find you when they turn up, she replied, turning to leave but then stopped. Say, Robert, what would you say to us going out for coffee sometime? Strictly professional of course.

Sure, how about late afternoon? See you in the canteen?

Sounds good, see you later then.

Dr. Stevens took out his reading glasses from the breast pocket of his coat. Placing them on the edge of his nose, he picked up the file and began studying it carefully as he walked off to do his morning rounds; he was feeling considerably more enthusiastic about the day ahead than when he’d arrived earlier.

* * *

The small family before him were all rightfully concerned, especially with what Stevens was about to tell them regarding Haley, who was sitting upright in her bed.

Haley was short in stature and quite petite. Her hair was an unnatural shade of fiery red as if it were dyed. However, it seemed to accentuate the same lively nature that appeared to glint in her light blue eyes, although somewhat subdued now due to her injury, which Stevens suspected was a concussion. She had a few scrapes and cuts on her arms but none too severe, along with some bruising to her face.

Well, Haley, we’ll have to do some tests to check whether there is any internal damage. The concussion is almost certainly from a blow to your head when you were hurled some distance by the meteorite’s impact. However, we’ll need to confirm that your white blood cells are normal before we jump to any conclusions, okay?

Will she be all right? Mrs. Hunter asked, breathing tightly as her hands clenched.

Everything should be fine, Mrs. Hunter, Stevens reassured her gently, discerning her anxiety. Until he was absolutely certain, he didn’t want to alarm the family with the possibility that Haley might be suffering from the effects of radiation sickness from the meteorite. As a matter of fact, he was quite curious as to what the results of the blood test would be. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone was brought in after being left unconscious near a meteorite for a couple of hours.

Will this have any effect on her gymnastics? Mr. Hunter asked, as he comforted his