Phantasmagorical

By Darrell Shaffer, Jr

Devonte, Vivian, Jin and Orlando were abducted after witnessing an event that changed the evolution of humanity as we know it. The four are forced to form bonds in order to escape captivity. Once arriving back in the world they left behind they learn that chaos has descended on the outside world as well. With others awakening their metahuman abilities as well it is up to our survivors to bring peace in the midst of riots and fighting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Darrell Shaffer, Jr
• Release date: Oct 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463015513

Darrell Shaffer, Jr

Darrell Shaffer Jr. has been alive more than a quarter of a century and accomplished very little. He's had dinner with two mayors, a governor and too many CEO's to count. He however has not done any of those things. Instead he carves out a living working day to day like everyone else. Someone once told him he could be President of The United States. It didn't work out.He spends his nights writing, hoping someone will enjoy his work. He spends his weekends sleeping because dreams are his reality. He's out of his mind. In the mean time, he will continue working until age 67 so that he can retire and conquer a neighboring galaxy. Enjoy the stories until he blasts off to Mars or Venus. Who knows?

Book preview

PHANTASMAGORICAL

BY DARRELL SHAFFER JR

© 2017 by Darrell Shaffer Jr. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the author.

Table of Contents

Act 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Act 2

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Act 3

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Act 4

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Other Projects

Letter From The Author

Act 1

Phantasmagorical: A series of random events in a dreamlike state

Devonte - Chapter 1

The music is loud, we’re packed six deep in this little car and I’m having a blast. I wasn’t sure if California was the right place for me, but now I know. I’d never had any girls pay attention to me back home. It was only the first week of class and Jessica already gave me more attention than I had ever gotten back home. She invited me out tonight to party with her friends and they’re all cool people. They thought it would be a cool idea to head out to the desert and stargaze tonight. It sounded silly to me, watching stars, but they were all dead set on the idea.

The desert is a lot different than I thought it would be. Growing up in the city, all I knew is it was hot and there was a lot of sand. It’s kind of chilly out here tonight, wish I brought a jacket. Jessica convinced me to leave it behind, I love that jacket. The car comes to a stop and the engine clinks as we start to pile out of the car.

The desert is more beautiful than I could ever imagine it to be. I don’t really care for all the sand but everything else is amazing. I’d never seen so many stars at once in my life. So many different sized stars and even colors. Looking up from the city I never saw anything like that. The sky showing brilliant colors illuminated by the light from the stars. A solitary bird flies across the sky lurching at bugs in what seems to be slow motion. It’s silent but the wind whistles and every now and then, an animal cries out in the night. Maybe a coyote off in the distance or an armadillo somewhere nearby. Do armadillo’s make noise?

I’d always preferred making abstract art. Being out here in the desert on a wide-open night, I understand how artists could spend their entire careers painting landscapes. There’s so much to take in here in the middle of nowhere. What was that guy’s name? Bob Ross, that’s him. Happy little trees, no mistakes, only happy little accidents and all that. I get it now. I get why he painted landscapes all the time. Maybe that’s why he was so happy all the time.

Earth to Devon, paging Devon, Jessica calls out to me and I snap back to reality.

Actually, it’s Devonte

Oops, sorry, didn’t mean that, the smile melts away my mild annoyance of being called the wrong name.

Hey Jessica, what’s going on?

We’re going to start a camp fire over there, if you want to come join us sometime

Oh yeah, I’ll be there in a second

Jessica and her friends are sitting around the fire gossiping and seem to stop almost on cue as I approach. Then they’re right back to talking. I take the spot next to Jessica and listen in trying to pick a spot to join the conversation. I’m not good at conversation but I told myself if I came out here, I would at least try.

So Devonte, my man. You’re not from around here. Where you from and what you doing here, Mike asks. Mike asks too many questions. Everything turns into twenty-one questions with him.

I wanted to go to art school.

So you want to be an artist.

I mean yeah, don’t we all.

Okay, fine you want to be an artist. We go to art school we all do. But you didn’t have to come to California for that?

I didn’t have to.

You’re not giving me much to work with here.

You’re not asking much?

If we’re going to be friends tell us about yourself.

I came to California because I wanted a fresh start.

You’re like what? Eighteen, or nineteen, maybe even seventeen. Why would you need a fresh start?

If I told you I killed a man at sixteen would you believe me, I chuckle at my own joke.

I probably would because you’re a fucking creep and we should have never brought you here with us. You’ve done nothing but stare off into space since we got in the car. What kind of drugs are you on? I’d love to take a bit

Okay Mike, that’s enough, Jessica jumped in before things got serious between Mike and I.

Jessica and Tammy quickly diffuse the situation, changing the topic to rumors about professors around campus. Mike keeps staring at me, hands clenched into tight fists. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me, which is fine. I don’t really care if he doesn’t like me. I’ve dealt with people like Mike my entire life. People who think everyone is competition for everything they want in life. People who think stomping on the little guy will make them more popular. I hate Mike, and I hate people like him. I’m not a fighter but the one thing that has always been on my side is patience. Karma always comes back to get guys like Mike in the end.

We should all play hide and seek, Jessica and her strange ideas.

Yeah that sounds like a great idea, Tammy vouches for her.

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO TWENTY, Jessica yells as everyone sprints in different directions.

I close my eyes and start to count. One, two, three, four, and so forth. I get to fifteen and decide there’s nothing wrong with a little cheating. I open my eyes just as I hear the car doors slam behind me. I turn around and it starts up. Everyone is sitting there laughing. Jessica included. The car peels out and I’m left standing there. I’d never been in a situation like this before, but I knew the feelings of alienation and abandonment all too well. They were old friends I thought I could escape by coming here to California. It turns out they just caught a later flight than I did. Reunited at last.

I don’t even know why I came out to California. I keep telling myself that I wanted to go to art schools but there are art schools back home. California, the golden state. It was supposed to be where I would make all my dreams come true. I’d become a great artist. I’d fall in love. Lay the foundation for the rest of my life and start planning my future. I’ve been here three weeks and so far, every moment of it has sucked.

Damn, no signal on my, phone, looks like I’m walking back to the city. It’s a far walk from here to the main road and an even further walk back to the city. At least it’s a nice night out. From now on, I should follow my gut. I knew it was a bad idea. People don’t just become friends after a few classes, especially not girls like Jessica and guys like me.

All my life I’ve been wanting to go to California and chase my dreams. I know you don’t have to go to California to be an artist but I could never shake the idea from my brain. Instead, I just found more of the same I had back at home. No, it’s not all bad. At least I’m in school and I’ve got options. No, I’m in art school. When has art school ever helped anyone? I should have stayed home.

I was right to leave. I didn’t want to be like everyone else. Go to school, graduate and get a job at the foundry. That’s the plan for everyone in that town and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t spend the next fifty years of my life thinking about the good old days in high school while praying that a robot doesn’t come and take your job. That’s fine for dad, but not me. I can’t do that. Good old days in high school my ass. I never had any good days. Everyone just saw me as the weird kid.

I’m not even weird. Sure, I liked cartoons a little longer than everyone else did but why is that a problem? I’d rather be at home relaxing. There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean there’s a lot of people like me out there. They just aren’t in small towns where everyone is expected to play football then go work in a foundry forever. There’s nothing wrong with that right?

I think the worst part might be the people who didn’t see me. People who looked right through me. I was just a ghost to so many people, and I still am. When your existence isn’t acknowledged, it hurts so much more. You start to wonder if you’re really there at all. I hated that place.

Was I really that desperate for a friend? I let some random people drive me out to the desert and ditch me. Hide and seek? What are we? Ten? I should have known better. I’ve never had any real friends. I remember for my eighth birthday party nobody showed up. No family, no friends. Just mom, dad and me. I’m so damn lonely and I thought I could just come out here and that would all change. What’s my problem?

Still no phone signal, I’ve been walking for what seems to be forever. At least it’s a nice night out. I should take some pictures for references. Maybe I’ll try painting some landscapes when I finally get back the city. The city looks so far from here. Just a dim orange glow, haunting me with bad decisions I’ve made. I guess I should make the best of it for now. It’s not as if I really have a choice.

It’s starting to get really dark, I pick up my pace a little. I don’t know what’s out here at night. I don’t want to find out either. It seems the animal calls are getting a little louder. I stumble across a hole in the ground and lose my balance. Laying on my back, the stars take on whole new light. Laying back and seeing so many all at one. A different star for everyone that came to California and thought that all their dreams would come true overnight. The guy who wanted to be a rapper, the girl who wanted to be an actress. Only they found out nothing comes over night and it’s no different from any other place on earth. I kind of want to go back home. I could just sell my art on the internet. It doesn’t have to be in a gallery.

A blue streak comes into focus, burning across the sky. It’s an amazing blue like no blue I had ever seen before. It’s almost as it was lighting the night sky on fire behind it. Splitting clouds, I didn’t even know where there. Is this a shooting star? Maybe a comet or meteorite, I don’t know. I don’t know what it is but I feel like everything is going to be okay watching it cut across the sky, hurtling towards Earth. I wonder if it’s an alien ship. Welcome to Earth little guy. You’re in for a wild trip. You’re going to have a rough landing and it won’t get easier from there. You’ll be fine little alien baby.

I climb to my feet and continue my trip towards the city. Still no phone signal, still a long walk. I should probably feel like crap. I still can't help but feel happy watching the blue streak across the sky. I feel like everything is going to be okay now. My steps take on a more confident feel under this shooting star. I'm going to be okay and everything is going to be fine. It falls towards Earth and seems to get closer at every moment. Almost like it's daring me to chase it. I hate running but I'm drawn to this thing, almost like it's my new good luck charm.

I bend down and tie my shoes tight. I really do not like running but I can't help it, I just have to do this. Nobody is around to see it anyway. I get a good stretch in, I remember that from gym class. Then I'm off, chasing after this shooting star or whatever. As silly as it seems I'm actually having fun and can't stop laughing. Why can't I stop laughing? It doesn't matter. My chest is sucking air like never before and for a moment I feel like I'm really alive. I imagine I have to look really stupid but there's nobody out here anyway.

I start to feel winded so I take a break as it gets closer, I'm almost back to where I started. I take a seat near where the fire was and keep watching. It's almost impossible to take my eyes off of it. It looks like pieces are starting to break off and spread out, each smaller than the last. One splits above my head and breaks into smaller pieces. Again, into smaller pieces, and yet again the process continues.

What floats to the ground is more like pollen than rocks, blown around the desert. I inhale deeply after finally catching my breath. That was a problem. My chest instantly starts to burn hotter than anything that I've ever felt before. I try to cough out the pain and it only makes my throat burn. The blue dust starts to touch my skin and I fall to ground burning. There's no flames but it burns. It burns so much. The ground shakes and what looks like an explosion takes place in the distance. I can't focus.

This is how I'm going to die, in the desert, thousands of miles away from home caused by some dust. My skin keeps burning and I try to stop drop and roll in the sand, it doesn't help. The sand cuts through the burning pain like glass and I feel myself start to cry but no tears would fall. I'm not going to make it. I've been burning so long it starts to feel like I'm melting into the sand. I find myself bargaining out loud with a God I never prayed to like I should have.

Dear God l know I never pray like I'm supposed to but I don't want to die here. I don't want to die in the middle of nowhere burning to death. Please don't let me die. I promise I'll be a better person. I promise I'll make an effort to make friends. I won't be so selfish. I know I screw up but God please don't let me die here. I don't want to die. Please.

It gets harder to breathe, each breath hurting more the last as if a knife was cutting through my lungs. My hearing goes first and slowly my vision starts to blur. I'm not even trying to fight the burn anymore, I've given up on trying. My vision goes and the pain of the burning starts to