Chapter 8 Stay Calm

I was about to walk inside when a male voice called out to me.

"What are you, and what is going on?!"

I turned back to see a middle-aged man in a black winter parka and a white winter toque on his head. I wasn't really sure what to tell the guy.

"I really don't know yet, buddy. I was hit by a truck last night, and now the world is going to shit. I will try to help out where I can," I said in a tired voice because I still didn't know what I could do.

The people in the city and surrounding areas were going to freeze to death if I didn't figure out something fast. I would have to probe Orphus to see how I could start getting the city back up and running.

"This thing destroyed half the city! And you stopped it like it was a bug. Thank you!" The man said to me, and I nodded, turning back to my now overgrown apartment building that was still growing past seven stories.

Thankfully, the door opened for me since I didn't have a key due to my rude awakening, and Amy was waiting for me.

"Why does it look like your face just got a spa treatment, and why is everything growing, and who was that guy?!" Amy as she leaped into me, wrapping her arms around me.

She was wearing the same pink dress as before, but it was strange for her to be so attached to me. We had only just met, but I did save her life and heal her, so that might be the leading cause.

"Let's head back to the room and grab some things, and I'll explain what I know on the way," I said, and Amy let go of me but looked around me.

"Is it okay to leave him like that… wait, what is… did you do that?!" Amy asked with shock as she looked back up at me.

It was true that I shouldn't leave these people lying around, so I asked the tree to bring it up to where the top would be. The tree predicted that it would grow up to one hundred feet tall and would create a sizable mansion-type house with many rooms.

It was mind-boggling that I just knew these things and that the trees seemed to understand my will and what I needed. What the potential for this power I had was hard to even imagine, but if I really was the only one,

"Yes, do you find it warm here?" I asked, taking Amy gently by the shoulder and pointing her up the stairs.

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"Umm, yeah. Once the trees started growing past the hole in our wall, which was really scary, by the way! It was like a bus drove through the building!" Amy explained, throwing her hands into the air.

"You are okay, right?" I asked, but I didn't see any marks on her as we reached my floor.

"No, it was really cold, but now it's almost like a summer day! So, are you going to tell me what that fight was all about?" Amy asked as we started walking to my room.

Tree roots were all through the hallway, and people were opening their doors to look out to see what was going on, I assumed. One of my neighbors gave me a questioning look, but I shrugged with an unsure look.

The person shrugged back and closed their door as we reached my place. I opened my door and waited until Amy was inside before closing it and turning to her.

"So, let's not talk about this out in public for now. The world is falling apart right now everywhere. This blackout is permanent, and now the world is filled with people that have powers like me and that guy. The thing is that this is supposed to be a game of good and evil, but I am the only good guy," I explained as I walked over to my fridge.

"What? Do you mean that our phones are never going to turn back on? What about the internet?! InstaPost?!" Amy asked as she sunk down to sit on my bed.

I opened the fridge, and it was full of food, but I had no desire for any of it. I was feeling hungry, but it seemed the knuckle sandwiches Kratos had fed me were more than enough to sate my hunger.

"It's all gone forever, and I would assume that alone was what killed most of the people that have died already. Think about here in the city. Without power or heat means no water and more people dying. Riots have probably all broken out all over the city," I said as I looked around my room.

Amy looked like her soul had been completely crushed, so I walked over and scooped her off my bed. Roots grabbed my bed and fridge, along with my three bookshelves, and a hollowed tree trunk grew up in front of me.

I walked inside with Amy, and it grew around to enclose us inside, but there was a rectangular view slot big enough that we could both lookout. The tree opened a hole in the wall, lifting me and my stuff out of it, and it closed back up as we started to rise.

"Look," I said as we broke past the apartment that blocked the view of the ravaged city.

Amy looked and gasped. Her petite body started to tremble, and she looked away to bury her face in my chest.

"Why is this happening?!" Amy cried into my torn shirt, but there wasn't a good answer.

"Alien AI attacked, but they are giving us a chance to fight back, I guess. The person on my side doesn't seem to want to be helpful unless I entertain him. This whole thing feels like a nightmare now, but I will keep you safe as best as I can, Amy," I said quietly as we rose into the air.

"Why are you so calm about all of this?" Amy asked as she looked up with tear-filled eyes.