Change (Short Story)

Change

A short narrative by Julian Totton





So, it’s all come down to this. Somewhere, somehow, something went wrong. My life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. But now as the seconds go by, and I watch the chaos around me, I can’t help but wonder…. Am I too late?

It’s funny to think how quickly some things can change, and how much they can affect people. In a way every day in the past always had the possibility to take a different turn, for the better or the worst. In the recent months, enemy countries have been a large issue with the growth of nuclear weapons, as well as terrorists.

Minutes ago was when the tables turned on my life. I was out hiking in a forest. It was right next to this beautiful lake area, before I heard noise. A lot of noise, I thought I was being followed by a bear, but saw nothing around me. I continued to walk up on this trail, before it happened.

In front of me, a large tree came crashing down. I jumped back and ran away as the sound of explosions clouded my ears. I quickly sprinted away, I had no idea what was going on. Then suddenly, a car crashed around where I was walking. I stopped in my tracks and went to the end of this cliff.

I saw this forest area out in the distance, and mountains above it, war was taking place. Helicopters collided and dropped bombs on buildings. As that happened, a large gassy smoke came surfacing. Some kind of nuclear war. Thoughts pondered through my mind as I watched all the chaos.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Was this World War III, some terrorist attack? I didn’t know what to do, I heard many people screaming and could guess they were all running. The sound of helicopter blades whirring above me scared me. I saw the helicopter above about to drop a bomb close to me. I didn’t want to go out like this.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">I jumped off the cliff, and hoped I could live. An explosion took place as I fell, and gas clouds went around my body. I screamed and felt as if my body was changing. Finally, I fell into the lake.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">I was mutated, after coming in contact with the fish. On my back, I grew a fin and my legs shifted into a tail like feature. The nails on my hands grew into claws and tentacles grew around my hands. My teeth turned razor sharp, just like a great white. In the water, I could see sunken ships and fish swimming by.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">I swam to the top and threw myself on the shore. It seemed as if the destruction around me had stopped. I could breathe on both land and the water, and knew that maybe with the time I had left, I could use these new abilities for the best. This had to be the work of terrorists, making their marks of fear and intimidation with some big thing like this. But I knew now what my purpose was, to track them all down and keep this place safe. <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">'''<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">So, it’s all come down to this. '''<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif""> Somewhere, somehow, something went wrong. My life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. I was supposed to be someone, I was supposed to do good for others. And now I will, tracking down the culprits of this attack. I will find them, each being my prey.