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It was just another day. Another day of trudging through the horrors that stalked the hallways. Another day of suffering the mad whims of their tormentors. Another day of fighting through the many tortures that were forced upon them. Another day of school.

Already the day had proven to be horrible. He had been assaulted by a deluge of homework, and they hadn't even reached lunch yet. When he finally did reach fourth period something strange happened. Lock down, a strange person spotted on campus, and danger.

It was rare, but it happened every once and a while. Nothing had ever happened before, but there was always a first time for everything. As they all gathered in the corner of the room, chills began to travel down his spine. His skin paled, and blood began to rush through his veins.

The door was thrown open, and a man holding a gun leaped into the room. Seconds later the sound of police cars filled the air, and the flashing lights shone through the window. Everything seemed a strange mix of slow motion, and of time racing along. He couldn't hear the voice of the lunatic as he waved his gun about in a frenzy.

The motion seemed to take an hour, but it was over so fast. He didn't know how long the motion had rally taken, and for what remained of his life never would. An eternity later the man seemed to lose it, and began to jump around like a man possessed. Finally he began to point his gun at the students massed in the corner.

The only thing he saw was a flash, before his hands came up to protect his face. He stared at his arm, as it erupted into a fountain of blood. Then Darkness.
***

He had been rushed to the hospital as soon as humanly possible. He had quickly stabilized into a coma, and when he had reached the hospital he was breathing deeply, despite the blood that continued to leak from his arm and head. The doctor wheeled him to one of the rooms, "What kind of insurance does he have?"

"None," the nurse replied.

"Well then put a bandage on him, and wheel him out of here! Do you think we have the time to deal with this?" the Doctor yelled.

"But....doctor...." the nurse stammered.

"End of discussion."
***
Only three days later his wounds had healed, and he awakened a new man.

Update #2

No one had expected much from the boy. Death in several days, and if he was lucky a coma that would last years. Though that seemed nigh impossible with the doctors refusal to treat the boy. The same doctor had been loath to even allow him the saline solution that would stop blood clots.

Miraculously the boy had revived in spite of the lack of medical treatment, or maybe even because of it. Now of course they had to worry about a law suit. It almost always happened if a patient thought his comfort was at stake. They could only hope the boy wouldn't sue.
***

He was at first confused. It should hurt, shouldn't it? I was shot wasn't I. Searing pain was supposed to be originating from his arm. Instead he felt nothing, nothing except the soft press of hospital linens. He knew the pain wasn't being suppressed, because he could easily feel the needles piercing his arm.

Only minutes later his other senses began to register. The quiet hustle of nurses moving with casual efficiency filled his ears. The muted hospital light filtered through his half closed eyelids. It was odd really, but his mind seemed to work better then before. Being shot wasn't supposed to make your mind work better, but thats what was happening.

It was then that something intruded on his musings. It was a machine hooked up to him, but why was it beeping. It came to him all to easily for a man who had just been in a coma. The machine had registered a sudden increase in his heart rate and brain waves, and when it had, it was programmed to alert everyone in the vicinity.

Immediately nurses began to rush into the room, only to recoil in shock as they saw him sitting upright. Whispers ran through the small crowd, until finally whoever was in charge rushed in to restore order. She only paused for a second to look down at him, then ushered everyone out of the room.

It was odd when she turned to leave he thought he saw something strange. It almost looked like there was the beginnings of short wings growing from her back. Barely stubs but still noticeable. That was odd in itself, but he also noticed one more thing. There was no way he could have seen what he had, because the nurses gown covered every inch of skin possible.

What was going on?
***

He was let out only a day later. The doctors had been amazed because he had been in perfect health, not even a scar remained. They offered to make his stay free if he stayed just one day, and he agreed. Blood was taken, and nothing seemed out of place. Every test that had been imagined by man was preformed, and nothing was found to be out of the ordinary.

So they reluctantly held their end of the bargain. No major medical breakthroughs were made, nothing new was discovered. Though he still saw these strange visions. Everyone had them. Scars, that looked as if people had tried to cut their wings off, or people who refused to let them grow.

It was odd, but worst of all no one seemed to notice them. When he finally made it home, he took some time to look in the mirror. He saw something weird. Great black wings seemed to have sprouted from his back.

Update #3

The shock nearly made him recoil. How was he different then anyone else? True he was introverted, as well as many other things that hindered social contact, but that shouldn't be enough to separate him from everyone else. In any case how could this be signified by wings? Especially black wings.

Naturally he was curious, but he could see no way to satiate this curiosity. He felt as if he was locked in a cage, with the answers to these riddles placed just out of his reach. There was almost an intuitive understanding of what these were, but for some reason he was unwilling to understand what he was telling himself.

What were they? A question that kept returning to a position of prominence. He felt a muscle on his back twitch, and to his surprise the wing twitched as well. He once again twitched the muscle, and saw the wing twitch once more. After around an hour he had learned how to move the wings at will.

Then another question struck him, could others see them? He hadn't noticed any strange looks, but he was nearly oblivious when it came to others. He wouldn’t be able to find out, until tomorrow, but for now, all he could do was sleep.

His sleep was filled with the sound of flapping winds, and falling feathers. Ravens flitted from invisible perch, to invisible perch in his mind. Each time calling for him, yet no sound was produced. Eagles and hawks appeared; each seemed ready to attack the raven. To attack him, and in the morning he awoke confused.

The next day school had been canceled; an entire day to explore the mysteries of these black wings that had sprouted from his back. He quickly dressed, and ran through the front door, with his coat in hand. Walking through the crowded streets, he noticed that few people seemed to notice him whatsoever.

All around him walked people with scars crossing their backs. Each in the place of wings, self inflicted in whatever way these people could find. Finally after walking about a mile he saw an oddity. He reached a park where he saw a small group of people, who sat apart from the rest, who each had the same wings sprouting from their backs.

He saw one reach forward with his wing, and cover himself, almost as if he was trying to hide himself from the masses of people around him. Then he noticed something else about the wing. It was a rainbow of colors, each feather different from the others. All together it created a mesmerizing sight.

Then the wing seemed to twitch of its own accord towards him. The man with the rainbow wings turned to follow the path that his wing, and finally saw him. A smile edged onto the strangers expression as he whispered to those next to him. A black feather appeared, and floated toward him. It reached him, and it pulsed slightly. The pulse seemed to whisper to him, a message that once again seemed just beyond his comprehension.

Seeing nothing better to do, he began to walk over to the small group.

Update #4

As he drew closer he saw the others in the group take note of him. Instead of whispering among themselves as he had expected, they fell silent, and prepared to leave the spot they had claimed. The man with rainbow wings strode over to him and whispered a short message, "Follow us. I know you have many questions, but this isn't the place to answer them."

He began to walk away, and as he did so the others fell into a loose formation around the apparent leader. A subtle twitch of a wing told him to follow them. He followed as they walked what seemed to be another half mile, 'till they reached an abandoned garage.

When they were inside, the leader turned to face him. He could only see a small portion of the garage. Only the nondescript gray concrete floors stretching out into infinite darkness, and the gate that had fallen shut behind him. Then the rainbow winged man spoke, "Finally, someone else who leaves the ignorance of the masses. We've been waiting for another for quite some time now."

He could only remain silent. The very air seemed still, as if the universe awaited a great truth to be revealed. Something that would shake the very foundation of the earth. "From your silence I see that you know what I'm talking about, but are afraid to admit it...even to yourself."

It was odd, but at another level he knew that this man wouldn't lie to him. He felt that everything that was said was truth, and it frightened him. "You shouldn't be afraid. You are above the world, you have been all your life, and that was why you were afraid. You longed to join the the dull witted herd that calls itself humanity, but knew it was impossible. You tried so many times, and every time you failed."

"Who are you," was all he could say.

"People say that they evolved without any natural predators, but how ironic would they find this little fact. People created their predators when they claimed the mantle of humanity, mere animals cried out, and called themselves better then the others. We are the creation of their arrogance, we are the predators."

It seemed the rantings of a madman, yet it seemed true. He couldn't deny anything that he had been told, and he couldn't shut out the things being said.

"But I'm getting ahead of myself, we still need to see if you'll be joining us."

He heard something behind him, and whipped around to see a man with blood red wings. The wings were stretched toward him, and they kept coming closer. He tried to run, but was paralyzed by some strange force. The wing touched his chest, then seemed to pass through him. He felt his senses die slowly, as a a supernatural cold seemed to stretch from the wing.

Then he saw a feather drop lazily from the wing, and as it floated away, darkness shot through his vision. It advanced and quickly overwhelmed him. He became nothing, everything, and so much more; he fell into the blackness.

Update#5

He was floating in a sea of darkness, and waves of the void broke upon his lifeless form. A storm swelled under him, lifting him above the darkness on a fountain of water. Many millenia yet few seconds passed until he found land. A narrow pass with only a single door, guarded by a man holding a scythe.

Confusion rolled over him, as he took his first steps from the void. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man looked at him, and revealed eyes that had refused normality, featureless white orbs that seemed to shift in ways just beyond his comprehension. "I am here, guarding the gate," the man stated simply.

"Why?"

"The first question, why. Why are you here, and why are you doing these things! People ask these questions as if they are always worthy of the answer. Who are you! Why are you here! And why do you consider yourself worthy of such an answer!"

Why was he here? The last thing he could remember was the warehouse, being surrounded by people who said they had answers. Then something had happened, something that he couldn't explain.

"I never remembered you saying you were worthy of an answer," he said coldly in reply.

He could almost see the hint of a smile appear on the featureless face, and he decided to press his advantage while it lasted. "Why are you guarding this door."

"The same reason anything else is, to prevent people from reaching it, yet I have additional duties as well."

Curiosity overwhelmed his other senses, but before he could ask his question the man continued. "I am here to serve another purpose. To keep humanity running."

"Running? From what?" he asked.

"From God. from fate. From destiny. From the Grand Pumpkin, does it matter what they run from? They will forever run away from the one thing that matters. The Gate."

"How am I supposed to leave this place."

"Through the gate," the guardian stated.

"May I go through the gate?" he asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"No."

How was he supposed to leave this place. The only exit was through an unaccessible gate, guarded by a man wielding a scythe. Everything seemed impossible.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Did I ever say you were worthy enough to ask that question."

"Yet I never asked for the why, only the what."

"But what if You aren't worthy enough to know that. What makes the what less important then the why."

He thought he saw the shadow of a smile cross the mans face once more, as he pondered his options. There was only one way to leave, and that was through this man. He began walking toward the gate, and the man's voice soon tried to dissuade him.

"How do you plan on leaving?" he asked.

"By walking through the gate."

"What if I were to tell you that that gate is life? Would you still walk through it?"

"If it is a gate, then something must be on the other side."

He grasped the iron bars that created the gate, and felt the rough iron bars grate against his skin. The world melted away, and he was soon standing inside the void. He heard a whispered voice float on the edge of his awareness, and it gradually grew louder. Finally he saw the speaker a man who's features were mostly hidden in the darkness, but he could see one thing clearly. Two wings sprouted from the mans back, one black, and one white.

Update #6

The man looked up at him, and to his horror he saw that the man had neither eyes nor mouth, instead a seamless wall of skin covered these features. Then slowly the mans features began to slowly assert themselves, almost as if an artist was only then adding the finishing touches to a master piece. Slowly the man began to take shape, and the artist’s deft strokes were revealed.

One eye was a piercing shade of blue. It seemed to stare straight through him, gazing into a space miles beyond his comprehension. The other was a black hole, darker then the void of space. Planets and stars seemed to be pulled from existence into the depths of the mans black eye.

His mouth was draw like a mask beneath an understated nose, one half flew upward into a maniacal grin, but the other half sunk into a depressive frown. The weights of the world and all its troubles, as well as the heights of Mount Olympus were pictured in the mask.

Shadows began to fall across the mans face obscuring all his features, the shadows seemed to appear by magic. The massive black and white wings fluttered casting shadows, as well as rays of light across the infinity surrounding them. It was only then that he noticed that his own great black wings had sprouted from his back in a spray of feathers. He felt whispers float through the air around him, and then the man finally spoke.

“So you have passed their test, I should have expected it. Though you did make one mistake, it is called the Great Pumpkin, not the grand one.”

He could only stare at the odd man. The man had appeared from no where, and then been created before his eyes, then he decided that he could correct all of his mistakes. It was maddening, though everything else today had been.

“Who are you?”

“The obvious question first, though I must say I expected more. Fine I guess I shall answer then, I am what I always have been.”

“God?”

“Both the lord and the devil, light as well as darkness. Everything that was good is a part of me, and all the evil in the word resides within me.”

“I notice you haven’t given me an answer.”

The man seemed to smile, though the frozen muscles of his face failed to convey this. Instead he saw satisfaction dancing behind the eyes of the man, “I am Abraxas.”

“Abraxas?” he’d never heard of that word before, but he could feel the sense of power behind it. It seemed as if the word itself was designed to mean everything.

“I have already told you the meaning of the word, unless you were foolish enough to ignore me there shouldn’t be any confusion.”

“Fine, now what do you want with me?”

“That is a question that will change your life; the answer will change the very fabric of your existence. Do you feel that you’re ready for this to happen?”

Before he could even begin to think about the question the man, Abraxas, continued, “The answer will be yes, and in time you shall understand why.”