Yet Another Fantasy 2.0/Chapter 1

(♫ Two Steps From Hell : Winterspell EXTENDED)

Chapter 1: Origin

Tags: nosex

A winter haze had cast its cloak over the frozen mountain landscape, with diffused sunlight making it difficult to gauge the time of day as strong winds blew over peaks and ripped through valleys. Less than a day ago, the winter had been a mild one but a surge of wet northerly winds had changed that overnight, creating powerful snow storms as they marched south across the great planes. The southern states had been caught off guard, with regions where mere inches were recorded every century receiving feet of snow.

A narrow two lane highway snaked through this landscape, cresting rises and dipping into hollows. It was not a road built for such weather. Decades of use with only spotty repair had made of it a patchwork of tar and gravel, with sections of verge lacking guardrails of any kind next to shear drops hundreds of feet down to narrow defiles. Along this ribbon a shiny new truck cruised at a speed unwise even for normal weather. It was a heavy-duty, wide-axle pickup, a gleaming sapphire candy coated finish that was muted in the half light and slick with melt.

Within, the driver was bundled head to toe in thick winter garb; parka, scarves, ski mask, boots and knitted cap. Like the truck, the clothing was brand new and somewhat in excess. On the passenger seat was more winter gear, for someone with a smaller frame; while the rear seats where packed with travel items, blankets, and pillows.

The figure at the wheel was named Leroy, and he had braved this remote frozen hellscape with the heightened awareness of altogether too much caffeine screaming through his system, because the airliner carrying his kid sister had been forced to diverted due to the storms. His parents had sent the girl his way while the pair had another of their many week long arguments, despite the fact that Leroy had been released from the hospital just two days earlier and his head was throbbing with stress and the lingering effects of his injury.

It was this very same sister who had called him up, announcing that it was his bounden duty as elder sibling to fetch her, as their shared parents were (according to her) refusing all phone contact. He certainly hadn't been able to reach them. The conversation with his sister had been brief to say the least, and strained with the weight of the twenty year age gap between them.

Crowning a rise, the pickup headed down towards a valley nestled town. Likely built during the exploratory days of the country, a pair of railroad track ran down the middle of the hamlet and into a tunnel on the far side. The worst of the storms had not reached the area just yet, but there was a winter haze filling the air, and whatever airstrip this small town had was hidden.

Leroy guided his vehicle off the highway, noticing a cluster of people hanging out under the eves of a train station. Heading down the main road, he was aware that both the tracks and road where one and the same, the rails set into the asphalt, with warning signs every few hundred feet about checking for train traffic. There were no shortage of parking spots, and he brought his pickup to a stop in one near the train station. Reaching over to the pile of winter cloths he collected a scarf and tossed it over one shoulder before climbing out into the freezing cold, one hand pressed to his head, making his way up a short set of steps to the platform and approaching the others. Many were shivering, as they had no more than light jackets, little more than windbreakers.

An elderly station manager was cycling people in and out of the building through a single doorway. “Come along people, we can’t let you out in the cold for more then a few minutes at a time.” The tone of his voice was stressed, but the stranded airline passengers were too cold and miserable to do more than groan. “The train will be here in about 45 minutes, they had to hook up the rotary snow plow engine to it.” A pained groan behind him got his attention, and he turned around to find a figure dressed for the weather but clearly not a local. “Huh? Can I help you, sir?” He paused as a set of amber eyes peered out from between ski mask and knitted cap

Leroy pulled his hand off his head. The new plate in his head had begun aching with the cold and change in atmospheric pressure. The doctors had warned him that his skull would be sensitive to shifts like that. “Hi yeah. I’m here to pick up a kid.” Leroy’s statement earned him a blank stare, so he expanded his statement “Uh.. black hair, white skin, about this high..” The station manager still continued to stare at him. “Nn.. face buried in a phone and if you disturb her has this look on her face like you’re a piece of gum stuck on her shoe?”

The station manger’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! Her! She’s by the heater, poor thing doesn't have anything for the weather.” The older gentleman paused, “Will need to see some ID, though. Can't just hand over kids to random strangers.”

Leroy nodded and withdrew his diver’s license, then pulled his ski mask down to reveal his face. He was already cringing because he knew what was going to come up next.

The station manager smiled, handing it back. “Your daughter's in the back, just…” his voice trailed off as the dark haired fellow slipped inside. The pair were clearly family, father and daughter most like. They both had that permanent frown on their faces. Job done, he turned back to keeping the others organized.

Leroy was bulky from the layers of winter gear. Squeezing past others with some difficulty, he noted that the lobby was not made to handle this many people. He wasn’t sure where the back was exactly until he caught the whiff of burning kerosene, and wormed his way over there. Perched on opposite arms of a recliner were two kids playing with some portable gaming systems. A boy who might not be in his teens, but was blushing and stealing glances at his opponent, who was (in turn) a petite thing of almost ten years of age with a pretty face, large red eyes, and.. he knew this only because Leroy was vaguely aware of some of her hobbies, long black hair in a hime cut. That hair was currently covered in a baseball cap. The red eyes were a genetic mutation, one that contributed to the girl’s ongoing fantasy that she was the main character in one of those comics or cartoons she slavishly consumed. Leroy had no interest in what any girl under sixteen wore, but their parents tended to shove his little sister out the door with what she was wearing at the time, and he had some concern about her well being. Sneakers, knee high socks, short jean shorts with the pockets hanging past the leg hole, a t-shirt with some Japanese lettering in bold colors, and a half jacket. Leroy was going to have to have a talk with his parents about allowing the precocious brat to dress up like anime girls, and explain to them the target audience of their appearance.

“If you’re staring at me, you’re not paying attention to the game,” Elisabeth admonished softly in an annoyed tone that her brother couldn't quite help finding a little adorable. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“I-I’m not-,” the slightly older boy stuttered, until the girl flashed him a heart melting smile. The sound of a video game character dying rose up form his unit. “D-damn no fair!” he complained.

“She’s right, and she’s going to keep using that against you. Hello Elisabeth.” Leroy greeted, standing behind the much smaller girl.

“I don’t like that name, cyborg.” Elisabeth stated, turning her head to look at him with one eye, a look of petulant annoyance on her pretty little face.

Leroy compressed his lips and patted her indulgently on the head. “Liz? Beth?” he questioned, already imagining that this was going to be an extra long trip if his kid sister was in a mood.

“Yes. Both are acceptable,” the small girl responded. “Are we going now?”

Leroy pulled his other hand away from his head where he had been rubbing the skull plate and incision site. “Sure, I got you some stuff to keep you warm and,” he paused, thinking, then asked “do you want anything to eat?”

The mention of food made red eyes brighten, and a small genuine smile appeared on those lips. “Yes!”

Elisabeth’s earnest response got a chuckle from Leroy, and his sister quickly shifted to a glaring pout. Picking up the girl’s backpack; the only thing she had with her, he let the kids say their goodbyes. Pulling his scarf off, he threw it around the girl’s shoulders, and quickly escorted her away. Once they were outside, he helped her get into the pickup.

As he was climbing into the cab, Elisabeth leaned over the seat and began rummaging about as the pickup pulled out of the parking spot. "Hey, El... Liz. What are you looking for? You're kneeling on the stuff I got for you," he pointed out, then he became busy focusing on the roads which were, finally, beginning to show signs of accumulation.

Ignoring him, she kept rummaging until, finding what she was looking for, she pulled a ribbed sweater down over herself, her brother’s scent washing over her as the sweater went down to her thighs; leaving just a bit of exposed thigh above the knee, and the sleeves flopped from her hands. But it was so much warmer than just the t-shirt she had been wearing, and much faster to put on then the winter gear her brother brought her. “I’ll change after we eat. Why get all armored up like a yeti if I’m going to take it off right away,” she explained in her almost whisper.

Leroy touched his head and groaned, the bit of a headache he'd been fighting getting slowly but steadily worse. “Sure, but need to sound so smug? It’s weird.” he complained as he pulled up in front of the first open diner he'd come to. Brother and sister stared at each other, a mixture of pouting and frowning on both faces. They cracked the doors open in silence and stepped out into the frosty air, the girl having to drop two feet to reach the ground. A few moments later the pair were inside, where they discovered that some of the other stranded passengers had had the same idea. The wait staff looked at the pair, and made to bring over some coffee, a frown on her face showing that she was anticipating that they'd be there, taking up a table, for hours to come and expecting an endless string of free refills.

“Oh no, we’re actually hungry, and we’ll be on our way once we eat.” Leroy said, and his assurance brought a relived smile to the woman’s face. She was almost cheerful as she took their orders.

Elisabeth glared over at her brother’s plate when it arrived. It was loaded up with sausage, bacon, fried pork, and several other things in the meat category. “We’re omnivores,” she snarked, “Have some fruit why don't you.” With that, she pulled a cherry off her pancakes and plopped it on top of his plate.

Leroy laughed, and places two pieces of bacon on his hers in turn. “Same to you champ,” he responded.

The little raven haired cutey pouted at him, and chomped angrily on a piece of bacon. “I didn’t want to get greasy, and you just got out of the hospital, you should be eating better,” she admonished in a half mutter.

Leroy shook his head. “I haven’t eaten anything in ten hours of driving, please give me a little slack little sis?”

Elisabeth’s frown broke into a soft smile, and she patted him on the thigh. Then, once the waitress was a few feet away, the black haired girl’s smile shifted to a soft pout. “I found your stash.”

Chewing on a slab of pork, the older sibling looked back at her blankly. “My stash?” he asked after clearing his mouth.

She nodded to his question, and continued, “Seven print outs, four magazines, and a VHS tape.” The child listed off the contents of the stash, and awareness slowly dawned upon the man. “Inside the closet behind a piece of loose floor trim.”

Leroy’s hand shot out to press a finger to the girls lips as his ears started to burn. “I forgot they gave you my old room. You throw the tape way the moment... you didn’t bring any of that with you?” His question was half begging half in denial.

Elisabeth’s steady pout shifted into a grin. “No, I didn’t bring any of it with me, and the tape is ruined. I’m not out to blackmail you, I just want you to say “no” less while I’m visiting.” Her tone was almost playful, and it became clear to Leroy she was just messing with him. Just pushing his buttons to see how he’d react.

With a sense of relief mixed with some annoyance Leroy ate in silence. When he was nearly done, he raised a hand to the waitress to indicate he was ready to pay the bill. “Liz, listen. I know we’re almost strangers, but you’re still family. I’ll risk life and limb to make sure you’re safe. You’re not just my guest, but my little sis. How about you make a list of nine presents you want on our way back home and I’ll get them for you?” He reached out to pat her on her head as he gave her a warm smile, his tone equally warm.

Elisabeth blushed at both the contact and at what he said, nodding her pretty head in understanding. “S-sorry, it all sounded cooler in my head.” A bit of guilt slipped into her soft tiny voice, as Leroy paid and tipped the waitress.

“It’s okay to be a kid Liz, I know it’s a weird situation with parents as old as ours are, but you don’t have to grow up so fast.” He slid off the stool. “I’ll go get your gear and you can change in the rest room. You might be tiny, but you don’t need to go contorting in the truck cab.” With that, he headed out the front door to the diner.

The waitress returned from ringing up the sale. “You're from the plane, right? Nice of your dad to come out and get you from two states away.” The waitress commented as she bused plates and wiped down the counter.

Liz didn't have to ask how the waitress knew; her brother's truck had a front plate on it. “He's okay, and he’s not my dad just my brother.” Her tone was a little annoyed. She disliked it as much as he did when people made that mistake. She frowned at the woman with her best red eyed glare, then flinched as there was a rumble in the distance.

“Oh-oh? I’m sorry, he just.. you.. both look so alike, almost like twi-” the waitress began, then stopped as she heard the noise.

Leroy came running back into the dinner, his knitted cap falling off his head, showing a half shaven scalp with an ugly scar on the left side. His eyes were wide, almost panicking, and he snatched up Elisabeth without a word and turned back towards the truck.

“H-hey what’s the big idea!?” the girl cried out, but just as he reached the vehicle with Elisabeth tucked under one arm, a siren blared from somewhere in town, a disaster warning of some kind. High up in the mountains, a huge mass of snow was slumping off one of the peaks overlooking the town. Elisabeth’s complaints died on her lips, and she was tossed; with some care, into the pickup’s cab.

“Buckle up!” he ordered, backing the vehicle up out of the parking spot. “There’s some roads I saw that can put us up above the town we-” He fully glanced back then, and remembered that the main road also served the trains. Indeed the train the passengers where waiting for was on the way, with a large red rotary blower mounted on the front spinning away like a massive rolling wall of death. Leroy’s chest went ice cold, and his hands slipped slightly on the steering wheel before he shook himself and got the truck into gear. He aimed down the road, running before the steaming locomotive. Facing forward, refusing to check the rear-view, he fixed his sights on a side street up ahead. He’d just get the truck off the main road and then…

The sound of screeching metal reached the siblings, and Leroy’s eyes went wide with shock as he saw the train unfolding in his side-view, trailers and cabins spreading out left and right of the tracks as much of the train slipped off its tracks, derailing violently, slamming into buildings flanking the main strip. Slamming his foot on the accelerator to the sound of Elisabeth whimpers, Leroy clutched at the seat belt she had clipped in place. Between the avalanche of snow, and the rolling bouncing wall of steel, he was left with only one choice, one chance for safety and salvation. He raced the derailing train to the tunnel, rushing into the dark depths just as the avalanche blasted across the town.

Moments later there was a devastating crash of metal on stone, and then a concussive thud both siblings could feel in their chest as the ruined train slammed into the sides of the tunnel mouth.

With shaky legs, Leroy applied the breaks, bringing the pickup to a stop in the darkness. Only the sound of tires on gravel, their panicked panting, and the heater fan blowing could be heard. “Oh... we... we made it Liz. We some how...”

A locomotive horn blared, the powerful lights of the oncoming train on the other track became visible as it rounded a bend in the tunnel. This second train was equipped with a yellow rotary blower and was blissfully unaware of the state of its destination. The siblings threw their hands up before their eyes in protective response, just as the ground gave out beneath the rails. The crash of the first train had destroyed the structural integrity of the tunnel and, just as the second train came in contact with the front of the pickup, the ceiling collapsed upon that shiny blue truck and its occupants.