Chapter 2
Paul began using his telekinesis power to levitate a book that had been lying on the floor. The cover was singed from the explosion, and the binding was falling apart, but it was still readable. He knew he would soon have to inject EVE, the fuel that refueled his power, if he kept just using it to toss objects in the house around. ADAM was the reason he had gained the power of telekinesis, but it was only for that purpose. Without EVE, the power would not work. The scientific reasoning behind it was unknown to Paul, but he just went with it. He flashbacked again to when his parents had first given him money to go and buy a Plasmid. He was hesitant at first with doing it after seeing what Plasmids had done to people, but just accepted that it was a choice that had to be made. He knew about all the side effects, with the repulsive facial deformities and descending into insanity, but was not worried. He knew it was inevitable to have one to survive against the splicers, the people who had lost their minds from becoming addicted to ADAM. While they could be fought off with firearms, he had seem that would result in an unfortunate end without having a Plasmid equipped along with it, after once seeing his one Plasmid-less neighbor overpowered by a dozen or so splicers. He had also given up on the hope long ago of Rapture ever being restored to it's former glory, and was prepared for the worst. When he arrived at the Gatherer's Garden, he heard the familiar advertisement. "My daddy's smarter than Einstein, stronger than Hercules, and lights a fire with a SNAP of his fingers! Are you as good as my daddy, Mister? Not if you don't visit the Gatherer's Garden, you aren't! Smart daddies get spliced, at the Gardens!" Ignoring the voice, Paul looked inside at his choices. Electro Bolt, Incinerate, and Winter Blast were just a few of these choices he could choose from. He remembered seeing in brawls between splicers outside, and with what carnage and gore those plasmids could cause, he decided to look for something a bit..."cleaner". At that moment, he spotted the Telekinesis Plasmid. He had made his choice. Telekinesis was the one he wanted. While it could still cause a decent amount of bodily harm, it was better in his mind to use that rather than frying someone's eyes out of their sockets with Electro Bolt, or igniting someone with Incinerate, engulfing them in flames. No, he was going to survive in Rapture, and this was the Plasmid for him. He paid for it, and went home.
Paul came back to reality, hearing a loud brawl going on outside. He peered out one of the openings between the boards. "It's mine! MIINE!" yelled a female splicer, pulling on a can of potted meat. "No it's mine, you stupid bitch!" yelled a male splicer, pulling on the other end. The female pulled out a pistol from a side pocket, and shot the male point-blank in the forehead. The male jerked back, and fell over dead, causing a pool of blood to form on the floor. The female splicer cackled, and ran off with the can. It was a sad state of affairs with how things had become in Rapture, and Paul knew this from seeing events like the previous brawl occur daily, much more often than he wanted. He looked back from the small peephole, and sat back down in the slightly charred chair. "I have to leave this place...there's too many memories here in this house..." he said to himself. Getting up out of the chair, he looked around at what was left in his house. The bodies of his family members still laid where they had before, since he refused to disturb their bodies. Decaying on their unburied graves, Paul walked right past them, trying not to look at what used to be his family. He had to find some supplies somewhere before he left. He began to scavenge throughout the cupboards, looking for anything that would help him survive in the mad world just outside. After searching, he had found only the shotgun he had fired at his brutish father, ammo for the shotgun, several EVE Hypos, and a few First Aid Kits. What else could he possibly need? A friend would be nice... thought Paul. If only everyone in this damn city hadn't lost their goddamn minds to ADAM... Deep down, he hated the fact that he was immune to the side effects of ADAM. He had seen so many others besides his family lose it, and he had made himself basically immune to feelings and emotions, now that he had lost so much. What was there to care about besides himself anyways in this wreckage of a city? Paul looked around once more for anything else he might need. He spotted a small radio that his father had used at his old job to talk back and forth with his fellow workers, and he went over and grabbed it, and attached it to his belt. Who he would be able to contact with it, he did not know. Maybe... he thought. Maybe hearing someone else's, anyone else's voice, will make me feel just a bit better, knowing that there is someone else in this horrible city that hasn't completely lost it yet... Turning it on, he listened for any other voices, longing to hear someone else on the other end of the radio static. Nothing at all. All of a sudden, he heard another noise outside. It was a male splicer, moping around, singing a church song. "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong!" The splicer walked off down another hallway, yet Paul could still hear him singing. Oh the church... thought Paul. He himself had never been that religious, but at a time where he had nothing left, he wished he could find one of these holy places in this mess of a city, so he could finally feel calm for once. Most of the churches, however, had become hosts to cults like the Saturnines, who were a bunch of Houdini, or able to teleport, splicers who wore masks made of twigs, straw, and leaves and worshipped ancient Roman gods, as well as nature. They were crazy enough that members within the cult would often end up getting into fights with one another, as well as do very strange things like drink human blood or make cocktails that contained a variety of Plasmids, which the members called ambrosia. Paul did not want to get caught up in that, so he would do his best to avoid the cult.
While it seemed that Paul had all his gear ready, he still kept thinking to himself, What happens when I leave here? To what used to be my home? My family's bodies just get looted and tossed around like nothing? He had to leave this dump, but he had so many memories here. This was where he had lived for the past several years or so. He also couldn't stand the idea of other splicers just looting through his family's pockets just to find little "trinkets" or whatever it was that they were looking for. He finally knew what he had to do. If he was going to leave this place forever, he wouldn't let anyone else find the house. He looked around for something to use to cause the roof to collapse and cave in. Unfortunately, he could not find anything that would cause this to happen. All of a sudden, he had an idea. The roof itself, was already weakened due to the several years that Paul and his family had stayed there. His father had always warned him to be careful about the roof, as he had been a construction worker back up above, and knew which boards mainly supported the roof. Paul prepped his gear and prepared to leave. He stood by the boarded up entrance, and prepared to leave once and for all. Taking a quick glance out the small opening between the two boards, Paul saw no splicers around. However, a noise this loud would definitely cause the splicers to come running, as it was in their primal nature. Paul knew he would either have to hide, or run when he stepped out of the house. Either way, he was in for a fight. It was time for Paul to finally leave this cramped house, and eventually leave Rapture as well. He aimed his Plasmid hand at the roof, and let a burst of Telekinesis out at the main boards. In an instant, one board had been ripped off the roof, and floated just feet from Paul's hand. Dropping the board, Paul prepared to rip another board off. He let out another burst, and another board was removed. After dropping another board, Paul leaned back against the boarded up entrance to the house, which he had made himself. Since he did not inherit the knowledge of proper structure building from his father, it was quite poorly crafted. Thankfully, the splicers had not figured this out. He knew one good shove would make the boards break off, creating an opening to escape. He prepped for the last board removal. He could already hear the board straining and creaking from not having the other boards to help it hold up the apartment above. He was surprised, but also impressed at how the roof still stayed supported, minus two large supporting boards. Paul knew he would have to act fast if he wanted to get out before being buried in the rubble from the above apartment. Paul walked over to the other end of the apartment, facing the doorway. He did not have as much room as he wanted, but hoped it would be enough. He charged towards the door, while at the same time, using one last burst of Telekinesis to pull off the last wooden board. In what seemed like slow-motion, Paul hit the boarded wall, and heard two things. The sound of a caving in rooftop, and the sound of boards breaking.
Paul burst out from the apartment just in time. Looking back, he watched his escape entrance soon blocked by a large pile of rubble. "Well...no one's getting in there ever again...", he said out loud to himself. "That's where you're wrong, buddy!" called a voice. Paul turned, and to his horror, saw a Brute Splicer, the same kind of creature his father had become on the night Paul's world became absolute hell. A few shotgun blasts would take care of it, but not soon enough before the Brute would be able to create another entrance to Paul's old home, allowing anyone, or anything, to get in. Paul aimed for the splicer's head, hoping that he could get lucky with one shot, and blow the creature's head off. The Brute roared, preparing to charge. But just before he pulled the trigger, someone else did. Someone who had a different gun. In a blink of his eyes, there was now a hole, point-blank, through the Brute Splicer's head. The Brute appeared to be as surprised as Paul was for a moment, before finally falling forward, dead. Paul glanced over in the direction where he had heard the shot come from. Standing there, was a girl, who looked about his age. Her face was partially covered by her tangled, dirty brown hair, although Paul could just tell by the look of her that she was an ADAM user. She had brown eyes, with a tiny smile on her face, and wore what looked like the remains of an old checkered blue dress. The dress was tattered, torn, and quite dirty from what Paul could tell. She appeared to be satisfied with her kill, but turned her attention to Paul, and walked forward a few steps towards him. Before Paul could say anything, she spoke first, with the Mona Lisa-like smile still on her face. "Well? Aren't you gonna thank me? I just saved your ass from that lumbering brute." She still smiled, and Paul was not quite sure why. Maybe she was just teasing him. Snapping out of his gaze, Paul responded. "Oh yeah...umm, thanks...for the help, I guess..." The girl still smiled. What is her deal? thought Paul. The girl giggled, but not like a typical giddy schoolgirl giggle. It was more of a calm, cool, and collected giggle, one that didn't make the girl seem so flirty. She said to Paul. "You're welcome, hun. My name's Dana, by the way. What's yours?" "Paul." he said. "It's Paul." The girl still kept that same tiny smile on her face, like it was frozen that way. "You don't say much, do you Paul? Well, at least you're not infected, so that's a plus. Now come on, let's find somewhere safer to talk. "She grabbed Paul's hand, and yanked him to follow along. In that moment, Paul saw the covered half of the girl Dana's face, as she turned her head quickly, sending her hair back out from her face. It was covered in several small scars, as well as what looked like the start of a rash, like Paul had seen on other splicers. But this girl was different. She still seemed sane. As he let the girl drag him along, he glanced back, at what used to be his home, for one, last, time.
Paul came back to reality, hearing a loud brawl going on outside. He peered out one of the openings between the boards. "It's mine! MIINE!" yelled a female splicer, pulling on a can of potted meat. "No it's mine, you stupid bitch!" yelled a male splicer, pulling on the other end. The female pulled out a pistol from a side pocket, and shot the male point-blank in the forehead. The male jerked back, and fell over dead, causing a pool of blood to form on the floor. The female splicer cackled, and ran off with the can. It was a sad state of affairs with how things had become in Rapture, and Paul knew this from seeing events like the previous brawl occur daily, much more often than he wanted. He looked back from the small peephole, and sat back down in the slightly charred chair. "I have to leave this place...there's too many memories here in this house..." he said to himself. Getting up out of the chair, he looked around at what was left in his house. The bodies of his family members still laid where they had before, since he refused to disturb their bodies. Decaying on their unburied graves, Paul walked right past them, trying not to look at what used to be his family. He had to find some supplies somewhere before he left. He began to scavenge throughout the cupboards, looking for anything that would help him survive in the mad world just outside. After searching, he had found only the shotgun he had fired at his brutish father, ammo for the shotgun, several EVE Hypos, and a few First Aid Kits. What else could he possibly need? A friend would be nice... thought Paul. If only everyone in this damn city hadn't lost their goddamn minds to ADAM... Deep down, he hated the fact that he was immune to the side effects of ADAM. He had seen so many others besides his family lose it, and he had made himself basically immune to feelings and emotions, now that he had lost so much. What was there to care about besides himself anyways in this wreckage of a city? Paul looked around once more for anything else he might need. He spotted a small radio that his father had used at his old job to talk back and forth with his fellow workers, and he went over and grabbed it, and attached it to his belt. Who he would be able to contact with it, he did not know. Maybe... he thought. Maybe hearing someone else's, anyone else's voice, will make me feel just a bit better, knowing that there is someone else in this horrible city that hasn't completely lost it yet... Turning it on, he listened for any other voices, longing to hear someone else on the other end of the radio static. Nothing at all. All of a sudden, he heard another noise outside. It was a male splicer, moping around, singing a church song. "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong!" The splicer walked off down another hallway, yet Paul could still hear him singing. Oh the church... thought Paul. He himself had never been that religious, but at a time where he had nothing left, he wished he could find one of these holy places in this mess of a city, so he could finally feel calm for once. Most of the churches, however, had become hosts to cults like the Saturnines, who were a bunch of Houdini, or able to teleport, splicers who wore masks made of twigs, straw, and leaves and worshipped ancient Roman gods, as well as nature. They were crazy enough that members within the cult would often end up getting into fights with one another, as well as do very strange things like drink human blood or make cocktails that contained a variety of Plasmids, which the members called ambrosia. Paul did not want to get caught up in that, so he would do his best to avoid the cult.
While it seemed that Paul had all his gear ready, he still kept thinking to himself, What happens when I leave here? To what used to be my home? My family's bodies just get looted and tossed around like nothing? He had to leave this dump, but he had so many memories here. This was where he had lived for the past several years or so. He also couldn't stand the idea of other splicers just looting through his family's pockets just to find little "trinkets" or whatever it was that they were looking for. He finally knew what he had to do. If he was going to leave this place forever, he wouldn't let anyone else find the house. He looked around for something to use to cause the roof to collapse and cave in. Unfortunately, he could not find anything that would cause this to happen. All of a sudden, he had an idea. The roof itself, was already weakened due to the several years that Paul and his family had stayed there. His father had always warned him to be careful about the roof, as he had been a construction worker back up above, and knew which boards mainly supported the roof. Paul prepped his gear and prepared to leave. He stood by the boarded up entrance, and prepared to leave once and for all. Taking a quick glance out the small opening between the two boards, Paul saw no splicers around. However, a noise this loud would definitely cause the splicers to come running, as it was in their primal nature. Paul knew he would either have to hide, or run when he stepped out of the house. Either way, he was in for a fight. It was time for Paul to finally leave this cramped house, and eventually leave Rapture as well. He aimed his Plasmid hand at the roof, and let a burst of Telekinesis out at the main boards. In an instant, one board had been ripped off the roof, and floated just feet from Paul's hand. Dropping the board, Paul prepared to rip another board off. He let out another burst, and another board was removed. After dropping another board, Paul leaned back against the boarded up entrance to the house, which he had made himself. Since he did not inherit the knowledge of proper structure building from his father, it was quite poorly crafted. Thankfully, the splicers had not figured this out. He knew one good shove would make the boards break off, creating an opening to escape. He prepped for the last board removal. He could already hear the board straining and creaking from not having the other boards to help it hold up the apartment above. He was surprised, but also impressed at how the roof still stayed supported, minus two large supporting boards. Paul knew he would have to act fast if he wanted to get out before being buried in the rubble from the above apartment. Paul walked over to the other end of the apartment, facing the doorway. He did not have as much room as he wanted, but hoped it would be enough. He charged towards the door, while at the same time, using one last burst of Telekinesis to pull off the last wooden board. In what seemed like slow-motion, Paul hit the boarded wall, and heard two things. The sound of a caving in rooftop, and the sound of boards breaking.
Paul burst out from the apartment just in time. Looking back, he watched his escape entrance soon blocked by a large pile of rubble. "Well...no one's getting in there ever again...", he said out loud to himself. "That's where you're wrong, buddy!" called a voice. Paul turned, and to his horror, saw a Brute Splicer, the same kind of creature his father had become on the night Paul's world became absolute hell. A few shotgun blasts would take care of it, but not soon enough before the Brute would be able to create another entrance to Paul's old home, allowing anyone, or anything, to get in. Paul aimed for the splicer's head, hoping that he could get lucky with one shot, and blow the creature's head off. The Brute roared, preparing to charge. But just before he pulled the trigger, someone else did. Someone who had a different gun. In a blink of his eyes, there was now a hole, point-blank, through the Brute Splicer's head. The Brute appeared to be as surprised as Paul was for a moment, before finally falling forward, dead. Paul glanced over in the direction where he had heard the shot come from. Standing there, was a girl, who looked about his age. Her face was partially covered by her tangled, dirty brown hair, although Paul could just tell by the look of her that she was an ADAM user. She had brown eyes, with a tiny smile on her face, and wore what looked like the remains of an old checkered blue dress. The dress was tattered, torn, and quite dirty from what Paul could tell. She appeared to be satisfied with her kill, but turned her attention to Paul, and walked forward a few steps towards him. Before Paul could say anything, she spoke first, with the Mona Lisa-like smile still on her face. "Well? Aren't you gonna thank me? I just saved your ass from that lumbering brute." She still smiled, and Paul was not quite sure why. Maybe she was just teasing him. Snapping out of his gaze, Paul responded. "Oh yeah...umm, thanks...for the help, I guess..." The girl still smiled. What is her deal? thought Paul. The girl giggled, but not like a typical giddy schoolgirl giggle. It was more of a calm, cool, and collected giggle, one that didn't make the girl seem so flirty. She said to Paul. "You're welcome, hun. My name's Dana, by the way. What's yours?" "Paul." he said. "It's Paul." The girl still kept that same tiny smile on her face, like it was frozen that way. "You don't say much, do you Paul? Well, at least you're not infected, so that's a plus. Now come on, let's find somewhere safer to talk. "She grabbed Paul's hand, and yanked him to follow along. In that moment, Paul saw the covered half of the girl Dana's face, as she turned her head quickly, sending her hair back out from her face. It was covered in several small scars, as well as what looked like the start of a rash, like Paul had seen on other splicers. But this girl was different. She still seemed sane. As he let the girl drag him along, he glanced back, at what used to be his home, for one, last, time.
END OF CHAPTER TWO
