Whisper Chapter 1

         Cold. Cold and dark. That's all he could remember. A bright streak across the sky and then darkness. Then he woke in the tower, soaking wet and nearly blind. It was a day and a half before he could see again. And things looked different, warped slightly. But the first thing he noticed was his hair. His once short curly hair was long and dark. It was still raining out. Loud and heavy torrents beat against the rough metal roof. It leaked in places as he stood crossing the tiny room to the only window. He knew this city, but he had never been here before. It was the statue that caught his eye and made him realize where he was. As he stared at the giant atlas statue holding up the upper district he knew that he was in Rapture.

         Rapture was supposed to be under quarantine. The city had been exposed to an experimental population control virus for overseas use. What was supposed to just cause infertility ended up causing massive mutations in certain individuals. The only problem was that infected showed no signs of infection until they exploded into a writhing mass of tentacles, or had any other number of bizarre side effects. It turned a city that was once called Rapture because of it's perfection and joy to being called Rapture because no one knew when the next day could their last.

         Ven gave the room around him a good look. He was only wearing jeans and there was a coat in the corner. A note sat on the bed near the end that he assumed was addressed to him.
                   "Kid, There's some money in the coat pocket. When you wake up go out and get yourself something to eat and some clothes.          And don't get yourself killed. -J."
         He grabbed the coat and went down the stairs. Out on the bustling street something seemed...off. It was as if there was two of everything, but that they were overlapping. Walking to the nearest coffee shop he stepped in and approached the counter.

         "Caramel Machiato please." He sat at an empty table and waited for his crack to brew. An old man looked up from a paper in the corner and just stared at him. He tried to keep his eyes straight as the man openly gawked.  The waitress came over and placed his drink on the table.

         "Just pay for it when you're done sweetie."
         "Could you ask that guy to stop staring? It's making me uncomfortable." The waitress gave him a strange look and went back behind the counter. Weird he thought but not the weirdest. Maybe they had a "no interrupting the customer's strange fetishes" rule. The old man's eyes seemed to be pushing their way out of his head as he started drinking. It was strange and unnerving. The man had a butterfly pin on the lapel of his coat. It looked like a blue monarch.

         Ven noticed something odd. Just around the edge of the man the air shimmered, like gas from a grill. He blinked his eyes trying to figure out what he was looking at. Something gleemed from inside the man's coat. He smiled an unnerving grin that continued to spread until his lips bled, stretched inhumanly far apart. Ven got up quickly and approached the waitress at the counter.
         "Listen, what's that guys problem?" Ven pointed a finger at the man, not chancing a glance at what he looked like now.
         "Hey kid, I don't know what kind if a game you're playin here but you're the only customer I've had all day."

         Ven's eyes went wide as he understood. Whatever that thing was, she couldn't see it. He turned around just in time to see the man's left eye fall out of his head and into his drink as he took another sip. His mouth now literally stretched from ear to ear, his mangled skin hanging loosely on his face where it had torn from being spread. It opened it's mouth wide as if it's jaw had unhinged like a snake and spoke in a voice that sounded like squishing meat.
         "Welcome home Ven."