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Inspirational short leading to a larger story (hopefully)
One resplendent star rose from the horizon; one shining sentinel dominating the sky, its color shifting luminosity hypnotizing, as it pulsed to its own cosmic cadence. He had watched it now for nearly the two hours it had taken to ascend a hands breadth above the horizon. His eye had tracked the star’s course without deviation as his mind and imagination were first inspired, and then gradually taken to new places as thought led to thought. The vastness of the sky had always held a secret he thought, a universal truth that during his most contemplative and receptive states he could only feel as a keen range of emotion, a heartrending mix of joy, sadness, and excitement for something to come, and something that already was. Deeply in this trance his breathing had slowed and his body had relaxed to a state of near REM sleep, yet he retained enough of his consciousness to know where he was.
He had taken shelter in a gutted and half collapsed building. The concrete walls of the structure still had enough solidity left to protect him from the constant driving wind and the stinging sand it carried. He had grown used to the undulating scream of the wind’s passage through the collapsed sections and various punctures in the walls. In truth, over time the sound comforted him, as he preferred it to the deep silence that would have been. The building lacked a roof, the walls rose to a height of perhaps fifteen feet at the highest parts and the rest had collapsed long ago, the surrounding piles of debris evidence of its existence. A full moon had risen as well, and its bluish-white haze bathed the landscape and the uneven debris-strewn floor of the building. Deep shadows pooled in the corners and steadily spread as the bright orb cut its course through the night. A rusted support beam anchored to a nearby wall bent upwards at a crazy angle and jutted out into open air casting a narrow shadow in which he sheltered, hidden from the casual eye.
Gradually the knife edge of moonlight and shadow fell on him, revealing him. It filtered through his pupils and penetrated into his dream-state, awakening him fully. It was time now to move, when the moon was at such an angle to cast long and deep shadows that could be used to conceal movement. He shifted slightly and raised his weapon from his lap. It was an MP5 sub-machine gun fitted with a silencer and a laser scope. Small and maneuverable it was the perfect weapon for short to medium range urban environments. He stood slowly, his eyes still fixed on the star. He took his eyes from it and surveyed his immediate environment. His pupils widened slightly as they adjusted to the darker confines of the ruins. He took a deep breath and pulled in the stale dust filled air of the place. Anytime now a pulse would come. If his biological clock was right, the spacing was about correct since the last. It was best to be prepared and fully awake for its arrival. Five yards ahead of him a deep pool of shadow surrounded a large gap in the far wall of the building. He crouched low and moved into the shadow slowly keeping his eyes fixed through the gap into the moonlit world beyond. Instinctively he nestled the MP5 on his shoulder keeping the muzzle raised enough to aim and fire quickly if need be. He approached the gap and pushed his back against the wall to the left of it. From a pocket in his assault vest he produced a thin black mask and pulled it over his face to hide the glow his skin would produce in the open. Peering around the corner one more time he pushed off of the wall and out through the gap. The wind assaulted him immediately and he cursed himself for losing his goggles a few days back. For now he squinted against it and pushed forward.
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