Cell Phones

Disclaimer: Seeing as this is fiction press, the same deal- use any of these guys without asking me and their will be trouble. However, I do not own Sprint, but I do own one of their LG phones. Shibuya is the name of a city in Japan and I named the main character that for no real reason other then I thought it was cool.

Summary: It’s New Years day of 2012. Shibuya Crawls, who was born on 01/01/2000 is celebrating his twelfth birthday. On it, he receives a Sprint LG cell phone. Two months later, a friend from abroad mailed him something to download into it, thrusting him into a never ending ’Game’ that has been around since the beginning of civilization. Shall he finally end it, or also be washed by it’s tide?

Key:

“Talking.”

‘Text message.’

Thoughts.

“Communication via telephone.”

Chapter 1: Sprint LG

(Chicago Underground, New Years 2012, 12:00 A.M.)

"Twelve at last!"

These were the first words said by the now twelve year old Shibuya Crawls, on New Year’s day, and his twelfth birthday.

It was pretty sweet, being born on New Years. Since there was a New Years party, all the family was there. And besides, being the ‘Child of the Millennium’ was pretty sweet also (due to his birth date).

He lived in Chicago Underground, which was made around the time of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. It was made as a haven for the ones who absolutely could not recover from it. A underground city.

For many years, it functioned as it’s own city, until the new millennium, and the cities became one (but functioned as two halves of the whole).

And, of course, Shibuya, being born on the new millennium, was born on the day this pact was made.

But, even though he was living underground a metropolis with artificial sunlight, he was happy.

Besides, most albinos have trouble going out in public in the Overground. Shibuya thought to himself many times. The artificial sunlight produced by the many watt power lights were safe to all skin. Couldn’t cause sunburn, or damage to anyone with albinoism.

Shibuya was an orphan, and his mother was Japanese (which some of his relatives believed was one source of his name), but they died years ago, when he was a baby. So he wasn’t that sad of them dying, as he had no memories if them. He lived on his own in a apartment made out of scraps in the Underground, and paid his own rent.

“Ha!” Laughed Shibuya, as some of his relatives poured a mixture of Coca Cola and Sprite on his head, a tradition for a birthday in the Underground.

“Ha! Life is sweet!” Cried out Shibuya, laughing at the party. “So, pops, when can I open my presents?” He said to one of his uncles, a somewhat skinny man, with large glasses, bald, and some VERY tacky clothing. The man then chuckles.

“Nope. Sorry kiddo, not time yet. You know we normally wait ‘till five A.M., when your reallllly tired until we opened… and that look isn’t working, Shibs.” Said the uncle, not giving in at his ‘big eyed chibi head act’.

“Common!” Said the albino birthday boy, only to see his efforts were useless. “Hey, can go walk for about two hours? Pretty please?” Asked Shibuya, this time working.

“Fiiiine…” Said the uncle, sighing. “Two hours, tops! You know it can get violent here ion the Underground on New Years…” That man then sighed once he realized he left by the time he said ‘tops.’

(Chicago Underground, 12:30 A.M., New Years Day)

“………………”

Despite the hysteria at the local Underground Burger Join (it’s actual name) due to New Years, Shibuya couldn’t help but feel depressed and not join in on the hysteria.

He just sat at a table, depressed.

Since he was born, there was a friend of his who he knew.

Joshua.

Joshua Zero.

The Zero family was one of the founders of the Chicago Underground, who first brought up the idea after the Great Chicago Fire.

They served as the mayors of the Underground for several years, until the cities became one.

However, they became infamous after one of the members were later found to be part of the conspiracy of the murder of the previous mayor Richard M. Daley.

However, he didn’t care. Joshua was one of his best friends.

Surprisingly, they almost looked exactly alike (white hair, curly hair, and same ‘keep it cool’ look when being casual), just minus the very pale skin and red eyes.

However, he was abroad. He was somewhere in Europe (Shibuya forgot were exactly).

But, he was snapped out of his emo-ness when something smacked his head. “OOWW WHAT THE HELL MAN!?”

“Gah! Sorry, dude! … Oh, hey Shibs.” Said another boy around his age.

He was also kind of pale (lots of people who lived in the Underground were pale, due to the fact they had only artificial light), and he was wearing very baggy black leather pants, no shoes, a hand made (and crappy attempt) white T-shit with a black skull on the chest, and some biker’s gloves.

“Oh, it’s just you, Skulls.”

Skulls, real name Diego Pauls, the Underground brawns.

Another friend of Shibuya, Diego, who much rather preferred to be called Skulls once saved his life from a vicious gang of people that existed both in the Underground and Overground of Chicago.

He always knew him, but never really socialized with him until the incident in 2010, when he managed to tell some adults that he was being mugged in a alleyway. Mugged by that vicious gang-

Blood Fires.

A group also formed around the time of the Great Fire, they were pretty much a group of savages.

They hurt, raped, killed, anything to benefit them.

It was one of Shibuya’s dreams to some day put a end to them.

But that would have to wait.

“Yo man, this is your birthday, why you here in the burger joint?” Asked Skulls, with some humor in his voice. “The wittle twelve year old too old for birthday parties?” He said with a big cheesy grin.

“Your only thirteen, shut it Diego.”

“BWAAH! HEY! I told you I HATE my name!”

“Too bad.” Said Shibuya, chuckling.

“So man, isn’t this the day? Isn’t this your big day when you get your first cell phone?” Asked Skulls. “The hell are you doing here, I’d be back home getting the cell, you idiot!”

“And you forget, just to be assholes, I can’t open my gifts until five, idiot.”

“…”

“…”

“Oh yeah.” Said Skulls, anime sweat dropping. At this Shibuya could only sigh deeply.

“So… why are you here, Skulls, aren’t you supposed to be with your party?”

“I’m here picking up burgers for the family!” He said, with another cheesy grin.

“… Are your parents trying to go bankrupt?”

“SHUT IT.” Said Skulls, coming form a big family (made Shibuya wonder: What the hell did they do with all their free time?) “The whole family is chipping in.”

“Whatever.” He said, with a sigh.

“Oh… shit.” Said Skulls, as his eyes went wide.

“What is I- oh… shit.” Said Shibuya, with his eyes going wide.

It was Blood Fires.

About five of them.

“Crap… we need to get out of here!” Said Shibuya, as he then noticed them advancing.

NO! He thought, now terrified. He almost got killed by these people once, to have it happen again was NOT what he wanted.

“Stand back, Shibs.” Said Skulls, getting in front of them. Out of all the friends Shibuya knew, Skulls was the fighter.

“Well well…” Said one of the several men in red blazers, as they walked over to them. “If it ain’t that damn kid that busted us the first time we mugged that kid.” He said, pointing at Shibuya.

Oh my God… Thought Shibuya, even more scared. These are the people who almost killed me!

“Hey, you aint’ gonna do anything…” Said Skulls, smirking. “It’s a mad house yo, and lots of people know Shibs. You hurt him and you’ll have fifty people on you.” He said smirking.

“Then we’ll thrash you when the place closes down.” Crap.

“Does he have a cell phone?” Said a new voice, causing Shibuya, Skulls, and the Blood Fires.

It was a man that appeared to be about 21, a penetrating glare, icy blue eyes, long white feminine hair, a crescent moon tattoo on his forehead, and wearing a robe that appeared to look like a blood red male’s kimono. They were all surprised that it seemed like no one else noticed him, but a Blood Fires member broke their silence.

“And who the crap are you?” He said, with venom in his voice and a creepy smile, trying to scare him.

“Cicada.” He said, still keeping his cool.

Cicada? Thought all of them. What kind of name or even nickname was ‘Cicada’?

“And I said… does he have a cell phone?” He said, now looking at Shibuya.

“Ummm… today is my birthday, I’ll be getting one today…” He said, with a gulp.

“Two months.” Said Cicada, the second Shibuya stopped talking.

“… Huh?” Said Shibuya, Skulls, and the Blood Fires.

“Give him two months to learn how to fight… then fight him.” He said, and Shibuya’s jaw dropped.

No way… this stranger… is putting his life on the line to help me, a stranger?

“Yeah!” Said Skulls, catching on. “If your gonna try to cream Shibs, at least let him learn how to fight!”

“Fine…” Said a Fire Skulls member. “Two months! In two months, we dish this out were this started!” They said in unison, as they left.

“Phew…” Said Skulls, as he looked at Shibuya. “Okay man, starting next week we head to the gym, every day!”

“Fine..” Said Shibuya, as he then remembered the man who just gave him two months. “Hey, Mr. Cicada! Tha-” He then realized the man was gone. “Huh…?”

“Hey, he probably just amscra- CRAP!” Yelled Skulls, remembering he had to get food. “Sorry man, you think you can get home without getting hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m sure…” Just as he said that, Skulls bolted to get his food for his family, a and Shibuya ran for his home.

Meanwhile, a figure was up on the Chicago Overground Sears Tower…

“Shibuya Crawls…” Said Cicada, looking at his Sprint LG cell phone. On it was Shibuya running for his home, his name over his body, and over it ‘HP: 200’.

“I wonder… in two months, how long will you survive the Game…?” He said. Just then lightning struck the building, and once it was gone, so was Cicada.

(Back at Shibuya’s house, 5:00 A.M.)

“YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!” Cried out Shibuya, as he opened up first present.

He hit the jack pot. It was a cell phone, a Sprite LG to be exact.

“Screw the other presents! You guys are gonna be here for a few days, I’ll open it then!” He laughed, as he ran out the door.

“Wait!” Cried the uncle from earlier, only to be stopped by his wife.

“Oh, common…. That kid feels like he is on top of the world… just leave him alone.” She said, chuckling, as the twelve year old ran out the door.

“Okay, dear...”

"WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!"

(Two months later…)

“This is… it.” Said Shibuya, as he walked into the alleyway.

He managed to bulk up a bit and learn self defense in the last two months…

Now, he just wondered two things…

Would he make it out alive?

And what the hell was up with this text message?

Just earlier this day, he received a package from Joshua. A disk. He installed it in his computer, and then connected it to his cell phone.

All it did was give him a text message-

‘Go to were it began and meet Cicada.’

“Cicada…” The man whom Shibuya owed his life.

“Long time no see.” Said a voice who Shibuya could barely remember, and he then looked up and saw him.

“CICADA!”

“…” Cicada said nothing.

“Shibuya Crawls…” At this Shibuya was alarmed. Sure, he was a well known kid in the Underground, so he wasn’t surprised Cicada knew his first name, but his last name?

“Get ready.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Cicada?”

“Get ready to play the Game.” He said, as he raised his cell phone.

“H-h-Huh!?”

Just then, a bright flash blinded Shibuya for several seconds, then… he woke up, several minutes later.

(??, time: ??, Date: ??)

“Ugh……….. What the hell?”

When Shibuya came too, he thought he was dreaming.

Mostly due to the fact there was a red sky, and most of the people didn’t have faces.

“Uhhh…” Just then, he received a text message from a untraceable source. The hell?

‘Welcome to the AG.’ “The AG?” Said Shibuya to himself. He knew of the OG and UG, the Overground and Underground, but AG? Just then he received another text.

‘Welcome to Anotherground.”

Chapter 1 end