Prologue...

The rain had never fallen so hard, and the sky had never been so black. Thunder clouds rumbled and rolled fiercely across the sky faster than usual. It was very surreal like to him as he turned his head upwards to stair into the rain. It pored in cold sheets, bouncing off his face and shoulders. It had his blond hair matted to his head, and his silver-green eyes reflected the flash of white lightening that stretched across the sky.

The rain pored all over the world, pored non-stop and as it did the water level rose. Experts figured it was only a matter of time before it consumed the world. The people cried out for a savor and swore that it was the end of the world, and from where he was standing right now it sure did appear that way. His head tilted to the right and his eyes peered at the dam in the distance and the water that was cresting and poring over down the drainage canal that the tips of his toes touched.

Heights had never bothered him, but as he looked down the fifty foot slope to the murky muddied bottom and the water that trickled down stream, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of ominous foreboding. Then, his head tilted to the right and he looked away from the dam to the two tunnels that were positioned at the end of the wide canal.

Lightening erupted across the sky, flashing so brightly that everything glowed white for that instant and all became clear. He could see the world in all its entirety, and saw how devastatingly beautiful it was. He could hear the sound of tires rolling through pulls of water and the sound of its doors opening. Yet, his head never turned around and his silvery green eyes continued to watch the water trickle down the sides of the canal.

“Some say it’s the end of the world,” the voice behind him echoed his thoughts. The sound of his nice shoes trudging through the mud grew closer. He stood with his feet parted and his hands clasped behind his back. His coat was long and black, his suit pristine. His black hair was cut short, slicked back from the rain.

“I guess you would know,” Adrian muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

Richard Drake smirked, bowing his head as if to reply silently, yes. “Yes, I suppose I would, Cade.” He took several steps forward, leaving the safety of the armed guard around him. He moved closer, reaching into his coat for something. “Come on, it has to end somehow... Will you come willingly, or do I need to force you into the vehicle?”

“I’m not coming at all...” Adrian took a step back, balancing on the edge of the canal. Teetering on the edge of a breaking fall. He reached behind him, underneath his shirt and into the lip of his pants for the handle of the pistol.

They drew at the same time it seemed, slinging water and rain about with their quick movements. Adrian froze as he stared at the black barrel in Drake’s hand. Drake knew better than to let Adrian have even a split second to react, and as soon as his sights were trained he pulled the trigger. The searing pain struck him in the should and the force of it caused him to stumble back, slipping in the mud.

Drake took a quick step forward and fired again just as Adrian was throwing himself back. The bullet grazed the side of his head as he felt his body go weightless for a moment. He hit the cement side of the canal, rolling and tumbling, finally skidding to a stop in the muddied trickle of water bellow. His body protested immediately when he went to lift his head, trying to fight the blackness that was seeking to claim his consciousness.

The last thing Adrian Cade heard before that darkness took him was the sound of the dam’s horn blaring in the distance as it signaled the flood gates opening...