Liam Kiy

Opening scene: prologue and first four pages. Introduces protagonist and displays abilities, introduces antagonist and setting

Over twenty years ago, the New United States of America (NUSA) joined the third world war. The war was expected to be fought using drones and other unmanned machines, until countries began giving new definitions to bioweapons by creating superhuman soldiers. The NUSA created their soldiers with enhanced senses and superhuman abilities. They called these soldiers “Wyrden.”

Story 1: The Wyrden

The boy crouched and glanced around at the scene in front of him as he slowly opened the door to the wrecked apartment room. He hadn’t eaten anything in days, and his water supply was running thin. The floor of the apartment was littered with papers, boxes, random assortments of items, and plaster that had fallen off of the decrepit ceiling and walls with time.

Taking it all in, he continued to move silently into the apartment one step at a time, listening for signs of life in the building. Like most dwellings, the rest of the apartments in this building had been abandoned. Why would this one be any different?

Just as he was finishing his thought, he felt the presence of a person behind him. Instinctively, he jumped to the side with a speed unlike that of a regular human. As he spun around, he saw a man, much larger than him, holding a wooden baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire. The man moved to swing again. The boy periotted around him, narrowly avoiding a skull crushing blow. The man was strong—sweat hung from his heavy brow. Before he could strike again, the boy quickly extended his hand, and a purple aura flickered around it for the briefest moment. The man felt a strange force hit his body and, staggering backwards, he realized he had his back to a wall. The invisible blow hadn’t hit him any harder than a shove, but it had caught him off guard. The attacker was far enough now that he could get a good look at the boy.

He couldn’t be too far into his mid-twenties, though his face appeared more weathered than even that of an old soldier. He was skinny with an ugly nose, tangled dark hair that fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were—the man's heart skipped a beat. His irises were an unnaturally dark shade of silver, and they were large, with large pupils to match. The whites of his eyes could only be seen around the very edge, and only if one looked carefully. Recognition struck him as he realized that this was no regular boy. He was a Wyrden, a supersoldier and a myth created by the military at the beginning of the war. Only it wasn’t a myth.

“Monster,” the man said, his tone low and repulsive. He began to doubt his chances.

“Mhm.” The boy narrowed his eyes, growled in response and flashed him an unflattering smile. Not even his voice was human, but deep and distorted like some supernatural being spoke for him.

The Wyrden swiftly grabbed the knife he kept inside his boot. Sensing the man's intentions, he ducked beneath a blow as it was happening and used the opportunity to close the distance between the two, plunging the knife into the man's neck with a leaping strike.

The body fell to the ground as the life in his eyes left him. The bat dropped with a loud thud. Still crouched above the body where it had just fallen, the Wyrden let out a sigh and closed his eyes for just a moment.

 

He searched the apartment thoroughly, still caught off guard from his near death encounter, though it was far from his first—nor would it be his last. The man had been right about one thing: the boy was a mutant, denoted by his unnatural eyes and strange voice. He’d accepted this a long time ago, and it didn’t bother him. Wyrden, they’d been called. His birth name is something he didn’t remember, so he told people his name was Seth. It was an arbitrary name, one which he’d been assigned by friends as a youth, but it served him as good as any other.

Seth shook his head and brought himself back to reality. He looked in the cabinet he had opened. Cobwebs. He searched five more only to find empty cans and crumpled up, well used paper towels. Seth headed to the upper floor of the apartment to see if the man held any supplies up there. He had looked strong—Seth figured he must have had some solid source of food, perhaps even a small garden. He opened the bedroom door to find nothing unexpected. As he moved into the closet, however, he noticed that it was slightly smaller than the others he had seen in this building. He narrowed his eyes and searched…Yes, there it was. He pulled on a piece of metal that stuck out of the top of the wall, which he could barely reach. The wall became a door and swung open and—Seth nearly gasped. Before him he saw cans of corn, beans, and even MRE’s, still good despite the years they’d sat unopened. He immediately took the bag he carried on his back and began to stuff it with as much food as he could bring with him. In the corner was an apple covered with brown spots on all sides. He shoved it into his mouth. It tasted terrible, but he ate it anyway.

The Wyrden scoured a few more rooms and then made his way outside again. Like most buildings, this one was falling apart in too many places. It was overgrown with foliage, vines snaking up its walls and invading the eroding brick. Bag slung over his shoulder, he walked to the bike he’d hidden in a pile of bushes. He dove into the mess of leaves and twigs and took it out, shaking it off in case any unwanted bugs had decided to make it their new home, and rode. 

 

Seth watched languidly as the sun set behind skyscrapers through the window of a terraced house that was last used long ago. The structural integrity of it was dubious, but it beat sleeping on the street for the night. Its condition was better than the other houses on this block. The mostly-boarded windows only let in slivers of light, but they also prevented the cool fall drafts, which he appreciated. It hadn’t become totally overgrown with vegetation, either. Seth moved to the front door to make sure its rusted lock would hold. As if from nowhere, he sensed something as he approached the door. Footsteps, outside. He quickly crouched next to the door, ready to spring at anyone who might come through. The footsteps were getting louder, but he could make out only one person. Louder and louder until…someone pulled down on the handle of the door outside. The lock immediately snapped, and the door opened with a menacing creak. Seth cursed and waited for the person to walk inside, readying himself to pounce again.

A short, slender figure slowly strutted its way inside, seemingly oblivious to the Wyrden’s presence. Seth noticed it was a woman. She had short, dark brown hair that didn’t go far past her shoulders. Her pants were too baggy and, to compensate, they were tied tightly at her slim waist. She wore a gray tank top and an oversized, puffy jacket on top of it. Across her chest and shoulder was a brown leather strap that attached to a similarly colored handmade, leather bag on her hip. And on her other hip there was a pistol, painted yellow, pink, and orange. A strong scent assaulted his nostrils—that of cigarette smoke masked by sunflowers and tulips. Seth would have recognized it anywhere.

“Hello Seth,” the woman said, slightly turning her head towards him.

“Alyssa,” he muttered, rising from his crouched position in the corner. His head began to spin as memories of his past flooded his brain. He had twenty questions he wanted to ask at once, but he didn’t know where to start as he felt a wave of both relief and apprehension wash over him, refusing to let his guard down just yet.

Assignment 1 - STORY STATEMENT:

Over twenty years ago, global civilization decayed after the third world war. The New United States of America (NUSA) created a breed of supersoldiers called Wyrden. Seth is one of these soldiers: he is hunter and hunted, predator and prey. While his abilities help keep him alive, they also make him a target for anyone who wants to use him for their own deeds.

As Seth continues to navigate this post-apocalyptic terrain, he begins to realize that the NUSA is not as shattered as everybody had thought. What’s worse, they’re developing a new breed of supersoldier, even stronger than Wyrden. And, as if that wasn’t enough, Seth learns of a new supersoldier: only ten years of age and more powerful than any before her. Seth also discovers that she’s somehow tied to him in a way he doesn’t fully yet understand—a living reminder of his own identity struggle in a world that sees any type of ‘other’ as a threat. As he searches for her, he’s forced to come to terms with what he really is: a human, monster, or something in between.

Though Seth knows the dangers that will come with defying the NUSA, he makes it his mission to save Valarie from their clutches, whatever the cost.

 

Assignment 2 - THE ANTAGONIST:

Alyssa is a loyal-to-the-bone NUSA spy and Seth’s former girlfriend. Upon discovering his location, she exploits his old feelings for her and removes him from his self-imposed isolation and back into the NUSA’s web of deceit and lies.

Despite her loyalty, Alyssa still loves Seth, but remains haunted by the fact that they’ll never see eye-to-eye. There is one thing she can do for him, though: watch over the closest thing she has to Seth—a young girl named Valarie. The first (and only) female supersoldier, she was created from Seth’s DNA to be immensely powerful—the ultimate weapon of the NUSA.

 Because of her history with Seth, Alyssa is put in charge of the girl’s training and upbringing. As she spends more time with Valarie, Alyssa becomes increasingly reluctant to allow her to be molded by the machine. Now, she reaches a conflict: does she stick to her orders and allow the girl to become another unthinking cog, or defy her country and save this girl she’s come to love like a daughter?

 

Assignment 3 - BREAKOUT TITLES

Series Title: The Wyrden

A Time of Shadows

Child of Fate

Project Adeptus

 

Assignment 4 - COMPARABLES

The Witcher franchise

Like The Wyrden, The Witcher focuses on a morally complex character driven to do the greater good, and is often outcast by society because of his mutations.

Red Rising

In Red Rising, Darrow undergoes a mutation process bringing him from the lowest human to the most powerful kind in both body and mind, and uses his powers to rebel against an oppressive machine. Seth, also a supersoldier, uses the training that he received from the NUSA to similarly fight back.

 

Assignment 5 - CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT

Logline: As a supersoldier living in a post world war three world, Seth is constantly hunted for his abilities. After stumbling upon major New United States of America (NUSA) plans, Seth is thrust on a journey to discover just how much of a threat the NUSA really is, struggling equally with survival and his identity as an outcast in a post-apocalyptic world.

Primary conflict: Seth, a supersoldier known as a Wyrden, is thrust on a journey as he discovers that the New United States of America isn't as broken as everybody had thought—but evolving into something even worse.

Secondary conflicts: Although Seth believes that survival is what matters above everything else, his moral compass often guides him towards aiding others, making him both friends and enemies.

Core wounds: As a mutant, Seth is typically equally feared and hated, oftentimes isolating himself from others as a result and leaving him feeling lonely and purposeless—though he refuses to admit it.

 

Assignment 6 - OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS

6a

Context: Seth has just rejected a deal from a Mister Ferguson, mayor or a camp informally known as Ash Town. Ferguson, alongside Seth’s long time friend and scientist Dorian and his assistant Barry, requested that he travels alongside one of their caravans, which have recently become prone to bandit raids, and maintain highly valuable materials. Seth rejects Ferguson's offer and decides to leave Ash Town, feeling like he’s being used as a pawn in a larger political game rather than performing a good deed.

Trigger: Although Seth has a cynical worldview, oftentimes holding the view that all humans have poor intent, he reflects on his experiences with Dorian and Barry, and how they showed him kindness when others didn’t. He reflects on this, and realizes that although he doesn’t want to meddle or be involved, there may in fact be some other ‘Dorians and Barrys’ of the world who are being harmed—and that he can help.

Reaction: Seth’s reaction is a simple one—save the people being slaughtered by the bandit raids.

Excerpt:

A few hours later, Seth had taken care of everything he could think of before he left. He placed his meager belongings in Flick’s saddlebags and hopped on her back. She began to trot forward, and Seth thought about how he wouldn’t miss Ash Town. The violence, the barely stable shelters, and the politics. He was sure that Ferguson was good to Dorian, but Wyrden were never treated as humans, and that was something that Dorian would never understand. He reached the edge of the town and looked back one last time. He felt bad for his friend, but was confident in his decision. Anyone in the town, if they knew who he was, would avoid him or attack him. And when word got out, the NUSA would be upon Ash Town as well. He sighed. Such was the way of the world, and that was something he couldn't change.

Seth set out on the dusty road outside Ash Town as the sun was shining its last rays of the day. As he left the town he felt more at peace with the quiet that surrounded him. He closed his eyes and began soaking it all in. 

Suddenly, he felt a presence, and then loud yelling. He opened his eyes to see Barry running towards him from a distance. His hair was disheveled and his jacket was severely torn, and he was bleeding from a gash on his arm. He was waving his hands above his head, as if to signal a plane. 

“Help! Heeeeelp!” he wailed.

Seth waited until Barry reached him, then he stopped Flick. Barry put his hands on his knees, breathing quickly. “Wyrden! You have to help us! There’s bandits…not too far down the road…” he heaved. 

“Bandits? Speak up.”

“It’s the batteries, remember the batteries? The drone? They’re slaughtering us, Seth! You have to—have to help!”

“Is Dorian with them?”

“No no, he’s back at Ash Town. But still, there’s precious resources there and, more importantly, people! They’re killing innocent people! You must do something!”

Seth reflected on the situation. He’d been nothing but rude to Barry before, he knew. He hadn’t trusted someone so random to keep his identity hidden. And yet, despite the odds, Barry had. Furthermore, he, a stranger, had shown Seth kindness. Not much, but more than he’d received from someone new in a long, long time. And occasionally more kindness from people he did know, he thought. He looked back in the direction of Ash Town and wondered how many there were truly good people. He wondered if there were any other Dorians and Barrys.

Barry rummaged around his bag and pulled out an old plastic orange pill bottle that was filled with a thick liquid. “Here. Dorian asked me to give you this if I saw you. It should help.”

“What should help?” asked Seth, eyeing the bottle.

“It’s a formula that Dorian and I created! If we’re right, it should enhance Wyrden powers beyond what they’re normally good for. Things such as manifest intensity, speed, strength—”

“Yeah, I know what I can do,” he said, snatching the bottle. “And if it’s Dorian, it’s gotta be special,” he commented to himself.

Seth downed the bottle in one go. It had a gooey texture and metallic taste. First it scorched his throat, then he felt as if his whole body was being burned, his flesh peeling away to reveal muscle. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and groaned in pain. When it subsided, he opened his eyes, which had now taken on a much darker shade of silver, nearing black. Almost all pigmentation in his body had disappeared. His senses were more attuned, almost painfully so. Seth felt like he could see the vibrations that noise made in the air. He could sense everything behind him for a mile, and his reflexes told him he could catch a mosquito out of thin air. He heard the sound of the smallest insects rustling in the bushes nearby, and the distant talking on the outskirts of Ash Town. It reminded him of when he’d first gained his Wyrden abilities, and the sensory overload that came with it. 

Seth looked down at Barry from atop Flick. There was clear need and worry in Barry’s eyes, but Seth couldn’t tell if the source was him or the bandits he spoke of. He was scrawny and only stood around five foot four. It was obvious Barry would have a hard time defending himself from anybody.

Seth knew what he had to do now. He extended his arm to Barry. 

“Get on.”

 

6b

Context: Against his better judgement, Seth has just welcomed his old girlfriend and NUSA spy, Alyssa, into his life again. Choosing to believe that she doesn’t have malicious intent, Seth lives with her again for several weeks, grateful to have anyone who will see him as a human rather than a mutant. However, when Alyssa fails to come “home” one day, Seth becomes suspicious. After the Wyrden takes out a small NUSA squad, he is faced with Alyssa, and must make a choice.

Trigger: Seth feels the ultimate betrayal here: the one person he loves and trusts lies and turns her back on him, instead choosing to serve the organization that forced him into being a mutant and soldier as a child.

Reaction: Seth is conflicted, but knows he can’t bring himself to kill Alyssa any more than she can shift her loyalties. The result? An emotionally unstable, battered and bruised supersoldier knocks her out, barely escaping and knowing that this won’t be his last encounter with her.

Excerpt:

Now, with their ranks thinned, he rotated through the house, hoping to make an escape through the front. He fired two more shots as he moved, killing two more soldiers. He turned the corner to the front door and froze. In the door frame stood the petite, gentle frame of Alyssa, outlined by her usual baggy street clothes. She held her pistol pointed in the center of his chest. He was stunned. She stood there, tears in her eyes, aiming down the sight. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He didn’t understand what was happening.

“Alyssa—” he said softly.

She moved her gun higher, aiming between his eyes now. She really was trying to hold back tears.

Seth accepted the reality of the situation. He slowly bent down and put the rifle on the floor. 

He wanted to ask, “Why?” But he knew why. He’d been an absolute fool. Ever since he’d known Alyssa, she would always do anything for power. It was what she craved above all else. Power over herself and others. To think that she’d changed was the delusion of a child, he saw now. Looking at her, standing in the empty door frame, he realized she’d never change. She would lie, cheat and manipulate her way to the top. She would use her natural beauty and nonchalant charm to gain favor with whoever offered her the most. She would ruin relationships, friendships, and play with feelings. He played the soldier, brutal and honest, and she was the two-faced serpent, cunning and deceitful. It was the last time Seth would make this mistake, he swore it.

“I—I’m so sorry,” she stuttered, her tone whispered, broken.

The Wyrden began to move his mouth in response when he heard a loud noise and felt an incredible pain in his leg. He screamed, the limb collapsing from under him. One of the men on the floor was just barely alive, and holding a pistol in his only good hand. Seth had no rifle. Thinking quickly, he flicked his wrist, and his usual knife that he’d hidden in his sleeve fell into his hand. With deadly precision, he threw it at the man's throat—all within a second. He tried to stand again, but fell as his leg failed him. A loud groan escaped his lips. He propped his body on a wall and climbed up, using only his good leg. He winced. The pain was considerable. He looked up at the door. Alyssa was still there, gun in hand. Her finger was on the trigger now. She knew what her orders were. And Seth knew as well.

“Please,” he croaked, shaking his head once. He could feel a stream of warm blood trickling down his leg.

She didn’t lower the gun. A tear ran down her cheek. Seth narrowed his silver eyes, staring at the trigger, waiting for the right moment. Suddenly, the two of them heard the clip-clop of more soldiers on horses arriving outside as more orders were shouted. Alyssa turned her head for just a moment, but it was all the Wyrden needed to close the distance between them, pushing off the ground with his good leg. By the time Alyssa turned around again it was too late. He was already upon her. She fired several shots in a panic as he tackled her small figure, all of them embedding themselves in the ceiling or wall. She screamed in pain as he landed on her, and heard the crunch of bones as she fell awkwardly. He rolled around so that she was on top of him and put the crook of his elbow over her throat and tugged with all the strength he had left, his palm pressing into the side of her head. She kicked her legs and clawed at his arm frantically for what felt like hours. Her physicality was no match for his. After a few moments her small body became limp, and he let go of her. She fell to the floor beside him, barely alive.

He picked up her colorful firearm and quickly adjusted her holster to fit his waist, and then yanked his knife out of the neck of the soldier. He took a look at Alyssa, one last time.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her, voice quivering, as though she could still hear him.

 

Assignment 7 - SETTING

Overall setting:

The world of The Wyrden is one that readers will feel familiar with while also adding a new twist to the post-apocalyptic setting. Despite the stories lack of zombies, fans of franchises like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us will instantly be able to visualize the juxtaposition of destroyed cityscapes being reclaimed by nature, of medieval style camps created with modern-day materials, and a combination of modern pre-war and archaic post-war buildings.

The Wyrden does bring a few twists to the typical post-apolyptic setting, however. The most obvious of them is the existence of Wyrden, superhuman soldiers with incredible reflexes, senses, strength, and the ability to cast small “spells.” (They’re officially labeled as Manifest energy, but let’s call them spells for the sake of simplicity.)

In the world of The Wyrden, electricity is non-existent—or, that’s what everyone thinkst. Enough time has passed since the war that almost every kind of battery that sees regular use has gone out. Horses are the main mode of transportation, and every kind of device that uses batteries as a power source has worn out, with a few exceptions. Seth soon learns that his best friend and genius, Dorian, has figured out a way to finish the production of batteries he’d started working on during the war, and that has begun to distribute them to other settlements. This is good news at first, but carries major implications further down the road.

What keeps readers involved? There might not be zombies, but there’s something arguably scarier at play: the unknown. Seth is constantly making new realizations on his journey, as he discovers new and existing Monstrocities, (intentionally mutated animals, i.e., a significantly larger bear with a beak and talons) camps, and breakthroughs like the fact that Dorian’s batteries might have reached a little further than Seth thought. Much of this will be expanded upon.

The overall setting was based on Colorado. Arid deserts give way to forested mountains, which find themselves transitioning into decaying cityscapes. I’ll also expand upon a little more below.

Sub-settings:

Blackridge camp: Blackridge (informally known as Ash Town) is a dusty, dirty, overpopulated and underserved camp. It’s one of the largest camps out there, welcoming anybody and asking no questions. To nobody's surprise, crime is rampant, and the camp is wildly overpopulated, barely kept in control by its local government. It’s also home of Dorian and his research assistant Barry, who earn their safety living there as scientists, working on new inventions at the discretion of their overseer, Mister Ferguson.

Lakewey camp: Lakewey stands in stark contrast to Blackridge. An exceptionally small camp, it prides itself in its privacy. It only admits those who can pull their own weight, which results in a small population. While Blackridge suffers from poor infrastructure, the intimacy and work ethic of Lakewey results in effective defenses and sturdy buildings. All mouths are fed, and the few citizens are typically very happy there. Lakewey is nestled away in a corner of a forest where crops grow easily, while the soil at Blackridge is closer in consistency to sand. Seth takes on a job from there but ends up being whisked away before he is able to stay for long.

NUSA facility ‘H-1’: The main NUSA facility in The Wyrden—designated H-1—is home to many important events. Alongside two other Wyrden, Seth breaks their old mentor out of a prison there, gaining valuable information in the process. What he doesn’t know, however, is that the ramshackle appearance of the facility is intentional. Below the surface exists a whole society, one with electricity on demand and enough resources to live in comfort. It’s also home to Alyssa and Seth’s female clone, Valarie.

Major Factions/Groups:

New United States of America (NUSA): By this point, the NUSA hardly needs much explanation. They’re a ruthless machine whose only goal is territorial dominance and expansion—and they’ll do anything to get it. They utilize Monstrocities and a new, younger breed of supersoldiers called Shadows to get what they want. Also worth mentioning is their use of proxies, funding smaller settlements like Blackridge to do their work while keeping their hands clean. All Wyrden, including Seth, are seen as enemies, having deserted the NUSA after the third world war.

Themysciran Warrior: One of the most interesting groups in the world of The Wyrden, the Themysciran Warriors—otherwise simply known as Warriors—are a nomadic group of female-only fighters. They’re trained in no shortage of weapons and martial arts, and model their way of living after the Amazonian warriors. They rarely leave witnesses, and as such end up as more of a myth for travelers to fear than a real group. In keeping with their Amazonian theme, they abduct men to procreate with, only keeping the female babies while the males are left at someone's doorstep. They’ll also abduct young girls (typically ones that have been abandoned) and give them a home, training them in their way of life. Their leader, a woman in her twenties named Mari, meets Seth, Dorian and Barry briefly, as Seth and the Warriors both fend off a joint Blackridge and NUSA attack.