PROLOGUE
The deceptive cover of night hid the vile doings of the man creeping through the trees. He walked stealthily, not making a single sound. He had a bundle tucked under his arm. Nobody saw him.
The man knelt in a clearing, placing the bundle down. He lifted away the cloth covering it.
“Ah, my little beauty,” he crooned, running his hands over the sleek, black machine. “Now you shall aid me in my mission. You shall destroy this wretched world.”
The man smiled to himself, revelling in his closeness to victory. He checked his watch, and at the very moment it struck midnight, he pressed a button, chuckling darkly as the machine came to life with a powerful but silent whir. Digital numbers appeared on the bottom, reading 168:00:00. It decreased by the second. The man stood, gazing down upon it. Then he raised his face to the sky, and shouted, “Beware! I have returned to wreak havoc upon this land. By a week’s time, you will all perish.”
The man then stole away into the darkness, a smile spreading across his face.
In the nearest house, in their soft, warm beds, two children startled awake, breathing hard and completely bewildered.
Not far away, a fourteen-year-old ran through a wood, wet and exhausted, but with a gleam of hope in his brilliant blue eyes.
No-one knew it yet, but they were setting events in motion that were more epic than anyone could have ever imagined.
