An altered memory, not that great

The two walked bathed in an orangey light that only street lamps could offer. A sort of a misty foggy thing gave it the feeling of a memory realized several years later. It was sort of a dreamy feel, as if this would be important some time, but there was no way to know when, or even why.

The were in the woods, now, a park with a bicycle path winding through it in a figure eight. Various paths and clearings showed evidence of miscreants, insomniacs, and those with nothing better to do: cigarette butts, beer cans, wads of paper, and general litter were lightly sprinkled about the grounds. Despite the scattered signs of night life, the two boys, about 14, had nothing to fear. This was their neighborhood, their park. They were invincible. They walked as though they were a pair of cops on a familiar beat.

"I feel like something big is going to happen," said one. He was slightly shorter than the other, light haired, a bit wirey, and his name was Alex.

"The other, dark haired, vaguely muscular, and named Vincent cocked his head. "When?" he asked. The orangey light poked between the leaves, creating a sort of negative version of the shafts of sunlight that shoot through the clouds.

"I don't know. Soon, maybe."
"Like tomorrow? Next week? What are you talking about?" Vincent looked around, as if something were going to happen right now. Alex had a tendency to know things on accident. "What's going to happen?"

"Something big. Like, the end of the world or something."
"Oh, that." Vincent looked up at the stars. They were to the parking lot past the park. He couldn't see that many, there were street lights. "Well, what do you think we should do?"

Alex's eyes lit up. "We should get ready."

"What, we're supposed to save the world?"

"Yeah, it'l be like a videogame. We have to train. It won't be easy."

"By ourselves?" Vincent looked worried, but he tried not to show it. They were almost to the street. Occasionally, a care would pass by up ahead. The parking lot, though, was deserted.

"Nah, people will join us. And we'll get magic powers or something. Maybe we already have them and don't know how to use them."

Vincent looked at his hands. I bet I could control fire, or something, if I tried, he thought. No, that's silly. They were just about to cross the street.

"You've got to lead, though," said Alex

"What? Why? You're the one that knows all this stuff."

"Because you're the one that leads. People like you, they'll follow you. You can make decisions. And you're stronger."

Vincent laughed. "You alright? You'd never admit that. Besides, you know we're equally matched. With swords, anyway. And when you fight, you're scary."

Alex smiled. "That's exactly why. People think you're stronger anyway. Don't worry, I'm always backing you up. I'll be the brains behind it, you've got to lead."

They were at the entrance to the subdivision, directly under an orange streetlight. This is where they went different directions.

"How do you know all this is going to happen, anyway?"

"I dunno. Maybe it won't. We should get ready anyway."