C1 The Ruined World

Henry crouched in the silence, the world around him gray and unmoving. The sun swept across the sky, its journey nearly complete, casting long, silent shadows over an empty park. He glanced at his pocket watch, the hands eternally frozen at 10:30. A relic from the past, a time when life was predictable and the nights were safe before zero hours.

He imagined the world was probably more lively than this, filled with so many people. Real people, not those monsters that swarmed about looking for their next meal. Those days were gone, replaced by a world where life was fleeting and food was hard to come by. He had been here for hours, hunched down in a dilapidated structure overlooking a once-vibrant park. It used to be a place where people would go for relaxation, bringing their pets and friends to enjoy the scenery. Now, it lay in ruin, a chilling picture that scared him.

Then he saw a movement in his peripheral vision. With a draw of his bowstring, he waited holding his breath, the silence deafening and then a low twang shattered the stillness, an arrow slicing through the cold air and striking a squirrel perched in a park tree. Emerging from his hiding place, he seized the fallen crying creature and disappeared into the crumbling remains of a nearby building. And just in the nick of time, a rush of hurried footsteps could be heard approaching.

A group of terrifying creatures appeared where the dying animal had been attracted by the sound of its cries. Their faces were deformed and sunken, their skin rough and deteriorated like old leather, with cracks and sores all over it; hollow, bloodshot eyes peered out from under gnarled brows, their mouths full of sharp, growling teeth; they made guttural noises and their bodies kept twitching repeatedly, driven by their basic impulses kill, as they sniffed the air and clawed at the ground. Out of sight, Henry vigilantly watched the creatures as they slowly began to leave the area, but the dying squirrel had squealed once more. Its squeal echoed and reverberated off the decaying walls. The creatures outside snapped their heads toward the noise, their grotesque forms stuttering forward.

shit! Henry thought, reaching for his utility belt, he rolled a grenade to their feet. The ensuing flash and explosion momentarily blinded the creatures. Seizing the opportunity, Henry bolted from the building, his heart pounding. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves and adding a biting edge to the air. Despite his quick movements, he could feel the creatures closing in, they possessed extraordinary speed and had keen senses driven by insatiable hunger.

Running deeper into the city he maneuvered his way through the cars and buildings with a grace that only an experienced hunter possessed. Henry vaulted onto a rusted car with fluidity and quick reflexes, turning in mid-air to release three arrows in rapid succession. Each arrow found its mark, piercing the heads of the oncoming creatures. Without pausing, he sprinted into a nearby store, a rush of adrenaline guiding him, he quickly shot an arrow into a gas cylinder. It flew to the roller door, sealing it shut and setting off a flare just as the flames erupted.

The explosion enveloped the creatures in a fiery inferno, but there was no time to celebrate as Henry was blindsided and tackled by one creature that had escaped the blaze and lunged at him with brute speed. The impact sent him falling on the ground as he tried to fight off the creature attempting to bite off his head.

He managed to drive his knife into the creature's eyes. The creature fell lifeless beside him. With adrenaline, surging through his veins, Henry scrambled to his feet. He could hear the coming of the rest of the horde. He needed to leave. He dashed into a nearby building and proceeded rapidly toward an abandoned elevator shaft. He forcefully opened the shaft and quickly rigged a device, hoping it would function as planned.

He pressed the button and shot upward ascending to the top of the shaft, he moved cautiously towards the edge and observed how the horde of creatures was moved in the direction of the explosion site. For now, he was safe. Turning to his left he walked towards a fallen structure that inter-connected the two buildings, the wind carrying the scent of decay and rust.

The structure was a shaky and twisted metal that slightly groaned under Henry’s weight. He focused on each step, ignoring the ground far below as he headed toward a run-down elevator, the once-polished doors now corroded and dented. With a cautious grip, he grabbed onto the hoist cable and rappelled down the shaft, the sound of his descent echoing softly in the confined space before stopping at the already-opened elevator door

He swung across to the elevator shaft entering into a different floor. He was in a small hallway lined with abandoned antiques. He continued down the hallway, setting his gaze on a nearby building With a deep breath, he hooked up his belt and zip-lined.

He landed softly on the opposite side and made his way through the dark, dilapidated interior of the building. The remains of the workplace furniture were scattered and covered in layers of dust, and the floors creaked beneath his feet. He came across another metal bridge. Rusted but seemed stable. He cautiously crossed over and went inside another building that looked like it once was a luxurious hotel. There were old keys, computers, and guest registers strewn over the front desk, which was now covered in cobwebs and dust and the remains of withered skeletons. Walking towards the debilitated stairway, Henry ascended a short way to a door. Its surface was worn out and dented. He opened it slowly. The large floor-to-ceiling windows, many of which were shattered or damaged, had been fixed and boarded up, the once-elegant and custom-made furniture was with mold and water damage, warping the once-polished wood and staining the fabric. A grand piano lingered in a corner and had been turned into a makeshift bench, the fragments of peeling wallpaper littered the walls. Despite the state of ruin, Henry had transformed the damaged room into a livable refuge. Discarding his bow, he grabbed his knife and began cooking the meat he had gathered.

Henry, peering out through the boarded wall, noticed dusk beginning to fall; he lighted a tiny fire in the center of the room, generating swirling shadows that illuminated the room. There were a few cooking items beside the hearth. The pot bubbled over the flames of the arranged mound of firewood. With a sigh, he lifted his hand to remove the hood that concealed his features. Beneath it, were strands of sweat-dampened blonde hair. His dull blue eyes scanned the dimly lit surroundings with tiredness. He scratched his rugged beard, marked with patches of dust, and sat down. While tending to his food, his gaze occasionally drifted towards the boarded-up windows. With an exhausted sigh, he leaned against the crumbling wall, letting his mind wander. Where had everything gone wrong? How had humanity fallen so far? These questions haunted his thoughts. For weeks now, he had roamed the ruins of what was once the lively city of Dumas, hoping to encounter another human being. The city streets only roamed with the monstrous infected creatures. Despite his searches, his efforts had been futile.

Surviving alone for three long years had made him adept at evading the creatures and knowing how to kill them while scavenging for essentials. But each day brought him no closer to understanding why the world had succumbed to such chaos, nor what had become of those who once walked beside him.

Laying down, he closed his eyes, ready for another dreamless sleep. Boom! The building shook as an explosion went off.

"What the!" he exclaimed, jumping out of bed and moving to the window. He saw a huge fire burning in a nearby building. Grabbing his gear, he ran out of his room, moving through the hallways before looking over the area. He retrieved the binoculars from his utility belt. He could see the fire burning, but nothing else. "Must be a busted pipe or something," he muttered. Then, he noticed something that shocked him. “Humans.” His shock at seeing a human being for the first time in years was overshadowed by the fear of them being attacked. “Are they crazy or what? They going to be street food for those creatures” Henry blurted out. He began to run towards their location, overwhelmed at seeing another human for the first time in his lonely journey.

A lone woman draped in a dark red cloak with a white accent was fighting a group of women, but not with guns or weapons, but with what looked to be magic. She was conjuring ice out of her hands to attack the group of women who were dressed in dark robes with gold accents over them.

Hiding behind a building, Henry watched the ensuing battle, stunned and mesmerized by what they were doing. “How are they doing this” he thought. Since when did magic exist?

"Where is the book?" The dark-cloaked woman Henry assumed to be the leader of the group said out loud

"You will never have it. The book doesn’t belong in the hands of people like you” the lone woman replied dodging a streak of fire.

“People like us? We seek to change the world, to bring about a new age, yet you betrayed us and went over to the Ashanti, do you think they can help you?” The dark-cloaked woman sneered.

“The Ashanti are the true peacekeepers. They will protect the world from the likes of you, and only they can restore humanity and bring back the men.” The lone woman fired back

"Men? Who cares about men and humanity? Do you really believe that damned prophecy? This world is ours and ours to take." The dark-cloaked woman growled before sending a heavy burst of fire, knocking the lone woman down.

"If you don’t tell us where the book is. You will die," the dark-cloaked woman boomed.

Bang! The dark hooded woman screamed, holding her bloodied hand and dropping the lone woman. Henry appeared, carrying a G17 standard Glock. Their gazes swung to him. Their eyes took on a hunted look.

"A man!" They all echoed in shock.

"Leave her alone," he yelled, standing behind the lone woman. "Am I an idiot?" "Why the hell am I doing this?" he thought to himself.

"How are you alive, male?" The dark cloaked woman demanded.

"I could ask you the same” Henry shot back.

“Young man. I do not know how you are alive, but if you want to remain alive, you’ll leave this place at once. This doesn’t concern you.” She said, her voice gravelly low. She stretched out her hand which was now healed.

Henry grimaced at the sight of it. “How did you?” he spluttered, pointing at the dark-cloaked woman’s hand.

She grinned. A mischievous kind. “ A lot has changed in the past three years. A dawn has come upon us.” she darted her gaze over to the lone woman. “Leave now or you’ll die after her.”

“I'm not leaving her here with you.” Henry retorted. The lone woman winced out in pain and clutched where the fire had burned her. “At least, not until I get answers.”

The dark cloaked woman’s eyes twitched. She was running out of patience. She heaved out a sigh. “Look boy, I am warning you. Leave now!” Henry didn’t say a word nor did he move an inch. The moment she flung her hands up to attack him, Henry turned his rifle in the air and fired. The whole place erupted as the rest of the women ran for cover.

"You do not know what you are dealing with," she boomed. With a fluid motion, she held out her hand with open palms like she was choking someone.

Henry gasped for air as he wrapped his hands around his neck. He screamed in pain as he tried to wrest back control of his hands but to no avail. They were crushing his throat, and he felt completely helpless.

"Too bad you have to end this way. If only you had been a little cooperative" she said, an evil grin on her face. She seemed to enjoy it as he struggled against her power, reveling in the control that she had, but there was a shriek from behind, one that she and everyone there knew. The smirk that appeared on his face seemed to throw her off and she wondered what could have brought about it. Now she knew for certain

Seemingly out of nowhere, a horde of infected creatures appeared, running toward them.

"Kill them all!" she cried to the other women. One after the other they came and geared themselves up to go against the monsters. it was done swiftly with perfection, like something that has been practiced and done a million times.

The cloaked woman released Henry from her invisible grip and tossed him to the ground. Henry yelled as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Fighting through the pain Henry grabbed onto the lone woman and threw her over his shoulder. Without a glance back at the commotion, he ran straight in the direction of his hideout. A few of the creatures went after him.

He maneuvered through the building, but they were hard to lose. Then the lady stretched out her hand, sending a burst of fire over to them, burning them. Henry made his way into the building and watched as the group of women dismembered from the horde. They were skilled fighters.

"That was close," he groaned from exhaustion as he jerked her up on his shoulder and gingerly laid her down on his mattress. “You need some treatment.” He observed, lifting her shirt carefully, so as not to go beyond her chest.

“Your hand” the lone woman croaked out.

“Don’t worry about it. You are the one who needs help” he said with a dismissive wave.

While Henry patched her up, she slowly passed out from the pain and exhaustion. He removed the remains of her cloak to take a good look at her. Her dark hair in loose waves framed her oval-shaped face. His eyes shifted lower to her body. Perfectly toned muscles bulged out at the right places. It revealed someone who had been training a lot and after witnessing the fight he didn’t doubt it.

Shaking his head, he focused on patching up her burns. Once he was done he took off his cloak and his shirt careful not to let it touch his broken shoulder and laid down against the wall and dozed off.

He woke up to a poking sensation on his face and he saw the lady squatting right beside him.

“Ah,” he scooted away. “Why are you so close?” he asked, completely stunned. It was as if he had forgotten he wasn’t alone anymore.

“I thought you weren’t real,” she answered truthfully.

“Why would you say that?” He asked.

She gawked at him like it was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. “Because you’re a man.” She replied.

Henry scoffed. “Yeah, like it’s unusual to see a man,” he answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he stood up. Her gaze followed his movement. “I would like you to take a picture but I don’t have a camera,” he teased. His jest was short-lived as he noticed that she wasn’t in on his joke.

“How is this possible?” She said out loud to herself. “Does Gaia have something to do with this?” she questioned skeptically.

“What are you talking about?” Henry inquired in a state of confusion. “What is Gaia?”

The question seemed to have brought her out of her daze as she answered. “It’s the energy that flows through all living things. It’s how we are about to do the things you saw us do,” she explained

“The magic?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Not really. Gaia is the energy source and magic is the form in which we harness Gaia.” she clarified.

“Uh-huh,” he said, not understanding what she just said. There was a brief awkward silence before she broke it.

“Tell me how you are alive.” she prompted.

“I just survived.” He shrugged.

“But how? A man has not been seen in the past three years.” She claimed. Henry’s skin lost all color, becoming chalk-white as he stared at her in horror.

“W-what do you mean a man has not been seen in three years.” He stuttered. “That’s impossible. There are men out there. you just don’t know.”

“And how many have you seen so far?” She asked. Henry’s mind drifted to the moment he had his memories, which was three years ago and since then, he hadn’t seen a man or a woman. He couldn’t possibly imagine that there were any men left.

“I haven’t seen one.” He said with a defeated sigh. “Yet.” He added, for the little spark of hope in his heart. If he could come across a woman, a man would appear soon, he thought.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, taking Henry by surprise.

“What? What is it?” He rambled.

“You have no idea, do you? The plague only affected the men.” She revealed. “From the looks of it,” she said, her eyes searching Henry’s face. “You are the only one of your kind left.”