It was everywhere, a thin dusting of destruction coating the already decimated wasteland. To the passing glance, perhaps it could be mistaken for something of little consequence, a minor inconvenience. Sadly, only a fool would stick to that conclusion. It was an unsurpassable obstacle until the Great Winds would once again return to their old stomping grounds, blowing away the pain, but bringing with it, fear. How long until our good fortune has dried up? Until they come back? Until we leave again? Will the Great Winds always come? Will we survive?
Perhaps these cities, the tiny specks of civilization that the Earth could still boast about having, had brought this upon themselves. Their ancestors had nearly destroyed the sacred gift of life through their desire for power and bloodshed. Yet, instead of heeding their silently whispered warnings buried deep within the history books, the survivors relied heavily on their inner beasts. They turned to violence as a crutch that they needed to stay standing on war-torn feet. The flashes of gun shots dotted the thick, deadly atmosphere during the worst of the battles. Death counts would reach into the hundreds during some of the darkest falls; the combined force of neighboring enemies and a more unconquerable evil being too much for the few that were so unlucky as to come into contact with them.
This evil should've brought these ill-fated cities together to form a united front against it. Instead, it drove them apart, a catalyst that brought out the animalistic behavior among them. Man pitted against man, close-knit families devastated by the untimely death of a parent, child, or sibling. It was the Great Divider, death incarnate, a curse upon the flaws of humanity. You couldn't control it or avoid it. All you could do was pray that it didn't swallow you up and spit you back out as a hard shell full of indifference and hatred.
Life amongst the ash was hell.
Author's Note: And so it begins! Well, sorta. This is just a bit of an intro to my new fanfic I'm going to venture into. The Uglies series was so good, in my opinion, that I wanted to venture beyond just that one section of the world and see what else was a-happenin'. Sure, Tally's city and the ones surrounding it could live in relatively quiet surroundings but they don't make up the whole world, now do they? The ash, if you haven't read the series or don't understand my reference, will be explained later in the story or in a future A/N.
Also, epic thanks go to my lovable beta, Wakka298 (aka Damien or Hin). I know this was probably way too short for his liking, but I do promise I'll try to keep the chapters at nice, long lengths. Thanks for reading and reviews make me bounce up and down in my seat like a rubber ball... just saying.