She had been running for far too long. She should be able to see the safe town by now. Had she gone the wrong way? No. The moon was directly behind her. Due east was before her, according to the time of year. She glanced at her beaten-up old Timex. A gift from her father. Not that she remembered him much; he had died with her mother, four days after her birth. She could only remember his warm laugh, a trait she herself had inherited.

She shook her head to ward off the onslaught of memories. Glancing back at the watch, she saw it was 2:49. Just a few hours before sunrise. Before the hordes woke up and began their daily feeding.

That's when she saw it. The blackened rocks. The debris. The stench of death and fear clinging to the air like needy children.

She slowed to a walk when she came upon the bodies.

Children and mothers clinging to each other. Fathers and men were nowhere to be seen; taken for slaves, no doubt. Complete decimation of the little town.

Somehow the hordes had awakened during the Dark Hours and had razed an entire population to the ground.


A/N This was just the result of me being bored the other day in AP English Language after I had finished a test. There will not be a continuation of this unless there is just an overwhelming need for it.