A/N: Hello all! Its been awhile since I've posted anything here. Today, I give you something darker than my other story. This is unedited, but will be edited later on. I want to get this out so I feel uncluttered as I begin to rewrite the fight from my other story. I HATE how i wrote that. Anyway, here you go:
I do not own RWBY, thought that should be clear at this point.
Red, scared of the world.
It burned.
Around her, the world burned.
Embers floated upwards and drifted in the wind, like the petals of flaming rose. The screams of fear, shrieks and moans of pain, and cries of loss rose amongst the crackling flame, toppling buildings, and the growling, snarling beasts that now hunted where they never had before. The horrible orchestra of death only served to increase her fear, increase her pain.
Young little Ruby lied sprawled on the dirty, cracked, ash cover asphalt that had once been a street. Her right leg was pinned beneath a steel support beam that she had been crawling under. Her sister had long since left to find another way around.
She was bruised and cut and scrapped across her body, her clothes dirty, torn, and stiff with dried blood. Her largest cut was across her back, where a Grimm had sliced her with its massive claws. In a few sections, her ribs were showing. The only things that kept her conscious was strange mixture of fear, loss, and adrenaline.
In front of her, a large black and white mass loomed. The monsters teeth were stained red with gore, as were its claws. Flesh clung to its mouth and dripped blood. The Beowolf let out a 'rut, rut' as if it was laughing, then opened its jaws in preparation to end another life. All Ruby could do was weep.
It was a wonderful day out. People moved around Vale with purpose; some headed to or from work, some shopped around with town, and others simply explored.
A family of four walked out a mall in central Vale. Ruby, the youngest, wore a light red hoodie and cape over a white shirt, and a black short skirt. She had short black hair that was highlighted with red, and luminous, silver eyes. Yang, Ruby's older half-sister, wore a brown tunic held at the waist by a belt, and slightly poofy at the shoulders. Her shorts were black, barely reaching her knees.
The mother, Summer, wore a basic black blouse and shirt, as well as a white hooded cloak. Her hair and eyes were the same as Ruby's. And the father, Taiyang, wore a tan shirt and a dark brown vest and lighter brown pants. He had a steel shoulder armor on his right arm. He had mischievous glint in his blue eyes, and had unkept blonde hair.
As they continued to walk down the street, the Ruby suddenly rushed away from her family down a side street that they were passing.
"Ruby!" The parents yelled as the quickly chased after the girl, the father tugging Yang along by her wrist.
Ruby had only ran 20 feet into the alley, and was standing in front of a homeless Faunus when her family caught up to her. She was looking at the the man with a curious expression, her head cocked to one side as she stared with her silver eyes.
"Ruby, come on, leave the poor man alone," said Summer.
Ruby looked at her family, then back at the man, smiled, and said as she walked to her family,"I like your ears!"
The mom gave an apologetic look towards the Faunus before ushering her family out of the alley. He stared after them for a few minutes after they left, wondering if there were still truly kind humans still out there.
His pondering was interrupted, however, by a whistling noise coming from above. Looking up, he saw a grey object falling directly above him. In the moment between his observation and the object's impact, the Faunus realized that Remnant would forever be changed.
The family had walked a block before it happened. Suddenly, behind them, a massive blast erupted, a massive heat struck there back. They all turned around, along with everyone else on the street, to see the block behind them had be blown to pieces. A black cloud floated upwards, and orange flames engulf the parts of the buildings that hadn't been blown apart. The smoke stung the nostrils and lungs of the bystanders.
Before anyone could make sense of it, another blast was heard echoing from elsewhere in the city, and then another, and then another. Soon the street was in panic.
"Summer!" Tai shouted to his wife of the panicked screams.
Summer nodded and took out her scroll, husband doing the same. From the sky, two lockers fell and opened reveling a boomerang and knuckledusters in one, and a staff in the other.
After grabbing their weapons, the parents picked up their kids and began to run, explosions still sounding, and the cries of anguish beginning.
"What's happening daddy?" The little blonde asked, worry and fear evident in her face and tone.
"I don't know Yang," her father paused to take a breath while he ran,"but it isn't good."
Bullheads, marked with assorted military symbols, and began to steam across the sky and touch down at street intersections.
The parents slowed and glanced at one another.
Summer said,"That seems too fast. They would have had to have been ready. Tai?"
Taiyang nodded,"Yeah. Something's up."
They began to move forwards with the caution of Hunters who knew not if they were the hunters or the hunted. Another explosion was heard from nearby, and the girls clung to their parents tighter.
A crowd began to gather around the the nearest Bullhead, Ruby's family at its outskirts. Slowly, the Bullhead's side door opened, and the crowd began to come in closer. But what came out, was not military.
Instead, men wearing Grimm masks and white vests with a wolf head on the back jumped out. They held assault rifles, already aimed at the crowd.
"Summer! Quick, the alley!" Tai shouted to his wife as he began to run to the alley, Summer close behind. Behind them, and in view of their Ruby for only a moment, the White Fang opened fire. The memory of what began in that moment would stick with her to the end of her days.
Summer and Taiyang dashed down the sidestreet. Stopping after a hundred feet, they put their kids down behind a garbage can.
"Please be quiet. We'll be back," Summer said to her daughters.
"We love you," Tai said, then the both ran back out, pausing at the entrance and looking back at their kids, hoping that they would return to them.
Thus, Ruby and Yang found themselves huddled alone in an alley, with no understanding of what had just occurred. Only the terrible knowledge that people were now dead.
Ruby clung to her sister, eyes clenched shut. Tears streaked her face, though she kept the sobs quiet. Noise echoed from the street; Screams, shrieks, grunts, and yelps joined with the gunfire and explosions. All she knew in that moment was an overwhelming fear.
And so she waited. And waited, the screams becoming less prominent. And waited, another explosion sounding. And waited, every moment an eternity.
And then a scream pierced the air, a scream of such grief and volume that it was all Ruby heard. And then it faded away. Faded into the darkness that filed Ruby's vision. Faded into despair.
'What is happening?! Why are there screams? Why do I feel ill? Why?! WHY?!' Such were the thoughts that ran through her head.
Suddenly, there was the sound of heavy feet, coming in irregular bunches, and panting, as someone entered the sidestreet. It came closer and closer, and Ruby flinched at each step of the unknown and quickly approaching person.
Finally, the person stopped, and Ruby opened her eyes and looked up at the person, expecting to see one of the gunmen. Instead, she saw her mother.
Summer was in bad shape. Her cloak was gone, and her remaining clothes were torn and bloody. She was bleeding from several holes in her flesh, and wobbled on her feet. The bottom quarter of her staff was snapped off. Ash and soot covered her cloths and face, and Ruby then noticed the smoke building up in the air and the ash coating the world around her.
"Get… up…,"she rasped, her breaths short and quavering,"a-and.. follow.. me."
As Ruby and her sister stood, she asked,"Are you ok, mommy?"
Summer smiled weakly at her daughters,"I'm.. f-fine. Now… let's.. go," and she limped forwards, continuing through the sidestreets. Ruby wanted to believe her reassurance, but she couldn't. Not completely. Not when she was afraid.
They went on for a few minutes, Summer limping and swaying, the girls following, worried looks on their faces, until the emerged a block over.
What Ruby saw on that street would stick with her for the rest of her life, more vividly than most of that dreadful day.
Blood covered bodies lay in inhuman positions, the guts of some of them spilt out and steaming. Their faces showed the horror that was felt as they died. Their vacant eyes seemed to bore into Ruby's mind, telling her of the pain they had felt. The stench of blood, flesh, and dust rounds hung in the air.
'Death,' she realized,'the smell… of.. death..,'She began to shake, her knees threatening to buckle. Her eyes watered up, and she began to cry.
Summer looked at her sadly, then said,"I-I know… Ruby, b-but we have to-," she paused as a coughing fit cut her off, blood and spittle flying from her mouth,"..to keep.. moving."
Summer led the way across the street, using her broken staff as support. The kids followed, Ruby crying and walking, depending on her sister, who seemed to be trying to hold back her own tears, to lead her onwards.
'What-What's happened today?'
They were only half way across the grimy street when White Fang members jumped from their hiding places and took aim.
"Run!" Summer yelled, and hobbled as fast as she could towards another alley, inspire if the smoke billowing upwards from the block ahead. Ruby and Yang followed, but the running was not enough to escape.
Gunshots rang out as the White Fang pulled their triggers. While their aim was not particularly good, whether a result of poor training, or a simple desire to inflict fear, several bullets hit the group as they made it to the alley.
Two shot hit Summer in her left arm, rendering it useless. One bullet hit Yang in the leg, resulting in a screech of pain and a limp. Ruby's head was grazed by a bullet, and she yelled in pain and fell to the ground, tears flowing freely. Yang hoisted her up again and pulled her onwards, following her struggling stepmom.
They moved through the alley just as they did in the last one. They weaved there way through and emerged onto another street, where fire was cheerily destroying every building, and spreading to other blocks with alarming speed.
They ran for some time through the increasingly destroyed city. Gunshots echoed and the screams rose in intensity as time passed. Sometimes the would encounter more White Fang members, but were lucky and only suffered grazes. Ruby, however did not consider it lucky. She was in pain, and felt that she couldn't keep going her legs ached, her cuts burned, and her very soul felt tainted. Yet, it wasn't her who fell first.
They were in the middle of a street when Summer, whose breathing was ragged, fell over, chest heaving. They were about two miles from the city's wall.
"Mommy!" Both girls screamed as Summer fell, both coming to her side.
"Mommy, are yo-" Ruby began to ask, but a blood curdling screech pierced the air before she could finish. Ruby shuttered. She knew the sound well enough. It could be heard echoing from the forests, from the mountains, from the sky.
"D-damn!" Summer gasped out, and began to climb weakly to her feet. A shadow passed over them.
Summer picked up her staff, and looked up with unfocused eyes. Howling and baying sounded from somewhere and was approaching. Screams intensified, and ash clouds seemed to thicken. The monsters that humanity feared had arrived.
From atop crumbled buildings, a pack of eight Beowolves jumped to the street.
"Behind me!" Summer told her kids. Ruby cowered behind her mom. The monsters began to close in.
"Y-yang, be strong.. for your sister…. A-and run!" Summer shouted over her shoulder. Yang wasted no time in obeying.
"Mommy! No! Mommy!" Ruby shouted as she weakly tried to fight Yangs iron grip.
"I love you," Summer said, then turned to face her fate.
"Mommmyyyy!" Ruby called out as Yang literally dragged her around a corner. Tears rolled down her bloody face.
Ruby was unaware of the world for some time afterwards. She moved blindly as she wept, Yang guiding her. After a time, a snarl snapped Ruby to attention. She looked around.
The ash had become thicker, as more buildings collapsed around the city. A faint reddish glow from the fires was all that lit the crumbled street.
Suddenly, a searing pain erupted from Ruby's back, and she fell to the ground with a sharp cry. In her inattentive state, a Grimm had gotten behind her.
Yang roared and flung herself at the Beowolf, but was swatted away, flying through the air and crashing against a wall. The Grimm bent over, wrapping it's jaws around Ruby, and bit down.
Ruby screamed in pain and horror. Dagger-like teeth buried themselves in her flesh. Her vision blurred,then went dark and her last thought was of her mother.
"Ruby! Ruby, please! Please wake up! Please!"
Ruby's eyes slowly opened. At first, all she saw was a discolored yellow blur. Then she realized it was Yang, who looked down at her, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh," Yang sighed, relieved,"you're alive! Thank goodness your alive!"
Ruby blinked in confusion, then noticed the pain of her body, and looked down. When she saw the holes in her flesh, she bolted upright, only to be met with pain, and fell back.
"Yang?" Ruby asked weakly in response, breathing heavily.
Yang got Ruby to her feet, and in a voice that seemed to be forced into a calm, said ,"Come on, we got to move."
Ruby nodded in vague understanding, an act that almost resulted in a loss of balance.
Yang put Ruby's arm around her shoulder, and her own shoulder around Ruby's waist, lending support.
"You'll be fine," she said to the injured red-head.
Once Ruby was up, they began the walk to the city's gate, the wall looming ahead, Yang and Ruby hobbling along.
They made it several blocks before they came across a problem. A rather substantial one.
They had been lucky up till then. No White Fang, or Grimm, had attacked, possibly as a result of more prey being towards the city's center. But now, they were stuck.
In front of them was the rubble of a large, collapsed building. It wasn't completely blocking the way, but the gap was small. Behind them, a building collapsed after they passed it, and no other way was visible.
Ruby was amazed at the fact of her continued consciousness, despite the horrible, searing pain and destructive fear. Her immediate situation caused her grief to be dulled, but she still knew, deep down perhaps, what had become of her family.
"Ruby," Yang said, somehow smiling in a attempt at being reassuring. Her face showed exhaustion, but no fear.
"I'll.. be fine, see?" As she spoke, she shrugged off Yang and used every ounce of strength to get to the rubble.
When she tried to bend to her knees, Ruby ended up falling to them instead. She gave a weak smile over her shoulder, despite the pain. Despite the overwhelming strong pain.
She couldn't dwell on it. It only made it worse. She knew that a hero could do. She wanted to be a hero, so she could too. That was her thought as she crawled under the building. She would help save the day for her family. She would do this and then go get her parents and escape the fallen city.
But fate had other plans. As she neared the edge, a shift occurred in the rubble. Whether it was because of of her movement, or whatever was holding it up failing, the result was the same. The building collapsed entirely to the street. The tunnel was sealed, and, as if the universe sought to torture Ruby more, a steel beam fell onto her leg, breaking the bone and cutting into flesh.
Ruby cried out in pain. Tears streamed her face, moistening the dry blood. Every muscle tensed, only making it worse.
"Ruby!" Yang cried out.
Ruby continued to cry and scream and writhe on the ground. Behind her, she dimly heard,"I'm going to look for a way around. Hold on," though she barely recognized the words.
A sudden gunshot distracted Ruby from her would be killer. She looked to her right, where she thought she would be Yang, a weapon she found in hand, but saw, instead, a man in a black suit, with red hair and a Grimm mask. Her held a weapon, presumably a gun in his hand. The Beowolf dissolved in front of her. The man approached slowly and deliberately, and stopped just to the right of Ruby.
"P-please help.. me.." Ruby pleaded with hopeful eyes at her savior.
The man grinned,"Of course."
With surprising speed, he drew a sword from his rifle and stabbed down, burying it in Ruby's lower back.
She screamed until her throat was raw. Until no sound came out. Her vision dimmed.
The man laughed in enjoyment,"I'll help you as I have the rest of humanity!"
The masked man yanked his blade out, and returned it to its sheath, turning it into back into a rifle. Lowing it to Ruby's head, he took aim and said,"By sending you to hell!"
Ruby clenched her eyes shut. Quivering, she waited for the end.
"Hey, you! Stand down!" A voice shouted. Ruby opened her eyes to find her and her would be killer illuminated by several rifle lights.
"Damn," the man cursed, then looked at Ruby's broken, battered, and bruised form," it seems I have to go. I so wish I could have ended this."
A small beep emitted from the mans clothes, and quite suddenly the man vanished.
"Move in!" One of the men shouted to his companions. Ruby stayed conscious just long enough to see the emblem of Atlas military on the soldiers' uniforms.
A/N: And there you go. Feedback is welcome, but remember, this is unedited. I hope you are ready, cause it gets darker from here.