The world was beginning to collapse.
Things mutated into monsters, feasting on anything that moved or had any natural element. There were all land, sky, and sea monsters that devoured anything and everything. Life forms were growing extinct by the minute, human populations plummeted as they were eaten by such indestructible creatures. Natural growth was no longer granted to Earth herself. Man can not fight against the laws of broken nature. And survival was the only option.
Tala looked out in the deserted landscape that may have once been filled with greenery and wildlife but was now a sahara. The sunset darkening the land with its fiery hues, brightening the end of the day for a few more minutes before disappearing from the horizon.
"Alright Amsi, you're going to have to get going for the night." Tala looks over at the Abaddon she has been stroking for the last half-hour, patting the top of it and giving the tiny aragami a smile.
It let out its groan, looking at the human with its yellow, jailed eyes. He grew attached to her like a puppy to its mother, always wanting to be around her and her warmth and comfort. While they were made from the very cells that killed what was living, it did not attack when provoked. This one specifically was afraid of the human before seeking her like a shelter.
"You're adorable." Tala giggles, giving the little monster one last stroke before watching it fly to wherever it goes. Maybe somewhere to hide for the night, or maybe following other aragami in search of food.
Standing from the edge of the collapsed building, Tala walked away from the empty sight towards ground level flooring, navigating through cracks and crevices of the building as she made it to her underground bunker for the weekend. She knew the first rule to travel: don't stay in one place for more than 3 days. As familiar aragami pick up a new scent, they will attempt to break through and do whatever it takes to get their meal. Though she has found bunkers of some survivors, she knew well enough to stay far away from them since they are likely to attract aragami than be safe from them. And that is from experience.
Tala rummaged through her backpack before finding a protein bar that she found just the day before. While it was small, it had enough energy for her to last 2 to 3 days without travel. She had recently found an abandoned military vehicle that had MRE's and water for her to last 2 weeks. While it was extra weight on her back, it was a true blessing on her side.
Being a one-person team made it more difficult for Tala to go scavenging for food and supplies. She had to cover more ground in less time and her alertness had to be higher than before since she didn't have someone else to warn her about oncoming aragami or which ones they were. But her talent made it just a little easier to handle aragami; especially when they aren't there to cause any harm.
As Tala savored the protein bar, she pulled out a book she had found a few days back and began reading it where she left off. It was an old historical book that told the reader about the days when dragons ruled the sky and unicorns roamed bloomed valleys. Resources were infinite as everyone had food and shelter, and the only antagonist of the story was the evil wizard and tax collectors.
"Amsi is like a dragon in a way," Tala suddenly thought. Though she does think he looks more like a flying fish out of water than a dragon.
She read the story for part of the night before deciding that she needed to get some sleep. It was her last night in the area and she needed to prepare for departure before the sunset of the next evening.