Not official chapter.
I need yall's help. So, I'm currently in a creative writing class to help me improve as a writer. I'm basically writing two one shots per week and two complete short stories for the semester. One story has to be written in first person and the other in third person. This is the first draft for my first story, which is due in two days, and the story is not complete by the way.
Anyway, I need yall's help in critiquing this story. Give me your honest opinion. Do you like it? Are there any mistakes? Do you hate it? What could I change? Do you like the characters? Is it too dark? Should I abandon this? Can it be saved?
I'll replace this with a real chapter in the next couple of days. Sorry guys. I just don't have a lot of time right now to write fanfics.
Screaming on the Inside
The first thing I noticed was that the lights were off. The lights never go off. The second thing I noticed were the animalistic and deranged cries coming from the outside. I could also hear people screaming. I flinched when the door flew open revealing the outline of a human. (Read the AN if you're confused because I know some of you skipped it on purpose -_-)
The figure rapidly moved towards me as I cowered beneath the blankets on the mattress. I relaxed slightly when I caught a glimpse of the jagged crescent shaped scar on his cheek.
I whispered, "Marek?"
He stated, "Dastan, we have to get out of here. Now."
"Marek, what's going on?"
"I don't know. We have to get out of here, Dastan. You're going to have to keep up with me. Don't be scared. I'll be with you."
He didn't even wait for a reply. He hastily pulled his backpack out and began shoving miscellaneous items into it before zipping it closed within the matter of seconds. I was hauled out of bed and dressed within moments. He handed me a lighter backpack before he moved to hand me a revolver. Marek hesitated and he swapped the gun for a knife at the last second. He took me by the arm and practically dragged me outside to where the world exploded right before my eyes.
The air was thick with smoke. Flames danced amongst the crumpling buildings. Unhuman screams filled the atmosphere along with the cries of people dying.
The Unknown.
"Dastan, get up. It's morning."
"No," I growled before his hand slapped my thigh.
He ordered, "Get up!"
"Marek! Stop!"
"Then get up!"
I groaned and pushed myself off of the threadbare blanket lying on the dusty floor of the dilapidated shack. I stared at him as he slipped a shirt over his scarred back.
"Marek?"
He sighed before saying, "What is it, Dastan?"
"How far are we riding today?"
"I don't know," he replied as he continued gathering his gear. He paused before turning to briefly glance at me. "Are you getting ready?"
"… Sorta."
"Hurry up. Finish packing. I'll be outside with the horse–"
"Zephrois. His name is Zephrois."
He rolled his eyes before stating, "I don't understand why you insist on naming the animals."
"They deserve to have names too."
"We leave in ten minutes."
He almost made it to the door before I called out, "Marek?"
"What?"
"What if the next safe zone's been abandoned?"
"We head for the next one. There are fifty-one of them. One safe zone per state and D.C. gets one to protect the government."
"What if the Unknown have already –"
"Dastan, enough. Don't be scared. We'll be fine. Hurry up. They can't touch us while the sun's out," he replied before leaving me alone.
He was eight when it happened. He's twenty-two now. Marek was there when the Unknown came. No one knew what they were. No one knew where they came from. No one even knew what they looked like. They only existed in the darkness. They feared the light. You could hear the piercing, bloodthirsty screams of the Unknown all throughout the night.
Over half of the population was killed when the Unknown came. Those remaining were forced into safe zones created by the government. During the past fourteen years, over half of the zones had lost to the Unknown. Democracy had vanished along with our leaders. The capital was the first to fall.
Marek says don't be scared. He says we'll be fine. He says we'll make it. But what if there's nothing left to make it to? It terrifies me to think that we'd most likely be the next to fall victim to the Unknown. What I fear the most is the fact that we could be the last ones alive.
"How much longer?" I whined.
"Dastan, shut up. I already told you we'd be there soon."
I groaned before pressing my forehead into his back as my arms tightened around his waist. I closed my eyes as I allowed the rhythmic creaking of the saddle and rocking motion of the horse's gait to lure me to sleep. I jolted back to reality as Marek reached back and smacked my leg.
"Stay awake. The last thing I need is you falling off and cracking your skull open."
"Can we at least–" I began before he jerked Zephrois to a stop.
"Not again," he whispered as I looked up to see the outline of a fallen zone.
We stared at the crumbling fortress in utter despair as we moved closer. Vines and weeds choked the life out of the crumbling structure. The steel fortress had literally been ripped apart. Claw marks left the forty foot tall walls permanently disfigured and damaged. The Unknown had taken another zone.
I dismounted first and he followed behind me. We kept staring at the structure before I finally looked up at him and said, "Marek, this is the fifth zone we've been to. I don't think-"
"Shut up, Dastan!"
We glared at each other for what seemed like hours before he turned away and sighed, "You know the drill. Start looking for supplies."
"But–"
"Just do it!"
Marek led the horse over to a downed pillar and tied the reins to it. I watched him disappear into a hole in the structure before reluctantly following. Little brothers almost always follow their big brothers around anyway. There's no point in arguing. I'd just lose anyway.
He led the way into another citizen housing unit. We began searching the rooms of the unit for supplies.
I groaned as I finished searching the cabinets of the kitchen of the fifth apartment. I called out Marek, "This one's been cleaned out too."
"Then go check upstairs," Marek called from the room he was currently searching.
"Why don't you go do it?" I muttered.
"Just do it!"
I did as he asked and moved to search the second floor of the apartment. I entered the bathroom first and opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. Nothing. I sighed as I closed the cabinet and stared at my messy appearance.
My thick blonde hair was matted with grease and grime. Blue eyes stared back at me with less hope than ever before. I reached out and traced the faint scar beside my Adam's apple from where Dad had pushed me into that barbed wire fence years ago. It was one of his few attempts to toughen us up. He'd said it was a lesson in trust.
I sternly glared at the mirror and said, "You can't depend on anyone in this world. Even your shadow leaves your side when you're in darkness."
"Dastan, did you find anything yet?" Marek asked from below me.
"Not yet," I replied right before I noticed a trail of crimson droplets splattered against the bathroom tile extending to the bedroom across the soiled carpeted hall. I then noticed a second trail leading into the curtained shower.
I pulled out my knife before slowly peeling back the moldy curtain. Nothing. Only a few scarlet droplets were in the shower. I steadily exhaled before following the scarlet trail towards the room across the hall. I followed the path and silently pushed the door open before peering inside.
Her head rested against her chest as blood crept down an open wound on her cheek and forehead. She hung limply by the blood stained ropes around her wrists keeping her arms suspended above her head. Blood, welts, and scratches decorated her flesh.
The knife fell from my fingertips before I screamed, "Marek!"
"Dastan!"
Seconds had passed before Marek raced into the room with his gun drawn.
"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked as he moved next to me. "Dastan, what-" he began before abruptly breaking off as he noticed the body hanging from the ceiling by her wrists.
We stared at the mutilated corpse for what seemed like hours.
"Do you think the Unknown did this?" I finally asked as he shook his head and replied, "No. The Unknown never leave a body behind. She hasn't been dead long. We need to get out of here. There's nothing we can do."
"I thought I saw her breathe," I insisted before taking a step closer to her.
Marek merely pushed me aside before pressing two fingers against her neck. Green eyes snapped opened as she kicked out at him, catching him in his face. Marek fell flat on his back as his hand flew to stop the blood gushing from his freshly cracked lips.
She narrowed her eyes at us and hissed, "Don't touch me."
Three hours later of Marek trying to convince her that he wasn't going to hurt her she finally allowed him to cut her down. It took even longer for her to allow him to look at her wounds. She told us her name was Sapphira and that she was looking for a safe zone. She'd run into trouble while looking for supplies but took care of it. Marek was far too eager in asking her to join us. Sometime after, the three of us were seated around the fireplace in the citizen housing unit watching the flames dance as darkness fell around us. I played with my knife as the two of them completely ignored me and gawked at each other. I nearly sliced my thumb off as one of the Unknown screamed somewhere in the distance. Tension filled the atmosphere as we heard them moving all around us. I gripped my knife as tightly as possible before it was pried from my hands by Marek.
"Marek!"
"Stop playing with that before you cut your finger off. You need to get some sleep anyway," he ordered.
I flicked him off while he wasn't looking before lying down beside the fire. I pulled one of the tattered blankets over me and curled up. Marek and Sapphira waited about twenty minutes before checking to see if I'd fallen asleep yet. They apparently thought it was safe as they moved closer to each other.
"What happened to you exactly?" Marek asked.
He always got straight to the point and never sugarcoated anything.
"It's obvious. Women die in this world a lot faster than men. There aren't many of us that can survive out here without the shelter of a working safe zone. Think about it," She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the flames.
"I'm sorry but that doesn't answer my question."
"He said his name was Cedron. I guess it doesn't matter now."
A moment of silence passed before he changed the subject and asked, "Do you know where we can get another horse?"
"Yes."
"Good… Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"I'm fine," Sapphira replied. Obviously wanting to change the subject again, she asked, "How old is he?"
"Fourteen," Marek replied.
"The two of you look nothing alike. You have dark hair and eyes and your brother's a blonde with blue eyes," She commented as he shrugged.
"We're half-brothers. We have the same mother. I don't even know who my father was. He's about eight and a half years younger than I am."
She asked, "That would make you twenty-two or twenty-three, right?"
"Yeah. I'm twenty-two."
"So you were there when the Unknown came?"
"I was eight. Dastan wasn't even born yet. My mother died shortly after Dastan was born."
"I'm sorry."
He gave a slight nod before asking, "How old are you?"
"Eighteen… Marek, how did you get that scar on your face?"
"Aiad. He was Dastan's father. The bastard always hated me. He never liked Dastan either. He got this idea that he was going to toughen Dastan up. He pushed him into barbed wire to try to teach him about trust. Aiad nearly killed him. The barbs sliced through skin on his neck and left a scar. When I found out about it, I confronted him and let's just say that we came to a disagreement. I gave him a scar and he gave me one in return. He'd always hurt us. But he got what was coming to him so I guess it doesn't matter now."
"I'm sorry… Is that why you want to find a safe zone so bad? To start over?"
He sighed, "Something like that."
They sat in silence for a while before he asked, "What about you? What are you doing out here?"
"Surviving."
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he leaned in closer. His lips were inches away from hers before she jerked back.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"No. It's just that you might not want to get too close to me. There's darkness inside of me. It's where my demon lives."
"What if I want to get close? There is a hell inside of me. Your demon can live there instead."
They stared at each other for a little while longer before he leaned closer to her and pressed his lips against hers. His hand moved to cradle the back of her neck as she moved her hands over his chest. They broke off as she pulled back.
"I think we should just get some rest," she hastily suggested.
"Yeah. You're right… Tomorrow morning, I'll see if I can find Cedron while you get the horse."
"You don't have to–"
"I'm going to."
"Alright… What about your brother?"
"He'll get our horse and we'll all leave together."
They backed away from each other. Marek positioned himself next to me like he always does. He always kept me between him and the fire. He always kept himself between me and the Unknown.
"You're leaving me?" I asked in disbelief.
Marek ran his fingers through his hair before replying, "Just for a few days. Resen will look after you. I'll be back with Gahar and Uri in a few days once we get the supplies."
"I'll go with you."
"No. You're staying here. I'll be back soon."
"Marek, please don't leave me with Resen. I don't like the way he looks at me," I pleaded.
"You just turned fourteen. You're not a baby anymore, Dastan. You can take care of yourself until we get back with horses and supplies."
"Marek-"I began before Resen walked in and said, "Gahar and Uri are waiting on you. Don't worry. I'll take good care of your brother until you get back."
Marek nodded in response before walking away and leaving me alone with Resen in the abandoned military barracks of the safe zone. I crossed my arms and glared at him as he smiled at me.
He asked, "Are you hungry, Dastan?"
"No."
He sighed as he moved closer. He moved to stand directly in front of me and said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your brother gave you to me-"
"My brother didn't give you anything! I'm not some kind of slave!"
He ignored my statement and continued moving forward, he said, "You know, I can remember when your brother and I were drafted at the age of fifteen. You were seven then. That was when I first saw you. You couldn't stop crying. Your father hit you just to try and get you to stop. That was when your brother got out of line to try and get to you. He was given an order to stand at attention and he disobeyed. They had him flogged for his disobedience. He still has those scars on his back, doesn't he?"
"What do you want from me?" I asked as he brought his face up to mine.
"You're so different from Marek. He was the golden child for the enforcers. Your brother is a ruthless killer with anger issues. Yet, he's a fearless leader. He's got dark hair and eyes to match his dark personality. However, you're innocent. You don't know what it's like to take a life. You're submissive. You've got soft blue eyes and golden hair and you've got those perfect pouty lips-"
"Don't even think about it. My brother will kill you if you so much as touch me," I threatened.
"Marek can't do anything to me if he's already dead. Gahar and Uri are going to put a bullet in his head the second we have what we need."
"No!"
"You belong to me now," Resen hissed as he grabbed me.
"Get off me! Marek! Help!"
"Shut up! I already told you he's as good as dead!"
I drove my elbow into his stomach and thrashed and screamed in his grasp as he managed to wrestle me to the floor. I screamed as he pinned my arms beneath his legs. I squirmed beneath him and tried to get him off of me. My struggles instantly stopped when I felt a cold metal blade being pressed against my cheek.
"That's better. Stop fighting me or else that pretty face of yours just might get a little messy," he hissed before he started sucking on my neck as tears slowly started creeping out of my eyes.
"Please don't," I pleaded.
"You and I are going to have a lot of fun together."
"Dastan! Wake up!"
I screamed as I was jolted awake. Arms tightened themselves around me as I fought against the grip the man had on me. I calmed down the moment I realized who had grabbed me.
"Dastan, calm down. It's only me. It was just a nightmare. You're okay. Stop crying," Marek spoke softly.
I nodded and slumped against him. He reluctantly draped his arm over my shoulders as Sapphira watched us with interest. He let go of me and pushed me away a few seconds later. Marek's never been one for public displays of affection. Ever.
"It's already morning so we're going to head out. Get the horses together. We'll meet each other later," Marek stated before I grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?"
"To take care of something. Just get the horse and I'll catch up with you soon," he replied before leaving the two of us alone.
Sapphira smirked over at me and asked, "You kept screaming for big brother to save you in your sleep last night. Were the Unknown trying to get?"
"None of your business."
She got up from where she'd been sitting and walked over to me. She crouched down and looked me dead in the eye and smirked, "You know Dastan, there's a demon inside all of us and sometimes it wins."
"There's also light inside all of us and it always vanquishes the darkness, Sapphira. Then again it looked like your demons got more than enough light based on last night," I replied before gathering my gear together.
We departed the citizen housing unit at the same time. We moved in different directions. She went looking for her horse as I went looking for mine. Zephrois was right where I left him. He neighed as a larger shadow suddenly consumed my own.
An arm snaked itself around my waist, pinning my arms down, as I was pulled against a body before I could even turn around.
"Mar–" I began before one of a hand clamped over my mouth.
"Keep your mouth shut," A deep voice threatened as I felt his hot breath on my neck. "Scream and you die."
I ignored his threat and continued to struggle until the tip of a knife came to rest against my throat. The horse neighed as I was dragged back into a building in the zone. He bolted the door behind us before slamming me into a wall.
"Where is she?" he hissed as he finally removed his hand from my mouth.
"She who?"
He narrowed his eyes and pulled me off the wall before shoving me towards a door. He opened the door and revealed a set of stairs leading down into a dark basement where I could hear the Unknown moving around inside.
"You afraid of the dark, boy? The Unknown only move in the darkness. The only thing they seem to fear is the light and there is no light down there. They search for human flesh. They'll peel your skin away. Piece by piece. There's no escape from them… You'd better answer my questions unless you want to go down there. Where is she?"
"I… I don't know."
"Too bad."
I stomped down hard on his foot before driving my elbow into his stomach. He let go of me and I ran towards the door.
"Marek!" I screamed as his hand shot out and seized my jacket and started pulling me backwards.
"Shut up!"
"Get off me! Marek!"
I spied his knife lying on the floor near me. I grabbed it and swung the knife towards him but he caught my arm and painfully twisted it behind me, causing the knife to fall into the darkness. I cried out in pain as he started dragging me back towards the basement. At the last second I slammed the back of my head into his face. He started to fall backwards, taking me with him. We tumbled down the stairs together and landed in a heap at the bottom. The fall took my breath away. I laid there for a minute before I sat up.
I practically stopped breathing as I stared at him. His body twitched before going completely limp. I could see the knife sticking out of his chest as his neck lay at an awkward angle. Out of the shadows a black gnarled and knotted hand with talons slowly reached out and seized him by his ankle. The unmoving body was slowly dragged towards the darkness as I sat against the wall trembling. The hand disappeared and the body stopped moving as footsteps pounded down the stairs.
"Dastan!"
I flinched as I heard my name being screamed. I whimpered as I curled further into myself. I squeezed my eyes tightly together as footsteps grew closer and closer. I practically stopped breathing as something crouched down in front of me. I jerked back as a hand touched my face.
"Dastan, calm down. It's me. Dastan, look at me. You're okay now. Everything's alright. I've got you," Marek calmly stated as he knelt down in front of me.
My fists clenched at his shirt as I shook. On the verge of shock, I screamed, "Marek, they're in the wall! They're here! They're moving! We're next! We–"
"Shh. You're okay. Everything's okay," he soothed before lifting me into his arms.
I fell silent as I leaned my head against his shoulder. He continued on with his attempts to comfort me as he carried me out of the basement. Yet, I couldn't hear him. I could only hear the Unknown moving. I could only hear their earsplitting screams. I couldn't even see him at this point. I could only see the hand of darkness.
Sapphira bolted the door after Marek carried me into a citizen housing unit. Marek laid me down on a pile of blankets on the floor beside the fireplace. Sapphira knelt down next to us with a bowl of warm water, a somewhat clean cloth, and a few bandages.
Marek said, "Dastan I'm just going to take your shirt off, okay?"
I didn't respond as he peeled the jacket and t-shirt dampened with sweat away from my skin. I just laid there and stared at the girl trying to scrub the blood off my cheek as he gently poked and prodded at my ribs.
"I don't see anything but a few bruises and old scars," Marek said as Sapphira looked over at Marek and whispered, "I think he's in shock," as if I couldn't even hear her.
"Dastan, look at me," Marek ordered as he cupped the back of my neck and forced our eyes to meet. He continued, "You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay. Don't be scared. Just work with me here. Are you hurt?"
I didn't respond I just stared out the window and watched the dying light of day. Wasn't it just morning? How long was I down there?
Sapphira stood back up and muttered something about getting another blanket for my shaking body. Marek waited until she left the room before he tried to undue my belt buckle.
I grabbed his wrist and yelled, "No!"
"Dastan, I was only going to make sure you weren't injured."
I redirected my gaze back to the window before whispering, "I'm fine."
"Dastan, look at me. Did he try to–"
"No!"
He ran a hand through my hair and nodded before looking up as Sapphira came back into the room with a thin and tattered sheet. She handed it to Marek and he tucked it around me.
"Is he okay?" she asked before he replied, "He'll be fine. Did you find anything to eat?"
"Just a few canned goods."
"Just heat something up please."
She nodded and left the room as Marek and I stared at each other.
"How long was I down there?" I asked.
"You were missing for nearly the entire day."
"Oh."
My eyes flickered over to the window to see the last of the light vanish before I returned my gaze back to my brother. He squeezed my shoulder before he moved over to the fireplace and started a fire.
"Marek, I saw one of the Unknown," I softly stated as he began lighting a few candles and gas lamps.
"Dastan, you were in shock. You most likely imagined–"
I yelled, "I know what I saw!"
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before saying, "Alright."
"You don't believe me."
"I never said that."
"It's true, isn't it? You think I'm worthless. You think I can't survive on my own. Poor broken Dastan can't–"
"I never said any of that!"
"You didn't have to!"
"Shut up, Dastan. I'm not doing this with you right now."
"You always push me away like that! Why won't you talk to me?"
"Enough, Dastan!"
"So you'll talk to your girlfriend that you've literally known for less than two days but you won't talk to your brother? You never even asked me if I wanted her with us. You only think about yourself. It's always about what you want. You always have to get your way. It's never about-"
"Shut up! I don't want to deal with you right now! Why should I care what you want when you're just some obligation that I have to drag around with me!"
I looked away from him and tried to stop my bottom lip from trembling as the realization of what he'd just said sank in.
"Dastan, I didn't–"
I lay back down on the blankets and curled up. Sapphira cleared her throat and walked in with a can of something. She'd obviously heard our conversation. They tried to get me to eat something but I refused. I ignored them and feigned being asleep until they finally disregarded me. They sat beside each other in silence with their backs to the fire as they watched the darkness from the window.
Time passed before Marek sighed, "I should never have left him alone."
"It wasn't your fault."
"But it is my fault. Dastan's my little brother. He's my responsibility. I'm supposed to protect him from the monsters in this world. I'm supposed to protect him from the Unknown."
"Not everything that happens is in the power of our control."
"You don't understand. He's small for his age and underweight. He's afraid of the dark. He can't be in tight spaces. He's claustrophobic and–"
"Marek, Dastan is barely fourteen. Of course he's small and skinny. Besides, we're all afraid of the darkness. We don't know what's hiding in it. No one likes being trapped in a small space. What makes Dastan any different than the rest of us?" She asked.
He hesitated before replying, "You know how the government drafts boys at the age of fifteen into the military?"
"Yeah. The government thought it would be such a great idea to take every eligible fifteen year old boy and turn them into mercenaries. When they turn eighteen they're done with training and they're either assigned to a zone to protect as an enforcer or they're sent to kill the Unknown as an exterminator. Far too many have died in both positions. The government's plan failed. You cannot kill what you cannot see. You cannot hunt what you cannot find… What does that have to do with anything?"
"I had to leave a seven year old alone with his father. I left Dastan alone with Aiad for three years. When I turned eighteen, I was done with my training. I was one of the lucky ones. I was sent back to my zone as an enforcer. When I got back I found Dastan locked in a closet with only a flashlight in total darkness. The only time you hear the Unknown is in darkness. The only time you feel them moving is when you're in darkness."
"That's not so bad. We hear them every night."
"You weren't there. You have no idea how bad it was. I was the only one with a job. I was the only one with access to money. Aiad had a drinking problem and he'd hurt Dastan."
Sapphira gasped, "That's terrible."
"Yeah. Dastan's own father hurt him. He kept my brother in a dark closet for three years with only a flashlight."
"What did you do?"
"I killed Aiad and took care of Dastan… And I let him get hurt."
"You couldn't prevent his father's abuse–"
"I wasn't referring to that incident... When our first safe zone fell, we joined up with three other enforcers from my unit. I left Dastan alone with one of them, Resen. I thought I could trust him to take care of my brother while I took care of some things… I shouldn't have trusted him."
"What did he do, Marek?"
He was silent for a minute before he answered, "Think about it. Pretty boys like him are hard to come by in a world filled with sick people."
"I'm sorry about what happened to your brother but it's not your fault-"
"I should have never have left Dastan alone. It is my fault. I knew Aiad was abusive. I knew there was always something wrong with Resen."
She said, "It was not your fault. Your stepfather–"
"He wasn't my stepfather. He never married my mother. Then again, no one gets married anymore. My mother was a whore. I was just an accident. Dastan was just an accident."
"There are no such things as accidents. Everything happens for a reason."
He snorted, "Really? The government training me to be some soldier happened for a reason? I killed Dastan's father without hesitation happened for a reason? Dastan's had to go through hell for a reason? We have to wander around aimlessly on an idea that we're not the last ones alive for a reason?"
"Marek, I'm–"
"I think I'm done talking for the night."
Less than a minute later, Marek positioned himself next to me. I squeezed my eyes tightly and continued to block out the tears as I felt his fingers briefly slide through my hair. He sighed before he removed his hand and stared at the only thing keeping us separated from the Unknown.
"I'm sorry, Dastan," he whispered before lying down beside me.
The next morning Marek wouldn't even look at me. We deliberately avoided each other. Sapphira chose to ride with Marek. They'd occasionally whisper to each other and every once in a while, she'd look back at me before turning back around and refocusing her attention to Marek. Eventually, he pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. Marek passed the reigns to Sapphira before disappearing behind a cluster of bushes. I pulled up alongside her. Our horses touched snouts before snorting at each other and looking away.
"You know, your brother really does love you. He has a hard time with expressing his emotions," Sapphira said as I ignored her statement and immediately changed the subject by asking, "What's her name?"
"What?"
"Your horse. What's her name?"
"She doesn't have one. What's the point of naming animals?"
"Everyone deserves to have a name including animals. His name is Zephrois. It means every day we choose who we will become."
"Alright… Then what should her name be?"
"… Charyse."
She seemed to think it over before nodding and asking, "What does that mean?"
"I don't know. I just liked the way it sounded."
She laughed as a small smile crossed my face. The smile disappeared the second my brother returned.
We continued on. Marek and I still weren't talking though. We continued to ride in silence. We eventually came across an abandoned town. I figured we'd just ride past it and head straight for the next zone but Marek immediately headed directly into the town. I followed behind them and stared at the crumbling buildings, overturned vehicles, and overgrown weeds choking the life out of what was left of the past.
All of a sudden, Marek jerked his horse to a stop as he rapidly dismounted. He didn't even bother handing the reigns to Sapphira as he approached a tiny two-story housing unit. Sapphira and I merely exchanged confused glances as he pushed the door open and disappeared inside.
Sapphira dismounted first and I followed her. She flipped on her flashlight and stepped inside with me behind her. We stared at the oddly furnished apartment with furniture of the past. It didn't even have a fireplace in it.
"Marek? Are you alright?" She called out as we moved up the staircase to find him sitting on a bed with some kind of stuffed toy shaped like a bear on his lap. He set it down on the bed and moved over to the dresser mirror.
He reached out and touched his reflection. He turned away from it only to turn back around and drive his fist into it. The sound of glass shattering and Marek screaming in rage were the only sounds heard for a minute.
Sapphire tried to get him to calm down why I just stood there and did nothing. They knelt down amongst the shattered glass and held onto each other in a death grip. His back shuddered and heaved with heavy sobs as he clung to her. Never-ending tears ran down the sides of his face. I just stared at him in shock.
Marek doesn't cry. Ever. He doesn't ever break down like this. He's not afraid of anything. He's the tough one. He's a soldier. Marek doesn't cry. He's the strong one. He's the one that always tells me to suck it up. He shows no emotions whatsoever. He doesn't cry.
I awkwardly turned away only to see some kind of image of three people. The image was held by a wooden frame with shards of broken glass surrounding it. I traced the images of the blue-eyed blonde woman and the brown-eyed and haired little boy. The woman held a small blue-eyed blonde baby in her arms. My mouth nearly dropped open as recognition sank in. I looked back and forth from the image to my brother.
Marek's crying slowed as he managed to cry out, "It wasn't supposed to be like this. Everything was fine until the Unknown came. They hit us all at once and it wasn't just us. The Unknown hit the entire planet. Washington D.C. was the first place they hit. I can remember watching Mom standing in front of the TV watching the news report of the capital falling seconds before the power went out across the country. Do you know what happens when there's a countrywide blackout? People panic. People go crazy. No one knew what was going on. Everyone fled their homes and everyone headed for the capitol of whatever state they were in. Our world was literally on fire. The people were driven by fear. All of them were desperate to escape but there was no escape. Only the light kept the Unknown away. What was left of the government set up safe zones in every capitol city for what was left of us..."
He broke off and pushed himself away from Sapphira. Marek wiped at his eyes as he got up and left the room with Sapphira running after him. I took the image with me before following behind them.
I came downstairs to see her shoving him down onto a couch. He kept his gaze on the floor as she disappeared to gather some bandages for his hand. I sat down beside him and looked at his bleeding hand from where he'd broken the glass before looking back up to meet his eyes. I laid the image between us and he immediately flipped it facedown.
"What's wrong, Marek? It's just an image of me, you, and I'm guessing our mother."
He swallowed and looked away before mumbling, "It's a picture, Dastan. You're not in it though. The baby is… was our sister. She was born five years before you were. When the Unknown came we tried to run along with everyone else. I was holding her hand when we were accidently separated. The sidewalk had literally split in half and she started to fall. I tried to grab her…"
He stopped speaking for a moment as silent tears slipped from his eyes. I moved closer and slipped my arms around his waist as he continued, "Mom had you a year later from another one night stand. She was really sick when she was pregnant. Real sick. She only lasted another month after you were born. She put you in my arms and made me promise to always look after you. You were always so tiny and innocent and you looked like them."
His uninjured arm slipped around my shoulders. For a minute we just sat there as I watched the tears fall from his eyes. No words were spoken before I decide to interrupt the silence.
"It's okay to cry, Marek, even though you always tell me not to cry. You're allowed to. You're allowed to cry. You're even allowed to scream if you want. But you're not allowed to give up. Ever. Because I can't do this without you… I need my big brother."
The next morning, Marek acted as if nothing had ever happened. He was back to normal… normal for Marek anyway. We continued riding until we eventually ended up at another safe zone. It was abandoned just like the others. We spent the night in a citizen housing unit curled up beside the fireplace. Like all the previous nights before they waited until they thought I had fallen asleep before they began talking. This night was different. Words weren't needed for the type of conversation they were having. Apparently, they were both sore from the way they kept shifting in the saddle when we rode out the next day.
Three more days slowly passed by and we still haven't found a working safe zone. Marek was becoming difficult to be around. He started devoting his entire attention and time to Sapphira. It was like something had changed him. He was growing impatient. She was also getting harder and harder to deal with. It was as if something had changed inside of her too.
I rolled my eyes as he helped her down from their horse as we came across some river. She said she'd be back in a minute before vanishing behind a cluster of trees. I pulled up beside Marek and stared down at the water.
"Are we crossing?" I asked as he shook his head and replied, "You know you can't swim. We'll find another way around."
"Okay… Are we okay?"
"Why wouldn't we be?"
I just shrugged in response as he looked away to where Sapphira was walking back over to us. Marek helped her swing up behind him. We rode for about another hour before stopping at some cabin for the night. The fireplace and the lanterns were lit and the blankets were laid out. Once again, they waited until they thought I was asleep.
They were being ten times louder than they'd been the previous night and they weren't even undressed yet. She was still trying to suck his face off with her lips when I sat up to yell at them. I froze when I noticed random black bumps decorating Sapphira's back.
"Dastan!" Marek yelled as she immediately reached for her shirt and slipped it on.
"Something's wrong," I stated as she turned to glare at me. "Her back. There's something on her back."
She caressed Marek's bare chest before getting up and moving over to me. She tried to pet my hair before I jerked out of her way and stood up. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"Dastan, enough. You're being ridiculous," Marek growled.
"Make her take her shirt off if you don't believe me."
"I just had it off," he hissed as he impatiently drummed his fingers against the wooden floorboards.
"Dastan's just jealous," Sapphira insisted.
I rolled my eyes and asked, "Of what?"
"That's enough!" Marek yelled.
"Just look at her!"
He groaned before requesting Sapphira to turn around and lift her shirt up. She crossed her arms and glared at me before turning around. She lifted her shirt to reveal that the blackened bumps had grown larger.
Marek gasped as I smirked over at him. "Sapphira, what's on your back?" he asked.
"It's easier to show you than to tell you," she responded before grabbing my arm and jerking me in front of her.
Talons sprouted from her fingertips as her as she held her gnarled and twisted hand over my neck. I could see her entire arm slowly changing to black as incredibly sharp spines sprang from her arms. She forced my head back and exposed my neck even more. I could see her eyes had changed from blue to solid white. Her skin felt and looked like burnt tree bark.
"Let my brother go now," Marek growled through clenched teeth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him standing up with his gun aimed at her. She slowly forced me to walk backwards as he followed. She let go of my arm but kept her claws on my throat as she unlocked the door and continued to backing away towards the darkness.
"You want him? You'll have to come and get him."
We stepped out into the night. Immediately, I could hear the Unknown moving and whispering. Marek stupidly followed us with only his gun and a lit flashlight.
"Sapphira? You… you're one of them, aren't you?"
"I am as of about seven hours now and it's okay, Marek," she replied as he advanced.
"Let Dastan go. You don't want to hurt him. He's still a kid. He's innocent."
"Innocent? No human is innocent. Your world was going to kill itself before we came. The murders, the violence, the cruelty was what was killing your planet. We came to save your world."
"The only thing you've done is destroy it. You kill people. You're just as bad as we are."
"We haven't killed anyone. We only take what we need. We can only exist in darkness. We perish in the light. We needed something safe to walk around in."
Marek shook his head and calmly stated, "I don't care about what you think is right. I want you to let go of my brother."
"Put the gun on the ground first."
"No."
"Marek, I won't hurt Dastan as long as you do as you're asked."
He stared at me for a minute before he set his gun down on the grass. She immediately let go of me and I ran to Marek. I was shoved behind him as he pulled a revolver out of the waistband of his pants. I glanced behind us to see the edge of a cliff. Marek kept himself positioned in front of me as we backed away from her. He had his revolver trained on her as the Unknown began circling us. We still couldn't see them though. They avoided the beams of the lights at all costs.
"The two of you look so afraid. Don't be. Everything's going to be all right."
"Stay back!"
"You know, I used to be afraid of the dark too. I used to be afraid that the monsters would get me. Then one day I realized that not all the monsters were bad."
"Come any closer and I will shoot you."
"Marek, we both know you won't. Besides, how do you intend to kill a monster without becoming one yourself?"
"How can you even say that? You're one of those things!"
"I'm not human, Marek. I never was. Why are you expecting me to act like one now?"
"Just let us go, Sapphira. Don't do this."
"I can't do that. Don't be afraid. Sometimes what you're most afraid of is the very thing that will set you free."
She continued to advance as we continued to back away from her. We backed up against the edge of the cliff. He briefly glanced at me before refocusing his attention to her. His face held no emotion as he squeezed the trigger. Her head snapped back as she collapsed backwards into a puddle of her own blood. She twitched for a minute before going completely still. The Unknown briefly stopped moving as their cries fell silent.
He killed her. He actually killed her.
Her mouth suddenly opened as blood began pouring out of it. Solid black talons belonging to a black gnarled and knotted hand slowly began to claw its way out.
"Marek," I whimpered.
The withered hand was soon followed by another. The hands were then followed by two arms. The Unknown broke their silence and began to scream louder than ever before.
"Don't let me drown!" I screamed before turning and leaping off of the cliff into the water below.
The water flooded my lungs. I could taste the cold and slimy mud as it ran down my throat. The icy temperature clawed at my skin and sought to drag me deeper as I was held under. I felt as if the weight of the entire world was slowly dragging me into darkness.
Resen casually lit a cigarette as I discretely tugged at the ropes holding my wrists together behind my back. I pushed at the knotted fabric in-between my teeth with my tongue, yet the gag was tied too tight. He leaned over the mattress and blew smoke in my face as I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Cigarettes and women are a rare find in this world. Pretty boys like you are also hard to find. I guess winding up with two out of three isn't bad."
He finished his cigarette before he moved towards the mattress. He yanked the fabric out of my mouth before untying me. I found myself beneath him as he pinned me down as a feral and deadly yell was released. I could have sworn one of the Unknown was in the room as Resen was dragged off of me.
I looked up to find Marek strangling the life out of Resen. I'd never seen Marek act like this before. He had a different look in his eye. It was dark. It was evil. He kept slamming Resen's head back against the wall and kept on squeezing his throat long after he died. Resen's face was beyond the point of recognition.
"Marek! Stop!" I screamed as he finally looked towards me.
He dropped the body and crossed the room to where I was. He wrapped his arms around me as I leaned against him and cried. Minutes passed before he pushed me away from him. He slipped a gun into my hands.
He began, "If anyone ever tries to hurt you–"
"No. I can't just kill–"
"You don't have that choice anymore."
"I can't just kill someone! That's not who I am!"
"Who we are is very different than who we have to become to survive."
"I'm not you, Marek. I'm not strong enough to–"
"Your strength comes from within. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"I don't think I want to live anymore."
He yelled, "Don't you ever say that again!"
"The world is evil! No one should want to live in darkness!" I snapped.
"The world is dark but light still exists. One cannot live without the other."
I groaned as my eyes tried to blink the world into focus. I could feel a warm hand on my cheek and I could see the fuzzy outline of someone leaning over me.
"Dastan, can you hear me?" the figure asked.
"Marek," I whispered as he came into focus.
"It's me. You okay?"
"What happened?"
"You threw yourself off a cliff and almost drowned," he replied as he helped me sit up.
"Right… What about the Unknown?"
He looked out the window at the darkness before looking down at me and said, "They're still there."
We sat in silence before I finally asked, "What happens next?"
"We keep going. We find a zone."
"What if we're the last ones alive?"
"We're not… We can't be."
"What if we are? We can't win. The Unknown-"
"It's okay, Dastan. Don't be scared."
"I've been scared my entire life! Telling someone that is like telling them not to blink or breathe!"
"Dastan, calm-"
"No! You listen to me! I'm scared, Marek! I'm terrified but I know that you're scared too. Stop telling me that. What you should tell me is to be scared but get over it and do it anyway… live anyway."
He just looked away and stared out into the dying light. He was silent for a while before he finally said, "It's so easy to be afraid of the Unknown. We can't see them. We don't know what they are. We don't know what they want. We don't even know if they've already killed everyone… I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth living anymore."
"What? You just want to give up? You're thinking about suicide?" I asked in disbelief.
"Dastan, everyone's thinks about it. You start to wonder if anything's left for you in this world. You wonder if anyone really cares. You wonder if anyone would cry if you died… Death can be a safe haven. Nothing can touch you in death. Nothing can hurt you. There is no more pain or suffering or sadness. You'll never have to worry about anything ever again. The Unknown can't get to you anymore. You'll finally be safe. You'll finally be free."
"Marek, no! You said we can't ever give up! You said-"
"I know what I said! Things are different now!" he screamed.
Minutes passed before he got up and moved towards the window. I grabbed his arm and stared up at him as he sighed before asking, "What do you want from me, Dastan?"
"I want you to be there for me. I want you to take care of me like you've always done. I want you to tell me that everything's going to be okay. I want you to tell me that we aren't the last ones alive. I want you to trust me. I want you to be my big brother and I never want you to leave me."
My bottom lip trembled as my vision became blurry while a couple of tears slid down the sides of my face. I let go of him as I wiped at my eyes with the sleeve of my sweater. Seconds later, I found my face buried in his chest with his arms draped over my shoulders and back. I held onto him as I tried to stop crying.
Marek softly said, "You're allowed to cry, Dastan. You're even allowed to scream if you want. You're even allowed to give in."
I whispered, "Please don't leave me. I don't want to be the last one alive."
"No, precious human, you are not the last," he said in a soft and compassionate tone. "You were the first."
I jumped back to see his skin slowly changing. His brown eyes were now solid white. Blackened talons sprouted from his fingertips. Spikes shot out of his back as his teeth grew pointed.
"This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't real," I repeated as I backed away from him slowly.
"You don't have to be afraid, Dastan. Besides, you're just like me. Just look inside yourself and accept the darkness. You've been fighting it for far too long. You were one of the first ones we chose to save."
"Marek, I know you're still in there. Please don't do this."
"You should know that he traded his body for your life when you were drowning. Know that he loved you. Know that it was not enough."
I backed up against the wall as he moved in front of me. I pleaded, "Let my brother go."
"Just give in. Accept it. You're tired. You can't keep going on like this. Give in. There is too much darkness in you."
"You're wrong. People do have darkness inside of them but they also have light inside of them as well. You cannot have one without the other. You have shadows when there is light. You also have the moon and stars when there is darkness," I replied as I drew Marek's gun.
"You won't kill your brother."
"You're right. I won't. Just you."
The round left the chamber and imbedded itself into his torso as he dropped to his knees. His hands instantly flew to his side where crimson liquid started to seep through his talons. White eyes blinked before brown eyes met mine. His nails and spines started to shrink as Marek doubled over. His fingernails started digging into the floorboard as a blackened hand started clawing its way out of his mouth. He was coughing up blood as well as a demon.
In the matter of seconds, the creature had clawed its way out. It stood before me on its hind legs. Black spikes jutted out of its back, neck, arms, legs, and fingertips. A long forked tongue swished back and forth as its solid white eyes scanned me as I lit a match.
Our eyes met once more before I dropped the match and smirked, "One cannot exist without the other."
I dropped down beside Marek as he continued to cough up blood. Brown eyes met blue as he struggled to catch his breath while I covered the gunshot wound with my hands.
"You'll be okay, Marek. Everything's going to be okay."