Author's Note:
Heya guys, been a few months since I wrote much. To those who have read my work before, welcome back. And hello to those who haven't, well I hope you enjoy my work :D
I want to keep this updated frequently, but we'll see how that goes.
The ground shifted loosely under a child's feet. He hopped from sturdy rock to solid-looking debris, and so on. Each step left his foot blacker, dirt lined every crease in his skin. He jumped to higher and higher pieces, each a small increment further into the air.
"Please don't do that, hun." His mom called from the main path. Wrapped tightly in her arms was a wriggling infant. She held a nervous expression. "Dean, that means now." Her raised tone brought him back down to her.
"Comin' mom!" He yelled as he hopped safely to the ground, a mountain of rubble teetering behind him. He raced up the gray hill, a cloud of dust behind him.
She lowered a free hand to take his, a tired smile rested in her features. "Thank you."
They'd left their home, an underground tunnel refined for nomadic people. It spread for miles, twisting and crossing. For anyone unprepared it was a complete nightmare. Dean had memorized sections of it, he knew enough to get through from one end to the other. His father mapped it before leaving them there.
A soldier, his dad stood with a handful of others as the single line of defense against the old world. He sent them supplies when he could, Dean had only ever spoken to him through letters.
Usually, they read the same way. I miss you. How are you doing? Make sure you pull your weight. I love you. See you someday.
Or something along those lines. But the last one was different.
Mary, I need you to take the boys and come to me. We found a settlement! There are people here, a whole village. We can have a house, I'll be home, and we can give Sam and Dean a structured life, something safe. It won't be easy and I can't come to get you, so the supplies this time are going to be heavier. Go when it gets there, follow the map I sent. The beaten path will get you half way, after you see the marked radio tower on the map head straight east. You should come across our outposts after a few days.
I love you, I'll see you soon.
John
Then they left the tunnels.
Dean stumbled along as he tried to get a better footing, gripping Mary's hand tighter for balance. "Why is the ground so weird?"
"It's ash, sweetheart."
He looked up at her, she kept her gaze ahead and didn't mask the stress. "Ash doesn't feel as good as dirt." He blurted and stamped his foot on it.
A smile cracked her frown, "It'll be okay."
"Is dad gonna meet us?"
"His letter said he would," she replied, adjusting his brother's weight. She was acting weird, but it didn't faze him much.
Dean hummed and looked at the landscape. It took his breath away every time he realized he was getting closer. Large buildings stretched into the sky, they formed a jagged line as they reached the clouds.
A storm loomed overhead, it flickered with sparks of lightning. He'd seen fragments of storms before, but only when they lived near the tunnel entrances.
Those were his favourite resting places, daylight illuminated everything, not fire.
When night fell Mary worried more. She didn't let Dean wander about, and he had to be quiet. He didn't want to ask about the rifle strapped to her back, but the harder she held his hand the more he wondered about it.
"What's wrong, mom?" He asked softly, that seemed to be okay.
"We're fine," she whispered, "just stay close."
He did like she'd asked until they were at the base of the distant buildings.
"Whoooaaaa!" Dean gawked, pulling carelessly against his tether. "Mom look at these!"
"Dean!" She remained hushed, hissing his name. "Shhh."
"But-"
Mary leaned toward him, holding his arm firmly. "I need you to be quiet, dear. We're not following a safe trail, this isn't like being in the tunnels."
"Should I be scared?" He asked tentatively, her face suddenly calmed.
"No, no." She kissed his forehead. "I've got this, but you have to listen, okay?"
"Okay." Dean agreed and did his best.
He'd read John's letter several times when they were preparing to leave. He always read the letters at least twice. Go straight east after passing the radio tower, whatever that was.
They found a space to hide for the night, it was just like a cave but made from debris. Mary set up the shelter's makeshift door while Dean held Sam. He tried to keep his brother quiet, why couldn't babies understand when they had to shut up?
Sam fussed louder the more Dean tried to shush him, ramping up to a scream until Mary came back.
She gathered her youngest and pulled Dean close. "Let's sleep, okay?"
"'Kay."
Mary kissed him goodnight and they settled in.
But Dean couldn't sleep. He looked at the ragged tarp laid over their corner, it whipped loudly when the wind picked up. The rain started soon after, it hit heavily and weighed down their cover. Lightning flashed and he counted the seconds until its thunder rumbled.
"It's not that close," Mary told him after one made him jump.
"I'm not scared." He said, glancing down at the rifle. She reached over and tilted his head toward her face instead.
"You're braver than I am."
The city was gray and abandoned, left to the elements. Dean wanted to go into one of the buildings, but he didn't bother asking about it. His mom rarely let go of his hand and there was a constant order to stay close if she ever did.
The morning had come fast, he felt like he hadn't slept a wink. Every few seconds brought another yawn, his mouth wound up open more than closed.
"Are we there yet?"
Mary shook her head.
"Can we take a break?"
"Not right now, sweetheart."
"But I'm hungry." He kicked the ground and coughed as ash flew via the wind into his face.
Mary laughed and abruptly stifled it, her echo carrying into the distance. "We'll take a break once we find shelter." She explained softly and led him along.
Dean turned back to see their footprints fading in the ashes, the wind picked up their trail for them. "Is the radio tower close by?"
"We passed that yesterday," Mary smiled down at him. "Do you remember that tall thing with the big bowls on it?"
"Oh, right!" Dean covered his mouth before she could shush him.
If they'd passed the radio tower, then they were off the main path. That meant his dad was close, but also that no one had been this way. The urge to make any noise died and he held firm to his mother's hand.
Each step was too loud now, anything could be out there.
"Are we safe?" He dared to ask in a whisper, his eyes glued to the rifle.
"You are with me," Mary answered without a second thought like she'd decided long before he'd asked. Dean nodded when she checked on his silence.
"Thanks, mom." He rubbed his sleeve over his eyes, wiping away the dampness that had settled.
Dean glanced backward again, now for concern rather than curiosity.
Just at the edge of his vision, he saw something. It moved in the ashes, rising from a mound.
"Mom," he sputtered, limbs trembling.
"Take Sammy," she handed the baby to him and took the rifle from her back. "Get down, stay behind me."
Dean obeyed, ducking back and low. But Mary wasn't looking at the same thing he was. She saw something much closer, it had just turned around a street corner.
A bipedal crocodile-like creature with blades on its forearms. John's letters referred to them as geezards, a scaly armour covered thing.
The rifle fired and Dean jolted, his chest suddenly tight. The geezard recoiled, she'd hit its back, but there wasn't any injury.
"Dad said he shot their bellies!" Dean blurted out, his eyes fixated on the rampaging beast headed their way.
Another deafening bang and flesh tore open, toxic blood sizzling on the stone. Mary steadied herself, "Thanks, sweetie."
"Yeah." He wheezed and rested his head in Sam's blanket, his brother cried about the noise.
The base of an adjacent building started to groan, Dean felt the ground shake from it. He watched the structure shift, something was under there.
In seconds a shelled beast scraped along, barely short enough to fit on the lowest level. It nested in that building for some time, by the look of it. It had some kind of giant shell for a body, jagged pillars jutted from its edges.
The thing roared, crawling on all fours toward the source of the noise that had woken it. "Oh my god..." Mary's hands were white-knuckled on the gun, she'd taken aim but hadn't shot. "Did your dad say anything about these?"
"Nope." Dean clutched Sammy closer, his stomach twisted.
Another woman's voice echoed. She ran screaming from atop a single-story building toward the tortoise monster. A long spear gripped in her hands, she leapt onto its face. The spear laid to rest deep in its right eye, the stranger wrenched her weapon around for good measure.
"Oh my god!" Mary exclaimed again, her mouth agape in awe.
"You looked like you needed a hand." The lady grinned at them, her balance remained as the creature collapsed.
As the dust settled Mary let them approach, keeping her eye on how dead the tortoise was. "Thank you, I hadn't run into one of those before."
"Yeah, same. Though I find that when you stab the brain things usually die." The stranger winked before pulling her spear from its eye. She looked toward the building she'd come from and waved. "Okay baby, you can come out now."
Another boy appeared and climbed down from the roof. "Can I help next time?"
"Next time it's your size."
Dean stared hard at the other kid, long enough to bring about a reaction.
The boy's nose crinkled, "What?"
"Are you my age?"
"I dunno."
Mary laughed tiredly and shouldered her rifle. "My name's Mary, these are my boys Sam and Dean."
"Nikki, this is Jet." Nikki smiled down at Dean, "And he's five."
"So am I!" He beamed,
Jet held onto his mom's pant leg, ducking against the fabric. Nikki ruffled his hair lightly, "What're you doing out here with a baby?"
"My husband's with a group of Defenders, they found a settlement out this way," Mary explained, fumbling for her map.
"Mine is too," Nikki brightened and lifted up her own tattered pages. "Guess we're headed the same way, then."
"I guess so." Relief traced Mary's tone, her hands were steadier when she took Sammy back.
Nikki pointed East, "How about we get moving? Standing in the open isn't going to help us any."
"Yeah." Mary agreed, and they set out together.
Dean looked back again, the mounds of ashes had blown away. But something else was there. A small figure stood in the shadows of the ruins, watching.
"It's there!" He yelled and tugged at his mom's sleeve. "Mom! Mom, something's there!"
"Dean, hush." Mary knelt down and turned to where he was pointing. After a moment of searching, she shook her head. "I don't see anything. What'd it look like?"
"It's right there," Dean pointed again, but it had moved on. "Wait, where is it?"
"Don't worry, most things out here make a lot of noise before they attack." Nikki reassured them, "Did you guys live underground?"
"Mostly." Mary sighed, a smile on her face. "It's been a while, I can't remember the last time I was up here."
"Congrats on making it this far."
"I know, right?"
The small team of five shuffled along together. After leaving the city limits they lost the 'silence' rule. Yet talking remained at low volumes anyway, everyone got a little spooked.
Sunlight fell and Dean forgot any anxiety he'd had about the disappearing figure. He ended up with his gaze lingering on Jet for an extended period of time.
"What?" The boy suddenly snapped, but Dean went unfazed.
"I never met someone my age."
Jet, surprised and still attached to Nikki's leg, started to crack up. "Me either."
"Do you wanna be best friends?"
"Yeah!"
"I see it!" Mary interrupted with a sudden burst of joy.
A cluster of buildings laid in the distance, Dean could see Defender vehicles and people around. "Is dad there?" He asked, eager with shaky legs.
"He better be." Mary picked up her pace, cradling Sam's head as she went.
Dean felt his heart racing, gravel and dirt padded his feet. As they closed in some of the Defenders noticed their approach. And then two broke off, coming to meet them half way.
His dad threw off the helmet and opened his arms, catching Mary as she reached him.
"I can't believe you found one!" She cried, overwhelmed.
"You're home, Mary." John laughed, tears tangled in his beard.
That night, Dean's dad held him for the first time he could remember.
Interlude
Separated from its core, the planet's energy searched for the possibility of salvation.
It found nothing. Nothing but mutation and monsters. Its lands were barren, it doubted that anything else could live there.
Until the day a few humans appeared. They crawled out of a system of caves, a mother, and her children.
It followed them, the first signs of intelligent life worth saving. Something to exist for.
It watched the mother's face, how her golden hair shaped its roundness, hiding tension. She was healthy, carrying an infant well enough to be curious.
It became enthralled with the boy named Dean. So much joy and intensity packed into something so small. He had a wonderful laugh that made the planet's sentience wish it could do the same.
On their travels, it felt something, something calling it.
For that brief moment, it left Dean and his family.
The voices that called came to him from a doorway, hidden behind a veil that he could not touch. He would need a human or a body.
It decided to communicate with the mother and her sons. Returning to them, it discovered an awakened monster. Hard shelled and angered, it would prove too much for them.
To intervene it needed a body.
The creature shifted, the family was unaware.
Saving the last of other sentient lifeforms was important. It didn't hesitate, the process of creating a form was lengthy and time was short.
It needed soil to start, buried beneath a city of ashes.
It began the infusion process as soon as it was able. The creature had already started to emerge, the seconds ticked by.
Sentient energy took the form of a soul, it became the body it had created. It reached out of the ashes, muscle and skin forming over bone. Pain sealed its choice, centuries of agony compacted down into moments.
It hurt too much to fight, but that didn't matter. It transfigured the tip of a spear wielded by a new human. The spearhead was set to decimate the first thing it came into contact with. The result was a liquefied brain.
With a body, it could reach the door, but it committed to following them until they were safe and home. The reunion was a warming sight, it would be happy to revive for them.
The walk to the door was too difficult. Its limbs ached, and more creatures came out at night. It wasn't even close when it turned back.
It would make another attempt each day, getting closer every try. A year had passed when it finally reached the veil.
It opened the door and found the voices, guides for the universe. The world beyond the door begged its patience.
Help was on the way, they told it.
Life was coming again, but it would not be free. A demonstration of how deserving its inhabitants were, that was the price.
Until the time was right, however, it would have to wait. It closed the door and moved on back to the settlement. If it had to wait, it might as well be nearby the beings it liked.