Apocalypse
PRESENT
The sun was setting, it had turned the horizon blood red, the sight still evoked a deep breath. It had been a decade since that day and I still hadn't gotten used to the color.
I sat on the little mound and watched a four winged bird fly around an orange gnarled tree. There wasn't anything edible on the tree, no foliage at all. The bird flew around in circles finally striking the trunk with its long sharp beak.
Black slime oozed from the trunk, although they were a matter of ten bights from me, I could smell the stench.. Acrid and burning, something dead, I covered my nose and mouth, I stood to leave just as the bird landed on the trunk and slurped up the slime. A millisecond later he was on the ground his body hissing,, his eyes were round black orbs and they had filled with the black slime. It consumed the bird, from the inside, nothing left but a shell. I watched as the feathers blew away and the long beak withered. The four wings twitched in the wind as if they were still in motion. I wanted to touch it but, instinctively knew that wouldn't be wise.
I sat on the little mound and watched a four winged bird fly around an orange gnarled tree. There wasn't anything edible on the tree, no foliage at all. The bird flew around in circles finally striking the trunk with its long sharp beak.
Black slime oozed from the trunk, although they were a matter of ten bights from me, I could smell the stench.. Acrid and burning, something dead, I covered my nose and mouth, I stood to leave just as the bird landed on the trunk and slurped up the slime. A millisecond later he was on the ground his body hissing,, his eyes were round black orbs and they had filled with the black slime. It consumed the bird, from the inside, nothing left but a shell. I watched as the feathers blew away and the long beak withered. The four wings twitched in the wind as if they were still in motion. I wanted to touch it but, instinctively knew that wouldn't be wise.
PAST
Where in the world was that man... he knew the party started at 6:45 and it was already 5:30. I ran from one room to the other and remembered there wasn't enough ice. I dialed Mathew, the phone beeped and screamed in my ear...I almost threw it on the floor. I turned it around looked at it and dialed the number again, again the beep then the scream...What was going on? I called his office nothing, no tone, nothing. I wasn't too worried, Mathew had a habit of surprising me, I knew he would pop in just in time to make things interesting. I went on about the business of preparing for the dinner party.
PRESENT
The blood receded from the horizon and the shadows started to move in.. I had to get some rest to be ready for my watch. Back at the compound other "Decadian 10" slipped into their quarters and slept.
The dreams returned, smoke rose from the ground, the mountain behind me crumbled in upon itself, deep rumblings, I couldn't distinguish their origin. lightening criss crossed the sky, there was something coming down from the mountain, it only took a minute to realize it was a pyroclastic cloud. But that minute was one too late...I turn to run just as the flaming cloud touches me,, I felt my hair catch fire,, the skin on my back started to sizzle, I couldn't scream, the heat choked me, my lungs felt as if they would burst as I ran with all the strength I had, but I burned and melted away...
The bell pulled me from the nightmare. I went to the well drew some water, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I strapped the sword to my side and lifted the flame thrower to my back.....The weapons we had made.. whatever scraps of metal we could find, at least the scraps that didn't crumble when you touched them.. Another night.
The dreams returned, smoke rose from the ground, the mountain behind me crumbled in upon itself, deep rumblings, I couldn't distinguish their origin. lightening criss crossed the sky, there was something coming down from the mountain, it only took a minute to realize it was a pyroclastic cloud. But that minute was one too late...I turn to run just as the flaming cloud touches me,, I felt my hair catch fire,, the skin on my back started to sizzle, I couldn't scream, the heat choked me, my lungs felt as if they would burst as I ran with all the strength I had, but I burned and melted away...
The bell pulled me from the nightmare. I went to the well drew some water, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I strapped the sword to my side and lifted the flame thrower to my back.....The weapons we had made.. whatever scraps of metal we could find, at least the scraps that didn't crumble when you touched them.. Another night.
PAST
Outside the wind was uprooting trees,, what was this now? Mathew ran through the front door, I looked over in time to see him give it a big heave and slam it shut with his back... my mind was racing, as silly as it was I could only think about the dinner party and I expressed my concerns to Mathew, he gave me the most incredulous look... He all but shouted at me... telling me to turn on the television..
My eyes did not see it, because my mind would not accept it.. fire, smoke, volcano eruptions, tornados, in Los Angeles,,, but we didn't have tornados in L.A. earthquakes yes...did thinking it make the ground tremble?
My eyes did not see it, because my mind would not accept it.. fire, smoke, volcano eruptions, tornados, in Los Angeles,,, but we didn't have tornados in L.A. earthquakes yes...did thinking it make the ground tremble?
PRESENT
I grabbed my dinner sack off the community table,, it contained vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese and the "elixer". My flask of water was over half full but the water had sat the hours I had slept... I poured the thick red liquid into the pit and set it ablaze, it was a great accelerant...
We learned about the water after the "Apocalypse" , at great cost. It took months to find water, Los Angeles was nothing but a pile of rubbish,,, the tall buildings reduced to dangerous piles of debris. Most of us had grabbed bottles of water and juices, anything else we found, that could be consumed, that hadn't been incinerated,, some drank fast, using their supply too soon,, which made the rest of us have to share ours..It wasn't that it was hot, the temperature was mild rather comfortable considering,,, but, the sky was full of dark smoke and ash rained down,, filling the mouth with the dry smothering ash.. we had to keep our mouths and noses covered..
The destroyed city was like an oasis in the middle of the desert.. We looked for hydrants, faucets anything with water... We found many but,, they were all dry, some just crumbled when they were touched.. But there were ground springs just outside of the city. We learned which ground spring was safe and which wasn't, we built wells for the safe ones and even then, we learned another lesson, the water could only be exposed to the air for so long....
The one thing that always made me smile was the skeletal remains of the Bonaventure Hotel... the frame stood tall and regal as ever even the elevator, but there was nothing more, just a frame all the glorious black glass lay in a pile, the frame was black, scorched, burnt, the fire had been so hot the glass had been seared together in places.
I thought about the ones that had died, their deaths horrible, the ones that hadn't been caught in the conflagration but had been close to it, suffered so before they died, many had third degree burns over most of their bodies, some had had their limbs melted into their torsos, eyes had been seared shut, lips had been melted away, ears gone,, some just looked like raw meat...we had tried taking cloth and soaking it with the water from the well...it intensified their pain, killing others...We didn't know what to do, we had nothing to ease their pain, nothing to stop infection.
I guess I became leader then, Mathew had given me a gun, I never liked them hadn't even known how to fire one, I smiled when I thought about how he had sulked, cause i'd made him keep it in the top of the closet, he always complained telling me what if someone broke in, "we can't ask them to wait while we get the gun and load it!" I had just pffft him and gestured towards the bedroom... That gun became a vessel of mercy, people were screaming, crying from pain, the children,, I still hear them screaming..
I made my shots count, I refused to add to their misery and I refused to allow them to suffer... I could see the gratitude in most of their eyes, while mine filled with tears... I dont know how many, it is all a blur, something I would never have conceived of before, but I have never regretted since..
I retrieved another flask filled it from the well and headed to my post.. So many strange things, the water in the well came up from the ground, it was cold, sweet and actually healed many illnesses, but it could not sit out more than a day or it turned to poison, turned into a red liquid that caused spasms and then total shut down of the body.
I walked to the outside of the compound and crouched down low, I pushed the thought of Mathew and the old life away, Right now I needed all my senses, the darkness was alive.
We learned about the water after the "Apocalypse" , at great cost. It took months to find water, Los Angeles was nothing but a pile of rubbish,,, the tall buildings reduced to dangerous piles of debris. Most of us had grabbed bottles of water and juices, anything else we found, that could be consumed, that hadn't been incinerated,, some drank fast, using their supply too soon,, which made the rest of us have to share ours..It wasn't that it was hot, the temperature was mild rather comfortable considering,,, but, the sky was full of dark smoke and ash rained down,, filling the mouth with the dry smothering ash.. we had to keep our mouths and noses covered..
The destroyed city was like an oasis in the middle of the desert.. We looked for hydrants, faucets anything with water... We found many but,, they were all dry, some just crumbled when they were touched.. But there were ground springs just outside of the city. We learned which ground spring was safe and which wasn't, we built wells for the safe ones and even then, we learned another lesson, the water could only be exposed to the air for so long....
The one thing that always made me smile was the skeletal remains of the Bonaventure Hotel... the frame stood tall and regal as ever even the elevator, but there was nothing more, just a frame all the glorious black glass lay in a pile, the frame was black, scorched, burnt, the fire had been so hot the glass had been seared together in places.
I thought about the ones that had died, their deaths horrible, the ones that hadn't been caught in the conflagration but had been close to it, suffered so before they died, many had third degree burns over most of their bodies, some had had their limbs melted into their torsos, eyes had been seared shut, lips had been melted away, ears gone,, some just looked like raw meat...we had tried taking cloth and soaking it with the water from the well...it intensified their pain, killing others...We didn't know what to do, we had nothing to ease their pain, nothing to stop infection.
I guess I became leader then, Mathew had given me a gun, I never liked them hadn't even known how to fire one, I smiled when I thought about how he had sulked, cause i'd made him keep it in the top of the closet, he always complained telling me what if someone broke in, "we can't ask them to wait while we get the gun and load it!" I had just pffft him and gestured towards the bedroom... That gun became a vessel of mercy, people were screaming, crying from pain, the children,, I still hear them screaming..
I made my shots count, I refused to add to their misery and I refused to allow them to suffer... I could see the gratitude in most of their eyes, while mine filled with tears... I dont know how many, it is all a blur, something I would never have conceived of before, but I have never regretted since..
I retrieved another flask filled it from the well and headed to my post.. So many strange things, the water in the well came up from the ground, it was cold, sweet and actually healed many illnesses, but it could not sit out more than a day or it turned to poison, turned into a red liquid that caused spasms and then total shut down of the body.
I walked to the outside of the compound and crouched down low, I pushed the thought of Mathew and the old life away, Right now I needed all my senses, the darkness was alive.
PAST
The earth shook for five minutes, the house pitched and groaned under the shaking. A crack went from one side of the house to the other dividing it in half. Mathew quickly pulled me to his side. I was frozen with fear, but snapped out of it when the beam across the ceiling fell on Mathew pinning him to the floor... I didn't know what to do...I was a social butterfly,, not a nurse.. that quickly faded Mathew was bleeding profusely... I tore the fabric from my blouse and bound his head, I couldn't lift the beam...
Mathew was barely conscious, I had to get help, I just wasn't strong enough to lift the beam alone. I carefully crawled to the door. Pulled myself up with the knob and pulled it. When the door opened the house creaked and pieces of the roof started to fall..... I stood still for what seemed like hours but was only minutes...
I only knew I needed help for Mathew. I moved my left foot forward and almost fainted. Looking down, there was something protruding from my calf, I eased myself back down to the floor, I was afraid to touch it,,, what if it was a bone? The thought made me want to throw up. Taking a few deep breaths I looked at it... It was a piece of wood that had embedded itself into my calf. There was short lived relief when I realized I had to pull it out.
Steeling myself for the pain... obviously I wasn't steeled enough, my head started to spin, my eyes watered... The damn thing was in so deep.. I had to pull it out, I didn't have the guts to cut myself.
Leaning my head back against the wall.... I breathed in, once, twice, three times held it and pulled with all my strength..
Taking in a deep breath, holding it, steeling yourself, counting to ten,, all bullshit...
screaming to the top of my voice I blissfully passed out....
Mathew was barely conscious, I had to get help, I just wasn't strong enough to lift the beam alone. I carefully crawled to the door. Pulled myself up with the knob and pulled it. When the door opened the house creaked and pieces of the roof started to fall..... I stood still for what seemed like hours but was only minutes...
I only knew I needed help for Mathew. I moved my left foot forward and almost fainted. Looking down, there was something protruding from my calf, I eased myself back down to the floor, I was afraid to touch it,,, what if it was a bone? The thought made me want to throw up. Taking a few deep breaths I looked at it... It was a piece of wood that had embedded itself into my calf. There was short lived relief when I realized I had to pull it out.
Steeling myself for the pain... obviously I wasn't steeled enough, my head started to spin, my eyes watered... The damn thing was in so deep.. I had to pull it out, I didn't have the guts to cut myself.
Leaning my head back against the wall.... I breathed in, once, twice, three times held it and pulled with all my strength..
Taking in a deep breath, holding it, steeling yourself, counting to ten,, all bullshit...
screaming to the top of my voice I blissfully passed out....
PRESENT
I loved the dark, something about it made me come alive. I could see better, hear sounds that a bug made crawling on cotton, and I knew when danger was around, I could feel it.
I felt him before I saw him, heard him before I smelled him... The smell wasn't strong, it was very suttle, reminding me of the lemon blossoms during the beginning of summer, sweet, a smell I had loved all my life and now had grown to hate... It was their lure, those that didn't have the heightened senses were caught off guard, they went looking for the tree, reminders of the past..
I guessed him to be about seven feet tall,, but that was from the distance, he could be much taller.. he stood next to the tree about five bights from me, too close for the flame thrower, no time to rev it up,, so I dropped it to the ground.
There was no reason for me to hide, he already knew I was there.. They only came out at night, because of the leperous skin, it was too uncomfortable in sunlight, they could sit in the shade in the daytime,, course we would have killed them, so they did what all good zombie/vampires do, hunted and drank their food..our blood, in turn they passed the plague on. How many zombie movies had Mathew wanted me to watch with him...I wondered to myself if it would have helped...
After the fires had burned themselves out, most of us were so stunned and physically ill, we hadn't noticed that some of the bodies were not burned. We were aimless and not very perceptive after that day, but that changed when we noticed that at night people going to find privacy never came back...
We did see some again, they would stumble out from behind a building, out of the shadows. Their eyes were albino white, the pupil a pinpoint of black. Their skin white like a lepers, but, what has always even ten years later and thousands of kills under my belt stood out to me,, the mouth, the lips very full and red hid double rows of pointed teeth, the canines showing over the bottom lip slightly. But this wasn't the Frank Langella vampire.. this was something from hell..caused by what, we didn't know..
He moved from the tree and I heard the voice, why did they do this,, it didn't work, not with me but, I continued to listen (Mathew's voice) I knew it wasn't him, but the sound made me hurt, it made me sad, it made me want and long, but I needed that just to let me know I was still human....
I felt him before I saw him, heard him before I smelled him... The smell wasn't strong, it was very suttle, reminding me of the lemon blossoms during the beginning of summer, sweet, a smell I had loved all my life and now had grown to hate... It was their lure, those that didn't have the heightened senses were caught off guard, they went looking for the tree, reminders of the past..
I guessed him to be about seven feet tall,, but that was from the distance, he could be much taller.. he stood next to the tree about five bights from me, too close for the flame thrower, no time to rev it up,, so I dropped it to the ground.
There was no reason for me to hide, he already knew I was there.. They only came out at night, because of the leperous skin, it was too uncomfortable in sunlight, they could sit in the shade in the daytime,, course we would have killed them, so they did what all good zombie/vampires do, hunted and drank their food..our blood, in turn they passed the plague on. How many zombie movies had Mathew wanted me to watch with him...I wondered to myself if it would have helped...
After the fires had burned themselves out, most of us were so stunned and physically ill, we hadn't noticed that some of the bodies were not burned. We were aimless and not very perceptive after that day, but that changed when we noticed that at night people going to find privacy never came back...
We did see some again, they would stumble out from behind a building, out of the shadows. Their eyes were albino white, the pupil a pinpoint of black. Their skin white like a lepers, but, what has always even ten years later and thousands of kills under my belt stood out to me,, the mouth, the lips very full and red hid double rows of pointed teeth, the canines showing over the bottom lip slightly. But this wasn't the Frank Langella vampire.. this was something from hell..caused by what, we didn't know..
He moved from the tree and I heard the voice, why did they do this,, it didn't work, not with me but, I continued to listen (Mathew's voice) I knew it wasn't him, but the sound made me hurt, it made me sad, it made me want and long, but I needed that just to let me know I was still human....
PAST
They called it swooning, the vapors, yeah,,but, when you came out of it you didn't wave a hanky and look really beautiful in-fact, you were drooling and dizzy... If you didn't have someone to help you, you sat there until your senses came back to you.
But I couldn't sit too long.. I tore the rest of the material from my blouse, bound my leg (which was now at a low grade throb) and stood,,, painfully. I snatched Mathew's big sweater from the coat rack. slipped it over my head and limped through the door.....
I could have gone out in my birthday suit,,, no one would have noticed...
It made me freeze, I became an extension of the ground I stood on...God,,, no.. fires burned from the gas leaks, smoke darkened the sky, ash covered everything like a blanket,, the neighbors houses on either side of us were gone... The earth had opened and half swallowed the two story house across the street, the second floor and the roof was what remained. An ash stuck to my eyelash,, I brought my hand up to brush it away just as something grabbed it,, I looked down and saw the little face with the big scared eyes,, streaks through the ash caused by tears.. She kept asking for her mommy and I didn't know what to say... I picked her up and held her close I told her everything was going to be alright....why did we lie like that to the children?..
But I couldn't sit too long.. I tore the rest of the material from my blouse, bound my leg (which was now at a low grade throb) and stood,,, painfully. I snatched Mathew's big sweater from the coat rack. slipped it over my head and limped through the door.....
I could have gone out in my birthday suit,,, no one would have noticed...
It made me freeze, I became an extension of the ground I stood on...God,,, no.. fires burned from the gas leaks, smoke darkened the sky, ash covered everything like a blanket,, the neighbors houses on either side of us were gone... The earth had opened and half swallowed the two story house across the street, the second floor and the roof was what remained. An ash stuck to my eyelash,, I brought my hand up to brush it away just as something grabbed it,, I looked down and saw the little face with the big scared eyes,, streaks through the ash caused by tears.. She kept asking for her mommy and I didn't know what to say... I picked her up and held her close I told her everything was going to be alright....why did we lie like that to the children?..
PRESENT
The thing walked towards me,, I drew my sword, I was right he was taller by two and a half feet I would say.. I wondered what he weighed.. It didn't matter he out stood my 5'0" height and out weighed me I didn't know by how much but, my 102lbs could have used him for shade from the sun,, if he could go out in the sun...The thought made me smile,, it made me feel superior in some twisted way..
I took the sword and twirled it slowely,, I crouched close to the ground, my feet spread and planted firmly to distribute my weight evenly with the weight of the sword. I held the sword in front of me with two hands,, ready. But instead of coming at me he began to speak,, this time, not in the voice of Mathew...
I took the sword and twirled it slowely,, I crouched close to the ground, my feet spread and planted firmly to distribute my weight evenly with the weight of the sword. I held the sword in front of me with two hands,, ready. But instead of coming at me he began to speak,, this time, not in the voice of Mathew...
PAST
I held the little girl close to me, she felt good, she felt,,like something alive... I heard a loud cracking sound behind me, turning just in time to see the house fold, like a cardboard box, afterwards sinking into the ground... I didn't have time to be shocked, cause I knew the hissing and whistling meant more destruction... We would never make it if I tried to run with her in my arms... I knelt on the ground my left leg oozing blood thru the crude bandages,, I helped her to get on my back..
My eyes stung and were blurred from the mixture of tears and ash,,, I ran towards,, what I hoped was the end of the street... fire raged behind us,, generating a hot wind that threatened to suck us up... I put the thought of my pain aside,, the thought of us dying, let's just say, it was a gold medal day....
My eyes stung and were blurred from the mixture of tears and ash,,, I ran towards,, what I hoped was the end of the street... fire raged behind us,, generating a hot wind that threatened to suck us up... I put the thought of my pain aside,, the thought of us dying, let's just say, it was a gold medal day....
PRESENT
Still holding the sword, I listened, the story brought back memories... he told me of his life before that day, his child, his wife, his parents all fortunate,,, or, unfortunate to have been alive that day.. he told me, how well he had lived,, the million dollar plus home, the tennis court, the pool, the indoor gym, then he said that he had been employed with the military.. one of it's research labs.. He told me a story that was, like something out of a science fiction movie,, but then wasn't I living that right now?
I had to concentrate on him and try to wrap my mind around the story... What I heard.. experiments, cloning, genetic engineering.. atmosheric manipulation, doomsday device testing.. We had always had weapons, I remember the WMD.. I would give anything to stare at the television and not know or care what was going on.
I hadn't seen his face because of the hood,, the heavy robes they wore helped protect their bodies mostly from the trees and weeds, the ones that had grown back. I had put the sword down at my side,,, I didn't feel the sharp sense of danger about him,,though I would never let my guard totally down..
He removed his hood.. he had the plague, the albino eyes, the leperous skin, but a difference, his lips were normal, and his teeth were almost normal except the canines, they protruded over the bottom lip.
I moved slowly to the rock, making sure I was far enough away to bring the sword up, to kill him if I had to...He settled down on the tree root, leaning his back slowly against the tree, I saw him flinch..
He had said at the end of his oration,,, that he had known it would end badly. Badly? Badly? talk about your classic understatement.. For ten years now, we had fought for our miserable lives, we had learned that water could poison and kill, we had learned that one human being could kill another for an apple, that human beings could drink the blood of their fellowman, we learned if a human was hungry enough he didn't mind killing a child to eat, and I'd learned that I had the capacity to kill and was quite good at it... Why,, because the government wanted to play God. It made me sick !
I asked him why he was telling me all of this, why shouldn't I just slice him in half with my sword.... he laughed and said, I wouldn't because I was curious. In my own way I guess I was,,, maybe I was more surprised, most of them used peoples voices you could recognize, it would lull you, it brought the best warrior to his knees and, many to their deaths..
I had to concentrate on him and try to wrap my mind around the story... What I heard.. experiments, cloning, genetic engineering.. atmosheric manipulation, doomsday device testing.. We had always had weapons, I remember the WMD.. I would give anything to stare at the television and not know or care what was going on.
I hadn't seen his face because of the hood,, the heavy robes they wore helped protect their bodies mostly from the trees and weeds, the ones that had grown back. I had put the sword down at my side,,, I didn't feel the sharp sense of danger about him,,though I would never let my guard totally down..
He removed his hood.. he had the plague, the albino eyes, the leperous skin, but a difference, his lips were normal, and his teeth were almost normal except the canines, they protruded over the bottom lip.
I moved slowly to the rock, making sure I was far enough away to bring the sword up, to kill him if I had to...He settled down on the tree root, leaning his back slowly against the tree, I saw him flinch..
He had said at the end of his oration,,, that he had known it would end badly. Badly? Badly? talk about your classic understatement.. For ten years now, we had fought for our miserable lives, we had learned that water could poison and kill, we had learned that one human being could kill another for an apple, that human beings could drink the blood of their fellowman, we learned if a human was hungry enough he didn't mind killing a child to eat, and I'd learned that I had the capacity to kill and was quite good at it... Why,, because the government wanted to play God. It made me sick !
I asked him why he was telling me all of this, why shouldn't I just slice him in half with my sword.... he laughed and said, I wouldn't because I was curious. In my own way I guess I was,,, maybe I was more surprised, most of them used peoples voices you could recognize, it would lull you, it brought the best warrior to his knees and, many to their deaths..
PAST
A backyard pool was our safe haven for a while. I dont know how long we stayed there but it was tireing, up and under, breaths out, deep breaths in, hold them.. Finally I came up and the fire wasn't raging, I felt it was safe enough... Mathew's sweater was heavy it was soaked and stayed soaked for a long while,, it helped keep us from burning. I couldn't take it off completely, but I would pull her close to me and drape it over her soaking her so that she wouldn't burn, I felt the gun for the first time and for some reason I didn't throw it away. I wiped the ash from our faces many times that night...she couldn't see that my streaks were tears......
PRESENT
A plan,,, A dangerous plan if he was telling the truth. I went to the compound after my watch.. I explained to the others what I was about to do. The census was the same,,how did I know I could trust him.. All felt if I died there would be no "Decadien 10" taken from my last name Decadia and the time span ten years.
There was an undergound lab about 200 bights from the compound, he had explained to me that he had been a chemist/mathematician/biologist/engineer all the things that went into destroying a world... He said if he could get into the lab, he could play scientist/chemist/mathematician/God and cure the plague, purify the water. How could he do all that? It appeared we had stumbled upon it accidentally and hadn't even known. The water in one of the wells seemed to have something in it,, when used properly,, (measured) it heightened the senses, made you stronger, faster, gave you a sixth sense.. But, if not measured, it would cause the body to overheat,,bringing about death.. His design..
We left the next night... I took a swallow of the elixer,,, following behind him,, my senses on high, my body tingling, I was hoping to run into someone, I was so energized, I craved a fight, If it were daylight, I would run,, run until the elixer started to dissipate, my heart would pound, my lungs would burn and my chest heaved,,, it was ecstasy...
No one tried to attack me.. although I didn't voice it aloud.. it was strange.. a little voice nagged at me..it wouldn't leave me alone,, some old saying,,, "follow your first mind" I should have paid attention..
I had finally done the one thing I'd always warned the others about,,, allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security...
Walking into the opening of the cave..I knew... even before the attack,,, the first five or ten I killed easily... I didn't have the chance to get to my elixer and now,,,, I was surrounded,,,,,
There was an undergound lab about 200 bights from the compound, he had explained to me that he had been a chemist/mathematician/biologist/engineer all the things that went into destroying a world... He said if he could get into the lab, he could play scientist/chemist/mathematician/God and cure the plague, purify the water. How could he do all that? It appeared we had stumbled upon it accidentally and hadn't even known. The water in one of the wells seemed to have something in it,, when used properly,, (measured) it heightened the senses, made you stronger, faster, gave you a sixth sense.. But, if not measured, it would cause the body to overheat,,bringing about death.. His design..
We left the next night... I took a swallow of the elixer,,, following behind him,, my senses on high, my body tingling, I was hoping to run into someone, I was so energized, I craved a fight, If it were daylight, I would run,, run until the elixer started to dissipate, my heart would pound, my lungs would burn and my chest heaved,,, it was ecstasy...
No one tried to attack me.. although I didn't voice it aloud.. it was strange.. a little voice nagged at me..it wouldn't leave me alone,, some old saying,,, "follow your first mind" I should have paid attention..
I had finally done the one thing I'd always warned the others about,,, allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security...
Walking into the opening of the cave..I knew... even before the attack,,, the first five or ten I killed easily... I didn't have the chance to get to my elixer and now,,,, I was surrounded,,,,,
TO BE CONTINUED
