I have just returned from a wing-filled birthday dinner for my older brother. It has been a busy Saturday but I wanted to make sure and get my scene in for the day. I have written a few things on both Kill Match and a new project I am working on. However, I'm going to share today the first novel I ever started to write. It's called Destruction The Book of the Phoenix. I'm hoping in 2016 to be able to renew it and get it published, but for now here's a raw look at my first written piece.
Enjoy! :)
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The heat from the fire felt good against my cold, clammy skin. I was still slightly wet from hunting in the lake, but I’d rather have a full belly and be cold than hungry and dry. It’s hard to believe that before Destruction I was normal. I would’ve never been considered an athlete, or a warrior, or even a survivalist. Now I’ve been forced to become all three.
It’s been 6 months and things here are still unraveling. I’m not really sure what caused the storms or the disasters that came, all I know is; no one was prepared. I hate that advancement made us weak and lazy and most of us died because of it. I’m just lucky that I loved adventure and survivalist novels more than playing on Facebook or texting. I wasn’t a big people person in The Before and the ways things have become now only make it easier to become withdrawn.
I turn the stick speared fish so that the whole of it is roasted before digging into it with hands and teeth. I’ve caught three good sized ones which is more than I’ve seen in days. Most of the animals had evacuated days before Destruction hit and very few have come back. Soon I’ll have to travel farther out of the city to find them. The buildings and noise of Seattle used to comfort me on the nights I’d stay here with my family. Now, they just seem to haunt my dreams, turning reality into a nightmare. The buildings are broken and dangerous, barely enough left to be called buildings. There is no glory here, no hope. I suppose I stay close for the comfort of civilization, even if very little is left. Tonight however, is mostly silent. I only hear a few screams which quickly die down. Those who have survived are turning ruthless against one another and reason enough to travel alone. There’s no way I will take the risk of trusting someone with my life only to have them end it.
I gather up the few belongings I’ve managed to find: a hunting knife, a few balls of twine, a tattered survivalist’s guide, two water bottles, a solar flashlight, the left over fish and my back pack, and I start the trek for a safe spot to sleep. The left over decay of the city makes my path rugged and exhausting but also gives needed cover from hungry eyes. I move as swift and as silent as possible until I come upon a familiar crumbled looking hole through a building. It’s covered by rocks but I’ve used it before and it doesn’t look like anyone else has found it yet.
I slip off my pack and push it through the hole, slowly shuffling myself in behind it. As soon as my head is out of sight I gather the rocks I can still reach and try to recover the hole. I take my time since I’m not looking for any intruders tonight. As soon as I’m satisfied with my hiding I continue to slide through the crevice. It’s a long narrow corridor that would make most panic. I smile softly to myself. This is where I would rather be than anywhere else because nothing here can hide.
Finally I reach the end of the tunnel and fall to my feet. It opens to a large cave that looks like it used to be a basement of some kind. The walls were fortified with heavy concrete and although the top of the building has collapsed this portion seemed to stay mostly intact. I find the small sleeping bag I had left the last time I was here, shake out any lingering bugs and crawl inside. There’s a compact travel pillow inside the sleeping bag that feels like heaven against my head. It’s been a long time since I’ve used a pillow or even felt safe enough to sleep lying down but tonight I’m warm and can’t remember the last time I’ve felt safer.
The tumble of rocks wakes me up. My first thought is that an aftershock has hit. There’s been nearly one every day so it’s logical until I realize the ground beneath me isn’t moving, only the rocks from the tunnel. I quickly untangle my legs from the sleeping bag and wipe every bit of sleep I can from my eyes. Someone’s coming and there is no other way out. I start to feel the claustrophobia that I had mocked yesterday. I’m a caged bird down here and will likely have to stand and fight to make it out alive.
I grab my hunting knife and spread my arms as wide as they will go to make myself look larger in the dark. I read in a book once that if you face a threat you can make them cower by seeming like a predator. I haven’t tried to use this tactic yet but at this point I have no other option. I pay special attention to my breathing making it as slow and steady as I can so I don’t start to panic. The last thing I need is to panic. A minute passes when a child size foot pops from the tunnel and before I can blink a small girl tumbles through and sinks to the floor in the opposite corner from me.
It takes me a moment to release my shock. I had seen very few people my age let alone children the past few months. I had come to the conclusion that all had died, ran away, or were within the clans. I would’ve never expected a kid to be crashing my hiding place. I take a few deep breaths and put my hunting knife back in my boot. If I have to fight her off I sure wouldn’t need my knife to do it. I walk a few steps towards the girl and watch her hands shake slightly and her eyes narrow. I stop, fold my arms across my chest and blow out the breath I’ve been holding.
I’ve been away from people for so long that I’m having a hell of a mental battle about what to say. I see her hands brush back her hair and her own breath escape. She must have come to the conclusion I wasn’t going to hurt her because she slowly started to stand up and recognition lit up her face. “Hey.” Her voice was dry and soft like she hadn’t had water for days. “Hey yourself,” I say gruffly. Even before Destruction hit I was never good with children. I was an only child and quite frankly, a loaner. I don’t carry the necessary emotions to comfort nor the friendly nature people often look for. But for whatever reason this didn’t seem to bother her one bit.
“I’m sorry I woke you up. I’ve been using this tunnel for a few days and didn’t know anyone else could fit through it. I’m Annakit, or just Kit for short.” She held out her little fingers for a hand shake that seemed too proper for our circumstances. I gripped them lightly anyway. “I wasn’t expecting you either. I found this place a few weeks ago and didn’t see any signs that someone else had as well. Are you by yourself or what? My name’s…uh, Seraphine.” It’d been too long since I’d spoken my name out loud and it felt off.
In the new world it wasn’t common to meet someone friendly enough to exchange pleasantries with, in fact, pretty unheard of. My unease for Kit was growing by the second. If she was part of a clan and was sent out to recruit I would be in big trouble. Shortly after the first disasters happened people started forming clans, with large and notoriously nasty leaders. Each clan would recruit others or kill them if they refused to become a member, trying to grow their numbers to face whatever they deemed a threat (obviously they missed the Mother Nature destroyed large numbers memo). So, to flush out the strays, clans often used women or the few children left since strays were too skittish and weary to be confronted by men or too hostile to join willingly. I was one of these strays.
I started walking towards my back pack and sleeping bag. I wasn’t afraid of Kit but I was aware of the trouble she could bring. I needed to be ready to get out. She took an audible breath and I heard her feet shuffling the rubble. “No… I’m alone. I’ve been separated from my family. They were headed to Safe Haven when we were ambushed. I’ve been waiting for them ever since. We… We have a meeting place close to here in case we ever got separated. But, well, they haven’t shown up yet.” I swallowed the contentment that she was alone along with the sudden sadness that came with it. Safe Haven was often whispered about being a place where civilization still existed. Where food and shelter were abundant and laws were still abided. In other words it was a myth for the hopeful.
I sighed. Looking through my lashes at the girl, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave her alone again. I had calloused hands but my heart was still too tender for this World. Even though my mind was screaming at me that she wasn’t my problem, I would feel guilty if I left and I knew it. I thought about asking about her family but it seemed too painful to bring up. Slightly hesitant I asked, “How old are you?” She raised her chin in defiance. “I’m thirteen. I’ll be fourteen in June. I’m old enough and strong enough not to be worried about. I always do my fair share of work and I can keep up with the best of them. I’m not helpless so don’t even look at me like that.” Her blue eyes shone of determination and will. I believed her, which is a rarity. Most people only held corruption or evil which crazy enough I could feel in my bones, but not on her. She was pure.
I decided I would help her. Despite her display I still couldn’t convince myself to abandon her. But after helping my conscious would be clear and I could go back to my life. Or what is left of it. “OK. Look, I’m not very good at the whole partnership thing but I don’t think you should be left on your own. The clans have been running this area pretty heavily lately and they would love to get their hands on you. Besides, I can’t have you giving away all my hiding places. I’ll help you find your family or at least get you to the borders of the city. After that we can part ways as unlikely friends. My conscious is clear and you’re no longer in danger, any questions?”
She swept back her intensely black hair and shook her head. I could tell there was more she wanted to say but she stayed quiet. This might just work. “Let’s get some sleep then we’ll make a plan in the morning.” I unzipped the sleeping bag so there would be enough room for both of us to sleep on top of it since the concrete was freezing. Kit laid on her side with her back to me and was breathing deeply within minutes. I rolled onto my back and wondered what in the world I had just gotten myself into.
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