Lorieve

The sky was bright baby blue, encasing a yellow dot, fluffy cumulonimbus clouds flooded the skies. The natural suburban lifestyle is how everyone in Lorieve once lived, that was before the infection spread and before every human turned on each other. Now the skies are full of torture and hate, clouds filled with darkness and no sign of light. There used to be hope in Lorieve but I wonder, where did that all go? Those who survived the infection like me are lucky but have yet to find out. It’s just me, Blossom, a 12 year old girl who has yet to see the world and Fenix, a puppy with not a clue in the world.

I truly wonder if my parents had survived the disease or it engulfed them as well. I will never stop trying to find them no matter what exhaustion or pain abounds. I just need to keep faith that they are still alive. The only piece I have left of them is a heart shaped locket with old timer photos. Although I worry about them, the infection is by far the worst of my worries in this pandemic life. This infection spreads like no other that anyone has ever seen before, by contact, once you touch the next victim you start to feel sick, nauseous and like you're hallucinating. Once that happens you feel invincible, king of the world.

Although Lorieve as a whole is a concern I’ve only been here in Critan for half of my life I know this. You will never escape Lorieve unless you want to stay in your house for the rest of your life. Both Lorieve and Critan have a weakness but their only weakness is the smell of vinegar. You see vinegar is one of the many ingredients to this virus that has led people to terminate each other. One of the many things that drive them crazy but it also has the effect of driving them off.

Although there are a few rumors of survivors, stories have been told and legends have been said for generations of a man named the Mystery no one has ever seen him in about 1,000 years but we can imagine what he looks like so the nickname given to him became the Warlock. They say he has the brains of an all knowing genius with many intelligent characteristics, a tall man with thrifty clothes, swift like movement and a squared jaw. Oh and let’s not forget the amazing gadgets! Well he’s been alive pretty much ever since this whole infection started. This is my one opportunity to find my parents with his help. But to get to where he may be I have to pass Lorieve.

“C’mon Fenix”. As soon as I leave my house there is a cat staring at me as if I’m some sort of toy? Its neon green eyes dark midnight fur with a pinch of brown swiftly moving from one side of the yard to the other. I leave the cat and keep walking when it jumps on my face and claws at my frightened brown eyes. “Get off of me, get off!” I shout but then cover my mouth faster than lighting as I see 2,000 more or so deranged infected people running towards me with hammers, knives and what looks like a basket? I call Fenix “get this cat off of me Fenix! Help would you!?” He just stands there in silence drawn to the deranged people. The cat finally jumps out of my eyes as they burn as though they were being lit up by fire. I grab Fenix and run back into the house when a force field appears? It sends me flying backwards when I smack the red brick wall head first. The last bit I see is a tall man in thrifty black clothes? He or she yells and says “run would you? Run!!” I just lay there helpless as I let the dark overtake me give one last breath. I wake up in what I think is a laboratory? It’s well lit with white walls and a black ceiling.

I turn to look at my arm. It is a robot arm? “Ahhhh! What have I gotten myself into?” I say. A man appears and laughs as he says “you’re pretty good to survive all of that?” “Yes perhaps I am” I say “But how am I lucky again?” “You were hit by 20 deranged people or more,” the man says. He then explains to me the powers he has given to me so that I would survive the attack. “Step into the light” I say. “Your… you’re the warlock!” “Yes I am” he says. “You can help me find my parents then!!!” I say. He then gives me a dark look where I know I’m good as gone! “I need something from you and you need something from me.” “So I will help you only if you follow through with the deal” he says with a grim smile. “Well what’s the deal then?” I say. He walks with a slow motion and turns ever so slightly and whispers to me “the head of Cybeast the Destroyer.” “Yes but I have a few questions”. “Where can I find him, which way do I go, and how hard is he?” “Well first I must train you” He says. “Just tell me how to control it!” I say.

AFTER THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING “Alright I’m ready!” I say. He tells me to follow the Jangerians and throws me an enormous electric charged weapon as I spin it on the finger of my robot arm. Jangerians are large creatures that you can sometimes use for a ride and they are always looking for creeks such as turquoise creek to where I’m heading for Cybeast the Destroyer’s head. I grab a piece of rope and jump onto a Jangerian and off I go. A couple 200 miles or so I find immensely humongous footsteps covered in red. “This is the Beast's footprints I’m sure of”. As I follow the footprints and leave the Jangerian tied to a thick block of wood 3,000 miles away I can see what looks like a creek?

I finally get to the creek and spot a creature like no other! He turns around and says “Who goes there?” It frightens me how enormously huge this beast is and how hard this is going to be. I charge at the beast with full force getting the energy stored inside of me ready. When the unthinkable happens! He grabs my legs lifts me up and says “Hello dinner”. The beast sits me on a rock and says “so tell me who you are making a deal for now huh?” I keep my head down as he yells “Answer me!” wouldn’t want you to be my dinner now would you?” Because I got a nice steaming pot for fresh food.” “I was sent here on behalf of the Warlock” I shout. “Ah yes” he says ever so slowly. Many people need my head for the unthinkably disastrous plans they have.” He says. “I made this deal with him only to find my parents”. I say with a trembling voice. “Alright I’ll make you a deal sweetheart”. “You will become a beast like me for the rest of your life.” “Yes or no?” “Will I ever be able to get out of being a beast?” I say. He turns is head and says very slowly “no”. There was a long pause. “I suppose I will be a beast then if it means finding my parents!”

Great choice! I changed into a beast in an instant as I looked at myself. I had thick fur, a hard steel eye and the ugliest monster you have ever seen. As I set out on my journey I got to Lorieve and headed for the hospital hoping to see if my parents were there or had left. That was the last place I saw them because when this whole thing started they were injured from a terrible car accident. I headed for the 5th floor finding my mother laying still as water on the ground and my father on his last breaths. I rush over to him and say “dad?” with the deep accent of this beastly voice. He stares at me and says “Blossom?!” “Stay with me dad you’re going to be fine, everything’s going to be alright, you don’t have to worry now because I’m here and I'll protect you!” “You’ve always been the light of me and your mother”. “Never forget how special you are”.

As he takes his final breath I lay him down and put a rose from the creek next to him. I look at my mom and say “I love you”. Put a rose on her chest and lie next to both of them. “What have I done? All of this and now it’s too late”. I close my eyes and let the deranged people overtake me.

Written by: Oriana Delcid