My Dystopian Promise

The world was silent. The sky was dark. The life was gone.

We walked with hurried steps through the empty street. The chill of the air made my anxious beads of sweat freeze down my back as they moved quickly. We couldn’t afford to be late.

We couldn’t afford to be found.

He followed without a word behind me as I led us around the long-abandoned vehicles along the street. I knew he had questions. Sadly, I had no answers. My furry ear flicked with guilt, but I didn’t say a word. We had to keep moving.

The street led us up and across the bridge I once traveled to school. Now, the cracks in the stone and asphalt made me weary to even step onto it. Unfortunately, it was the only way to reach our destination. I could only pray the damage was mostly shallow. Hopefully.

As we crossed the bridge, I looked out over the surrounding world, just to take my mind off the idea of the collapse that would surely spell out doom. The city we once called home was now barren and broken. The skyscraper that once brought my young mind wonder to gaze up at was now one of the shortest structures, leaving behind only the enormous base full only of debris and bodies. They never had a chance. No less than a couple thousand, they said. How something once so wonderful could fill me with such horror and dread, I couldn’t comprehend.

Finally, we reached the end of the bridge. I felt only a second of relief before my focus was onto the next thing. We were running out of time.

I heard him whimper from behind me. I wished I could say something, anything, to calm him. Something to bring him some kind of hope. But I could not. Not anymore. I swallowed my guilt and pressed forward.

We soon found ourselves on the market street. So many stands and store fronts, all ripped apart and shattered. And the blood… the scent was so strong. I could only imagine the remains within the shop walls around us.

Those monsters.

Was there really any hope of escape?

I shook the fear from my mind and flicked my tail. I couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not when they needed me.

“Are you alright?”

I looked back at him. His blue eyes looked fearful, yet they focused on me, pushing those fears aside to reveal the genuine concern in them. Even now, his priority was making sure I was alright. He truly was my dearest friend.

I could only nod to him before continuing down the street. He only followed once again without a word. As much as I wanted to tell him what was on my heart, I knew this wasn’t the time nor place. It would have to wait. I could only hope he could wait.

Just a little further. Just a little more.

Hope was just on the horizon.

I subconsciously raised my paw to my chest. I could still feel the gold heart-shaped locket just underneath my shirt. I prayed they were still there. Still waiting for me.

This would be our last hope now. No going back. I just needed to be sure they were going with me.

I couldn’t lose them again.

Why did it have to be like this? Where did it all go so wrong? Why did this have to happen to us?

So many questions. So many fears. So many reasons to give up.

But I refused to.

I could not let myself fall apart, not now. Hearing his breathing behind me served as a reminder that someone was still looking to me to guide them. I also still felt the cold locket against my chest as a reminder that there was still hope for us. We just had to find it.

Yet, the question still remained. How did this all happen? Why?

Only a week prior, life was normal. Simple. Peaceful.

Where did it go wrong?

That day, life as we knew it suddenly ended. Those monsters that appeared almost as if out of thin air, they caused this. It was by some miracle the two of us were even still alive.

So much death, so much fear, so much destruction.

I gripped the locket tightly in my fist. I just needed to see them. To see that they were alive.

Just a little further.

When the monsters came, all we could do was run and hide. Buildings fell, the sky grew cold and dark, life began to fade away. Even nature seemed to die alongside us, the trees and grass shriveling into nothing.

How did this happen?

We could only hope to find the answers soon.

Soon.

That’s when I heard it. I stopped suddenly, causing him to run into me. I didn’t dare move, gripping the locket and now his arm at my side.

The sound of clicking had become the most frightening sound I’ve ever known. It meant there were near. It meant they were searching.

It meant they were hungry.

The form slowly moved out from behind the overturned bus ahead of us. If the sun had been out from behind the clouds even once over the past week, I’m certain the figure before me would have been far more horrifying to look at. Yet, even in mostly darkness, my heart beat in my throat as I made out the form that crawled out to greet us.

The figure was anything but human, the bony structure of its body unnaturally contorted and long, the skin sagging off the bones and colored something closer to a rotting corpse. And it’s face… there were no words that could express what this creature’s face looked like. Nothing on Earth, I assure you.

It crawled slowly across the pavement, the long bony fingers cracking softly as they held the monster’s weight. The teeth in its mouth were not hidden by any lips, letting us watch as they clicked against each other.

Click, click, click.

There has never been a sound quite so hideous. The last sound heard by most of the world’s population. A sound you could only pray you never heard.

Click, click, click.

Sadly, we were not so lucky. There we stood, face-to-face with the monster. This time, with nowhere to hide and nothing to fight back with.

I could feel him shaking in my grip and I glimpsed his tail curling around his leg. He was afraid. I was afraid.

Click, click, click.

It continued to slowly move towards us. This monster was hungry. It wasn’t going to let us get away.

I would have run, but to where? Even if we could run, it would only catch one of us. I wasn’t going to leave my friend, and I knew he wouldn’t leave me. We were caught.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and fire sprung up between us and the creature. It hissed loudly, backing away quickly. I quickly moved back, pulling him close, as the fire spread out in a line, creating a wall of flame.

Where did it come from? And why did it seem to be protecting us?

That’s when he dropped down from the nearby roof, facing the fire with his back to us. He stood tall and strong, his tall pointed ears and long tail covered in an ashen grey fur coat. He spoke in a sharp voice towards the monster, the language completely different from any I knew. The creature only hissed again, backing away still. I had known they hated fire, but this one seemed to be weary of more than just the fire. Something about this figure seemed to have an effect on it.

Finally, it gave a growl before bounding off like a wild beast, reminding me that these creatures were much faster and more agile than they seemed. Soon, it was gone, and the fire finally went out, as if by command. We were alone with the figure.

“Th-Thank you, sir.”

I knew it probably wasn’t wise to speak to this person, but how could I ignore how he’d just saved our lives? We would surely have been eaten if he hadn’t stepped in. I was trying to survive, not become cruel and heartless.

The figure turned to us finally, revealing his stern face. His hazel eyes were sharp and serious as he looked down at us, being no less than a head taller than us. He was dressed in what seemed like an old, tattered military uniform. Could he have been a soldier?

Finally, he spoke as he looked back where the creature had gone, “Come. We need to get out of sight. It won’t be long before more of them arrive.” He didn’t give us the opportunity to speak before marching off down a nearby alleyway.

My friend and I looked at each other. Was it safe to follow him? What about getting to the others?

But what choice did we really have? He was our only option. As he said, it was only a matter of time before that monster got help and returned to finish what it started. With a defeated sigh, I took his paw in mine and we hurried after the soldier.

I could only hope this wasn’t a mistake.