Ash moved calmly through the morning light
Beyond the ruins of steels and stone, a small village known as Lakeshore, tucked into a canyon just outside the old city of Landow resided. Its residence had lasted through obscurity, luck and silence.
At the top of a crumbling tower that used to be a windmill stood a boy named Rei, his snow white hair flowing in the wind as he stared into the horizon. On his neck hung a rusted pendant, clinking with every little movement.
"I still think you're crazy" a voice said
"Tch you always say that Yuki" He smirked without turning to face the person
Yuki stood behind him, arms crossed, trying to make sense of what he was staring at
While Rei spent his days dreaming of the future, Yuki stayed grounded in the present as she only cared about surviving.
"You think you'll become a Disciple just because your dad was one?" she asked.
"Firstly he wasn't a Disciple. Mom says they didn't exist back then" Rei hopped down from the ledge and landed beside her "But he fought anyway. Saved people. Even the villagers still honor him till this day. I want that too" He threw random punch and kicks at nothing
Yuki's gaze softened "I get it, I get it. I just don't wanna see you get hurt"
Rei chuckled and looked up at the clouds. "Do you think the world will ever go back to normal again, Cities...people....peace." He paused
Yuki sat on a broken chunk of concrete. "Maybe....I don't knowww" She scratched her hair in frustration
Rei sat beside her. Smoke trailed from chimneys. Children's laughter could be heard echoing through the streets.
"Do you think the Disciples are real?" he asked
"They're real" Yuki replied " Saw one once. Tall, armored....almost glowing even"
Reis eyes were filled with excitement " Think i could be like that?"
"Not in a million years" she smirked, knowing she had touched a nerve.
Rei opened his mouth to argue when suddenly the ground beneath them began to tremble a bit. Suddenly--
[BOOOOM!!]
A loud explosion came from the gates, followed by a shockwave and a loud disorienting roar
"What the hell just happened" Rei muttered his body frozen in fear
Yuki didn't hesitate, she turned and ran. Rei followed behind her some seconds later
They both sprinted down the broken paths towards the village.
As soon as they arrived, it was absolute chaos.
The streets were flooded with people, running around in every direction. Others didn't say a word their faces pale and frozen with terror as the crouched in a corner already accepting their fates. Walls that had stood for years crumbled, bodies laid lifeless on the floor, blood painted the streets and screams echoed in every direction.
Rei forced his way through the crowd, Yuki following behind. That's when they saw them; The monsters. Dozens of them, perhaps even more
They were climbing over the outer walls, each one was a blasphemy. Some crawled across rooftops on too many limbs, Others on two legs, towering and skeletal, their spines bent in impossible arches.
One of the monsters slammed into the watch tower, shattering it instantly. The guards stationed there didn't even have the time to jump before the structure collapsed on them.
Another landed in the middle of the street using its long claws to swipe at anyone within its reach.
A man was lifted into the air and torn in half
Children's cries died mid-breath as their bodies hung from the talons of the monster which lifted them to its mouth and devoured them whole.
Reis began hyperventilating, his vison blurred, his ears ringing.
"Mom..." he whispered, before braking into a full sprint
"Rei, wait--!" Yuki shouted
But he didn't stop, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. After some minutes, he finally made it home, lungs burning, heart pounding.
The front door was gone
Inside the room was destroyed. Furniture's reduced to nothing, deep claw marks covered the walls and blood stained the floor.
His body stiffened as memories how his mom and how the house once was flashed through his mind, he walked towards her room.
Then he saw her, his mom laying on the ground and a monster crouched over her, pinning her limbs down with its claws. Its head was buried in her chest.
She didn't scream nor move, she was already gone.
Rei screamed before collapsing to the ground in despair sobbing.
The monster lifted its head and turned towards him, it immediately lunged
[BANG]
A gunshot echoed through the room and the monster was sent flying into the wall, shrieking as part of its head exploded. Black fluid splattered across the room but, it didn't take time for the wound to start healing.
"Don't just stand there, idiot!" a voice barked.
It was Jack, Yuki's cousin.
He rushed forward and grabbed Rei by the collar "GET UP!!"
But Rei couldn't move, he was frozen. Trapped in his own body, completely overwhelmed by multiple emotions.
Jack cursed under his breath
Behind him, Yuki arrived, eyes wide with horror as soon as she saw what had happened.
"Jack--!"
"Stay back!" He barked
firing more rounds at the creature. It shrieked and flailed, knocking over a support beam which caused the building to begin to crumble.
Jack grabbed Rei and hoisted him over his shoulder. With his other hands, he grabbed Yuki by the wrist.
They ran through the streets, bodies littered all over the floor.
A boy knelt besides a girl lying in a pool of blood, shaking her and calling her name.
But Jack didn't slow down, he gritted his teeth and kept moving.
A dog barked and charged at one of the monster. A second later it was gone
They ducked into a ruined bakery, Jack shoved a broken freezer revealing a narrow tunnel hidden behind it.
"You remember this place?" he said, lowering them in. "Hide-and-seek, right? Stay here."
Rei was trembling. "Jack—"
"Listen to me." Jack knelt. His voice dropped. "You don't come out. No matter what. Not until help comes. Got it?"
"But what about you?" Yuki asked, tears streaming down her face.
Jack smiled faintly. "I have to go help the men in the village so some of the other women and children can find a safe place to hide."
He closed the entrance and shortly after, his footsteps faded.
Outside the screams continued.
Rei sad in darkness, shaking. His hands tightened around the rusted pendant on his neck.