My dreams that night were an absolute tempest of nightmarish horror. When I woke up screaming, I didn't remember anything other than a robed figure speaking to me as it sat on a throne.
Aaron jolted awake beside me and Jared's head snapped up.
"What's wrong?! What happened?!" Jared shouted as he aimed the gun all around.
I let out a huge sigh, "Nothing, just nightmares..."
Jared looked relieved for a second, but then his eyes widened, he set the gun down and slapped himself in the face, "God damn it! I dozed off!"
I shined the flashlight on my watch; it was just past eleven o'clock in the morning.
Jared cursed himself.
I got up and stretched, my body still aching from yesterday.
"Don't worry, Jared, I don't blame you at all... yesterday was quite the day..." I said as the events from the day before all came flooding back.
"Still... what if something happened?!" he said as he shook his head.
"Well, it already happened and we're fine, so there's no sense beating yourself up over it. Just be more careful next time I guess."
We had something to eat in silence, our minds still reeling over everything. As we ate, Jared fiddled with the radio, trying to find a working station. To no surprise, all he found was static.
After we finished, Aaron spoke up, "I guess we're going to have some more food somewhere..."
He was right, we only had enough food to last for a few days. It could maybe last us a week if we really stretched it out, but that was wishful thinking. We didn't have a safe source of water either. We could always try collecting the rain water, but... something told me that wasn't a good idea. God knows what would happen if you drank from this accursed rain, and I didn't really want to test it.
But where would we get food? All the houses were gone.
...I guess we had no choice but to keep moving. Every house can't be missing, right?
"Our first priority should be to find another working car," Jared said, "We don't have enough food to risk staying here, and after what happened yesterday, I don't think it's a good idea to go on foot anymore. It's way too dangerous. Then again... I guess there was that flying thing... but it didn't try to kill us, right? As far as we know, being in a car is still safer than walking around."
I nodded, "Yeah, if we didn't have a car when those dogs were chasing us... we wouldn't have made it."
After moving the barricade aside, I stared up at the dark clouds as the rain pattered on my face. Please, let us make it to the manor. I can't imagine there being any other safe place for us on this earth that we could actually reach. So... we had to get there.
"Right or left?" Jared asked as we stared down the empty streets lined with empty lots.
"Left leads to the city, right goes around it. So we should go right."
We marched on through what had once probably been a relatively normal neighborhood. I had only been around Crestland a few times before, so I was kind of familiar with the area. Compared to most other towns, this suburban area near the city had actually remained relatively well off. There had actually been some houses here before instead of endless apartment complexes.
So that's why it was especially eerie to see all of those houses completely missing.
What the hell had done this, and why? A slight chill shook me as I stared at the cleanly emptied foundation of what must have once been a pretty big house. Why was any of this happening? What was the end goal of the creatures? Were they even working towards an individual goal?
YOU ARE READING
Storm of the End: Book One
Horror"I remember a time when we didn't have to fear waking up. I remember a time when there was hope for tomorrow. A time where we could look forward to the future. A time when there was a future. That time is gone now. And it is never, ever, going to c...
