The Broken Age

Scream

Everything in life is a mystery. Adults never really give you any details. There's so much to wonder about and question. An infinite sea of questions, but only a shallow puddle of answers. You just have to piece it together yourself, and hope your answer is the right one. 'It never is.'

The sun had risen, and we had started moving again. But something was different today. We were all very tired. Going at a snail's pace, walking like aimless zombies, and separating from one another. It wasn't on purpose, everyone was drowsy, barely able to keep themselves together. But we all had that one command running through our minds... To keep moving.

The pieces I've gotten so far. Life is not worth anything, people are terrible selfish monsters. The snake people may have taken our planet, but we never deserved the planet to begi-

A pause. Everything just blacks out, and then a jolt, snapping me back. I look around, i was on the ground. My hands and face were burning. I look at them, scratched and scraped, I had fallen asleep mid walk! I look around. It's still day, i can't remember the way back, or where i went. No one else was with me, does this mean i lost them? 'Were finally free of them.' There was a figure walking around in the distance. I squint at the distant figure, but there was little i could make out. They were wearing a mostly grey hooded cloak and carrying something in their hands. I lift myself up, and start moving to the nearest building, to settle in. 'we need to keep going. Or they're going to find us again.' The building was barren and dusty, but inside was a stained crusty couch. I head for the couch ready to collapse again, i was too tired to care about anything else. All i wanted was sleep.

It was so cold but so warm too and the more i breathed the warmer it got. I couldn't see anything besides the moving lights shining through the threads of the bag over my head. Every other sound was muffled by my heavy breathing and fast heartbeat, all i could make out was movement, and a rhythmic sort of jump on whatever was moving. I was being moved with something. The bag is sharply lifted from my head, letting the cold air rush in, I look in horror at the faces. Holding their tools in their bright room. I couldn't move, i felt limp, i don't know why. What did they do to me? What WILL they do to me? There were sharp but quick pains around my body, as they poked my skin with sharp metallic instruments, and attached small tubes that would dig into my arms. As they probed me, there was a long, slim, sharp, mechanical needle approaching my head. It pierces my skull making me let out a silent scream of pain. But then it stops. And instead, the room starts spinning, and they grab me to face them, And start screaming something. It felt very personal, like it really meant something that i was supposed to listen to "I'm not a doctor. Please get help."

I wake up in a cold sweat and to my horror as i gaze around the dark room, i see faces staring and screaming at me. Only there was no sound, yet their mouths moves as if they were screaming, or biting the air. I watched them in horror but i couldn't scream, it felt like if i made a sound everything would actually start coming after me. My hands were clenched on to the couch cushions as i scan the rest of the room and through the darkness i spot another frightening face. But this one was attached to a body. It was Silah standing by the arm of the couch facing me. And that was enough for me to reach my limit. I screamed as loud as i could, only to have my mouth covered by Silah who was digging his nails into my cheek the longer i tried to scream. When i couldn't scream any further he let go, giving an exhausted sigh, and grabbing me by the arm dragging me off the couch. I look around struggling to get my baring's , as i begin to follow Silah to where he's taking me. The other faces were gone! Where did they go? 'They were all in your head.'

Outside was a little bit brighter, but everything had a green glow to it. It was very cold out... Why is that familiar? Am i forgetting something? A few turns later we find a dim fire outside where the others were. Maggie was passed out and Sam was teaching Alice a game with her hands. Alice's face brightens up as she sees me "Hey, I've seen you!" She says exited 'She forgot again!' "How did everyone find each other. I say sitting down next to the fire. "He found me." She points to Silah "He found us too." Sam responds after. How did he find all of us?

It was quiet tonight. No screaming, Alice was cheery again, drawing the same sort of pictures again. Something still felt so off though. Was it that everything was green? I look at the cloudy sky, even they had a green hue to them. Or was it from the cold. Somehow it felt more familiar, now that it's a little bit warm from the fire. "So... i think you were going to tell us a story, Zack."

"I... I" What do i say to this? 'That you don't remember.' I thought they would forget. I didn't want to remember. Not again. "I never, said i would." i spit out. "Yeah, you did." Alice cheerfully joins the conversation 'Are you kidding me!' "You can't even remember your life. How can you remember this." I say in a sarcastic tone. Alice's cheery attitude goes, away. She didn't look mad, but more confused than anything else. Sam looked more upset than she did though "You said you would tell us a story Zack." She whines. Maggie gives off her own sort of whine, almost like she was trying to imitate her sister. I felt like i had everyone's attention. But i didn't like it, i didn't like being watched. I shuffle back slightly hiding my face partially with my legs and trying not to make any eye contact "I don't want to talk about this i just-" I stop, noticing Alice and Sam staring with worry. Sam more worried than Alice. I didn't like this attention, it felt so unnatural to be noticed. I shuffle back further only for my back to hit something. Something warm. That's when i realized they weren't looking at me. They were looking at what was above me.

I froze, i didn't want to move. The way Sam looked at it didn't help. Whatever it was, grabbed my arms and squeezed my side shoulders, lifting me up with ease, leaving my legs hanging in the air. The others were now focused on me again except for Silah, who was clenching his ears, ready for when we scream. I feel a gust of warm air next to my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Then there was a voice "You said you would tell them a story, Zack." The feminine voice lets out. The way it spoke was strange, it was English, but spoken... strangely. Like the way it sounded its words were, off. There was a moment of silence. Until Alice raises her hand slightly and speaks with her cheerful attitude "Hi." There was another pause then the figure starts to laugh, dropping me. The shock gives me enough will, to turn myself and face what everyone else has been watching, then i saw it. The figure from last night. A large bat like creature laughing in the green darkness around us. The creature gives a sign of relief as it stops and comes forward into the dim light. "You kids are either dumber or braver than most people who pass by." She wasn't a bat. But she clearly wasn't human either. She had two fangs poking from underneath her top lip, and strange ears. Something similar to Silah, except she had eyes. She could speak! She was very underdressed for the weather though. No shoes, no hat to cover her strange hair, with its two edges rising up, giving the resemblance of horns. Only a dark red shirt, torn jeans and some kind of a grey thin cloak, that gave her the appearance of bat wings. 'We need new puzzle pieces!' "We saw you last night!" Alice points at her exited. "Yeah! And most people run off the second they do." She folds her arms letting her cloak cover her and sits down next to our dimming fire. 'Truly like a bat.' Then the realization hit me. "Yo-you're the one making everyone leave." i force out. She gives a wide smile in response Those same large white fangs. She seemed so confident in everything she did and said. "So, here's what's still got me stumped. Why are you kids outside, with very little supplies, when there's going to be a huge storm in a couple of hours?" She says scratching her chin. What i noticed from the movement were her hands, and then her feet. The fingers, and toes were webbed, like they had been joined together, but not all the way. None of us actually answered her question. I didn't even know there was a storm coming "Do you know where we can hide from it?" I ask, "Unless you have lots of food, and something to keep you warm you're going to freeze or starve, before anything else." She laughs "Can we stay with you?" Alice asks, both me and Sam glare at her for asking. The woman has a look of distraction and suspicion, but it is quickly covered up by her normal confidence. "You know what!" She leans forward. "Sure. I have plenty of food an-" She is quickly interrupted by Sam who pushes herself forward and yells "Do you have food for snakes?" Everyone is surprised from her exited yell "No, but there is a river nearby, if your 'snake' eats fish. There isn't much time left to catch anything though." She says, "Then lets hurry." Sam jumps up and pulls on Maggie's arm to encourage her up. Allice steps up after her. Silahs stomach growls so he stands up too. I was the only one left sitting, i wasn't prepared for the winter. I thought there was more time. So, there wasn't much choice anyway. I stand up like the others, facing the lady, as she led the way.