(Work In Progress) The Black Rose Chp 1

Chapter1

A soft red haze hovers over the dry waste of land that remains of Earth. A crackling of twigs and leaves comes from an approaching shadow. As the shadow emerges from the haze and dust it, gives away to a female figure. Black combat boots are the cause of the noise as the twigs and leaves snap and crush underneath. Tucked into the boots is a faded pair of black fit jeans that give way to a deep crimson red tank shirt covering what is visible of the torso. All has been over topped with a black trench coat that flows down to stop midway down the boots. Long waves of brown hair cascade down the girl’s back as piercing green eyes look for any surviving life. Red lips curve into a smirk as she concludes no enemies or allies are within the distance her senses can reach. A war had finally come to an end after 50 long years of battle. Good and evil had been put to the ultimate test, and nobody knew who won.

Jasilyn reached above her head to grab the ledge of an old crumble mass of rock that once was a large clock tower. Pulling herself from the grip of the ground into the air, she could stretch her sight a bit more over the dust. Everything was different, and yet it all was the same. This was the town of New Stills, her birth town.

Memories of her childhood and the way things looked before caused her lips to curl into a closed mouth smile, and her green eyes got a dim sparkle. Green fields dotted with white daisies and random bumblebees covered the ground, while tall strong trees provided not only shade but the perfect branches for tire swings. Young voices could be heard laughing and parents calling their children in for dinner. But like every memory that came, it quickly went away with the dry hot wind.  The only sign of emotions was a temporary sigh that escaped her chest before the smile was gone, her eyes were cold, and she jumped from her high perch.

Jasilyn had not been alone in her return to the small town. Across town in a small alley opening to the woods came the image of a large man. Shaggy blonde hair fell in front of tired hazel eyes. Bare feet brought the young man closer and closer to the rubbish of buildings. The only stitch of threads on his perfectly sculpted body was a tattered pair of black jeans. His movements were flawless, every inch of his body knowing the movement before it was to be done and accomplishing it with ease. Ashton was not sure how much longer he could continue. He had no food, no water, and no rest for how many days he could not remember. There was no sense of time any more. One day just seemed to run into another, he would sleep when it was too dark to see and hunt when there was light. His eyes had played tricks on him before, so when the vision of Jasilyn crossed in front of him, he believed it to be false. Wetting his chapped lips, he went to speak, and then his world went dark.

Jasilyn turned as the sound of Ashton’s body made a soft thud on the dusty road. She started to leave the body there. He was not her kind anyway. But something would not let her, and she turned back. Being weak herself, the possibility of carrying the man to her destination was unlikely. A quick scan of the area around them revealed her relief in the shape of a wagon that managed to appear in working condition. After taking the fifteen minutes to load Ashton’s body onto the wagon floor, she was again on her way.

Jasilyn took the man to a small house on the east side of town. It was small but still seemed to be holding onto its old quant charm. It provided very little other than a shelter from the elements outside and a soft place to rest one’s head. The windows were boarded up and the paint chipped away from the wooden exterior. The door looked as if the wind could blow it over at any time as well.

Ashton woke temporarily enough to see himself being dragged into the doorway and down a small hall. His last clear thoughts were of the soft bed his tired body sank into and the image of a lady over him.

Night fell before any sound came from the room where Ashton lay. The floor boards creaked as he pulled himself from the bed and made his way to the door. Jasilyn sat in the dimly lit room that once appeared to have been a living area. A grey couch sat against a long blue wall across from the door which was boarded from the inside. A silver floor lamp next to a matching grey chair was on the far wall from the end of the hallway. While a dusty wooden slab of leftover coffee table sat in the center of the room. Jasilyn looked up as the man she saved from town, came into the room.