Zara limped through the dense woods, her ankle burning from the poison the vine had left behind when it stabbed her. Each step sent a sharp, searing pain up her leg, but she grit her teeth, refusing to slow down. The swelling had already started—her ankle was puffy and dark beneath the layers of dirt and dried blood. She had been here before, dealing with the plant poisons that riddled the new world, but never this severe. She needed antibiotics, and fast.
As she reached the edge of the forest, she spotted the faint outlines of a town—or at least what was left of it. Its silhouette loomed against the dim, overcast sky, a desolate skeleton of the world before everything changed. The buildings stood in eerie silence, windows smashed and doors hanging off their hinges. There was no movement, no sound, except for the faint whistle of wind through the empty streets. The town looked frozen in time, as if the world had ended mid-step, leaving it to decay quietly under the weight of its own abandonment.
Zara felt a chill crawl up her spine as she stepped onto the cracked pavement of the main road. The silence was oppressive, thick, almost suffocating. She had been in ghost towns like this before, but this one felt different—wrong, somehow. Her senses were on high alert, her eyes scanning the empty windows for any sign of movement, her ears straining to catch even the faintest noise. But there was nothing. The town was dead.
She crouched low as she moved through the streets, keeping to the shadows, her limp slowing her pace. Every sound she made—every scuff of her boot against the pavement, every ragged breath—seemed amplified in the stillness. Her ankle throbbed, the poison spreading, but she pushed on. She didn’t have much time. There had to be a pharmacy somewhere, some place she could scavenge for supplies.
After several blocks, she spotted it—an old mom-and-pop pharmacy tucked between two dilapidated buildings. The sign above the door hung crookedly, the paint faded and peeling, but it was intact enough for her to make out the words: "Sutter's Pharmacy". Relief washed over her as she quickened her pace, despite the pain in her ankle. If she could just make it inside, she could find what she needed.
But before she could take another step, a sharp, shrill scream ripped through the silence.
Zara froze, her heart pounding in her chest. It was a human scream. The first human sound she’d heard in… she couldn’t even remember how long. Without thinking, she turned and ran toward the source, ignoring the pain in her ankle, ignoring the danger. Someone was out there—alive.
The sound led her down a narrow alley, the buildings on either side looming over her like silent sentinels. As she rounded the corner, she saw her—a young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen, standing in the middle of the street, her hands shaking as she held a small handgun pointed at three creatures slowly closing in on her. They were twisted, monstrous things—half-plant, half-animal—covered in thick, gnarled vines that slithered like snakes, their eyes glowing a sickly green.
The girl’s face was pale, her wide eyes filled with terror as she struggled to keep the gun steady. The creatures hissed, their bodies shifting and writhing as they prepared to strike.
Zara didn’t have time to think. She ducked behind a crumbling wall, quickly rummaging through her pack. Her fingers closed around a small vial—a solution she had concocted herself, one that could dry out the plants, essentially killing them and preventing them from rooting into the ground and growing stronger. She knew she had to act fast.
Grabbing a small rock from the ground, Zara hurled it into a nearby building. The sharp clatter echoed through the empty streets, drawing the attention of two of the creatures. They turned, their glowing eyes narrowing as they slithered toward the noise, leaving the girl alone with the third creature.
Zara wasted no time. She crept up behind the remaining creature, moving silently as it hissed and inched closer to the girl. Her heart raced as she uncorked the vial, her hands shaking slightly. The creature’s body was covered in thick, pulsing vines, its movements jerky and unnatural, like it was barely holding itself together.
With one swift motion, Zara poured the solution onto the creature’s back.
It let out a screeching hiss as the liquid seeped into its skin, the vines around its body immediately beginning to shrivel and dry. The creature writhed in agony, its movements frantic as the life drained out of it. Within moments, it collapsed to the ground, its body withering away into a brittle husk.
Zara didn’t stop to watch it die. She grabbed the girl’s arm and yanked her into a nearby building, pulling her behind a flipped-over desk.
“Stay quiet,” Zara whispered, pressing a finger to her lips. The girl, her face pale and streaked with dirt, nodded shakily, covering her mouth with her hands. Her body trembled, but she kept silent.
Outside, the remaining two creatures returned, their growls low and menacing as they sniffed the air, searching for their fallen companion. Zara could see them through a crack in the desk, their glowing eyes scanning the area, their movements agitated. They knew something was wrong. When they realized their fellow creature was truly dead, their growls turned into furious roars. Zara had seen it before—the anger, the rage. These creatures didn’t just die quietly. They got angry.
The creatures began to search the building, their heavy footsteps echoing through the empty room. Zara’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath shallow as she pressed herself closer to the desk. The girl beside her squeezed her eyes shut, her hands still covering her mouth to stifle any sound.
Just as the creatures were about to find them, gunfire erupted from outside, the sharp cracks of bullets filling the air. Zara and the girl ducked lower, the sound deafening in the small space. The creatures roared, but the gunfire didn’t kill them—not for long. Zara knew it would only put them down for a few minutes at most.
A man’s voice called out from outside, desperation lacing his words. “Amelia! Amelia, where are you?”
The girl beside Zara perked up, her eyes wide with recognition. “Here!” she cried, scrambling out from behind the desk before Zara could stop her. She ran toward the door, and a young man appeared, his face streaked with dirt and worry. He grabbed the girl, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Amelia! I thought—”
“I’m fine,” the girl—Amelia—interrupted, breathless. “I’m fine, but she—she saved me. An Aurian saved me.”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “An Aurian?” He scanned the room, his gaze searching for Zara. “Hey! Whoever you are, come out. It’s safe now. Please.”
Zara crouched behind the desk, her mind spinning. She hadn’t been around people in so long, and now… now they were calling for her. Her heart raced, her hands trembling as the weight of it all crashed down on her. Her vision blurred, her ears filled with a rushing sound, like water. All she could hear was the scream—the girl’s scream, or was it hers?
Elen. The name hit her like a punch to the gut, and suddenly the memories came flooding back. Elen’s face, her voice, the feel of her hand in Zara’s—it all came rushing back, sharp and vivid. Zara’s chest tightened, tears slipping down her cheeks as she remembered the love they had shared, the life they had once had together.
Amelia’s brother called out again, his voice softer this time. “Please… if you’re hurt, we can help. Just come out.”
Zara couldn’t move. She was overwhelmed, her mind spinning as the memories crashed over her. She hadn’t felt this much—anything—in so long. Her hands shook, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as she tried to hold herself together.
When she didn’t respond, Amelia’s brother sighed. “Come on, Amelia, we should head back to the bus. Let’s get the others. They’ll be doing a headcount soon.”
Amelia nodded reluctantly, but as they turned to leave, she hesitated, glancing back toward Zara’s hiding spot. “Wait,” she whispered to her brother, tugging at his sleeve. “I think she’s still here.”
They returned to the overturned desk, and when they found Zara, she was huddled behind it, tears streaking her face. Amelia’s eyes softened with sympathy, and she knelt beside Zara.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. We just wanted to thank you.”
Zara didn’t respond, her mind still clouded with memories and emotions.
Amelia hesitated for a moment before asking, “What’s your name?”
Zara blinked, the question pulling her out of the storm of her thoughts. For the first time in what felt like years, she smiled—a small, hesitant smile.
“My name is Zara,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Amelia smiled back. “I’m Amelia, and this is my brother, Kai.”
Kai crouched down, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at Zara’s ankle. “Looks like those vines got you good,” he said, whistling softly. “You’re lucky you’re an Aurian, or you’d be one of those things by now.”
Zara frowned, confusion clouding her mind. “Aurian?” she asked, her voice shaky. “What’s an Aurian?”
Kai and Amelia exchanged a glance, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief.
“You’re… you’re an Aurian,” Kai said slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Before Zara could ask more, the creatures outside began to snarl, their movements growing more frantic. Kai stood up quickly, his face tense. “We should get out of here. It’s not safe. You’re welcome to come back to our compound with us. We can explain everything there.”
Zara hesitated for a moment, her mind still reeling, but the urgency in Kai’s voice spurred her to move. She nodded, and together, they slipped out of the building, leaving the creatures behind.