Our Broken Paradise

“Quick, run! Run Lina! Run like hell!” Rose screamed on top of her lungs as we both sprinted towards the abandoned building. “Lina! Run!”

“I’M RUNNING!” I yelled breathlessly.

“In here!” Rose entered the broken building that appeared to be some type of an office judging from the logo hanging weakly at the top. I kept following her since she knew the city more than I did. We ran deep inside the office. Dodging and passing through rubble and more rubble. Everything had fallen apart. There were splashes of blood everywhere. We kept going in deeper until we finally stopped at what looked like a cafeteria.

I and Rose fell on our knees and caught our long-lost breath.

“I—I think we lost them...” She breathed.

“I hope so...”

“Man... those guys never—stop...”

“Uh-huh...” I took one last deep breath and got up, helping Rose as well. “Now what?” I asked, “How are we going to get to the tower? It was on the other side but hell we can’t cross that way.”

“Hm, I know another way but it’s not short.” Rose tied her red hair into a messy bun.

“Well, can we reach it?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go, ma’am.”

“Alright...” She sighed and took out her dagger. “In case we run into some of those jerks.”

I nodded and took out my kitchen knife which I had found in one of the houses. I seriously wish there was something more useful but now, I guess this is the only weapon I must work with.

Rose and I walked through the offices to find the exit.

“It should probably be on the other side.” She said.

“Lead the way.”

I wondered how the office would’ve looked like before all this pandemonium started. Before the world fell into corruption. Before lives were slaughtered as if they were just farm chickens. I’m sure everything was busy and chaotic in a good way. Or maybe they just worked like slaves in here. I would never know because I was in a coma for—let’s say the rest of my life? I woke up not months ago and the world looked like a big ball of trash. Hell, I don’t remember who or where my parents are or what life I lived for the few years I was awake and walking but that’s what I’m going to find out. I want to find the missing puzzle pieces and put them back together so that I can live peacefully.

“Shh...” Rose suddenly crouched under an untidy desk and hastily pulled me down with her.

“What is it?” I whispered instinctively.

“I see someone...” She carefully raised her head just as much as to scan the area. Warily, raising my head as well to see, I saw no one.

“There’s no one, Rose--”

“Shh—Shh...” She placed her hand on my mouth and signaled me with her eyes to look in the direction she was pointing at with her glazed eyes.

Being as prudent as ever, I raised my head again but this time, only to see an Eater. Eaters are what I and Rose have named who kill people to feed themselves. They are difficult to get away from once they spot you since they attack their prey in a ravenous state. However, there is one way you can kill them and that is by means of stealth. Although they are strong and intimidating, their weak point is that they indulge in their food too much to actually sense things around them.

This Eater that was in front of us was eating a man in a suit. He was eating him quite silently as if he didn’t want the others to find him here. The suit man’s guts were spilled to his side and I swear, seeing that, again and again, doesn’t make me feel any better.

Rose slowly pulled her hand away from my mouth and sighed, “We have a shot if we stab him from behind.”

“Or, we can just run away. It’s just one here.” I whispered.

“I don’t wanna bet on that. There might be more here.”

I pursed my lips and caught another glance at the Eater. Good thing he was still busy munching down on the small intestines...Ew...

“Let’s do it together,” I said.

“No, let me do it this time. Going together can be risky.” She flipped her dagger once in her hand and nodded at me. Unwillingly, I nodded back since Rose spent more time in this world than I did, she killed more of those than I did and she has a bigger weapon than I have. You can say she is a professional in this.

I stood low where I was and left the sneakiness to Rose. She crouched her way through a wrecked office from the right side and disappeared. Meanwhile, I kept a watch on the Eater, in case it senses me or Rose. He was enjoying his meal; currently eating the hand without taking off the pieces of the suit.

Just then, I noticed Rose tiptoeing towards the Eater. She glanced at me for a split second before raising her dagger to stab it at the side of its neck. The Eater let out a screechy yell and fell flat on his face on top of the half-eaten body.

“I didn’t go to summer camp for nothing.” Rose scoffed and wiped the blood from her dagger on her already bloody jeans.

I disclosed myself from beneath the desk and headed towards her. “You learned to do this in summer camp?” I asked skeptically.

“It was Military based,” She rolled her eyes. “My aunt forced me to it but guess I just have to thank her now.”

“How come you never mentioned this to me?” We continued our search for the exit.

“You never asked.”

“Hm, now that I think about it, I don’t know much about you, Rose.”

“Neither do I.” She sang.

“Huh? About me or about yourself?”

She didn’t answer my question.

“Uh, Rose?” I called out to her but she just kept on walking as if she couldn’t hear me.

We headed downstairs to the basement. Rose said there might be a way out of there and maybe we can find some transport if we get lucky.

Fortunately, there weren’t any Eaters in our way. For now. I’m having my fingers crossed on that one.

“I seriously need a bigger weapon,” I mumbled as we walked past a trail of dead bodies. They were all rotten which means the slaughtering happened a long time ago. The smell was definitely not refreshing.

“Gee...Poor guys,” Rose knelt in front of one of the body and scrutinized it as though it was a meaningful statue or a painting.

“Uh, you’re not thinking of bringing him with us, are you?” I asked.

“Hah, no...It’s just that...this guy and the others—they must have been so helpless...right?” Rose’s voice turned into a sudden whisper. Although, the unpleasant quietness made her words hum between the heavy air. “I just pity them.”

I couldn’t give a reply. I couldn’t say, “I pity them as well.” Because I didn’t. Because I couldn’t feel anything by seeing them except knowing the fact that humans are so weak and pathetic.

“Hey, I found something you would like though,” She threw something at me and I swiftly caught it. It was a pistol. “Know how to use it?”

“Kinda...”

“Kinda?” Rose chuckled and finally got up. “From the movies?”

“A little.”

I twisted and turned the pistol around to examine its handiwork. It was a bright silver with a leather handle grip. I hadn’t held a gun before so holding it for the first time was quite frightening and amazing at the same time.

“Here, let this military prodigy help you.” She took the pistol and in less than five minutes flaunted her skills with the exceptional words of, “This and that and there you go!” She locked the gun and handed it back to me. “There are only three bullets left, so make it count.”

I tossed my weapon in between my jeans at the back and the both of us continued again.

We saw a board pointing towards the exit and followed it. “No transport here too.” She breathed heavily. There was a barely open shutter at the end of the wreckage. “Come on, gimme a hand.” Rose and I raised it high with all our might just enough for us to pass through. “I’ll hold—” She said, and I quickly leaned in and got out of the office; grabbing a hold of the shutter again for Rose.

She exited, and we slowly closed it again. “Phew...” Rose wiped her forehead and turned around.

The sun was setting behind the ruins of the abandoned buildings and darkness was falling like snowflakes.

“We have to find shelter for the day and continue at dawn.” She proposed.

“Yeah, do you know any place?” I asked.

“Lucky you got me with you,” She smirked. “Follow me.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”