Prologue
The smell of the rain clogged her nose as she trudged through the soft Earth. The acidity burning her nose slightly as she adjusted to the non filtered air. "Wait up!" Panted a young boy behind her. Ignoring the boy, the girl continued her mission through the woods. "I know we have to return before nightfall but can't we just take a break!" Cried the boy behind her.
Submitting to his begs and pleas, the girl stood in her footsteps. "I don't have time to waste." She spat.
"Athena, I'm sorry about Aunt Cathrine. I loved her too." Arkin cried. His body laid limp against the tree stump.
"I'm over my mother's death." Athena mutters. Arkin winces as he tries to catch his breath.
"It's okay to be upset." Athena tenses in her spot. The sound of heavy footsteps nearly made her squirm. Motioning to Arkin she pulled out her blade.
"It must be a bear." She mouthed to him. Arkin nodded as he ducked low and took out his bow.
The sounds of heavy breathing neared as the thumps followed. Athena joins Arkin next to the tree stump as she prepares. Both of the kids mere ages of nine years old. None of them had faced a bear before. Especially a bear deformed by the radiation. That made the bear even more dangerous.
"On three." Athena whispers. She steadily raises her fingers and slowly raises each one. Once she gets to three she jumps out and angles her blade. Refusing to stare the beast into its face she keeps her gaze low. The blade making contact with the beasts back. It makes a screeching noise falling to the ground. Athena leaps into its back, and stabs it again. It took a while before it went limp. Except the bear didn't feel right. Something in her gut told her the bear didn't normally feel like this. Slowly she began to open her eyes. Blood laid splattered on her leather outfit, and on her face.
Besides her stood Arkin as they stared down at the body. The body was of a creature unlike any bear they've seen.
"What is it?" Arkin asks nervously.
"I think..I think its a human.." Athena struggles to speak.
"But..that means you killed..you killed a person!" Arkin says in fear.
Athena's bloodied face laid emotionless as tears fell out of her eyes. "I didn't mean to.." She whimpered.
Slowly Arkin leans down and picks up its head to reveal its face. Except the face was so deformed there couldn't be even any way to identify the person.
"You did it a favor, Athena. This thing was suffering." Arkin mutters looking to the distance.
Athena glances up to see Arkin staring at something in the distance. Following his gaze she sees tall structures. "What are those?" She says to herself.
"It's a city. I've read about them in my culture studies." Arkin answers.
"We shouldn't go there." Athena nudges Arkin's shoulder.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not our faction. We don't know what or who's there." Athena hisses. Arkin frowns wearily before following Athena home.
Except for Athena, it was no longer home.
***
Ahhh this is my new book! I'm hoping to really get out there and get other people's opinions. I know there's a lot to improve but I'm hoping one day this can be a book that people want to reread - Tay xx
