Chapter 1
I opened the metal door, thick fog covered everything in an opaque white, the sun's bright rays dull down by the heavy clouds that always hung over head for as long as I knew. The chill from the air nipped at the skin exposed around the googles I wore, the glass helping my vision to cut through some of the fog before me. Every inch my body covered in warm grey clothes repurposed from old plastic. A process to make that I had learned my father before he passed two years ago.
My heavy deer hide bag hung on my back, the straps clipped across my chest as I looked out and listened. It held items I would need for the hunt, everything from bottles, food, extra fabric, first aid supplies and weapons. Some of the these items I would need to trade, some I would use, others I might need to defend myself.
It was quiet, no birds singing, no bugs buzzing, instinctively my hand went to my side. The fingerless gloves that encased my hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of the sword I had found in my travels. Not that it would of been any use against them, but it would keep me safe from my own kind. Slowly I stepped out, the leather sole of my boot silent as it hit the pavement. My eyes ever scanning the area as I closed the door behind me, I could hear the locks being engaged behind me in a series of clicks.
I walked straight a head of me, toward the thicket of trees that I knew were on the other side of the broken and crumbling street. The grass beyond the street knee high between the two houses falling to the ground, vines wrapping around them slowly bringing it closer to earth with each passing year. One day, this house will be completely reclaimed by the nature we sought so hard to control.
Through the yards, behind the house, the sound of metal chain link fence barely audible as I walked over the brush covering the fallen attempt to separate what had been owned from what had been wild. Slowly the world around me darkened as the trees encased me, the canopy above completely blocking the remaining light above me out.
Even here the fog floated between the massive woods that surrounded me, it hung in wisps, effortlessly gliding around, like some haunted wind. It was always present, never quite giving up its hold on the world, a consistent companion. I slid the goggles up and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkened setting. I stopped and looked around me, nothing. Good.
I walked up to one of the nearest trees, unclipping the strap at my chest and slinging the bag forward from my back. I pulled the switch blade from the side pocket and pressed down on the button. The blade flipped out and clicked into place. I rammed the tip of the blade into the hard bark of the trunk. Peeling the chucks of wood away from the tree till I had a smooth surface to work on. I stopped for a moment and looked around, I couldn't be the only one that couldn't live like this. There had to be others, others who wanted to fight them instead of each other.
If they caught me, it would be a sentence worse then death. Enslavement. I took a deep breath before facing the smooth surface of the tree. The exposed wood a soft tan compared to the rich chocolate color of the bark.
'For we have risen. Wake now!'
I stepped back, the message vague, but it was bold as the destruction of the nature in itself that I had done. Pulling a cloth from one of the many pockets that covered my body I wiped the blade before pushing it back into place. I stepped around the tree and continued further into the forest. I couldn't mark every tree, nor did I need to. I knew the trails that were used by our kind, the ones that humans would see and read. I also knew the routes that they took, where to avoid.
An hour had passed, and I had marked five trees. Taking time to ensure I wouldn't be seen, not by them and not by any people either. Not that I ran into too many people these days, where I was wasn't heavily populated. It was a blessing and a curse all the same. Less people to deal with and less to worry about my own safety, but yet not enough people to barter or trade with, less people to see my message. I wanted them dead, each and every single one of them. But in order for that we needed to make a stand and I couldn't stand alone.
"You do realize defacing natural property is illegal?" The heavy voice came from behind, the hairs on my neck stood on end. I moved my hand to my hip, fingers curled around the hilt as I slowly turned to face the man.
He was dressed in heavy thick black attire, all but his eyes covered. He stood a good twenty feet back, his hands hung loose at his sides as he watched me from his distance. I could see his eyes travel down my body and back up, being sure to take his time on the weapon at my hip. His brow raise but he didn't seem alarmed by the sword.
"What does 'for we have risen' mean, anyway?" He asked, walking to the left, his body poised still facing slightly toward mine as he did. My body tensed, my grip on the hilt tightened. I held my ground, my eyes tracking his casual gate.
"It's time for us to rise up against them." I remarked, watching as he circled to my side still keeping his distance. Slowly I turned my head keeping him in line of sight.
“You really think you could stand a chance against them?" He chuckled stopping slightly behind my left side, I could just barely see him by looking over my shoulder. "Some punk kid?"
"Not just me, and I'm not some punk kid." I shot back, spinning on my heel to face him drawing my sword at the same time. I held it loose to my side, the black metal of the blade sharpened to a silver luster.
"Oh, so you have an army, alright then," He stated crossing his arms in front of his body. "Where are they?"
"I don't have one yet, but there has to be others willing to put their lives on the line to get out of the hell we're living in." I shot back, his head cocked to the side, crossing his arms he narrowed his eyes at the sword I held. "Living in fear, hiding, pretending that we are living our lives to fullest while they rule over us."
“Better check yourself, talk like that will put you in the stocks. Or worse, you'll be rounded up like cattle." He chuckled. "So tell me, what's some kid like you got planned, say you get your army, then what? Can you train men to fight? Do you even know how to fight, besides the occasional spat in the forest. Do you have a massive weapons cache?"
"Yes, I can fight." I scoffed back. "And we can find weapons, finds things to use as weapon, people aren't as defenseless as they think."
"So you say, but when they were woken the earth had a whole lot more weapon, things a bit more power the that little fire poker you got there. And it did have highly trained fighters at its disposal, you see what the outcome was." He remarked, he was walking slowly toward me, onyx eyes holding my own. His body still remained loose, casual, his gait was confident, making me uneasy. "So tell me, what makes you so different?"
He stood less then foot in front of me, I hadn't realized how tall he was till he was this close and he towered over me. His shoulders squared up, his posture straight, there was nothing threatening about him but yet his presence sent every alarm bell in my head off.
"Because I actually want something different. And I'm willing to fight for it."
