Hope in the Dark

Chapter One: Scavenge

Skylar Moon

The gas station is left in ruins. Glass is shattered all across the store floor, shelves are knocked over, and mold is slowly climbing up the walls. Looking in from my position outside the doors, I see plague spores in the corners. "Gas masks!" I order, pulling mine over my head.

My squad follows suit, and we creep into the store to scavenge. I lift my gun, turning on the flashlight that's attached to the bottom. The light illuminates the mess, as well as two bodies on the floor. Their throats and torsos are shredded, blood and guts spilled around them. Fresh blood, not dry. There's a raw, demonic roar, and I'm suddenly tackled. Shots are fired, but I know better. The guns are for the Crazies we run into, not the Vaixah. I bring my knee up and lash out, buying myself enought time to unsheath my sword. I drive the blade upwards, directly into the heart. Slowly, the Vaixah goes limp. I throw it off with a grunt, jacknifing to my feet. "Check the area for more." I say, looking around. "And stop using bullets, you should know damn well by now they're useless on them."

A member of my squad, Ollie, comes up to me. "You okay Sky?"

"I'm fine, luckily. There are plague spores, this place probably isn't good for scavenge anymore. Although, maybe we can siphon gas and find something canned."

"Okay, I'll take Kristyn and see what we can do about the gas."

"Good. I'll scavenge."

He and Kristyn go out the back while John, Sarah and Link check the perimeter. I pull my sword out of the Vaixah's heart, thinking about how I got here, to this day. The invasion of the Vaixah (Demons) wasn't the worst part, believe it or not. It started with famine. Then they started a plague called Antonine. Lastly, they started taking over. Beginning with Africa, parts of Europe, South America, Asia and North America. Some countries aren't taken over yet. It's been 10 years since the invasion. Land-wise, they left much of what was there. Destroyed suburbs, mainly. And left some historical landmarks. The plague was the worst part, it still is. No one can develop a cure, not without getting to some secret Government facility no alive person knows about. Half of the population is dead now. People still continue to die everyday.

I push shelves up, checking under them. Nothing. I find a backroom, and dig through the drawers. Jackpot. Canned foods. Beans, fruit, soup, vegetables. A First-Aid kit, clothes, blankets. These people were prepared, supply-wise. Not mentality wise, I'd assume. I find a duffel bag in a closet and fill it with everything. We need it all. There's a group of us living underground, in the basement of an old factory. We have a family, my squad, and a few others. If divided properly, we can make this last a week or two. "Find anything?" Ollie asks from the doorway.

"Enough to last us a week or two. Depending on if we find anything else. Any gas?"

"Got 6 gas cans' worth."

"Good, we'll need it. Let's clear out before it gets dark."

It's a thrity minute walk back to the factory, and I'd say we have twenty-five until the sun sets. We walk back at a fairly fast pace. Night is the worst time to be out, if you couldn't tell already. I open up the door, holding it open for the others. Candles are lit along the walkway, just until you get to the stairs to the basement. I blow them out as we walk, following my usual procedure. Downstairs, the others are happy to see us. "Did you find anything?" Tim, a 10 year old boy asks me hopefully.

"I did." I smile at him, pulling out the blanket I found. "This is for you and your family okay?"

"Thank you." He hugs me.

I rub his back. "You're welcome sweetie." I look at the others. "I also have some food. There's beans, fruits, veggies and soup. I figured I could heat up some soup over the fire."

They nod eagerly, and I start right away. We haven't had something other than protein bars for a few weeks, so this is a great find. "It's getting harder to scavenge everyday. We've been pretty much everywhere. We'll need to move locations soon." I mutter to Ollie.

He nods, rinsing some dishes. "I know. It's harder with a group like ours."

"I know. I didn't want to bring more people in, but I knew had to."

"I understand. I would've done the same thing."

I ladle soup into the bowls, having Sarah pass them out. The soup is filling, and it's a nice change. I sit in the corner of the roof, on watch. I have the map laid out in front of me, light provided by a lantern. I follow the lines with a finger. "If we go from here to Virginia..." I trail off, dropping my head on my hand. "This would be so much easier if I were alone. I would just fly to a free country in Europe, train people there on how to deal with the invasions."

I feel eyes on me and look up, staring into a space on the roof. I put my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to skewer a Vaixah if need be. I feel as if I lock eyes with someone.

Zeus Ambrosia

Skylar meets my eyes, though she cannot see me. I notice her hand grasp the hilt of her sword, and she stiffens slightly. I smile widely. Smart. Glancing to my left, I notice a Vaixah jump out at her. She ducks, driving the blade upwards and instantly killing the Demon. She pulls her sword out, kicking the Demon off of the roof. She rolls up the map slowly, glancing at me every now and then. "You're really going crazy, Sky." Her lips press into a thin line. "It's because you don't have your family support anymore. Just leave the group. Find your family, go to Europe. Help." She shakes herself out of it. "I am helping. Just not helping enough." She walks into the building, disappearing from sight.