The Extinction Era

1-6

Bochi looked around cautiously and checked there are anyone. Then he handed a bag to Esen.

-Stop crying. All of it already happened and had become past thing. Nothing is going to change even if you keep crying for a week. I promised your father to take care of you two brothers until you reach manhood. But things got a sudden turn. Shaman will not let you live for sure. So, you should get out of here right now. I prepared some meals and clothes. Also put a hunting knife in the bag. Cross the Ephedra valley. Be careful. Esen was still hesitant when he heard Bochi's words.

-Go now. Run now while no one is around, before it's too late, Bochi continued.

Suddenly, Esen ran to the forest as if he had regained consciousness. "Luckily no one saw us. I'll tell Shaman he ran away on his own. In fact, there is no way this little boy can survive in the wild." Bochi thought to himself. He went back to the campfire to avoid suspicion. The fire burnt out already. It seems like if anyone touches the body of the boy tied to a pole, it would fall apart easily like a cracker. The crowd quickly dispersed and began to follow their respective paths. Marcus approached Bochi and said,

-Where is the other brat?

-How would I know!? He was standing here a moment ago.

-Go find him. Bochi's anger ignited after hearing this from Marcus and said furiously,

-You find him by yourself. Who are you to give me orders!?

Marcus looked him in the eye with a sneer,

-Do you know that you are no longer the right hand of the Shaman? He doesn't trust you anymore.

-"I won't hear it from your mouth" Bochi walked back.

-"Well, I can find that brat myself. And then skin him alive" Marcus said softly.

At that moment, Esen was running through the forest at full speed. He often checks if someone is coming after him, but there is no sign of being chased. So, after a long distance, Esen went out into the valley and slowed down a bit. Everything that was left behind now didn't matter to him. But he hoped that if he crossed the Ephedra valley, perhaps there is a chance he might meet with his father. Sharp twigs and reeds, pulled by the hips, scratch the limbs here and there and prevent him from moving forward. However, he already traveled a third of the valley. Unexpectedly Esen heard a roar coming from the side. The boy immediately sat down and hid. Holding his breath, boy tried to see the animal through the bushes. Fifty meters away from him, there was a mutant walking. It was as if it was sniffing and chasing an animal. The boy, who was looking at the mutant for the first time, couldn't even close his eyes in fear. The mutant had no clothes. Its crimson-colored spine and shoulder, with enlarged muscles, appears to be filled with a variety of scars. Almost all its hair fell out and it looked around suspiciously with its small red eyes. At that moment, Esen remembered what his father had told him. His mother was killed by a mutant. She stretched out her hand to her husband and asked for help as the mutant clenched his sharp teeth and sucked the blood out of her throat. The mutant then attacked by dozens of men in the community, but before he bites the dust mutant got managed to kill five people. The reason why mutants are not so easily defeated is that they are stronger, faster, more resilient than humans, and still able to fight no matter how many wounds you inflict on them.

The mutant raised its nose up high and try to sniff something from air. Esen prayed that the direction of the wind would not change during this time. Trembling, he also prayed to his dead brother for help so that he would not be notified. His prayers seemed to be heard, and the wind was blowing in his favor. Suddenly, that mutant seems smelled some animal, picked up speed and ran in the opposite direction to Esen at a faster speed than a human. The deer, which was hiding under a bush, got up and ran away as the mutant approached it. But the mutant made a few big jumps and grabbed the deer by its neck. He went straight to deer's stomach, chewed on its flesh and skin, and began to swallow chunks of meat. The deer struggled for its life, but it could not escape. The blood flowed through deer's stomach, and the mutant continued to swallow the flesh and blood. His whole face-stained red with blood. Esen decided to use this time because he heard that the mutant loses his alertness while eating, so he continued to cross the Ephedra valley without making as much noise as possible. Esen managed to cross the valley and looked back for the last time before going up a small hill. Mutant was sitting on the ground like a human, holding the deer's head with both hands, turning it around and munching on it. Esen rest for a moment after he climbed the hill. But he can't slow down. If the mutant catches his scent, there's no way to survive.

It was night when Esen entered the forest. Nocturnal animals seem to be out hunting, and the roar of beasts and the squeal of rats can be heard somewhere. It felt dangerous to sleep on the ground, so he climbed a tree. He chose a branch that could support him and leaned against trunk. Esen unpacked the bag, put on thick clothes, and ate some of the dry food and bottled water. He tied himself to a tree branch with a rope so he wouldn't fall off the tree. If he fall from such a height, it's a guaranteed death. Exhausted, poor boy soon began to fall asleep. But he couldn't sleep comfortably. Nightmares come in turns. In those awful dreams, his parents were caught and eaten by the mutant, and his brother was still burned at the stake. He wakes up in a panic but soon fall asleep again. This time his brother Molon came again in his dreams. His face whole face was burned awfully, but he approached his brother and tried to grab his hand. His hand looked like a petrified tree, and Esen withdrew his hand in terror. Molon said to him, "-Wake up now and run away." Esen wakes up in no time after hearing those words, he looked around cautiously. There was nothing in his eyes. The moonlight dimly shines in the clearing of the forest. He heard a roar coming from where he came from. Esen easily recognized that it was not a wolf or other predator, but a mutant he encountered during the day. The mutant followed him. Realizing that he had to run away right now, Esen jumped down from the tree. Once he landed run ran along the forest path as fast as he can. The roar was heard again, followed by the sound of footsteps chasing him, and the rustling of twigs and leaves. Frightened, he threw away his bag. He took off the thick shirt that had prevented him from running and threw it away too. But the sound of chasing him was getting closer, and it was as if something is going to grab him by the neck next few seconds. He saw how fast the mutant was. So, he can't slow down at all. Sound of a rushing river heard in front of him. As he hurried out of the forest, he was already on the shore of a ferociously flowing river. The river is quite flooded. Still struggling to decide what to do, he looked back and saw the mutant is coming out of the forest. After witnessing how much the deer was suffered and died, he jumped into the river thinking it would be better to drown instead. The mutant stared after him on the shore as his arms and head swayed in a strong current.