Darksiders: Riders and Rogues (Book 2)

Chapter One Shattered Streets

The room was like that of a child's. Bright, lime-green paint smoothly caked the walls that were mounted with framed photographs and drawings done in wax crayon.
Various pieces of wooden furniture covered parts of the floorboards; ranging from a dresser, wardrobe, bedside table and of course a bed.
A box of childhood toys made its home in the corner while a small assortment of plush toys took up the head and foot of the bed.
Through half open eyes, the room's occupant could see all of this from where she lay.
Then her eyes widened, accompanied by a slackened jaw as everything began to change.

It was subtle at first, beginning with the simple greying of the light.
But in this dull hue that was spreading like a wretched fog, the paint on the darkened walls was flaking off; coating a rotting floor while the furniture lay broken and splintered.
The box had toppled at one point, spilling its decaying contents. The soft toys had become worn, some missing a plastic eye or two while others had had their cotton insides eaten through by moths. The wax crayon had practically melted the crippling paper over time.
Most of the photographs lay in pieces below their old homes on the wall. However, one still hung in its place, refusing to let go.

This one.
It was a portrait of just another family.
A proud husband and his loving wife stood side by side with their only child, a young girl, tucked between them.
A perfect family, yes.
But nothing had ever been made to last.

After watching a sliver of blood sail down from the rest splattered on the photo frame's glass, the occupant turned away, closing her eyes tight.
As she opened them again, sight wasn't the only sense to attack her.

The stench of smoke and decay flooded Carina's nose as she breathed in musty air clogged with dust, ash and embers.
An eerie, wailing wind whistled through jagged gaps in the walls and ceiling.
Through these holes, she caught glimpses of a clouded sky that fell between the faded overlap of yellow and grey.
Gingerly picking her stiff form up of the cold concrete, Carina began taking inventory of her surroundings as she dusted herself down. Everything she'd seen prior to then was gone, replaced by the broken shell of a building, but also purposely shoved to the back of her mind.

After taking a few unsteady first steps, the Auralin padded across the room, walking over piles of debris ranging from rubble, litter and even skeletal remains.
Pressing herself against a wall, Carina peered through a massive hole possibly left by the blast of an explosion. Outside, the streets were cluttered like the building she was in, but on a much larger scale.
It took the girl only an instant to figure out where she was.

Earth.

In a sudden rush, her memories returned.

The Well of Souls.

The battle against Absalom.

Her father Kayden.

Death.

At this last thought, Carina quickly began looking around the building and surrounding area for the Horseman.
They'd entered the Well at the exact same time, surely they would have arrived in the same place?
But that clearly wasn't the case.
She couldn't find Death, Dust or Soren.
Leaning against a wall, Carina ran a gloved hand through her light hair in growing frustration.
Where in Oblivion were they?

"...This is bullshit...They have to be in the city somewhere" she told herself and glanced around again.

It went without saying she had to find Death and the others, or search for them at least.
Craning her head upward, the Auralin spotted several particularly tall buildings that were still standing and not ridiculously far away.
It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe she'd spot them from the top of one.
But one thing was certain. Reaching the crippled structures was going to be anything but easy.
Carina could see figures flying through the city's airspace, but whether these specs were Angels or Demons was beyond her current knowledge.