New World

When I was a child, the world was different. People had control of their lives. They could go out in the sun and not worry. They could go about their daily lives without worrying they would be found and killed. I wanted more than anything for that world to still be, but the truth was, I lived in a different world and it would never be the same again.

***

I hid in the shadows as the animal sniffed the ground. There was only one real way to tell if this dog was really a dog and not a shifter; look it in the eyes. This was a dangerous thing, because it could kill in seconds.

I waited, shotgun at my side, preparing to get a good shot, just in case. When our eyes met, I pulled the trigger and watched the bullet rip through him. He yelped and reared back, blood pouring out of the gaping wound ashes body fell to the concrete.

My breathing slowed. I stepped over the body. The sun was up, but there were still things to fear on the street. Vampires were the least of my worries. I walked passed the burnt out buildings at the edge of the city and made my way back to my hidden home.

I 'd heard there were pockets of supernaturals on our side, but when the uprising came, there was nothing we could do. Most of the humans died bloody deaths caused by those that sought power. Some of us made it. We survived to face something far worse.

The buildings got smaller as I walked until I was almost at the entrance. I had to remember where to step in order to miss the land mines placed in the courtyard around the old train station. None of us had any idea if they knew where we stayed, but we didn’t want to chance it. The mines provided a little bit of defense.

The old brick gates were shut tight in front of me. When I got to them, I didn’t have to tell them who I was. They all knew me and why I left when I did.

“Lily, I’m glad you made it back,” The voice said behind the wall. I could see the eyes of the person talking and recognized it as my friend, Sterling. “I’m always waiting for the day I’ll find out you're dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” I waited as the door opened . When is swung open, Sterling was standing there with his AK 47 in hand. He almost never let it leave his side. He was a good looking guy with stark black hair slicked back on his head. He had a cigar sticking out of his mouth. He smiled.

“Did you find anything out there?” He pulled the cigar out of his mouth .

“Not much. A shifter chewing on some old trash. That’s about it,” I said, thinking about the scene I had just dealt with.

“I am glad you came back.” There was happiness in his voice. We had met a long time ago when my mother had died. He kept me alive when I thought I was going to die.

We made our way past the guards and down the stairs to the lower levels. The lights flickered behind us as we walked. I could hear the roar of the generators as they worked to keep the electricity on in the lower levels.

“There are some things we need to talk about,” He threw his cigar to the floor and smashed it with his black combat boot to make sure it was out.

“What’s that?” I didn’t look at him as we turned the corner to go to the meeting room.

“I’ll show you when we’re inside.” He showed no emotion in his face.

I thought about his reaction and realized that it must be something big if he wanted to wait. That was never a good thing when it came to the world we were living in.

He opened the metal door for me . The room was lit with hard florescent lights and made things almost too bright . On the far wall was a map of New York. Pins were placed across the map to indicate the areas where our enemies had control.