The Eclipse

Chapter 1: Awakening

Pierce's eyes fluttered open, the hazy light filtering through the blinds, painting the room in a soft, muted glow. His head throbbed with an incessant ache, the pain radiating from a fresh wound on his temple. Disoriented and groggy, he attempted to sit up, but a surge of dizziness forced him back onto the bed.

"What... what happened?" His voice croaked as he rubbed his temples, trying to recall the events preceding his unconsciousness. Memories swirled like elusive shadows, dancing just beyond his grasp. His heart raced as panic gripped him.

With a deep breath, he pushed the panic aside, steadying himself. Slowly, the fog in his mind began to clear, revealing a haunting void-a memory gap. He couldn't remember what had transpired before he blacked out.

A jolt of realization shot through him, prompting Pierce to lurch upright. "Mom?" His voice trembled, a tremor of fear tingling down his spine. Rushing out of his room, he frantically searched the house, his heart pounding louder with every step.

The house was eerily silent. A lump formed in his throat as he stumbled upon the lifeless form of his mother lying on the floor of the living room. Tears welled in his eyes, his chest tightening with grief and shock.

"M-mom!" He dropped to his knees beside her, shaking her gently, hoping against hope for a response. But she remained motionless, her blank eyes staring into emptiness.

"Mom, please... wake up!" His voice cracked with despair as he cradled her cold hand, unable to comprehend the suddenness of her departure. His mind reeled, trying to make sense of the tragedy unfolding before him.

Amidst the overwhelming grief, a distant sound penetrated his anguish-a low, guttural groan emanating from somewhere outside. Pierce's head snapped up, his eyes widening with dread as he rushed to the window.

To his horror, he saw figures staggering through the streets, their movements erratic and unnatural. Panic surged anew as he realized that the world outside was not the one he knew. People, once familiar faces, now resembled twisted shadows of themselves, their eyes vacant, their bodies contorted in grotesque forms.

"What's happening?" Pierce's breath hitched as he stumbled backward, his mind racing with confusion and terror. He needed to find his father-his only remaining family.

Without a moment's hesitation, Pierce dashed out of the house, heart pounding against his chest, each footfall echoing his frantic urgency. Fear clawed at him, threatening to paralyze his every move, but he pushed forward, his determination fueling his steps.

As he navigated the chaos-ridden streets, his heart sank with every ghastly sight, every glimpse of the once-thriving neighborhood now reduced to a nightmarish landscape. The world he knew had crumbled into a realm of horrors.

After what felt like an eternity of dodging danger and evading the grotesque figures that roamed the streets, Pierce finally reached the mall. His father often frequented this place for work-a fleeting hope sparked within him.

Racing up the steps of the mall, his breaths labored and erratic, Pierce emerged onto the rooftop. There, standing amidst the rubble, was his father-unrecognizable, transformed into a twisted, soulless creature

The rooftop stretched before Pierce, the cityscape spread out in a haunting silhouette against the fading light of the evening sky. His father stood there, a hollow shell of the man he once knew, consumed by the same darkness that had engulfed their world.

"Dad..." Pierce's voice cracked, filled with a mix of grief, horror, and an indescribable sense of loss. His heart pounded painfully against his chest, each beat echoing the turmoil within him. Tears blurred his vision as he struggled to comprehend the harrowing reality before him.

His father turned, his eyes vacant, devoid of recognition or warmth. A shiver ran down Pierce's spine as he gazed into those empty eyes that once held love and guidance.

"I'm here, Dad. Please, if you can hear me..." Pierce's voice faltered, choked by the overwhelming emotions that threatened to suffocate him.

A guttural sound escaped his father's lips, a haunting echo that resonated through the desolate rooftop. It was a sound that tore at Pierce's soul, a reminder of the irreversible fate that had befallen his father.

Desperation surged within Pierce-a yearning for closure, for an end to the torment that had consumed his family. With trembling hands and a heart heavy with sorrow, he took a step closer, his gaze locked with his father's vacant stare.

"I'm sorry, Dad." The words escaped Pierce in a barely audible whisper, laced with anguish and an unbearable ache. He raised his shaking hands, the weight of his decision pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket.

In that excruciating moment, Pierce knew there was no turning back. With a heavy heart and tears streaming down his face, he pushed his father off the edge. The hollow figure descended into the abyss below, swallowed by the darkness of the world they once knew.

Pierce staggered backward, his entire being racked with grief and disbelief. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he collapsed to his knees, the weight of his actions crushing his spirit. The echoes of his father's last moments reverberated in his mind, haunting him with an unbearable sorrow.

Alone on the rooftop, surrounded by the eerie silence of a shattered world, Pierce wept for the loss of his father, for the irreversible choices forced upon him by the merciless hands of fate. A part of him shattered that day, leaving behind a void that could never be filled-a relentless ache that would haunt him through the trials yet to come.

The streets were a chaotic tapestry of horror, each step Pierce took a painful reminder of the heart-wrenching act he had committed. His father's fall echoed in his mind, a haunting cacophony amidst the desperate cries for help that surrounded him.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered under his breath, the words a futile attempt to soothe the anguish clawing at his soul. The weight of his recent actions bore down on him, intertwining with the sights of terror and despair that filled the crumbling streets.

As he raced through the fractured remnants of his hometown, he stumbled upon a group fighting for their lives against the transformed beings. Their pleading gazes implored him for salvation, their cries piercing through the chaos.

"I can't save them," Pierce choked on the words, a lump forming in his throat. His father's vacant eyes haunted him, mingling with the agony of abandoning those in need, rendering him paralyzed amidst the turmoil.

Guilt and despair gnawed at him, a relentless reminder of the excruciating choice he had been forced to make. "I had no other choice," he murmured, his voice tinged with sorrow and regret.

With a heavy heart and tear-streaked face, Pierce pressed on, his steps faltering under the weight of his recent trauma. The forest loomed ahead, an ominous sanctuary promising respite from the relentless horrors that besieged his town.

"I need to keep moving," he urged himself, the memories of his father's fall intermingling with the harrowing scenes of struggle and devastation. The echoes of his father's final moments, intertwined with the plea for help, propelled him deeper into the forest's eerie embrace, leaving behind the shattered remnants of his hometown, and a trail of indelible anguish in his wake.