The Hybrid

Chapter 3

Hitting the tree line my pace slows dramatically as I weave in between trees. The forest was more dense than I thought, low hanging branches fly past my head as I duck and dodge.

My heart beating in my ears, almost rivaling the sound of my feet beating the ground. The smell of something burning hits my nose before the wind picks up, fighting against me which in turn starts to blow smoke into the forest blocking my sight, causing me to ram into a tree and fall to the ground, a sharp pain coursing through my body, especially my ribs and right arm.

Is the forest on fire?

The smell of burning wood, plastic and, hot metal burns at my nose. The smoke stinging my eyes, the more I try to wave the smoke away the less it works. Im surrounded by smoke now. I cant breathe, hitting the tree knocked the wind out of me as well as having almost been out of breath from my sprint.

I start to cough, rolling over onto my stomach. I look around but to no avail, everywhere around me is pitch black smoke. I try to feel my way around until im next to a tree. The pain in my ribs slightly subsiding though my arm started to go num. Flexing my fingers to make sure my arm still works.

The coughing continues, the pain in my ribs growing with every cough.

Did I break something?

No, surly it's just shock. I wiggle and stretch my toes. Tapping my fingers against my sides, sending shock throughout my sides so I stop as soon as I start.

Okay, not broke but definitely bruised. I can live with that easily. So as best as I can, I lift myself up and begin to crawl, I can hear distant voices to my left so to my left I begin to crawl. Pulling my shirt over my mouth and nose, the smell of my own B.O. hitting my nose, ugh I need cologne after this.

The possibility of a fire with this amount of smoke would be definite. Though on the brighter side, the distant voices are not so distant anymore, I can start to make out words.

Some were yelling about a fire... Great. And others were yelling about something concerning others I couldn't hear most of it. Soon I was running into less trees and the smoke startes to clear, though the smell of something charred stuck in my nose. It soon became evident because of the general panic that some students were missing.

I emerged from the smoke and gulped at the fresh air, though that smell was growing more pungent, a sweet yet putrid smell. The pain from my ribs was now gone and the numness in my arm dissipated. Standing, I made my way over to a mass gathering of people before spotting someone out of the corner of my eye on the ground, as well as the fire.

It was bigger than the school and the flames as black as if it were the night sky itself bereft of all light apart from the sky peaking in between the flame's movements. Black fire. The known symbol of The Bird and their fallowing.

Looking down at the figure at the ground and I freeze at the sight my blood running cold. It was a person all right, though their body charred to a crisp. The fire was only a few hundred feet from me but there was no heat emanating from the large flame. My eyes locked onto the body, I can't make out their features but I know it's a man.

A hand was on my shoulder and I snapped out of my trance, breaking my own line of sight of the corpse with how bad I jumped

"Whoah kid, calm down why are you over here" asked The Headmaster. A Human man, a normal human, though having served in the military. The sun shining off his blond hair, and the stubble on his jawline and chin giving his other wise baby-face shadow and texture making him almost look stoic in the light.

"I- I just came from Mrs. Evans class. Suddenly there was an explosion and-" I started before being cut off

"Ooookkaaayyy we'll have someone talk to you, lets just get away from here" he says, looking somewhat behind me. I try to fallow his gaze but he stops me, the look in his eyes telling me enough.