In the Ruins of a Forgotten World

This is a story that I started to write with one of my friends last year. I don't know if I'll continue it 'cus it's not really my best, but it's really up to everyone else! Don't be harsh in the comments, if you don't like it then good for you.

“Everybody hide and be quite! They’re coming!” a man with a deep voice whispered angrily. I believe it was Dane, the young leader of our small community, but it was so dark. No one could see even an inch in front of them. At the command, every man, woman, and child hurriedly fled to the designated chambers that come to be used in raids or when a wandering Curon passes by. It was total chaos. Even the rats that scurry on our sewer tunnel’s stained, dirty floor were running every which way in fear of the unknown force that drove these people into an utter and complete panic.

“Come on, Clare! Snap out of it!” Zylar whispered in my ear while grabbing my forearm. Instantly snapping to attention, we ran to a heavily protected chamber, lined with lead so that a Curon couldn't sense us. Being found could only mean death or worse, enslavement. And these consequences only made us more determined to stay hidden.

Breathing heavily, me and Zylar finally made it to the already cramped chamber. I jumped into the chamber as if my life depended on it, which it kinda did. There was no room to breathe. Everyone was holding their breath, not daring to make a noise.

The chamber was impossibly small, but it's what we had, and it had saved lives on numerous occasions. Zylar quickly hopped in and closed the heavy chamber door at the same time the red lights started flashing. The Curon intruder had finally broken the perimeter laid above ground by our people many years ago. The Curon was looking for possible human encampments, no doubt. They seemed to be even more alert recently, more patrols and more instances such as this.

We had to stay in that cramped room for what it seemed like hours, which in reality, was only about twenty minutes. When the red light’s flash ended, everyone in our little encampment sent up a silent prayer and a whisper of pure joy. Yet again, we have survived a close encounter. Now, everyone must gather for the “conference” that was sure to come.

“Whoa, close call,” said Zylar, breaking the awkward silence. I couldn’t help but smile; he was my best friend and a little dense at times.

“Everyone gather in the main tunnel and do a head count,” said a stern voice, Dane. A head count. Those took forever. I was a part of an encampment made up of about fifty people, but the number always changed. Whether it be by discovering other survivors or some being taken by the Curon scouts.

Zylar and I started walking through the minor sewage tunnels to the main one. The one designated to be a sort of “meeting hall” where we have all our celebrations and meetings. We had been gathering more frequently. Another encampment had been discovered under a cathedral on the other side of town.

“I'm hungry,” Zylar said, once again breaking the silence.

 "You're always hungry."

"Your point? Get me food," he replied in a less than attractive whiny voice.

"Get me food," I mimicked.

“You are so funny, Clarissa. I almost peed myself due to your hilarity. I mean, who would've known you had a sense of humor?” Zane replied dryly.

“The scouts are coming more frequently. Do you think they know we're here?” I asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. I mean, they haven't attacked. But it's weird that they keep coming back."

Again, we fell into silence, listening to the scurrying rats and our own footsteps through the putrid-smelling tunnel. Both of us were so scared. Being captured meant a life full of pain and servitude or no life at all. The idea was more than daunting.



It was not long until we entered the main tunnel/meeting area. People were still filing in, so Zylar and I stood near the back of the forming crowd where all the teenagers seem to gather during these meetings.

“Greetings, Clarissa and Zylar,” a very awkward teen, about a year or two younger than me and Zane, greeted.

“Um, hey? Crazy day, huh,” Zylar replied awkwardly, laughing a little in the silence that followed. Thomas is a lanky boy. No one really tolerates his ‘geekiness’, but I had always made a point of being friendly to him. Zylar doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with me, but he goes along with it. At least a little.

As Zylar and my other friends started drifting off into their own conversations, I started looking around the familiar tunnel. It was a large space covered in graffiti that the teenagers before us made. On the sides of the spacious ‘room’, there are a series of variously styled beds and collections of supplies. All the supplies were found throughout the ruins of the city above. Mostly, we scrapped up technology for warning systems like perimeters. In the middle, there was an open space occupied by the now gigantic crowd. This tunnel was where we slept, ate, and hung out in our free time. Home sweet home.

It was a bland life, but we were in hiding after all.