Surviving the Dark ( LGBT - MxM )

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

One Month from birth...

It is indeed strange the ways fate acts. Strange how it acts without logic or reason. Strange how sometimes the strong fail while the weak survive. Survive only to suffer beyond what their fragile lives are worth. Survive only to curse the vagaries of fate.

A small lone figure limped its way over the barren, rocky ground, revealed in its dull glory by the sullen overcast grey sky. The figure dragged itself through a land barely visible due to the poisonous, dark haze that drifted through the atmosphere. Tarden had dodged the clutches of fate for almost a month. But fate is a cruel mistress. She never lets one escape for long.

That terrible day had been unexpectedly successful at the beginning. Tarden had managed to hunt several small lifeforms and hence had a well-fed belly, unlike some of the other days. He was getting quite proficient at catching the small mammals, with his increasing strength and the added practice. However the best thing that day was that he had almost reached his destination of the past two planet weeks. The forest of twisted and stunted black growth now loomed so close to his right, promising better food to be caught and most important of all, a chance of shelter from the strange burning liquid that sometimes rained out of the black clouds instead of the expected life-giving water. His past two experiences had shown him how dangerous it was to be out at such times without protection. He still had the scars to prove it.

The young male child leaned on the long bone that he was using as a walking aid for his still unsteady and travel-sore legs. He had picked up the implement almost three weeks ago while passing by the dirt encrusted skeleton of some unfortunate large animal, probably dead from starvation. The bone was lean, without any protruding edges to chafe his palm, and was as tall as his small body was, and so, was perfect for the use he was putting it to. However he had to be careful of the ends as they were quite sharp and he had already cut himself a couple of times when he slipped.

Resting his short weak legs, Tarden looked towards the forest, judging it to be less than half a day's walk, if he was brisk enough. Anticipating the more favourable conditions he was lost in thought, unaware of the danger, such that he almost missed the slight sound behind him. He turned imagining some small mammal, only to be met with bloodshot black eyes and a drooling and snarling mouth of sharp, bloodstained, decaying teeth, all in a face so twisted it was hard to look at. The being, a monster, as he would later come to know, was just feet away and fast gaining with its clawed feet and long hairy arms.

Startled Tarden tripped backwards with a cry, only to be tugged forward by his arm as the fate accursed bone in his hand got caught in the niche of a protruding rock. As he fell, his balance lost and the long bone tilting forward, he felt a heavy weight hit the arm holding the bone as wetness spattered his cheek. Looking up from his position on the ground, he realized that the creature rushing forward had impaled itself on the bone, the sharp end passing right through. Struggling onto his knees, he felt pain rip through his chest and and stomach, and looking down found several long blood-oozing tears, the flesh shredded roughly. He had not escaped unscathed. The sharp nails of the creature had caught him as he went down.

Even as he watched the smell of his blood seemed to send it into a frenzy. Its arms and legs thrashing as it pushed itself even further into the bone piercing it, as it attempted frantically to reach him, to sink its teeth and claws in his warm flesh, seemingly without the ability to feel pain. Horrified Tarden pushed himself back, just in time to avoid a lethal slash of claws. Thankfully the creature soon began to weaken from the deadly wound, its disgusting black blood coating its already filthy body. Its lean stringy muscles failing from loss of blood as the heavy head of wispy hair bowed, the manic light fading from those fearful eyes. The lifeless body fell to the ground, still terrible in its repose.

Tarden slowly became aware of the blood coating the front of his body, sliding down to pool at his feet. As the pain from his wounds turned excruciating, he put out a hand to hold himself as the world started tipping over. He tried to push aside the blackness encroaching on his vision, but was not successful.

Hearing something just at the edge of his consciousness he turned his head painfully towards the sound. The movement weakened his tenuous hold on the world, and as he slid into darkness the last thing he saw was a face. A face so like his own and yet, twisted into a cruel, chilling, sneer...