Eden's Alpha

Chapter 1

"Eden, I need your help over here!"

Isaiah calls me down from my perch to help him set up the shelter for the night. The other guys are already out, trying to hunt down anything they can find for food. It's hard enough in the cities, most of it has already been picked over by the survivors. We've been fortunate enough to have found some food earlier today, but not enough for the five of us.

"You see any warriors?"

"Thankfully no, nothing to report" 

We try to keep a constant eye out for any werewolf patrols that might be on our trails. We've had a couple of close calls over the years that I'd rather not have happen again.

I grab the foldable tent from Isaiah's pack, the edges beginning to unravel from all the months of usage. With great caution, I unfold it and start sticking in the rods. Within a matter of minutes, our tent is all set up and Isaiah goes off to work on a fire. I scramble back up to my perch, a ledge hanging off of the abandoned building we stay in.

I'm pretty high up, but that doesn't bother me. I look over the ruined city; what used to be shiny Minneapolis, is now a wasteland. Many of the buildings here were used as burial places, the rest of them picked over by us humans. With the woods being occupied by the wolves, the survivors cling to the damaged cities.

I was lucky to have found a group that took me in. I was 15 back then, not even finished with high school. Isaiah found me by accident and took pity on me. I was covered in blood, barely making it out alive after being attacked. The four guys saved my life. I wasn't even introduced to them till later.

Isaiah is in his 30's and is the leader of the group. He was in charge of a family business before the war. We got lots of supplies thanks to the hiking shop he owned. Next are the twins; James and Zeke. I can usually tell them apart by the thick scar that runs along Zeke's forehead. He had been slashed by a werewolf who claimed that Zeke's girlfriend was his mate. He was lucky to be alive, in my opinion. James stays quiet most of the time, while Zeke blabbers away about anything. They are both in their late 20's, with brown hair and dark eyes.

Finally, there's Finley, a young guy with sandy hair and light eyes. He was just about to graduate high school right before the Black War. He found Isaiah first and helped him get important supplies we still use now. Finley and Isaiah are also the only ones of us armed with guns. Finley used to go shooting with his dad, a skill that has helped us a lot over the past couple years.

Then there's me I guess, 17 years old with Auburn hair and green eyes. I try to help the guys out whenever I can, but I usually end up keeping an eye out for any wolves. It's unlikely that I see any, but you never know what's lurking in the shadows. 

"I see the guys!" I yell down to Isaiah, seeing the three guys trotting out of the alleyway. I let out my calling whistle, signaling for them to hurry up.

"Hey, Eden!" Zeke pats me on the back after I climb down my makeshift ladder.

"So what's cooking tonight?"

Finley opens up his pack to reveal two cans of...pineapple?

"Whoa, is that real?" 

"Yeah, we must be some lucky jerks to have found this piece of gold," Finley says, tossing a can to  Isaiah.

I eagerly join James at the fire, digging through my pack for my mug and spoon. The rest of the group joins us and Isaiah starts to go around, serving equal portions to each of us. I always check to make sure he gets some too.

It's quiet for a while, all of us savoring this delicious goodness we might never eat again. All I can hear is the crackling of the fire and the sound of metal utensils scraping the sweet remains off the dishes.

"I think we might need to head north" At the sound of Isaiah's words everyone stops eating. James even drops his fork, which lands with a plop in his dish.

"We're running out of resources here and need to try our luck somewhere else"

"Isaiah, we can't just leave. It's much safer here, especially since we know the area. How would we even get north?" Zeke questions, setting down his bowl.

"Here's what I'm thinking; we get all our stuff, find enough food to last us a while, then start heading north by foot. It might take a while, but as long as we stay clear of the woods we should be good"

"And where do you suppose we go?" James asks.

"If we can make it up to Lake Superior, we'll be near the Canadian Border. Then all we have to do is find some abandoned kayaks and make it to Thunder Bay. There has got to be fewer wolves up there and..."

"Isaiah, we're perfectly fine here. This is the safest place we've been yet and we're far off from the nearest woods." 

We stay quiet after that, and I assume we've dropped the idea entirely. As the night grows darker and the full moon rises, we decide it's time to go to sleep. I start following the guys into our one tent till Isaiah stops me.

"Hey Eden, I think I left my canteen up by our extra supplies. Do you mind crawling up there and grabbing it?"

We all know I'm the most agile of the group so of course, I agree to go grab it, especially since it involves crawling through some smaller spaces. I'm on my way up the ladder when I remember my forgotten flashlight in my pack.

Making my way down, I scurry quickly to my pack. I don't want to make Isaiah wait. I stop, however, when I hear my name being mentioned from inside the tent.

"She's already 17, it won't be long before some wolf finds her and claims her to be their mate. We have to go north to keep her away from them"

There's a brief pause and I hold my breath. What Zeke says next surprises me: 

"Ok, let's do it then. James, Finley?"

"Yeah, I'm in. Anything to protect Eden"

"We need to look out for her"

"So it's all settled then," Isaiah says, "we'll head north and try our luck in Canada."

I'm just about ready to march in there and tell them that I don't need protecting when I hear a distant howl. The howl grows louder, however, when other wolves join in. Soon, I'm covering my ears, the sound being much louder than on other full moons. 

I watch as the guys quickly jump out of the tent, panic written on their faces. Isaiah's running over to our packs tossing each one over to us. I catch mine and start moving toward my perch, trying to understand what's happening. 

Finley sees me going and firmly grabs a hold of my arm pulling me back down. I pull against him, straining to see what's going on. He shouts in my ear and then suddenly I go limp. In the distance I see wolves darting out of the woods and into...the city.  Oh shoot. 

Now, we start running.