The unknown creatures

PROLOGUE

I squinted with my left eye to see my surroundings, in which I only could see a lone soldier pacing back and forth between the bodies. Dead bodies. The sound of his whistling rang in my ears.

What was it like for him to walk around here? How can he stand the sight, the smell? What even is that tune he is whistling? Just stop.

These questions and thoughts that were quite irrelevant given the circumstances I was in, continued to circle in my head. I swallowed, just to feel that my throat was like a dry sponge. I suddenly became hyper-aware of all the events that had happened not long ago, I was not supposed to be alive. I quickly shut my eye and slowed down my breathing. When I was sure I could hear no one around me, I took deep breaths and moved my body slightly, to prevent it from getting too stiff. 

I lay still and quiet, I think I was rather good at playing dead. But if anyone could see what I saw in my mind's eye, they would not have thought of me deceased. Horrible images from hours before flashed by, and a certain boy, Glenn, kept surfacing.  I ignored it, reluctant, part of me wanted to see his face but also I knew I had to put all my energy on escaping. There was no time to lose. I couldn't be distracted now, the only chance I could get away alive and whole. I had to get away. 

"LEADERS ASSEMBLE! IN GROUPS OF FIVE, YOU MAY TAKE A FIFTEEN MINUTE LONG BREAK. I REPEAT; IN GROUPS OF FIVE YOU MAY TAKE LUNCH BREAK. MAKE SURE NO AREA IS UNSUPERVISED."

I could almost hear the spit out of the solider's mouth,  even though he couldn't be closer than 100 m away. Right after this announcement I heard srambling footsteps of the few soldiers close to me. I thought I heard someone say

"Hey, we are only three here, I can stay behind."

"Or you can come too, if you want. Can we be that bad at telling dead bodies from alive? I've been here since five this morning. Not a single moving thing here, there can't be anyone alive. Come on, let's go."

"What if they find us though, they can get super-mad. Anyway, weren't they looking for like, some kids?"

"The break is fifteen minutes, even if someone is alive and can escape, they won't get far away. We'll shoot them down."

The soldiers left, snickering at the last commentary one of them made. I heard them leave to my left side, which confirmed my observations that the headquarters were in that direction. I felt my heart beat faster and faster, it was time.

 Yet I couldn't lift a finger or even my foot. Petrified, I still decided to open both my eyes to check for any remaining soldiers or guards. I winced at the piercing sunlight, it was a clear blue sky. I blinked and started to see without a blur. Shapes of bodies lumped in heaps, dirty limbs and a strong pungent smell floated around and in through my nostrils. Even though I had been awake for hours, I had not realized how terrible the condition of the place was. I could still hear the faint noise of people chatting and laughing in the square. Children crying and the occasional joyful scream, when you walked to the sides of the squares, animals scurrying past your feet or some people fighting over food or money. I could feel the beat of the town where I was lying, people running, skipping, thumping, walking. I felt it through my own pulsating body. 

I started to feel more sick, the smell started to really mess with my head and sense of reality. I felt like curling up into a ball and hide beneath the bodies, not doing anything. I could not just leave them all here, the people I saw everyday, the children I greeted each morning. 

Then again, I saw the face of Glenn, and a strong energy urged me to get up. Altough my aching body protested against this sudden whirl of feelings and energy, I pushed myself up to stand up on my feet. I felt an agonizing pain stab my right foot as i put my weight on it. I could feel it was sprained or broken, or something. But I couldn't just stand there, I gritted my teeth and lay my weight on my left foot and stumbled towards my right. With the soldiers' headquarters behind me, I slowly walked towards the exit of the town. I knew it was risky, because one look at the town square, and you could see me stadning. One bullet, a little more than a gust of wind would have beaten me down. That would surely be my death. I knew however, that was not supposed to happen. I knew that my survival somehow was the missing piece of a puzzle which would later be known to be greater than and far beyond my wildest dreams.  I had one thing to hold on to, however. I had to find Assix.