Nephilim: New Dawn

Chapter 3: Though darkness...

Blood pours out from the boy's gapping slash wounds, dripping down the floor of the burning facility now littered with mangled corpses of the tribesmen that dared to attack his home. His long tail limped and bloodied, with patches of white fur dyed red, his hand gripping the straight, one of his raptorial legs now twisted in an odd angle, clawed toes broken. Gipping the single-edged sword still covered in blood, he dragged himself toward the bloodied body of a woman in a white lab coat. The boy fell onto his knees, his once silvery haired now covered in blood, draping over his face as grunts and pulls out the arrow still stuck on his shoulder, there were more on his back and legs but he didn't mind, he only wanted to make sure that she's safe.

- Elizabeth... - He called out weakly, shivering breaths escaped from his slightly open mouth full of bloodied fang-like teeth. There was no response, so he dragged himself forward and put his hand on her shoulder. - Elizabeth. - He called out again with his hoarse voice, this time more determined and filled with frustration. - Elizabeth, please, wake up... Please, don't leave me...

- Q-Quetzy... - The wounded woman slightly opened her eyes, beautiful sapphire eyes the shone brightly even when hellish flames were still burning around them, eyes that the boy loved and wanted to cherish. She smiled at him, her son, her beautiful boy, her hand flicked weakly, trying to reach up and caress his cheek, but he body has all but given up. - It's...cold... - She muttered weakly, keeping her eyes open has become such a difficult task that it requires all of her remaining strength.

- Please...don't die... - Quetz pleaded desperately, his amber eyes filled with salty tears. - Don't leave me...

- Quetzy...be strong... - Letting out a defeated sigh along with her last words, Elizabeth closed her eyes, her whole body became cold and lifeless as the facility burns even brighter.

- Elizabeth. Elizabeth! - The lone boy shook his figurative mother to wake her up. She didn't. - Elizabeth! No! I won't let you! Wake up! - Desperate pleadings escaped his mouth as he shakes the lifeless corpse, all the while the fire has surrounded them, threatening to devour them both.

Letting out a painful howl, Quetz was drowned in grief as the roof of the burning building collapses, sending tons of flaming debris down, burying all of them, both the living and the dead.

***

- Gargh!

Quetz let out a terrified cry as he landed onto the wooden floor with his back, he slipped onto all four with a swift motion and looked around frantically, checking his surrounding. The silenced, chilled air of the night greeted his senses and shaking body, cooling off his mind with every shivering breath, ensuring that he's in no danger. The silver haired man stayed in his defensive position for a few more heartbeats, still shaken by his nightmare that has haunted him since his childhood. It's been always easy for Quetz to shrug it off, but this time it's more vivid, more surreal, as if he's been torn from reality and placed there purposely since he met...Haru.

Grabbing the large flask of water, Quetz poured the cold liquid onto his head, washing off the sweats from his silvery hair and naked back, making the python-like patterns of scales on his back glitters in the moonlight reaching down from the holes on the ceiling. He shook his head and stroked his wet hair backward before walking out to the balcony, mumbling inaudible curses under his breaths and rested his arms on the handrails made of driftwoods and bones.

Quetz was right to choose this large hill, from the top of his tree he has a nice view of the surrounding land, close to both the meadows and the ruined city where he can hunt and scavenge for materials. Winter is coming soon this year, the mountain tops have been covered in snow and herds of mammoths, wise animals that they are, have already began moving southward. Filling his lung with the chill air of late autumn, he marveled at the fact that most of the trees were still quiet green, with only a handful have just now shedding their golden leaves. It was to be expected, he thought, life here response very rapidly to changes, with tree retracting all nutrients and shed leaves days before snowing, a remnant of human's ingenuity. But the more Quetz thought about the ruins and their former inhabitants, the more he was reminded about her.