Midnight Zone

The ground shook beneath me as my eyes shot open. I scanned around myself for clues as to what was going on. It sounded as though I was surrounded by thunder as I found myself in a thick fog. My heart was beating loudly as I gasped for breath. Was there an earthquake? My mouth was open but I could not suck any air in. There was nothing but plants and grass around me as I was lying on my stomach out in the open. My chest felt heavy, like I couldn't breathe. I quickly got up and headed in a random direction. I took a long inhale as the air flowed through me, and the tightness in my chest subsided. The sunlight sparkled around me, but the air felt colder than usual. How long was I asleep for?

I decided to head uphill, maybe it would be warmer higher up where I could be closer to the sun. I could see the shadows of the birds against the sky as they glided past me. Normally I would follow them, but I didn't feel like it today. I sauntered through the sand peacefully, thinking of how beautiful everything was. My normal day consisted of hunting, travelling, and looking for the prettiest flowers I could find on the way. Sadly there weren't many flowers wherever I was.

I could hear faint yelling from no particular direction before I noticed movement in my peripheral vision and glanced behind me. I could see that a crowd had decided to join me in my journey. One of them was a girl I had a crush on. I didn't know her name, but I always imagined she was named after a flower because of how pretty she was, like Hyacinth. I saw her often since she liked to travel with me. Maybe she likes me too. We didn't say anything, just exchanged eye contact, but it didn't go unnoticed that her eyes lit up. My heartbeat quickened so I looked away as we continued roaming in silence.

The others came and went all the time, and the company was nice while it lasted. I recognized a few, but it was inevitable that I would see at least one new face everyday. Some of them were a lot smaller than me that liked to stick by my side for protection. I tended to be more of a lone wolf, but maybe they would help me find some food. I didn't have any friends or family, so I just spent my time exploring and travelling the world. I did have a mother, but she abandoned me when I was young and I have been left to fend for myself ever since.

I never understood why she left. I always thought that a mother should be there for her children no matter what. She was good at hunting and feeding me, and sometimes taught me her skills. Sometimes I already knew her skills, I guess it was just in my blood. She taught me that I had to fight hard to survive, even if it meant losing a couple of teeth in the process. But I somewhat thank her for leaving, for it made me tough.

I heard an indistinct sound again, this time it was a loud rumble. I could somewhat make it out to be on my left side as it sounded like it was travelling in the same direction, but faster. As it seemed that it had almost passed, a scent suddenly hit my nose. It smelled like metal. It was coming from the same area. Instinctively, I turned to face it and slowed down. The smell came again with the current of air that had been pushed towards me. I wondered if I should continue in that direction to investigate, but before I could decide, the group that was once behind me was now in front of me and heading towards it. I started to follow, not wanting to get left behind. The rumble had stopped suddenly, leaving us in the silence to navigate where the noise once was. The others didn't seem to notice though. Even as we proceeded through some darker air and felt it pulsing around us, they kept following the smell. My vision started to become blurry and hazed, but I pushed forward as to not lose the others. I weaved through some tall plants before I began falling behind. I couldn't help but cough out the thick air from my throat.

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Something isn't right, this has never happened to me before and it's becoming harder to breathe. The others finally seem to notice as they begin slowing down. It's still silent, but the smell is loud in my nostrils.