Alone with Chaos

Chapter One

BOOM!

One...

BOOM!

Two...

BOOM!

Three! Three bombs already? Nina thought as she panted, running for her life. The dogs had long since abandoned their chase, but she could still hear the demolishing of what once was the United States of America. Nina knew she couldn't go much longer, feeling her stomach begin to cave in on itself.

Her combat boots slipped as she ran through the rain and she began to think that she would never make it. As her feet were swept out from under her, she saw a faint light in the distance.

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Hunter awoke with a shout. He had been having that same dream for three nights in a row. Who IS she? What twisted world did she live in? The only place like that was in the U.S. Here in Canada, there is no longer any way for anyone to reach us.

Hopping out of bed, he walked into the kitchen.

"Mom?" No answer.

Hunter walked to the living room. "Mom?" Still no answer.

Walking into the dining room, he found the door wide open with a scribbled note.

Hunter,

They have me. Please do not look for me; there are so many things I haven't gotten to tell you. YOU ARE SPECIAL. Do not let them catch you. Go to Lila.

All my love,

Mama

"MOM!" She had been taken.

"No, this can't happen. It wasn't supposed to happen!" Why did they take her? Why not me?

There was a knock on the front door. Them. Hunter went limp as they picked him up and placed him in their truck. "Mom..." Hunter drifted to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hunter woke with a start, this dream had been different. Shaking it off, he looked outside.

Black.

That was all he saw.

Escape... The word tickled his mind. He could do it. Slipping out of his bag, he quietly packed up all he needed: food, water purifier, and blankets. The guards were asleep. Stupid people. He carefully picked his way through the camp and started on his way into the blackness.

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The dogs have chased him for over a mile. Why was I stupid enough to leave like that? Panting, Hunter paused long enough to see a familiar light.

"The cabin." From my dreams.

Walking toward it, he noticed the closer he got, the warmer he became, from the inside out.

The cottage was... quaint. It had two little rocking chairs on the front porch, vines growing on the stone walls, and a well-tended garden. There were drapes on the windows, so he could not see inside.

Trusting his dreams, he knocked on the door. No answer. Hunter tried the knob. It was unlocked.

Walking in, Hunter saw a small elderly woman hunched over a pot on a fire. On the walls around them, there were several jars of unknown contents.

"Hunter?"