"How long will it take?"
"A month, at least."
-- Dayton, Surface -- 2015 --
Reyna sighed, running her hands over the bandage on her knee that stretched all the way up to her thigh.
"Don't touch it," Sam hissed, covering herself in an old rag. The night was getting colder. Even so, setting up a fire would be worse than signing their own death wish with all those darks around the corner.
Anne huddled closer to Sam, beaming a smile at Blake who was now walking back into the aisle. In his hands he held a thick curtain, ripped at a few places.
"Got you something," he grumbled, spreading the curtain over Reyna's injured form and tucking her in.
"Thanks," the blonde whispered, turning away from his face.
Blake slouched down to the wall right next to her head, hugging his knees.
"Let me guess, you're keeping watch," she said, wriggling around in the blanket. They were lucky to find a curtain in a supermarket this old. Besides, there wasn't much dust on it either. He must've beat the crap out of it, she thought, a modest smile washing over her face as she turned to face the boy beside her.
"What's so funny?" he replied in a monotone, confused at her expression. Maybe it doesn't hurt much?
"Nothing," she snapped, instantly turning her head away from him.
Anne was fast asleep in Samantha's arms, both of them slumped with their backs against the wall, wrapped in a single piece of cloth. The days were getting colder, and the nights were even worse. It was December after all. Frail crystals of translucent snow shimmered brilliantly against the clear moonlight.
Lucky that isn't red. Reyna thought, staring at the windows to her side. The skies, the ground, the blood, she'd been getting sick of the colour day by day. Her mother often spoke of the times when the sky wasn't red, when daytime was a realm of beauty. It wasn't something she could even picture, something her mind couldn't conjure up no matter how many times she tried. Knowing that she'd fail yet again, Reyna set her mind adrift.
She pictured fields stretching farther than the eye could see, flowers of bright yellow scattered all over the refreshingly green lands. The sound of crickets melted into her ears, a cool gentle breeze caressing her pale skin as she stood in the middle of it all. She raised her eyes to the blinding sun, gazing at the shimmering blue skies and fluffy white clouds scattered over the horizon.
"Find your reason to cry."
Slowly, the sounds died down. As she lowered her gaze, a darkness sunk into her vision, casting a crimson haze all over the fields. Her chest felt queasy, her breath wavering with every passing moment. Hollow screams echoed from the space beneath her. As her eyes gazed at the soil she once stood on, they saw nothing but darkness. A stygian void, opening its mouth wide to eat her alive. And suddenly, she fell.
Reyna jerked as she snapped back into reality, drenched in sweat. Her arms clamped against the bandages, a sharp pang of pain slowly dying down.
Every single time.
Sleep was right around the corner, but her body felt somewhat restless. Her eyes slowly dipping down, she stretched her neck one last time, only to see Blake passed out against the cold wall.
Some watch he's putting up, she thought to herself with a smile, the remnants of her nightmare fading away as sleep came over her once again.
ԭ Բ Գ Դ Ԩ Ԫ Ԯ Ԭ Ü ß ԗ Թ Ֆ Ք
"Hey."
Reyna felt a coarse hand clamp her mouth shut, startling her.
YOU ARE READING
Where Light Dies
Fantasy--Completed-- Book 1/3 - A Phantom's Light The world has ended. It has been nearly two decades since humanity fell. The skies have turned a vile crimson, and the earth now lies smeared in the blood of billions. In a realm overrun by demons...
