Where Light Dies

49. The Beginning of the End

A gentle morning breeze caressed his face, waking him from his slumber. The sun's warm crimson rays kissed his pale complexion, sending ripples of comfort through his skin.

The first thing that came to sight was an angelic beauty asleep on his shoulder. The boy raised his hand, dragging a loose strand of gold behind her ear. The girl snuggled further into his skin, a gesture that made his heart skip a beat.

For the first time in his life, Blake wanted to forget everything else. He wanted to spend his entire life trapped in a single moment.

It scared him.

Enough.

The moment his eyes drifted from her, he noticed something amiss. The two of them were alone in the dead end.

What the hell happened here?

"Agh fuck."

Blake lifted his arm to shield his eyes against the light of the rising sun.

Wait. What!

The bane raised his eyes, his body frozen in shock.

The tunnel's ceiling.

It was gone.

-- Heatherhills, Surface-- 2017 --

"Reyna, get up. Get up!"

Her eyes buzzed open, shocked for a moment to be seeing Blake first thing in the morning. The memories slowly sunk in, making her flush in embarrassment. I slept on him! Don't think he'd make a big deal of it though...

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice still groggy from sleep. A wandering breeze whistled through the hall, answering her query.

"We're the only ones here."

"What the fuck? They left us?"

It was getting warm. Reyna rubbed her eyes.

"That's what I thought too but - " Blake's voice died down as he looked up.

Reyna froze when her eyes rose to the ceiling.

"What's going on Blake?"

The entire ceiling had been ripped off, layers of asphalt hanging from the edges of the carnage. A pile of debris formed a path up to the surface, built upon layers of brick from the tunnel walls to chunks of concrete from fallen buildings.

"I-I don't know. Let's just check around," he said, getting back on his feet. Tracks were left all over the place, every single one of them heading for the surface. Blake and Reyna drew their blades back in, hoping they'd never have to use them. They sneaked their way up the path of stones, making their way outdoors. Nature stood silent as the two campers made their way through the seemingly lifeless terrain. Enormous towers loomed over the blood lit skies as they treaded through the abandoned lands, following the dark, damp cluster of footsteps. The trail was a straight one, almost too regular for a pack of campers. The signs kept biting down on Blake's instincts, forcing him to grip the knife so hard his knuckles went white.

"I don't like where this is going."

Reyna walked beside him, her eyes darting from corner to corner. A blade was held tight in the palm of her hand, ready to skewer the life out of anything that jumped her.

"Wait a minute." Blake said, standing still. He looked around himself, his eyes wandering through the abandoned buildings and crumbled statues. Blake could feel a shiver running down his back.

"I think this leads to the camp."

"But we just came out of - "

"Not that camp Rey." Blake's dark crimson eyes bore into her confused hazel orbs. "Dayton. This leads to Dayton."