Aftermath of the Reckoning

Chapter 1

Moonlight danced on the surface of Lake Wappapello as Zoey sprinted toward it.

Necromancer pets, charming.

She’d managed to steal Bloodflower, a crimson sphere of unknown origin, from Nex Vysarji, a self-proclaimed necromancer who abided in the lands of what once comprised southeastern Missouri. The heist would have proceeded flawlessly had she successfully evaded detection from Nex’s infernal companions, fiery wolf shaped predators known as embers.

Behind her, three of these vicious manifestations pursued her with explosive strides. Ferocity incarnate, the embers accelerated, blurring into a conflagration of flames, fangs and fur. Scorching heat radiated from their bodies, igniting tall grasses and shrubs as they passed.

Luckily, it was early fall, so the water would be warmer than usual. She plunged head first into the lake and propelled herself downward.

Made it!

Or so she thought. One of the beasts dove in after her, jaws latching onto her backpack. She looked back to see the ember surrounded by steam. The noise of superheated metal in water preceded a sharp rise in temperature. Instinctively releasing the harness, she detached her backpack and swam deeper.

Thick cargo pants and a jacket laden with survival equipment fought her movements, however the extra weight helped with the descent. Pitch blackness enveloped her as the temperature dropped. The embers seemed to have vanished, almost as if on an invisible leash. Upon hitting the bottom, she immediately pushed forward into nothingness.

After what seemed an eternity, she launched herself upwards off the lake bed and removed her jacket as she ascended. Lungs protesting, she continued rising until she could see the moon's outline in the distance. She gave one last kick and exploded onto the surface. Loudly gulping air, she stared at the flaming landscape to the east, certain the embers would find her in the middle of the lake.

They were gone however, leaving behind only their signature trails of flame. With no time to count her blessings, she swam the remaining distance to the other side.

Pulling herself onto solid ground, she lay drinking the cool evening air. Head pounding, body tired and aching, she drifted into oblivion.

***

The ember found her.

Zoey parried the first attack and sank her serrated knife deep in the spine of the beast, eliciting a yelp of agony as it fell to its side, momentarily stunned. Taking advantage of the situation, she turned to run. However, her legs were like sandbags filled with iron. She looked back and saw the ember recover and leap toward her.

Not fast enough!

The ember bit down hard on her arm, teeth like hot pokers crushing her bones and melting her flesh. The smell of her arm vaporizing mixed with a pain so pure that she couldn’t hear herself scream -

She erupted into consciousness, jumping to her feet and brushing the fire ants from her left arm. Squinting into the rising sun, she noticed the colony nearby and quickly climbed the embankment to the forest. Arm swelling painfully, she leaned against a sycamore tree and took inventory of her other injuries. Her left pant leg was seared below the knee, flesh painfully raw and blistered. She didn’t recall receiving the injury. Had the ember caused this much damage under water?

Good thing I wasn’t on land.

In spite of the pain, her mobility was only marginally impacted. Her leg still functioned and would serve well enough to reach her destination. Pennyworth! He'd better pay double for the trouble she went through.

For three years now, Pennyworth Milos had been her primary source of medicine, clothing and various other necessities. She accepted all sorts of jobs, ranging from theft to assassination.

When she was twelve, she never knew she'd become a killer. Later that year, in October 2011, the Reckoning swallowed the world and changed it forever. Disease and blight crippled life on Earth for the next two years, billions died. She watched her friends and family die. Grief stricken, she focused on survival as food became scarce. Years passed slowly. Days were spent hiding and nights scavenging. The day held many dangers as the few remaining humans formed tribes, most violent toward other tribes. Pennyworth’s tribe, the True Sight, tolerated her presence. They even tried to recruit her, but she refused. She’d never join a tribe again, not after what she’d been through.

Today, September 15 2025, at the age of twenty six, she resembled nothing of her former self. Her short ash blonde hair swept to the side, revealing a tanned face worn with years of outdoor living. Hazel eyes clouded with weariness, yet her pupils betrayed a palpable inner drive. Thin sunburnt lips hid unusually white teeth. Strange, since amenities such as toothpaste were hard to find. Lean muscle enveloped her wiry five and a half foot frame, hinting at great flexibility and quickness.

Checking her pockets, she found the 'sacred' orb still present. To her, the reddish sphere might as well have been a large rock. However, Pennyworth classified it as the sacred Bloodflower and offered her a beautiful palomino Quarter Horse named Halcyon in exchange. This far exceeded anything she’d managed to barter from him in the past. The Bloodflower must possess some extraordinary quality beyond its surface appearance.

Since the Reckoning, unexplained phenomena proliferated as science and technology waned. Most survivors of the first two years suffered an affliction of some sort. However, a few ‘deviants’ manifested ‘aspects’, extraordinary abilities ranging from telepathy to teleportation. Being labeled as a deviant — one who exhibited an aspect — often led to death or at least ostracization from most tribes. As a teenager, Zoey learned to suppress her aspect.

Her knife was missing along with her rope. She still had water purification tablets. Most water was unsafe for drinking. As a teenager, she frequently became sick drinking contaminated water while most others died.

Suddenly, a flock of crows launched into the air to the south. She knew the Harvesters tribe treaded north from their base during the day. Quickly darting northwest, deeper into the forest, she searched for a cave or somewhere to hide. Distracted, she failed to notice the ground snare around her left ankle until she fell forward.

"Shit!"

Her speed and momentum worked against her as the cable seemed to saw nearly into her bone. Already damaged from the ember last night, her lower leg appeared a bloody mess. By no means a stranger to pain, she instead feared the approaching tribe members. Harvesters commonly hunted during the day, checking their traps for wild game of any kind. While she didn't know if they were cannibals, she did know they would likely kill her if found.

Admonishing herself for uncharacteristic carelessness, she crawled to the nearby hickory tree to examine the knot. The trap appeared to be old, cutting deep into the cambium of the tree. If only she still had her knife, this would be simple. Unfortunately, she didn't have time consider further options as the sound of boots crushing branches and leaves drew near.