The Awakening (crappy creative writings story)

[Sesetsu]

Not too fond of this story myself but I might as well post it as I may be continuing it. One of my first attempts at writing in a first person and I'm not that great at it. It was one of the stories that I wrote in creative writing class last year.

The Awakening

Chapter One: The Burning Skies and The Ash Swept Land

The sky is a bright orange red scattered about the clouds at random. The air around me feels as if it was burning. I take a deep breath and the air burns my lungs. It’s hard to breath I have to force my lungs to draw in air. With every breath it hurts my lungs feel as if there on fire. I can’t feel the rest of my body it’s been like this for a while my whole body is numb. It’s been a day since I collapsed my body unable to move on. I had lost all hope in escaping I had accepted death. I sat quietly waiting for death to embrace me. I could hear something in the distance something was moving. “Hey look over there it’s another body” I could hear the voice of a man as the foot steps drew closer. “It’s only a boy this is terrible he must be one of the kids from the city wait he’s breathing he’s alive!” The large figure stepped over me and looked down at me. I couldn’t make out his face I was so tired so hungry my eyes would not focus. I could feel my eyes burning but this was different from that like my lungs. A single tear leaves my eyes the only tear I could muster streaked down my face. I could not feel it as he went down the side of my face a coating of dried blood and ash stood as a barrier between my face and that tear.

I don’t remember much after that I drifted into a sleep like state my body making a last ditch effort to survive. In my dreams I can hear the screams the cries of those who didn’t make it those who where being killed around me. The flames consumed everything around me those who the fire didn’t kill where eaten. It has been eleven years since the great anomaly we call the shift. There was a massive shift in the earth’s tectonics plates that caused massive damage all around the globe. That wasn’t all that happened soon after creatures began to appear those that could not have possibly come from this world. There shapes twisted nearly as much as there minds finding all they could to devour. They didn’t care who or what you where they would devour you they would eat anything that was living. That wasn’t the worst part it was possible to become infected with something. We didn’t know what it was all we knew is that it would change you it would strip you of your sanity and turn you into a hollow shell of your former self. Allot of the times your body would become twisted like your mind and you would truly become one of them.

Its unknown how it’s transmitted or what it is it has no cure and there’s no way to stop it. Those who transform go through immense pain as there body and mind twist and change. The process can sometimes take days there cries of agony echo through the wasteland. There is only one name that fits these beings and that is demons they live for nothing but death and destruction. There is one chance those who are infected have and it’s a slim one. If one can fight the infection they may be able to retain there sanity and there body for the most part. As they fight the infection they stall the conversion process. In turn they stay partly human but they will never be the same for after that point they are half demon. Those who have demon in them are despised and sometimes hunted even if they are no threat. Most who become half demon inherit some kind of ability far beyond that of the average human.

The world has fallen to shambles only small settlements dot the land all major cities have been wiped out. The survivors cling to one another warding off the demons hoping to be saved. It’s been eleven years and now the human race has begun to recover. Larger settlements have begun to appear across the land. Very few settlements get as large as a small city and even then they struggle. Survivors venture into the demon infested cities to gather supplies to bring back and sell. Some settlements have constructed militaries in order to defend themselves from the demons and the other settlements. Recently more and more demons have begun to appear and they are becoming stronger.

I don’t know how much time has passed it seemed like I have been in this sleep for an eternity. Images pass through my mind memories maybe? But I can’t remember anything the only thing I have are these images before me. They pass before me like a slide show a city engulfed in flames people run trying to escape. I could hear there screams the dream seemed so real. There was fire every where no matter where I turned there were flames. Bodies littered the streets the streets stained red with blood. I could hear the roar of a demon just before a cry of agony from its unfortunate victim. All that surrounded me was death and destruction on a level I never thought possible. The walls were supposed to protect us were supposed to keep the demons out but they didn’t. Hundreds died around me buildings collapse from burning. Why? Why did something like this happen?

My eyes slowly open the starch white ceiling of the room fills my view. My eyes slowly focus the air is no longer burning my lungs feel fine. My body still feels numb but I sit up in the bed. I look around the room is mostly empty only my bed and a chair sat in the room the far wall a large window. I can hear a door open and I turn to my side a girl comes in the room’s one door. “Your awake that’s great they didn’t know if you would ever recover” I try to think of why I’m here how I got here but it’s all a blur. I can’t think of anything absolutely nothing before being rescued. Those images those scenes in my dream are the only memories I can recall before then. “Where am I?” The girl sat down in the chair next to me. She had long black hair that dropped below her shoulder blades. Her eyes where a shade of blue that matched the sky and for some reason made me feel calm. “Your in the hospital in a town called Yurll just north of the city”

Attack? My head begins to throb I put my hand on my forehead and try to think. “Attack?... what happened? I.. I cant remember” The girl looks shocked and stares at me for a moment. “I.. no recover first then I’ll tell you but for now just try to recover” I had just noticed the girl was carrying a small basket. She raised it up and set it on the bed and started taking out small things of food and drink. She handed me a roll and smiled. “Eat you need the energy you have only gotten liquid nutrition for a while your probably hungry. My head had stopped throbbing and I took the roll from her and bit into it. “Thank you” I eat the roll and she hands me other pieces of food for me to eat and some drinks. This goes on for five minutes or so until I feel full. I lean over and try to stand up off the bed. I stand for a second or two but fall to my knees. My body goes numb my knees just buckle.

The girl turns back around as she was grabbing something from the basket. “You idiot you shouldn’t even be alive how the hell do you expect to stand” She grabs my arm and tries to pull me back up onto the bed but she isn’t able to. “Stay here I’ll get some help” The girl ran from the room yelling for help. This is the first time I see it the bandages wrapped around my body. The deep cuts that covered my body left by something not of this world. After a few more seconds I could hear the girl running back someone with her. A man comes in the door behind the girl and makes his way over to me. Putting his arms under my shoulders he lifts me back up onto the bed. “Idiot what where you thinking?!” The man steps back the girl returning to her seat next to the bed. I could hear more people out in the hall making there way toward the door. “Damn I thought they would have at least given him time to recover” Several men in white robes filter into the room.

Over the past few years humans them selves have developed powers its rare for them to be born with them but they do exist. There are also people of the church who through devotion to god are granted holy powers. Those born with powers are greatly varied but those who gain power through faith can only obtain a hand full of powers. They specialize in healing and purifying evil. They can sense the dark energy put off by demons. Some even hone there powers in order to fight demons causing damage with there holy powers. One of the priests wore a red hood he stepped toward the bed as the others stood back. For some reason my body felt hot my mind began to race. The man reached into his robe pulling out a cross. The cross was made of glass cylinders in the cylinders was what looked to be water. He leaned over toward me holding the cross over me. The water in the cross began to boil violently bubbling in the clear cylinders.

The man frowned before turning to the others and nodding. “He’s infected his wounds are most likely from a demon that must be how he became infected” The others nod again and the man turns back to me. “I’m sorry but you must be restrained and kept under watch” Several men come into the room wearing metal armor wielding broad swords. Although guns still exist they are rare and hard to keep stock with ammo so the world has had to revert back to older technologies. And when these older technologies are merged with the powers some poses they become the most powerful things on the earth. Far deadly then a mere bullet or explosive. “Wh.. what do you mean infected what the hell happened to me?” I slam my fists into the bed a burning pain spreads through my chest. Looking down I could see the bandages on my chest turn red with blood. My breathing became heavy and my mind felt worn. I fall back and lay down in the bed my eyes slowly closing.

I was once again in the flames but this time a demon stood before me. I stumble back a few steps consumed by fear. It stood nearly eight feet its skin a dark red a pair of leathery wings sat on its back. Its body made of nothing but muscle its jaws lined with razor sharp teeth. It lunges at me swinging its arm at the last second something happened. A man in armor tried to deflect the attack but took it himself the demon tore through him his claws still reaching me. They tore deep gashes into my chest but I survived. Just as I fall to the ground more armored men appear. “We have to hold here stop this demon then move on to the east wall” The men surround the demon and begin another one of the many battles that would be fought that night.

The city burned with such intensity that the sky itself was lighted the stars no longer visible. Smoke and flames filled the sky as the city was turned to ash. I stumbled to my feet the gashes on my chest bleeding. I stumble away the sounds of metal making contact and combat fade away as I try to escape. After a while the screams begin to die away the sound of combat grows faint. I collapse onto the ground the flames begin to die away. Even after hours of burning the city still has flames. The sky stained red and orange from the flames and blood. The air itself burned both from the flames and evil in the air. It’s silent now it’s so quite nothing around me makes a single noise.

I slowly open my eyes the room was darker then before but the sun hadn’t set yet. My body was once again completely numb except for my chest that seemed to be burning. I slowly sat back up and looked around. Only the girl was left in the room she sat in the chair next to the bed staring at me. “How could they so easily decide some ones fate just say oh well your infected guess we will have to kill you to bad” She was aggravated she clenched her hands into fists. “Why can they just say things like that? Why won’t any one do anything about it?” I lie back down on the bed and stare at the window. “I had a dream” The girl was somewhat startled by me speaking and looked up at me. “It was about last night something happened something went wrong I don’t know what but there where flames and cries of pain coming from every direction. The sounds of steel cashing as the guards tried to hold off the demons but it didn’t matter everything was lost”

I sat there looking out the window even now I can’t recall anything other then these dreams everything is blank. “They say they might use you for an experiment to watch some one transform into one of them” I stare blankly out the window my mind completely blank. My mouth is dry my stomach still hurt as if was still hungry. “They say it might start tonight they said the demon you where attacked by was powerful and the infection is taking hold quickly” I sit back up and stare at my hands the bandages covered up to my wrists. The girl stood up from the chair and sat down on the side of the bed. “My names Alicia do you remember yours?” I continued staring at my hands for a few more seconds. “That’s one of the few things I remember my name is Kent I’m 17 years old I am a normal human no powers I have black hair and grey eyes but that doesn’t really matter anymore to anyone does it?”

The girl stood up from the side of my bed and walked toward the door. “I’m sorry I hope you pass on quickly” She reaches for the door and starts to step out. “I won’t let it! I’ll fight it I don’t care how painful it is I have to find out what happened who I am!” She paused for a few seconds before leaving the door shutting it behind her. I felt tired again even though I have slept so much I’m still tired so very tired. I don’t know if it’s because of the infection or not but I’m too tired to think about it. I awake the men again stood in my room there cloaked faces hidden by the shadow made by there hoods. The one with the red hood once again stepped forward.

“If you wish my son we can end this now or do you wish for the infection to run its course?” I turn to face him and try to sit up. As I move to get up I’m held down by my arms I look to find my wrists bound. “I’m sorry but we must be careful your time of transformation approaches” Several armed guards like those before enter the room surrounding the bed. They draw there blades and stand in silence. “May our lord bring you peace in the after life” I stare at them for a few seconds. “I have no intention of letting my life end here” As I go to continue talking something hits me and my body freezes. It started in my chest an intense burning pain. So intense my eyes watered as it began to spread. It soon consumed my body the pain then just intensified as time passed. I cried out as loud as I could my own cries would have chilled my blood if it wasn’t burning from the pain.

Tears flowed from my eyes as I cried out in agony time after time. It seemed like it would never end but my mind began to fade. I could feel my body begin to change as I lost control over it. I arched my back from both the pain and the desperate need to move my body to see that I was in control. It continued on for hours if not days. All the while the men around me stood like stones watching me. I was losing to the infection drool dropped from my mouth the tears streamed down my face. I struggled against the restraints thrashing around as I tried to get free. I was losing it with every action I drifted farther and farther away.

I don’t know when but it all stopped. I found my self floating in nothingness. There was no light no darkness just the void. I knew it was still happening the transformation have I drifted so far I can’t even see it happening. For what seem like days if not weeks I sat there in the nothingness. “I don’t want to lose I want to live on” I mumble to myself as I sat there in the nothingness. And from the void a voice appears. “You promised me you said you would come back you said no matter what you would come back to me” A girls voice pierces through the nothingness. “wh… what? Who? who are you? How do you know me?” The girl giggled as I look around me finding nothing.

“Come back to me you promised you would just believe in yourself and your heart will guide you back” The pain started to return me body hurt so badly. It again lasted quit a while but I didn’t give in I fought it with everything I had. After a while it stared to fade away I could feel my body the air around me seemed frozen. I open my eyes my clothes are drenched with sweat. I take a deep breath and look around me. I was still surrounded by the guards only one of the clergy remained watching. The man raised his head to look at me. After a few seconds he reached up and pulled off his hood. “This is un expected for you to have fought off the infection and one of such strength but you are no longer human you have no right to live in this world” The sweat continued dripping down my face. I looked down my wrists and ankles bled the skin torn from them as I struggled to get free. “It’s been three days I’m surprised you held out that long none the less beat the infection but that doesn’t matter now”

My whole body ached I could barley move and every movement felt as if it would tear my body apart. I was about to say something but I sat frozen. I could feel something deep inside me was changing. A crisp coolness began to spread through me body extinguishing the burning pain I once felt. My vision began to blue my body felt cold I couldn’t move. All I could hear was some yelling and metal smashing together before blacking out. For the longest time while I slept my body felt cold as if freezing from the inside out. It wasn’t just cold it felt strange as if something inside me was slowly spreading. I slowly open my eyes the flicker of a flame catches my eye. My eyes quickly focus I sat on my side a fire a few feet from me. I sit up holding my head and look around.

Chapter two: A New Beginning

The limpness in my body had seemed to disappear as I looked around. A large man sat on the other side of the fire. “Where am I?” The man opens his eyes and looks up at me. “Your in the middle of nowhere where else do you think those like us can go?” I look at him for a few more seconds he looked perfectly normal what does he me those like us? “What do yo..” He cuts me off before I can ask the question. “What do you think? You where infected yes? You fought with the infection and woke up you retained your mind what do you think you are?” It takes me a few seconds to realize what it is he was saying. “Why did you save me?” The man stands up and walks over to me. “no one should have the right to take our lives just because we are different just because we aren’t fully human we still care about others we don’t go around murdering and eating others do we!?!”

I look into the flames of the fire as I think over what has happened. “If I left you there they would have just killed you then again you probably already knew that and even so fought the infection despite it being the most painful way for your life to end” I leaned forward a bit and got to my feet. I was wearing a T shirt and jeans but I don’t remember having them on. I pull up my shirt the bandages where gone along with my wounds. “my wounds there gone!?!” The man let out a laugh as he moved back to the other side of the fire and sit down. “Didn’t you hear me before your no longer a mere human even a half demon can regenerate most wounds over time you have been sleeping for about eight hours now” I look at my hands the burns and cuts gone from my arms I was nearly fully healed from what I could tell. “What now? What am I supposed to do now?” The man’s smile disappeared and he stared at me. “You had a reason to go through that pain a reason to fight maybe a dream or maybe even just a promise but that is what you should seek to do.” I turn and start walking away. “Stop you won’t make it on your own not right now you wont”

The man stood and was now only inches from the fire all of his features become easy to pick out as I turn to face him. He was tall and bulky with long black hair and a large beard that covered his face his eyes an ice like blue. I turn back away from him and start walking away. “I warned you” I could hear a slight sound and the man appears before me. Before I could react he swung his enormous fist striking me in the stomach. I hear my rips crack and break as I’m sent into a tree several feet away slamming my head against its trunk. My vision blurs again but this time from the strike to the head. The man stands above me. “I warned you”

My eyes slowly close as I pass out from the strike. I can feel my body the cool sensation as I sleep. I open my eyes and quickly get to my feet looking around me. “So your finally awake it seems I wasn’t supposed to hit you so hard none the less she wants to talk to you” My breathing is still heavy but I manage to nod as he points me in the direction of a small field. Still confused I make my way to the field and look around. After a few seconds I can hear a girl she was signing a lullaby. I make my way across the field and sitting in a tree just on its edge was the girl from the hospital. “Its nice to see your awake I told him not to hit you to hard but he didn’t listen did he how do your ribs feel I know he broke a few of them” I had completely forgotten about how hard he hit me and the noise of my bones breaking when he did. I grab my side with my hand and feel my ribs to my amazement there all fine.

I look up at her and after a few seconds I recall her giving me her name. “Its Alicia isn’t it? Why did you put your selves in danger to save me?” She smiled and jumped down from the tree branch. “ya that’s me he already told you why we just can’t stand them just deciding to take someone’s life that and your one of us now a half demon.” I look to the side as I think. “You’re not going to teleport and punch me into a tree to are you?” Alicia laughs as she circles around me. “No I can’t teleport nor do I have the strength to send you into a tree but something maybe just as dangerous” Alicia stops in front of me and looks me in the eye. I could tell almost instantly she had paralyzed my body with her stare. She smiled as she watched me struggle to break free. After a few seconds she released me and I could move again.

“So what now? What am I supposed to do?” Alicia sat down at the base of the tree and looked up at me. “You need time to get used to what you are your body is nothing like it used to be as you may have notice you can regenerate and repair damage done to you much faster then when you where human but don’t think you can survive anything you can still be killed pretty easily” Tired of standing I sit down in the grass in front of Alicia “That and we don’t know the extent of your powers yet and if you have any unique ones” I lay back in the grass and look at the clouds above me. “Also can you sense energy yet I wouldn’t think you could that easily but try and sense what’s around you” I sit back up and look at her I can’t feel a thing out of the ordinary. “I don’t sen..” Just then a chill ran down my spine I could feel something behind me the air around me seemed to grow heavy and cold. I turn to find the man standing behind me looking down on me. “Ohh wow I didn’t think you would sense him then again he is releasing allot of energy still your learning fast Dush you can go back to whatever it was you where doing thank you”

The man turned away and made his way across the field to where I had woken up. I watched him until he disappeared behind the tree line. “he’s actually pretty nice I don’t think he meant to hit you so hard last night he was just mad I didn’t let him damage the hospital which made saving you a pain” I turn back to Alicia and stare at her for a few seconds. I could feel it the same thing from the guy was coming from Alicia just not as strongly. Alicia looks at me for a few seconds confused. “ohh don’t tell me you can sense my aura? That’s amazing I’m nearly completely suppressing my energy and yet you can sense it your ability to detect energy might be one of your strong points”

Alicia slowly stands up and makes her way past me heading back to the camp. I turn and get up to follow her. After a bit of walking we are all standing near the burned out fire. “We won’t force you to stay with us but it may be in your best interest to stay with us even if its only for a little while” I look up at Dush then over to Alicia I really have no choice in the matter even if they say I do. I know nothing about myself even more now that I’m not fully human I have no clue what I’m even capable of. “I’ll go with you for now” As we turn to leave I stop I could feel something I could feel more then one of them. They where headed right for us they felt like they where half demon but colder much colder. “Something is coming there’s a few of them there headed right for us.” I look up at Dush and Alicia. “There’s nothing to worry about I’m surprised you can sense them there a good distance away we can deal with them when and if the come you need to learn to decipher distance when you sense things”

They turn away and start walking I follow right behind them. I can still feel them I study the feeling I try and learn to use it as we walk. “There’s three of them right?” We walk in for a few more seconds in silence. “You learn quickly don’t you? Is there nothing else that you think of maybe your family or your home?” I look up at Dush’s back surprised by his question. “I…” I look back down at the ground as we walk. “I… can’t remember anything all that I can remember are the screams and the flames that consumed everything that’s all I have left of my memories” We continue walking for what seems like hours. A single bead of sweat rolls down my face I’m starting to feel hungry but its been so long I’m surprised I haven’t felt hungry before. I don’t know how long we walked for but the forest never ended we have walked for the entire day and still trees surround us.

The two stop ahead of me and turn to face me. “We will camp here we will start setting up you can gather some firewood” I nod and head off to gather wood. I grip a dead branch from a tree and pull it off with surprising ease. I continue gathering large sticks off the ground and trees. After a while I have gathered a large handful but it wasn’t heavy at all but it still had weight. I walk back into the small clearing that they had decided to camp in. All the while I could feel them so I knew they hadn’t left me there. It made me uneasy at first but I have grown to like this feeling at least the one of I have when I’m near Dush and Alicia. The other ones I feel make me feel as if something was clawing at me my body feels tense and my head starts to hurt. “Aare you ok?” Alicia walks over to me looking into my eyes. “Dush get some food I don’t think Kent can handle being surrounded by so much energy its draining him”

Dush nods and reaches into his bag and pulls out a loaf of bread. “I’m ok I’m just a bit tir….ed” I drop down to my knees dropping the wood in front of me. I began to feel exhausted my boy felt as if it’s reached its limits. “normally we generate our own energy we don’t need to take much in but when your near something with a much greater energy level it can suppress your energy and without this energy your body cant function so weaker half beings need to eat like normal humans to keep a minimal amount of energy in them Dush’s energy and that of the demons in the distance are suppressing your energy but if you learn to control your energy you will be able to protect yourself from this with time you will be able to create this barrier even as you sleep ”

Dush reached down and picks me up shoving the loaf of bread into my hands. “Eat up I’ll make you work it off later. I take the bread from him and take a bite quickly swallowing it. It only took me a minute of two to eat the whole loaf. After a couple of minutes are started feeling better I was able to stand back up. While I ate Dush started the fire and Alicia had fallen asleep. The light around us began to fade away as night came closer and closer. “Build up your energy on the surface of your skin and keep it there if you can do that and fall asleep and keep it in place” I look over at Dush once again the flames of the fire sat between us. “Will that help me build up my own energy?” He smiles at me as he leans back against a tree. “It’s the only way”

I sit there for a few moments try to think of how to control my energy. I sat there thoughtless for what had to be an hour. The hell with this I’ll just try as hard as I can. I start to concentrate on the cold feeling I have at my core. I’m assuming he feeling that I have is my energy and I just have to force it up to my skin. I try as hard as I can to force my energy out but I made no progress even after several minutes. This isn’t working maybe ill try it differently. I imagine myself in my head and the energy that’s as my core. I concentrate as hard as I’m imagining the energy moving outward. As the energy moves outward in my head I can feel my body begin to change the cold feeling at my core began to warm. The warmth moved from my core outward consuming my entire body.

This feeling I like it so this is the power of a demon. The warmth finally reaches my skin and builds up on its surface. The once great warmth faded to a dim feeling of warmth just barley noticeable. I lay back setting my head down on the dense grass beneath me. I keep the image of my energy in my mind as I drift off to sleep. Just like all the times before the same dream is all that awaits you. I lay in the middle of all the destruction and death. I hear the moans of those dying around me some times even a cry for help echoes across the wasteland. I use all of my strength to turn my head to the side. The once great city the idol of the new world the largest known settlement lay in ruin. The once dense city was now nothing but the occasional half burned building everything else turned to ash. There was nothing left those who lived now would surely die long before someone comes to help even myself. My attention is caught by a sound I should not hear foot steps that made there way toward me. I turn my head to once again look at the flame colored sky. A figure stands above me but not that of my savior. The man had on some armor and carried a large sword. His eyes are what stick out the most they glowed with a menacing red color as if they them selves where flames.

I couldn’t make out anything else just those eyes and his twisted smile. Even though my body was far beyond there limits it screamed at me telling me to move telling me to get away. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t move even an inch. “hmm so there are a handful of survivors but you will be the only one to survive this I’ll make sure of that” The mans smile widened with that action alone my blood froze. Even though I couldn’t think straight my body fully understood the terror lurking in the back of my mind. “Don’t worry I won’t let you die here not yet I like you I don’t know why I think it’s your eyes I can see you desire power you can become strong yes that is it make sure you stay alive until the next time we meet”