Cursed Ones

Savior

Skye sat close to the fire, the dark circles around his eyes illuminated by the fire between him and Farrah. She stared at the flames licking the air, tension building deep inside her gut. She knew Skye was going to be talking about what happened that night. And though she dreaded it, part of her wanted to find out how the man before her survived. Both her and Algol were sure he was dead.

He cleared his throat, signaling to Farrah that he was ready to speak. She tightened her grip on the blanket around her body, the uneasy feeling inside her swelling. Skye seemed to hesitate as well, his eyes darting from the fire to the anxious woman. It was obvious he was struggling with how to start.

"This is hard for me to say," he almost whispered, fingers entwined with one another, "but that night...something very strange happened. I was saved by something." Skye seemed to not be sure how to describe what he was trying to get across, "I really have to show you for you to understand."

Farrah didn't respond immediately, instead she stared at his outstretched hand like it was some foreign object. Her lips twitched into a scowl, and she eyed his gentle gesture with suspicion, "Where are we going."

Skye could tell she didn't trust him completely, but in an attempt to regain her confidence he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a knife. Before Farrah could respond, he motioned for her to grab it, and she hastily did.

"If I do anything, here you go. It's the only form of defense I have. You can check my bags or anything." Skye confessed, motioning all around him, "I just want you to hear the story yourself from the one who saved me."

Despite her best interest, Farrah obeyed silently, and the two were now heading away from the cave they resided in. After a minute or so, a small light shown from one end of the tunnel. Farrah braced herself, prepared for whatever was to come. She did not expect what she saw.

A world filled with warm light and trees greeted her, catching her completely off guard. She took in her breathe, eyes widening at the beauty and familiarity of the place.

It was like Earth...no it must have been Earth. She whirled around, blinking rapidly as she tried to understand where she was. Skye seemed to notice, and he gently called out to her.

"Farrah. Do you remember this place? Our home?"

Farrah hesitated, her childhood and teenage years flashing before her eyes, "I...this is our home...where we used to live." Tears rushed to her eyes as she clenched her fist. Earth had become much more beautiful and greener. From beside her she could see a sea of beautiful, rich hills and the sound of animals calling in the wild echoed around. After the world had ended and she was alone for the first time, traces of buildings could be seen, but now that she had returned not a single trace of evidence that humans once ruled was visible.

Skye ushered her to the right, down a meadow where many animals of all sorts were gently licking a stream. It rushed through the rocks and disappeared far off into the distance.

Though they were foreign, the animals did not seem to mind the presence of the two humans. It caught Farrah off guard, who gently stepped towards a large, majestic deer.

"They aren't afraid of us," she breathed out, eyes widening as she touched the animals smooth skin in a trance like state, "Skye are you seeing this?" He was, but there was something else lurking behind him that she did not notice.

Farrah was almost smiling as she stayed fascinated with the animals around her, wondering if the reason they weren't afraid was because there was no reason to fear what you know won't hurt you. They, of course, had never seen humans before, and therefore couldn't know they could kill them.