Chapter 1
Thoughts of The Past
We arrived at City 6 in Camp 6 the place where it all began, our childhood. Farid spoke with a deep voice but seemed to be lost in trail of thought “Lous you remember where we are? You were gone for so long we thought… The reclamation… we thought it claimed you…”
before Farid could finish Tala whispered to him, but I couldn’t make out what she said however it seemed to make Farid happy almost as if he was remembering times of our past, Farid spoke again with a gleam in his eye “Lous we should go to the old house we met in”
shortly after speaking Farid started to move me inside and sit me upon an old frail bed, as filthy as it looked it was much softer than a harsh cell that I had been kept captive within for so many years.
Tala and Farid and I began to talk of the past and the memory’s that were so dear to us and were we all began… Our story began when we met, we were sixteen, and became friends for life or so it seemed. The night was dark and the smell of freshly slaughtered human and beast filled the air, seeping into our nostrils, there were beast and demons surrounding the city, out of the house we were hidden inside we could only see demons and beasts, famine was already upon the city but we were here to survive, Farid spoke frightened and cowering with Tala “Lous stay down they can smell us, they can feel our presence”
I then spoke courageously thinking that I could protect anyone who was within my company “Farid, Tala, Don’t you worry I’ll keep you safe, no foul beast will attack us, I am the one and only Nomed, I cannot be challenged by some mere beast nor demon, I will slay them ALL! For my father and his father before him! They tried to kill me I shall kill them” I then jumped from the bed and ran outside screaming “Come on you foul beasts!” Tala then let out a whimper of grief “Come back to us alive, young Lous”.
The beasts turned with red eyes, snarling their bloody jaws, roaring with a ferocious leap they surrounded me, one by one they started to attack, my hands were tight and legs stiff but I could face these beasts alone, but not with my bare hands. However I could see a small shard of metal similar to that of a blade, under one of the beasts. The other tried to pounce on me. I evaded the foul beast whilst diving toward the piece of metal. As I dove toward my target, it flinched in fear. Before the beast had a thought in its skull, I ripped the metal from under the vile creature, splitting the horror from head to tail as its guts splattered all over my face. In a swift motion, I slammed the shard into the gullet of its neighbouring beast. I turned to the last of them. It was the alpha; a huge bulky demonic beast its teeth black with blood, its every breath striking fear into my heart. Each step it took coming closer and closer. My heart was beating fast, but I couldn’t let it hurt Tala. It was time!
I steadied my hands and calmed my nerves. The beast’s face closer then I would of hoped, it’s time to strike was upon me as I dashed backward the horror swiped at my head, missing be by a hair, too close to flee, I turned staring the vile in its demonic eyes. I thought this will be me end, my last breath. I would die, here and now, I muttered in tears “Tala… I am sorry.” Suddenly I came across a feeling I had never felt before… I could only think what is this? I’m angry but sad; I feel so much for Tala, the thought of the beast devouring her flesh made anger stricken my soul. This… This anger… this… RAGE! My body emitted pure red energy, I could not help but think “Tala, will die if not for me” I screamed in bloodlust and rage “Beast, you DIE NOW!!!” I held the shard tight and charged toward the beast. It swiped down at me. However I decapitated its paw then slammed the shard under the beast head ripping into its very skull. I held on tight the shard which was planted within the beast skull whilst flipping my body so that my foot was upon the bottom of the shard. My body was glowing red with pure energy by now, as I screamed “Tala! This is for you!” I let go of the shard and forced my foot with all my strength so that I slammed it further within the beast’s skull, my foot was red and pure with energy as I forced the shard. The energy spiralled around the shard like a spear, the tremendous force from the energy pierced through the beast’s skull, throwing the vile abomination through the air. Before the corpse of the beast hit the floor the energy, devoured its very soul, and ripped flesh from bone. The decrepit beast was no longer existent. The energy raced toward me like a bullet, and mixed within my body once again. Afraid and scared I attempted to return to Tala and Farid but I was too late, the citizens of camp 6 saw my heroic battle and the energy that I emitted but before I could explain I was forced to the depths of a dark blood splattered room with a large door with a small slot large enough to fit a small plate. This dark room is where I spent the last two years of my life, I was tossed aside like trash to live my life and all I could ever hope or think was constant fear that they would never forget that I was here, without food or water I would have died.
Day after endless day I was fed trash, nothing but cast asides from meat that others wouldn’t eat, water that I was given was fed through a small hole in the wall which lead to a trough, this is all the water I had, to bathe and drink. After the first year, which seemed like a decade, I was starting to see a dark figure that never entered nor left the room he never spoke but moved, he would never come near me but would take my water. Several hundred days past when the figure spoke for the first time, it warned me that my friends would come save me as much as that relived me I couldn’t help but think how it knew, it then proceeded to explain that the room is filled with a dangerously high amount of radiation and on how the food and water is filled with extracts of chemicals that make me resistant to radiation.
As, I began to finish the story on how we met or how I remembered it rather, Tala exclaimed how much she missed me, “Lous, it’s been so long since we last met, we used to talk allot about our future and our group, you, me and Farid, the things we used to do, justice used to be our only goal, and that of survival.”
With a strange look of confusion upon my face I asked Tala “How long have we known each other? We have only met once before, when I slayed that giant beast.”
Tala replied with sadness and more confusion “Lous, we didn’t meet the first time in that house, we lived together when we were young. Can you not remember?”
Farid then spoke with what could only be described as kindness “Tala, Lous has been through allot lately don’t beat yourself up about it. We should all rest, there is work to be done tomorrow, don’t you go wondering off now Lous, not that you can with your body in that condition. See you in the morning old friend.” Tala and Farid then left me alone.
The room was black, the walls sturdy, the first place I had slept where the walls didn’t have huge cracks in them, however I awoke with red mist around my wounded body it was the same energy as my child hood when I slayed the beast, it would seem my wounds were being healed, my skin was regenerating, my bones were being fixed. I stood for the first time, I was able to walk and the energy had healed my wounds but how? Why did this not happen before? Was it what I ate? Was it the radiation resistance wearing off? This would explain why it never happened before. After fixing my wounds the energy disappeared. I was confused but not afraid. I proceeded to leave to house and try out my newly fixed body. I could not help but question myself and the actions of the citizens of this camp so few years ago. Was I really fixed? Was this energy from myself? Have I always been able to do this? Why was this happening to me? Was it a gift or a curse? Should I of left the house after Farid told me not to? What was he afraid of?
