Act I: The Beginning of the End
Chapter 1: “I’m Not The Only One After All”
I walk down a lonesome path. A few random stray tumbleweeds litter the dirt path, blowing around sadly in the wind---like in one of those western movies. Yes, the world is in a depressing state. But it would make sense to think it’s depressing. Because when you’re in the middle of the end of the world, it makes more than enough of sense. But it isn’t too depressing---that’s if, you know how to survive. Even alone.
I am mostly lonely. Been that way for a long while now. I decide to stick to being alone and not trusting anyone. But as I make my way into the woods to hunt, all of that starts to change. Suddenly, I hear a scared yell. It doesn’t sound like a damsel in distress---more like a boy in distress, but all the same, it was somebody who needed saving. Remember when I said I don’t trust other people and stick alone? I really don’t. So it’s some other guy’s loss if he dies. But instincts take over---what might be the first sign of “motherly instincts”---and I start to run towards the cry, ignoring the pain in my sides.
I burst through some undergrowth into a clearing. There stands a starving wolf pinning down a boy---the boy I heard crying. I could’ve mistaken the wolf for a Half-Starved; its stomach was nothing but a rib cage, and wolves here don’t have much of an appetite for eating human meat. But this wolf was ready to eat anything, poor thing.
Poor boy! I could understand why he screamed out. He was pinned down hard against the ground, and it looked like he had a hard time breathing. He tried to struggle, but that only made it worse for him.
Without even thinking(only having the thought of that boy being safe), I rush at the wolf with the hunting spear that I carry, targeting for a place to stab.
The wolf quickly moves away from the boy and springs at me instead---pinning me down. But I don’t stop to think whether this is the perfect opportunity to stab the wolf.
I tried pushing the wolf off of me, but it wouldn’t budge. Of course, this wolf had to be stubborn. I was lucky that my arms weren’t pinned to my side, and the wolf obviously didn’t have the brain to think: “Oh, maybe I should pin her arms down, too hmmm…” because it isn’t human(though wolves are pretty smart).
And so taking that advantage, I stabbed the wolf. Right in the chest. The wolf yelped loudly with pain and jumped off of me, backing away and pawing at its punctured chest, as if that would help make the pain go away. With its tail between its legs, it took off like a scared cat, continuing to whimper and yelp.
I get up with some pain and walk over to the boy.
“Hey, are you alright, kid?”
I ask him softly. The poor kid looks so scared, that I don’t want to scare him more, so I speak in a calm, soft tone.
“Y-yeah, thanks. . .” he replies, looking up at me.
He takes off the square glasses that he wears and wipes them on his shirt in a kind of absent minded way. Poor kid. I must look like such a mess, I scare him.
As if realizing the reason, I try to fix my hair so that it doesn’t look so villian-ish.
“Did you cut your hair?” the boy wonders, trying to break the awkward silence that followed a moment before. I shake my head.
“Nope. I was born with a boy haircut.”
this makes the boy laugh. I actually smile a little. Yes, a small smile, but nonetheless still a smile.
“Really?”
he presses, as if my hair was far more important than anything in the world. “Yes, really.”
