{Linked}

Chapter 1

A state of panic filled Roy's mind as he trembled outside an abandoned convince store, hiding behind a parked 2018 Toyota Corolla. All he had in his shaking hands was an old aluminum bat his care taker gave him and a hand gun. The fact that a Zeth could be lurking about in this old store terrified the spirits out of him, but Roy knew that him and his care taker Joe were running low on food and that this needed to be done. Roy looked up with his eyes closed and took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to fill his lungs and then immediately exhaled. He peaked his head around the front of the car but keeping his head low to the ground. His long brown hair fell forth and covered his eyes a bit, and as he brushed his bangs to the side he was certain the cost was clear. Still staying in a crouching position Roy began to slowly approach the store.

As he approached the clear glass he placed his bat on the ground and cupped his hands over his eyes to peer through the window, just to be sure that there really weren't any Zeth inside the building. Roy picked up his bat and held it in an attack position, ready for anything. As Roy pressed the door open a welcome bell ringed. What once was a ring of a warm welcome has now become the sound of a possible cold death. If a Zeth didn't see or hear him before, they could now. Roy froze in a panic, his mind going several thousand miles an hour. Never has Roy's heart plunged into the depths of his stomach. But after a few seconds, there was no reaction. No movement, no sounds, no Zeth to be spotted. Roy let out a sigh of relief, realizing that this mistake hadn't cost him his life.

As the door closed behind him he finally stood up fully and scanned the inside of the store. Seemed to be a simple family-owned convince store that you would find on the outskirts of New York City. To the left was a counter with an old cash register on it, to the right was an old wooden table with a sign that read 'Sale' on it but with no items to display, and the rest of the store was just shelves with various items. From food to medicine to even "new" and magazines to read this place haven't been looted yet and this made Roy extremely thrilled on the inside. For a moment all the anxiety and worries inside of Roy have been swept away. Placing the bat on the table, Roy swung around his backpack and zipped it open revealing its empty contents. Briskly he walked over to the shelves and began to stuff the bag with various food supplies that haven't expired yet. From canned vegetables to hard candy Roy ensured that the bag was filled to the very brim.

As Roy knelt to zip the bag up to signify that his job had been finished he once again heard that retched sound. Once again not a sound of a warm welcome, but the sound of death. The relief was gone, so was the hope of getting out of this convince store alive. Roy immediately held his breath and dropped to the floor. Rustling sounds could be heard from the front near one of the other aisles. Roy looked around in shock, searching for his bat to secure his weapon. Clenching his fist and gritting his teeth in frustration as he remembered that the bat was still sitting at the front of the store. More rummaging could be heard from the front, but as Roy sat still the sound seemed to be getting louder. Whatever was in the store with Roy was getting closer and closer by the second. Not knowing what to do Roy grabbed the handgun that was hidden away in his pocket and cocked it, and held it in a firing position. Slowly getting up and crouching Roy began to slowly make his way to the front of the store. Every step that Roy took felt like there were cement blocks in his shoes. Heavy, weighted, straining cement blocks. As Roy got to the end of the aisle, he was able to identify exactly where the sound was coming from. Pressing his back to the aisle he could feel the entity on the other end pushing against the shelves thus shaking the entire rack.

Realizing that this could be a Zeth, the best thing that Roy could do in this instance is to go for one of the eyes and run before it heals, and catches up to him. After one final deep breath, Roy spun around the aisle and pressed down hard on the trigger, releasing a loud gunshot and letting out a threating scream. With heart pounding and sweat coming down the sides of his face, Roy stood there in shock.

"Now exactly what do you think you're doing with that son?" Roy's target exclaimed. Stepping more forward into the sunlight that was breaking into the windows a full-grown man came into view. Broad shoulders, well build, and a very solid nine o'clock shadow. The khaki shorts and the white tee shirt with a mustard stain that was filled with a beer belly was a dead giveaway. This was Roy's caretaker, Joe.

"Well obviously not killing any Zeth because YOU decided to not load this with any bullets, Joe!" Roy puffed and shoved Joe the handgun. "What the hell are you even doing in here?! You're supposed to be clearing out the store a street over!"

"And you're not even supposed to be in here Roy! Do you understand that one wrong move and you'll be a Zeth's entrée?!" Roy swallowed hard, for now, there was a major lump in his throat of guilt." You're young Roy, the younger you are the sweeter you taste to them you know that! That's why I and the rest of the older guys go out on these runs."

"I get that Joe but staying shut in those pods is no way to live! I want to help, I want to be able to mean something to everyone back home." Tears started welling up in his eyes. "You know that back then at this age I'm supposed to be going off to college? I'm supposed to be having the time of my life! I'm supposed to be having the best years of my life but instead, I'm stuck living this hell and all you want to do is keep me in a pod." Before Joe could say anything else, Roy grabbed his bag full of goods and stormed out of the store.

Realizing that all the screaming could attract some unwanted visitors, Roy decided to run back home. Giving a glance at the streets that laid before him the tears in his eyes kept rolling down. All the thoughts of what the world used to be just flooded his brain, as well of what his life could have been. The flipped cars, the shattered glass from windows, the vines and greenery that came from the cracks of the sidewalks, and the emptiness of a city that used to never sleep. This planet was once the home to a species called humans, was once a place of happiness, but now it's just a place of ruin and isolation.

Near one of the old shipyards, a long fence covered the perimeter with dozens of massive shipment crates covering the fenced in area. Several of these crates were stacked onto each other with several openings that looked like doors on the end. A ladder stretched across each stack of them. These were the pods that the humans in the area lived in. Through the aftermath of the invasion, some of the remaining people banded together and creating a small community to somewhat recreate what Earth used to be like. Each pod has the essentials. One single bed per person, a handmade window for natural light, several storage boxes, oil candles, and extra blankets for when it gets cold outside.

Roy slide opens the gate and several people rushed out of their pods to greet him at the camp entrance.

"Roy! Thank goodness you returned home safely! You don't know what it's like out there!" one of the older folk exclaimed.

From the crowd, an annoying middle-aged woman marched right up to Roy and glared at him, like a mother glares at a child that disobeys. "You should have known better than to just run out there like that! Zeth still roam around the city you know! This is no time for children to be playing!"

Feeling offended by these words against his act of kindness Roy retaliated "Oh and I suppose that everyone here is just fine living in these shipyard crates just staying shoved in a box for the rest of their lives while those Things just take our Earth?! At least I had the guts to actually go and do something with what left of my life than just sit around like all of you!" As Roy pushed his way through the small crowd out of the corner of his eye, Joe was seen walking back to the camp with his bag full of more canned goods. As Roy turned his head more to meet Joe's gaze he could feel that the rest of the night was going to be an interesting one once Joe returns home. Feeling done with everyone's harsh words Roy decided to book it home. Back home to pod number 25.

It was later in the night. Joe still hadn't returned home yet, and Roy couldn't sleep. As Roy lay awake in bed, the crescent moonlight lay softly against his face. Stretching his hand up to the sky and grasping the moon. The thoughts of just fleeing this Earth and starting anew on another planet entered Roy's mind. Earth was no longer his home, he knew that. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when the door to his pod opened. On the other end of the room, it was clearly a silhouette of a beer-bellied man, Joe.

He took several steps forward until he was standing directly over Roy's bed. "Roy, I think its about time we talk."