The Damaged Ones

Chapter 1

I wake up drenched in cold sweat. The sound of my heart pounding in my ears, eyes blurry with tears. My head was swirling with the images, the nightmare I have every year on this day. Dooms Day, the day that changed our lives forever seven years ago. 

I sit up, terror gripping my entire body, filling my lungs so I couldn't breathe. Dooms Day...Dooms Day, the thought of Dooms Day fogged my mind from thinking clearly. Images played over and over in my head from when Drex took over the entire world.

That day, my life fell and crumbled into pieces. Crushed and broken by Drex. I was only ten years old, and he took everything from me. 

I finally stand up, wobbling at first from how bad my legs were shaking. I lean against my dresser and look in the mirror. It was old and cracked and a bit dusty, but I could still see parts of my reflection. My choppy blond hair was caked in grease and dirt. My murky blue eyes were red and puffy and seemed to droop. My lips were cracked and dry. I was super tan from years of being in the sun every day. I was so thin from hunger, I was a walking skeleton. 

I walk quietly around my house and open the door to my sisters' room. They were twins, Diana and Femi. They were both sleeping soundly, on their old mattresses and threadbare blankets. Sleeping next to them was Ryan, my little brother. Seeing the rise and fall of their chests made me feel calm. At least I have kept them alive. But the three of them were also very thin and it was a reminder to me about how I can't feed them. Diana and Femi are ten years old now. Ryan is eight. 

I close the door and then walk down the stairs. I try to walk quietly but they still creak and groan underneath me. I draw the curtains and see the sky beginning to dawn. Still waking up and trying to clear my mind, I head to the kitchen to search for breakfast. There was no electricity so there was no such thing as cold food anymore. I would give up just about anything to taste milk again. I scrounge around the kitchen and find a small loaf of stiff bread and some clover. When you crumble up the clover and put it on the bread, it actually isn't that bad. It's the closest thing to the luxury you could get around here. I set the bread out and call the girls and Ryan down to eat. 

"Girls! Ryan! Come and eat breakfast," I call. I pause for a second and then sit down when I hear footsteps on the stairs. They look at me, rubbing their eyes then look hungrily at the substitute for good food. Ryan stares at me with wide eyes, "Bread?" And I nod as Femi looks gleefully at the food. Femi and Diana were identical, both had dark brown hair with blue eyes. Ryan had very blonde hair that was plastered with dust with bright green eyes. Ryan and I had our mother's looks, the twins had our fathers; both were dead now. My father starved to death, my mother was captured by Lord Drex and never seen again. 

We all sit down at our small table, wolfing down the food. No time to talk when you are starving. I wipe the crumbs from my mouth when I hear a faint knock at the door. I knew exactly who it was. I got up quickly from the table and trotted down the hall to open the door, and standing there was Blade. 

"Hey Viper, we going hunting today?" He says, hands in his hoodie. I nod and step aside so he can come in. Blade is one of my best friends and is apart of our gang. We call ourselves The Damaged Ones. There are seven of us, and we all worked together. Blade and I made the gang when we first met. We met a few years ago when I was fourteen, he was fifteen. I was walking around town, trying to find food when I bumped into him. At first, we didn't trust each other, but now he is the only person I trust. He is also pretty cute, I will admit. He has striking blue eyes and his dark brown hair was always tousled and in his eyes. 

Blade looks around and then we walk down the hall. The hall was filled with debris and there were holes in the walls. This house was a mess because its the last thing anyone would care about. We also just don't have materials and everything is old. The twins see Blade first and they both smile. Then Ryan looks up and while wiping the crumbs from his mouth, his eyes light up. They all love Blade.