Nightfall: A Dystopian Adventure Novel

Chapter 1

Further into the dark path he trod. Trees were splintered and broken here. Devastation gripped this part of the wood, something large and ferocious had moved here. Perhaps the hand of a titan, or the breath of a god. No creatures dared move in this place, it had been marked by something of immense power.

Marching through the trees ahead of him, Jericho spotted a strange troop of warriors. Forming a phalanx of metal armor, guns, and primitive spears, came a band of Repta Berserkers and Seeker huntsmen. Shadows battered their iron testudo like water on a rock as they crawled through the Ulfbane. Seeing this made him aware he was in a dream. Never would the Seeker tribe take up arms with the berserker clan of Mecca. Fading into dust, the scene dissipated, interrupted by sounds nearer to him.

Heathen beasts skulked the edge of the wood, reminders of the troubles of his reality. Hungry eyes watched his every move from the edge of the forest's existence. Beyond the barrier of the wood, there was only the dangerous underworld, or at least, his mind's version. But he was safe inside this bubble of reality, this piece of subconscious he had unknowingly formed, or so he thought.

Looking upwards, he witnessed stars, brilliant constellations, alien to him in his normal state, but now familiar and beautiful. Glowing from the deep bluish-black were the two moons of Babylon, his homeworld. One moon larger and red, studded with meteor strikes, the other smaller and blue, devoid of blemishes. Within his dream, there was a third moon. No, not a moon, an eye. It stared at him like the frozen blue eyes of the white rabbit. Yet, this eye's pupil was blacker than the deepest pit of the underworld. Never blinking, only searing a pit into his soul and shaking the marrow in his bones.

Falling from this star drunk night sky, a meteorite blazed into his vision. Cutting a white line through the darkness, the meteor struck the earth with colossal force. Leveling scores of trees and sending a plume of dust into the dark air, the falling star left a massive crater. Something pulled at him to find this gift of the Gods, this blessing from Above. Yet, a sound alerted him to the edge of the black forest behind him. Turning, he saw haunting yellow eyes staring at him through the branches. Their gaze was malicious, evil daggered pupils that thirsted for his blood. Fear and anxiety gripped him as the predatory eyes quickly grew nearer.

........

Awaking from his slumber, Jericho rose quickly out of his bed of Marsala mushroom caps to find a dimly lit room. These caps were taken from the eastern sector, a breed of fungi that was useful for building. They had hard stalks like iron and soft caps. Another dream plagued him. He opened his eyes to reveal a motley assortment of companions. Everyone was asleep except for Saul, the leader of their young clan. Sitting in a corner he was making adjustments to the circuitry of the heating units with Betsey, their scrap bot. Luckily, Saul was handy with electronics or else they may have frozen during the cold Night.

Rex groaned at the dawn, his long blonde hair tossing about as he turned. Like many of Repta clan birth, he slept deeply. There was hardly any light coming through their little scrap heap fortress, but what did come through shone in hundreds of little light beams. They were like spears that could pierce through steel. Kenshin rose at the first sound of movement, his keen Musashi hearing alert to any danger. Realizing it was only Jericho's mushroom caps rustling, he relaxed.

"Dreams again?" Kenshin asked wearily in his dazed state. His long black hair fell to his back as he rose, revealing slender facial features and dark irises.

"Yeah..." Jericho said. His baritone voice echoing off the metal walls.

Saul turned a knob and Jericho heard a pop as the pilot light went out. He turned to them, his huge frame dominating their small sleeping space.