Golden Dawn

|Chapter 1 ~ The World I Once Called Home|

I woke up with the smell of gas suffocating my throat. The disgusting oder filled my nose and stung my eyes as I climbed off the dirty bed I slept on the previous night.

I knew that horrible smell.

The Deathtreaders were patrolling the streets in my area again and with them, the deadly ZPX-10 gas that was the fatal killer of millions. Their horrible mechanic footsteps echoed across the empty houses and remains of broken buildings. 

A graveyard of metal and junk.

Out of reflex, I ducked away from the window to evade their line of sight and immediately pulled out my small side arm I found in an abandoned building three weeks ago. The rusted little weapon's old lasers were almost no use against the brutal soldiers, but it made me feel a lot more at ease to have something I could fight with. I had never seen a Deathtreader before and was very thankful to be spared from the awful sight.

It was rumoured - after all - that the sight of a Deathtreader would be the last you will ever see.

I kept very still and focused on breathing. It turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined since my heart hammered against my ribcage like that of wild horse. It felt as if an entire eternity passed before I slowly stood up from my crouched position beneath the window and scanned the rubble for any signs of the Deathtreaders. I was ironically thankful for the fact the the ZPX-10 gas was harmless when used from a certain distance away and that I could use the revolting smell to warn me when Deathtreaders where in the near vicinity. 

When I was sure they were gone, I turned around and walked to my backpack that I placed on an old drawer in the corner of the small room. The reflection that stared back at me in the half broken mirror looked terrible as usual. My long curly auburn hair was dirty and full of knots that I did not even have the strength to comb out. A face full of blisters and scorched skin, emotionless forest green eyes and dark set brows looked back at me with a monotonous expression. I could never really describe myself as beautiful nor did I particularly care to. My survival in this world was more vital to me than my looks could ever be and had lived in that state of mind all my life.

I was alone and one of the very few people who remained in town after the annihilation. The rest of the remaining human population was sent to live a new life in The City.

I scowled at the blanket of grime and dirt that covered my bag and tried to rub it off. 

The City was known as the only safe haven for humans and the remaining animal population alike. It was an utopia of green trees and shining buildings that were said to touch the clouds. The streets were clean and freshly baked foods were even said not to taste rotten. Nor filled with pieces of plastic.

It was even seen as the heaven amongst all hell on Earth.

The Government controlled the happenings in The City and was the lone force that ruled over most of the Earth's remaining surface. They were also the solitary player responsible for the lives of almost millions of innocent people during the annihilation. Their deadly ZPX-10 gas wiped out more than half of the human population and consequently placed them in the lead of our distorted society. No one ever thought to oppose them. It was simply impossible to go up against a foe with a way to kill so many.

It was why everyone was trapped in The City. It was a way to control.

To keep in check.

And I hated  to be oppressed. Loathed  it.

I winched as a sharp piece of metal dug into my skin. To live in The City however horrible, would spare me a lot of trouble. It wasn't easy living life as an orphan, desperate to find food each day when there was none left to find. Continuously using skeletons of remaining shacks to stay hidden from the Deathtreaders while the quietness of it all grew on me like a scar.