Chapter 1B
Jeremy coming to a sudden halt, perspiration dripping down the sides of his temples, he doubled over and vomited onto the ground. Cierra turning around to see what the problem was, knelt down quickly in front of him, surprised at the sight.
“Are you alright?” she inquired.
“Yah, just not used to all of this running. How do you do it?”
Spitting a bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth after saying this, then standing himself back up, praying that he wouldn’t show his guts to the world once more.
“I used to take a jog every morning before work, you never exercise?”
“I did but it just kind of stopped. I was always swamped with work so exercising had to take a backseat.”
“That’s understandable it was always like that back then, always in a rush to get everywhere never stopping to smell the roses, just rushing through life.”
Coming to the beginning of a dirt road, they began to follow its course seeing as it was the direction they were headed. The cracks of dried mud, and occasional gaping hole were small obstacles at best to the chasm that spanned several meters in front of them. On the opposite side of the chasm was the gate of Signet City, looming overhead a green broken sign on the left saying
“Welcome to Signet City
The liveliest place on the earth
Population: 7200”
“How are we going to get across?” asked Jeremy after he had looked downwards into the chasm which just opened up into the earth.
“We have to get across it’s the only way to Signet City.” replied Cierra
“Hold on”, Jeremy said.
Cierra listening to him grabbed onto his waist and held on to him. Pulling a small, flat rectangular square out of his pocket he placed it on the ground in front of him. As soon as it had touched the ground, a blue light shot out of the center of it. The light itself seemed to grow, and expend with every passing second and engulfed them both in a matter of seconds. The moment they had been engulfed completely, their bodies seemed to dissolve out of existence, and re-materialize on the other side of the chasm.
When they re-materialized the light from the blue rectangle faded completely, and all that was left was a thin, piece of rectangular metal.
Closing her eyes as the breath was taken out of her, she ran to her right quickly, and vomited onto the nearby bushes. Jeremy standing over her like a watchful protector said,
“Not used to teleporting I see...” a grin on his face while saying this.
Straightening herself up, she wiped the spit off of the corner of her mouth,
“Shut up, and let’s go”, were the only replies to his smart comment.
Both of them stopping as they get to the gate, Cierra drawing in a sharp breath taking in what used to be a city, now just rows and rows of leveled building, and desolate land. Even though there was a lot of wreckage there were many makeshift shafts around the city some homes, some selling things to travelers, seldom they may be. At the center of the desolate metropolis was one building, two stories high, it had people going in and out of it seeming to be the center of the used to be great city.
“I think we should start our search there” Jeremy stated plainly, pointing to the big building in the center.
“Alright, let’s do it.” Responded Cierra.
Making their way down the old familiar roads of what used to be, they saw the vast amount of destruction that had taken place in so little time.
“I wonder what happened exactly...” Cierra pondered aloud.
“Countless acts of murder, and devastation no doubt.” Jeremy replied.
Continuing to walk through the city, after about half an hour they reached the base of the building in the center. Over a large sliding door hung a sign that couldn’t be read because of being weathered so bad. Both of them turning their heads to look at each other seemed to let off a mutual sigh before heading into the building that loomed over top of them.
As they entered the building, they heard the metallic click of the door that seemed to only echo off of what was a seemingly empty building.
“I can’t see anything…” Jeremy seemed to state plainly
“Me neither, it’s so dark. I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.” Cierra replied, her voice shrill with anticipation.
After what seemed to be hours in the absolute darkness, the lights were shut on, as if God himself seemed to be smiling down on them.
“What the—“was all Cierra got out before her body slumped to the ground, sleeping the sleep of the dead.
