Melancholy of a nightmare: Finale

They both threw aside their bags, fell to the backs and took in several deep breaths. Then, "Thanks", said Drea genuinely smiling for her life. "Don't wanna give up now do you?", he said with a wink  and pulled her to her feet. Noticing how they both were shivering, Drea opened up her bag and pulled out the clothes she had stuffed into it in haste last night. "All I can say is they are less wet than the ones we have on" "And not my exact size or designer but it will do" joked Matt as he disappeared into the forest to change. Drea did the same. Then sitting along the banks, Matt removed a tin of cucumbers and shared them with Drea as he said,
"So with all that craziness, I have to say you're a genius! We are progressing our way to conversion."
"What?"
"Don't you have it all figured out? You know I was constantly thinking about why you wouldn't let me kill the boy and finally get it!"
"I don't get you though. I asked you not to kill the boy because it was a kid, and also because I wanted to take a chance. I did the same when I killed envy and all the horses had just stopped. It was kinda neat."
"Oh my god Drea! Do you realise how much time this would have saved us if you told me this before?" Matt was now pacing left to right making Drea dizzy as he spoke.
"Matt you really are just hyperventilating right now and I do not get your point."
"Okay. Okay here we go. So you remember your enemies?"
"Agony, fear, anger, arrogance, umm.."
"Envy, greed, impatience, insecurity and desperation! Yes those guys! All of them, how did you kill them? And do not tell me with your gun. I mean the tactic. You do what they wouldn't want you to do. Be patient, be calm, be self-less, be fearless.."
"What's your point Matt!?"
"My point is that this is your last enemy. What you see in front of you. Anyone that is a reflection of yourself, anyone that matches your calibre. Anyone that is your ego. Everyone we know, like Scott said, is here in pairs. The people who made it to conversion, were in pairs! You and your strongest ego!" Drea only nodded. Matt continued,
"This is our final cut Drea. Haven't you noticed? When we give up our opinions and work with eachother it works out! Starting from when you let me help pull you up the tree, when I let you teach me shooting, when you didn't move as I shot that Mutagen, when you followed me in the department store and when I let you lead me. And more than all, right now! When we trusted our whole goddamn life on eachother. Okay Holly and Sharon, they couldn't make it and died. Jason the brander, he said the smarter ones made the conversion! So whoever kills ego as an enemy, are taken to the alien world and are apparently safe. Those who fail work in shifts as Branders. And they are not even aware of themselves when they are Branders. Everything Jason said now makes full sense!"
"I... you're brilliant Matt. I don't know what to say. The involuntary helping and corporation is actually what has kept us alive. It's our last test! It's everything we have fought- The agony, sorrow, greed, envy, anger, impatience and trust- it's all being tested at each moment!"
"Does that mean, you didn't mean it when you called me horrible?"
"For cheating with Joanne, yes you are horrible! I just don't care about it as much anymore."
"I thought we were over that!"
"Never will be until you tell me why!"
"Because I was stupid. I was angry at you for being right. I didn't want to follow your but my melody for our new song, and I didn't want to change the motor on my robot! I couldn't handle being controlled by you and knowing it was probably better than me. And then you seemed to walk in when I was whining to Joanne and she kissed me!"
"You never bothered to sort that out!"
"Because I was still a selfish and angry jerk. You just acted like you didn't care anyway and can do fine all by yourself. Which pissed me off more because I felt like I held no impact on you!"
"And I thought you never cared! You even quit the band and that made me hate you so much! You knew it would end us. Right before Nathan had a chance to get into university for music. We couldn't perform in the competition the sponsors were judging Nathan and it ruined him! I just hated to let you know we were so hopeless without you."
"So now you see? All this ego had been holding us back. Geez I feel so foolish!"
"I feel like a bossy bitch who gave no value to others opinions."
"At least that changed."
Smiling a little, Drea sarcastically said, "Thanks! That helped!" Matt smiled and gave her a warm hug saying, "Sorry. We work together for eachother now." Then like an epiphany, Drea faced him saying, "Oh no Matt! The aliens are light travellers!"
"What?"
"Remember the T.V forming itself? What do we know about aliens? Green headed blobs? But that's only as far as the human brain sees them! In reality they are so modified that they can travel light. If they are here they have conquered the speed of light, and more possibly the speed of time! Which means they're basically like a small particle that can rearrange itself to be able to travel.  The loud boom that changed everything, was all the energy produced when they first arrived. The intensity of breaking the barrier changed everything, maybe even killing so many of us on the spot."
"So they can basically be anything they want by being able to reconfigure into any particle?"
"Yes! Imagine this- all your older enemies, anger, envy and so on, were just forms of this alien. You could do anything you wanted because you are living in a world made by them; the trees, the grass, the water, the heat, everything in just a sequence of alien particles that changed before you could die since they conquer the speed of light. You are basically immortal if you can control every atom in your body. And why did things change when you blink? Because you are living at the speed of time. For say, so many possible things in other parallel universes happen in the time you blink, that it messes up the configuration with your current existence."
"It all makes sense! When they need an army big enough they just bring us back to the real world! Make us our own slaves; control every atom in our body and that way control the emotions of the Branders! If all this is true, then we are in danger because Jose knows."
"What!?"
"Jose knows Drea, that sick swine knows!! He and Scott survived! They have passed. Scott knows this place like blood and soul, he even said he has been here long enough. They have been calling them aliens all along! Even worse, they are one of them and we were just made to walk right into their den"

As Matt was about to speak more, Scott called out from about 100m away, "I thought I lost you kids!" Holding Drea's hand and picking up her bag, Matt sternly said, "How did you find us Scott?" He replied, "Some mappin' and walkin.." "The truth!! How did you know where we were?" They kept walking closer to Scott at every word until they reached him and threw him to the floor tying up his hands with the discarded shirt. "You guys have it wrong trust me!", Scott tried protesting. "Oh we know well enough", said Drea as she pulled him to his feet. She then said, "Now take us to Jose and tell him the warriors are here with news. I know you won't need mappin' or walkin' for that!" With every step Matt and Drea found themselves losing trust in all humanity around them. How easily had they been tricked? Upon reaching the store both of them stormed inside and people made way as they angrily walked towards Jose. Then all at once, Matt was on Jose, throwing his best punches and screaming, "You traitor!! You did it to kill us! Kill us all! You are going to rat us out aren't you?" Jose was too strong and easily pushed Matt off hitting him hard enough to tear his lip. Drea tried to kick him when for that, but just as easily he blocked her blows and pushed them both against the wall. "Unless you dirtbags are ready to listen, I wouldn't mind hitting some more sense into you. Walk straight up to the roof and stop creating this scene", spoke Jose through clenched teeth. Looking at eachother once, Drea and Matt only nodded and followed Jose up the staircase trying not to make eye contact with any of the others. Upon reaching the top, Jose furiously yelled, "Both of you need to rationalise!! You think I didn't recognise you the minute you stepped in!?"
"Then why this false show of a group? Just kill us all!"
"You young lady may have a brain too wise for human standards but an experience the size of your particle existence- now that you have figured it all out. But we? We have been to that side of the world and are fighting for what is right!"
"You and Scott? You made it to the new world didn't you? How good was it when you exchanged all your humanity to the aliens for a chance to destroy our lives under their command? Does he pay you with a sponsored vacation to a Roman Olympic game back in time???"
"You do not get my point. I was, I am and I will always be human. We are no match to the aliens and there is no new world! If you think you win this battle and go to a planet made of titanium in a time travelling spaceship you're wrong!! They are here, on Earth, among us and saving us!"
"What are you talking about!? They are killing numerous people, saving 8 souls and slaving 100 and you say they're right?"
"Do you realise they killed your negativity instincts? Those 100 are improving. The 8 are being sent to a better Earth, the Earth before our human apocalypse. We humans were born with a flaw of the greedy brain! We have been tremendously selfish in thinking we are the only intelligent species in this universe. We are the ancient and underdeveloped future of the universe for them. If they're doing anything, it's stopping us from making the mistakes they made. We have romanticised possible alien invasions; how typically human of us to think they are here to destroy our race and conquer our planet. But in all reality, they have been helping us, they are healing us."
"They are playing with your mind!"
"I, to remind you, have more control over my mind than you do over yours. And your minds, could be slaved just as easily if they wanted! But they want the human race to not only survive, but heal for the right. Drea, Matt, I sent you there because you two seemed ready. I am here to train and to help. You guys did it! You found out the depth to all this. You figured yourself out, killed the ego and had it all good. I want more of us humans to see that side of the world. I want more to embrace the right approach. Trust me one last time and do it!  If we need a little help sometimes, then that's alright. Give up that ego. The aliens, Mutagens as you rightly call them, are here just for that. To change a gene of the human behavioural flaw. They're a small group, a small force and only stopping us before we are wiped out like them. You have all the right to hold onto your fight, it's the human tenacity to put up a good fight; but sometimes you don't even know if what you're fighting for is the right cause. You have done this before, do it one last time."
"And what makes you think..." began Matt when Drea held his hand and spoke to him, "Let yourself be led. One last time Matt. If you can't take commands change that too! Give up on your enemy. One last time. Let's see how much of a liar Jose is. At the end of the day, we still got his mapper as hostage and ammo under siege" said Drea with a calm smile.
"God not again Drea! Why do you love risks so much? One LAST time!"
Jose smiled and said, "Shake hands on it then?", and they did.

They were downstairs cleaning blood off Matt's lip and carving more arrows when Jose narrated the plan. The plan, literally,was driving the branders into the camp site. Jose would prepare everyone for war, and they'd fight their best, as one full team. So based upon that, Matt and Drea -alhough exhausted- made their way back up the hill towards the alien camp. As per the plan, Matt shot out an arrow from behind the bushes straight into a brander's shoulder. It was enough to call attention and the rest was only a chase game all the way to the department store. Jose flung open the door for Matt and Drea to run in and shut it tight behind them. The inside of the store was covered in darkness and when their eyes adjusted they saw 34 people lined up shoulder-to-shoulder with weapons varying from soda cans to actual guns. Each one of them looked terrified but united. With a sense of strength, Matt and Drea joined them and waited. It seemed forever before the door flew open and a stream of Branders flooded into the space. They too, shocked by the transition stopped and waited till they could see. Taking advantage of this everyone ran forward to attack and took the Branders by shock. They slowly spread out all over the store and screams sounded from every direction. Not sure of which side was winning, everyone continued to fight with all their strength. Matt and Drea stuck together taking down a Brander after another.

Then looking up at the skylight, Drea called out to Matt saying, "Sunset any minute. If Jose was right we should be going to the new world" Matt looked up and shook his head saying, "If he wasn't, we are responsible for the death of all these people."
"We have killed enough people anyway! Just because they didn't have a soul doesn't mean they haven't been human. We give something to get something."
At that time Matt said, "Oh boy, you won't believe who just is coming this way to grant your wishes. Go get her!" Drea turned and looked at Joanne, as a brander walk towards them. Immediately her hand went to her gun and every emotion in her body asked her to finish the enemy she so truly hated. And then something in her stopped. She turned to Matt and said,
"If I kill her, I am responsible for your and my soul. The lines on the wall Matt, 'The rules you see, you lost your soul to me. And if I win here, both of us lose to the higher power'. It's the rule of three, you lost your soul to me. And if I let my ego win by killing Joanne, our fate is the same as hers: Mutagen. I can't kill her."
"But then she kills us."
"The sun is going to set!"
"She will be set upon killing us first!" Out of no choice, Matt pulled out an arrow and had it fly straight at Joanne. Like a ghostly experience, it flew through her and she disappeared with a tiny spark. "Damn those time travel perks", mocked Drea. But deep down, they both smiled filled with hope. They dropped their weapons and stood hand in hand while they waited for the sun to set through to constricting skylight. Then just like the first time, a flash of lighting and and intense pain knocked them unconscious.

When they woke up, before them were fields radiating positivity. Hope filled the air and joy looked at them in abundance. They walked barefoot on the soft wet grass of a planet they could never believe was their own. And a few steps away stood a figure, a man, who held out his hands for both of them to hold. He looked human, he sounded human but his eyes looked like the entire Universe was in them; like a celestial dust cloud adorned with sparkling stars. He noticed their awe and said, "You will soon get used to them. It's just one of the unique things we bring along with us." Matt and Drea smiled in disbelief. He continued, "We have no form or body. We are just a presence. To see us, we need to take forms, the best one being human. The eyes, are just what we are. Everything and nothing. We are the empty space in you and around you. We are the space that makes you and that you make up; the space called universe. Together, we make this place that made us. Save it, preserve it, and most importantly, save us. Save the human inside you."

Melancholy of a nightmare: The encounter

After dinner everyone was asleep. Drea stood on the roof staring into the moonlit city.
"Thinking about Jose?", asked Matt while he walked up to her.
"That's only one of the things."
"So you're still angry at what I said. I know it came out to be mean but.."
"But it's still what you believe is true, right?"
"Drea, I can't follow commands. You know that. Look give it up. We need to fight tomorrow and fight together and.."
"Whatever Matt. You are free to do what you want. I only have to go out there and survive. I don't want to kill them."
"The Branders? Why not?"
"I don't know. Like I said, all of this, you and Jose, it's just a fraction of the things I'm thinking. Everytime I've killed an enemy it only gets worse! I wanna give up!", said Drea strongly holding back her tears.
"Hey it's okay. You can tell me everything you're thinking about."
"Is this it Matt? This is our enemy? Who are the Mutagens? Who controls them? It's like we all went through this long phase of fighting demons alone in a world where anything was possible! Didn't you have it too? Shut your eyes and something around you changes, you have crazy super powers and skills. And faceless enemies like they have no form. And then suddenly we are put into this world that seems real enough, with real people and other killers chasing us. When did all this happen? When did the Earth we know transform into this? I don't know if I'm real sometimes and it really depresses me. I feel so lost!" Drea was crying through her words and Matt hugged her to comfort her. Through teary eyes he spoke, "I don't know. I really don't. But we fight Drea. We fight for whatever this battle is for." From behind them Jose spoke, "I don't want to put you through this. I had just come here to say that our mapping guy Scott ran into an entire alien camp. He just returned and says there are plenty of them. But if you guys wanna drop out, you can." Then a little hesitantly, and sounding sorry, he addedd, "Just that you will have to leave our camp then." Silent for a moment, Drea finally spoke, "We'll do it. Where is Scott?"
With a respectful nod, Jose guided Matt and Drea to Scott. Along with Scott, they sat and understood the entire map and prepared to leave next morning.

* * *

Drea woke up feeling hollow and looked around to see Scott awake already. They were going to leave before sunrise to avoid being seen. Matt was still sleeping and she shook him awake. As they collected their items, Drea asked Jose if she could carry some food along. Stuffing the scarce food into Matt's tiny hiker bag, Drea carried only her gun and the ammo bag. Matt strapped on his quiver and loaded some more arrows he seemed to have carved last night. Drea slipped in some permanent markers in Matt's bag so that they could leave signs of their route. Together, the three of them set out in the lonely hours. Scott seemed to know the place well and guided them with ease. Drea noticed that they seemed to be going further into the mountains bordering the city's coastline and asked Scott, "How did you find this place?"
"That's what mappers do. Take campin' supplies for days and walk out into the unknown as far as possible.", replied Scott feeling proud.
"Don't you run into the branders?"
"Just a few. There has been worse. We used to Four of us working on mapping. Holly and Sharon, both sisters. They personally didn't get along quite well, but both were truly gifted in skill. They ran some cold war over inherited property or something; never would really talk much but had their independent searches going great. Then a few months back, we ran into this terrible gang of aliens. They killed Holly and Sharon; and my pal and I got saved. He now leads the team and I map"
"Jose and you did this together? Months back? Wow we're around this place for long!"
"A little too long kiddo!", joked Scott.
"How many of you have died?"
"To tell you, Holly and Sharon, Victor and Kayla, the Rosklov twins, Amelia and her daughter. That's maybe about it."
"Did they all work in pairs?"
"Yes they did, but they also joined us in pairs. All of you did. It's how things are. People team up, come to the store for supplies and we grow."
 Then leading them up a cliff, Scott said, "This is it. You walk straight into the dragons den form here." Taking in a deep breath, they both turned thanking Scott and exchanged kind remarks about one another. Every thing seemed like a last goodbye and they departed as Scott called back, "Good Luck".

Very quietly and cautiously Matt and Drea walked in. The foliage started thinning suggesting cleared ground for camp. Pointing to a tree, as usual Matt climbed up and pulled up Drea's bag as she followed. What they saw from the top, took their breaths away. In front of them stood what looked like an old time cottage resort. The chimney was constantly fuming suggesting warmth and the place looked lit up in the thin dawn that was breaking across the horizon. Facing a beautiful river valley on their right, the resort was placed in the most distant location at the peak of the cliff. Outside that, convoys and trucks were lined up and more kept pulling in and out.l
"Where do you think they got the electricity?", whispered Matt.
"Umm if you have enough thermoelectric generators and ice then you burn wood on one end and put the ice on the other to produce electricity."
"That's true. The Branders would do that", said Matt in an extremely serious tone but deep down sarcastic.
Punching him lightly, Drea replied, "Even if whole of Noah's ark was Thermoelectric generators, it wouldn't be enough to power up this place."
"It only means the mutagens came here in something a lot more advanced than the ark."
"Look at the number of branders just casually walking in and out of that place. They're so confident no one would dare to invade their privacy."
"Not everyone is stupid. So what do we do? Walk in, climb a tree and attack?"
"We walk in and go straight into that main cottage there."
"Ha you're funny"
"Get me the markers."
"That's the craziest thing I've heard! You can't just draw veins onto us in black markers and be like, "Howdy Partner. Got some human blood we could use?" No no no..it's a total death call and lying!"
"Oh ya? Okay then why don't you draw them on me and I'll go kill some branders and meet you back here? After a team of them have caught you because you're the only suspicious person hiding in a tree spewing out arrows against a bazillion of them!!!"
"And I'd still have better odds of survival!!!"
"Not funny Matt. Now c'mon. We do this and die or we sneak up and die. Pleaaaaase?", pleaded Drea with a pout.
"Only because you said please that way", said Matt handing her the markers. Climbing off the tree they drew veins as realistically as they could on each others necks and backs. And then just like that, they walked into the premises. A few people looked up but not for more than a millisecond and resumed their work. The smell of food swallowed up the place and Drea whispered, "Told ya Branders need food".
"Or they are just welcoming their guests", said Matt walking to the direction of the smell.
"Matt focus. We had a breakfast."
"Yeah, that granola bar, it was really filling. This is just work baby; we walk right into the gossip. Know your enemy if you want to kill them." Drea wanted to protest but found Matt making sense. The cafeteria would probably give them most of the news.

Inside the warm cottage, Matt loaded his plate with the finest breakfast they had seen in all this while- French toast, eggs, milks, cereal, boiled corn and waffles. Drea didn't hesitate either, and they took a seat on the most crowded table they could find. Devouring possibly their last meal, Drea found no regrets in this mission anymore. On every wall, read the words, 'The rules you see, you lost your soul to me. And if I win here, both of us lose to the higher power'. "What does that mean?", whispered Drea to Matt. Then all of a sudden, a wave of small shining particles formed themselves into a floating screen. Matt and Drea stared in amazement at the screen that read, "Conversion toll" and under it were eight names and their details. "New Mutagen conversions?", asked Matt as quietly as he could. "I could bet they killed more than just eight with that fancy age technology", replied Drea.

Very normally, Matt turned to the Brander next to him and spoke, "Low on the conversion today, eh?" The guy, a little confused replied, "Not really. Eight making it to the new world seems like quite a thing. Must be smart guys. Smarter than us for sure!" "Uh huh..", replied Drea informally introducing her to the conversation. "It's crazy huh? Forgetting who you are once you're there; converting your own kind. Checking in your soul like that", continued the Brander. Drea noticed his pitch black eyes and hoped he wouldn't notice Matt's hazel-brown shade. Lucky for her, her eyes were dark enough anyway, and so to avoid trouble she diverted the brander's attention to her, by saying, "Yes. It's terrible indeed.." She was talking when a blinding beam of light -just like the one that begin this all-  spread across the room. Reflexively Matt and Drea let out a scream covering their eyes and the beam disappeared. Eyes turned to them as the Brander next to them asked, "Are you new?" "Yes." quickly spoke Drea before Matt could answer. The Brander explained, "This is the light of the conversions being taken into the new world. Everyday at sunrise and sunset. I also use it as reminder that I should be checking in for my shift. Your eyes should protect you from the intensity.." Drea cut him off saying, "We converted, I mean.. were changed yesterday. Our eyes are still not developed." She squeezed Matt's hand as if asking him to not speak. "Wow you should check in then to get that fixed", replied the brander. "We just finished our shift", spoke Matt with confidence. "But now that we know, we will surely mention it tonight when we start. Thakyou...?" "Jason", replied the mutagen. "Jason. This is Emily and I'm Tom. We won't hold you longer", lied Matt picking up his tray and walking to the garbage can. Half heartedly Drea and Matt discarded their food and feeling shocked, they walked out of the cottage.

"I can't do this. Let's go with your plan. Sneak, kill and die.", spoke Drea as they hid behind an alien convoy.
"Did Jason just mean we are invaded by aliens?"
"I don't care. We kill them and finish the job!!"
"Calm down Drea! Calm down and think like you always do."
"You want me to calm down and think?! We just had breakfast with a Mutagen who says that aliens have invaded the planet, they select some of us as slaves and convert some to be taken to a new planet in a blinding space ship!!? What part of that do you want me to think about?", Drea said freaked out. In the same tension, she continued "Hey Matt,I thought about it. The electricity isn't from thermoelectrics but generated from light receptors since they seem to have so much of it!!!"
"That's not the appropriate humour. We need to get the heck out and tell Jose.."

A voice spoke behind them, "Are you lost?" Nervously, they looked at the intimidating Mutagen and together they replied, "Yes" "No" He walked closer and pulled up Matt by the collar saying, "Who are you?" In an instant Drea shot the brander and the sound echoed in the entire place. "Not good", said Matt pulling Drea away as they started running. Soon other branders surrounded the dead one and someone yelled, "Maybe that way". Matt turned and pulled out an arrow killing another one of them. Drea did the same and soon screams filled the area. They were being showered with arrows and bullets but none too close since they ran in the cover of the trees. "I can't keep track of how many I've killed", shouted Drea thinking about what they'd tell Jose.
"Me neither but enough to have won your soul first", said Matt trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh please. I'm pretty sure I've covered up."
"It's a dead end", said Matt looking ahead as Drea shot more Branders behind her. Stopping at the edge of the cliff Drea said, "Climb that tree".
"No. We will be stuck then. They'll wait for us to come down, or moreover just climb up the tree and kill us." In the mess of the thought they saw a brander running towards them. Matt drew out another arrow to aim but
"Stop!", yelled Drea. "It's a kid damnit!" A small boy, not older than 7 came running to them with a knife.
"Yeah and a brander."
"DO NOT KILL HIM", scowled Drea.
"What's wrong with you!?" Matt positioned his arrow and tried to aim when Drea held the gun to his head saying,
"You go with him. Listen to me this time!! You asked me to think and I thought. Put that bow down." The kid was much closer now when Matt pulled down the bow and in a flash, less intense than the beam, the kid disappeared.
"What the heck?", said Matt as he looked around. "Okay now before others come, jump."
"What!? This isn't who can be the craziest!"
"I mean it. Jump. It's a deep river, we will survive."
"You will survive! I can't swim!"
"I'll save you. I'm here; just do it!"
"What the hell Matt no", Drea was screaming as Matt pulled her with all his strength to the edge and held onto her with all his life as he dived into the valley. With unbelievable energy they went deep underwater and Matt had to grasp onto Drea closer and tighter to pull her up afloat with him. Coming afloat he tapped her cheek saying, "You're alive". Opening her eyes, Drea struggled to stay afloat and hit Matt who was laughing. Then laughing too, "NEVER.EVER.AGAIN", she said as they made their way to the bank.

Melancholy of a nightmare: The Unshaken Storm

Matt silently sat around the fire next to the pond. He had changed into a spotless white T-shirt after having to discard his Mutagen blooded hoodie. The shirt made him look oddly clean with his ripped and stained jeans. He had brought along all of his supplies from his tree top hideout and was sharpening his arrows using Drea's boot knife. Drea worked on washing the dirt off her shirt meanwhile. That afternoon she couldn't hunt or venture into the city because of their encounter and planned on doing it in the night. She noticed herself shivering as she stood knee deep in the icy cold pond, clad in a thin tank top. She then stepped out strapping on her boots and searched for her knife. Seeing Matt use it she didn't ask for it. Finally she spoke,"Do you have anything else that's warm?"
"What for?"
"To wear."
"Why?"
"It's getting colder each day. And you can't keep the fire on after sunset."
"I don't get cold"
"Yet..."
"Fine so what do u want me to do? Hunt a bear, clean the skin, process the fur and stitch up a coat?"
"I want you to come with me, while I go hunt tonight"
"What for?"
"Hunt for food, some mutagens too if we're unlucky. Then get you a coat and another gun. Does that answer all your questions?"
"Only somewhat. To let you know, I only wear brands. I do not appeal to the idea of more black liquid staining my favourite hoodie, and I have my skill-set in Nerf guns and water guns."
"How about this? Unless you're Legolas, set aside that arrow, and practice shooting with me."
"Right now? You have a lot of free ammo don't you?"
"I can spare some bullets if it means that next time you will be of some real help".
Mattias rolled his eyes and got up whining, "I wasn't prepared last time! Geez"

Drea stabbed the ragged cloth she usually used as target practice onto a tree bark and loaded her gun with bullets. Mattias stood next to her, trying not to look nervous. "Take a shot", she said handing over the gun. Mattias shot and missed terribly. "Not bad, give it another try". He shot again; still barely in the close radius of the tree. "Okay enough for tonight", joked Drea as she kept positioning his hand and posture. With her help he got closer to the tree. Shot after shot, they kept going as if they wouldn't be able to give up. Finally he got his ninth shot on the edge of the cloth. They jumped and screamed in joy. Not sure about the newly developed comfort, he said he'd take another shot, this time without Drea's help. Although not too much, he missed and frowned. An instant later they heard a loud scream. Terrified they looked at each other and "Pack up" yelled Drea.

Immediately, they were running back to the fire. Drea scooped up the last of the blueberries and her ammo backpack while Matt picked up her other bag. Matt shoved the gun in it and Drea carried the knives and her and soaking shirt in her hand. Just then 3 other branders emerged from the sound of the scream and started running towards them. One of them had his shoulder oozing from a bullet wound and thus was slow. The other two ran towards Drea and she dropped her things, holding onto only one knife. As if a habit now, she swiftly stuck the knife into the brander's heart. She felt cold hand coil around her waist when Matt yelled,"Drea don't move". A smooth arrow slid past he neck and through her hair into the second brander's throat, standing right behind her. Not wasting another moment, Matt drew out another arrow, shooting it straight through the injured Brander's heart, finishing him once and for all this time. Then running up to Drea he held her still while the brander loosened his clasp around Drea and coiled to the floor. "Holy crap Matt why didn't you do this before!!?", said Drea while she collected her fallen articles. Picking up his hiker bag, Mattias replied, "I told u I wasn't prepared." "What else do I don't know?", chirped Drea. Sensing sudden hesitation in his eyes, she immediately regretted asking this. He bluntly replied, "Everything I don't want to tell you. You don't always have to know it all". Drea felt bad; she didn't mean to taunt him about Joanne, so replied, "Okay ..don't tell me anything u don't want to." They put off the fire in silence. Then picking up all their things, she turned to Matt saying, "I can carry my bag."
"I know you can. But I'd like to be in the company of your books for sometime."
"You peeked into my bag??!"
"I just put your gun in it."
"And??? And u don't just push a gun inside a bag with moving objects"
"See this is your problem! You just can't give up on correcting me! Fine I peeked inside your bag because it was so darn heavy! And I hadn't returned the lyrics book you keep writing in it yet and didn't want you to find out."
"I'm just cautious not a nagger. And you read my lyrics? Why? You left the band!"
"That's because you always were so good at it. At everything! 'That's not the right note Matt', 'That's not in harmony Matt', 'Do you even know the intensity of that motor?', 'That's the wrong chord..you should know this!' ". As Matt spoke Drea found herself crying. Matt went on, " 'Metallica is a legend...we can't play them!', 'Those are the wrong lyrics', 'That's the wrong way of loving me'!!! No wonder I left Drea! You're way too perfect for anyone's liking!!"
Drea was now sobbing. Through her uneven sniffs she yelled, "Then why are you still here?"
"Because you can save me! Fine? Isn't that what you wanted to hear?" 
"You're horrible Matt. You're mean!" She pulled her bag off Matt's shoulder and stomped away towards the city.

* * *

The two of them were creeping in the shadows of the wrecked city. Matt had his tiny flashlight guiding them both. Upon reaching a departmental store, Drea whispered,
"Get everything you feel will be useful. Take my bag and remove the books to make space. I'll do the same." Taking Drea's bag off her shoulder Matt proceeded. Drea on the other hand tried to adjust her eyes in the sudden absence of the light. She heard footsteps and slowly spoke, "Matt is that you?". No one answered so she kept walking. She first stumbled upon clothes and picked out random T-shirts, sweatpants and hoodies for them both. In the mirrors she saw someone walk past her and turned immediately. Footsteps started shuffling away. Quickly pulling off a rain jacket for Matt she ran the opposite way calling out for him. He waved his flashlight and asked her what was wrong. She whispered, "Let's leave. There's someone here. If its a brander he's gone to get more and we need to leave before that."
"Hey relax. I was just about to search for you. There are survivors here. Food aisles are almost empty, medicines are done, knives and camping equipment taken away. What else could be the explanation?"
"Mutagens?"
"Drea, the branders have no blood and so won't need any food. Haven't u seen most of them? They don't feel cold. They don't even need to sleep maybe! They don't have a  life remember? C'mon let's go see."
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me. I have my bow if you feel the need to be safe. Oh and having said that, 1-0 now?" ,asked Matt mentioning the rule of three again.
"Whatever I'll catch up"

They walked scanning the aisles when Matt felt a hardcover cover slam at the back of his head. Terrified in pain, he let out a scream and Drea turned spotting someone sneak away 2 aisles afar. Dropping her bag she started chasing down the shadow deeper into the department store, and Matt followed with two overloaded bags. With swiftness she caught hold of the girl's collar and slammed her against the shelves. The girl however, was strong and wouldn't stay still. Matt ran into the fight and both, him and Drea tried to hold the girl still. All of a sudden, they felt numerous hands pulling them off her and Matt and Drea went lifeless as they scanned into the crowd of about two dozen people. They threw Matt and Drea on the floor, and one demanded, "Take your shirt off" Matt gave Drea the 'I told you', look and sarcastically whispered, "Stripping seems to be a common tradition with survivors". Drea lifted her hair and turned for the other people to examine. Matt complied as well. After a good scan, a well built man in his thirties, spoke, "Sorry kids. Gotta do it! I'm sure you must know. But now, welcome to our gang. We are 35 of us here and I'm Jose." "Matt and this is Drea", introduced Matt on both their behalves. Never would they have thought of running into an entire resistance group. While both of them spent the next fifteen minutes introducing themselves to the other 34 people around, Jose opened up canned soup in the office for their feast. They talked about their encounters with Jose who seemed to be the leader around the area. Then as if like tradition, one by one everyone started speaking about their "updates" of the day and encounters if any. Drea looked around their little camp and admired the thought of staying sheltered in the most convenient spot. Jose further explained, "Each one of us here is divided into groups. Mapping, Spying, War and Watch. Mitchie was on watch today and followed you two." 
"Sorry. I didn't wanna hurt you but that was my only closest weapon. Did it hurt?", asked Mitchie giggling.
"Surprisingly, yes it did! Don't think I didn't know it was a Lord of The Rings hardcover you threw at my head! It was the only book I had left in that aisle."
"You removed my Lord Of the Rings!? You were jealous of Legolas weren't you?!", teased Drea.
"Woah woah woah now! You said I could remove any and that book is fat AND heavy. It'd be the first to get rid off!!"
"And then they become great weapons!", added Mitchie, as they all laughed. Jose walked up to them and said, "You folks came in with a bag full of bullets, bows, knives and a gun." Suddenly brought to attention, Matt spoke, "Jose....I....I mean we would prefer if those things were untouched.."
"Slow down there boy. We know the rules and we respect them- You found it, you keep it. All the ammo and weapons are yours. I would like to know though, how good are you two at them?"
"She's amazing with the gun"
"He's a mindblowing archer"
Matt and Drea, surprisingly found themselves saying together at a time. "Good because we need people in the war department", said Jose with a wink. He added, "Oh and also, you two might be the only ones yet. It's just some crashing the alien party grounds and killing them. Will be fun! You start tomorrow. Sleep well tonight", said Jose walking away. Matt and Drea stared with the mouths wide open. "He's kidding right?", asked Drea. "It was nice knowing you guys! Keep safe and call me if you need something", said Mitchie and walked away, already assuming it was the last she'll know of them. Matt and Drea shook their heads in disbelief.

Melancholy of a nightmare: Aged Alliance

Drea couldn't believe she had gotten into this again! How many of them were there? After her and Noah's previous encounter with the Mutagen, Drea found safe haven amidst the overgrown bushes of the already wild nature park. Here she could practice her knife throwing in peace, and live in the occasional company of wolves! However, it was peaceful only until she ran into one of those soul craving soiled bloods. He seemed new, thus less powerful and she could take him down after a good fight. Or let's just say she could outrun him to the gun; either way, she now always hid her own bag and carried Noah's along while she hunted for food. How ironic was it that now she was being chased by two Mutagens, had her only food and water hidden under a rock in a bush, and had to run with a minimum of 4 kilograms of ammunition on her back. She couldn't believe she had gotten into this again!

As she ran, she knew she was getting farther from the pond, her camp and the city. She didn't know this part of the woods well enough to take a diversion and she couldn't afford slowing down. She had lost the Mutagens, but only temporarily. They were on the run, and they would be at her back again at any moment. As she ran, she wondered was this all? This was her battle? Her enemy? Why hadn't she already won then? Her thoughts kept haunting her like an endless question. Earlier it was easy to believe she was alone; sometimes she even thought she was in a deep and long comma. She had read about people hallucinating and dreaming when they're in a state of comma. She wished that was true sometimes, atleast that way she'd either get well someday or have the cord pulled on her. Either would bring peace of mind. Wound up in these thoughts she stumbled upon a root and lost her balance, hitting the wet ground. Now that she had stopped she found it impossible to run again, her legs felt as if they were giving up on her. She got up dusting her knees and scanned her surroundings. Quickly she spotted a tree she could climb. Reaching the base she struggled to pull herself up with her backpack that carried the entire city of Rome. She was not even 4 feet above the ground and she could already hear movement ion her surrounding. "Hurry up" , she thought to herself pulling herself further up. The movement in the surrounding increased. As she cleared the thick fall of branches, she felt her heart stop dead and her feet and hands lost all composure when she saw him. In the quickest reflex Mattias caught her free hand and clamped her mouth so she wouldn't scream. She stared into his almost hazel eyes, shocked by fate. Her mind quickly assessed everything about him. Same firm balace, strong enough to hold onto both of them, quick in his movements and calm. Everything around her was happening so fast, and a million things were going through her mind at the moment. Mattias was the last person she would want to meet; even if they were indeed the last people alive on Earth.

The stomping of the Mutagens grew louder and Mattias signalled her to climb higher. He climbed first and whispered to her to hand over her bag so that she could climb. A little hesitantly, she passed it to him as he lifted an eyebrow at learning its weight. Very quietly they climbed their way higher and deeper into the dense covers of the tree. On random branches she spotted a water-bottle hanging by it's clip, a suspended flashlight and an extremely small hiking bag strapped around a branch. She figured she had been trespassing his camp site; but honestly, he had done a good job of finding a snug as well as concealed living-ground. After placing Drea's bag on a branch across from him, Mattias comfortably sat himself on a branch . Drea took her place next to her bag. She spotted a back quiver with wooden bows hanging off a branch above him. She looked away when Mattias caught her looking at it. He pointed to another branch, showing her where the handmade bow was strapped. She only nodded. They both sat in motionless silence for what seemed like eternity. The mutagens walked past the tree seemingly clueless of the fact they were hiding up here. And then just to be sure, the two of them sat still and silent for another hour. Sitting there in a tree, facing Mattias made her palms sweat. It was awkward and unnerving. They both knew what they were thinking; there was a time when climbing trees together was a fun excuse for flirting with eachother. How many times had she wished they climb a super tall tree where no one could see them? How many times had he kissed her in the lamely capped tree behind her school soccer field. She felt suffocated in her own memories.

About three months back at the local rock cafe "Maquis", Drea would be playing her drums and Mattias would strum through his electric guitar while Nathan would sing. They had become famous as the "Guy who winked at his drummer girl in the middle of a melancholic tune" and Nathan be called the third wheel, only complimenting Drea and Matt's unmatchable musical combination. The three of them started off when Matt first moved to their neighbourhood. One evening while returning with her dirtbike she peeked into their garage and spotted a 1970 Norton Commando. Next to that, Matt sat tuning up its suspension. In an instant they struck a conversation, that turned into an informal introduction of their hobbies. They spent days in the garage; either playing with their fancy tools and machines or making music. Finally when they decided they could give the band a try, Drea invited Joanne's brother Nathan to join the "Night Light Angels". Joanne was a family friend, and over the numerous holidays spent with her family, Drea knew no-one could beat Nathan's high pitched voice; an interesting contrast to their punk-rock music. As much as she loved those times and assumed her and Matt really hit it off, she was hit by a sense of anger when she thought about how they ended. It not only ended them, it broke apart the band, Drea's friendship with Joanne and Nathan's trust on his sister or  his best friend Matt. "What an arse" she thought, and then tried to erase the thought of him and Joanne making out in their band garage. She felt sick.

Overwhelmed by all the emotions, she strapped on her bag and started climbing down. "Are you sure it's safe?" asked Matt. "I might have left something down there and that could be dangerous. Help me find it?", she asked tactfully. She reached the ground first waiting for Matt with the gun hidden at her back. Then just like Noah had done, the moment he stepped down, still weak on his balance, she pushed him face down on the floor holding his hands behind his back and knee oh his upper back. "What the hell Drea! You're one of them! Ughhh you bitch and I thought I helped you! Why didn't you just.." he started rambling.

Drea partially enjoyed the fact that he thought she would kill him and so said, "If you shut up this will be faster. Now just take your hoodie off, remember I have the gun to your head."
"A little hormonally wild are we?" he said in a quirky tone. Annoyed, Drea pressed her knee harder in his back and he winced. "Shut up and do it, and I will let you loose", she said sternly."Fine Fine" he said slowly getting on his knee and lifting up the hoodie. Drea examined under his overgrown hair and then lifted up the gun saying, "You're clean. Put your shirt back on."
"You're clean?! What the hell do you mean? What was all that!?"
"You obviously have no clue do you?", she found herself quoting Noah. "Do you know how to distinguish between a Mutagen and a human?"
"You mean the branders? Well... just instinct I guess."
"In that case I'd have killed you long back."
Ignoring her remark he said, "Well excuse me for living in a tree. Besides I've never seen them up close."
"Exactly my point. You can't live in a tree all your life."
"Yeah and instead do things like asking people to undress. Hey Drea would you strip for me?"
Extremely irritated by his attitude, Drea pushed him against the tree and said, "This isn't one of your damn jokes. They see you, they kill you. They are relentless, cold and wild. And if you do not recognise them you are dead already. I'm surprised you even pulled it off this far."
"I still wasn't the one who was being chased by two branders. I chose a smarter hiding place and I  have food and water which you don't."
This only made her stomach grumble but not thinking about food she replied, "I'm no coward hiding in a tree and making makeshift bows. I actually am fighting and hunting for survivors. The closer you are to the city, more the people."
"You are only closer to the scavenging branders that will also hunt the city. It's a call for death. How many survivors have you found Ms. Marvellous?"
"An unfortunate bastard who will get his ass kicked if he doesn't shut up."
"Oh the wild drummer speaks. Just like Joanne would call you.", retorted Matt hitting her weak spot.
"Do not talk about Joanne or the band. If there is anything I'd want her to be, it's dead. Preferably by me."
"That compliments your humanitarian approach to situations at hand. I think you'd lose against her."
Drea felt deep offence with reference to their past but calmly and sternly said, "It'd be nicer if you didn't teach me about being human. Everyone has a right to opinion. "
"Killing innocent people does not fall into any kind of human!"
"And that is your opinion!" yelled Drea.
After a long stare he slowly spoke, "You really hate me don't you?"
"More than I could ever hate Joanne in a lifetime."
"Then why don't you just kill me? I'm unarmed, and you have a gun I assume you are moderately good at. Atleast from this range."
Narrowing her eyes with overflowing rage, Drea said, "Kill you and end your guilt and misery? I'd rather have you die every day by simply being with me. Toil the hard days of hunting and working. Teach you the laws of natural selection. Killing you would make it too easy. I'm not a brander; I'll be deadlier. Finally, it will be you who will be vulnerable to the circumstance; you will need me."
"You reek of revenge. If we recall, you needed my help this morning. That makes it two more before you trade your life to me." said Matt, referencing to the rule of three. According to their battle games, in the rule of three, if someone saved your life three times, your life became theirs and you owe them forever. Unless of course, you save their life thrice. Lifting her gun Drea shot out a deafening bullet that intentionally loosely missed Matt's shoulder; he jumped in surprise. He turned and saw it land clean in a Mutagens heart, good 50 metres away. Matt started running up the tree while Drea ran towards the brander.
"What do you think you are doing."
"Join me if you like, but I'm killing the second one. They're the same guys chasing me earlier. And also, range and aim never bother me", she replied with a flair of pride.
Matt got off and caught up saying, "I don't have my bow."
"Take my gun and you better shoot the right person", she said handing him the gun. Then pulling out her boot knife they plunged into the bush coming face to face with the second brander. Drea threw her knife that missed him. She swore and shouted, "Matt shoot damnit!"
But in the meantime the brander had reached him and Drea had to run and snatch the gun from Matt's hand. The brander began choking Matt to death while Drea shot a clean hole through his spine. Matt cringed as black blood oozed out on his red hoodie and got up pushing the brander off and coughing. His eyes were wide in surprise and he was trembling.
"You check their necks and backs for Black Veins. I would not fancy you tripping for me pointlessly" Drea explained. She picked up her knife and closed the eyes of both the Branders. Matt just stood and watched, and then said, "Sorry for not shooting. I was a little shocked." Drea nodded and as she started walking away she smirked and said, "So is it one all or start on a clean slate? Won't be long before you lose your life." Matt smirked back and said, "One all". "So we start clean! Get your stuff and meet me at the pond", said Drea, with her intentional contradicting opinion and started walking back to her camp. Matt only grinned and said, "Coward! You're only afraid you will lose faster!" Noticing it made no difference to her, he finally said, "I'll be there. We began at 0."

Melancholy of a nightmare: Phase of the newborns

Drea waddled her way out of the pond onto the moss covered banks. She then sat up on the pavement reaching her extremely heavy backpack. As she looked in she found a half eaten granola bar she was pleased to finish, a candy and water. She refilled her water bottle from the pond and washed herself up. Walking to the house's debris and scavenged for any leftover weapons she could use. To her fortune she found the glistening metal of kitchen knives standing out against the charred furniture and green foliage. She wondered if she could knife throw; and planned on developing that as a skill. She put most knives in her bag and tucked one in her boot. Strapping her rack-sack onto her back she started walking through the overgrown city streets. If she could find an ammunition store here, she could probably find a working a gun. She still wished she had her .44 magnum she used to kill greed, arrogance, and envy. She did not want to lose upon her aim practice and scanned the stores- most of them destroyed already- around her. Just then, she found herself getting lucky as she reached a police department. If she knew her facts right, she could find a stock full of guns and ammo in there and no one would mind!

She approached the front door and swung her rock heavy bag into the front door waiting for the glass to shower upon her. And then she watched as the bag hit the glass and swung back but the door remained unmoved. Who was she kidding? A police department office would obviously have bullet proof glass. Just then she saw someone inside move; walk past like a shadow. It caught her off guard and she hid under the bush. Was her next enemy onto his killing spree already? She tried to peek through and suddenly found herself staring into a pair of crystal grey eyes across the bulletproof glass of the station. Reflexively, they both screamed and sprung into attention. Were there more survivors? Was this more than just an endless world consisting of just her? Then on catching sight of eachother, Drea and the boy in the blue hoodie and grey eyes, walked closer towards the door. As if pulled to him senses, the boy swiftly opened the locked door waiting for Drea to walk in. As she stepped closer, he pulled her by the hand and knocked her face down on the floor all in one movement. "Get  off me", she screamed as she tried to squirm out of his clasp; but he was too strong. His knee was placed right at the small of her back and sent shooting pain to her head if she moved. "Don't move", he yelled back as he pulled off her back pack and lifted her hair to touch the back of her neck. "What the hell are you doing?", she screamed, struggling more to move out. He then immediately got up lifting his hands in the air saying, "Sorry I had to check for if you were one of them." Drea got to her feet shoving him hard screaming, "One of who!?" "Calm the heck down! Sorry if I can't trust any human looking person ever since the mutagens", said the hoodie creep. "Okay look smart ass, I have no idea what you're talking about or who are the mutagens or whether you are sane or not; but touch me again and you're dead." He looked at her puzzled and said, "You really have no clue do you? I'd tell you if you were nice but oh well..", he replied slyly. "Really? After all this time I see one human and he has to be a cocky weirdo in an oversized hoodie that ironically has life written on it?" He smiled and said, "The name's Noah, and you shouldn't be so sure yet that I'm human." Drea sensed he knew a lot more than her and thoughtfully replied, "Drea. What do you know?" Lifting an eyebrow Noah said, "Very upfront of you. But to tell you inshort, this is what is happening: I don't know what the world has been like for you, but since the storm, it seems as if I've been the only person on the planet. I keep teleporting to these new surroundings and have weird things that call themselves anger or agony or envy fight me; as if I'm killing every negative emotion." Drea exitedly interrupted, "Me too!! All these impossible scenarios and I just keep fighting. Like an endless video game with unrealistic perks! Every time I close my eyes something changes, and I can't tell anymore if I even remember how to blink." Noah continued, "Yes exactly! Oh and to help you with that, you can now blink normally." "Now?", asked Drea. Noah replied,

I skipped a step. What I mean is, all this had been happening with me too. And after I previously killed anger I woke up in an apartment across the street. I blinked several times before I recognised someone that was looking at me. Feeling too ecstatic I ran to Jen, my girlfriend, and hugged her feeling myself cry. She smiled and asked me to stay away, said she was changing and had lost all. Confused I looked at her growing pale and she turned lifting her hair showing me her neck. Black veins rose against her neck and as I touched them she screamed miserably. "Stop it!" she snapped. She then screamed, "Don't touch them. It fastens it all!" "Fastens what?" I yelled at her frustrated and confused and she explained, "They will come for you and get you. You won't know when you see them but they have them too, some of them rising into their brain and skull and eventually the eyes, like a network of black veins." "Who them Jen, who!?" "I don't know who they are goddamnit! They look like us, talk like us, and dress like us! They are everything you have been fighting but only that look like you! And if you lose, you are one of them Noah. Go before I kill you." I said I wouldn't and she screamed asking me to. When I didn't move she touched her neck screaming in pain and I watched the nerves grow. Attracted by the noise, a gang of 7- mutagens as Jen named them- appeared and tried to break through the door. "Run now Noah. They can't kill me any further", she said as I found myself on my feet running towards the window. "Don't jump!", screamed Jen. "You can't be superman anymore. Be safe and have a good sleep, now that you can." she said with last smile and wink. I figured I'd die this time if I jumped out of the window and so ran my way down the fire lane. A lot happened- Being chased by 7 mutagens, killing people that ooze black blood and finally running into this place. Guessing it's bulletproof I locked all the doors and remained here trying to think of everything she said. I couldn't jump off bridges anymore that means, and like she said, when I closed my eyes nothing changed. I felt fatigue again, and when I woke up from my sleep I felt my entire body pound in ache. Next few days I explored this place, found just one gun sadly and a left it on the couch I sleep in. I found food for now, but it will soon run out and then it'll be hunting again.

Drea stared speechlessly, trying to take in all the information. The only thing she could think of saying was, "Sorry about Jen." He shrugged and said, "She did her best to help." They sat in silence, in their heavy reality for a moment after which Noah said, "I have canned corn. You could eat and then take a nap." "Thankyou", said Drea, already feeling comfortable in the company of another human. They both had been lonely for too long, just like every other person on the planet. They talked about their battles as Drea munched on canned corn not to think of how she tasted the brine in it. Before sleeping she took off her bag and was about to take her boots off but remembered about her knife, so she just left them on.

Drea woke up to loud noises of people running and things being thrown. Some one was frantically screaming her name. What was his name? Noah! She tried to wake up and her head pounded. Suddenly she recognised a sound. Shots were being fired and Noah was screaming for help. Still disoriented she got up running across the unlit hallway screaming for him. She followed the sound of the chaos and came face to face with one of them. Just like Noah had said, black veins curled up his neck and into his temples. The mutagen looked terrifyingly intimidating and soullessly pale. Drea couldn't react and saw Noah pulling him off her. She then tried to think again and dived right into the battle against the mutagen. He was strong, fast and wild, and even both Noah and Drea together couldn't knock him off. Running around the place trying to slow him down Drea immediately realised they made a mistake. Where they landed was exactly where the last gun in the station remained- the couch in Noah's makeshift bed. The mutagen spotted the lustful metal with minimal resistance got his hands on it. Before she knew, the bullet ran through Noah, and Drea's hand clutched her boot knife that had stabbed through the mutagens heart. In less that three seconds, the ground turned into a slump of two dead bodies and she watched Noah's red blood mix with the mutagens black fluid. Her vision blurred and her head ached and she kept repeating sorry to Noah. She said he fought well and she lifted his head and closed his eyes. She even looked at the dead Mutagen as tears streamed down her face; his veins were disappearing and he remained as a pulse-less creature; his blue eyes slowly returning as Drea shut them saying he had fought well too and she was sorry this happened to him. He deserved better than to be made a mutagen. She slipped Noah's gun out of his lose grip and turned to Noah saying, "I promise, every bullet through this one, is for you." She slowly walked away from them and picked up Noah's bag on the way out. It was heavier than hers and she was happy to know why- It was a bag full of bullets. Picking up her own bag on the other shoulder, Drea ran out of the police station that had turned into a grave. This was a new age, the age of the newborns and only the strongest would survive.

Melancholy of a nightmare: Back in time blazes

This time she opened her eyes to an empty back-lane of a busy city street. Dilapidated buildings filled her sight and the smell of mould made her sick. She soon sensed she was alone in the deserted city, "What a surprise!" she sarcastically shouted! Turning in a full circle to scan her new location, she reflexively put her hand inside her bag. Then she realized her gun was missing. With a heavy sigh she swore and started looking for a home she could loot. Conscience wasn't least of her worries in days like these. She would have left money in these homes; if only money mattered any more, or if only anyone was still alive. It often crossed her mind that she was the only person left amidst this vast nothing, people once called Earth. One month seems so long back. Ever since the invasion, no one can know which world is real. One month ago -or what she thinks was a month- she was sitting in the middle of a park and picking on an ugly blade of grass. After that everything went dark and light at the same time. The world around her dissolved into black nothing and strong white light blindingly approached towards her as she screamed and fell to her head. It felt as if she was struck by a million streaks of lightning all at once. She woke up to the world as she knows it now; new, torn apart, vague and never ending. Does the Earth in it's physical presence even exist any more? She could only hope there were more resistance groups against the soul sucking evils of these wrecker times. Her earlier days into this new nothing were wasted into crying about the loneliness. "Everyone bears their own cross Drea," her mom would say. She just didn't know it would be this lonely. She tried to think of something else. Self pity only made things worse. Pulling herself atop the nearest railing, she welcomed herself into the dust covered residence. It was a small lofted apartment and looked like it could have belonged to an avid reader. She went still at the sight of an entire wall stacked with books. Books were a rare commodity, and she could do anything to keep those with her. Excitedly she started scanning through the apartment to search for the largest possible bag she could find. She emptied her bag on the floor before her. Pulling out a camping bag, she stuffed the bottom with seven books and then stacked her supplies atop. Next, she ran into the kitchen and stuffed her bag with a box of granola bars. She cooked herself some canned soup for the night and fell asleep on the damp wooden floors as she looked at the night creep in.

This morning she woke up due to intense heat. It felt like the entire Earth could be on fire and still not burn as hot. The heat waves made her nauseous and she could almost taste her canned mushroom soup dinner. She splashed some water on her face from the already leaking kitchen faucet and peeked outside the window. She reflexively ducked as she saw the tree opposite to her window bust into flames and then disappear. She knew what this meant- it was time for her next battle! As quickly as she could, she grabbed her heavy bag and swung out of the apartment window. It was a short way to the ground if she jumped. Like most times, she would probably survive anyway! So just like that, she jumped off the hot metal railing and bid her goodbyes to the lofted apartment she already felt attached to. She started heading towards the source of the heat. With each step she felt herself getting dizzier. After good five minutes of running in the burning heat she crouched on the cracked cement roads. And then she saw it. The smoke started coming out from the cracks and quickly hugged her in their red sheet. "Oh I thought you changed colours!", she said sarcastically again. She was now dizzy and short of breath and blurred in vision. "C'mon you can do better than that!" She yelled in anger. As she coughed and walked through the dense red cloud she could see a figure waiting for her. It looked like someone covered in flames. "Are you going to fight me missy? You know this is a whole new level of dangerous now." echoed the figure. Drea kept quiet. She was smart to realise that this time it would be easier if she didn't say a word; this time her enemy was anger.

Her first thought was to empty her water bottle on the blazing figure. However as she thought more it only sounded stupid! She would be left with no water and it would only aggravate the enemy. Calmly, she sat on the floor. He laughed. "Why aren't you killing me?", she asked. "You aren't even gonna try?", replied anger. She smiled and nodded a no. The heat around her increased, her head ached and she felt dehydrated. Sweat stung her eyes and she coughed up blood. Not wanting to worry, she slowly sipped on her water. "Move you maggot!", screamed a voice on the other end. A blazing ball of fire flew right past her, instantly burning her shoulder. She screamed in pain but didn't stand up. Tears burned in her eyes and she bit her lip to not scream more. Another one approached, and this time she didn't flinch; she decided not to. The ground beneath her shook and fumed and she was rolled onto a burning pavement. Still not moving, she stood up and found her place on the ground again. Finally, with a dry throat she spat out the words, "Give up." The voice now raged, replied, "You cannot control me! You are a slave to my character! I am the demon inside you and you feed it each moment you fight back!" Looking straight towards the source of the voice Drea spoke, "You are only powerful as long as I fight. As long as I rage. You cannot kill me if I don't let you win. What if I don't feed that demon. What if I eliminate your presence from me all together? What are you gonna do then?" The ground roared again and more things around her fell into ashes. This time she got up and started walking right into the mouth of this blazing home. "What are you doing?", screamed anger. "Destroying your very presence from me." she said as she felt the first heat of the flames. Closing her tear filled eye she ran into the home. She didn't know if things would change for the better when she would open her eye this time; but she gave it a chance. A blanket of heat and stinging burns covered her. She might have screamed if her throat wasn't so dry. When she opened her eyes she remained laid down on a rock in the middle of a pond. A little shocked at first she stood up to not fall in. And then all at once she felt the presence of every cell in her body and jumped into the pond feeling utmost relief. When she looked around it had all changed. The burning home was ashes, the pavement covered in moss and greenery all around her. Her backpack remained untouched on it. She decided to spend some time cooling herself in that pond before she would carry on. She had killed anger.

Melancholy of a nightmare: The beginning

She waited under the heavy rock, and heard her heart pound at the same pace as the horses she heard running around. With each breath in, her lungs screamed with the red toxic fumes. The hooves stopped. This was her chance. Slowly she shifted her weight to her right leg and shed a red tear of pain. Then with utmost caution she pulled out her .44 magnum and fixed it between her palms. Not the best gun for her range, but that was all she had found when she had last looted the abandoned hut. She slowly stepped out from where she could see him now. Clad in green, he sat on a red horse and held a green bow in his hand. There were many more horses around him, but he came alone. Drea took a deep breath and then ran towards the crowd of horses as fast as she could. When they saw her, they all ran towards her with all their strength and speed. This was the moment; it was a do or die situation and she would never know unless she took a chance. Within an instant she dropped herself to the ground. The impact knocked the air out of her and she scraped her knees. But ignoring the pain and pine needles, she looked up at the horses that were approaching her with wide eyes. She fought back her tears and clutched the gun tighter in her hand. Then she saw it happen; she saw them slow down. With each trot their pace decreased; so slow until one stopped next to her and the others right before her eye. Amazed at how easily she could control things, she started crying and stood up wiping her tears. In an instant she hopped onto the horse in front of her and watched the others file behind her horse. She called out to her green enemy and pointed the gun at him. This time she was closer, but she wasn't sure of her shot. Before she could react he left an arrow in her direction and she jumped off her horse and rolled on the ground to dodge it. It was war and it was on. In the next two seconds she was on the horse again and chasing after Mr. Green. Her hair flew out of her damp ponytail and sent cool breeze through her neck. She aimed and shot. It missed. As she braced herself for the approaching arrow, she hopped onto the horse running next to hers. With a little difficulty she positioned herself again and looked for a running green haze. Raising her gun, Drea shut one eye and shot again hitting his horse. She screamed and stopped her horse. Drea never wanted to harm the horse. She got down and closed her eyes. She knew what she was doing would only make it more difficult, but she was learning to pay for her mistakes. When she opened her eyes the horses were gone. All but the horse she had hurt. A green figure stood before her. She couldn't see his face but felt energy being drawn out of her. Without a second thought she pushed her gun into her little sack, ran towards the nearest tree, jumped and kicked on the bark and caught onto the first branch when the force lifted her upwards. An arrow barely missed her swinging legs and with every ounce of strength that remained, she pulled herself up on the branch. She hugged it and caught on tightly for balance. She could feel the weight of her gun in her sling pack and her legs failed to hold her still. She was shivering of fear and felt the warm tears stream down her face. She climbed higher into the tree until the arrows couldn't reach her anymore. The branches creaked under her foot when she bent down to look for him. Then with a sudden gush of air and a swift arrow slid past her. The movement shocked her and she tripped. Her reflex got her fixed onto the closest branch and she saw her gun slip out of her sight. A sinful laugh echoed the dark canopy and once again, she closed her eyes and let go of her grip. When she opened them she stood right in front of the green face phantom, in a red cloud that itched her skin. Her limbs took over her and within a second she was on him, fighting his blows and kicks. Then with one firm grip on his faceless head, she twisted the life out of him. "Goodbye jealousy", she muttered and watched him disappear along with the disappearing red clouds. Drea dropped to the floor in exhaustion and closed her eyes again to kill her next enemy.