ch01-b: Waking Up to 'Now'

The ruined city lay still as the cold night air blew over it. Small lights flickered through a few windows, as the rest remained in the darkness.

The buildings cast down shadows on the abandoned roads, moonlight occasionally streaming past the roofs. A single figure walked along, lantern in hand.

The figure, a young boy, crept silently; as if wary to disturb any of the city's nonexistent inhabitants.

A small flame lit his way as he continued walking down the familiar paths, Minutes later, he found himself standing outside a decrepit building. Its paint long gone and windows nothing more but broken glass. Going inside, he went straight to the stairs, passing by a lift that had long since broken down.

"I'm back," his coarse voice rang throughout the hall as he set the lantern on the floor. A single brown eye looked around, its counterpart rendered blind by an accident prior (now it hid behind clumsily tied bandages). Bleach blonde hair stuck to his forehead in clumps, with the assistance of dried blood.

"Did you find anything new?" Another voice came from the room on the left. A girl, older than the boy, walked towards him, with her dirty blonde hair swinging behind her in tangled curls. A pair of scruffy feline ears peeked under the mess of hair. Cat-like eyes, glowing a faint blue in the darkness, squinted as she looked around for the boy.

"The Glow surrounding the hospital seems to have dimmed down enough that entry is possible," the boy reported. Before the girl could reply, the boy took a deep breath and continued.

"Entry is possible, but not without protection. This means we have to contact those guys," he spat out the last part of the sentence. The girl rolled her eyes before walking towards the boy.

"Don't worry about that, I'll talk to them. I don't mind most of them anyways, just the one girl," she gave a small smile and the boy sighed.

"It would be alright to go without the proper equipment, but we don't want to risk anymore... mutations," he mumbled tiredly. "God knows we don't need anymore of those," the boy murmured as an afterthought.

"That is, if God even exists," the girl added with a bitter laugh.

"You shouldn't be talking like that around Oliver, See-U," another voice interrupted. A woman with bright red hair and even more vibrantly red eyes stepped into the hall. A smile was on her face, albeit a mirthless one.

"Why shouldn't I?" See-U asked in a childish tone, lips curled into a distasteful frown.

"It's the truth anyways, and you know it," she added. The redhead's protest died on her lips, and See-U gave a small smile.

"It's fine, don't worry about it Cul," Oliver stated, head upturned to gaze at the cracks in the ceiling.

"After all, there's no point in believing in something that won't come through when you need it the most."

The hall kept in silence as the three stood together, and the glow of the lantern gradually started to dim.

A blonde girl stood alone, on top of a balcony overlooking the city, Dull blue eyes stared down at the sight below her, and for a split second, she saw a flash of what had been.

The grip her now grotesque hands had on the railing tightened. Absentmindedly, she noted that the wings on her lower back ruffled a bit. A sigh escaped her lips.

"It really is depressing to look at it, huh?" Another person walked onto the balcony and stood beside her; a boy with features similar to her own. From her normal features, to her mutations.

"Yeah, everything's dead."

"We aren't."

"Do you ever wish we were?"

"Sometimes."

"Why not always?"

"Then that means I wouldn't get to spend anymore time with you," the boy pulled the girl in for a hug, gently patting her head as best he could with the monstrosities he now had for hands. The girl clung to his flimsy shirt, trying her best not to damage it any further.

"Don't worry Rin," the boy spoke comfortingly, "everything's going to get better soon."

"I hope so Len, I hope so."

The blonde twins, too occupied with their hug, failed to notice that for the first night in seventy years, the stars had grown visible again.

A/N: apologies for this chapter; i would like to inform anyone reading this that the story will be put on an indefinite hiatus of sorts; i am rather disappointed with my writing nowadays, and would like to improve further before continuing.

the story will not be abandoned; i will continue writing it, just not anytime soon.

feel free to unsubscribe from the story, as i'm sure that when the time comes, you'll come across it again when i feel that it's ready.

on another note, i'm looking for a story that i read before: the main character was Yukari, i believe. it was set in some sort of end-of-the-world (?) scenario? i can't really remember much about it.