PROLOGUE

 

PROLOGUE: TAKEN

 

 

                How lonely the world had become, not just lonely as the results of the absence of humans but also of light, humanity, sound … hope. The sound of my revolving bike wheels maneuvering cuts through the air and Ian’s somewhat steady breathing was deafening, due to the cause that it stood out against the eerie silence, like might a speck of red floating in a blank, black sea. My eyes drifted off the road, trying to tell apart the earth from the atmosphere, staring up at the sky. It had to be the beginning of starry nights, here in California. When things used to be normal, the stars had been bloated out by artificial city lights. If you were lucky, you would have been able to see a tiny particle against the sterile vastness of the sky… however, most of the time, that little particle of light was a helicopter or some kind of aircraft. Even after seventeen years of looking at a blank sky, it was hard to admire the stars at all when Earth’s unknowable force, that had brought upon us our own downfall, had fallen somewhere from the embedment of the stars.

            My muscle ached, either from pedaling the blasted mountain bike that had a seat that literally kicked your a*s, or from falling off it on a test run. It had once belonged to my now deceased father… gone, along with my entire family…  Maybe my butt hurt so much from sitting in my grotesque barf green van for days, nearly paralyzing my limbs just sitting there as my stomach slowly corroded itself from my constant anxiety and tension, wondering every second when they were going to find us.

            My stomach was calm for now; they didn’t come out at night, at least not usually. The “not usually” riveted my nerves, hoping all was unnecessary.

“Sam”

“What?” I gently braked, having come to treat the brakes with a respectful, soft clench; learning this momentarily after numerous flips over the handlebars. Rubber screeching on asphalt split the air rhythmically. Looking blindly to my right at what was considered a ruckus now, I could blandly see Ian, dimmed by the light of the moon that had bested all the stars. I could make out only the outline of his tall, muscular body, and some of the prominent features of his face. He pointed into the distance, his arm carrying a curtain of shadows that blackened his body more.

“See it, the Temecula mall?” I squinted, forcing a smile on my sticky face, cursing that we hadn’t brought flashlights even though they would possibly attract attention to ourselves.

“Yes, it looks like a giant wall. Outer wall I suppose”

“Yes, and can you see the painted sign?” I hovered over my handlebars. I starred for a while at the wall.

“I see it” I smiled, lowering my voice and giving a little commercial accent “Welcome to the Temecula outdoor shopping center!” it said exactly that on the wall in greasy gloss red, at least that’s what it looked like in the dark, fancy writing in paint. Ian chuckled “Let’s go” we dig our feet into the pedals, riding into the huge, empty parking lot.

“This place still has electricity” murmured Ian, pointing out the neon marquee hovering in the air by a stiff pole, TEMECULA OUTDOOR SHOPPING CENTER it read in flickering green, moths circulating around the sign… I guess humans were not the only ones searching for light.

“WHOA” I looked over my shoulder, snapping my head over at the clatter of bike and ground. Ian sat on the ground, rubbing his knee.

“Are you okay” I planted my feet down, getting ready to rush to his side to help him.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I ran into a stupid parking block” I laughed.

“How did you not see it, dork?”

“I love you, too” I laughed again, he slowly wobbled onto his bike, cruising to my side. Even in the dark, I could tell he was upset, or just annoyed. I leaned out off my seat, resting my head on his shoulder, his comforting smell making everything disperse, shielding me in this brief moment, making things a bit better than it really was.

“You know I love you… so much” I murmured softly. He gave a stubborn sigh, making me smile, my cheekbones digging into his shoulder which he probably didn’t notice.

“I know” his hand tucked under my chin, lifting my face, so his lips could get a proper grasp on mine,  our lips gliding with one another in unison, his hands locking onto my hips. I wish he could’ve held me there forever, not only did it let me express my true passion for him but it also erased everything; everything we had lost, felt, suffered, wanted… everything that had been compacted into the last months.

            He slightly pulled away, pausing before once again locking lips on mine.
”We should get started” I said, a bit mournfully, taking a look at my watch.

“You’re right… RACE YOU!” he put on a burst of speed, pedaling towards the entrance way across the parking lot. I smiled, following him; he knew how to cheer me up.

“DON’T SMASH INTO A PARKING BLOCK!”I chided, getting closer, Ian was no match for my muscular soccer legs. In seconds I was past him, laughing along with his winded chuckles. I glided onto the premises, riding through the entrance, merely an open hall of boutiques and soda and snack machines, I’ll get those when we leave. Sharply I turn to my right.

“I’M GOING AROUND…TO THE OPPOSITE ENTRANCE!”

“OKAY!” the mall was empty, of course. Most of the shops had tinted windows, cracks winding through the thick glass. Litter lingered over the mustard yellow concrete. Some of the lights were on here. Fear bloomed in my stomach from the gloom that oozed of deception. I gulped, it’s essence of creepiness sent a shiver waving across my skin, even in this humid climate. Nothing to fear, remember what mom said… I flinched, forgetting to pedal; I nearly fell off the bike. I scrunched my eyes in concentration, trying to forget distant memories, everything caused pain. My stomach grumbled, the stale gummy bears I had eaten for breakfast were not exactly filling or reasonably edible. My thoughts drifted to poor Nick, huddled in the van alone, hungry. Nick was Ian’s little seven year old brother. At least he is safe I thought to sooth my remorse. We had hid the van up a gigantic hill near the highway, the bushes, hopefully enough to obscure it. We planned to slowly drive to Big Bear, where there was high elevation and immense amount of coverage. We needed a better map to do that, on the way here, I prayed we would find all the supplies we would need and do it successfully and safely.

            A light wind swept through, faint chimes sounded off from an abandoned booth. Slowly I rode on; shops on either side of me seemed to glower down upon me, straight and silent like sentinels, letting the shadows devour the detailed structuring. I hated this place; it only revealed the human race’s own weakness; all the high luxury shops were ransacked, the park benches tagged with graffiti, all with similar messages. “PEACE!” or “WHERE’S YOUR GOD, NOW?” The trash cans tipped over, wasted wood from the booths littered everywhere. This all was no where close to the other barbaric things mankind had done in the face of extinction. Everything had been pointless… everyone was dead.

            “SAMMY!” I looked up the aisle of shops, Ian at the end. He looked tiny, waving me over. My legs spiraled on the pedals, the wind whisking away my hair, feeling it come loose from my elastic hair band, my eyes smoldering in wetness from the constant friction of moving air on my eyes. I smiled, seeing Ian’s face lit up and in his hand an already half filled sack. Wind battered in my ear, but it was not loud enough to block out the most fearful sound, a horrifying bellow, like the sound of cork screws in a blender. It was here. Ian’s face snapped into panic, climbing onto his bike. I couldn’t breathe, the shriek still ringing, it was so loud… so close that my airway was caving in.

            I didn’t have time to think, not even scream… there it was, it had jumped off the roof of the shops, now right in front of me, and my hands clenched the brakes in terror, flipping over the handlebars.

“SAMANTHA!” it was too late, I hit the ground, losing total consciousness, left vulnerable to be escorted to where nightmares scurried away from and death, surely, flourished.

Author's Note

Please ignore grammar problems. I know they're there and have countless times looked over and edited my work but still can't fix every single one. I would appreciate comments (good or bad) and would love ideas since I'm constantly on writer's block.

SONG OF THE CHAPTER: "Apocalpse Please" -Muse

Reviews

[Ben]

This is very good! I can't wait to read more!