Chapter 4: Dead Words

Lyra continues her journey in Chicago, Lyra's POV. Goes through a description of how the apocalypse has affected her. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Dead Words

            “We need to, if I don’t I’m sure as hell going to starve to death” Lyra said in retort to his inquiry.

            “Fair enough”, the voice said casually “after all, it would be a shame if that sweetheart of yours came all the way up here to find you dead.” He added a sadistic laugh to his statement.

            She knew who he was talking about, but ignored the “joke”.

            “Hey! I was just kidding! Lighten up. Damn.”

            “Easy for you to say.”

            “Easy for me to…? Hey, look, I have to survive just as much as any other person in this world.”

            Lyra didn’t think she’d use the term survive for what he did. After all, she pretty much carried his weight, literally and metaphorically.

            “My way of surviving is just… Well, less work heavy than yours?” He questioned his own phrasing with that same sarcastic tone he always used.

            “You’re way of “surviving” pretty much has you mooching off of me!” Lyra yelled at the voice this time and turned around to face it, but it was gone.

            Then she heard the sarcastic voice behind her, again. “Well… You make a point, but I don’t think I’ll be changing my style anytime soon. I’m a… Let’s say, for lack of better terms, I’m a valuable asset to you, a necessary evil. If I got lost or, god forbid, died, you would most likely be lost yourself!” That annoying, sadistic laugh followed his statement, yet again.

            But he was right. With no one else around to help her or talk to, if he was gone Lyra would be lost. She would go absolutely insane; she would want death. So, that’s why this tired human being put up with all of his unnecessary bullshit. There was almost nothing she could do about him.

            She finally made a comment to him, “You’re right… It’s just… Just hard to deal with you day in and day out. You strain me, I hope you know that!” Lyra turned to look for him, but as always he went behind her.

            All the voice could give her was a devilish grin and a simple, “I know”.

            After that, there was a heavy silence that followed. During this time, Lyra looked out at the shore of Chicago and saw happier times. She saw family picnics in the parks, she saw mall shopping with her friends… She even saw the time she gave Dallas the golden locket with the picture of her. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she curled up on the ground. Everything was straining her and destroying her, she couldn’t take it anymore, she needed something or someone familiar. The only thing that she had that barely matched that was him.

            She wanted to be alone, for now. So with a choked voice, she said, “Just… Just go… Leave until I get back from the scavenging run.” Tears fell to the deck of the ship as she finished her sentence.

            Lyra could feel the stare she was getting from him, she didn’t have to look up to see his angry, temperamental gaze on her. “Okay, I see how it is. Just remember…” He got closer to her ear to whisper to her, “You can’t live without me.” Then she felt his presence disappear from behind her, with the sound of his damned sadistic laugh.

            Thanks to the uncomfortable feeling of having him that close to her, coupled with his horrible laugh, Lyra stayed curled up on the ground. She hadn’t let anything of her depression out in ages, the last time ending bloodier than this one. Slowly, she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to see the small marks she carved into herself. Most times writing or crying would let her feelings and emotions out, making her feel better. Other times, pain was all that could rid her of the languishing depression and hurt that grew inside. It may have been cruel of her to do this to herself, but there was no one there that she could turn to for comfort.

            Still in her curled up position, she imagined that her arms were her parents coming to embrace and comfort her after she fell off her bike, maybe after she got a bad grade. Or that it was her friends, coming to give a hug to say hello or goodbye or just to let Lyra know that they were there. She thought of all the people that her arms could be that would hold her and make her feel like everything was alright. Then she came to the last person that would embrace her that she wanted her arms to be, more than anyone else. Dallas.

            Lyra could clearly see it in her mind, her crying and him just holding her there, in complete silence. No words, just the love between them. Then he would reach under her chin, tilt her head up slightly and give her a gentle kiss, finally whispering the words, “As long as you’re in my arms, nothing will ever harm you.”

            To this day, she still believed those words, she still believed Dallas was out there. And someday, they would see each other again. She could still feel his embrace as she got out of her laid out position. Then she looked up to the sky.

            While she stared at the blue sky, she confessed what she believed in all this time. “He will find me, he never breaks his promises. Whether it be through life or death, he will fulfill it. I know he will…”

Lyra lingered on these words for a minute longer, then turned her attention to the shore. She was almost at her desired location.

‘Now that the dramatics are over, it’s time to go to work’ she said in her head.

Surprisingly, the boat hadn’t veered off course as much as she thought it would. The waves were brushing lightly against the hull of the boat and the wind caressed the sail gently, causing it to stay at the current direction and pace it was going. She made a final check of the gear she needed, reminding herself that it could be a night on the town if need be. With that reminder, Lyra made sure she had an adequate supply of food and water. Looking through her bag, she also made sure she had a lighter, flashlight and sleeping bag.

After she was satisfied with the double check of her gear and supplies, she aimed the boat towards the nearest dock, taking her usual spot closest towards the harbor entrance. A fast get away might be needed later. She steeled her mind and made sure her head was on straight. Leaving all of her emotions on the boat, allowing her to deal with them later if needed.

Lyra ventured off the small yacht, tying it quickly and securely to the dock before she made her exit out of the small harbor. When she was satisfied with her work, she began her adventure into the city. She looked up into the sky quickly to see that the day was three-quarters of the way over. Her gaze then turned towards the city. Perhaps ruins were a better term to describe what she saw.

Several times Lyra had scavenged the decaying city, but it always shocked her at how much the scene reminded her of bombs descending towards an unsuspecting populace. Chicago looked like it had been hit by such. The people all dead, dust, or being digested by the creatures hiding from the sunlight. Buildings and skyscrapers that dotted the city with their beauty were being digested by a different monster: time.

Crumbling under the pressure of natural forces and the unnatural force of age, once great architectural achievements were now piles of dust and rubble. Some of these buildings were also destroyed in peoples’ attempts to stop the spread of the lurkers. Which explained why several roads were blocked by glass and concrete structures. It didn’t help them in the slightest, as one could see claw marks scraping and filing down the fallen buildings, caused by the lurkers that made their way over the mass of rubble.

Everything was caused by these horrid creatures. All the deaths, all the destruction, it was the lurkers. Though, humanity could be blamed, too. Humans were soft, they let this happen to them. When a family member or friend turned into a lurker, two humans were lost: the one who was the now-turned lurker and the one who couldn’t pull the trigger. So soft. People used to be fit for such a world of scavenging and survival. Now, only the ones who bothered to learn anything about survival in the past lived.

Lyra wasn’t one of those people; she was the exception, she got lucky. Many of her family and friends sacrificed themselves so she could keep going. Through the chance they gave her to live, she became stronger and learned how to survive. She knew where to look and what to look for, she knew how to avoid the lurkers, even at night. This apocalypse had changed her, and she welcomed it because it was either that or die. And she wasn’t ready to die, not yet.

Lyra was ready for whatever she would find in the city today. Knowing where she needed to go, she pulled out the map of the area she was in, and chose the quickest route to her desired destination. She looked up and found the beginning of the route that looked the most promising. And with that, she began her journey into the hostile and decrepit ruins of one of humanity’s greatest cities.  

Author's Note

Looking for any and all critiques! Thanks, enjoy the chapter!