Chapter One

Darkness. Shadow. Death. That was all Liam felt as he weightlessly floated about his dark shadowy dreamland. He felt afraid, afraid of what might be out there. He was terrified of dreams, mostly because his were almost always bad. Where he lived, there was nowhere to be happy. Nowhere to be loved. Nowhere to safe…
“Perhaps if I could simply wake up, I’d feel better…” He thought as he looked around the shadowy unknown. However, he knew that secretly, he never wanted to wake up. His life in the newly expanded city of Manhattan was terrible. Especially since those beasts had arrived a year or two back… All he wanted was a life free of death and destruction, but he knew that would never happen.
As he floated about, he thought he heard a noise off to his right. His entire body jerked in that direction. Every bit of him was as terrified as a sheep being chased by a wolf. He knew that anything could be in his dream. Anything. Liam’s imagination was extremely wild, especially for an eighteen-year-old.
“it was nothing…” He thought. But then that fear seized him again when a much louder noise echoed throughout the cold, dark walls of his ever-so terrifying dream.
He imagined himself landing of the ground. Once he was there, he looked in every direction, desperate to see if there were any imaginary creatures attempting to hunt him down and “kill” him.
Just then, a slight laugh echoed overhead.
“W-w-who’s there?” he asked, his voice shaking with fear. No one answered
Just then, he heard a voice shout: “Look out!” Followed by: “Run!”
Liam was very confused. Who could those voices be coming from? A loud noise echoed throughout his dream, followed by an explosion.
“What the heck…” Liam thought
Suddenly, an ear-splitting gun shot rang out, jolting Liam wide awake…
Sitting up, he realized that he was finally awake. Looking around, he realized that he had fallen to sleep, surrounded by a group of fairly large boxes. He couldn’t see anything beyond them, since he was sitting down. As he began to sit up to get a good look at where these strange noises were coming from, a bullet came an inch away from his head. He felt the wind of the bullet and was struck with terror. Immediately, he dropped to the ground.
“Where did that come from!?” He said as he slowly moved into a more comfortable position.
“He’s almost dead!” A rough voice shouted. “Keep it up boys!”
Liam was surprised, for he thought that the man was talking about him. But as he took another quick peak, he realized that they were talking about a massive bird-like creature. Liam knew exactly what it was called. It was a Snikeum, one of the many bird-like creatures that roamed the city, hunting for any survivors. These things were huge and had sharp wings that could annihilate anything if used properly.
“Looks like their gonna to win.” Liam said with a slight sigh of relief. He hated being hunted by those things. He had been before. However, it wasn’t always like that. There had once been peace before the monsters came.
Years ago, a group of scientists had been trying to make a formula that would increase an animals age, size, and strength. With this, they could clone animals that were going extinct and grow them to full size in a few mere hours. After their experiment worked, another scientist’s around the world decided that they wanted to try it to. Soon after, dozens of fully grown nearly extinct animals were at full strength and ready for zoos. However, when a group of scientists found a way to make the process of growth even faster, they became greedy. Soon, what had been a harmless idea turned into a catastrophe. The animals grew massive and became very vicious. It was only a matter of time before the giants escaped. Many people died. The animals poisoned almost everything they touched. Soon, people had no choice but to hide out in a city. It was the only place to find shelter.
Things only got worse. People became infected with the strange poison and were turned into zombie like creatures called Fogs. They would roam streets, hunting anyone or anything down.
Liam had been fifteen, almost sixteen when he had moved to the city of Manhattan. He and his family were some of the first in the city to fall. Liam was the only survivor…
He had sworn revenge ever since that had happened, but he had never stayed true to his word. Those monsters terrified him. They were all extremely large and dangerous.
But not everything was bad. He currently lived in a small, broken down building that had formerly been a restaurant. The building was crammed between two large buildings, making it an ideal place to hide.
However, even though he roamed the streets alone, he wasn’t truly alone. An old woman named Cassandra lived with him in the restaurant. She was almost eighty years old and she couldn’t walk, although she had never told Liam why. Liam had promised to take care of her no matter what. She was probably the sweetest person he had ever met. She was wise, caring, and encouraging. Whenever Liam felt depressed or anxious, she would tell him a story of her past life.
Every now and then, Liam would leave the safety of the restaurant in search for food. They had recently run out of food and since Cassandra couldn’t walk, Liam was forced to go get the life granting food that was often found in almost any building.
Unfortunately for Liam, it had been sundown when he had gone on a food run. He had been hoping to make it back before nightfall, but he had failed and had no choice but to sleep. So, he had grabbed some boxes and piled them together to form a solid place to sleep. Or so he had thought…
And now, there he was, hoping for his life as the men battled the Snikeum.
Just then, he noticed an alleyway nearby. “Perfect.” He said.
Liam slowly began to push the box out of the way. Ripples of fear shot up his spine. He knew that if that group (guild) of men spotted him, they would most likely kill him for his stuff.
Gritting his teeth and pushing his fear away, he dashed forward suddenly and within a moment, he had made it to the ally.
Sighing with relief, he was about to move deeper into the ally when he thought he heard something above him. Looking up, he saw nothing unusual, other than the sky.
“Just my imagination.” He said. “I’ve got to get back. Cassandra’s probably starving!” He suddenly felt guilty and knew that she was most likely worried.
Just before he took off, he turned around one last time. He could see the men closing in for the kill. The Snikeum cried out in pain again and again until a large, muscular man jabbed a spear right into its chest. The beast dropped to the ground and lay still. The men cheered.
With one last sigh, Liam turned around, and ran.

Chapter Two

Liam arrived at the restaurant after fifteen solid minutes of running. He was exhausted and he greatly wished to eat the food that was in his bag. He had brought home two granola bars. A waffle maker that he had found. (The restaurant had the waffle mix.) And two hamburgers. Not much, but it would suffice.
Sprinting into the restaurant, he ran straight to Cassandra’s bed. She was busy reading a book that Liam had found a few days ago.
Liam spoke quickly. “I’m so sorry for being late. I had to sleep because it was getting dark and I was nearly killed, and I almost didn’t make it. He took a deep breath because he had spoke so fast.
“Don’t worry child.” Cassandra said. “Its all right. I ate that last bar to keep myself sustained.”
That last bar?! Liam thought, shocked that she had hidden it from him.
“But you told me- He started.
“Yes I told you that I had already eaten it. I forgot that there was one more in the right next to my bed. Sorry Liam”
Liam frowned. He had been starving when he had left the restaurant and had asked her where it was. Of course, he now knew what had happened to it.
“I guess its fine.” He said.
As he set the food at the table by Cassandra’s bed, she asked him what he meant when he said that he had “almost died.”
So, he told her what had happened with the guild and the Snikeum. But she was more interested in how he had survived the night.
“The Fogs could have gotten you.” She began. “Or you could have been killed by some guild.”
There were multiple guilds in the city of Manhattan that had formed soon after the monster attacks. A guilds goal was simply to survive against the terrifying creatures that roamed the city both day and night.
“I surrounded myself with large boxes.” He replied.
“Hmm. I thought Fogs were smarter than that. I guess I was wrong. They are as stupid as they look.”
Liam chuckled. Cassandra may have been kind and warm hearted. But she could also be blunt. It never failed to make him laugh.
“Yeah I guess they are pretty stupid.” Liam said as he took a bite out of his hamburger.
Just then, Liam noticed something outside. It was a light.
“What is that light?” Cassandra asked.
“Oh no.” Liam said. “Cassandra! Pull the switch!”
She nodded quickly, then reached out and pulled a small lever that caused the curtains in front of her bed to close.
Liam dove for cover just as a flashlight shown into the room. He swiftly crawled over to an old ratty chair that he had found in the neighboring building a few months back and hid behind it.
“You two, check that building while the rest of us will check that one.”
“Ok, if you want.”
Liam could tell that this was not a friendly guild. They were clearly in search of food and water, but so far, they had only had bad luck.
“Hurry it up!” Their leader barked. “The guilds not gonna live on grass and dirt, so move it!”
Liam knew that this guy wasn’t the guild leader. Guild leaders rarely left the headquarters of their group and they never went in search of food, but Liam could tell that the man was a commander, and he was a tough one too. He couldn’t imagine what the guilds real leader was like.
Peeking out from behind the chair, Liam got a quick look at the people, then dove back. There were three men and three women, each heavily armed and ready for battle.
Liam heard two of them enter the left building while the others went to the other. Liam’s heart froze however when he realized that the others were actually going to his building!
“This building looks like it should have some good stuff.” A voice said as four people entered the restaurant. Liam gulped.
“Hey Frank! Look at this.” Some lady said. “Just what you’ve always wanted.”
The others laughed as she held up one of Cassandras bonnets that she liked wearing.
“That ain’t funny Lacie.” Frank said, annoyed.
Liam took a quick glance towards the bed where Cassandra was hiding and saw an eye peeking out. He quickly signaled for her to get away from the opening.
“Hey. I found a couple granola bars over here.” A man said.
“And I found a waffle maker. And waffle mix.” A woman said
“Should we take that old ratty chair?” Someone asked.
Liam froze
“Of course not Adam.” Frank said. “Tom said food and water only!”
Immediately, Liam was relieved. However, they weren’t safe just yet.
“Hey guys!” A voice shouted from the other building. “Come see the stuff we found in here!”
“This old restaurant has trash stuff anyway.” Lacie said before spatting into the air. The spit landed on Liam’s face. he almost wanted to throw up.
Turning, the gang ran out the door and took off towards the other building. Liam could finally breath again.
After about an hour, the guild ran off into the night, covered in all sorts of goodies. Liam and Cassandra were safe.
Taking a big sigh of relief, Liam walked towards Cassandra’s bed and pulled on the lever. Immediately, the curtains opened revealing a sleeping Cassandra.
Liam chuckled, then closed the curtains, climbed into his bed on the opposite side of the room, and went to sleep.

Chapter Three

Liam woke with a start. His heart pounding. His head covered in sweat. He had another nightmare, which was typical. However, this one was different. Something about it terrified him to the point where he no longer felt safe. At all.
Sitting up, he decided to go back to sleep. After he looked out the window to make sure he was safe. He did this often to make sure Fogs weren’t hunting him down.
Standing up, he moved away from his sleeping bag and walked towards the window. Peering out, he saw that it was still dark. He could tell, however, that it was almost day judging by the small sliver of orange that could be seen just on the horizon. The only reason why he could see the sunrise was because the buildings in front of the restaurant had been cut down by the biggest of creatures that roamed the streets.
Liam couldn’t see any Fogs wandering about, which was an instant reliever. The thought of being attacked by them made Liam afraid. Afraid and anxious.
It was just then when he noticed something off in the distance.
What’s that? He wondered as he stared at the strange figure in the darkness. Suddenly, it moved. Liam was immediately struck with terror.
Could it be a fog? He thought.
However, as soon as he noticed it, it turned and dashed away into an ally. For a split second, Liam saw its face. It was too dark to notice any details, but he could tell that it was no fog, neither was it some kind of beast. It was a human.
“Who could that have been?” He mumbled. Liam felt both surprised and confused. But anything was better than being afraid.
After another twenty minutes of looking and seeing nothing, he decided to go back to bed. As he stepped toward his sleeping bag, a voice suddenly asked:
“What are you doing?”
For a split second, Liam was terrified, but then, we recognized the voice to be Cassandra’s.
“Sorry for scaring you.” Cassandra said with a look of guilt of her face.
“Its fine.” Liam responded. “I was just startled.”
“I’ve been startled many times before.” Cassandra said. “In fact, there was a time, when I could still walk, where I was scared half to death.”
Liam needed a good story to make him feel better, so he decided to listen.
“It was two years ago.” Cassandra began. “When the first creatures started to attack. I was at a grocery store at the time, and I was fresh out of, well, I think it was cereal. Anyways, I was heading down the isle when suddenly, a faint noise, like a roar sounded from outside. I assumed it was nothing, however it was most defiantly something.”
“What was it?” Liam asked.
Cassandra sighed. “I’m getting there.” She said. “Anyways, I was about to grab the box of cereal, corn flakes I think it was.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Yes, they were corn flakes. When suddenly, something much like an earthquake shook the ground. I was pretty scared.” She paused to take a drink of water.
“What did you do?” Liam asked
She set down her cup, swallowed, and continued.
“Well, quite simply, I was knocked off balance and I fell to the ground. As I looked up, I realized that most of the ceiling had fallen in, making it impossible to escape. I tried to move the rubble out of the way, but I was just to weak. So, I tried something different. I tried to climb.”
Cassandra could tell that Liam was getting anxious to hear the rest of her story.
She continued. “My idea worked. Kind of. You see, the creatures that had caused the ceiling to cave in were waiting for anyone who would try to escape.”
“Did they spot you?” Liam asked.
“No.” Cassandra said. “I managed to sneak by when the beasts were shot at by a group of armed people, trying to defend the city.”
“What were the monsters?” Liam asked.
Cassandra sighed. “They were giant wolf-like creatures that have scorpion like tales and vicious claws.” She gritted her teeth then continued. “They killed many people that day, including a friend of mine.” She sniffled. “But that’s in the past. I’ve moved on from that now.”
“What was their name?” Liam asked. Surprised that she had brushed it off so quickly.
“His name was James.” She said. “He was a good friend. He was very kind and friendly.” She stopped, then continued. “what happened next was terrifying. I was crawling to this very restaurant for safety, when a lamppost was knocked over. It landed on my legs and injured them severely. My heart froze and I shouted out for help, but none came…  Even to this day, they haven’t recovered. I barely was able to drag myself over to this building. I was here for a couple months until you found me.”
Liam was shocked. He had no idea that that was how Cassandra had lost the ability to walk. He thought it had been a natural “age thing” but boy was he wrong.
“I just hope that I can someday recover.” She said.
“Don’t worry Cassandra.” Liam said. “I will always protect you… Always”
She smiled. “Thank you, Liam.” Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to sleep now. My bones need it.”
Liam just laughed. “Sure thing.”
Then Liam walked back to his sleeping bag and lay down. But he still wondered about the person he had seen. Who were they? Were they from another guild? Were they friendly? Or were they deadly…

Chapter Four

For once, Liam woke up peacefully. He had no more nightmares after Cassandra’s story, even if it was unpleasant. Perhaps it was her sweet voice, or maybe just the way she told it? Liam didn’t really care. He was just happy about the fact that he slept through the rest of the night peacefully.
As he stood up, he saw that Cassandra had reached out and pulled the lever. She was now eating an old granola bar for breakfast as she lay down, reading.
“How long have you been up?” Liam asked, stretching. He felt quite sore and wasn’t very happy about it. must have been my sleeping position. He thought.
“I’ve been up for a good hour now.” She said. “I’ve been busy reading.”
Liam admired how Cassandra always was bright and happy, especially during these dark times. He always had assumed that she was happy because of her book. Or maybe it was just because of who she was.
“You know.” Liam began. “I can find you another book whenever you want.”
She smiled. “Thank you dear, but I’m good for now. You should have some breakfast.”
Liam nodded, then approached the small table near Cassandra’s bed. Grabbing a bar, he ripped off the wrapper and devoured it.
“Hmm, it’s a little stale.” He said with a brief sigh. “What I really miss is spaghetti and pizza. It really is to bad that we can’t have those.”
“Just be thankful that we have any food at all.” Cassandra said. Liam just nodded.
After about an hour of walking around and doing nothing, Liam decided that it was a good time to leave the safety of the restaurant in search of food.
“Since that guild stole most of our food, we are almost completely out.” Liam said with a grim look etched into his face. “It’s a good thing that you still have half a hamburger left.”
“And that corn dog that you found.” Cassandra said as she held up the yummy looking snack. “But you need food too. Here, take this.” She said, handing him a small zip lock bag of cereal and a bottle of water.
Liam put the items in his small bag quickly. “Thanks.” He said. “I’ll be back by tonight.”
“Okay. Be safe.” She said.
Liam smiled. “I will.”
Turning, Liam took a deep breath, then stepped outside the doorway. The city around him was in pieces. There were still some tall buildings that had survived, but there weren’t many. He could see the empire state building, still standing tall, with a massive gash torn out of one side. The building threatened to fall at any moment, as did multiple other buildings.
“Here I go.” Liam mumbled, then took off.
He ran to the nearest sidewalk and sprinted north. He knew that standing still typically meant death since Fogs and other creatures could pick up on your scent easier if you were moving slowly or not moving at all. Liam had so far gotten lucky with how few Fogs he had encountered.
One time, however, the zombie-like creature had lept out of the shadows of a building and taken him by surprise. Liam had reached for a brick and hurled it. The brick had hit the Fog right in the head, causing it to drop. Liam had then run back to the restaurant to “hide” for any others that might have followed him. And now, here he was. Running up and down streets. Looking for the food he must find.
For a while, he only found looted or annihilated buildings. But eventually, he started to find some good stuff, such as a small bag of uneaten food, two kids sized water bottles, and a bag of rotting noodles.
As Liam left the lucky building, he once again thought that he heard something. What could it have been? He was almost sure that it was a Fog.
“Who’s there?” He asked. Slowly, he withdrew a fairly long knife that he had found in the restaurant.
After waiting for a minute, Liam turned around and continued on his way. After a good five minutes, he heard the sound of footsteps again. Twirling around, he saw a person dash into an ally.
“Alright, come outta there! And make it quick.” Liam said.
Slowly, a person stepped out of the shadows. A girl. She looked to be seventeen maybe eighteen. She had dark brown hair tied in a bun. She wore a brownish green shirt and had matching pants.
“Who are you?” Liam asked. “And why are you following me around?”
“My-My name is…”
“Well?”
“My name is Avery.” She replied.
Liam could tell she was scared. Who knew how long she had been forced to live outside of shelter?
“Well.” Liam said. “Why are you following me?”
“I’m not.”
“Yeah right.” Liam snapped. “I saw you just the other night, watching me. I also heard you following me just yesterday! Don’t even try to say that you’re not following me!”
She looked sheepishly at the ground and sighed.
“I never wanted you to see me.” She said. “And I’m not following you. I’m watching you.”
For a moment, Liam was perplexed. Why would anyone be watching him? He wasn’t special. He was simply a survivor, trying to find his place in the world.
“Okay then.” Liam began. “Why are you watching me?”
“Because I know that you’re not part of a guild.” Avery said. “And neither am I.”
“Hmm, I don’t see to many people who aren’t part of a guild.” He said.
“Well… I was.” She said. “Were you ever?”
Liam shook his head. “No, I’ve never been part of a guild.”
Liam was about to say more, when a realization hit him.
“Wait a sec, why are you asking me these things? Why are you even here? Its not like were friends or something. Heck, we don’t even know each other!”
She sighed. “I know, but I need a home. I’ve already spent a fair amount of time running from those ugly Fogs, and since were both not in a guild, maybe we could form a partnership?”
Liam nodded. He almost felt bad for snapping at her. She had been through a lot. But could he trust her?
“Look, I know you don’t trust me.” She said as if she could read his thoughts. “Its just that I don’t want to be alone anymore. If I do anything, then you can tell me, and you’ll never see me again. Can you at least give me a chance?”
Liam thought for a moment. This was a very tough decision. On one hand, Avery could be telling the truth. But on the other, she could simply be trying to gain his trust, then strike.
Liam sighed. Then, just as he was about to give his response, A laugh sounded dead ahead. Looking behind Avery, he saw a group of people turn the corner. His heart froze when he saw Lacie at the front of the group, Frank walking right beside her. Multiple other people walked behind them, and Liam almost recognized all of them. It was the guild he had hid from just the other day. The guild that had almost found and killed him.

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