Hello World

7 Years ago a UFO crash landed on our planet. It was all over the news, headlines were talking like it was the end of the world or something, while others were just repeating to us the little details the government was willing to give out.

However it didn’t take long for sensitive information about the alien spacecraft to go public because more of them fell. Maybe about every other week another piece of alien space metal crashed into our planet’s surface. They were like a collection of pharaoh's tombs. Within all these metal vessels were strange technologies and the bone-remains of the unknown species. Their skeletal structures were similar to us humans however each one sported horns on their head, like the many depictions of devils.

Among many things these new technologies led to speedy advancements in our own human-technologies. All things wonderful of course but that led to some dark conspiracy theories. Like how did these aliens die? Why are they all crashlanding here? Some believed that these were truly devils sent straight from hell as a warning, or even angels from heaven signifying the end of the world.

Fear was a factor, but soon it was drowned out. With so many fallen objects they were given a name for their kind. The Daystars. In reference to their devilish appearance they were granted a name that befits the fallen angels of the bible. It was a fitting name.

Daystar merchandise, cartoons, movies, even museums housing real Daystar artefacts were made.

The world loved it,

we all did.

Accepting the strange dead aliens with open arms,

and yet any hope to contact their mother land was left of deaf ears.

Were they truly all dead?

~ ~ ~

All things like this go down hill eventually.

Or else the story would just end before getting interesting.

I couldn’t say for sure at the time but, maybe those conspiracy theorists were onto something.

Apocalypse.

End of the world.

Rapture.

That sort of scenario.

Some sort of virus has infected cities across the world. A black decay, a darkness that removes all life leaving death in its wake. It left capitals across the earth in an uninhabitable necropolis where no life could ever be sustained ever again.

The cause is currently unknown. Supposedly of course. But we as the public have our own thoughts and theories…

It was the aliens.

DUH.

What else would cause the end of the world but the literal dead things that we called devils with a cute name.

But we really don’t have time to fight for the truth anymore.

Nowadays I live my life on the move; as the spread of decay forces us to move further and further away from the cities.

I call myself King, I’m 16 and I’m a treasure hunter.

Although people that have seen me around would probably just yell THIEF! THIEF!

I’m not alone in this world, I’ve got brothers. Not by blood but by our bonds

Today we’ve got ourselves set on a heist we’ve been planning for days.

It's an old mall, just on the edge of decay; it may only have a day or two left until it's consumed. Some old guy has been holding out hope that the decay infecting everything would be cured by now, which would allow him to hold on to his dear mall.

But that’s not going to happen.

This world is doomed to die.

So we’ll make use of his precious mall and get some supplies before they go bad.

The plan is simple…

Unlock the front door…

Loot.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

If we run into the old guy, we’ll umm… scare him with our umm… beastily auras…

“You can’t be serious King?!” retorts Lala.

Lala Illua, a little kid; a 12-year old on his own. I found him while scavenging on my own time. He was collecting baseball merch. Little use in survival but to him that’s his entire life. He’s always wearing any baseball player’s uniform that sports the number 12. He has red-orange hair and orange eyes to match, carrying around a wooden baseball bat to defend himself. In his free time he likes whittling down large branches into more bats to add to his collection; I’d say he’s becoming quite the craftsman.

“If the old guy happens upon us, I’ll just use my trusty batting arm and swat him out of the building.”

“You’re going to swing on the old guy?” I ask quizzingly.

“YES!” Lala, proudly answering without skipping a beat.

“Well then you’ll be the last line of defense as usual.”

“Gil, as always you just do your thing. Break stuff we can’t open. Got it?”

“Got it.” Gil springs up, saluting me.

Gil Creeks, another little one, he’s just 10 years old. Despite being the youngest of us he’s quite the power house, especially in our treasure hunting operations. Gil has black hair and brown eyes, and wears a green and orange frog onesie. All I really know about him is his family were researchers deeply involved in the research of Daystar technology. His family likely were taken by the decay leaving little old Gil behind. Luckily he has found family with us treasure hunters, putting his peculiar skills to good use.

“I’ll punch the bad guys,” Gil says, readying his fists.

“Right on then, we’ll move in on the mall in an hour”

In unison we exclaim “1-2-3- TREASURE!”

Telling the kids we’re just hunting for treasure is better than telling them we’re stealing food in order to live. Of course even with my blurring of truths they probably know what’s actually going on. I’d just prefer that these children get a chance to be kids. And if they get to be awesome treasure hunters at the same time, where's the harm in a little lie.

~ ~ ~

The scene of the heist.

The mall is covered in more decay than I thought. There might not be anything worthwhile in here after all. But I prefer we not leave empty handed. There could still be some shops left undisturbed, some food left to feast upon. There’s still a chance of something nice for all of us.

We’ll make our entrance and take what we can.

Reaching the doors, they’re chained up, locked with a large padlock. I’ve seen these countless times before. As I break out my lockpicking tools. I try to be as silent as possible but the chains clank together as I crack the lock open. Anywho we manage to get the doors unlocked…

It's much worse on the inside.

The decay has covered the interior of the mall in an ashy black darkness, there is no life here.

However, glimmering in the middle of the room is an old exhibit featuring Daystar technologies. Precious metals undamaged by decay interestingly enough. They could prove useful going forward if they resist the effects of the decay.

I didn’t see it when we walked in or even after starting to loot,

I only noticed it when Lala made a terrified scream.

There it stood towering over Lala. Black ash falling onto the ground, disintegrating into nothingness at his feet. A decayed body made up of swirling particles of blackened ash and debris, taking the shape of a human.

But it was no human.

Lala swung his trusty bat at the thing.

But the bat began to sizzle, igniting into a short lived flame as it crossed through the body of the decayed being. Only causing the swirling innards of it to twist and spin back into place as if the bat never was swung in the first place. Leaving his wooden bat marked with a gash of dying wood, rendering it unusable.

The monster undeterred makes another step forward. Its foot burning a black imprint onto the stone tiles.

With no room to run away, and no damage able to be made, Lala shrinks into a fetal position.

He’s given up.

Gil stands frozen, watching with fearful eyes.

We’re just a couple of kids

We were supposed to have normal lives…

We…

I-I can’t lose him.

I can’t let him die.

Turning away I look for something, anything at all, anything that could save him.

My eyes meet it.

A shovel.

Shining among the other items on display, strange alien symbols carved along its blade.

This.

I broke through the glass display case, cutting my arm open in the process.

It hurts.

But losing Lala would be a much more unbearable pain.

The sound of the shattering glass breaks the silence. The withering monster turns toward my direction. Perhaps it was the shattering glass or even the blood loss that alerted it. That didn’t matter at this point.

The shovel flew across the room, finally slicing through the head of the monster, red blood spraying from its split head, knocking it to the ground.

The shovel left a mark for sure. Its head was unable to regenerate, cut in two and fizzling away.

The monster flailed on the ground, but was beginning to rise, now with half of its head left on its shoulders.

I wasn’t about to let that thing threaten anyone else.

As the monster began to lift itself up. I fought through the fear. Running to the shovel at its point of impact. I take it and stab into the body of the enemy. The creature’s body instantly dispersed into nothingness. Leaving us, hopefully, finally safe again.

With the danger truly behind us, I helped Lala to his feet. He was still clearly shaken by the whole ordeal. But luckily unhurt, and safe. I on the other hand took the greatest beating with my arm cut up and now gushing blood.

This heist was over.

I stored the live-saving shovel in my bag, then took the hands of Gil and Lala out of that horrific place. It was already too decayed anyway.

~ ~ ~

As nightfall drew in, we retreated within our own places. With the world on its last legs we live wherever we’re able to. Tonight we sleep within an abandoned arcade. None of the games still work if you’re wondering. But there’s some popcorn and other sweets still edible and enjoyable.

Our heist didn’t go as planned. They got trauma and I got a shovel. Pretty lousy trade if you ask me.

Settling down I go back to inspect the shovel I acquired.

It’s made of a perfect metal, undamaged by the impact it made against the withering beast. It shines like silver, the scoop of the shovel is sharper than what would normally constitute an earth shovel. The inscribed symbols are likely some old language the Daystars used, they look a little familiar but it isn’t something someone like me could translate without a book or something. Perhaps the aliens used it for digging or gardening. Who knows. But it saved us today, so I’ll use it going forward.

I take the shovel, hold it by the hilt and slam it into the ground like a knight. It makes me forget for a moment that this world sucks.

But as the shovels scoop cuts into the ground a field of decay begins to expand from the divet. Breaking apart the very ground I’m standing upon. And before I can even realize what I’ve done, I’m falling into a black void that breaks open beneath my feet.

~ ~ ~

A short time passes.

And I finally wake up to a new view.

Laying flat out on the ground, my eyes feast upon a clear blue sky. My hands feel the softness of moss and smoothness of sand. The wind howls as I pull myself to my feet.

I stand atop a small patch of grass in a sea of sand.

I turn, looking every direction there’s just sand, so much sand

Until I see something else

It's an oasis.

Laid out on the ground beside me is the shovel

I wonder.

How did I get here?

Where is the decay?

Why was I brought here?

What should I do?

A lively oasis surrounded by an empty sea of sand. And I, a sprout, growing in the sea of nothingness.

What is this world?

I wonder.

END CHAPTER 1