《Eden's Alpha》Chapter 1
Advertisement
"Eden, I need your help over here!"
Isaiah calls me down from my perch to help him set up the shelter for the night. The other guys are already out, trying to hunt down anything they can find for food. It's hard enough in the cities, most of it has already been picked over by the survivors. We've been fortunate enough to have found some food earlier today, but not enough for the five of us.
"You see any warriors?"
"Thankfully no, nothing to report"
We try to keep a constant eye out for any werewolf patrols that might be on our trails. We've had a couple of close calls over the years that I'd rather not have happen again.
I grab the foldable tent from Isaiah's pack, the edges beginning to unravel from all the months of usage. With great caution, I unfold it and start sticking in the rods. Within a matter of minutes, our tent is all set up and Isaiah goes off to work on a fire. I scramble back up to my perch, a ledge hanging off of the abandoned building we stay in.
I'm pretty high up, but that doesn't bother me. I look over the ruined city; what used to be shiny Minneapolis, is now a wasteland. Many of the buildings here were used as burial places, the rest of them picked over by us humans. With the woods being occupied by the wolves, the survivors cling to the damaged cities.
I was lucky to have found a group that took me in. I was 15 back then, not even finished with high school. Isaiah found me by accident and took pity on me. I was covered in blood, barely making it out alive after being attacked. The four guys saved my life. I wasn't even introduced to them till later.
Isaiah is in his 30's and is the leader of the group. He was in charge of a family business before the war. We got lots of supplies thanks to the hiking shop he owned. Next are the twins; James and Zeke. I can usually tell them apart by the thick scar that runs along Zeke's forehead. He had been slashed by a werewolf who claimed that Zeke's girlfriend was his mate. He was lucky to be alive, in my opinion. James stays quiet most of the time, while Zeke blabbers away about anything. They are both in their late 20's, with brown hair and dark eyes.
Advertisement
Finally, there's Finley, a young guy with sandy hair and light eyes. He was just about to graduate high school right before the Black War. He found Isaiah first and helped him get important supplies we still use now. Finley and Isaiah are also the only ones of us armed with guns. Finley used to go shooting with his dad, a skill that has helped us a lot over the past couple years.
Then there's me I guess, 17 years old with Auburn hair and green eyes. I try to help the guys out whenever I can, but I usually end up keeping an eye out for any wolves. It's unlikely that I see any, but you never know what's lurking in the shadows.
"I see the guys!" I yell down to Isaiah, seeing the three guys trotting out of the alleyway. I let out my calling whistle, signaling for them to hurry up.
"Hey, Eden!" Zeke pats me on the back after I climb down my makeshift ladder.
"So what's cooking tonight?"
Finley opens up his pack to reveal two cans of...pineapple?
"Whoa, is that real?"
"Yeah, we must be some lucky jerks to have found this piece of gold," Finley says, tossing a can to Isaiah.
I eagerly join James at the fire, digging through my pack for my mug and spoon. The rest of the group joins us and Isaiah starts to go around, serving equal portions to each of us. I always check to make sure he gets some too.
It's quiet for a while, all of us savoring this delicious goodness we might never eat again. All I can hear is the crackling of the fire and the sound of metal utensils scraping the sweet remains off the dishes.
"I think we might need to head north" At the sound of Isaiah's words everyone stops eating. James even drops his fork, which lands with a plop in his dish.
Advertisement
"We're running out of resources here and need to try our luck somewhere else"
"Isaiah, we can't just leave. It's much safer here, especially since we know the area. How would we even get north?" Zeke questions, setting down his bowl.
"Here's what I'm thinking; we get all our stuff, find enough food to last us a while, then start heading north by foot. It might take a while, but as long as we stay clear of the woods we should be good"
"And where do you suppose we go?" James asks.
"If we can make it up to Lake Superior, we'll be near the Canadian Border. Then all we have to do is find some abandoned kayaks and make it to Thunder Bay. There has got to be fewer wolves up there and..."
"Isaiah, we're perfectly fine here. This is the safest place we've been yet and we're far off from the nearest woods."
We stay quiet after that, and I assume we've dropped the idea entirely. As the night grows darker and the full moon rises, we decide it's time to go to sleep. I start following the guys into our one tent till Isaiah stops me.
"Hey Eden, I think I left my canteen up by our extra supplies. Do you mind crawling up there and grabbing it?"
We all know I'm the most agile of the group so of course, I agree to go grab it, especially since it involves crawling through some smaller spaces. I'm on my way up the ladder when I remember my forgotten flashlight in my pack.
Making my way down, I scurry quickly to my pack. I don't want to make Isaiah wait. I stop, however, when I hear my name being mentioned from inside the tent.
"She's already 17, it won't be long before some wolf finds her and claims her to be their mate. We have to go north to keep her away from them"
There's a brief pause and I hold my breath. What Zeke says next surprises me:
"Ok, let's do it then. James, Finley?"
"Yeah, I'm in. Anything to protect Eden"
"We need to look out for her"
"So it's all settled then," Isaiah says, "we'll head north and try our luck in Canada."
I'm just about ready to march in there and tell them that I don't need protecting when I hear a distant howl. The howl grows louder, however, when other wolves join in. Soon, I'm covering my ears, the sound being much louder than on other full moons.
I watch as the guys quickly jump out of the tent, panic written on their faces. Isaiah's running over to our packs tossing each one over to us. I catch mine and start moving toward my perch, trying to understand what's happening.
Finley sees me going and firmly grabs a hold of my arm pulling me back down. I pull against him, straining to see what's going on. He shouts in my ear and then suddenly I go limp. In the distance I see wolves darting out of the woods and into...the city. Oh shoot.
Now, we start running.
Advertisement
Dead Tired
A young man stumbles into a deep, lost cavern, he seeks power and prestige, the ability to become someone, anyone, worthy of praise. When he finds an ancient crypt festooned in jewels and precious things he thinks himself the luckiest man alive. And then the lich in that crypt wakes up and kills him. That’s me. I’m the lich. Honestly, I just want to go back to sleep, and there’s no one, no ‘god emperor,’ sect, or uptight martial artist that’s going to stop me. Join the Official Discord to participate in discussions and view the next chapter being written live!
8 687Gemini: A Fox Tale
Saki Homura is an adventurous young girl hoping to climb her way to the top of the archaeological society. Highly independent and headstrong to a fault, she refused any man who tries to come close to her. One day, her family decided to marry her off without her consent. Her partner? None other than the CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the world, the cold and aloof Hunter Wang. And what’s worse, he buys his way into joining her team! In one of their expeditions, Saki and Hunter incidentally discovered a secret -- one that traces back to a history hidden for more than a thousand years: the existence of two celestials – the Phoenix and the Fox – and a malevolent being that aims to break the very fabric of reality as they know it. Join Saki and Hunter as they work together to uncover the past and find out if love can truly traverse time and space.
8 113Nefarious Affairs
He broke free from the shackles that bound him for all these years, let go of the relations he had, and ran away from the responsibility that has become a burden to him. Boian did not have many expectations other than to live peacefully. What a pleasant dream? It's funny how a monster who should be crushing others dreams started to dream about peaceful life. He knew he couldn't live like normal humans. Living to old age with a loving wife and giving birth to a bunch of children was not possible for him anymore. He couldn't live in isolation either due to the food needed to maintain his Heart. The deeply rooted ideology and training he received in food consumption prevented him from doing so. He knew his very own existence did not allow him to live peacefully, yet he tried. But, everything changed when he met a strange girl in his peaceful way of living. A meeting that changed his expectations and pulled him back to the shackles, relations, and responsibility he tried to escape from but this time with no chance of escape. It was because, she gave him the fiercest stimulant that makes or breaks a man, 'Ambition.' He wanted to go back to where he was kicked out with his head high and beat the people who dared to look down on him. Even if it was the DEVIL himself. ***************************** Author half asleep: Simply put. A poor fellow gets messed up real hard by a chick and gets thrown back into the good vs evil cliche war he tried to escape from. Whether the chick be a blessing to him or a burden to him forms the story. Tags: Adventure, Heavy romance [No cliche harem but there are affairs(pun intended)]. Also a lot of action later on. I am a newbie...So be gentle with me plz.. (KiBiBiK's note - I have changed the title and synopsis so apologies to early readers)
8 213The Merchant of the Golden Triangle
(This is a complete rewrite of The Wandering Merchant, which is discontinued.) A world governed by a never-ending Narrative, with each person with a Role to play and progress through Levels that beget Feats from their deeds. Throughout time immemorial, these had provided the means to build great civilizations, legendary exploits, and even opposing Gods, championed by great men and women throughout history that spans millennia and the forgotten beyond. This is one of its stories. A young [Trader] of his family-owned company with above-average wealth and influence left the continent of Libertalia behind because of great danger and competition from the many companies that rule its city-states. Armed with the knowledge that he had gained from his father's vault after the tragedy of losing him, he sets sail to the Golden Triangle of the world with his ambition to one day attain wealth and influence in Yhril, the Human Continent, to challenge the people that had wronged him.
8 201Abandon all hope by Darkmatter
Aleg, the second prince of the Slavon Kingdom, experienced bullying since an early age.The betrayal of his loved ones made him fall into the darkest pits of hell. Cursing his fate and swearing to get revenge for everything, he had endured, and returning it a hundred fold.This is not a story about legends being born, but the story of the Awakening of a Devil.Strong language and mature content
8 89Those Eyes (Ayato X Laito)
Yaoi WarningLaito always dreamt about his mother. His dreams always bothered him and he would always see Cordelia's faces everywhere. He hated her but at the same time he misses her. He mostly hangs out with Ayato just so he could stare at his eyes, those same emerald green eyes just like Cordelia. Laito started giving Ayato affection and little by little until Ayato fell in love with Laito. But will this work out for them, read to find out.
8 181