Chapter 1
Don’t Run




I hate this town. I hate this life.
I sat up on my bed and checked my watch. It was past nine. What’s the point of rushing when I know I’m well past late already? I guess I’m just going to be absent today. I lied back down and closed my eyes.
“What are you doing, you lazy sloth?” a voice rumbled in my room. “You’re already late and all you do is go back to sleep?!? I did not make you grow up into a lazy breed of our race!” I know that voice. That was my grandfather’s. I just wanted to cover my ears with my pillow, but I don’t want him to add more of his tyrannical sermons. I sat up again and looked at him. He was halfway through the open trapdoor into my room.
“Your room is messy,” he said aloud. “Clean it up before you leave for school.” He went down the trapdoor. As soon as he was out of sight, I lied back down. I hate school.

The breakfast was eggs, just eggs. I don’t complain about it, even if this was what our breakfast is everyday. It was fine with me. I just stared at the eggs on my plate without even touching it.
“What?” Grandfather said. “You don’t like it?” I don’t hate the eggs. I hate school. “If you don’t like it,” he continued, “I’ll take it.” He began to lean forward to get my eggs. I suddenly took the egg with my fork and placed it in my mouth leaving nothing behind. Grandfather was surprised.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked. I don’t know either. I’ve been acting a little weird lately. I looked at my empty plate. Darn, I hate this place.
The walk to school was a little long. It takes around thirty minutes. Everyday I used to walk to school and back home on a longer route which takes an hour. But it was a safer route. This time, Grandfather told me to hurry, so I’ll be taking the shorter way. Short as it is, but it takes a path exposed to the outside of town, where alien beasts roam. I have to be careful.
I arrived at school during lunchtime. Eyes were on me. I looked down on my feet as I walked towards our building, to our floor, and finally to our room. I sat down on my chair and dug my face on the wooden table. I don’t care what others think. I live my life, and they don’t give a damn about it. I looked sideways to the left and looked out the window. My view was obstructed by a girl standing in front of the window. She had her back on me. As if she knew I was staring at her, she turned around and looked at me. I have never seen her before. Is she a transferee? Most likely. She just kept looking at me, so I looked away.
“Are you sick?” a high-pitched voice reverberated in my ear.
“Don’t shout in my ear!” I blurted aloud as I turned to face the damned stupid person who would shout in a person’s ear. It was Carole, my classmate since I was twelve. “Where in the world did you learn that habit of shouting in people’s ears?”
“I thought it might make you change your mood,” she said as she gazed down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” This was the first time I head her say sorry. “Did something happen?” She sat down on a chair and pulled closer. She looked serious, at the same time mixed with sadness.
“I’m leaving,” she said blankly. There was a long moment of silence. There were people around us, chatting, walking around. But it seems that after she said those words, everything went silent. Things began to move slowly. Leave? She’s going to leave me alone. She was the only friend I had, the only person who cared about me. Now, she just told me that she was going to leave.
“You’re joking, right?” I said softly, but with gritted teeth. I was trying to hold back every emotion that was about to burst. I wanted to believe that this was not true. If it’s not a joke, then it’s got to be a dream. Carole will never leave me. We promised each other so. I looked up at her and saw that she was crying.
The bell rang, signaling every student that lunch time was finished. Students rushed to their rooms and took their seats. Teachers entered the rooms and began their classes.

Time passes so quickly. It was already afternoon and the bell rang for the last time, telling everyone that it was the end of all classes. I walked out of the room, awkward that this was the first time I did so without Carole. She left as soon as the bell rang. She was going to leave me after all.
I decided to spend a little bit more time in the campus grounds before going home. I climbed up on a tree and sat on its branches. What was amazing with this school, putting aside the reality of poverty surrounding it, was that it tries to maintain the nature in it. Trees were everywhere, grass, and the fresh air. But as you leave the grounds, you’ll have to face the truth. The world has not gotten any better, actually, after The Fall. Things kept on going down. They kept on falling.
I walked home. Grandfather greeted me again with his sermons. I went straight to bed and tried to sleep. Something was bothering me. Maybe it was because Carole was leaving. No, that’s not it. It was her eyes, the emerald eyes of the new girl. They were full of emotions. I wonder what was troubling her. Whatever it was, it was troubling me, too. I have to get rid of all this from my mind. Maybe a walk should do.

The air was not fresh at all. I could smell all the trash from this town. But still, the night sky was enough to refresh me.
“Darn,” I whispered. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Yes it is,” a voice replied. I jumped up in surprise and turned around. It was the new girl.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“Just watching the stars.”
“Oh.” I sat back down on the grass. She walked towards me and sat beside me. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Angelica,” she answered. “And I believe you are Keith?”
“Yup.” I looked at her. She was staring up at the sky. “You’re a new student, right?”
“Yes.” She looked down on her feet. She seemed to space out.
“Are you okay?”
“Uhm, yeah.” She stared ahead blankly for a moment, then asked, “Why do they kill?”
“What?” I was surprised with her question. She was weird. Yet there was something about her. She was pretty. Her hair was a little curly, and it hung below her shoulder. Her skin was white. She was not short, nor tall. She was enough to fall in love with.
My thoughts were suddenly disrupted by a low growling voice behind us. We stood up and turned around. Whatever made the growling voice, it was hidden behind the trees, and preparing to attack. I tried to adjust my eyes into the darkness, and saw a glow. The glow was in the shape of a sword. No. It can’t be. It was one of the rare breed of the alien beasts which takes the form of a biped, almost human like. It was fast and strong and specializes with the use of a sword with plasma component. It was one of the rare breeds as well as one of the most intelligent breeds. They were human like.
“Don’t run,” a voice whispered beside me as I was about to turn tail. It was Angelica. How could she say such thing? Can’t she see what was in front of us? It is going to kill us.
“Are you mad?” I blurted at her. “That thing is going to mince us!”
“Why would you run if you could fight?” She was looking down at her feet. She seemed to be talking to herself. Before long, I noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I want to be strong. But I can’t.” She fell down on her knees. I heard the stomping of feet coming our way. I looked straight forward. It was the beast running towards us, wielding its sword. Angelica seems to have no plan of running at all. My heart was starting to pound madly. Is this going to be the end?
It was nearing us. Every second seemed to have slowed down. My responses were slowing, but everything around me seems to have slowed down, too. I have to think of something, and quick! It’s coming. It’s coming. It’s near.
I crouched down as the beast swung its weapon sidewards. It seems to be trying to cut my head off. Thinking of it gives me the chills. I don’t know where I got the strength, but as I got lower, I reached down and carried Angelica up. I then sprinted away before the beast smashed its sword to the ground where I was standing. I stopped running, and turned around. Angelica was unconscious. What am I going to do now? I was able to dodge. Now what? I can’t just dodge all night. Then, another growl came from behind me.