Chapter 2: The First Encounter
Asher turned around, heart pounding in his chest.
A terrifying creature stood before him twice his height, four long muscular arms, glowing red eyes, and thick saliva dripping from its jagged mouth. Its skin was rough like burned stone, its breath foul and heavy. Slowly, it began to walk toward him, each step echoing like thunder in the silence.
Asher gasped and turned to run, dragging his broken left leg. Pain shot through his body. He screamed but kept going, his eyes blurred with tears.
The beast let out a guttural growl and picked up its pace.
"No! Please!" Asher shouted, his voice hoarse.
He tripped and fell to the ground hard, landing on his side. Dirt and skulls crunched beneath him. He looked up and the monster was almost on him.
The shadow it cast was massive, covering him in darkness. Asher's hands trembled as he covered his face.
"This is it... I'm dead."
The wind howled.
Then thwip!
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
THWACK!
The beast stopped mid-step.
Asher peeked through his fingers.
The monster's eyes rolled back as it stumbled backward, then collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. Blood sprayed from an arrow lodged deep in its skull.
Asher sat up, stunned.
A figure stood a few feet away, holding a sleek wooden bow, a quiver strapped to his back. He was about Asher's age, maybe a little older. Calm, steady, and confident.
"Hey! Man! Help me!" Asher cried, clutching his injured leg.
The boy walked toward him without saying a word. His expression was cold, unreadable. Asher flinched as the figure knelt down beside him.
"Are you... gonna kill me too?" Asher stammered.
The boy blinked, then grinned. "Nah. Just messing with you."
He knelt and examined the wound. "Broken left leg... Hang in there."
He reached for a long cloth torn from the edge of a nearby banner and quickly wrapped it around Asher's leg, tying it firmly.
"Thanks, man," Asher said, wincing as he adjusted. "You really saved my life."
"Yeah," the boy muttered, standing up. "Name's Ronan."
"I'm Asher."
Ronan offered a hand, and Asher pulled himself up, limping slightly as the pain throbbed through his leg.
"So... where are we?" Asher asked.
"Don't know. But there are others," Ronan replied. "Follow me."
As they walked across the grim wasteland, Asher glanced at the distant horizon. All he could see was cracked earth, broken bones, and a star-filled sky that never moved.
"You seem... weirdly calm," Asher said.
Ronan chuckled. "This is my dream."
"Dream? This place is a nightmare!"
Ronan looked ahead. "Back in the real world, I was just surviving pain, school, pressure, routines. That world was slowly killing me. Here... I finally feel free."
Asher frowned but stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say.
Soon, they saw movement in the distance. A group of people maybe ten or so were gathered around a small fire.
"They're waving at us!" Asher said, his heart skipping.
Together, the boys approached. The group looked up as they arrived. Men and women, young and old. All survivors. All broken.
A middle-aged man stepped forward. His face was tired, but his eyes held leadership.
"Good to see you both made it," he said. "I'm Henry."
"Asher," he nodded.
"Ronan," said the archer.
One boy in the group suddenly broke down. "Where... where are we? What happened to Earth?!"
Henry placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We don't know. But listen don't give in to fear. We're still alive, and that means something. If we stay together, we might find a way back."
Ronan muttered, "Who knows if Earth even exists anymore…"
The group fell into silence.
Henry cleared his throat. "For now, we rest. Then we'll make a plan."
Asher sat down on a rock near the fire. His leg throbbed, but his heart was beating slower now. He looked up at the stars.
"Earth…" he whispered. "Are you still out there?"
Around him, others quietly tended to their wounds, thought of their families, or simply stared at nothing.
And so, the second chapter of Asher's journey began not as a lone survivor, but as part of something larger. A group of broken souls, fighting not just for life but for hope.