I had a dream and I was falling into an endless pit of darkness,it was cold and I was alone,just falling into the abyss.
I could only remember the dream that I had but for how the world used to be before I had that dream was something I had long forgotten.
The only thing I could remember was the world spiraling into darkness. The sky turned pitch black,there were no lights, earthquakes were rampant, meteorites rained down from the sky, people died,their bodies hidden under rocks.
I was only six at that time,sad and lonely searching for my parents.
"Mommy, Daddy where are you?" I cried
That was when I met him,a boy just my age, he stood atop a rock, with a shovel in his hands. He wore a dowdy dark blue overall. His eyes were blindfolded and I wondered how he could see
"What are you looking for?" He asked me
"I'm looking for my mama and my papa"
"Do you want me to help you find them."
"Mmhm." I nodded
"Very well then, what's your name?" He stepped down the rock, walking up to me
Nervous I said, "Yona."
Yona huh,well mine's Xeno...." Xeno was about to say something else but then stopped, I couldn't tell because he was blindfolded but I knew he was staring at something behind me. I turned to see an enormous rock behind me cracking open. Before I knew it,a strange creature burst out of the rock,it had tentacles just like an octopus but there were twelve of it. It had twenty -four eyes, it's body was round and it's back was as hard as a tortoise own.
Seeing this unknown creature before me,my legs stiffened and I couldn't move an inch. I was scared and the only thing going through my mind was to run but I couldn't do it, I was too scared to move.
Immediately the creatures eyes settled on my form, it's tentacles started to move in attempt to attack me. This is totally the death of me, I thought and closed my eyes ready to accept my faith.
Before long I heard a slicing sound and when I opened my eyes,thick green substances fell upon me. It was Xeno,he had cut the creatures tentacles and with a shovel. I was overwhelmed and couldn't believe what I just saw. The creature shrieked in pain, Xeno carried me in his arms and we escaped.
"Are you alright?" Xeno gently placed me down after we had made our way far from where the creature was
"How did you cut that thing with a shovel." I was in shock
"Oh this shovel is really sharp, make one mistake while touching it and you'll cut yourself."
"So what was that creature that attacked me."
"That was a Xenophore,they despise humans and they would kill or eat one once their eyes settles on them and they could be anywhere in any rock."
"That's scary."
Xeno and I walked for a long while in silence, our footsteps crunching softly against the broken ground. Even though he was blindfolded, he moved with confidence, like he could see the path better than I could.
I kept looking around nervously. Every rock, every shadow felt like it was hiding another creature.
"Are Xenophores everywhere?" I asked finally.
"Not everywhere," Xeno replied, tapping the edge of his shovel on the ground. "But enough that you must always listen. They make a sound before they show up."
"A sound?"
He nodded. "A sort of… clicking. Like stones knocking together."
I swallowed hard and walked a little closer to him.
The wind blew dust around us, and the sky above was still a deep, empty black. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen the sun. It felt like the whole world had forgotten what light was supposed to look like.
"Xeno…" I began softly, "do you think my parents are still alive?"
He didn't answer at first. He tilted his head slightly, like he was listening to the air.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I know this world hasn't taken everyone. Some people survived. Your parents could be among them."
It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it wasn't the worst answer either. It gave me a little hope.
We kept walking until the ground sloped downward, revealing the edge of a broken valley. Trees—dead and leafless—stood like thin shadows below us.
"We need shelter," Xeno said. "The Xenophores come out more when it gets colder."
I opened my mouth to respond when suddenly—
click… click… click
The sound was faint, but it froze my entire body instantly.
Xeno slowly raised his shovel. "Stay behind me, Yona," he whispered.
The clicking grew louder, echoing around the valley, though I couldn't tell where it was coming from. My heart pounded as my eyes scanned the darkness.
"Xeno…" I whispered, "it's more than one, isn't it?"
He tightened his grip on the shovel. "Yes."
The clicking suddenly stopped.
The silence was even worse.
Then, from the darkness below, dozens of small glowing eyes blinked open.
And all of them were looking at us.
The glowing eyes didn't move at first. They just watched us from the darkness, like they were deciding who would strike first. My throat tightened and I tried not to make a sound.
"Back up slowly," Xeno murmured.
I stepped back, careful not to trip on the uneven ground. Xeno stayed in front of me, every muscle in his body tense. Even blindfolded, he moved like he could sense every eye staring at us.
A low, scraping noise came from the left. Then another one from the right. The Xenophores were spreading out.
"They're surrounding us," I whispered.
"I know," Xeno replied calmly, too calmly. "But don't panic. Panic makes them faster."
Faster?
I didn't even want to know what that meant.
A cold breeze rushed past my face and I shivered. The eyes blinked again closer this time.
"Xeno," I said, my voice shaking, "we can't fight all of them."
"We aren't going to," he said. "We're going to run."
Before I could ask where, he grabbed my hand and pulled me sharply to the right. We sprinted along the rocky slope, dodging fallen branches and cracked earth. Behind us, the clicking erupted—louder, faster, dozens of tiny impacts like pebbles thrown against stone.
They were chasing us.
"Don't look back!" Xeno shouted.
Of course, I looked back.
Shapes moved in the darkness long limbs, small bodies, more eyes than anything should ever have. They crawled and scrambled over the rocks like insects. My breath caught in my throat.
"Xeno!" I cried.
"I know! Keep running!"
We reached a cluster of huge boulders. Xeno dragged me behind one just as a Xenophore leaped toward us. It hit the rock with a thud, sliding back and blinking rapidly.
"They can jump?!" I gasped.
"Unfortunately," Xeno answered, lifting the shovel again.
The creature hissed a sound like metal scraping metal and crawled toward us.
Before it could reach us, Xeno slammed the flat side of the shovel into the ground. The vibration cracked through the stones, and to my surprise, the Xenophore flinched back, startled.
"They don't like that sound," Xeno said quickly. "Cover your ears."
I didn't hesitate. I covered them tightly.
Xeno struck the ground again harder. The ringing echo bounced around the rocks. The creatures shrieked and backed away, their eyes squeezing shut for a moment.
That moment was enough.
"Go!" Xeno yelled.
We bolted between two large rocks, squeezing through a narrow opening. Behind us, the creatures clawed at the stone, their clicking turning furious and chaotic.
We didn't stop until the sound faded behind us.
Finally, out of breath, we slowed down beneath a flat rock ledge that formed a small natural shelter.
I leaned against the stone, panting. "Do they ever… stop chasing?"
"Sometimes," Xeno said, listening carefully. "If there's bigger prey somewhere else. Or if something scares them more than us."
"Something scares them?" I asked, my voice small.
Xeno didn't answer immediately.
He tilted his head again, sensing the wind, the ground, something invisible to me.
Then he said softly,
"Yes. And if we want to survive, Yona… we'll eventually have to face whatever that is."