Hi! I've been writing for a while on my own, and I figured it'd be fun to share my novel here and see what people think. Anyway, I hope anyone reading this will enjoy this and I hope to have at least a chapter up every week, though I'll be aiming for more. Without further ado, chapter 1.

Art for the main page may take a little time. Haven't decided how I want it to look.

Chapter 1: Collapse

     Reality hit David like a freight train on that day.

     A life without pain, without worry. A life filled with family and happiness. A home where he could feel safe even in a world ravaged by nature and monsters. It was on this day this illusion was shattered into a million pieces.

     How naïve he’d been.

     “David, wake up!”

     David was shaken conscious by a pair of large hands, gripping his shoulders tightly. His eyes openly groggily, but he quickly saw it was still dark out. After a brief spell of annoyance, he tried to roll over and go back to bed. What possible reason could anyone have for waking up right now? He’d always been scolded for being up after dark, have been his imagination.

     However, his attempt to reposition himself was met with substantial resistance, in response to his action, the shaking started again, and the grip on his shoulders tightened to the threshold of pain. Grunted and looked up, now lucid enough to notice who was shaking him.

His mother’s features, partially illuminated by an overhead light, stared down at him. She appeared stressed, something like how she was when he caused mischief, but different. This seemed more extreme than usual. Whatever was causing it, her grip was not weakening in the slightest.

     “Mom, you’re hurting me.” The eight-year-old said sleepily.

     Her face softened a little hearing his voice and she let go. “David, I need you to get up, okay? We’re going on a little trip.”

     “But its nighttime…” David muttered in confusion as he sat up.

     His mother looked fearfully over her shoulder with an expression similar to frustration he wasn’t familiar with then turned back to David. “It’s a little sudden, I know, but we have to go now. Don’t worry about getting dressed.”

     “Is he up yet? We don’t have much time! They’ll be here at any moment!” His father called from the other room. His voice seemed shaken, similar to his mothers. It was a tone he’d never heard from his father before.

     “Mom? What’s going on?” He asked with wide eyes. He didn’t understand the situation, but he was smart enough to know how unusual all of this was.

     “Mom will explain later okay? Right now, we need to go, we’re already late. If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the trip.”

     David didn’t get it, but he nodded and got up. He knew very well it was bad to be late, and the concept of a trip was intriguing. After all, children were rarely allowed out of the city. He moved towards the dresser for his clothes, but his mom grabbed his hand and pull him out the door. Right, she said something about not needing to change.

     David ran out the door, dragged forward by his parents. It was dark, too dark too see clearly. However, he could hear bustling activity coming from all directions. It was still dark outside, so dark he couldn’t see properly. The only immediate relief from the darkness came from the odd lanterns carried by their neighbors.

     As his eyes adjusted, he realized just how active the neighborhood had become. the street appeared to be in chaos. Half-dressed families were rushing about without a care for decency. Having been taught to respect others modesty, he averted his eyes as best he could. Still, it made him curious. What type of trip was this to bring so many people out this late at night, and in such shameless dress at that? More and more, this atmosphere seemed off, but he couldn’t think of a cause. None of this made any sense.

      David heard some popping coming from behind them. He turned around to see a glowing orange light coming from behind. More and more popping could be heard as they walked. He felt like he’d heard these noises before somewhere. A festival? But if it was a festival, why was everyone moving with such urgency? The festivals were fun, but not to the point of running around in sleep wear. Plus, they were going the wrong way.

    “Mom, what’s going on over there? Is there a party?” David asked curiously.

     His mother gave him a weird look and tugged his arm harder. “Don’t look back David. It’s nothing. Just keep up with me, okay?”

     David was uneasy. His mother never acted like this. He’d seen this from his father before, but never her. And that weird expression. The longer they walked, the more intense it seemed to grow. He began to recognize it. That was the look Layla had made when she fell into that hole, or when John was attacked by a cat he’d been baiting. It was an expression he’d never seen on an adult before.

     Fear. His mother was afraid.

     He began looking at the other people in the street. He quickly realized all of their expressions had a trace of fear or anxiety, as if something bad had happened. He looked back towards the orange light and the popping noises. His first assumption had been of a festival, but as he begin to put the dots together, her realized this was far from the truth. He had seen a light like this before, many times in fact.

     Fire.

     The popping noises grew louder. In response, the crowd began to move with more haste, traces of panic emerging in their actions the fear was now as plain as day. David couldn’t understand. This was Dawn. There was no safer place, so why would everyone be fretting like this. If they weren’t safe here, where else was there?

     “Jordan, it’s getting closer.” His mother stated anxiously. “Are we…”

     “No need to worry.” David’s father replied firmly. “Dawn is still strong. All of this is just a precaution. A bunch of godless fools can’t just walk in and do as they please.”

     Although he said that, his eyes showed uneasiness. David could tell he was just as worried as everyone else. Even so these words helped calm his mother a little. Her grip on David’s hand loosened for a moment.  

     The popping grew increasingly loud and was soon joined by the sounds of yelling and screaming. That orange light was getting bright enough that David didn’t even have to look back anymore, and the smell of smoke had reached them. The crowd panicked and began to run. His mother’s hands tightened again and she pulled him forward.

     His father’s expression had paled a little. “This shouldn’t be possible… This is dawn… How are they getting through?”

     “David, we’re going to run now. I need you to run as fast as you can. Can you run with me, baby?” She asked in an urgent tone

     David looked back with wide eyes, the situation suddenly starting to make sense. “Mom? Are we under attack?”

     “David, we’ll talk later. Just run!” His father said, grabbing his other arm.

     The sounds of conflict had become deafening. Now understanding the source of the noise, he could clearly make out gunfire and explosions. the flames lit up the night with more and more clarity while the yelling and screaming drew dangerously close.

     Then something truly bone-chilling occurred. Slashing through the chaos. A lone howl echoed through the streets. At first David thought it was a wolf, but the sound was off. Wolves usually howled at a higher pitch. This sounded much deeper and louder.

     More howls echoed out, identical to the first. They came from all directions, front, back, and sides.  David spun his head in all directions, looking for the source. Pairs of glowing eyes emerged from alleyways and rooftops, completely surrounding the fleeing men and women.

     “W-what are those things?” A stranger nearby cried out.

     One of the creatures shot forward with a loud snarl, nearly imperceptible in the shadows. Seconds later a bloodcurdling scream rung out as a shadow descended upon the crowd. David shook in fright as the young man’s body went limp. The crowd looked on in horror, unable to move as a pitch-black wolf the size of a bear stood in the victim’s place, the young man’s neck clenched in its muscular jaws.

     True chaos broke out. The crowd scrambled in every direction, desperately looking for some path of escape. The other beasts jumped into action, massacring civilians left and right. David was petrified, unable to run from fear. His father quickly scooped him up and ran off. David could only watch over his shoulder as the bloodbath ensued, the images of the destruction forever etching themselves into his mind.

     “Filthy low-borns! They will suffer eternally for this!” His father spat angrily.

     As fast as his father could run, David could tell that the beast were gaining. The screams sounded closer with every passing moment, and occasionally those next to them would fall to the ground, shrieking. The beasts glowing yellow eyes flashed in the darkness behind them then were immediately followed by painful wailing. It wasn’t long before those eyes focused themselves in David’s direction.

      David let out a scream and turned his head away as the beasts closed in. He kept repeating to himself that this was just a dream. Just a scary dream. In a moment he would wake up and everything would be back to normal. A woman next to them shrieked in agony as the approaching beast slaughtered her. He squeezed his eyes tighter and grabbed onto his father with everything he had.

     Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. All he had to do was wake up right? Why couldn’t he do it? Why couldn’t he wake up?

     Gunshots shook him out of his trance. The closing beasts yelped out in pain before slumping to the ground. relief and hope flared up within him. The soldiers had come! His fear dissipated as he saw the uniformed men running forward, shooting down the massive beasts. They were saved. Ever since he was young, he always been told that the soldiers of Dawn were unstoppable, the reason why their glorious nation was unshakeable, the peak of civilization chosen by God. It was over. The beasts wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.

     Or so he thought.

     A nearby soldiers screamed as one of the beast tackled him. He disappeared into the crowd before David could see what happened next, but David didn’t worry too much. He was a soldier of Dawn after all. Another scream blasted in his ears. His eyes widened in shock a he saw the soldier struggling on the ground with blood pouring from his throat.  Another soldier dropped his weapon, and fled in fear. The hope they had rekindled within David quickly faded waway.

     The gunshots kept going off, but the screams just kept increasing. This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. The army was supposed to solve everything, to keep them safe. How could it be losing? Why was everyone dying?

     Were they going to die?

     No. His dad was here. His dad wouldn’t let anything happen to them. Even if the soldiers couldn’t protect everyone, his dad would get them out. All he could do was believe that. He clenched his hand around his father’s shirt.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

     “Everyone, run for the forest! Run for the forest!” The soldier shouted. They kept shooting at the beasts, struggling to keep them at bay. “Do not stop! The enemy is coming!”

     A second later, the yelling soldier stiffened. Blood dripped down from a hole in the center of his head. David’s father paused a moment to look back towards the source, then began to run frantically towards the side of the street. Looking over his shoulder, David got a full view of the incoming attack. A mob of horse were quickly advancing through the crowd, swinging clubs and firing rifles while the horses trampled the crowd under foot.

     “Argh!” David’s father yelled out in pain, falling to the ground. A bullet had torn through his ankle. He dropped David, who tumbled to the ground.

     “Jordan!” David’s mother cried out, running back to him.

     “Run! Save David!” He yelled back. He picked up a fallen soldier’s rifle and did his best to stand. “Worthless pale-skinned trash! I’ll kill all of you god hating beasts!”

     Cristina hesitated, but the quickly approaching cavalry brought her back to her senses. She scooped up her son, throwing him over her shoulder. Sobbing, she ran towards a nearby alley to escape massacre on the main street.

     “Dad…” David whispered, extending his hand toward the shrinking figure. David. He could only stare in shock as the horses trampled his father.

     In the nick of time, David’s mother escaped into the narrow alley, avoiding the riders. Most of the others were not so lucky. The citizens were massacred in the streets, with nowhere to go. Women were dragged away while men were slaughtered on the spot.

     David was frozen in place, hand still extended and eyes glazed over. Just like that, his father was gone. This wasn’t right, it couldn’t be. His dad was stronger than this wasn’t he? Dawn was stronger than this. How could he be gone just like that. Why? Why was everyone he knew dying like this? Why were his friends and neighbors being killed by these lowborn wretches he’d always been taught were inferior? Why wasn’t God protecting them in this disaster?

     It had to be a dream. It just had to be. But no matter how he tried. He couldn’t wake up.

     David’s mother tripped over a stray board and fell to the ground, dropping David. He fell to the ground painfully, waking him from the trance, however before he could run back to his mother a group of the attackers caught up. They grabbed her and began to drag her away while she screamed and kicked.

    “Mom!” David cried. He moved towards her, meaning to try and pull the men away. His mother kicked him back before one of the assailants could grab him as well.

     “David! Run!” She screamed, struggling against the pale skinned attackers dragging her away. Tears streamed from her eyes. “Run as fast as you can! Don’t stop!”

     David was frozen, unable to stop staring at his mother as she disappeared into the alley with the three men. Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned to run, his heart tearing in two at the prospect of leaving her behind. He’d never seen her pleading as she had in that moment. How could he possibly refuse?

     The men didn’t come after him. He ran with all his might, barely able to see through his opwn tears. He apologized over and over to his mother under his breath for leaving her. However, he heeded her request. No matter what, he wouldn’t turn back, even as her screams faded into the distance.

     He ran blindly through the alleys, trying to run from wherever he heard the sound of conflict. The task seemed impossible. No matter how far he ran, the noise just kept following him, the screams echoing in his ears endlessly. Every single nightmare he’d ever had seemed to have come to life before his very eyes.

     Another problem had arisen. The orange light of the fire had caught up with them, and the flames were spreading rapidly across the tightly packed houses. David coughed as he tried to escape the smoke. The fire condensed the fleeing citizens together, and it wasn’t long before the attackers and their beasts reappeared, beginning the killing anew. David was forced to weave through the chaos, trying his best not to be trampled by the panicked crowd.

     He ducked into a crack between two small houses just before the snarling beasts pounced upon the panicked escapees. He could hear the terrified cries directly behind him as he crawled away, escaping into another alleyway. He couldn’t bear to look back anymore. He knew only death awaited his gaze.

      Upon exiting the small crawlspace, David stumbled over something on the ground, falling flat on his face. He groaned and pushed himself up. He glanced back to see the cause. His eyes widened. Lying on the ground was young, pale skinned woman, probably a house servant. Her side was oozing blood which had now died half her clothes dark red. Her skin had turned a sickly white that even the dirt and smoke couldn’t conceal. Her face doing its best to suppress her agony.

    Reacting to the sensation of David’s trip, the woman looked up. Her eyes pleaded for help as she rolled on her side, revealing a one-year old child shielded beneath her. It began to bawl as it was exposed to the cold air. “Please… Take him. Take my Patrick. Please… I can’t go any further.” She begged, holding out the child to him with shaking arms.

     David was unsure of what to do. He’d always been told never to associate himself with a lowborn under any circumstance. Even something as simple as talking to one in a casual manner was considered taboo, to say nothing of accepting a request. But, looking at the baby, who just begun to cry, those indoctrinations faded for a moment. He had lost his mother and father. His home was probably gone forever too. This baby, on the other hand, could still be saved. He had the chance to save them.

     He reached down to pick up the one-year old child. He couldn’t do nothing, even if she was a servant. Perhaps he was breaking the rules of Dawn, but they wouldn’t blame him for saving a baby, right? Who in their right mind would let a baby die?

     The woman gave him a look of relief as she handed over the child, but before she could say anything else, her body relaxed and the fell unconscious. David couldn’t help but think she wasn’t going to wake up again.

     David turned away and ran, clutching the infant in his arms. The fire was spreading rapidly, and had now reached this alley as well. David found himself racing through a maze of flames, desperately looking for an exit. The flaming remains of a black star, the symbol of the founder of Dawn, fell to the ground in front of him.

     Evading falling debris and the occasional enemy, he finally managed to escape the maze of burning alleyways bullets started to fly past in front of him. Looking around he realized he’d stepped into the center of a firefight. He looked back toward the alley, but it was currently being consumed by flames. The only thing he could think to do was to run for the protection of the soldiers. He ducked his head and ran for cover.

     Thankfully, it appeared that on this street the soldiers were actually winning. The defenders gained ground as the attackers were forced back, scrambling for cover from the better organized and equipped defense forces. David ran behind the line, seeing it as the safest place. A spark of hope was rekindled in his eyes seeing this turn. There was still a chance to escape!

      A bone spike planted itself in the head of one of the soldiers. An expression of shock and confusion spread across his face as he fell lifelessly to the ground. The other soldiers frantically looked for the source of the attack, but two more soldiers went down before they noticed what had happened.

     “Aberrant!” One of the men screamed, his voice filled with terror. A second later there was a short spear jutting out of his chest. A human shaped blur charged across the battlefield, mercilessly killing anything in its path. The other men quickly changed their focus of fire to this abnormality. The rain of bullets couldn’t react to the speed of the assailant, which could only be bothered to deflect a small number of more accurate shots. The rest sailed away without ever coming close to the target. One by one, the soldiers fell to the ground with spikes of various length jutting from their vitals. It took less than two minutes for the street to go silent.

     David watched the horrific scene unfold, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He had thought the beasts were frightening, but the brutality of the scene before him now chilled him to the core. What was this monster? It was as if a demon had descended upon them. That had to be it. A demon! These attackers were followers of demons!

     The blur finally stopped as it drilled the last man through the head with a long spear. David could finally see the man clearly as he stood triumphant in the center of the street. The demon ic being was tall, thin, and raggedly dressed. Its appearance seemed to be that of a man with messy black hair. However, none of this was truly eye catching. What truly was burned into David’s mind was the skeletal tattoos covering the exposed portions of his skin and the ten-pointed black star adorned on his forehead. 

     David stood there for a moment, unable to take his eyes off that black star. That was the prophets mark, the star that represented the hope of Dawn. Why did he have it? Why would a demon would ever be allowed to wear such a mark? That was their star, the star given to the prophet by God! How could demon possess it without being struck down?!

     The pale skinned invaders cheered at their champions victory and charged towards the fleeing civilians. David just stood there, staring at the demonic spearman. The demon stared back, raising his spear once more as the cold light in his eyes shined upon David. A shiver ran through him and he felt an overwhelming urge to run. At that moment, he felt despair take over. He was going to die here. Even if he ran, he couldn’t escape something like that. If this demon wanted him dead what could he possibly do?

     He could hear the invaders getting close, the screams of those behind and the cruel laughter and roars of their murderers. He begged his legs to moved faster, but they seemed incapable of giving anything more.

     Gunshot rang out behind him. Bullets whizzed past, one even coming close enough to scratch his cheek. Tears formed in his eyes as he became frustrated with his powerlessness. Was this whole struggle for nothing? He looked down at the baby in his arms, as it continued wailing incessantly. He squeezed the boy to his chest and kept running, trying push himself further.

     He couldn’t give up. not while he could still move. He wasn’t about to let his parents die for nothing, to fail that dying woman’s last request.

     Energy surged through him. his muscle tensed up burst forward with new strength. Davidf barely had enough consciousness left to be surprised as his speed tripled. His mind was blank as he raced toward the forest now easily outstripping his pursuers. Only a single goal remained in his mind. He had to escape this place at all costs. No matter what, he wasn’t going to die here.

     Before David reached the forest, he found himself surrounded. The pale skins and their monstrous beasts were waiting as he ran for the cover of the trees. However, David’s head was incapable of processing the odds. He could only think about moving forward, and nothing was going to get in his way Purely on instinct, he charged forward.

     Seeing this, the invaders began laughing and fired their weapons at him. They had yet to realize the inhuman speed at which he approached. The shots whizzed past, unable to hit his small frame.

      Unbeknownst to David, his vision flashed silver for a moment. Immediately following this the ground around him began shaking. A rumbling sound burst forth from the earth, and knocked the attackers to the ground. The beasts panicked and ran from the shaking earth. Those who remained were greeted with unexpected injury. However, David was somehow unaffected. He just kept running barely noticing the sudden quake.

     David was like a bulldozer. Shielding the young infant, he met all obstacles with reckless abandon. He lowered his head and smashed directly into a beast while screaming at the top of his lungs, sending it tumbling across the street. Anything or anyone in his way was smashed aside, unable to even slow down the child juggernaut.

     He could see the woods directly ahead. No one could catch him, no one could stand in his way. However, right before he entered the forest, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He cried out and fell to the ground, turning on his side to avoid injuring the baby. He felt his back with his hand until he discovered a smooth spike lodged next to his lower spine.

     Turning back, he saw the demon staring at him from the edge of the city, a menacing gleam in his eyes. David stumbled back onto his feet, but fell again as fear overtook his senses once more. If the demon attacked now. He was dead. He was sure of it.

     However, it didn’t advance. Instead, the demon turned and walked back toward the burning city. David stayed still, surprised and relieved.

     He’d survived. They were going to survive after all.

     Hearing the howls of the beasts, his relief disappeared and he was reminded how close the enemy still was. He didn’t bother with the spike, but continued to run, leaving the burning remnants of his home behind him.

     After a few miles, his legs finally gave out. That strength which had carried him so far disappeared all at once, leaving him more exhausted than he’d ever been. He nearly dropped the child in his arms, who’d somehow fallen asleep despite the chaos. Gasping for breath, he used what little energy he had remaining to stagger toward the ruins of an old building and slump down against its wall.

     Grimacing, he pulled the spike out of his back. A new wave of pain coursed through him. For the first time that night he began to cry. He cried from the pain of his back wound. He cried out of fear of the spearman, the pale skinned men who attacked, and the beasts. Most of all, he cried for the loss of his family. His home, his friends, and even his own parents had died as he watched. In a single night, everything was gone. He was all alone.

     As he cried, the baby began to cry as well. He hugged it close and tried to rock it, hoping to soothe the child. He stifled his sobbing for a moment, shushing gently.

 That was right. He wasn’t alone. He still had this baby. At that moment, the weak creature in his arms became David’s sole spark of hope. As long as he could protect this child, He would still have something. It wasn’t all in vain.

     “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He sniffled. “We need to be strong together now.” He whispered. “All we have is each other.”

     The infant stopped crying after a few minutes. David huddled into a ball, trying to keep it warm.

      “From now on, I’m your big brother, David. You… you were Patrick, right?”

     David decided the small cooing noise the baby made was a yes.

     “Don’t worry Patrick. We’ll be okay. I’m going to keep you safe. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

     David looked up at the cloudy sky, unsure of what to do. He’d never been on his own before, much less had he ever cared for a child. Was he even capable of protecting anyone? He didn’t even know if he could protect himself. He’d been thrown into a new world, a world he didn’t understand, against his will. How was he going to survive?

     He looked down at the child with a sad expression. Images of his parents over the years surfaced in his mind along with those final moments when they’d done all they could to protect him. They had been powerless and yet they hadn’t given up on him. Even if it was desperation, how could he let he give up?

     A hint of determination sparked inside him. He had to survive. If he didn’t, this baby wouldn’t either. Those that had died for his survival would see their efforts wasted. The promise to the lowborn woman who had entrusted him with Patrick, would mean nothing. He had always been stubborn. He wasn’t about to give in just because of catastrophe.

     I won’t die. He told himself. I won’t die no matter what. I am from Dawn. The people of Dawn do not break this easily. As long as I live, we will survive.

     His exhaustion took hold, and David fell into a deep sleep.