--Point of View: The Beast--

The cycle continued for years, never changing. I existed only to search for and be judged by those I once loved. A new dawn bringing hope that maybe today would be different. I would find them and be reunited. That hope was foolish. The day would pass with a blink and like the countless days before, I was left feeling empty. Deep down, I knew the truth. It brought me nothing but despair. This self-destructive path would have been the end of me, but fate had other plans in mind.

Today, much like the thousands that came before it, I awoke, tear soaked and disheveled and prepared to start my day like any other. The sun had just begun to peek over the rooftops while I was pulling up slabs and checking buildings for survivors. It was then that a shadow passed overhead. Now, any other time this would be normal. It tended to be cloudy here in the ruins, so a passing cloud was nothing to get excited about. What was worth getting excited about however was the fact this cloud was made of iron and streaked across the sky. The moment I caught sight of it, I instinctively ducked down. I don’t know why but something in my gut told me it would be best to hide.

“What was that?” I asked myself, completely baffled by what had just occurred. Of all the years I had been here, I had yet to see anything even remotely living. While I had no idea what that was, I did know it was not a cloud and iron did not tend to fly on its own.

Not wanting to give up this chance, I started to run. I had grown swift with the years as I adapted more and more to this new body of mine. It was tireless, did not need to eat, which was lucky considering there was nothing to eat here, and its senses were remarkably sharp. The buildings flew by as I bounded from one to another, digging my claws into the pavement for traction. It was exhilarating. My worries seemed to fade away when I was running, my mind too busy focusing on my next step to care about anything else. Alas, no matter how fast I seemed to go, whatever I saw in the sky would soon disappear into the distance, hidden by the vastness of the ruins.

“I know this place is huge but just how big is it?” I complained, debating if I should keep moving. It was a momentary thought before I picked up the pace again. “This is the first anything I have seen here. I’m not going to lose it.”

My pursuit went into the night and well into the next day before the cityscape started to thin. It was subtle at first, but the skyscrapers started to dwindle, and the remaining buildings grew shorter. Coming to a stop, I smiled a very toothy smile. The sun was setting on the horizon, a horizon I could finally see for the first time. Stretching out past the city was a barren, treeless field that looked no more inviting than the city itself.

“Well, I’ve come this far. Nothing but open land awaits me now.” I said, a somewhat triumphant smug on my face. It felt good to accomplish something for a change. Very good in fact. I had forgotten this feeling.

It was then that the first impact occurred. A black shape, like I had seen just the previous day, streaked down from the sky like a falling star, growing far larger than the first. My eyes grew wide, and my legs moved on their own. They knew what I did not and carried me away without giving me a say in the matter. This body knew something bad was about to happen. It just did not know the magnitude. The ground shook and a tremor rippled through the city, a wave of disaster following in its wake. The deafening roar of fallen debris and collapsing buildings drowned out everything. It was chaos.

Thankfully, I had ducked into the underground. A haven amongst all the destruction raining down above ground. During one of my countless searches, I had discovered it. An almost impossibly huge tunnel system that seemed to stretch throughout the whole city with entrances periodically sprinkled on the surface. Here is where I would shelter until everything passed and settled into place. The boom of fallen buildings and the pelting of stone continued for almost an hour. The walls shook and creaked but held well enough. It was only after the sounds faded that I felt confident enough to check outside.

I emerged slowly and with care, peering around and being mindful of falling stones. I do not know what I was expecting to see but the destruction that had just occurred moments before was relatively hard to notice considering the state the city was in before. If anything, it just shook some loose bits free. Regardless, I was not interested in the city but in what caused the quake just now. The answer would await me after I climbed up a little higher and looked out towards the horizon once more.

A massive black tower stood far into the distance, only visible because of its sheer size. This was the culprit. I did not know what it was or what purpose it served but I did know one thing. It scared me. A fear crept into me the longer I stared, and it only got worse from there. There was movement at its base like insects swarming out of a nest. While my new eyes were exceptional, even they could not make out what they were from this distance, and I dared not leave the safety of the ruins. I would be totally exposed if I stepped out into the field. I was a red dot on a bleak map. It would not take much to spot me so hidden I remained.

The days that followed were the most interesting days I had experienced since arriving to this world. I spent all hours of the morning and most of the night, watching the black tower. As time passed, I could just spot what looked like additional buildings being raised and nonstop commotion. Whatever was moving over there, there was a lot of them. Thankfully, I would have my answer soon. On the seventh day, something emerged from the tower and was heading in my direction. They were coming to the ruins. I had to prepare.

I took refuge on top of one of the taller buildings, opting for one that still had some resemblance of a roof just in case something soared overhead again. It’s better to be safe than sorry later. I waited for them, hunkered down in front of a window as they journeyed from the tower to the city’s edge, a trip that took several hours. As they drew near, I could finally make out what I was seeing, and I was slightly taken aback. While it was not exactly a horse carriage, it resembled one. Although, there was no horse pulling it and it moved with much greater speed. I wondered if I could outrun it. Hopefully I would never find out.

With only a momentary pause at the edge, they were within the city, traveling down the center road as best they could. Very few of the roads were clear and their grand entrance only made matters worse for them. They did not make it very far before coming to a halt. At this distance, I could hear a steady rumbling. Then, without warning, four doors opened, two on each side of the carriage and out stepped four remarkably human looking figures. I nearly leapt from the building in surprise. A strong urge to rush down and greet them swelled up inside me, but I resisted. The risk was too great. Even if they were the first people I had seen since arriving here, my gut was screaming to stay away.

And stay away I did, sort of. I crept through the building as best I could given my size and settled about halfway down. The view was a bit better from here. Any closer would be risky. Upon looking out again, the first very thing I noticed was their outfits. They were very odd, at least to me. Each one was dressed from head to toe in a bright yellow suit, heavy boots, thick gloves, and finally, a glass dome for a helmet. It was nothing short of bizarre and not something anybody I knew would be wearing. The next surprise came when they spoke.

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“We are going to need a demo crew out here. This place is a literal disaster. How about those scientist come out here and help for a change.” Grumbled one of the suited figures. They sounded male but it was a little hard to tell from afar.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Stop your grumbling. We get paid either way. Standard procedure. We’ve done this a hundred times by now.” Responded another, this one with more authority in their voice.

“Sure, but never in a class five hazardous area. I didn’t even know it went up to five. For all I know, I’m dying just standing out here. Aren’t you even the slightest bit worried?” Called yet another figure from the opposite side.

“If they say it is safe, then it is safe. It is not like we have a choice in the matter so shut up and get to work. The sooner we complete this damn survey the sooner we can get out of here.” Barked the figure in charge.

After another quick briefing, they all scattered in separate directions and began whatever job they were sent out here to do. I was so enamored by it all. I wanted nothing more to go down there and say hello. It has been so long since I had spoken to anybody, but common sense dictated otherwise. I would be a monster to them, or it was safe to assume that was the case. Mankind was not friendly to monsters in my time, and I reckon that was still the case. So, for now, I just continued to observe.

At first it looked like they were just searching around, much like I had been doing. They poked their heads under rubble, glanced down alleyways and generally just did their best to find whatever it was they seemed to be looking for. It would not take long for things to get a bit more interesting though. One by one they each would swing their backpacks over their shoulder, dropping them to the ground with a soft thud. A little rummaging around was in order before they would pull out a plethora of tools and gadgets I did not recognize. They all did have one thing in common though. They all made a lot of noise. Awful noises in fact. While I was eager to keep listening to the snippets of conversation they occasionally had with one another, everything was drowned out by a sea of beeps and whines. I hated it.

As I watched, having given up on trying to listen in, I attempted to decipher just what these contraptions were for. None of them were very large, easily being held in one hand. They even had blinking lights. No tool I was familiar with, that much was for sure and by the look of one of the scouts, he was not all too familiar with it either. He would smack it with the palm of his hand and shout a few colorful words that I did recognize. I even used a few myself. It was nice to know that some things never change. Soon he swapped it out for what looked like a spare and went on with his duties.

I then turned my attention to the most senior of the group, or at least the one barking out the most orders. That was normally the telltale sign at least. I would know. If it were a competition, I was definitely the champion of being shouted at during my old life. Following orders was not my strong suit. Regardless, this person seemed to know what they were doing. They held a strange device, carried by a handle, that was waved around as they walked from place to place. It would beep in rapid succession at times and quite slowly at others. After each string of noise, the suited figure would give a small nod and scribble whatever it told them into a notebook. I wish I had a clue what they were after.

The third member of their patrol was busy driving stakes into the road so a pole could be secured in place. More gadgets and noise makers sat atop the shaft, and it was only one of several he had piled on the ground just a small distance away. I assumed they were some sort of marker. Besides that, this one did not seem to be doing anything of particular interest. That left me with the fourth and final bit of entertainment for the day. They had no tools and had discarded their backpack near their transport. What came next caught both me and the rest of his party off guard.

“Is anybody out there?” she shouted, their voice carrying far into the distance as it echoed off the plethora of buildings surrounding them.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” called all three of her companions in unison, one of them even dropping his tools in surprise. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. We were going to check anyway, right? We always do. I’m just a little bit ahead of schedule is all.” She shouted back, a grin on her face. I liked her. I would have done something like that back in my days.

“No actually, we were not. You see that suit you are wearing? That means no life unless you are wearing one and even then, you need to be mindful. Radiation is a nasty thing. Now stop wasting time and do your job.” Shouted the big cheese, obviously annoyed at their subordinate.

Radiation? They had used that word earlier too. What could they mean I wonder? Whatever it was it sounded dangerous but at the same time I have lived here for so long I no longer knew the exact number. Plus, it seems related to their suits as well. Maybe it protects them somehow? I am going to have to find out more.

After their little outburst, their fourth member retrieved their bag leisurely before heading off away from the others with little to no motivation. From where I sat, I could not make out what they were doing so I decided to relocate. Slithering down through the building took a lot more time than I would have liked but it was the only way to ensure I was not spotted. They did not expect to see anything living here by the sounds of it and I would like them to keep on believing that if I could help it.

Creeping along through windows and behind piles of fallen debris, I would find myself in a position to observe just what our little over achiever was doing. At first, when I caught up with them, I mistook them for slacking off again. They were sitting down just digging through their bag but when I settled into a better spot, I could see they were laying out supplies down in front of them. With a few minutes work, all the parts were assembled into a sizable contraption that sat on three legs. In its center, sat a smooth cylinder that hummed softly.

“These things just get stranger and stranger” I whispered softly before an audible thud could be heard followed by a muffled bang.

The rod that sat in the center of the three supports had risen into the air before slamming back down, a loud thud echoing through the city which was then followed by the muffled explosion that took place beneath it. Once this had been completed, a fury of beeps and whistles resonated from the machine and from here, I could see her looking at something.

“Hey Sarge, looks like we have a pretty extensive underground system here. You should probably come take a look” she yelled, motioning to her boss.

“Damn, I was hoping you wouldn’t say that. I have to plan around the damn road potentially caving in. Let’s look at the damage.” He grumbled as he marched his way over to the device.

“It stretches further then the thumper can detect. Knowing our luck, it’s under the whole damn city.” Groaned the worker, looking to her superior for a response.

“Well, you heard her everyone. Looks like this is going to take even longer than normal. I don’t need none of your asses falling through the pavement. Not after we lost those three transports during the last mission. Isn’t that right Chris?” called the boss, looking to the first scout I watched.

“Oh fuck off. How was I supposed to know the damn street would cave in. Was not my job to know. I was told to drive and drive I did.” Growled Chris, obviously upset for having it brought up.

They kind of remind me of my old comrades. I had a fair bit of shit thrown at me and I gave it back just the same. Things were going to be a lot more entertaining around here with these four around and I was overjoyed to have something to do. How long would they be here? Would they ever find me? What would they do if I was found? These were questions I asked myself. I imagined they would be here until they found what they were hunting for or gave up. Whatever came first. As for finding me, I hope it never comes to that. Days of watching and learning from these four would be much preferred over having to flee for my life.

Alas, my fun did have to eventually come to an end on this day. As the sun started to fall and the shadows crept forward, the party of four would gather their supplies and pile back into what they called a Humvee. With a small rumble from within, it carried them back home to their distant black tower, out of sight once again.

“Now that was an interesting day. I have no idea what is going on and I love it. I do hope they come back though.” I muttered, my tail wagging with great enthusiasm. I watched the sun set for a while longer, the tower silhouetted against the cloudy sky. It was only after darkness had crept in that I turned and made my way home, sleep finding me shortly after. That night my dreams were of Humvees and noisy gadgets.