Chapter 16: Survivors in the Ashes
The helicopter hovered over the obliterated remains of Galewood, the dull hum of its rotors slicing through the thick, smoke-filled air. Inside, the news crew remained in stunned silence, their eyes glued to the devastation below. The camera continued to roll live beaming the horrors of the ruined city to millions of viewers across the world. But Lisa Warner had barely spoken since they’d first spotted the survivors.
They had expected nothing but death and debris, but somehow, two figures were still moving through the wreckage.
“Do you still have them?” Lisa asked softly, her voice barely breaking the stillness inside the cabin.
“Yeah,” Rick, the cameraman, replied, his eyes fixed on the viewfinder. “They’re still there.”
The camera zoomed in, focusing on the two men who were slowly dragging themselves through the shattered ruins. Every step looked agonizing, their bodies battered and covered in ash and dirt. It was a miracle that they were even standing, much less moving.
Lisa leaned forward, her heart pounding. The sight of them—a stark contrast against the apocalyptic landscape—was something she couldn’t tear her eyes from.
“We’re seeing something incredible,” she said finally, her voice hushed as though afraid to disturb the moment. “Two survivors… still moving through the wreckage of Galewood. We don’t know who they are or how they survived, but they’re alive.”
The camera sharpened, bringing the two men into clearer focus. The taller one, his dark hair matted with ash and sweat, was doing most of the work. He was dragging the second man, who hung limply at his side, barely able to stand on his own. The taller man’s face was grim, his movements slow and deliberate, but there was a fierce determination in the way he kept moving, one step at a time.
“Look at them,” Rick muttered, zooming in further. “How in the hell are they still standing?”
The second man—the one being dragged—was an unsettling sight. His once-black hair had turned a striking white, a sharp contrast to the debris-covered ground around him. His eyes, glowing faintly red, flickered as he stumbled forward. He was barely conscious, his head lolling with each step, his face slack and pale.
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Lisa exhaled softly, trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke into the microphone. “For those of you just tuning in, we are witnessing two survivors moving through the ruins of Galewood. They appear to be metahumans, though we don’t know who they are, nor how they survived the destruction we’re seeing here today.”
The helicopter circled slightly lower, giving the audience at home a better view. The taller man—the one doing all the work—glanced up, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the helicopter. His face twisted in frustration and exhaustion. He raised his arm, almost as if to block the view of the camera, though he didn’t stop moving.
“They see us,” Rick said quietly. “He doesn’t look too happy about it.”
The camera zoomed in on the man’s face, revealing the lines of dirt, blood, and ash streaked across his features. His eyes were wide, filled with exhaustion but also something more—something close to desperation. He tightened his grip on the second man, pulling him closer, almost as if he were trying to shield him from the camera’s gaze.
“They’re hurt, badly,” Lisa continued, her voice growing steadier as she spoke to the viewers. “The taller one seems to be helping the other, but it’s clear they’re both barely holding on. We don’t know how long they’ve been out here, but… somehow, they’ve almost made it through.”
Rick adjusted the camera, focusing on the second man—the one with the glowing red eyes. His pale skin, his white hair—There was something different about him, something otherworldly. His body seemed to move on autopilot, barely conscious, yet still moving with the help of his companion.
“I would guess they have some form of metahuman abilities,” Lisa explained, “but we don’t know the extent of them yet. In a city destroyed by an explosion of this scale, metahuman powers may have been the only thing that kept them alive.”
As the helicopter hovered lower, the camera caught more details of their agonizing progress through the ruined landscape. Fires still burned in the distance, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky. The ground below them was littered with debris—collapsed buildings, mangled cars, and shattered remnants of what had once been a bustling city. But through it all, these two men kept moving.
“Look at his eyes,” Rick said, zooming in on the second man’s face. “They’re… glowing.”
Lisa nodded slowly. “It’s possible his powers are affecting his appearance. We’ve seen cases of metahumans whose abilities manifest physically—hair, eyes, even skin color can change in response to their powers after all.”
The helicopter remained in place, the camera still focused on the pair below. Every step they took seemed to cost them—especially the taller one, who was carrying the weight of both of them. But even though his body was clearly failing, he refused to stop. There was a determination in him, a drive that kept him pushing forward.
“They’re trying to get out,” Lisa said, her voice soft but clear. “They’re fighting to survive in a city that’s been completely destroyed. We don’t know how they survived the explosion, but… they’re the only signs of life we’ve seen so far.”
For several more minutes, the camera stayed locked on the two men as they continued their slow, painful journey through the wreckage. The fires crackled in the distance, casting a flickering orange glow over the scene, but the air was still thick with ash and debris. The viewers at home were seeing it all—the devastation, the struggle, the mystery of these two survivors—and yet there were no answers.
“What kind of power could protect them from something like this?” Rick asked, breaking the silence again.
Lisa didn’t have an answer, and neither did the world watching. All they could do was keep the camera rolling and hope that, somehow, they would learn more about these two men—these two survivors