December 1914.

A month had passed, before the survivors could start to recover and reorganised into communities.

They built crude homes or tents as they suffice in the most rudimentary basics for survival.

They then organised groups for hunting, foraging, security and management. Man woman or child was forced to contribute in one form or another.

Some semblance of human civilization had started to return albeit, in far than sufficient means and circumstance.

These communities organized expeditions to find and confirm the losses and changes to the world they had known.

The expeditionary, returned no more than a couple of days after departing. Sobbing and breakdown in disarray as they did. What they returned with, shocked and terrified the rest. Those that had gone numb, couldn’t help but shudder in cold sweat.

Great cities, like that of London, Paris, Rome, Berlin or Moscow had gone and vanished. These were the symbols of the great old world.

Every monument and relic of the past was but a ruin and mark of the disaster that had come.

The tales of the half or completely buried, broken and destroyed ruins gave the depiction that embodied the struggle of survival and inevitable loss they had suffered.

Some felt an absolute loss. Others, a sense of having survived the worst.

They all soon came to the mindset, that they had become the greater survivor.

With another month passing, the date of the new year was almost at hand. By now, most believed, that the worst had now gone past.

But…

They were so wrong.

For the true calamity was only, about to begin.

For nigh, was the end of the old human civilization.

And the reign of chaos was to ensure on the earth once claimed by humanity.

----------------------------------------

January 01st, 1915.

There was no celebration to the mark of this new year.

Humans had yet to recover from the disaster of 2 months ago.

As downcast as they wear after the disaster, they had the tenacity for natural survival imbedded in their genes.

The few surviving elements of government and order had started to organise themselves in the two weeks prior to new year’s.

They sent out search parties to find pockets of survivors. They sued the old maps they had, as useless as they were in the world were the landscapes had changed as stark as heaven and earth, relied on only identifying distance as a means to finding their way around.

The world, in this time of basic survival, managed to form several hundreds of communities. All were cross-national and mixed ethnicity.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Though disgruntled, each accepted the others as they worked hand in hand for recovery and rejuvenation.

…

On the evening of day, each of the communities organised themselves for a bare-bone celebration to uplift their moods.

Few hunted and prepared meat and water was all they had to celebrate with.

But everyone, was content with it.

This was all they had, using all of their energy.

It was remarkably lucky for them that no outbreak of disease had struck after everything.

Hoping for a better future, they tried to loosen their tension and high-strung nerves by immersing into a happier mood.

Children sung and dances around across lit bonfires.

Some of the adults joined to sing in karaoke.

Men and women courted one another, to seek a passion of the flesh to enjoy the night after the party.

Things took form, one step at a time.

And then… it happened again.

*GNNRRAAAWWWWGGGRRRRRR!!!!*

A monstrous roar like no other.

It froze the world into a daze with its roar.

Every human on earth had heard it.

Everyone wished it was just their hallucination.

But, their hopes were ignored.

Large blurry shadows popped out from the wilderness near the camps. They rushed in like a sweeping tornado.

Screams and wails echoed across the camps.

A new horror, breaking the minds of the survivors who tried to flee in chaos.

Blood gushed and sprayed across tents and faces of others.

All of this lasting only a few minutes, before the same shadows retreated back away into the wilderness.

Broken once more, survives lay prone and paralyzed on fear. Shaken to the very core of their being.

As their mind processed what they had seen, not one could whimper in the terror of what they had realised.

The shadows were undoubtedly monsters. Fast, carnivorous and powerful.

The night was passed on with high tensions and fear. A situation was grievous and threatening than everything they had endured before.

By morning, people quickly tried to rush away from the scene. However, there was no longer unity amongst them.

Some wished to find another group of survivors to combine and prepare themselves better. Some, wished to rush into the mountains to find or dig caves and build a defensive home. And some, wished to go to the sea, seeking an island for isolation away from the danger of the great wilderness all together.

The groups were evenly split into three sides. None held an advantage over the other. After much deliberations in the morning, things remained inconclusive.

The first to detach from the discussion and act, were those who sought isolation. They left the communities in droves as they walked in the identified, closest direction to the shore.

Seeing this departure, the mountaineers, also sprung to act. They left towards the visible mountain ranges. They too did not wish to waste time, as they had to find shelter before nightfall.

The remaining portion of survivors, were left with no choice but to make their way to another community, found a distance away from themselves.

And there, once sizeable community had broken apart, in terror of the new predator.

It was much later, after many more tails did all of the scope become clearer.

Human had fallen from their once prestigious position as the dominant race.

It was in this one, new year’s night, that the already far dwindled human race, approached extinction level in number.

Now, barely 20% of the human had survived all of the ordeals.

It was also after many days and much deliberation, that the clearest description was made of the beast.

What was confirmed, was that the beast had a body and speed of a tiger, that was as large as a rhinoceros, and black as the night.

Described further was the existence of some form of unnatural ‘guard’ like protection on the shoulders and head of the beast.

Lastly, was the fangs and rows of teeth visible from the massive mouth that grasped people off their feet.

People came to call this beast the - Dark Saber. It was called a saber, due to its close resemblance to a sabretooth from the ice age era. It was classified as a ‘monstrous beast’.

After its first appearance was on that fateful night, it started more regular hunts. Its pattern was few and far apart, but its ability was hard challenged.

Since then, humans had been forced more and more into a corner, with more varieties of monstrous beasts propping up front various places.

Another month after the arrival of monstrous beasts, large swathe of survivors had found a home inside a fort. They had decided to use it as their refuge and protection from the new dangers that plagued them.

It was at this time, during their reconstruction and efforts to rebuild, that a new challenge appeared.

A new race was found.

One that had taken the former place of humans.

The new dominant race.

They were an existence beyond comprehension. With abilities far worrying and attitude far terrifying than the monstrous beasts.

They were called the ‘Arkans’ by the survivors.

They were, the new nemesis of humanity in this alien world.

Submitted by

RICHELLE BALDOR MANHASSET

Sergeant of Arms

3rd Imperial German Field Army

Survivor of 5th Fort Town