Nathaniel and Alyssa huddled together in the basement, the cold stone walls pressing in on them as the storm raged above. The world outside was a cacophony of destruction—explosions, screams, and the relentless crackle of ethereal lightning. Each strike sent tremors through the ground, shaking dust from the ceiling and causing the old house to groan in protest. But here in the darkness, they were safe. Or at least, as safe as they could be.
Time passed in a haze of fear and exhaustion. Nathaniel held Alyssa close, trying to shield her from the worst of the noise. His mind raced, filled with questions that had no answers. What was happening? Why was this storm so different, so... wrong? But he pushed those thoughts aside. Surviving was all that mattered.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the storm began to fade. The rumbling in the sky grew distant, the explosions ceased, and the building stopped its violent shaking. The silence that followed was almost as terrifying as the chaos that had preceded it.
“I think it’s over,” Alyssa whispered, her voice trembling.
Nathaniel nodded, though he didn’t fully believe it. “We should check upstairs, see what’s left.”
They climbed out of the basement, their steps tentative as they navigated the ruined interior of the children’s home. The once-familiar hallways were now unrecognizable, twisted and torn apart by the force of the storm. Walls had crumbled, furniture was splintered, and the air was thick with dust and smoke.
But worse than the destruction was the silence—punctuated only by the occasional creak of the building settling and the distant wail of sirens.
As they made their way through the wreckage, Nathaniel’s heart sank. Bodies were strewn about, the lifeless forms of the children and staff who hadn’t made it to safety in time. The sight of them—of friends and caretakers who had once been so full of life—made him feel sick. Alyssa clung to his arm, her face pale, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. But neither of them said a word. There was nothing to say.
When they finally reached the outside, the full extent of the devastation became clear. The city was a nightmare, a hellscape of fire and smoke. Buildings had been reduced to rubble, and the air was filled with the acrid stench of burning wood and something far worse. Sirens blared in the distance, mingling with the desperate cries for help from those still trapped in the wreckage.
Nathaniel’s heart pounded in his chest, a mixture of fear and a burning need to do something—anything—to help. They were just two kids, barely more than children themselves, but they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
And then they heard it—a faint, desperate crying coming from the next building over.
Without thinking, Nathaniel broke into a run, Alyssa close behind him. The sound of the girl’s sobs grew louder as they approached the crumbling structure, the walls barely holding together. They found her trapped under a massive beam, her tiny body pinned beneath the debris.
“Help me, please!” she cried, her voice weak and filled with terror.
Nathaniel dropped to his knees beside her, his hands scrabbling at the beam. But it was too heavy, too solid, and his bruised and battered body protested with every movement. Alyssa joined him, her fingers bleeding as she tried to help. But together, they still couldn’t move it.
“It’s too heavy,” Alyssa gasped, panic rising in her voice. “We can’t do this on our own.”
But Nathaniel wasn’t listening. A well of rage and frustration opened up inside him, a deep, primal fury at the injustice of it all. He couldn’t just stand by and let this happen. He wouldn’t.
And then, from somewhere deep within, he heard a voice—not a voice, exactly, but a presence, a feeling that seemed to resonate with his very soul. It urged him to try again, to push past the pain, to reach into that well of strength he didn’t know he had.
He set his feet and hands against the beam, his muscles straining as he tried once more to lift it. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, slowly, impossibly, the beam began to rise. Just enough for Alyssa to reach under and pull the little girl free.
Nathaniel collapsed to the ground, the strength draining from him as quickly as it had come. His vision blurred, and the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was Alyssa dragging the girl to safety.
When he awoke, it was to Alyssa’s tear-streaked face hovering over him. She had somehow managed to drag him out of the rubble, her hands shaking as she tried to rouse him.
“Nate, please wake up,” she whispered, her voice filled with fear.
His eyes fluttered open, and for a split second, Alyssa thought she saw a faint blue glow in his irises. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving her wondering if it had just been a trick of the light, a product of her stress and exhaustion.
Nathaniel groaned, trying to sit up, but the effort was too much. His body felt like it had been wrung out, every muscle screaming in protest. But he was alive, and so was the little girl.
Alyssa helped him to his feet, her grip firm despite the tremor in her hands. “Come on, we need to find somewhere safe. This place isn’t going to hold much longer.”
Nathaniel nodded weakly, leaning on her as they stumbled away from the wreckage. The city was still burning, the cries for help still echoing through the night, but they had done what they could.
And somewhere deep inside, Nathaniel felt a change. The storm had awakened something in him, something powerful and terrifying. He didn’t understand it yet, but he knew it was just the beginning.
As they made their way through the ruined streets, Nathaniel couldn’t shake the feeling that the world he had known was gone, and in its place was something far more dangerous. The streets were eerily silent now, the initial chaos giving way to an unsettling calm. Occasionally, a gust of wind would carry with it a distant cry for help, but for the most part, it seemed as if the city had been left in a ghostly stillness.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Nathaniel and Alyssa found a makeshift shelter in the doorway of an abandoned building. It was a grimy, old structure with shattered windows and a roof that looked like it might collapse at any moment, but it was better than being out in the open. They sat down, catching their breath and assessing their situation.
Alyssa rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few items she had managed to salvage—a bottle of water, a couple of energy bars, and a flashlight. They shared the water and ate the bars, their stomachs growling in protest at the meagre offering. The flashlight’s beam flickered weakly, but it was enough to push back the shadows that seemed to be closing in around them.
“What now?” Alyssa asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nathaniel leaned back against the wall, trying to think clearly. “We need to find out what caused this,” he said finally. “And we need to see if there are any other survivors.”
Alyssa nodded, her eyes scanning the darkened streets. “But how? We don’t even know where to start.”
Nathaniel’s mind raced. The feeling he had experienced when lifting the beam, that surge of power, still lingered at the edges of his consciousness. He wasn’t sure what it meant or where it had come from, but he knew it was significant. It was a connection, a sense of something greater that he couldn’t yet understand.
“We should try to get to higher ground,” Nathaniel suggested. “Maybe we can see more from a vantage point. We might be able to spot other survivors or get a better sense of what’s going on.”
Alyssa agreed, and together they carefully made their way through the shattered streets, avoiding debris and crumbling buildings. The once-bustling cityscape was now a wasteland of destruction, a stark reminder of the storm’s fury.
They climbed up to the roof of a tall, partially intact building, the stairwell filled with debris and the occasional flickering light from a failing generator. The roof was cold and windy, but it offered a panoramic view of the city.
The devastation was overwhelming. Fires burned in multiple locations, smoke curling up into the sky. The streets were littered with wreckage, and the occasional figure moving through the haze was a reminder of the dangers that still lurked. Nathaniel scanned the area, his eyes searching for any sign of hope.
“Look over there,” Alyssa said, pointing to a faint plume of smoke rising from a distant building. “It looks like there might be some activity.”
Nathaniel nodded, trying to focus through the haze. “Let’s check it out. Maybe there are people who need help.”
They made their way towards the smoke, their path taking them through increasingly treacherous terrain. The once-familiar city was now a maze of destruction, and each step forward was a reminder of the enormity of what had happened.
When they arrived at the source of the smoke, they found a group of survivors huddled together. They were a mix of men, women, and children, their clothes tattered, and their faces etched with exhaustion and fear. They sat around a small fire that crackled feebly, its warmth a small comfort against the chill of the night.
As Nathaniel and Alyssa approached, the survivors looked up with wary eyes. The storm had left them all on edge, and the appearance of new faces was met with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
“Who are you?” one of the men, his face lined with soot and weariness, asked gruffly. He clutched a makeshift weapon—an old metal pipe—defensively.
Nathaniel took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. “We’re survivors from the children’s home. We came from the other side of the city. We heard your smoke and came to see if we could help.”
The man’s eyes softened slightly, but the tension remained. “There’s not much help we need,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay warm and figure out what to do next.”
Alyssa stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. “We’ve seen the destruction. We know how bad it is. But we’ve also seen that people are still trying to survive. If there’s anything we can do to help you, please let us.”
The man hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. We’re out of supplies and have no way to contact anyone. If you have anything that can help, we’d be grateful.”
Nathaniel and Alyssa shared what they had—some of their water, a few more energy bars, and the flashlight. The survivors accepted the supplies with gratitude, and the mood around the fire lifted slightly.
As they sat with the group, Nathaniel couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted in the atmosphere. There was a palpable sense of despair mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible undercurrent of hope. It was as if the storm had torn away more than just the physical structures of the city; it had also revealed something deeper, a rawness that connected them all.
Nathaniel noticed a young woman sitting apart from the group, her face hidden beneath a hood. She had an air of quiet strength and sadness about her, and he felt drawn to her. He approached cautiously, trying not to startle her.
“Are you alright?” he asked gently.
The woman looked up, her eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. “I’m… I’m trying to be,” she replied. “But it’s hard. I lost my home and my family in the storm. I don’t know what to do now.”
Nathaniel’s heart ached for her. He knew all too well the feeling of helplessness that came with such loss. “I’m sorry. We’ve all lost so much. But maybe we can find a way through this together. There has to be something we can do to make things better.”
She nodded slowly. “I hope so. I’ve heard rumours—people saying this storm wasn’t just a natural disaster. Some think it was caused by something… unnatural.”
Nathaniel’s interest was piqued. “What do you mean?” The woman hesitated, then spoke in a low voice. “I’ve heard whispers about people with strange abilities, things happening that defy explanation. Some say the storm was a sign, a warning of something much darker.”
Nathaniel felt a chill run down his spine. The storm’s aftermath was more than just physical destruction; it seemed to be stirring up fears and uncertainties. “Do you think there’s any truth to it?”
The woman shrugged. “I don’t know. But I do know that something changed in me during the storm. I felt… different. Like something awakened inside me. Maybe you did too?”
Nathaniel’s mind raced back to the moment he had lifted the beam. The surge of power had felt real, but he had no idea what it meant or where it came from. He glanced at Alyssa, who was talking with the other survivors, her expression thoughtful.
“I think you might be right,” Nathaniel said softly. “Something did change. I don’t fully understand it yet, but I feel like we’re part of something bigger now.”
The woman nodded, as if she had been waiting for someone to acknowledge her own experiences. “We need to figure out what’s happening and how we can survive it. We can’t just wait for things to get worse.”
As the night wore on, Nathaniel and Alyssa spoke with the survivors, sharing information and trying to piece together what they knew. The conversations were filled with uncertainty and fear, but also a growing resolve to face whatever came next.
By the time dawn began to break, the sky a sombre grey, Nathaniel felt a sense of determination settle over him. The storm had taken so much, but it had also revealed new truths and connections. He knew that their survival depended on more than just finding shelter and supplies. They needed to understand the changes that had happened to them and to the world.
“We need to get out of here and find out more about what’s happening,” Nathaniel said, addressing the group. “There are people out there who need help, and we need to figure out what we can do.”
The survivors nodded in agreement; their resolve strengthened by the shared purpose. Nathaniel and Alyssa prepared to leave; their spirits bolstered by the solidarity they had found.
As they stepped out into the bleak, ravaged city, Nathaniel felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. The storm had brought chaos and destruction, but it had also awakened something within him—a power, a purpose. He didn’t know where this journey would lead, but he was determined to find out.
The world had changed, and with it, Nathaniel had changed. The city lay in ruins around them.