Lazarus woke with Sammy licking his face. He dreamt last night of watching TV while lying in his soft bed. He was watching a sitcom about several friends in New York doing almost nothing but get in odd situations. He saw himself as one of the friends in the sitcom and his girlfriend had come over to his apartment, but his ex-girlfriend surprised him by showing up at his doorstep. It was a stupid dream, not a vision liked Matthew had.

"It's ok," Lazarus said, "I’m awake."

The dog howled. He jumped up from his sleeping place ready to fight. The first thing he noticed was the sound. He heard birds and other things, animals screeching in the distance. A large tree shaded them from the sun, but a tree was not here yesterday. Lazarus stood and looked around. Green ivy covered the large cement blocks and debris. A forest had sprung up overnight while he was sleeping. He climbed up a mound and studied the area. Trees and plants covered the landscape of Los Angeles. Nature had overtaken the manmade structures.

Matthew said, "I woke and found this. It was the magic that came forth."

"From where?"

The big man climbed up toward where Lazarus stood. He towered over him. Lazarus only reached up to Matthew's shoulders. They surveyed the land.

"I don’t know. I get dreams, but I don’t really know where they come from."

"So, this magic, where has it been all these years? Why now?"

Lazarus’ face was warm. He wished everything was the same again. He never wanted to have these powers. He wanted to be back at his apartment again, working at his job, doing mundane things.

"I don't know. We have to find the others and then maybe we can find out."

The sound of cockatoos was heard and also another animal he could not name. It was like being in the Amazon forest.

They started a fire in the clearing, working silently. Its warmth felt good in the coolness of the morning. Their breakfast consisted of berries and nuts they found a short way from their camp. Grass shot up from the ground, covering the uneven pavement and dirt. He couldn't believe this vibrant forest had sprung up overnight. When he scanned ahead the forest only began around where they slept, not pushing beyond a half a block from where they camped.

Water was in short supply, but luckily Lazarus had filled several canteens from a pipe that jutted out from a building before he encountered Matthew. They would have to find another water source before they set out.

"Matthew, I think we should find the jeep I abandoned a mile away from here. Then we can go find the others. But where are we going?"

Matthew stared at him. Lazarus wondered if he heard him, but Matthew was not looking at him but upwards into the canopy of leaves and tree limbs.

Lazarus turned and saw a large panther moving among the trees. The animal was muscular and sleek. It didn't spot them, but was hunting other game. Sammy was growling next to him. The panther didn't look any different to other large cats he saw in the zoo and he wondered if this animal had come from the local zoo.

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He held his breath as the panther left the area. Matthew was still looking up at the trees and he shook his head.

"Wow," Matthew said, "did you see that?"

The animal was smaller than the Grogs but still impressive to look at while he roamed among the vegetation.

"Yes, I’m glad the panther didn't look at us to be its next meal."

Matthew said, "It didn't look odd."

Lazarus understood. This animal looked normal. So, he thought, not every creature was changed by the magic.

"We should leave. Sammy, did you get your breakfast?"

The dog had been eating a small rabbit caught in the morning, but the carcass lay Sammy's feet because he was staring at the direction in which the panther had gone.

"What's wrong?"

They heard a loud growling sound and then another noise of something larger growlingback. The death cry of the panther was clearly audible. Sammy’s hackles stood up. He looked like he wanted to run at the sound, yet he stayed next to Lazarus, growling.

Matthew looked at him with magical flames already poised on his upraised palms. The large growl didn't sound like a Grog or any creature he knew. Then he thought about the swarm that killed the Grog a few miles from here.

They packed up their supplies and belongings and Matthew whispered, "Which way to the jeep?"

Lazarus pointed and they started moving. He hoped the creature was not traveling to their destination. It took several hours to tramp through the forest and the sun was high above when they came out. The day was getting hot and humid and his clothes stuck to his back. He peeled off his long shirt and changed into a T-shirt and shorts. He wanted to change out of his thick walking boots, but decided to keep them on. The heat didn't affect Matthew. He still wore his large jacket and carried his backpack.

"Can we stop and take a short break?" Lazarus asked.

He looked down at Sammy who was panting. Matthew nodded and they stopped underneath the shade of a dilapidated structure. Lazarus's feet were sore and his body ached from climbing over the many scraps and detritus that covered the streets. He was still trying to get used to the empty roads and buildings which were full of people a week ago. He hoped this devastation only covered Los Angeles and they would eventually meet somebody when they reached their destination.

Matthew sat in the shade next to a broken cinder block and checked the area. The sky was clear, with small birds visible. Lazarus heard the sound of monkeys and looked up to see a group of chimpanzees moving between the broken buildings.

He said, "Matthew, where are the dead bodies? There must have been people killed in this wreckage."

"I did see some bodies in the first few days but they all seem to either be eaten by the Grogs or to have disappeared."

Lazarus nodded. In this new world, he didn't know what expect. There had to have been a couple of million of people living in LA. They all couldn't all have changed to Grogs.

"You know, on the first day I saw some people. There was a large man who could conjure food and also a man who was skewered by metal."

The big man nodded.

Lazarus said, "Shouldn't we find them?"

Matthew was quiet for a while, squinting into the sun. "We have a quest. We have to complete it."

"Is this quest more important than helping other people?"

"Yes."

"These elves you talked about. Did they start this catastrophe?"

"No. We started this a long time ago."

Lazarus looked away from the big man. He was getting angry and he shouldn't. He clenched his hands and stared out at the decimated world. It was odd, he thought, how he heard in the news about the terrorists in the Middle East destroying the American way of life, but something altogether different destroyed everything in one day.

He couldn't believe the whole United States was annihilated. It wasn't nuclear weapons that did this, but something hidden in the past.