Geddes pulled out a wooden chair from the desk on the wall of my room and motioned for Jade and me to sit down. I sat down on my bed, and to my surprise, Jade sat directly beside me.

"As I said earlier, Jade, you were too young to really understand what things were like before the fall. I never bothered telling the whole story, 'cause to be honest, it's quite fucking depressing. But listen up, girlzoes."

The chair creaked under Geddes's weight as he took a seat and a deep breath. "It all started 'bout twenty years ago. Our world was thrivin', right? Full of fancy tech and them bustling cities. We lived our days all cozy-like and peaceful; ain't nobody saw what was coming."

His voice dropped as he continued. "Outta nowhere, monsters, magical critters, and odd folk we now call foreigners started poppin' up all over Spirotree. At first, we kept our heads up high, adaptin'. When a monster showed up, so did the town, and on the news, the government said they were making progress on figuring everything out by working with the foreigners." He let out a chuckle. "Things weren't perfect, ya know. Even before the fall, some people were struggling, but we was living it up compared to how things are now. Back then, I had an apprenticeship at the Maker Union, and they paid more than enough for me to provide for me and my aging daddy to live proud. But about two years after the first report of an outsider, things went to shit, real fast." His hand moved to cover the scar on his face. "The first Grimm was spotted halfway across the globe, in some city I had never heard of. It laid waste to the city for the entire world to see. Our weapons weren't nothin' to it, it mowed through civvies and the military like it was wiping words off a chalkboard. The thing was no bigger than a city bus, but it had our whole world bending on our knees for salvation, and for a moment—it came."

I listened attentively, my heart racing as he spoke.

"Jade, you listen up. This is the part nobody ever told you. That first Grimm got beat. A foreigner brought it down, but nobody talks about it no more, 'cause just when we were starting to breath a sigh of relief, thousands more of them showed up."

"They can be killed?" Jade looked at Geddes with a mad look of hope in her eyes. "Yes, but ain't nobody left who knows how." Geddes said with a warning in his eyes. "Don't go doing nothing yet, and let me finish the story for Lyn."

Jade's face relaxed, and Geddes resumed speaking. "They swarmed like an unrelenting tempest. Cunning, methodical, and vicious creatures, they were. By the time young ones like Mells was born, Spirotree had become what it is today."

"Why don't the Grimm just come in here and kill us now?" I wondered aloud, recalling the conspicuousness of the Faraday Kids' settlement. There was absolutely no way the Grimm were unaware about the people here.

"You really don't know shit." Jade said with genuine concern in her voice. " If you keep clear of their null spots, the Grimm don't seem to bother small groups of people."

"Null spot?" I asked, confused.

"Come on Jade, this girlzoe isn’t from around here, ya gotta be specific.” Geddes scolded Jade in a surprisingly fatherly tone. “The first rule is that the Grimm will hunt down and massacre any group larger than fifty souls, but that’s not all. The second rule is especially cruel. The Grimm hates little kids and will kill any group with two or more youngins in it. They hate cryin’ too. Don’t go balling like you was about to when we met. The Grimm will show up real quick if you do. The last rule is simple, they will hunt down any individual trespassing in their territory, or null spot, unless you leave before they spot you.

I shuddered at the thought of these terrifying creatures hunting down innocent children and entire communities. "Are they trying to wipe you out, or are they waiting for you to die off on your ?" I murmured, my voice barely audible.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

A hint of melancholy clouded Geddes' eyes as he recalled his own once-normal life and hopeful perspective. "I can’t say for sure, but the truth is that just surviving is getting tougher every day, which is why we was hoping that you could lend a hand."

"What kind of help do you think I could provide?" I asked, my voice quavering. "I'm just... me. I'm not a fighter, and I hardly know anything about magic or the dungeon. It's mama that you want."

"Let's start by hearing your story again, girlzoe. Tell us a little more about Earth and this 'Dungeon Nexus' thing you was mentioning earlier."

***

I regaled them with tales of my life on Earth. They hung on my every word, their eyes gleaming as if I were weaving an enchanting story.

"Wait, wait, let me get this straight," Jade interrupted, grinning from ear to ear. "You'd rise every morning, don a uniform like a soldier, and head to a building where you'd sit in a room for hours, with someone directing your actions and thoughts all day? And you called this... 'school'?"

She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Oh, Lyn! That sounds like hell! No wonder you're such a helpless idiot."

Her laughter proved contagious, and I couldn't help but chime in, even if it meant poking fun at myself. "No, no, it's not all bad," I wheezed between chuckles. "It's not just brainwashing. I learned practical stuff too, like—algebra." My conviction waned.

"What's alu-jay-braa?" Jade replied, her curiosity uncharacteristically sweet and innocent, only to be shattered by a chuckle from Geddes, who had remained quiet until that point.

"What's so funny, old man?" She scouled at him, pouting. "Uhh, nothing. I'll explain later, girlzoe." Geddes replied sheepishly.

Jade shook her head, incredulous. "Honestly, Lyn, your world sounds like a page from a children's storybook. I can’t believe that people live like that!"

As Jade marveled at the strange yet mundane aspects of my world, it seemed like the perfect time to delve into the more extraordinary part of my story.

***

I wrapped up my tale by detailing my brief escapade in the Dungeon Nexus, sharing snippets about the Dungeon that I had gleaned from mama.

"And the next thing I knew, I was alone in that building in the Faraday market."

"I see..." Geddes scratched his blue beard. "What happened to that dungeon bead thing?" He inquired. As I was about to respond, I hesitated. Could I really trust these people? If they possessed someone capable of summoning the sprite, wouldn't they simply take it and abandon me? I needed to stay put until I located mama.

"Mama had it." I lied.

"That's what I thought." He sighed. "But she's a powerful mage, isn't she? I'm sure she's just fine, girlzoe. You can stay with us until she turns up."

"Yeah, but we don't feed freeloaders. Petal Puff here needs to pull her weight." Jade scoffed, giving me a teasing grin. "I suppose I could show you around the city and let you join the scavenging crew." She extended her burn-scarred hand, but before I could take it, a breezy voice chimed in from just outside the window.

"I see you've finally tamed the gorilla girl," Frisa said with her characteristic playful tone. "About time you showed up, and who are you calling gorilla, you little bitch!" Jade retorted, lunging out the window to strike Frisa. Like a leaf in the wind, her petite form nimbly dodged each blow.

"No need to be so hostile. I'm here to help." She smirked, looking at me. "Lyn, I could educate you in the art of scavenging. I've got nothing better to do, and I suppose that if you go with the gorilla girl, you may lose a limb or two."

Geddes shrugged. "Jade, you and I need to talk about the dungeon. You can show Lyn the ropes some other time. Frisa, take Lyn to the subway and teach her the basics. Don't do anything stupid." He looked at me and reached out a hand. "Girzoe, I've been alive too long to believe in shit like destiny and hope, but we are all out of options here. This world is dead and so are we if we stay here much longer. The Faraday Kids will find your mama, and until then, you can stay here. What do you say?"

Without any hesitation, I reached out and grasped his hand. "I'm in. Teach me to scavenge and help me find my mom." Despite my earlier reservations, I felt a growing sense of trust in the Faraday Kids. Geddes, beneath his rugged exterior, was a deeply empathetic man who had undoubtedly endured more hell than an ordinary person could withstand. Jade, with her initially alarming aggression, was slowly growing on me, and I sensed that getting to know her better would pay off. As for Frisa—she remained an enigma.

Frisa grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Kekeke. Let it be known, Lyn, that I am a strict teacher!" She cackled in her ethereal language. "I will fetch you tomorrow morning. It's a date!" And she flew off as Jade shot her rude gestures and insults.

"Dinna?" Geddes batted an eyebrow toward Jade. "Yeah, fuck it let's go." The two of them made their way to my door, but Jade stopped, slamming her hand on the door frame. "What are you waiting for Petal Puff? Let's fucking go!"