Rain pours down from above, heavy and oppressive even with the vines blocking most of it. I hug my legs tighter to my body, trying to preserve body heat. This tiny shelter isn't ideal, but it's better than being out in the downpour. Those who can't find shelter from the rain usually don't survive. Either the cold gets them, or something more sinister. Off in the distance, a faint ethereal blue dome shines through the rain, covering the construction of yet more floors for a skyscraper.

I watch it flicker absentmindedly, wondering about how long I'm going to live like this. Barely scrounging for scraps while avoiding the things that stalk the city in the dark. I may be stronger than your average unawakened adult by a lot, but that doesn't mean much to the things in the shadows. I look up at the veritable forest of purple vines that crisscross every facet of the city, watching the small flickers of movement that somehow make it through.

My stomach lets out a low growl, reminding me that it's feeding time.

I turn around, and crawl away from the minuscule entrance. This little pocket of space is made up of the same purple vines that cover the rest of the city, only harder so they don't bend when you step on them.

I reach the half eaten body of the previous inhabitant, lying against the back of the tunnel. He was young, probably only 6-7. Didn't manage to put up much of a fight. I lean down, stretch my jaw, and begin tearing chunks of flesh off of the mangled corpse with my teeth.

It'd been a day or two since he died, and it's pretty humid because of the rain, so there's a lot of stuff on him that wasn't there before. I eat it anyway. My stomach can handle the rot, mold, and whatever other nasty surprises might've grown in the meantime. Just more nutrients.

After sating my hunger, I move back to the entrance to watch the rain. Every now and then there's a flash in the distance, but the thunder is smothered by the wind. The lights from the city, which would normally be visible even in the rain, are nowhere to be found. I should be worried, but the rain isn't coming for me.

It has other victims in mind.

****

I wake up, blinking the sleepiness out of my eyes. The rain still hasn't stopped, and the smell coming from the corpse is more noticeable now. I stretch as best I can in the cramped space and move back to my spot in front of the entrance. Nothing killed me in my sleep. Lucky.

The entrance/exit faces the end of any alleyway, outside of which is normally a bustling clearing, filled with shops, shoppers, noise, vehicles, and more. Now, however, it's mostly empty. I say mostly because there will always be people moving about, rain, snow, acid rain, invasion, or apocalypse.

There's a flash of light, in the distance. Then another. Then a purple flash. I don't pay it much mind, even though the flashes continue and get increasingly magical. If they get closer I might become worried, but for now they seem contained.

I sit, clutching my legs, staring out into space, not really there. I wonder, what happened to facility after i escaped? Did it recover from the attack? Or was that really how it ended?

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

A rainbow flash illuminates the clouds, a thunderous boom rings out, and everything goes silent. Ambient noise I didn't even know was there ceased.

Except the rain. The rain carries on unceasing.

My stomach rumbles yet again, breaking me from my short stupor. I sigh, and make my way deeper into this little hideaway. After finishing off the last of the fleshy bits, I eat the bones too. Mmmmmm, calcium. Still smells terrible in here.

Hopefully the rain will wash it away while i sleep. I stretch out a little, relieved now that i have a bit more room to move around in.

Despite eating corpses, I don't like sleeping with them. The bugs and mold that grow on them try to get into you too, and sometimes they succeed. It's never happened to me, but the idea is scary enough.

The side of my little shelter shakes. I bolt upright, eyes watching the spot intently. That's the wall attached to the building.

It shakes again. Then it starts to rapidly shake, like something was being slammed into it repeatedly. Then I start hearing cracking sounds. Realizing the danger I'm suddenly in, I scramble towards the entrance. Clasping the sides of the structure and throwing myself out, heedless of the pouring rain. I wasn't fast enough.

"BOOM" The wall explodes outwards, rubble slamming me into the ground. It doesn't break anything, thankfully. Something else, much bigger than me, slams into the ground behind me. I desperately try to get up, but the rain prevents me from gaining any purchase. Its feels suffocating, like the rain is trying to crush me with it's sheer presence.

Someone lets out a war cry from inside the building, then leaps out from the destroyed wall and slams into the thing behind me, cracking the pavement and flinging me away with the shockwaves. I still can't get up, and my flailing is getting increasingly more frantic. This close to an awakened battle, I should be dead already! They must not be that high of a level.

I finally manage to get up, and try to limp away when a blur shoots past me. Was that a dude? He slams into the wall, humanoid silhouette confirming that it is indeed a person. Suddenly I'm spinning through the air, right side of my body completely unresponsive.

I slam into the wall opposite the guy who got flung, further down the alley. The impact jars my spine, not even scratching the wall behind me. My vision swims with pain, and I try to lift myself back up to get away. I can't. My ribs are broken. One of them must have run into me while trying to get to the other guy. The guy still stuck in the wall throws something at the other guy and it explodes. The explosion doesn't reach my ears. Now that I'm not right next to them, the rain muffles the noise into silence.

I lay there, leaning against the broken wall, watching two awakened fight, unable to move even a finger. The rain steals what little warmth I have left and gets in my eyes, somehow making everything even more blurry.

I feel powerless.

The rain muffles the sound of my breathing, and some water trickles down into my mouth, washing the taste of my previous meal away. How long has it been since I've drank water? Too long. My vision begins to fade, and the sound of the rain grows distant. My heartbeats slow.

Am I dying? Is this what it feels like for your life to slip away? To just slowly fade into nothing? Interesting. My thoughts grow hazy, reality slipping through my fingers.

Something pulses in the corner of my vision. I slowly tilt my eyes to look. In my unbroken hand sits an unassuming little rock, gently pulsing the color of bright red blood.

An awakening stone. I remember the lessons on what they could look like.

Why now? Why here? How? All these questions swirl around in my head, before falling away one by one. I remember fantasizing about what kind of powers I'd get if i used one. They used to emphasize that we should never even touch one, how it'd kill us if we tried to use it. I'd asked how to activate it, and in a brief moment of passion the professor let slip the method.

I reach out to the stone, and try to connect with it.

The sound of the rain vanishes entirely, and a page of paper unfolds in the space in front of me. Upon it is a single question.

[Do you wish to awaken?]

yes