Two tentacles flew toward Zane’s head, and he ducked to avoid them.
He was too slow.
The limbs smashed into Zane’s side, and he went flying into a wall. Pain coursed through his right side, his courage seeping away. Terror took its place, his knuckles paling and his arms trembling.
No, I can’t lose my life here. I refuse to.
Zane activated The Calm Wanderer and breathed a sigh of relief as a sense of tranquility washed over him.
A quick view of his surroundings showed him that the creature had moved into the middle of the street in their battle. It was limping back toward the warped remains of a warped car, its tentacles reaching out to the shadows. It had abandoned the sedan to attack him, but that meant it had also lost its hiding place.
The monster watched him warily as it moved, slithering underneath its new domain as its opal blood pooled over the ground. The smell of scorched hair filled the air, and Zane had to hold his breath not to gag.
Wisps of smoke were trailing off its body. And Zane’s eyes narrowed as he spotted them.
It can’t survive in the sun. Or maybe any light at all.
Zane backed away toward the overturned sedan, his eyes never leaving the monster. The lady he’d seen had fallen when the sedan had been tipped over, and her corpse lay out over the seats, her skin glowing the color of iron.
He tapped her side as he shuffled past her, the lights of her soul flowing into his palm and forming a card.
The soul flew into his chest immediately.
Sorry, but I can’t afford to be gentle right now. If I have time, I’ll come back and pay my respects.
A dozen eyes watched him leave from the shadows, each filled with anger and pain. Both of them had left marks on each other today, and enmity had been born.
This city isn’t big enough for both of us.
Zane clutched his neon spear tight. This fight wasn’t over. If its only weakness was light, then when night fell the monster would be free to move. Even if it didn’t chase him, it could lurk in any shadow and wherever Zane went and wherever light failed to touch, the monster would be waiting for him. As long as it was alive, he would never be safe in this city.
The moment he was out of the creature’s sight he bolted in the direction of the convenience store, adrenaline taking over his body and numbing the pain.
A sharp pain hit Zane’s side the moment he passed the fourth block. He collapsed, gasping as his side screamed in pain where the monster had slammed him against the wall. Sweat dripped down his forehead as each footfall brought further discomfort and his breathing grew ragged.
Did I break a rib?
Zane’s pace slowed to a crawl, and he became eerily aware of his panting breath filling the silence of the world around him. Even though it would hurt to force his way to the convenience store, he didn’t want to risk running into an unsearched building for shelter.
There was no telling what was lurking inside them.
It’s too quiet.
The lack of humans and traffic unnerved him, but there was more to it than that.
No birds sung in the air, and the leaves of nearby plants no longer rustled, most warped into strange amalgamations of brick and stone. The odd bark of a dog or meowling fights of stray cats were also missing. There was a lack of everything that had made Earth what it was.
Zane pressed his hand against a wall to steady himself, and flinched as it sank underneath his touch. He stumbled back, ignoring his pain as he gazed at the wall warily. The brick sank deeper where he’d touched it.
Then it bounced back, repeating the motion several times over the span of a minute.
The building was breathing.
I can’t even trust my eyes. Zane thought.
Zane circled around the building, using the neon spear as a crutch. There used to be a bank inside, but a quick peek through the windows showed him that the inside had transformed entirely. Barrels littered the floor and dingy wooden tables standing on single legs were accompanied by a littering of glass mugs with clear golden liquid in them.
It looked like an inn from medieval times.
Oddly familiar. Zane thought. Michelle would have loved it.
Michelle had been another eternal sufferer in the tech support company, right until she hit it big by marrying rich and left for Europe. Before then, she’d organized half a dozen sessions of dungeons and dragons that Tobie had dragged him along to. Fantasy and imagination were her fortes, and he hoped if she survived, she would wield her knowledge like a weapon.
Other familiar memories floated through Zane’s mind as he hobbled through the street. He allowed them to flow through him, each one distracting him from the pain. Every now and then he would see movement in the corner of his eyes and freeze, but nothing revealed itself.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
Zane was halfway through the block when he spotted his salvation.
It was a four-wheel cart.
A thick layer of what looked like syrup dripped over its sides, and the interior housed several shriveled balls that could have once been fruit. Sturdy wooden manufacturing was mixed with faded paint that had once been vibrant. On its side was a single word accompanied by a smiling man holding a pineapple.
[Vendor]
The cart had belonged to a man who’d yelled his prices throughout the street every morning. Zane had never learned his name, but he gave the cart a small bow and swept away the remains of the produce. A layer of sugary goop caught against the sleeve of his shirt, and he ignored it.
His sleeve had already lost its original white color, barely recognizable among splotches of opal blood and dirt.
“A vendor’s cart for a vendor of souls,” Zane joked.
Zane threw the neon spear inside the cart. A quick test showed him that the cart would hold his weight even if he leaned against it. It also wasn’t breathing, which was a plus.
The cart became his new walking aid, his pale hands gripping the handles tight. Most of the asphalt was blocked by the remains of cars, but the sidewalks were completely empty, so there was plenty of space for the cart. The only exceptions were the odd lamppost or bin that had fused with the concrete.
Relief flooded Zane when he arrived at the convenience store. He left the cart outside the entrance, in the space Tobie’s body had once occupied.
Walking through the entrance with his spear, Zane opened the kiosk door and fell into the maimed chair inside. The black liquid that covered the cushion and walls had hardened over time, and now formed a thick coating that felt like rubber. It was comfortable, like sitting against a tire.
His only option that looked more comfortable was the wall of the store that had turned into a red jelly-like substance, but he didn’t want to risk it. For all he knew it would eat him the moment he touched it.
Seriously, did I really break a rib? Because I don’t think hospitals are open right now.
His breathing was ragged as he tried to maintain his composure and he activated The Calm Wanderer again.
It helped.
First things first. Check the new soul.
Zane breathed deeply as he drew the new card out of his body.
The card was the color of iron, and he could see a dozen dumbbells of different sizes and weights etched onto its back. On its front was a picture of a brunette woman with long hair, chatting happily with faceless figures as she sat on a workout bench.
The Enforcer (uncommon).
Layla was toughened by life and reinforced by discipline. In her final moments she fought valiantly, and in vain.
Effect: Increase the damage dealt by your limbs or a held weapon of choice by 12.5% for 5 minutes. Cooldown of 60 minutes.
Effect 2: Toughen your body by 25% for 1 minute. Cooldown of 60 minutes.
Note: Only one effect may be used at a time.
Zane’s eyes lingered on Layla’s description. It was as hopeless and demoralizing as Tobie’s. There was one key difference this time. He hadn’t known who Layla was before reading the card.
Which meant something else was writing the description.
“Hey!” Zane shouted. “Is someone out there messing with me?”
There was no response.
“Sick bastard,” Zane muttered.
Just like Tobie’s card, The Enforcer’s glow was different to the radiance of the soul it had come from. Both had lost their metallic shine once they had been formed, replacing it with a vibrant color. Zane examined each intimately.
Tobie’s bronze card glowed blue. Layla’s iron card glowed red.
His own card was golden.
Does this mean all blues give emotional benefits, and all red ones give physical enhancements? He didn’t have enough information to tell. I guess that means gold deals with souls. Maybe.
Zane shifted on his seat and winced as stabbing pain reminded him of his battle.
Do monsters have souls?
Behind him was a series of switches and he clicked the ones labelled ‘lights’, checking to see if any worked.
They didn’t.
No electricity. Zane sighed. Of course.
Zane took stock of his surroundings as he settled into the chair. The convenience store was located on the corner of a four-way intersection, meaning two of its walls were facing the street. One wall was made up of six large glass windows, three of which were cracked, and the other three had transformed into a new substance entirely. It was blue and opaque, glittering like sapphire in the sunlight.
The other side had the door, both windows flanking the entryway had shattered when Tobie had hit the building.
Thankfully, that section was facing the sun directly, which gave him a good view of the situation outside. The evening sun had been retreating over the horizon when the apocalypse had struck. Now, several hours later, it was mid-afternoon and a quick glance outside showed the sun was broken into three pieces and still shining bright. Zane didn’t know if the entire planet had been shifted by the chaos wave, or if time had simply broken. He also wasn’t sure which possibility scared him the most.
A bang interrupted his thoughts and he jolted, wincing as he irritated his injured ribs. Panic rose as he turned, expecting to see that the octopus monster had followed him to finish him off. Instead, he saw something entirely different.
Standing outside of the entrance was a woman.
At first glance she looked human, but the differences quickly made themselves apparent. Her skin and hair were crystalline, visibly brittle, yet supple and flexible. She was as radiant as a diamond where the sun kissed her exposed skin, and two irises the color of lightning stared at Zane as she smirked.
“Greetings,” she waved a hand at Zane. “What are you selling?”
Zane stared at the woman in shock as she paced from side to side, examining the entrance of the shop with curious eyes.
Long emerald hair cascading over fine a silken silver robe that caressed her body. The surface of her clothes was covered in foreign symbols, each one glimmering brightly as she tapped her fingers charmingly on the frame of the door. The robes cut off at her shins, and she wore simple sandals on her feet made from ruby leaves that had been woven together into a scale pattern.
She wasn’t as alien as Gor Mar had been, but that didn’t lessen his caution.
“This is a store, right?” She pointed to the side of the entrance where he’d left his cart.
The word [Vendor] was clear for everyone to read.
She pouted as she waited for an answer, and Zane blinked in surprise. He raised a hand and waved her through, and she skipped over the boundary of the door without a care in the world, her movements graceful and laced with elegance.
“Greetings, vendor,” she gave Zane a low bow. “I am Kynari, the realm traveler.”
“Hello,” Zane tried to keep his shock out of his tone. “I’m Zane, a human.”
Kynari’s giggle told him that he hadn’t done a good job at hiding his surprise. Her joyful laughter sounded like a dozen crystal bells twinkling on a windchime. Unlike Gor Mar, he could tell what she was feeling, and it helped him keep calm.
“What wares have you for me?” She asked. “I wish to see the wonders of this new world.”
Is this my shop now? Zane wondered. I suppose it isn’t anybody else’s.
“Sure, let me show you what I’ve got.”