Echoes of Eternity

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜 - 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙

"Ugh."

In the hushed aftermath of the horde's departure, I awoke to a world shrouded in silence and ash. The pain was gone, but the memory of it lingered like a phantom in my head.

Am I dreaming?

It was all too real. The coarse particles of ash covering my skin. The air filled with the scent of smoke. The bitter taste of my cracked lips.

As I rose, my dry eyelids opened slightly, a newfound coldness seeping into my thoughts.

"I... am alive."

It wasn't a dream, but perhaps that was not as good as I thought it was.

My dull eyes fell upon the tattered clothes on my body, shredded by the fangs and claws of the mutated beasts. Blood mixed with ash created a grim paste that clung to my skin.

In the darkness of the misty city, eyes seemed to be staring at me.

*Krunch*

A sudden pain on my shoulder made me turn, my expression cold.

"BLAARRGGHH!"

The infected's scream echoed as it tried and failed to bite through my skin. It kept grinding its putrid teeth against my shoulder, but my body had somehow become much tougher.

What's happening to me?

Feeling a surge of strength, I grabbed the infected by the throat, lifting it effortlessly. It attempted to struggle, but its kicks and punches were no different than pebbles against my chest.

Are these the same infected of before? Have they always been this weak?

I clamped down harder, and the creature's mouth gushed with green saliva. I could sense its struggles intensifying as the grim reaper neared.

Without a change of expression, I slowly increased the pressure of my grip, staring at its neck veins bursting due to my strength.

Its body went limp.

*Shiver*

I took a few steps backs and tossed the corpse away from me as quickly as possible.

"What am I doing..." I muttered to myself.

Zoe was somewhere out there, waiting for me. Regardless of what I was, I would protect the last member of my family.

A part of me yearned to call out, to gather a search party, but a deeper, more calculating instinct held me back.

The infected were not the same as before. They were evolving at an alarming rate, whilst humans were stuck with their gifts and curses that would not improve no matter what. This theory was too daunting to voice even to myself.

But maybe...

I clenched my fist, crushing a rock into powder. My eyes shone with a dark light.

I pushed these thoughts aside and moved towards the outskirts of Cologne, being extra careful to make sure no infected heard me. Luckily, it was the middle of the night, when the infected were less active.

I scanned the desolate landscape, searching for any sign of my friends.

It was then I noticed it – a message etched into the dirt that stretched 3 meters long, right outside the urban area of the city. The words were simple but clear: "To Düsseldorf." I'd know my sister's messy handwriting anywhere.

Düsseldorf... that name brought back old memories. I sighed and decided not to focus on these pointless feelings. The Apocalypse was the same everywhere, and thinking about the past would not bring anything back.