Tunnel Vision

She closed her eyes, thinking quietly in the silence as if not to wake the dead around her. She was alone. Her body jerked as a felt a pain stab into her side. She opened her eyes to darkness. She could feel the rough wall against her palms as she leaned against it. She knew it was there, but every time she saw it it was darker than before. She saw a flickering light but dared not move toward it. That's how they hunt. Out here their was no power and no light, she reminded herself of this again. They only offered tricks, she wouldn't make the mistake the elders had. I was... safe? had I ever been safe, it was a foreign concept to me, I was never safe, I must remember that.

She looked around making sure there was no one around to hear her. She didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her, but in the caves sound travels. Standing slowly and as quietly as she could, they were near, she could smell them. She could feel their presence as well, they were 'Under-dwellers'. She closed her eyes and silently prayed to whoever was left. God? no, the invisible man it the sky wouldn't help her, she thought, though it made her shudder, the elders had spoken of God before, and look where it got them.

She had been born into the second destruction of mankind, it had come swiftly from the one place they hadn't expected. Underground, the very place they now lived. No not exactly live, the place they now fought for their lives. Her name had been picked from the talismans now lost in the darkness. Her name was Dice.

Her talismans clacked against each other, the two cubes with small dots on them. Dice hadn't seen any members of the Clan since the Eaters, had taken over. They had struggled against them for years, she had just barely escaped when it happened. Their screams and cries were nearly deafening as they reverberated through her memories. The few children who were left fell first, they had tried to keep society, but in the end it was no use. Her thoughts darkened as she sank back into the memory of it.

To return would be suicidal. She had lost everyone that had mattered to her, God only knew if she was the only one left. I too would die sometime, of either disease or Eaters. The thought pushed its way into her head. Out here here was no growing up, for the survivors their only hope was biding their time. It was like fighting a clock. She'd heard about clocks they measured time, or so she remembered being told.

Dice looked longingly towards the warm glow down the tunnel. It might be the elders, you never know...She thought trying to convince herself it was enough to check out, but too many times she'd almost gotten herself killed trying to find them again. It was all just in her head, the elders were dead. A certain sadness drifted into her mind, she thought about how long they'd stayed "safe", and all the while the fates were readying the killing blow. No one could have made it, not even she had gotten out unscathed. Her leg was lined with three long gashes that would soon become infected. The rise of the Eaters had only happened a week ago and She was almost out of supplies. Dice was still slightly jolted by the fact that she could be the only one left. It was something that was hard to take in, even after everything she'd been through.

There had been stories of the surface, but none of those could be trusted. The Eaters had become more dangerous in the past years, now making traps and building up social civilizations. She had even heard rumors of them having leaders, among other things. Eaters were dark scaly creatures with clumps of mangled fur, their eyes were identical to those of humans, only every one was splattered with green. Eaters were stronger than together as a team, but apart Eaters were easier to destroy. Easier to kill.

The one thing they all learned about in the Clan was that out there it was every man for himself. Dice shivered at the thought. The Eaters had taken everything. The light was moving closer now, as she watched she saw a single outline, it looked mangled and distorted.

A ways down the corridor she saw a boy. He looked to be around her age he had sandy blond hair and a dark completion. Dice shrank back, not sure what to think of him at first, it might be another trap the Eaters used to take down their prey.

She waited until he was closer. She would only have one shot. Dice leaped to her feet and sprang towards him, hunting knives at the ready. The adrenaline rushing through her veins allowed her to ignore her already wounded leg. As she flung herself towards him she saw his face contort into one of absolute terror, but the thing that unnerved her the most about him was his eyes. They were white as a doves feathers all the way through, Dice had heard about doves before in the old tales, in the last minute before she went in for the killing strike she hesitated. Later she would wonder why she did what she did, but in that moment of hesitation, she spared his life.

Dice hit the ground silently knives at her sides, point down. The cave floor beneath her was rough against her feet, she could feel it through her shoes. Her face was feral, more animal than human a life of fighting had trained her for anything. Anything but this. Her leg throbbed almost violently. Dice was immediately drawn to the white of his eyes, almost mesmerizing they drew her in. She had to noticeably draw herself from them. A little put off she whispered, "Where do you hail from? what are you called? and why are you here?" Each question she demanded an answer for in her tone.

The boy was silent. Dice crouched down as she heard an echo from behind them, quickly she yanked the boys arm and thrust him to the floor behind her. His eyes were still frightened, she just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. Crossing her arms, both hands on her blades, she readied herself for the Eaters to come. She could smell them heavy in the air. They smelled like rotten fruit, with an undertone of... Eater, it was the only smell which identified them undeniably. The scent for Dice and other under dwellers had become to familiar with it.

Dice saw the whites of their eyes, the green flecks, knowing with in seconds the eaters would be on them.

And they came. Lumbering towards them, their arms flapping awkwardly at their sides making them wobble and trip. Their scaly feet were unstable as they clawed their way along the tunnel floor. The illusion of harmlessness almost overcame her. Dice could see their small childlike faces. The one thing that jogged her out of their hypnotizing eyes was their mouths. Their needle thin teeth sharp as knives shone through their thin lined lips. Their bodies tense and ready to make the kill, their awkward arms were swinging, though those were no joke either; at the tips of their arms were metal blades growing from their bone. The blades were long and sharp, they would make an easy kill.

She dove.

Flying through the air she span, suddenly falling short, painfully landing on the ground. Her perfectly executed jump fell back convulsing with pain. A thin blade stuck deep in her gut. A silent cry left her throat, a pained "O" shape as she fell to the ground. Groaning she flung a knife towards the hairy form of the oncoming Eater. It missed clattering to the ground several feet away.

Pain clouded her vision as she rolled out of the way of an Eaters gaping arms. She felt her side with her fingers. They came away bloodied confirming the hit. At the smell of blood the Eaters went into a frenzy. They went berserk! They slashed back and forth until Dice was running hard in the opposite direction, the boy not far behind. He began running, stumbling away from the mess with a small off balance stride. Dice knew survival meant ditching the heavy weight. She darted left in the tunnel, followed by a sharp right, and another turn left. Sure that she had left the boy behind she slowed checking over her damaged torso. It looked bad she was losing a lot of blood.

Again Dice ran left, then right, and another left, each a further attempt at losing the white eyed boy. Undoubtedly the same boy which had lead the Eaters straight to her. She paused to catch her breath, knowing she had to mask the blood. It's stench was too strong, the Eaters would find her in minutes if she didn't hide it. Dice fell, her head felt as though an army of Eaters had bashed in her skull. She saw the white eyes in the darkness and immediately everything terrified her. She had been trained not to fear, not to feel, not to trust, but to act. All her training went down the drain, she was terrified, in pain, and found herself with no one to trust and no ability to act.

Using what was left of her energy Dice grabbed her knife and prepared to make her last stand. She was going to die.