SURVIVING THE WORLD CHAPTER 1

    

SURVIVING THE WORLD CHAPTER 1

  SUMMARY

Jeanna fought to survive the world's end and the creatures with a taste for human flesh. She thought surviving was hard enough, but protecting her new love was even harder.

                                   

   A DESTROYED WORLD

Wars were fought, countries destroyed, and people went hungry. The creatures emerged. Lives were lost, and Earth became a wasteland, a mere shadow of its former self. We humans depleted her resources, and wars erupted between nations, all vying for scarce resources. However, no one emerged victorious; we lost even more resources during the conflicts. 

Food cannot grow; water is contaminated; forests lie destroyed. Instead of finding ways to save the Earth, large corporations created weapons and tools that only made things worse. The human population dwindled, perhaps by half, but who cares anymore? There’s no food or clean water left; everything has been tainted by the very weapons we forged.

The survivors fought or killed over the scraps that remained. Eventually, things settled down, but the once lush green Earth transformed into a scorching desert. People are too hungry and exhausted to fight each other now. Yet, they face a new threat: a species of creatures with a taste for human flesh. The human population has scattered, seeking sustenance. Traveling is their only option, and hope still flickers for the survivors.

 I walked for days, my water ran out, and I clung to the last bit of beef jerky salvaged from a buck that I was fortunate enough to kill, it had been trapped in a small, empty grocery store. 

Finding a way out of the city proved arduous and exhausting. Night approached, and I steadied my backpack, scanning for a safe place to spend the night. Passing a sign for “Fellowship Estate.” I noticed the houses looked new, untouched by the chaos of war. 

Some had broken windows and doors, evidence of desperate entry. But the fifth house appeared pristine. Curiosity piqued, I picked the lock, months of solitude and survival had taught me a thing or two. I entered cautiously, clutching the long army knife in my right hand. My mother had given it to me long ago. She told me: “Jeanna, this knife will come in handy one day.” And it did, it saved my life more than once.

Downstairs, the living room held nothing out of the ordinary: a TV, sofas, family photos. A doorway led to a clean kitchen, neatly organized with no dirty dishes. The cupboards contained canned food, cans of tomato soup, beans, and vegetables. “Jackpot!” I smiled happily. 

I decided to take everything, stuffing my backpack along with a can opener I found, a box of matches, meat seasons, cooking oil, and two bottles of red wine, I couldn't believe my luck. And then, a delightful surprise: five bottles of drinking water awaited me, I took those and a small frying pan.

Upstairs, the creaky stairs led to an open room with an unmade bed and clothes strewn about, a little girl’s room, judging by the attire.

The other room, the master bedroom, was closed. I opened it and immediately regretted it. The scent coming from there was horrendous. There were three skeletons on the bed: two adults and a child. 

I closed the door quickly, leaned against the wall beside it, and let out a ragged breath. I should have prepared for this. It wasn’t my first time seeing a family suicide, but it was heartbreaking every time. That’s the one thing I knew I would never get used to.

I cleared my mind and checked the last door, the bathroom. I went in and looked in the mirror. I had cut my hair low with faded sides; it was more practical that way. My dark skin had some dirt smudged on it, and my clothes looked like they had been through a war and come out in pieces.

 I decided to take a shower. I turned on the pipe, hoping there would be water. I squealed when a heavy flow streamed down from the shower head. I put away my knife and stripped my clothes quickly and took a very long shower. I didn’t know when my next shower would be, so I took advantage of this gift.

After showering, I looked through my bag and took out my toothbrush and toothpaste. I brushed my teeth, using the toothpaste as sparingly as I could. My toothbrush needed to be changed a long time ago; things like these are hard to find these days.

 After brushing my teeth, I searched the medicine cabinet and found new toothpaste and four new toothbrushes. I put them in my bag along with the aspirin, band-aids, rubbing alcohol, and a small metal nail file. 

I took out spare clothes from my bag: a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. My sneakers needed to be changed; my big toe was poking out on my left foot, but it would have to wait for a while. I took one last look in the mirror, ran my fingers through my tuft of hair, and sighed. I looked and felt much better now.

I went downstairs, I decided to spend the night in the living room. Taking a seat on the sofa, I took out a water bottle and sipped tentatively. 

Thank goodness, it was good. I drank half and secured the rest in my bag.

I lay down for the night, a sound woke me. Click, click, click. "Shit!" I can’t believe it’s here with me. I’ve only encountered this creature twice before, and I nearly lost my life both times. But one encounter still gives me nightmares. 

Three months ago, the rain was pouring down in torrents, with no shelter in sight. I hugged my soaked body, desperately trying to preserve some warmth. The town lay shrouded in darkness, the sheets of rain turning the world into a murky blur. A strange feeling crept up my spine—I was being watched. Instinctively, I became alert. In these times, you couldn't afford to be careless. Both creatures and desperate humans prowled the land, ready to attack anything unfortunate enough to cross their path, both hungry and ruthless.

I froze, spotting a shadowy figure ahead. The rain made it hard to discern what it was, but before I could react, it vanished. Suddenly, I felt myself hurled through the air, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs as I slid across the mud, my backpack cushioning part of the fall. I scrambled to my feet, rain blurring my vision. A figure leaped out of the darkness—A Humanite. 

Fear seized me. I stumbled back into the mud, frantically crawling away as the creature advanced. It growled baring sharp claws that gleamed in the dim light. Panicking, I fumbled for the knife at my side, my hands shaking. In my haste, I nicked my stomach, but there was no time to care. The Humanite roared, launching itself at me. 

I thrust the knife forward, eyes squeezed shut, bracing for impact. Its weight crashed down on me, and I screamed as its claws tore into my right side. But my knife found its mark, sinking deep into the creature's chest. Trembling, I slid out from under its limp form, gasping for air. Slowly, I pulled the knife from its body, my hands slick with blood. 

Pain shot through me as I yanked its claws free from my side. I staggered to my feet, sheathing my knife. Blood poured from the wound, and I hastily tore off my shirt, tying it tightly around my waist to slow the bleeding. Just then, a soft growl rumbled behind me—the Humanite was still alive.

Too weak to run, I quickened my pace, putting as much distance between me and the creature as possible. I had to find shelter, somewhere to tend to my wound. From that day on, I became extra cautious. But no matter how careful I was, trouble always seemed to find me. 

Now, here I stand again, staring into the face of yet another Humanite.

 I grabbed my bag and ran for the front door. It was nighttime, the moon was full, its light bright and shining on the creature. 

Its green skin glistened. It was at the threshold of the front door. I slid to the floor in fright in front of the creature. It saw me and roared.

 It stands tall at eight feet, the tallest I’ve ever seen. It made me feel small compared to my 5ft 6in. It has large green cat eyes and pointy ears at the sides of its face. 

It has sharp teeth, and its mouth is wide from ear to ear. Its nose has two holes in the middle of its large face.

Its hands are long with sharp claws that can cut through bones. Its head has spikes from the middle of its head to the end of its tail with horns on its head. Its feet are bipedal with claws.

It took a step towards me, licking its lips, its tongue pink and long. I was stunned, still on the floor, hugging my bag, staring at the creature. 

They are known as the Humanite.

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