Serenity

We had been trekking across the Ramdinian desert for a few days. The ends of my scarf lightly whip the back of my neck. I readjust it to cover my mouth and nose to prevent inhaling the sand the wind is kicking up. The sand is just barely tolerable compared to the heat. The temperature here rises to 125˚F, and ironically the wind just makes it worse. Greco and I can’t rest though. We need to find shelter before nightfall, or the Chimeras will hunt us down.

Over a thousand years ago a great catastrophe happened that transformed Earth into the place we know it now. Unfortunately, the text from the original humans documenting what happen exactly has been lost for an exceptionally long time, so no one really knows what occurred. There are folktales floating around, but most of them have no merit behind them. Around the same time a new apex predator appeared – the Chimeras. They have been specially adapted to survive nearly any environment. They can alter their appearance to fit any situation, shifting into combination of different species of animals. But they never shift into humans. These creatures also travel in packs and are fiercely loyal. Due to their distinct abilities, the Chimeras are nearly impossible to kill. Nearly. The only known weak spot is their eyes. Shoot them right through one and they’ll die. And their main source of nutrition is humans.

“Serenity, we have two hours left ‘til it gets dark,” Greco voices his concern. “And with this wind, I won’t be able to catch a scent.” Chimeras have a distinct scent that only other Chimeras can track, and luckily Greco is one. He was raised by my father after he was abandoned by his pack because he was the runt. My father found him nearly dead in the forest by our campsite. He brought Greco home and nursed him back to health. Since then, Greco was raised as part of our family.

“As long as we continue heading East, we should reach a shelter point,” I shout through the sandy wind. Greco looks up at me skeptically with good reason. In the last couple of centuries, the human population has been drastically dwindling due to Chimera predation. Therefore, secret shelter points have been created within the ruins of the old world to avoid extinction. Some of these shelter points are run by humans. And they tend not to be very fond of Chimeras, thus causing problems for Greco and me.

“According to the runes on the old telephone tower we passed about 30 miles ago, this shelter point is supposed to be abandon,” I try to reassure. Greco raises a brow in response, then faces forward again.

“The runes had also stated this was the only shelter point for the next 80miles, so we have no other choice but continue on this path,” I holler.

Off in the distance I can see the top of a half-buried building. Thank gods! It’s the shelter point. Just in time too because the sun is starting to set behind us. I tap Greco on his shoulder twice to let him know we need to start running. He rushes off in front of me to scout the area. When I finally catch up, Greco signals to me to let me know the surroundings are clear. He waits outside at the entrance while I head in to disable any traps that could harm Greco. The impatient thwapping of his tail echoes through the building. I call Greco in once I’ve cleared the shelter point. I slide the satchel off my shoulder and take out the camouflaging device.

“Dang,” I sigh as I inspect the device. “This will only last us for tonight. We need to find a market to get another.” I rub my temple in frustration. Not only will locating a market put us behind on our mission, but it will also put Greco at great risk.

“Get the camouflage up and we’ll work on a strategy after we eat,” Greco stated calmly. I twist the device, roll it toward the entrance, and it lights up creating a barrier. Not only will it hide the fact that Greco and I are here, but it will also suppress our scents. Also, we will still be able to see outside the entrance to monitor the surroundings.

Greco and I head deeper into the abandoned building to search for any creatures to hunt for dinner. After going deep enough down, where light no longer shone into the building, we killed a few Nycans and Ocrovats to feast on. When we got back to the main campsite, Greco and I stopped dead in our tracks. Chimeras were right outside the entrance. They sniffed around for what felt like an eternity. Neither of us dared to move. One sound and it would be all over. It’s the only drawback of the camouflage device. The two Chimeras conversed for a moment, then took off. We wait a couple of moments to ensure we’re safe before resuming what we were doing.

The fire crackled as it roasted the food we harvested. While I looked at the map for the nearest marketplace, I notice Greco began to salivate at the smell of our dinner. I smirk as I chuckle to myself. I’m reminded of the days with my dad after Greco was acclimated to us. The main shape Greco took was that of a dog hybrid. My favorite when I was little was the dog bird hybrid he would take when we played, and he would fly me around. Not terribly high, but it was still flying.

I bring my attention back to the map and analyze our route. I search for a marketplace that wouldn’t take us off course. I lucked out. I found one only 40 miles East from here. The issue is there’s no marked shelter point close enough. I wish just one thing would go right. If we tried for the next shelter point on our route, we’d never make it there before nightfall. The other shelter point will take us completely off course. Plus, there’s no way to know if it’s abandoned or not.

“Serenity!” Greco barks, effectively snapping me out of internal panic.

“What?” I question as I turn to face him.

“The food is ready!” he exclaims. The thuds of his tail wagging in excitement cause me to start laughing. I take the meat off the fire. I set some off to the side for tomorrow, take a bit for myself, and give the remaining amount to Greco. He practically scarfs it down. Once we’re done eating, we discuss the plan for tomorrow. After a bit of back and forth we decide to go to sleep.

I curl up next to Greco. He’s shifted again and is now twice my size and has a thick, soft coat of fur. He wraps his tail around me. I’m thankful since at night the temperature drops to below freezing. Before falling asleep I grasp the heart-shaped locket my father gave me the last time we saw him.

It started out as an ordinary. Greco and I were preparing lunch and father was working diligently on his inventions. He was always so secretive about what he was working on, but we respected that. Then one of the barricades were triggered. Greco and I weren’t sure what was happening. My father rushed in. His eyes were wild, and panic was clear across his face. He headed to the locker and typed in some code. After it opened, he pulled out a satchel, a paper map, and the locket. He hurried over to us and shoved the satchel into my arms.

“Dad, what’s going on?” I asked, obviously worried.

“There’s not enough time to explain,” he said as he looked over his shoulder. He turned back looking me dead in the eyes.

“There’s plenty of supplies in the satchel,” he began, “and follow this.” He crammed the map into my hand.

“Do not let anyone else see this!” Nothing he was saying was making sense, but I could tell he was terrified.

“Follow it to the marked destination,” he paused for a moment. As he placed the heart-shaped locket around my neck he said, “This is your birthright. Remember that.” I was completely lost. I was so scared and confused I began to cry. He wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled at me one last time.

“Now take Greco and go!” he shouted as he turned me around and lightly shoved me.

“Wait what about you?” I cried.

“Serenity! Go!” he urged. Greco listened and grabbed me. He quickly dragged me out of there. That was the last time we ever saw him. But those words “This is your birthright” rings in my head. I haven’t been able to figure out what he meant by it. Still though, Greco and I have closely followed the map he gave us.

A loud sparking noise stirred Greco and I wake. Fear set in immediately. The camouflage device is malfunctioning. With how loud the noise was and the fact there were Chimeras here earlier means it’s just a matter of time before they return. We rush to gather our things, trying to stay quiet. Our only chance is to run. I pull out my bow and arrows and Greco puts on the electronic stirrups. I hop on his back, then we take off. With it still so dark, we are running aimlessly. Greco turns abruptly. It can only mean one thing: Chimeras are heading for us.

I activate the stirrups to keep me stable as I stand up to look around. Bow and arrow in hand, ready to fire when they come into my line of sight. A deafening growl rips out. It’s coming from our right side. I twist to face the area and see about five Chimeras chasing us down. I draw back the arrow, training it on the lead Chimera. After I release it, I can hear the wailing of the slain Chimera. How it dropped tripped up a few of the others, but there’s still two on our trail. Even more bloodthirsty now. I tap Greco, letting him know to speed up.

It’s no use though. Two Chimeras are closing in. I grab out another arrow, but before I can shoot it one of the Chimeras tackle us. Greco and I tumble with the Chimera. The stirrups automatically release me. We can’t let this be the end. I try to regain my footing and see the one Chimera and Greco entangled in battle. I scrabble to grab my bow and arrow. The other Chimera is stalking toward me, taking it’s sweet time. With just the arrow in hand the Chimera pounces on top of me. It’s claws dug into my skin. My survival instincts kick in and I jab the arrow as hard as I could into the Chimera’s eye. Blood flowed down the shaft of the arrow and the Chimera toppled over. Without giving anymore thought to the situation I retrieve my bow and run to Greco’s aid.

Both had inflicted serval wounds onto each other, yet the wild Chimera had the upper hand. I draw back my bloodied arrow and aim it at the Chimera. It sunk deeply into another wound. It cried out, giving Greco the opportunity to kill his opponent. I hobble over to Greco. Both of us inspecting the other's injuries. I fumble around for the first aid kit in the satchel to crudely stitch us both up. I get back on Greco after he insisted he was in better shape than he looked. We both look around for a moment to see if the other Chimeras in the pack followed. It looks as though they decided to retreat. I pat Greco right before he takes off running. The cold air nipped at my face as we continued on our path, towards some unknown destiny.