Chereads / Surviving our New Reality / Chapter 2 - Chaos

Chapter 2 - Chaos

What welcomes my eyes is destruction and chaos. Some of the people I see initially are wearing tattered clothes that's barely covering them, the colors have been dulled as if they've been washed multiple times with patchwork as if used for a long time. Their faces are filled with dread with weary eyes and tired faces. There are downcast faces, bruises, sunken eye sockets and bony faces detailing a hard life.

Many of the people in my immediate view have a hopeless look in their eyes and are lacking vigor. Some women are holding tightly to children, parts of their bodies in different stages of healing as from a physical attack, others are bleeding and in tears. Children are crying with snot running down some of their faces. Patches of brown and black, like soil staining their faces mixing with their snot and tears. Even some of the women and men are in tears. Some people are grouped up like a family, including the young and old. A few groups have less people and even more people stand alone or incongruently in groups, groups that seem to be makeshift. As I look around I also notice that there are some people who are armed. Some of them are holding guns, bows, knives, shields and swords, facing away from me and blocking my view as they shout at each other. My head rotates to the left as I hear the shout of "watch out" and what I see is nothing I can ever imagine. 

A figure that looks like it could be human but with skin exposed, eyeballs half falling out and whose nails are long and look more like claws. The skin on it looks wrinkly and grey, almost like something that was dried freeze.Although it looks dead it's body is moving, ready to slash. Someone jumps in front of it and a sword enveloped in reddish golden hue slices downwards towards it, slicing the figure in half. Although I couldn't fully see everything due to the distance, it was still close enough for me to understand what happened. Everything around seemed to be projected in gray, like I wasn't completely there but was watching everything through a Lense and out of focus. 

What I can understand is as the gray ashes rains down upon us, danger and chaos create our reality. I wonder what I am seeing, if it's reality or a dream? As I keep looking around I notice a piece of paper, crunched up as if someone attempted to throw it away, but it was still somewhat legible. It looks like it's from a newspaper and is a bit yellowed, it reads as follows: A sign of the end 23033035. It portrayed exactly what I was seeing, a multitude of injured people and destroyed buildings and roads.I slowly started to walk forward, attempting to avoid the broken glass as I heard it crunching under the feet of those around me.I walk around some of the stationary people just standing around as if they have lost hope. As I walk deeper into the crowd I'm in awe of what I see: attacks encompassing all elements like a magic show. A fire ball here, a water spear there, a wind tornado or wind blade aimed at creatures of different shapes and sizes. Most of the creatures are bipedal, looking like an undead or a zombie. 

'This' I think. 'What is this?'. As I kept walking, I seemed to be weightless, I felt both as a foreigner and as a visitor. I felt like I was merely a projection like a ghost or a spirit floating around. I can walk, but i'm unable to touch anything

As I turn, I see a child that looks about 7-years-old abandoned under a layer of concrete, blood on his face, the only part of him that is visible.His eyes are open but lifeless and dull. It looks as if he was caught under a building as it was destroyed since part of it surrounded the little boy. There were also other people around the little boy, adults and other children but none were spared. 

 There were steel pipes protruding some of the bodies, as well as electric cord entangling others. Pieces of concrete and wood have fallen on and through some of the bodies lying near the little boy.

As I walk towards the child to touch him It feels as if ice is passing through me. I shiver and turn almost as if on instinct only to see close up of what appears to be a zombie… or perhaps it's a demon… a monster?' As its hands pass through my body I hear a voice "welcome to the survival of the end". It feels like I'm being pushed back, as if my soul has left my body but is slowly returning. It's like I'm being jerked backwards, or perhaps being pulled like a magnet as the view starts to disappear. It feels as if time has multiplied 3 times faster pulling me like I'm free falling from a rollercoaster.

 "The system has recognized the player" and then silence.