Humanity Reborn--Chapter One, Part I

[erirose]

*note, this is set a few generations in the future, and Reh is a fictitious country...*

Chapter One--Part I
by erirose
Rated PG for mild swearing


The sharp, blustery wind swirled around a tall blonde boy in a bitter embrace. Unaffected, he walked almost lazily forward. Paying little attention to the small, sharp snowflakes biting into his bare face and arms, he hefted the armful of wood higher upon his chest. Reaching out with a free hand, he opened the door to his cabin, revealing a smallish, one-room establishment with a fireplace situated in the corner.

A noisy 'thump' and the wood was strewn carelessly over the hearth and floor. A glance toward the glowing fireplace told him it would take little effort to make the small room warm again. Picking up a relatively dry piece he tossed it into the coals. One would think he would be a mite more careful, seeing as he needed fire to live. Not to mention, he'd been living like this for as long as he could remember, and simple animal instincts should move him to care...but...he just didn't. Besides, it wasn't much effort to rebuild a new one if he killed this one.

He was encouraging the fire to flare when he heard a faint scream coming from directly outside his door. With an inborn hunter's agility he jumped up, grabbed his bow and arrows from their resting place beside the hearth, and flung open the door. Outside was a slender, dark form not too far from the doorway. Warily he set his arrow against his bow, ready to shoot if the need arose.

Looking around for the source of the scream, he belatedly realized it had come from the figure whose details were concealed in the wild flurries-turned-blizzard storm. Seeing as a panther didn't stand upright on their hind paws unsupported, he realized it for what it only could be: a human. Dropping his bow, he hastened over to the slowly swaying apparition. As he approached details came into focus: a slender, brown-haired, brown-eyed young woman. Rather, a teenage girl, about his own age, maybe a year younger or so..it was rather hard to tell with the assortment of cuts, scrapes, and patches of dirt upon her face.

As he evaluated her, however, she unexpectedly moaned and collapsed at his feet. A single word could be heard through the winds of the blizzard as he bent to pick her up.

"Nu...clear..."

*****

A certain hazel eyed girl named Mariame was sleeping peacefully. Or so it appeared. Her head lay still on the pillow, turning to the right and then back to the left occasionally. An arm draped across her nonmoving chest to extend past the edge of the bed. Her slightly pointed ears twitched strangely, and without warning, her body flipped into a sitting position and her eyes popped open as she took a large, gasping, raspy breath. Her thoughts returned to her in a rush as she struggled for control over her body.

'Damn...not...again...stupid...nightmare...'

Panting, she swung her legs over the edge of the twin bed and rested her head in her hands. Her head was pounding, her heartbeat frantic and her breathing was staggered and harsh. Rather it felt like she had just competed in the triathlon. Without breathing. The only thing in contrast was her body felt as if it had been immobile for the past few hours; and it had been. Soft, relaxed, mush-feeling arm and leg muscles provided a strange contrast to the most important muscle in her body that was currently working the hardest. Her heart.

'The nightmare again...why must I always forget to breathe...'

Her body calming slowly, she sighed, resigned, knowing this would be another one of her trademark nights without sleep. Standing up, she swayed slightly, and put a hand out to the bedpost to steady herself. Her heart may have stopped pounding at a breakneak pace, but her head still spun from lack of oxygen.

Slipping on a pair of sweatpants, she padded slowly down the stairs, careful not to wake her parents slumbering directly below. Though they were by now used to her insomniac habits, regardless, neither would be happy if she woke them up. Flicking on the florescent countertop lights she rummaged in the fridge for something edible. A quick look in the vegetable drawer revealed a fresh pack of spinach. With a hushed cry of success, she retrieved it and shut the fridge door. Munching satisfactorily, she made her way into the modest living room. Feeling silently for the buttons on the tv, she turned it on. A glance at her glowing watch told her it was 2:14 AM. Debating whether to watch late night tv or one of her anime movies, she opted for late-night Law and Order SVU and turned to one of the local news channels. Surprised to see a news report instead of her favorite police show, she sat back in a nearby chair.

"..this just in. A mere five minutes ago, Reh fired a small nuclear bomb upon Florida..."

In the background, a semi-live clip of the bomb hitting was shown with a marshland scene with many flamingoes running...er, splashing frantically and eventually going up in flames...A leaf of fresh spinach stopped halfway to Mariame's mouth as she thought rapidly.

'Huh..five minutes ago? I woke up about that time...wonder if it has any relevance...but, awwww! Poor flamingoes....hey though, what about the camera guy..? Wouldn't he get boiled inside out too...?'

As soon as the thought occured in her mind the semi-live clip ended suddenly and the camerawoman suddenly looked unprofessionally nervous.

"....ah..well, technical trouble, I suppose...we'll keep you covered on all the updates as soon as they occur. Thanks for watching CBS news."

Stunned at the brief cutoff, Mariame just sat staring at the screen while the truth registered in her brain.

'Um...ah..does this mean....nuclear...radiation...ahh...oh, gods, I think I'd rather face sleeping...'

End Part I

---mehehe. i like the way this is going. i wanted to get this up fast, people want to see it, so i split the chap into two parts. cuz i'm still working on part II. review!---